King.

and the

"foever he be, that hath a defign to change Interrup"our religion!" Then Sir Ralph refumed; tions by but, just after reading the fentence towards the clofe about referving the difpofal of the rebels' lands in Ireland, his Majefty again broke in and was pleased to say, "We must not difpofe "of the Bear's fkin till the Bear be dead." The Bear His Majefty, in short, was in excellent fpirits; Bear's fhowed none of his ufual fhort fharp ways; skin. and, after they had finished reading the Petition and had placed the Remonftrance before him, feemed entirely difpofed to have fome familiar talk with the Committee. Its object, Commithowever, speedily revealed itself on his defiring tee quesmerely to ask the worthy members a few questions touching this Remonftrance and the Petition they had read. Royalift as he was, Sir Ralph Hopton faw the danger, and made. reply refpectfully that they had no commiffion to speak anything concerning the business. "Then," the King quickly rejoined, you may speak as particular men. Doth the "Do you "Houfe intend to publish this Declaration?"? But not fo were thofe ancient parliament men to be thrown off their guard; and they answered fimply that they could give no answer to

it.

publish?"

"Well then," faid the King, "I fuppofe you do not expect me to answer now to fo long a Petition. But this let me tell you, I "have left Scotland well, and in peace; they are King's "all fatisfied with me, and I with them; and answer to "though I ftayed longer there than I expected, "yet I think, if I had not gone, you had not "been rid fo foon of the army. And as to "this business of yours, I fhall give you an

B B

Petition.

Clofe of

"answer with as much speed as the weightiinterview. << nefs of the bufinefs will permit." With which he gave them his hand to kifs; committing them to the entertainment of his comptroller, and the lodgment of his harbinger both being of the worthieft. And Sir Ralph craved to conclude his report with faithful repetition of the royal meffage which, just as they were on the point of leaving the palace, was brought to them with request for its immedeparture. diate delivery to the Houfe of Commons: "That there might be no publishing of the De"claration till the House had received his Majefty's Anfwer."

Meffage

before

The reader will now judge to what extent the facts juftify Clarendon in ftating, that, when it was finally refolved to publish the Remonftrance, this was done in violation of a compact or understanding against any such step until the King's answer was received. On the No pledge one fide there was a strong with expreffed un

not to

doubtedly, but on the other this wish was met publish. by neither compact nor understanding.

Incite

ments to

publication.

If

indeed there were any violation in the case, it might more fairly be charged upon the King. He told the Committee that he did not at that time design to answer their Remonftrance, yet there was hardly an act at this moment contemplated by him, or to which he had fet his hand fince his arrival in London, which did not practically exprefs his anfwer. It was in his proclamation for obedience to the laws regulating worship; in his order for the dif miffal of the City Guard over the Houses; in his direction that they should in future be

guarded by the bands of Westminster and Middlesex, officered by his own servants; and in his proposed removal of Balfour from the command of the Tower. Already he had ended all doubt as to the temper in which he had re- Hoftile turned; and many to whom even the voting acts against of the Remonftrance had appeared of doubtful Houfe. expediency, now faw and admitted the neceffity of publishing it to the people. Manifeftly had its promoters fucceeded in its first defign at leaft; for the challenge it threw down had been promptly taken up. If the King had been fincere in his former profeffions of an intention to govern for the future within the limits of the laws he had himself affented to, there was nothing in the Remonftrance to defeat that intention; but if he had any other defire or purpose as yet masked, fuch was no King's longer maintainable. He never had a better purpose opportunity than the present for betaking him- unmasked. felf to parliamentary ways of afferting his power and prerogatives, but events were speedily to fhow with what far other views he was now inviting into office two out of those three of the House of Commons (calling alfo into fecret council the third) who had organifed and led Hyde and the new party of his friends within its walls. friends Something less than twelve days are to pafs office. before the debate which is to put finally before the people the Grand Remonftrance, and if the wifh ftill lingered with Hampden or with Pym to have been faved, if poffible, the neceffity of that appeal, each day supplied its argument against fuch a poffibility. I will felect but a few, from the manufcript records before

invited to

Tamper

command

me, to show with what refistless march, as day followed day, the crifis came on.

§ XXIV. RETALIATION AND REVENGE.

The rumoured removal of Balfour from the ings with command of the Tower was the first direct of Tower challenge to the House. Balfour stood high in their confidence for his unfhaken fidelity in preventing the efcape of Strafford, whereas Clarendon himself admits that Lunsford, felected to replace him, was a man of no education, of ill character, and of decayed and defperate fortune, who had been obliged, but a few years before, to avoid by flight into France the penalty of punishment for a grave misdemeanour. Such indeed was the feeling in the City aroufed by his appointment when, in lefs than three weeks from this time, it actually Popular took place, that under the preffure of very commo- alarming indications of riot, the King had to withdraw it. Even already, a certain uneafy feeling in the City connected itself with a fenfe of the infecurity of the Tower; and the report of Balfour's removal led to fome tumultuous

tion.

ii. 123.

Preparing Though of course, as with all the acts of the King for act of which had immediately disastrous issue, he makes Lord Digby violence. the fcapegoat, and charges the ill counsel upon him. Hift. The King's object, as Clarendon frankly admits, was, that having now fome fecret reafon to fill the place with a man who might be trufted, he selected Lunsford as one who would be faithful to him for this obligation, and execute anything he should defire or direct. In other words, as is remarked by Warburton (vii. 547), who puts in plain speech Clarendon's laboured periphrafis, "to keep the Five Members "fafe whom it was determined to arreft. This fubject is treated in detail in my Arreft of the Five Members.

gatherings on the Monday after the King's return, and spread great alarm among the wellaffected.

Guard.

That was on the 29th of November. On New the morning of that fame day, the new Guard King's to the Houses was fent under the command of Lord Dorset by the King, by way of reply to the reasons drawn up by Pym* and presented in the name of both Houses; and before the day had closed, swords were drawn and muskets People fired upon the people.+ It was thus faft com- fired upon. ing to an iffue outfide the walls of parliament, upon the fuggeftion or incitement of the fovereign; invitations were going out to the people, to throw on either fide their weight into the scale; and foon perforce the question muft arife, to which of the contending parties that power would moft freely lend itself, to uphold monarchical pretenfion, or to strengthen and establish parliamentary privilege. On the morning of the 30th of November, 30th Nov. Pym, Hampden, and Hollis went up to the A.M. Lords with a meffage for the discharge of the difmifs trained-bands which the King had fo fubfti- King's tuted for their own. As Clarendon puts it, "fince they could not have fuch a guard as "pleased them, they would have none at all."+ And fo, the Peers confenting, Lord Dorset and his followers were difmiffed; the Commons

66

See ante, p. 357-8.

Houses

Guard.

"The Earl of Dorfet's indifcreet rafhnefs this day," Lord writes D'Ewes, on the 29th, "might have occafioned the Dorfet. fhedding of much blood-he commanded fome of the guard to give fire upon fome of the citizens of London in "the Court of Requests or near it."

Hift. ii. 86.