ENGL 
Spain, and Charles prince of Wales. The bait took ; 
and though the dates of Bohemia, infpired with the love 
of civil and religions liberty, had taken up arms againft 
the emperor Ferdinand, and made Frederic elector pala¬ 
tine a tender of their crown, probably on account of his 
having married a princefs of England, James refufed to 
lend his'{on-in-law any affiftance, notwithstanding the ur¬ 
gent felicitations of Ins people ; and in confequence of his 
negleCt, the unhappy prince was not only obliged to re¬ 
sign his new dignity, but was driven from the palatinate, 
and, in 1620, was forced to fly with his family into Hol¬ 
land. The murmurs againft the king’s inactive disposi¬ 
tion now ran high ; but James flattered himfelf that the 
restitution of the palatinate might be recovered from 
friendship, by means of his fori’s propofed marriage with 
the infanta, and therefore was averfe to ftrong meafures. 
At this time the great feal was in the hands of Francis 
Bacon lord Verulam, a man univerfally admired for the 
fublimity of his genius, but who had made himfelf ob- 
jioxious by the irregular means he had ufed to obtain 
money, lefs indeed on his own account, than to gratify 
his dependents, whofe importunities he could not refill. 
Being impeached by the commons, the peers fentenced 
him to pay a fine of forty thoufand pounds, to be im- 
prtfoned in the Tower, and to be for ever incapable of 
holding any office or employment. Bacon, however, was 
foon releafed from prifon, his fine was remitted, and, in 
confideration of his intrinfic worth, received a penfion of 
eighteen hundred pounds a-year. The fliort remainder of 
hisiife was fpent in literary purfuits; and in the great- 
nefs of his talents posterity have almoSt forgot that he had 
■the weakneffes and the failings of a man. 
Meanwhile, the commons, indignant at the pufillani- 
mity of James, in {'uttering his fon-in-law to languid) in 
poverty and exile, and averfe to a match with a catholic 
family, ftrongly remonftrated with •theic Sovereign. The 
"king, jealous of his prerogative, gave a prompt and Sharp 
reply, in terms very inimical to the privileges of parlia¬ 
ment ; and this drew from the commons a declaration, 
“ that the liberties, franchises, privileges, and jurifdic- 
tions, of parliament, are the'ancient and undoubted birth¬ 
right and inheritance of the fubjeCts of England.” This 
entry the king himfelf tore from the journals, and after 
committing fome of the leading members in opposition to 
the Tower, finally difiblved the parliament. Prerogative 
being thus oppofed to pretenfion, every circumftance 
tended to widen the breach between the king and his 
parliament ; and the flame, though fometimes fmothered, 
was not extinguilhed but with the overthrow of the mo¬ 
narchy under his unfortunate fon. 
James, by reiterated proclamations, had now prohi¬ 
bited the diScuffion of ftate affairs ; bur, as might natu¬ 
rally be expeCled, public curiofity was only inflamed the 
more. With domeftic politics thofe of the continent 
were intermingled. Frederic had made vigorous efforts 
for rite recovery of his dominions, but without any very 
-considerable advantage; and James perfuaded him to dif¬ 
arm, and to truft to the effects of his negociations. Thefe, 
however, not being followed up, nor any appearance of 
appealing to the deeifion of arms, expofed him to ridicule 
both at home and abroad. He was depicted with a fcab- 
bard, but without a fword ; and fometimes with a {word 
which no one could draw, though feveral were pulling 
at it. In Short, the pacific difpofition of James, inftead of 
gaining him refpeCt, rendered him the object of contempt. 
In order to haften the match between the princefs of Spain 
and his heir apparent, he difpatched the earl of Briftol 
to Philip IV. and matters were apparently in a fair train 
of fettlement, when every flattering profpeCt was foon 
blafted by the temerity of his minion Buckingham. 
Between this favourite and prince Charles, a coolnefs 
h'ad taken place, which the former being anxious to re- 
riibv’e, propofed a journey of courtSliip to Madrid. The 
young and ardent mind of the prince eagerly embraced 
the fcheme; and the king being prevailed on to give his 
content, though not without fome reluCtance and appre- 
Vol. VI. No. 381. 
A N D>. 66’iS 
henfion of the refult, the prince, attended by Bucking¬ 
ham and fome others, fet out on this romantic expedi¬ 
tion, A. D. 1622. They took the city of Paris in their 
way, where, at a grand baLl, Charles firft faw the prin¬ 
cefs Henrietta, whom he afterwards efpoufed ; yet fo 
much fpeed did they ufe, that in eleven days after their 
departure from London, they arrived at Madrid, to the 
furprife even of the fpeed of kings. The Spanish mo. 
narch treated Charles with tiie moSt flattering attentions; 
but, according to the eftablilhed etiquette, the infanta 
was only (hewn to her lover in public, till a difpenfaUGn 
Should arrive from Rome. Juft at this crifis pope Gre¬ 
gory XV. died; and the nuncio refilling to deliver the 
inftrument till it Should be Sanctioned by his fuccefTor 
Urban VIII. that crafty pontiff interpofed various de¬ 
lays, in hopes that Charles might be converted to the 
catholic faith. The king, as well as the prince, became 
impatient; and the latter, probably feeling no very great 
inclination to the princefs, took his leave, and embark¬ 
ing at St. Andero, returned to England. Every thing, 
however, was conducted at parting with the moft marked 
and elaborate refpeCt on both fides ; and had it not been 
for the intrigues of Buckingham, who had rendered him¬ 
felf both defpifed and hated by the Spanish court, and 
therefore felt reciprocal ill-will and ar.imofity, it Seems 
probable, the negociations might have been brought to 
a favourable conclusion. James was not pleafed with the 
conduct of his fon and tlie favourite, as they ran counter 
to a plan which he had long fondly indulged ; but he was 
over-ruled by his affeClion for the one, and his partiality 
for the other; and after the court of Spain had promiSed 
the restoration of the palatinate, and made other conces¬ 
sions, without effeCt, Philip ordered the infanta to lay 
aftde the title of princefs of Wales, which (he had af- 
fumed after the arrival of the difpenfation from Rome, 
and the long protraCted negociation came to an end. 
The king, A. D. 1624, having thus involuntarily broken 
with Spain, was obliged to Summon a parliament, in or¬ 
der to obtain Supplies. In that affembly, Buckingham 
threw all the blame on the court of Spain; and the na¬ 
tion, eager to commence hostilities with the papifts, list¬ 
ened to his infidious arguments, and loaded him with 
applaufe. The fupply, however, was voted with a par¬ 
simonious hand, and to what was granted, fome condi¬ 
tions were annexed, which trenched on the prerogative., 
but conduced at laft to legitimate liberty. James, fenfi- 
ble that his favourite mealures had been defeated by the 
intrigues and violence of Buckingham, began to eftrange 
himfelf from that minion; but his domineering Spirit 
foon regained an afcendancy over the monarch ; and when 
the earl of Briftol, whom he both hated and feared, was 
recalled from Spain, he had influence enough to procure 
him to be fent to the Tower, and afterwards banithed to 
his country feat. 
Soon after this, a treaty of marriage between the prince 
of Wales and Henrietta of France being propofed, James 
entered into the negociation with fo much ardour, that it 
was foon brought to a favourable conclusion; but the 
king was much lefs fortunate in the enterprises of war, 
which his foul abhorred. The English nation, however, 
were bent on the recovery of the palatinate, and to ac¬ 
complish this object, in 1625, twelve thoufand foot and 
two hundred horfe were embarked under count Mansfeldt; 
but fo ill had this expedition been concerted, that before 
the men were permitted to land, half of them were cut 
off by a peftilential diforder, and the other half were too 
weak to attempt the objeCt of their destination. 
James, who had zealoufty cultivated the arts of peace, 
did not long Survive the commencement of hostilities. 
Being Seized with a tertian ague, and finding himfelf gra¬ 
dually becoming weaker, he fent for the prince, whom 
he affectionately exhorted to bear a tender regard for hi3 
wife, but to preferve a constancy in his own religion, to 
proteCt the church, and to extend his care to the unhappy 
family of the palatine; and having fettled his other af¬ 
fairs, timid as he had been through life, he met death 
8 G with 
