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ture upon a positive denial; he desired only that the military authority should first be conferred upon the crown, and he promised to bestow commissions, but such as should be revocable at pleasure, on the same persons whom the parliament had named in the bill. By a former message, he had expressed his wishes that they would lay before him, in one view, all the concessions they deemed requisite to settle the grievances under which they conceived the nation to labour. But they pretended that they were exposed to perils so dreadful and imminent, that they had not leisure for such a work, and insisted again that the dangers and the distempers of the nation were such as could endure no longer delay; and unless the king speedily complied with their demands, they should be constrained for the safety of prince and people, to dispose of the militia by the authority of both houses, and were resolved to do it accordingly. They asserted likewise, that those parts of the kingdom which had from their own authority put themselves in a position of defence during these prevailing fears and jealousies, had acted suitably to the declarations and directions of both houses, and conformably to the laws of the kingdom. And while they thus menaced the king with their power, they invited him to fix his residence at London, where they knew he would be entirely at their mercy.

"I am so much amazed at this message," said the king, in his prompt reply, "that I know not "what to answer. You speak of jealousies and "fears! Lay your hands on your hearts, and ask "yourselves, whether I may not likewise be dis"turbed with fears and jealousies? and if so, I as

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sure you that this message has not lessened them. "As to the militia, I thought so much of it be"fore I gave that answer, and am so much assur"ed that the answer is agreeable to what in justice

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or reason you can ask, or I in honour grant, "that I shall not alter it in any point.

"For my residence near you, I wish it might be "safe and honourable, and that I had no cause to ab"sent myself from Whitehall ask yourselves "whether I have not?

"What would you have? Have I violated your "laws? Have I denied to pass any bill for the ease " and security of my subjects? I do not ask what you have done for me!

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"As to my son, I shall take such care of him, as "shall justify me to God as a father, and to my "dominions as a king. To conclude, I assure you, upon my honour, that I had no thought but of peace and justice to my people; which I would by all fair means seek to preserve and maintain, "relying upon the goodness and providence of "God for the preservation of myself and my rights."

No sooner did the commons despair of obtaining the king's consent to their bills, than they voted, that if his majesty persists in his denial, the peace and tranquillity of his dominions will be in great danger, unless some speedy remedy be applied by the wisdom and authority of both houses; and that such of the subjects as have put themselves in a posture of defence, have done nothing but what is justifiable, and is approved by the house. To reconcile the people with such manifest usurpations, the most unaccountable panics were spread throughout the nation, about pretended conspiracies of English and Irish catholics. Lord Digby having entered Kingston in a coach and six, attended by a few livery servants, it was immediately voted that he had appeared in a hostile manner, to the terror and affright of his majesty's subjects, and had levied war against the king and kingdom.

That the same violence which had so long op

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pressed him, might not extort his consent to the militia bill, Charles resolved to remove farther from London. Accompanied by his two sons, he proceeded to York, where he found marks of attachment beyond what he expected. So many acts of deliberate violence which had been offered to him, had been sufficient to open the eyes of the principal nobility and gentry, who from all quarters of England, either personally or by messages and letters, expressed their duty towards him, and exhorted him to save himself and them from that ignominious slavery with which they were threatened.

Charles, finding himself supported by a considerable party in the kingdom, began to speak in a firmer tone, and to retort the accusations of the commons with a vigour which he had not before exerted. Notwithstanding their menaces and insults, he still persisted in refusing their bill, and they issued an ordinance, in which, by the authority of the two houses, without the king's consent, they named lieutenants for all the counties, and conferred on them the command of the whole military force; ordering at the same time that all the lordslieutenants of any counties, so constituted by the king's commissions under the great seal of England, should immediately bring in these commissions to be cancelled, as illegal. Charles issued proclamations against this flagrant usurpation, which they had however attempted to palliate, by clothing it with the king's name, as it was still deemed essential to all laws. In all commands, therefore, which they conferred, they bound the persons to obey the orders of his majesty, signified by both houses of parliament; and inventing a distinction hitherto unheard of between the office and the person of the king, those very forces which they employed against him, were levied in his name and by his authority. So obvious indeed was the king's present inability

to infringe the constitution, that the fears and jealousies which so violently agitated the minds of the people, were not of a civil, but of a religious nature, such as a continual dread of popery, with a horror against prelacy, catholic ceremonies, and the liturgy.

Each party was now willing to throw on its antagonist the odium of commencing a civil war, but both prepared for an event which they deemed inevitable. To gain the people's favour and good opinion was the chief point on both sides. The war of the pen preceded accordingly that of the sword, and daily sharpened the humours of the opposite parties. The king and parliament themselves carried on the controversy by messages, remonstrances, and declarations, where the nation was really the party to whom all arguments were addressed. Charles had here the advantage, not only of the favour of his cause, as supporting the ancient government in church and state, against the most illegal pretensions; it was also defended with more eloquence and ability. So sensible was Charles of his superiority in this particular, that he took care to disperse every where the papers of the parliament, together with his own, that the people might be more enabled to form a judgment between them, while the parliament in distributing copies of their compositions, never failed to suppress those of the king. It was evident, however, that weapons of another kind must finally decide the question.

The magazines at Hull, contained the arms of all the forces levied against the Scots; and Sir John Hotham, the governor, though he had accepted of a commission from the parliament, was not thought to be much disaffected to the church and monarchy. Charles expected, therefore, that if he presented himself at Hull before the beginning of hostilities, Hotham would admit him with his retinue, after

which he might easily render himself master of the place; but Hotham shut the gates, and constantly refused admittance to the king, who proclaimed him traitor, and complained to the parliament of his disobedience. Instead of any satisfactory answer to his majesty's complaint, they immediately published, together with a declaration of their former jealousies of the papists, of the malignant party, &c. &c. several votes and resolutions, by which they declared, “That Sir John Hotham had done nothing but "in obedience to the command of both houses of "parliament; and that the declaring him a traitor, though he was a member of the house of commons was a high breach of the privilege of par"liament; and his being impeached without a due process of law, was against the liberty of the subject and against the law of the land."

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In the mean time the county of York had levied a guard of six hundred men for the king; the two houses, though they had already levied a guard for themselves, voted that the king, seduced by wicked counsel, intended to make war against his parliament. The armies which had been raised on pretence of the service in Ireland, were henceforth more openly enlisted by the parliament, for their own purposes; and the command of them was given to the earl of Essex. In London, no less than four thousand men enlisted in one day; and the parliament voted a declaration, which they required every member to subscribe, that they would live and die with their general. By another declaration it was stated, that whoever should assist the king in such a war, were traitors by the fundamental laws of the kingdom.

They issued orders for bringing in loans of money and plate, in order to maintain forces, which should defend the king and both houses of parliament, for this style they still preserved. Within ten days vast quantities of plate were brought to their trea

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