against himself and the lord treasurer Weston. Upon the obscure expressions in these letters, a new bill was exhibited against the bishop for divulging scandalous libels against the king's privy counsellors. His lordship replied that he did not remember his having received the letters, and was sure he had never divulged them, because they were still among his private papers. But all that the bishop could say availed him nothing; for he was sentenced to pay another fine of eight thousand pounds to the king, and three thousand to the archbishop, for the non-payment of which he was kept close prisoner in the Tower till the meeting of the long parliament.

Mr. Osbaldeston was charged "with plotting with the bishop of Lincoln to divulge state news, and to breed a difference between the lord treasurer Weston and the archbishop of Canterbury, as long as the year 1633." The information was founded upon the letters before mentioned, in which he reports a misunderstanding between the great leviathan and the little urchin. And though the counsel for the defendant absolutely denied any reference to the archbishop, and named the persons alluded to in the letter, yet the court fined him five thousand pounds to the king and five thousand to the archbishop,-to be deprived of all his spiritual dignities and promotions,-to be imprisoned during the king's pleasure, and to stand in the pillory in the dean's yard before his own school, and have his ears nailed to the pillory. Mr.

Osbaldeston, who was among the crowd in the court when this sentence was pronounced, immediately went home to his study at Westminster school, and having disposed of his papers he absconded, leaving a note on his desk in which was written, "If the archbishop inquire after me, tell him I am gone beyond Canterbury." When the messengers arrived at his house, they found the note, and immediately sent to the sea-ports to apprehend him; but he concealed himself in a private house in Drury-lane till the meeting of the long parliament; however, all his goods and chattels were seized and confiscated.

Such violent proceedings were so far from serving the interests of either church or state, that they roused the resentment of all ranks against the men in power, who, without the shadow of law or justice, could so cruelly persecute the most pious, unoffending, and loyal of his majesty's subjects. The king and his council became alarmed at seeing so many of the laity with their families leave the kingdom, and carry their trades into Holland or New England, to prevent which they published a proclamation, prohibiting any person leaving the kingdom without a licence from the commissioners of the plantations, and a testimony from the parish minister of their having conformed to the orders and discipline of the church, and that no clergyman should transport himself beyond the seas, without a testimonial from the archbishop of Canterbury and the bishop of London.

The affairs of the nation daily became more alarming, so that the king found himself under the necessity of calling a parliament, to enable him to obtain means for carrying on the war with Scotland. The two houses met according to their summons, in April 1640, when his majesty, in a short speech, said, "that there never was a king who had a more great and weighty cause to call his people together than himself; but he would not trouble them with particulars, having informed his lord keeper, and commanded him to speak, and desire their attention. The king's anticipations from his parliament were far from being realized; for the spirit of opposition to the proceedings of the court was so general throughout the nation that very few members were returned who were at all favourable to the court politics. But the house of commons, though composed chiefly of what is termed the opposition, were sober and dispassionate men, and as lord Clarendon says, "exceedingly disposed to please the king and do him service." The king acquainted the house, by the lord keeper, Finch, that he was determined to punish the Scots for their rebellious conduct, and expected their immediate assistance, after which he would give them time to consider of any just grievances to be redressed. But the commons, instead of beginning with the subsidy bill, appointed committees for religion and grievances; when the king finding them not disposed to grant him an immediate supply, dissolved the

66

parliament without passing a single act, and committed several of the leading members to prison. His majesty, having failed to receive a supply from parliament, had recourse to another unconstitutional means. The archbishop had, under the authority of the great seal, opened the convocation the day after the parliament met, empowering the two houses to consult and agree upon the explanation or amendment of any canons then in force, or for making such new ones as should be thought convenient for the government of the church." This commission was only to remain in force during the present session of parliament; and, by a remarkable clause which it contained, nothing could be transacted but in the presence of the archbishop. The king having favoured the clergy with special marks of his confidence, the convocation voted him six subsides, to be paid in six years, at the rate of four shillings in the pound. The archbishop introduced a canon to prevent the spread of popery, to which a clause was appended enacting that the pains and penalties against popish recusants should be equally enforced against all sects and separatists who refused to attend the ordinances of divine worship in their parish churches.

The commission for making and amending canons was to expire with the cession of parliament, which the king having abruptly dissolved, and granted a new commission to continue the convocation during his majesty's pleasure. The king's

authority to continue the convocation during the recess of parliament being called in question, the case was submitted to the judges, who gave it as their opinion, "that the convocation, being called by the king's writ under the great seal, doth continue in force till it be dissolved by writ or commission, notwithstanding the dissolution of parliament." With the new commission, the king sent a message by the secretary of state, saying, that it was his royal pleasure that none of the prelates or clergy should withdraw from the synod, or convocation, till the affairs they had in command from the king were finished. On receiving this royal command the synod resumed their sittings, which were continued more than a month, making canons, granting subsidies, and enjoining oaths without a parliament.

The synod having finished their canons, they were signed by the members of both houses of convocation, after receiving the approval of the privy council, and were then transmitted to the provincial synod at York, where they were subscribed pro forma and afterwards confirmed by the king's letters patent under the great seal. As the irregular and unconstitutional manner in which this synod was held, and the objectionable matter of the canons formed a leading subject of complaint at the next parliament, we shall here insert the substance of their contents. The first relates to the regal power, and states, "that the most high and sacred order of kings is of divine