of Ship-money. But the most obnoxious persons were Lord Deputy Wentworth Earl of Strafford, and Abp. Laud. They were sent to the Tower, condemned and beheaded, for subverting the fundamental laws and liberties of their country. Some were for gratifying the king by sparing Strafford, but others were vehement against it; the Londoners petitioned the house for justice, and followed their petitions with cries and clamours. He was at length condemned, and the king signed the bill, by the advice of several bishops.

There was great heat among the members of parliament in the debates which this matter occasioned. Some were much against displeasing and provoking the king, and thought themselves not obliged to attempt any acts of justice or reformation, but what they could bring him to consent to. But others were for exerting themselves to the utmost, at all adventures, to reform abuses, and recover and defend their liberties. "If, say they, the fears of foreseen opposition shall make us betray our country and posterity, we are perfidious to them, enemies to ourselves, and worse than infidels," &c. Thus were mens minds divided: but some unhappy means fell out to unite them, and lead them into a war.

The king had a considerable party that adhered to him, made up both of state politicians, and friends of the ecclesiastical hierarchy; who jointly set themselves against the parliament, not only because of their apprehended encroachments on the civil power, but also because of the church reformation intended. But the country party carried all things with a high hand, depending upon the assistance of true-hearted Englishmen if matters came to extremity. Many things heightened these discontents. The London apprentices (encouraged by some members of parliament) in a tumultuous manner brought up their petitions to Westminster, insulting the bishops as they were going to the house. On account of these tumults, the king did not think himself safe, either in the city or

near it.

Great were the jealousies between him and his parliament, which were many ways increased. The two armies of Scots and English remained undisbanded in the north, till the parliament should provide for their pay. The English army, wanting pay, were discontented, and entertained a design to march suddenly to London, and master the parliament. The

* A tax laid upon the several port-towns, with the assistance of the counties adjoining, for providing a ship of war for the king's service.

parliament,

parliament, to prevent insults, provided a guard, which they considered as their privilege. The king discharging this guard, set another upon them of his own choosing. This made them look like prisoners; and they feared that the guard appointed by the king, would, if commanded, become the executioners of his wrath upon them. Upon which they dismissed them, and called for a guard of the city regiments. At length the king, being advised no longer to stand by and see himself affronted, took an unprecedented step in going suddenly to the House of Commons, with a company of cavaliers, with swords and pistols, to charge five of their members with high treason, viz. Mr. Pym, Mr. Hampden, Mr. Hollis, Mr. Strowd, Sir Arthur Hasilrigg, and Lord Kimbolton, afterwards Earl of Manchester, and Lord Chamberlain. But, having had notice, they absented themselves. The house, being hereupon alarmed, voted this action a breach of their privileges, and an effect of the king's evil counsellors; and published their votes, to awaken the people to an apprehension of danger. The king being disappointed, published a paper, in which he charged the aforesaid persons with treason, as stirring up the apprentices to tumultuous petitioning, &c. but he confessed his error in thus violating their privileges.

But there was nothing that wrought so much with the people as the Irish massacre and rebellion; in which the Irish papists were said to have murdered two hundred thousand protestants. The Irish declared, they had the king's commission for what they did and many even at that time, weighing all circumstances, believed it to be fact; while others represented it as an unjust and scandalous aspersion upon his Majesty. All England was now filled with fear; for the Irish threatened, that when they had done with the handful that was left in Ireland, they would come into England, and do the same with the parliament and protestants here. It was therefore thought necessary for the parliament to put the country into an armed posture, for their own defence.

At length the king left London, and marched to Hull, where entrance was denied him by Sir John Hotham. The parliament published their votes to the people, "That the king, misled by evil counsel, was raising a war against his

par

*N. B. This matter has never yet been thoroughly cleared. Dr. Calamy considers the story of the Marquis of Antrim as decisive against the king.-See Bennett's Mem. Ref, and Welwood's Memoirs,

liament." They named lord lieutenants for the militia of the several counties; the king named others by a commission of array, and each commanded the said lord lieutenants to settle the militia. Both king and parliament published their declarations, justifying their cause. The king went to Nottingham, where he set up his standard. There were but about 2000 that came in to him there; whereas the Londoners quickly filled up a gallant army for the earl of Essex, the parliament's general; and the citizens brought in their money and plate, and the women their rings, to Guildhall, to support it. The king offered a treaty, and sent some general proposals. The parliament sent him nineteen proposals of their own: offering, "That if he would disband his army, come to his parliament, give up delinquents to a legal course of justice, &c. he should find them dutiful."

In this contest the generality of the nobility were on the king's side. Most of their tenants followed them, and most of the poorer sort of people through the nation. On the parliament's side, were the smaller part of the gentry in most counties, the greatest part of the tradesmen and freeholders, and the middle sort of men, especially in those corporations and counties which depend on cloathing, and such manufactures. To them also adhered the far greater part of those through the nation, who were friends to a religious strictness, and enemies to formality and profaneness, superstition and immorality. It was not indeed properly bellum episcopale, the bishops war, though by many so stiled. For thousands who wished for good bishops, were on the parliament side; and the generality of those who were called Puritans and Precisians, and were for serious godliness, both ministers and people, adhered to the parliament. On the other side, they who were for a loose kind of life, both ministers and people; against the strict observation of the Lord's-day, and fond of recreations at those sacred seasons; who placed all their religion in going to church, and hearing Common-prayer; who were against serious preaching, and for running down all who were stricter than themselves; these adhered all along to the king. This circumstance alone determined multitudes of sober and honest persons which side to take. The nation was long before divided into two parties, with respect to religious matters; the brief consideration of the rise and progress of which division, throws not a little light on the animosities which at that time prevailed.

It unhappily fell out in the days of Queen Mary, that our Reformers being fugitives at Frankfort, fell into a division: one part of them were for Diocesans, and the English liturgy and ceremonies, that they might not depart more than was necessary from the Papists, nor seem inconstant by departing from what King Edward had begun. The other were for Calvin's discipline and way of worship; for the setting up of parochial discipline, and for a plain and simple way of worship, suited as near as possible to the word of God. When these two parties returned to England, the Diocesan party got Queen Elizabeth's countenance, and their way established. The other party were discountenanced, and suppressed by law. The latter nevertheless were fervent preachers, and of holy lives: and so indeed were many of the bishops also in those days. But when Jewel, Pilkinton, Grindal, &c. were dead, many succeeded them of another stamp. The silenced Disciplinarians (as they were stiled) did by their writings, secret conference, preaching, and godly lives, work much upon such as were religiously disposed. So that this opinion spread very much, "That a just parochial discipline would very much reform the church, and that Diocesans by excluding it cherished vice." The prelatical party finding their places and power, lands and lordships, assaulted by this opinion, thought it necessary more and more to suppress the promoters of it. Hereupon, putting episcopacy, liturgy and ceremonies, into the subscriptions which they imposed on all that would be ininisters or school-masters, they kept out or ejected many worthy and able men. Whereas, many bishops preached but seldom, and abundance of places had ignorant readers who could not preach, or weak preachers whose performances were very mean, and many of them were also scandalous in their lives'; so that many thousands of the people were perishing in ignorance and sin for want of help.

Hereupon, the Disciplinarians cried out of the severity and impositions of the prelates: and they on the other side, vehemently inveighed against the Nonconformists. They called them Puritans, which was the name whereby they were commonly known. And in process of time, the vicious multitude called all Puritans who were strict and serious, and of holy lives, though ever so conformable. So that the same name in a bishop's mouth, signified a Nonconformist; and in an ignorant drunkard's or swearer's mouth, a godly obedient christian. Now the ignorant rabble, hearing that the bishops were against the Puritans, were the more enraged against all those to whom

B3

whom they gave that name. They cried up the bishops, partly because they were against the Puritans, and partly because they were earnest for that way of worship which they found most suitable to their ignorance, carelessness and formality; and thus the interest of the Diocesans, and of the prophane and ignorant, was unhappily united.

Many also were prejudiced against the bishops, by observ.. ing that fasting, praying, and other religious exercises, were punished in the High-Commission and the Bishops Courts, as if they were worse than common-swearing and drunkenness : And it added to their disturbance, to have a book published for recreations on the Lord's-Day, with the bishops' approbation, as if they concurred with the prophane: That afternoon sermons and lectures, tho' carried on by Conformists, were put down in divers counties: That so many pious ministers were suspended or punished for not reading the Book of sports, and for neglecting the ceremonies, &c. and so many thousand families, and so many worthy ministers were driven out of the land: That bowing towards altars, and other innovations, were daily brought in by the Hyperconformists, none knowing where they would end: And finally, that the bishops proceeded so far, as to swear men to their whole government by the et cætera oath, and that they approved of ship-money and other such encroachments on their civil interests. These were the causes why so many of those who were counted most religious fell in with the parliament.

It hath indeed been asserted, "That seditious preachers stirred up the people, and were the cause of all the commotions;" which is a notorious falsity. Many indeed discovered their dislike of the Book of Sports, bowing to altars, putting down afternoon sermons, silencing ministers, &c. and were glad that the parliament attempted a reformation; but very few, even of these, had any concern in promoting the war, of which they dreaded the consequences. And it is certain, that of those who were more or less active in the business, almost all were Conforming ministers; the laws and bishops having cast out the Nonconformists before. They who made up the assembly at Westminster, and who thro' the country were the honour of the parliament's party, were almost all such as had till then conformed, esteeming some things to be lawful in case of necessity, though they longed to have that necessity removed.

The