most afraid to go to church.* The king applied to his Roman-Catholic subjects to advance two or three years of the rent that they paid as a composition for their estates as recusants; which they not only complied with, but wrote to their friends abroad to borrow more; proclamation was made at Bruges, and other parts of Flanders, that all people who would lend any money to maintain the Romon Catholics in England, should have it repaid in a year's time with many thanks.

The Lancashire Papists, having been lately disarmed by order of parliament, petitioned his majesty, that since the war was begun, their arms might be redelivered, that they might be in a capacity to defend his majesty's royal person, and their own families. To which his majesty consented in the following words:

"The laws for disarming recusants being to prevent dangers in a time of peace, but not intended to bar you from the use of arms in time of war for your own safety, or the defence of our person-Our will and command therefore. is, and we charge and require you upon your allegiance, that with all possible speed you provide sufficient armis for yourselves, your servants, and your tenants, which we authorize and require you to keep and use for the defence of us, yourselves, and your country, against all forces raised against us, under colour of any order or ordinance of parliament; and we shall use our utmost power to protect you and yours against all injuries and violence.t

"Given under our signet at Chester, September 27, in

the eighteenth year of our reign."

* Dr. Grey would impeach the truth of this detail, and says, that as Mr. Neal quotes no authority for these particulars, I am willing to believe, that they are not all of them true." As to the first particular, I can refer for Mr Neal to Rapin, vol. 2. p. 468, and the matter has been, within these few years, stated and discussed by Mrs. Macaulay, vol. 3. p. 377, 378. 8vo. The fact was admitted by the earl of Newcastle himself, and he published a long declaration, partly to vindicate himself on this head; which is preserved in Rushworth, part 3. vol. 2. p. 78, &c. Though I am not able to ascertain the authorities on which my author states the other particulars, a letter of intelligence of the affairs in Yorkshire, which the parliament received, and which has been given to the public since Mr. Neal's history appeared, affords a general confirmation to his account. It represents that the Papists, after the king's proclamation for raising his standard, flocked from Ireland, Lancashire, and all parts of Yorkshire, to York; that there were great rejoicings amongst them, and a great forwardness to assist the service shewn. The circumstances represented by our author, were not unnatural or improbable consequences of such a confluence and exultation of the Papists. And it appears from this letter, that the cavaliers in general, were guilty of tumults, outrages, and depredation. Parliamentary History, vol. 11. p. 335. 381. 403, quoted by Mrs. Macaulay, vol. 3. p. 343, 344. 8vo.-ED.

+ Rushworth, vol. 2. part 3. p. 50.

Agreeably to this, Mr. George Tempest, a priest, writes to his brother in the king's army," Our priests at Lancaster are at liberty; Catholic commanders are admitted, and all well enough that way; God Almighty, as I hope, will better prosper the cause." And another adds, "that there is no prosecution of priest or Papist in Northumberland."

When the parliament objected this to his majesty, and named the very officers, he was highly displeased, and in his answer makes use of these solemn expressions: " for that continued dishonest accusation, of our inclination to the Papists, which the authors of it in their own consciences know to be most unjust and groundless, we can say no more, and we can do no more, to the satisfaction of the worldThat any priests or Jesuits imprisoned have been released by us out of the jail of Lancaster, or any other jail, is as false as the father of lies can invent. Neither are the per

sons named in that declaration, to whom commissions are supposed to be granted for places of command in this war, so much as known to us; nor have they any command, or to our knowledge are present in our army. And it is strange, that our oaths and protestations before Almighty God, for the maintenance of the Protestant religion, should be so slighted We desire to have our protestations believed by the evidence of our actions."* Surely this solemn appeal to Almighty God was ambiguous and evasive! or else we must conclude, that his majesty was very little acquainted with what was done in his name, and by his commission.

It was only five days after this, that the mask was thrown off, for his majesty confesses, in his declaration of October 27, that the malice and fury of his enemies had reduced him to the necessity of accepting the service and affection of any of his good subjects, whatsoever their religion was; that he did know of some few Papists, whose eminent abilities in command and conduct had moved him to employ them in his service; but he assures his good subjects, that he would always use his endeavours to suppress their religion, by executing the laws already in force against Papists, and in concurring in any other remedies which his two houses should think proper.

As the king was reduced to the necessity of accepting the service and affection of the Papists; so on the other hand, *Rushworth, vol. 2. part 3. p. 31.

the parliament took all imaginable care to cultivate a good correspondence with the Scots, and to secure that nation in their interests. We have remembered that the Scots commissioners at London offered their mediation in the beginning of the year, which the parliament accepted; but the king, from his extreme hatred of the presbyterian discipline, refused, commanding them to be content with their own settlement, and not meddle in the affairs of another nation. But the breac between the king and his two houses growing wider, the council of Scotland sent their chancellor in the month of May to renew their offers of a mediation between the two parties, which the king rejected as before ; and the rather, because they still insisted upon the abolishing of episcopacy, which his majesty believed to be of divine institution, and upon a uniformity of presbyterian government in the two nations: whereas the majority of both houses, being of Erastian principles, were under no difficulties about a change of discipline, apprehending that the civil magistrate might set up what form of government was most conducive to the good of the state. The parliament therefore treated the chancellor with great respect, and not only accepted the mediation, but wrote to the general assembly which was to meet in July, acquainting them with the crisis of their affairs, and desiring their advice and assistance in bringing about such a reformation as was desired. To which the assembly returned an answer, dated August 3, 1642, to the following purpose:

"After giving God thanks for the parliament's desire of a reformation of religion, and expressing their grief that it moves so slowly-They observe, that their commissioners, far from arrogance and presumption, had, with great respect and reverence, expressed their desires for unity of religion, that there might be one confession of faith, one directory of worship, one public catechism, and one form of church-government. The assembly (say they) now enter upon the labours of the commissioners, being encouraged by the zeal of former times, when their predecessors sent a letter into England against the surplice, tippet, and corner-cap, in the year 1566, and again in the years 1583 and 1589. They are now farther encouraged by the king's late answer to their * Duke of Hamilton's Memoirs, b. 3. p. 194. Rushworth, vol. 2. part 3. p. 387.

commissioners in their treaty for Ireland, wherein his majesty approves of the affection of his subjects of Scotland, in their desires of conformity of church-government; by his majesty's late practice while he was in Scotland, in resorting to their worship, and establishing it by act of parliament. They are also encouraged by a letter sent from many reve rend brethren of the church of England, expressing their prayers and endeavours against every thing that shall be prejudicial to the establishment of the kingdom of Christ. They therefore advise to begin with a uniformity of churchgovernment; for what hope can there be (say they) of one confession of faith, one form of worship and catechism, till prelacy be plucked up root and branch, as a plant which God had not planted? Indeed, the reformed kirks hold their form of government by presbyters to be jure divino, and perpetual, but prelacy is almost universally held by the prelates themselves to be a human ordinance, and may therefore be altered or abolished in cases of necessity, without wronging any man's conscience; for the accomplishing of which they promise their best assistance."

In the parliament's answer to this letter," they acknowledge the friendship of their brethren of Scotland, and express their desires of unity in religion, that in all his majesty's dominions there might be but one confession of faith and form of church-government;* and though this is hardly to be expected punctually and exactly, yet they hope, since they are guided by the same spirit, they shall be so directed, as to cast out every thing that is offensive to God, and so far agree with the Scots, and other reformed churches, in the substantials of doctrine, worship, and discipline, that there may be a free communion in all holy exercises and duties of public worship, for the attaining whereofthey intend an assembly of godly and learned divines, as soon as they can obtain the royal assent. We have entered into a serious consideration (say they) what good we have received by the government of bishops, and do perceive it has been the occasion of many intolerable burdens and grievances, by their usurping a pre-eminence and power not given them by the word of God, &c. We find it has also been pernicious to our civil government, insomuch as the bishops have ever been forward to fill the minds of our princes with notions of an

* Rushworth, vol. 2. part 3. p. 390.

arbitrary power over the lives and liberties of the subject, by their counsels and in their sermons. Upon which accounts, and many others, we do declare, that this government by archbishops, bishops, their chancellors and commissaries, deans and chapters, archdeacons, and other ecclesiastical officers depending upon the hierarchy, is evil, and justly offensive and burdensome to the kingdom, a great impediment to reformation, and very prejudicial to the civil government; and that we are resolved the same shall be taken away. And we desire our brethren of Scotland to concur with us in petitioning his majesty, that we may have an assembly of divines; and to send some of their own ministers to the said assembly, in order to obtain uniformity in churchgovernment, that so a more easy passage may be made for settling one confession of faith, and directory of public worship, for the three kingdoms."

The king, being alarmed with the harmony between the two kingdoms, sent a warm remonstrance to the council of Scotland August 26, the very week he set up his standard at Nottingham, in which he declares,

"That he desired uniformity as much as they, in such a way as he in his conscience thought most serviceable to the true Protestant religion; but that his two houses of parliament had never made any proposition to him since their meeting, concerning uniformity of church-government; so far (says his majesty) are they from desiring such a thing, that we are confident the most considerable persons, and those who make the fairest pretensions to you of that kind, will not sooner embrace a presbyterial than you an episcopal.* And truly it seems, notwithstanding whatsoever profession they have made to the contrary, that nothing has been less in their minds, than settling the true religion, and reforming such abuses in the church as possibly may have crept in, contrary to the established laws of the land, to which we have been so far from being averse, that we have pressed them to it. And whenever any proposition shall be made to us by them, which we shall conceive may advance the unity of the Protestant religion, according to the word of God, or establish church-government, according to the known laws of the kingdom, we shall let the world see, that * Duke of Hamilton's Memoirs, b. 4. p. 197.