The inquiries concerning tonnage and poundage went hand in hand with those metaphysico-theological controversies, to which the greatest philosophers, even in the tranquillity of retreat, had never hitherto been able to find a satisfactory solution. The officers of the custom-house were summoned before the commons to give an account by what authority they had seized the goods of merchants who had refused to pay these duties. The barons of the exchequer were questioned concerning their decrees on that head. Sir John Elliot framed a remonstrance against levying tonnage and poundage without the consent of parliament, and offered it to the clerk to be read. It was refused. He read it himself, and the question being then called for, the speaker, Sir John Finch, said, that he had a command from the king to adjourn, and to put no question. Upon which he rose and left the chair. The whole house was in an uproar. The speaker was pushed back, and forcibly held in the chair till a short remonstrance was framed, and was passed by acclamation rather than by vote. Papists and Arminians were declared capital enemies of the commonwealth. Those who levied tonnage and poundage were branded with the same epithet; and even the merchants who should voluntarily pay those duties, were denominated betrayers of English liberty, and public enemies. The doors being locked, the usher of the house of lords, who was sent by the king, could not get admittance till the remonstrance was finished. By the king's order he took the mace from the table, which ended their proceedings; and a few days after the parliament was dissolved.

The discontents of the nation ran very high on account of this violent rupture between the king and parliament; and Charles, who had much improved his situation by his moderation and forbearance, now inflamed still more those discontents,

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and turned them all against himself by a display of severity which he had not the power, nor, probably, the intention to carry to extremities. members of the commons were, by his order, committed to prison on account of the last tumult in the house, which was called sedition. Three other members were summoned to their trial in the king's bench for seditious speeches and behaviour in parliament; but refusing to answer before an inferior court, as members of a superior, they were condemned to be imprisoned during the king's pleasure, to find securities for their good behaviour, and to be fined, two at one thousand pounds each, and the third at five hundred pounds. This sentence, issued by the influence of the crown, served only to shew the king's disregard to the privileges of parliament, and produced an immense popularity to the sufferers, who had so bravely, in opposition to arbitrary power, defended the liberties of the people. Such was and ever will be the consequence of so impolitic a measure in similar circumstances; it has besides the still more pernicious effect of pointing out and recommending the most dangerous leaders to the populace, and of turning rapidly a momentary riot into a sedition, or a sedition into a rebellion.

Here opens the interesting period, when, providentially freed from the degrading sway of favourites, and from the attempts of an exaggerated or rather mistaken zeal for liberty, savouring too much of pure democracy, Charles acts by himself, following only his own genius and disposition. The same motives which had compelled him to disolve the last parliament determined him not to call any more till the nation discovered more tractable dispositions. His first measure was to make peace with the kings of France and Spain. The endeavours of these two sovereigns to leave no grounds of animosity to the English nation, were carried so far, that they gene

rously released and sent home all the English pri soners taken in the expedition against Cadiz, and after the retreat from the isle of Rhé. In the treaty with Spain, no conditions were made in favour of the Palatine, except that Spain promised in general to use her good offices for his restoration.

Ann. 1630.

The celebrated Gustavus, king of Sweden, marching into Germany to the protection of the oppressed protestants in that country, Charles, in spite of his distress, agreed to send him a reinforcement of six thousand men, and in order to preserve the appearance of neutrality, these troops were enlisted in England and Scotland under the name of the marquis of Hamilton. But the king's object in this alliance was frustrated by the unexpected success of Gustavus, who, on freeing Germany from the yoke of Ferdinand, intended to reduce it under his own. He refused to restore the Palatine to his principality, except on conditions which would have kept him in total dependence. The negociation was protracted till the battle of Lutzen, where Gustavus perished in the midst of a complete victory.

After the death of Buckingham, who had somewhat alienated Charles from the queen, she was soon restored to his full confidence and affection, and thenceforth she is to be considered as his chief friend and only favourite. By her sense and spirit, as well as by her beauty, she justified the fondness of her husband; though it appears, that being somewhat of a passionate temper, she occasionally induced him to hasty and imprudent measures. religion, to which she was much attached, augmented the jealousy which prevailed against the court, and engaged her to procure for the catholics some indulgences, which generally dissatisfied the nation.

Her

In the mean time Charles endeavoured to gain the popular leaders by conferring offices on them, but his views were so repugnant to those of the puritans, that the leaders he gained, lost from that moment all interest with their party, and were even pursued as traitors with implacable resentment. This was the case with sir Thomas Wentworth, whom the king created successively baron, viscount, earl of Strafford, president of the council of York, and deputy of Ireland, regarding him as his chief minister and counsellor. His talents and abilities merited all the confidence of his master, whom he served with an unshaken fidelity. But as all his endeavours were now bent to support the prerogative, which he formerly attempted to overthrow, his virtue was not considered as susceptible of resisting private interest and ambition. Sir Dudley Digges was about the same time appointed master of the rolls; Noy, attorney-general; Littleton, solicitor-general; all men eminent in their profession, and who had likewise been leaders in the house of commons.

Laud, bishop of London, deeply versed in polemical learning, had great influence over the king in all ecclesiastical affairs. He was relentless in the cause of religion, and a strenuous advocate for the external ceremonies of worship, which rendered him suspected of inclining to the church of Rome. The holy see itself already entertained hopes of regaining its authority in this island through Laud's intentions; and to forward them, an offer was twice made him in private of a cardinal's hat, which he declined accepting.

A daughter of the earl of Devonshire having turned catholic, was asked by Laud the motives of her conversion. "It is chiefly," said she, " because "I hate to travel in a crowd." The meaning of this expression being demanded, she replied, "I per"ceive your grace and many others are making

"haste to Rome, and therefore, in order to prevent

my being crowded, I have gone before you. Laud was certainly not a papist, but the genius of his religion was, though in a less degree, the same with that of the catholic church.

In return for Charles's indulgence towards the church, Laud and his adherents never failed to magnify on every occasion the regal authority, and to rebuff with disdain all puritanical ideas of a free constitution. But while those prelates were so liberal in raising the royal power at the expense of public liberty, they made no scruple themselves of daily encroaching on the most incontestible rights of the crown, in order to exalt the hierarchy, and procure to their own order dominion and independence. All the doctrines borrowed from some of the fathers, which freed the spiritual from subordination to the civil power, were now adopted by the church of England, and blended with her political and religious tenets. Charles, entirely attached to those who professed a devoted obedience to his authority, did not foresee, that the ecclesiastical power which he exalted, not admitting of any precise boundary, might become more dangerous to public peace, and no less fatal to royal prerogative, than even the independent spirit of parliaments.

Birth of the prince Charles, the eldest son of the king, May 29th.

From the dissolution of parliament, the money wanted for the support of government, was levied either by the revival of obsolete laws, or by more or less disguised violations of the national privilege of granting taxes. A few instances of severity in the star chamber and high-commission were also deemed necessary to support the present mode of administration, and repress the rising spirit of liberty throughout the kingdom. And lest the