rity that a just king can have; and to account all such as slanderers of the people's affections, and enemies to the commonwealth, that shall dare say the contrary." This declaration was passed as the sense of the house, but they had not had time to present it when they were suddenly summoned to the lords, to hear the king's commission for dissolving the parliament. Thus inauspiciously ended, on the 12th of August, the first parliament under Charles.

scarcely knew whom to command or whom to obey. When he got in sight of the Spanish shores, Wimbledon called a council of war, the usual and dangerous resource of incompetent commanders. His instructions, like those given to the great Drake in former times, were, to intercept the Plate ships from America, to scour the Spanish coast, and destroy the shipping in the ports. But where should he begin? In the council of war some recommended one point, some another: in the end, it was determined to make for Cadiz Bay. But while they were consulting, the Spaniards got notice of their approach, and prepared to receive them. Moreover, Wimbledon allowed seven large and rich Spanish ships to escape him, and sail into the bay, where they afterward (when he had effected his landing) did him great mischief with their ordnance. A sudden attack on the shipping at Cadiz and Port Santa Maria could hardly have failed even now, but the land admiral preferred taking ships by

During this Oxford session of twelve days he of course obtained not a farthing; but he fancied that he could take money from the pockets of his subjects in right of his prerogative without consent of parliament; and the hare-brained Buckingham, who had been the instigator of the hasty dissolution, cheered him with prospects of great wealth to be obtained by the plunder of Spain. Writs under the privy seal were issued to the nobility, gentry, and clergy, calling upon thera to lend money to his majesty; and wherever any reluctance was encountered, threats of vengeance | land—perhaps he meant to take and plunder Cawere employed; the duties of tonnage and poundage were levied though the bill had not passed; the salaries of the servants of government were left in arrears; the amusements and even the daily table' at court were trenched upon in order to save money for the fitting out of an expedition, which, according to the calculation of the favourite, would pay cent. per cent. By these means an army of 10,000 men was collected on the western coast, ships of war were fitted out, and merchant vessels engaged as transports, and armed. Not a word was said about the destination of these forces—Buckingham's blow was to fall by surprise. The States of Holland contributed a squadron of sixteen sail; the English fleet counted eighty sail. The command of both deet and army was given to Sir Edward Cecil, now created Lord Wimbledon, a general who had served with very bad success in the Palatinate and the Low Countries. This appointment of a mere landsman surprised and vexed the seamen, who looked upon Wimbledon with contempt. It belonged properly to Sir Robert Mansel, Viceadmiral of England, and an experienced sailor, in case the high-admiral himself went not; but Buckingham, for selfish motives, made the odd choice, and then persisted in it. The fleet set sail in the month of October. In the Bay of Biscay the ships were damaged and in part scattered by a storm. One vessel (the Long Robin) foundered with 170 men on board. This was but the beginning of misfortune. The confusion of orders was such, that the officers and soldiers

1 Charles found himself obliged to borrow £3000, to procure provisions for his table, from the corporations of Salisbury and Southampton.

? Howell, however, says that the secret was badly kept, as all state secrets were in those days.

diz, as Essex had done-and disembarking his troops, he took the paltry fort of Puntal. Then he moved towards the bridge which connects the Isla de Leon with the continent, to cut off the communication. No enemy was seen on this short march; but in the wine-cellars of the country, which were broken open and plundered, a foe was found which has ever been more dangerous to undisciplined English troops than bullets and pikes. The men got drunk, and became unmanageable. Lord Wimbledon, as the best thing he could do, led them back to the ships, leaving some hundreds of stragglers to fall under the kuives of the enraged peasantry. There still remained the hope of intercepting the Plate fleet, but an infectious disease broke out in Lord Delaware's ship, and in consequence of an insane order given by Wimbledon, that the sick should be distributed into the healthy ships, the malady was spread exceedingly. After beating about for eighteen days with a dreadful mortality on board, and without a glimpse of the fleet from the New World, Wimbledon resolved to carry his dishonoured flag home again, "which was done in a confused manner, and without any observance of sea orders." With the troops and crews dreadfully reduced, with sickness in every ship, and without a single prize of the least value, Wimbledon arrived at Plymouth, to be hissed and hooted by the indignant people. This sorry and unsuccessful return of an expedition which had cost him so much was a grievous blow to Charles.

As Buckingham's plan for enriching his master with the produce of the Spaniards' mines of Mexico and Peru had thus failed, the favourite undertook to go over to the Dutch, and raise money by pawning the crown jewels and plate:

the sailors-they were told again that they were | the country into a war merely from personal spite to go to Genoa-and they once more sailed to against the Spanish favourite Olivares. The tone Dieppe, Pennington having another letter, writ of the house was bold and resolute. The learned ten by Charles himself, which charged and com- Sir Robert Cotton, after applauding the "conmanded him, without delay, to put his majesty's stant wisdom" of the house, as shown in their ship the Vanguard into the hands of the French, censure of that ill-advised minister for trenching and to require the commanders of the seven upon their ancient liberties, told them that, notmerchant ships, in his majesty's name, to do the withstanding those walls could not conceal fron. same, nay, in case of backwardness, to use forci- the ears of captious, guilty, and revengeful men ble means, even to sinking, to compel them. As without, the councils and debates within, he soon as he reached Dieppe, Pennington delivered would express his honest thoughts, and show the up the Vanguard, and acquainted the rest of the crimes for which parliament had impeached other captains with the king's commands. Again, they minions in elder times. He proceeded to give a all refused to obey. When they prepared to history of royal favourites, from the Spensers and heave anchor, Pennington fired into them from Gavestons of Edward II. to the Somerset and the man-of-war, and compelled them to stay, Buckingham of the present age, and showed how all but the brave Sir Ferdinand Gorge, in the the latter was the worst of the two. Bucking Neptune "more brave in running away from ham, at the desire of the king, presented an acthis abominable action than charging in the midst count of the navy, and a denial of having acted of an enemy." The Frenchmen were embarked, through personal feelings in the quarrel with and Pennington led them to Rochelle; but to Spain. His tone was mild and gentle-almost make the Englishmen fight under such circum- pathetic in speaking of his loss of the commons' stances was beyond his power. They deserted, favour-but when he alluded to the Earl of and joined the Huguenots, or returned home. Bristol, he could not conceal his deadly hatred. The siege of Rochelle was abandoned, and Char- When they had sat nine days, the commons were les drew upon himself an almost crushing weight told from the king that his business required a of odium without being of any use to Louis.' speedy despatch; that the plague might touct. them, and that he desired a present answer about his supplies; that if they would not give such answer without loss of time, he would take more care of their health than they themselves seeme! disposed to take, and shift for himself as he could. They were debating upon the subject of a sup ply, but were not inclined to be very liberal without some tender of redress, when this threat of dissolution reached their ears. A most animate debate ensued, and they appointed a committee to prepare their answer. This proved to be a spirited but respectful declaration, putting forward abuses, but not refusing fresh supplies They told his majesty that they were abundantly comforted by his majesty's late gracious answer touching their religion, and his message for the care of their health, and they solemnly vowel and protested before God and the world, with one heart and voice, that they would ever continu most loyal and obedient servants. But, they added, "We will, in a convenient time, and in a parliamentary way, freely and dutifully do our utmost endeavours to discover and reform the abuses and grievances of this realm and state and in like sort to afford all necessary supply te his most excellent majesty upon his present occasions and designs: most humbly beseeching or said dear and dread sovereign, in his princely wisdom and goodness, to rest assured of the true and hearty affections of his poor commons; and The commons said, with some reason, that they hardly knew to esteem the same to be (as we conceive it is inwhom they were at war with. There had been no declaration! deed) the greatest worldly reputation and secu

On the 1st of August the parliament met in the good city of Oxford. Charles summoned both houses to attend him in the hall of Christ Church, and there asked for more money to carry on the war.? A day or two after, it was seen that, notwithstanding this demand, and the earnest representations of ministers, the commons would not vote any more subsidies, or change their previous decision about tonnage and poundage. They, in fact, applied themselves to the redress of grievances, foremost among which they placed the non-enforcement of the penal statutes against Papists. Old Coke, more bold and impressive from his great age, denounced new invented offices and useless officers, which cost much money, and ought to be abolished; the multiplicity of great offices in one man-meaning, of course, Buckingham; the prodigality of the court and household; and the paying of certain pen sions, which ought to be stopped until the king was out of debt. Other members denounced with as much vehemence, if not eloquence, the now common practice of selling the offices of government. By this time the Earl of Bristol had explained to many his own conduct and the conduct of Buckingham at Madrid; and an inquiry was proposed into the mal-administration of the favourite as lord-admiral, and his having brought

1 Rymer; Cabala: Rushworth; Clarendon Papers: Les Larmes

de l'Angleterre.

ing and insolent mother. One day the unmanly minion entered her apartment in a great passion, and, after some rude expostulation, told her she should repent it. Her majesty answering with some quickness, he told her insolently that there had been queens in England who had lost their heads. On the 20th of November Charles wrote from Hampton Court to inform Steenie that he had fully made up his mind to cashier all the Monsers (Messieurs), and send them back to France. On the same day, however, when his passion cooled, he wrote another letter to the favourite, telling him that the thing must be done with management and delicacy. "You must, therefore," says Charles, "advertise my mother-in-law that I must remove all those instruments that are the causes of unkindness between her daughter and me, few or none of the servants being free of this fault in one kind or other." The favourite was then on the Continent, and had not as yet received the interdict

and to the Hague he went, taking with him those | tentional slights, which she put upon his intrigu articles and the Earl of Holland, who is said to have governed him as much as he governed the king. He raised some £300,000 among the money-lenders; drew closer the treaty of alliance with the States; and negotiated with other Protestant powers, which sent their agents to treat with him. From the Hague he would have proceeded to Paris, but his amorous impudence had given much disgust there, and Richelieu informed him that his return to that capital could not be suffered. This message, added to some preceding circumstance almost entirely personal to Buckingham, had the effect of giving an entirely new direction to the policy of England. In his wrath, Buckingham would at once have undone what he had done only a few months before. His friend Holland and Sir Dudley Carleton, who went to Paris in his stead, were instructed to demand the immediate restitution of the English ships which had been lent to Louis, and to tell that king that he ought to make peace with his Protestant subjects, with whom they, the ambassadors, were to open a secret correspondence, giving them assurance that the King of England would assist them, and asking them what force they could raise in case of Charles's declaring war against Louis. For

the present, Richelieu was enabled to conjure the storm, but he was obliged to submit to several indignities and breaches of treaty on the part of the English court.

1

of the cardinal. He was thinking of a gay visit to Paris, and therefore, as it appears, he begged his master to be patient under his domestic grievances. Some time after, Charles writes to him that his "wife begins.to mend her manners." "I know not,"

adds his majesty, "how long it will continue, for they say it is by advice." When Buckingham returned, full of rage, from the Continent, violent quarrels began anew on this score. It was thought that the queen's servants would refuse to take the oath of allegiance, and it was tendered to them as a means of getting rid of them, but they all took it except the priests.

Apart from any consideration of religion, Charles had conceived a violent dislike of the Frenchmen and priests that had come over with his young wife; and, if the truth is told of them, they must have been a most intriguing and Notwithstanding his open declaration to the troublesome crew. Henrietta Maria, naturally council that he abhorred the name of parliament, enough, took the part of her countrymen and Charles saw that he must inevitably meet that ghostly comforters, and this led to frequent quar- body again, and that soon. Whatever sums had rels with her husband. Charles reported all his been borrowed abroad by Buckingham, or exconjugal troubles to Buckingham, and Bucking-torted at home under the privy seal, were abham did all he could to provoke fresh ones. The favourite was not only jealous of the influence of the young queen, but also disgusted with her whole nation; and he was still further incensed against her by some accidental, or probably in

sorbed by arrears, and all things were at a standstill for want of money. In his own complaints against the French attendants we do not find any great stress laid upon their religion, but he knew

1 Hardwicke State Papers.

2 lbid.

very well that their faith and open practice of it | for several reasons-we believe the want of money were their real crimes in the eyes of his people. Leaving, however, the French for the present, he sought to gratify the intolerance of the commons and the people by persecuting and annoying the English-born Catholics, in doing which he broke the treaty of matrimony, to which he had so solemnly sworn. No doubt he was the more ready to revive the old statutes against recusants, because they offered a source of revenue in the shape of fines and forfeits. He is sued orders to his Protestant magistrates to hunt up the game, and he appointed a commission to levy fines on the Catholics: he commanded, by proclamations, the immediate return of all English children and youths that were studying in Catholic seminaries on the Continent, and the instant departure out of England of all priests and missionaries. He also resolved, by the advice of his council, to disarm all the Popish lords. In the execution of this order, which implied an odious searching of men's houses, great care was taken to give no offence to the family and connections of the favourite, who, mother and all, were known or suspected Catholics.' But upon other noble families who had no such relationship with the favourite, the blow fell with unmitigated severity. The magistrates, their spies, and emissaries searched castles and manor-houses as if there had been a new Gunpowder Plot; and many an irritating scene occurred, not without a mixture of the ridiculous and farcical. The French court remonstrated upon this fresh persecution, and reminded Charles of his treaty and his oath; but this only piqued him, without effecting any change in favour of the recusants.

may have been the principal-that ceremony was not performed till the 2d of February. There were several things too striking to be omitted, which occurred in the ceremonial of this great Thursday. The queen, as a Catholic, was neither crowned nor present in the Abbey. They offered to have a place fitted up for her, but she preferred occupying a window of a room at the palace gate, whence she might see them go and return without witnessing the religious ceremonies, which she had been taught to consider as heretical and damnable. It is mentioned by a careful relater of small things, that while her majesty stood at the window looking on the procession, her French ladies were frisking and dancing in the room. An important part was played in the Abbey by Laud, now Bishop of St. David's, prebendary of Westminster, and on the highroad to greater promotions, being much distinguished and favoured both by Buckingham and Charles. Buckingham was lord-constable for the day: in ascending the steps to the throne he took the right hand of the king, and offered his left to his majesty, who, putting it by with his right hand, helped up the duke, saying to him, with a smiling countenance, "I have as much need to help you, as you to assist me." When the archbishop presented Charles, bareheaded, to the people, the people preserved a dead silence, and not one word followed the primate's adjuration for the usual applauding welcome, till my Lord Arundel, the earl-marshal, told them they should cry out "God save King Charles!" upon which there followed a little shouting. The unction the anointing of the king's naked shoulders, arms, hands, and head-things most abominable in the eyes of the Puritans, and ridiculous in the eyes of many other men-were all done behind a traverse or screen, and were per

standing the absolution he had obtained from King James, was still suspected as being uncanonical and irregular, from his accidental kill

Having thus done something for popularity, the king devised how he might clear the House of Commons of some of its most obnoxious members, and he hit upon an artifice which was singularly transparent and bungling. Persons act-formed by Archbishop Abbot, who, notwithing as sheriffs could not sit in parliament, and, therefore, when the judges presented the list of sheriffs for the ensuing year, he struck out seven names, and wrote in their places those of Siring of a man while hunting. Laud made several Edward Coke, Sir Thomas Wentworth, Sir Francis Seymour, Sir Robert Phillips, Sir Grey Palmer, Sir William Fleetwood, and Mr. Edward Alford, seven members who had given him the most trouble in the late parliament, and who were all resolute in their intention of impeaching the favourite."

alterations in the usual service, and composed an entirely new prayer, which went to establish a closer union than ever between king and bishops. "It was," says a courtly knight, "one of the most punctual coronations since the Conquest." This it may have been, but it was assuredly one of the dullest or the least honoured by the spontaneous joy of the nation. The fact is, Charles's sayings had gone abroad, and he was suspected in politics, in religion, and in everything else.

borough; and Coke actually got himself elected for the county of Norfolk. He did not, however, take his seat, though he was permitted to enjoy the other privileges of a member of parlia

ment.