;gi)0 L A 
jiopolies, and other fp rings of the prerogative, fome of 
which, lays lord Clarendon, were ridiculous, others fcan- 
dalous, but all very grievous to the fubjeft ; and thofe 
yvho refufed payment were fined and imprifoned by the 
liar-chamber or council-table. A great part of the odium 
of thefe opprelfions fell on archbifliop Laud, of whom the 
populace expreffed their defoliation in a very open and pub¬ 
lic manner. On the 9th of May, 1640, a paper was polled 
up at the Old Exchange, animating the apprentices to rife, 
and lack the archbilhop’s palace at Lambeth, on the Mon¬ 
day following; and on that night it was befet by above 
five hundred; but the archbishop, having had notice of 
the paper, provided for his defence, fo that their defign 
was fruftrated, after they had broken fome of his win¬ 
dows. Some of them, however, were taken into cuftody, 
of whom one (differed death as a traitor; but this feverity 
only ferved to inflame the mob flill more againft the arch¬ 
bifliop. Another circumltance which contributed to in- 
creafe the number of his enemies, and to furnifh additi¬ 
onal matter of complaint againft him, was his conduft re- 
jative to the convocation, which was fummoned to meet 
: at the fame time with the parliament lately diffolved. 
.According to ancient lawand cu(tom,it Should have broken 
up at the fame time; but, one of the lower houfe having 
acquainted the archbifliop with a precedent, in the reign 
of queen Elizabeth, of the clergy’s granting a fubfidy af¬ 
ter the parliament was rifen, and levying it by their own 
Synodical aft only, it was concluded from thence that the 
convocation might fit independently of the parliament. 
The zealous archbifliop, relying upon this Angle prece¬ 
dent, obtained from the king a commiflion to continue 
the convocation during his tnajefly’s pleafure; and it 
fat accordingly, till fix fubfidies had been granted to his 
inajefty ; and, what the archbifliop had near at heart, a 
colleftion of conftitutions and canons ecciefiaftical was pre¬ 
pared, which was approved by the privy-council. When 
thefe canons were made public, they gave great offence to 
.all who loved the old Englifli confiitution, not only of 
the puritan party, but of fuch as were regular and com- 
•fofmable churchmen. And, in confequence of the number 
of petitions which were delivered in to the privy-council 
againft them, from numbers of the clergy and others, in 
.noli counties of England, the king found it expedient to 
fufpend the enforcing of them till the next meeting of the 
convocation. 
Upon the meeting of a new parliament, the canons and 
conftitutions of the late convocation were among the firll 
things which came before the houfe of commons ; which 
■puffed refolutions declarative of their containing in them 
il many matters contrary to the king’s prerogative, 
to the fundamental laws and ftatutes of this realm, to the 
■rights of parliament, to the property and liberty of thefub- 
Jeft, and matters tending to fedition, and cf dangerous con¬ 
fequence.” Upon the fame day in which the houfe puffed 
thefe refolutions, feveral warm fpeeches were made againft 
the archbifliop of Canterbury, as the chief author of them ; 
and a committee was appointed to inquire more particularly 
how far his grace had been concerned in the proceedings of 
the convocation, and in the treafonable delign of fubvert- 
5 ng the religion and laws of bis country. On the next day, 
articles againft the archbifliop, prefented by the Scotch 
commifiioners, were read in the houfe of lords, and then 
reported to the houfe of commons, at a conference be¬ 
tween the two houfes. When the report of thefe articles 
was made to the commons, the refentment of the houfe 
againft the archbifliop immediately broke out into a flame ; 
and, after many fevere fpeeches were delivered againft his 
late conduft, a motion was made and carried, that he had 
■been guilty of high treafon. Upon this Denzil Hollis, fon 
of the earl of Clare, was immediately fent up to the bar 
of the houfe of lords, to impeach him in the name of all 
the commons of England ; to inform their lordflfips that 
in convenient time they would bring up the particulars 
of their charge 3 and to requeft, that, in the mean while, 
lie might be committed to fafe cuftody. His grace being 
U D. 
now commanded to withdraw, before he did fo, faid, “ that 
lie was heartily forry for the offence taken againft him, 
but humbly defired their lordfnips to look upon the whole 
courfe of his life, which was fuch, as that he was per- 
luaded not one man in the houfe of commons did believe 
in his heart that he was a traitor.” Here he was inter¬ 
rupted by the earl of Eflex, who obferved, “that .it was a 
high refleftion upon the whole houfe of commons, to fup- 
pofe that they would charge him with a crime which they 
themfelves did not believe.” After this liis grace with¬ 
drew, but was foon called in again to the bar, where he 
was delivered to the gentleman-nflier of the black rod, to 
be kept in fafe cuftody till the houfe of commons fiiould 
deliver in their articles of impeachment. 
On the zSthtff February, 1640-1, fourteen articles were 
brought up from the commons, by fir Henry Vane the 
younger; and after their delivery it was declared, that 
the commons relerved to themfelves the liberty of pre- 
fenting fome additional articles, by which they intended 
to make their charge more particular and certain. When 
the archbifliop had heard thefe articles read, lie obferved 
to the lords, that, although there was a heavy charge 
brought againft him, it mull be apparent to their lord- 
fliips that it confided of generals, which indeed made a 
great noife, but afforded no proof; and that, when they 
lliould defcend to particulars, he did not doubt but that 
liis innocence would furnifh him with a fufiicent anfwer 
to what he fiiould be charged with. He was then voted 
to the Tower, whither he was carried in the gentleman- 
uflier’s coach, and it was intended that he fiiould have 
paffed incognito; but he was dilcovered by the populace, 
who gathered about the coach in great numbers, loaded 
him with the molt bitter reproaches, and infulted him 
with their huzzas, till he entered the Tower gate. In¬ 
deed, fuch was the univerfal hatred of all ranks and or¬ 
ders to this prelate, for liis tyrannical and cruel ulage of 
thofe who had fallen into liis hands in the time of his 
profperity, that no man’s fall in the whole kingdom was 
fo unlamented as his. Before the archbifliop was confin¬ 
ed, he had the mortification to fee mod of the church and 
(late priloners releafed by the parliament; and, foon after 
his commitment, the houfe of commons ordered him, 
jointly with all thofe who had paffed fentence in the ftar- 
chamber againft Prynne, Baliwick, and Burton, to make 
fatisfaftion and reparation to them for the damages which 
they had fuftained by their fentence and impnibnmenf. 
The archbifliop was fined alfo twenty thoufand pounds, 
for his proceedings in the convocation held in 1640. 
In June 1641, archbifliop Laud refigned the chancellor- 
fliip of the univerfity of Oxford ; and, in October follow¬ 
ing, the houfe of lords'fequeftered his archic-pifcopal ju- 
rifdiftion, ordering it to be adminiltered by bis inferior 
officers ; and alfo enjoining, that he fiiould difp’ofe of no 
benefice or fpiritual promotion which might become void 
before his trial, without firll prefenting to the houfe the 
name of fuch perfon as he nominated to it, to be approved 
of by the houfe, before collation or inflitution. In Janu¬ 
ary 1641-2, the houfes of parliament ordered the arms 
which he had at Lambeth-place, and which, he fays, cofl 
him above three hundred pounds, to be taken away by 
the fheriffs of London ; and before the conclufion of that 
year, in purfuance of a refolution of parliament, all the 
rents and profits of his archbifhopric were fequeftered for 
the ufe of the commonwealth. Afterwards he petitioned 
the houfe for an allowance for his fupport, but could not 
obtain an order for that purpofe; nor could he have leave 
to fend for a part of his own wood and coals at Lambeth, 
for his ufe in the Tower. In May 1643, likewife, his 
goods and books in Lambeth-houie were feized, and the 
goods fold for a third part of their value. This fevere re¬ 
taliation upon him of the treatment which he had prac- 
tifed, or fanftioned, towards many worthy charafters, was 
certainly cruel, and indeed unjuft and indefenfible ; for 
he had not yet been brought to any trial, nor legally 
convifted of any crime. Soon after this, Mr. Prynne, by 
a warrant 
