V 
672 E N • G L A N D. 
Hill more rafh and precipitate. A. ferjearit at arms, in 
the king’s name, demanded of the houfe the five mem- 
bers, but was fent back without any decilive anfwer. 
The next day the king himfelf entered the houfe of com¬ 
mons, advancing forward, while all the members flood 
up to receive him. The fpeaker withdrew from his 
chair, and the king took poffefiion of it. Having feated 
himfelf, with a (tern afpeCt, he told the houfe he was 
forty for the occafion that forced him thither; that he 
was come in perfon to feize the members whom he had 
accufed of high-treafon, feeing they chofe not to deliver 
tlrqm up to his ferjeant at arms. Addrefling himfelf to 
the fpeaker, he defired to know whether any of the trai¬ 
tors were in the houfe; but the fpeaker, falling on his 
knees, replied, that “ he had neither eyes to fee, nor 
tongue to fpeak, but as the houfe was pleafed to direCt 
him:” and he afked pardon for being able to give no 
other anfwer. He then directed his eyes every way, to 
fee if the accufed were prefent; but they had efcaped a 
few minutes before. Thus difappointed and perplexed, 
he next proceeded, amidft the clamours of the populace, 
who continued to cry out, “Privilege! privilege!” to 
the common council of the city, and made his complaint 
to them. The common council conduced themfelves in 
a fimilar manner to the houfe of commons; and the king, 
chagrined and difappointed, returning to St. James’s, was 
again infulted by the mob, who cried out, “To your 
tents, O Ifrael!”—the menacing words of the Jews, when 
they were about to abandon their prince. 
The commons, the next day, afteCted the greatefl ter¬ 
ror, and paffed an unanimous vote that the king had vio¬ 
lated their privileges, and refolved not to affemble again 
in the fame place, till they fliould have obtained fatis- 
faclion, with a guard for their fecurity. They afcribed 
the lafl meafures of the king to the councils of the papifls ; 
and the city was thus filled with groundlefs confterna- 
tion. As the commons artfully kept up their panic to 
inflame the populace, and as the city was only one fcene 
of confufion, the king, afraid of expofing himfelf to frefh 
infults, retired to Windfor. There, reflecting on the 
raffinefs of his proceedings, he wrote to the parliament, 
informing them that he defifted from profecuting the ac¬ 
cufed members ; and allured them, that upon all occa- 
fions he would be as careful of their privileges as of his 
life or his crown. Thus, as his former violence begat 
hatred, his prefent fubmiflion rendered him contemptible. 
The commons having nearly ftripped the king of almoft: 
all his privileges, now determined to get polfeflion of the 
fword. The power of appointing governors, generals, 
and levying armies, was an hereditary prerogative of the 
crown. Having, therefore, firft magnified their terrors 
of popery, they proceeded to petition that the Tower 
might be put into their hands, and that Hull, Portfmouth, 
and the fleet, fliould be intruded to perfons of their 
choofing. Thefe were requefts, the complying with 
which would level all that remained of the ancient confti- 
tution : yet fuch was the neceffity of the times, that they 
were at firft contefted, and then granted. At length, the 
commons defired to have a militia raifed, and governed 
by fuch officers and commanders as they fliould nominate, 
under pretence of fecuring them from the Iriffi papifls, of 
whom they .affeCted to be under great apprelienfions. It 
was here that Charles firft ventured to put a flop to his 
conceflions; and that not by a refufal, but a delay. He 
was at that time at Dover, attending the queen, and the 
princefs of Orange, who had thought it prudent to leave 
the kingdom. He replied to the petition of the commons, 
that he had not leifure. to confider a matter Of fuch im¬ 
portance, and therefore would defer an anfwer till his fe- 
turn. But the commons feemed well aware that delays 
might be fatal to their views : they alleged that the 
dangers of the nation were fuch as could endure no ne- 
gleft; and unlefs the king fpeedily complied with their 
demands, they fliould be obliged, both for his fufety and 
that of the kingdom, to difpofe of the militia by the au- 
2 
thority of parliament, and were refolved to do it accord¬ 
ingly. In a remonftrance to the king, they defired to be 
permitted to command the army for a limited time; which 
fo exafperated the monarch, that he exclaimed, “ No, 
not for one hour!” This peremptory refufal broke off all 
further treaty; and both fides now refolved to have re- 
courfe to arms. 
Charles, taking the prince of Wales with him, retired 
to York, where he found the people more loyal, and 
lefs infeCted with the puritanical phrenfy of the times. 
He found his caufe there backed by a more numerous 
party than he had expedited among the people. The 
queen, who was in Holland, was making levies of men 
and ammunition, by felling the crown jewels. Yet, be¬ 
fore war was openly declared, the fliadow of a negocia- 
tion was carried on, rather to ferve as a pretence to the 
people, than with any real defign of reconciliation. The 
king offered propofals to the commons, which he knew 
they would not accept; and they, in return, fubmitted 
nineteen propofitions to his confideration, which, if com¬ 
plied with, would indeed have rendered him the mafter 
puppet of their fclieme of tyranny. The import was, 
that the privy-council, the principal officers of ftafe, the 
governors of the king’s children, the commanders of the 
forts, his fleet and army, fliould be all appointed by, and 
put under the controul of, parliament; that papifls 
fliould be puniflied by their authority ; that the church 
and liturgy fliould be reformed at their difcretion ; and 
that fuch members as had been difplaced by the king 
fliould be reftored. Thefe propofals, had they been 
complied with, would have moulded the government 
into an ariftocracy ; but, happily for pofterity, they were 
rejected by the king. “ Should I grant thefe demands 
(laid he) I might be waited on bare-headed ; I might 
have my hand kiffed, the title of majefty continued, and 
the king’s authority fignified by both lioufes of parlia¬ 
ment ; I might have Ivvords and- maces carried before 
me, and pleafe myfelf with the toys of a crown and 
fceptre ; but, 3 S to true and real power, I fliould remain 
but the - picture, the fign, the fymbol, of a king.” War 
at any rate was therefore to be preferred to peace, on 
fuch conditions. Thus the king and his parliament mu¬ 
tually reproached each other as the caufe of a fcene of 
daughter, in which both perhaps were equally culpable. 
No period, fince England had a name, could furnifh 
fo many inftances of courage, abilities, afid virtue, as the 
fatal oppofition called forth into aCtion, A. D. 1642. 
Both fides, equally confident of the juftice of their 
caufe, appealed to God to judge of the reCtitude of their 
intentions. The parliament was convinced that it fought 
for heaven, by afl’erting its regards fora peculiar mode of 
worfliip ; and the king was not lefs convinced that his 
claims were facred, as lie had ever been taught to confider 
them as of divine original. Thus paflion and enthufiafm 
on each fide animated the combatants ; and courage, ra¬ 
ther than conduct, among thefe undifciplined troops, de¬ 
cided the fortune of the day. Never was conteft more 
unequal than appeared at firft between the contending 
parties ; the king being entirely deftitute of almoft every 
advantage. His revenue had been feized by parliament ; 
all the lea-port towiis were in their hands, except New- 
caftle ; the fleet'was at their difpofal; all magazines of 
arms and ammunition were feized for their life ; and they 
had the good withes of the bulk of the people. To op- 
pofe this, the king had conftantly that acknowledged re¬ 
verence due to royalty, to give fanCtion to his caufe. 
The greater part of the nobility adhered to him, as their 
diftinClions miiftrife or fall with the fountain of honour. 
Mod: men of education alfo, and the ancient families, ftill 
confidered loyalty as a virtue, and armed their tenants 
and fervants in his caufe. With thefe followers, Charles 
refolved to take the field; and lie erected the royal 
ftandard at Nottingham. 
Manifeftos on both fides were now difperfed through¬ 
out the kingdom j and the people were inveterately di¬ 
vided 
