surers. Hardly were there men enough to receive it, or room sufficient to stow it. Many, with regret, were obliged to carry back their offerings, and wait till the treasurers could find leisure to receive them. The women gave up all their plate and ornaments of their houses, and even their silver thimbles and bodkins, in order to support the good cause against the malignants. The commons published a remonstrance, May 26th, declaring the sovereign legislative power was lodged in both houses, and that the king had not so much as a negative.

Charles, in one of his answers to the parliamentary declarations, observed, respecting the malignant party, "That as the law had not to his know

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ledge, defined their condition, so neither house "had presented them to his majesty under such a "denomination, nor enabled him to understand "whom they intended; and he should, therefore, only enquire after, and avoid the malignant party, "under the character of persons disaffected to the peace and government of the kingdom, and such "who neglecting and despising the law of the land, "had given themselves other rules to walk by, and "so dispensed with their obedience to authority; "of those persons as destructive to the common"wealth, he should take all possible caution."

Meanwhile, the splendour of the nobility with which the king was surrounded, much eclipsed the appearance at Westminster. Above forty peers of the first rank attended his majesty, while the house of lords seldom consisted of more than sixteen members; and nearly half of those of the lower house absented themselves from counsels which they deemed so full of danger. The commons sent up an impeachment against nine peers, for deserting their duty in parliament. Their own members also who should return to them, they voted not to ad

mit, till satisfied concerning the cause of their ab

sence.

Charles contrasted these proceedings by a declaration to the peers who attended him, that he expected from them no obedience to any commands which were not warranted by the laws of the land, which the peers answered, by declaring their resolution to obey no commands but such as were warranted by that authority. These noble engagements as worthy of an English monarch as of an English nobility, could not but render more conspicuous the furious and tumultuary resolutions taken by the parliament.

The queen, disposing of the crown jewels in Holland, had been enabled to purchase a cargo of arms and ammunition. Part of these, after escaping many perils, arrived safely to the king. His preparations were not near so forward as those of the parliament, as to remove all jealousy, he had resolved that their usurpations and illegal pretensions, should be previously apparent to the whole world. But the urgent necessity of his situation, no longer admitting of delay, he prepared himself for defence, with a spirit, activity and address, which neither the one party apprehended, nor the other expected. The resources of this prince's genius increased with his difficulty, and he never appeared greater than when plunged in the deepest perils and distresses.

That the king might despair of all compromise, the parliament sent him the impertinent conditions on which they would condescend to come to an agreement. Their demands, divided into nineteen propositions, amounted to a total abolition of the monarchical government. They required that no man should remain in the council who was not agreeable to parliament; that no deed of the king

should have validity, unless it passed the council and was attested under their hands; that all the officers of state, and principal judges should be chosen with consent of parliament, and enjoy their offices for life; that none of the royal family should marry without consent of parliament or council; that the laws should be executed against catholics; that the votes of popish lords should be excluded; that the reformation of the liturgy and churchgovernment should take place according to advice of parliament; that the ordinance, with regard to the militia, be submitted to them; that the justice of parliament be passed upon all delinquents; that a general pardon be granted with such exceptions as should be advised by parliament; that the forts and castles be disposed of by consent of parliament; and that no peer be made, but with consent of both houses.

War, on any terms, was esteemed by the king and all his councellors preferable to such an ignominious peace. Charles accordingly resolved to support his authority by arms. "His towns," he said, "his "ships, his arms, his money, were taken from him; "but there still remained to him a good cause, and "the hearts of his loyal subjects, which, with God's "blessing, he doubted not would recover all the "rest." Collecting, therefore, some forces, he advanced southwards; and at Nottingham he erected his royal standard, the open signal of discord and civil war throughout the kingdom.

While the nobility and more considerable gentry enlisted themselves in the king's army, the city of London, and most of the great corporations took part with the parliament. Many families too, lateÎy enriched by commerce, saw with great displeasure that their opulence could not raise them to a level with the ancient gentry, and therefore adhered to a power by whose success they hoped to acquire rank

and consideration; and the commercial part of the nation considering the new splendour and glory of the Dutch commonwealth, desired to see a like form of government established in England.

The genius of the two religions so closely at this time interwoven with politics, corresponded exactly to these divisions. The presbyterian religion was new, republican, and suited to the genius of the populace; the other had an air of greater pomp and ornament, was established on ancient authority, and bore an affinity to the regal and aristocratical parts of the constitution. The presbyterians were of course zealous partisans of the parliament, while the friends of the episcopal church adhered to the cause of monarchy.

Never was a quarrel seemingly more unequal, as almost every advantage lay against the royal cause. The king's revenue had been seized from the beginning by the parliament, who issued out to him, from time to time small sums for his present subsistence, and as soon as he withdrew to York, they totally stopped all payments. London, and all the sea ports, except Newcastle, being in their hands, the customs yielded them a certain and considerable supply of money; and all contributions, loans, and impositions were more easily raised from the cities which possessed the ready money, and where men lived under their inspection, than they could be levied by the king in those open countries which after some time declared for him.

The seamen naturally followed the disposition of the sea port to which they belonged; and the earl of Northumberland, lord admiral, having embraced the party of the parliament, had appointed, at their desire, the earl of Warwick to be his lieutenant, who at once established his authority in the fleet, and kept the entire dominion of the sea in the hands of that assembly.

All the magazines of arms and ammunition had been at first seized by the parliament, and their fleet intercepted the greater part of those which were sent by the queen from Holland. The king could not arm his followers but by borrowing the weapons of the train-bands, under promise of restoring them as soon as peace should be settled in the kingdom.

The torrent of general affection ran now to the parliament. The commons were considered in no other light than as the representatives of the nation, the eternal guardians of law and liberty, whom no motive but the necessary defence of the people could ever engage in an opposition to the crown. Thence the wicked and the malignant were the new epithets affixed to the king's adherents, while the popular party called themselves the godly and well affected.

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What alone gave the king some compensation for all the advantages possessed by his adversaries, was the nature and qualities of his adherents. more indeed was to be hoped for from the generous spirit of the nobles and gentry, than from the base disposition of the multitude. And as the possessors

of estates, at their own expense levied and armed their tenants, greater force and courage were to be expected in these rustic troops commanded by their masters, than in the vicious and enervated populace of cities.

The low condition in which the king appeared at Nottingham, confirmed the contempt entertained by the parliament for his party, and the hope that he never would attempt resistance. His artillery, though far from numerous, had been left at York, for want of horses to transport it. Besides the trained bands of the county, raised by sir John Digby, the sheriff, he had not got together above three hundred infantry. His cavalry, which com