the other to ratify what they proposed". Placing the selection of the peers in the hands of the bishops was an innovation made by Charles in 1633.

5. War against Scotland, which is ended by the "Pacification of Berwick", 1639. Both parties prepared for open hostilities. The Scots were assured of the sympathy of the people of England, where their friends and agents distributed their counter proclamations and reported all their proceedings. Richlieu, moreover, secretly gave his countenance to the Scots, and found means to forward them a supply of arms, besides ordering the French ambassador to pay a hundred thousand crowns to Alexander Leslie, a soldier who had served in Germany under Gustavus Adolphus, and who was now appointed commander-inchief of the Scotch forces. The supreme committee in Edinburgh roused the enthusiasm of the arm-bearing population, which was soon efficiently officered by veterans who had long served in the religious wars of Germany. Charles also was on the alert. At the commencement of the year, orders were issued for mustering the trained bands, money was borrowed, and all pensions and allowances suspended. The nobility were severally required by letter "to attend our royal person and standard at the city of York, on the first day of April, next ensuing, with such equipage and forces as your birth, honor, and interest in the commonalty doth oblige you to".

Hostilities were commenced by the Scots, who seized the castle of Edinburgh, and were almost immediately in possession of all the strong places in the kingdom. Leslie was at the head of ten thousand men, which by a little pressure were increased to more than twice that number; these were marched southward and encamped on Dunse Law. "The highest Scottish nobles, as Argyle, Rothes, Cassilis, Eglington, Dalhousie, Loudoun, Balcarras, and others, acted as colonels; their captains were gentlemen of high rank and fortune; and the inferior commissions were chiefly bestowed on veteran officers who had served abroad. The utmost order was observed in their camp, while the presence of numerous clergymen kept up the general enthusiasm, and seemed to give a religious character to the war". In April, Charles repaired to York, where he found himself at the head of twenty thousand men, under the Earls of Arundel, Essex, and Holland. A fleet under Hamilton was sent to the Forth, where however it did nothing, the Marquis not being particularly zealous to embroil himself with his countrymen. The king, with the army, advanced to Berwick, and the armies were now in presence, yet nothing happened but a slight cavalry skirmish. For Charles alarmed at the indifference of his troops, suggested to the Scots by means of

a page, the possibility of an accommodation. Commissioners met, and the negotiations which ended on the 18th June, stipulated that the king" should withdraw his fleet and army; that within forty-eight hours the Scots should dismiss their forces; that the king's forts should be restored; and a general assembly and parliament be immediately summoned, in order to compose all differences".

6. An assembly and a parliament held in Edinburgh, 1639. Charles before returning to the South, appointed the Earl of Traquair his commissioner, with ample instructions, to concede what could not be retained. Every deputy sent to the assembly, had taken an oath to support the acts of the Glasgow assembly of 1638. When the Convocation met on the 12th of August, its work was simple and soon accomplished. Without naming the assembly of Glasgow, all its acts were adopted and confirmed the abolition of episcopacy, of the service-book and canons, of the Articles of Perth, and of the High Commission Court. The commissioner gave the royal assent, and himself signed the Covenant, into which some reservations favorable to royalty had been introduced. It was further promised, that all these measures should be confirmed in parliament, but Charles, according to Hume, had otherwise determined; "He even secretly retained an intention of seizing favorable opportunities, in order to recover the ground which he had lost". The parliament met on the 20th of August, and proceeded to propose the removal of the Lords of the Articles, as a body subservient to the crown; a restriction on patents of peerage, and that no proxies be admitted; that all acts in favor of episcopacy should be repealed; and that none but native Scots should ever have the keeping of the castles of Edinburgh, Dunbarton, and Stirling. Traquair stopped the proceedings by a prorogation, which the Covenanters protested against as illegal.

7. Charles distressed for money, calls his fourth English parliament, April 13-May 5, 1640. The king, to strengthen his councils, sent for Wentworth to join in consultation with Laud and Hamilton, on the affairs of Scotland. Others were afterwards added to their number, with instructions to provide funds, and arrange for the coming campaign. Besides issuing writs for shipmoney to the amount of £200,000, they advised that a parliament should be called to procure a larger supply. This the king consented to, only on a promise made by a full council, that they would support" extraordinary ways," should the parliament prove as untoward as the others had done. Wentworth, now raised to the earldom of Strafford, passed over to Ireland in the interval, and obtained from the parliament a vote of four subsidies, with the

promise of more; then leaving orders for the levy of eight thousand men, he returned to the aid of his master. Charles on meeting the Houses, admitted that nothing but necessity could have led him to call them together; he wanted them to grant liberal and speedy supplies, on the ground that the Scots were in treasonable correspondence with the king of France. The king alluded to a letter which had been intercepted, addressed by some Scotch lords Au Roi," praying that Louis would receive their envoy, and listen to his request for assistance, equal to what had been often showed before to the Scotch nation.

In the Commons, were the leading members of the country party, as Hampden, Hollis, Maynard, St. John, Pym, and others, men who distrusting the king, resolved to turn their first attention to the redress of grievances, which by the advice of Pym they had divided into-innovations in religion, invasions of private property, and breaches of privileges of parliament. In his eagerness to obtain a supply, Charles requested the Lords not to listen to the complaints of the Commons, till the supplies had been voted. The interference of the Upper House was taken as an infringement of the privileges of the Commons, and though conferences were held, they proved ineffectual. The Commons were then tempted, by an offer from the king, to abolish the ship-money for ever, if the parliament would grant him twelve subsidies, to be paid in three years. A debate of nine hours followed, but before it could be resumed, Charles dissolved the parliament. Immediately, the king regretted his precipitation, and would have annulled the dissolution had it been possible. Clarendon speaking of this parliament says, they "had managed all their debates, and their whole behaviour, with wonderful order and sobriety”.

8. The dissolution followed by illegal proceedings, 1640. No sooner was the parliament dissolved, than Bellasis and Sir John Hotham were committed to the Tower, for speeches made in the House, as was also Crew another member for not delivering up petitions which had come into his hands. Lord Brooke was searched for papers, and his cabinets broken open. Money was still deficient, though the Convocation had voted a subsidy of £120,000, and voluntary subscriptions to nearly £300,000 came in, mostly from catholics; "so Charles fell roundly to find out all expedients for the raising of more". Writs of ship-money were enforced with great severity; bullion was seized in the Tower, and bags of pepper on the exchange, and sold at an under rate. The mayor and sheriffs of London, and numbers of landed proprietors were Star-chambered, for slackness either in paying or levying ship-money.

To increase the general discontent, the Convocation, after the

dissolution of the parliament, and hence held to be illegal, enacted new canons, and ordered among other things, that every clergyman should, four times in the year, instruct his parishioners in the divine right of kings, and the damnable sin of resistance to authority; that all sectaries should be proceeded against and subjected to penalties, in the same manner as Romish recusants; and that an oath should be taken by all clergymen and university graduates, against all innovations in doctrine and government. It was while framing these canons, that the London apprentices made an attack on Lambeth palace; but Laud had taken precautions by fortifying his house with cannon. No harm was done, yet for beating a drum, a youth was hanged and quartered, on the ground that marching by beat of drum was a levying of war against the king.

9. Scotch War renewed: ended by Treaty of Ripon, 1640. When the Scotch parliament was prorogued the second time, the members took their place (June 2) under the pretence that the warrant was informal. A president being elected, they passed all the acts previously proposed, voted a war-tax, and appointed a committee of estates to govern the kingdom, one half to remain in Scotland, the other to be with the army. The army had been called out in March and April, and the officers having been kept in full pay, it was now ready for action. Leslie gathered his forces near Dunse, and on the 20th of August crossed the Tweed with twenty-six thousand men. The ministers, with their Bibles in their hands, formed the vanguard; the soldiers followed with their arms reversed, in token that their designs were pacific towards the people. Moreover a declaration was published to inform the people, that the Scotch, at the call of Providence, had entered England against the Canterburian faction of papists, atheists, Arminians, and prelates. Want of funds delayed the preparations of the king, but as soon as the peers guaranteed him a loan of £200,000, writs were issued to each county to raise men. In some cases they were neglected, in others the men mutinied, so that when the levies were collected, to the number of twenty thousand, they were as disaffected as they were ill-conditioned, and altogether unfit to contend with the united and enthusiastic Scots.

Northumberland having declined the office of commander-inchief, it was conferred on Strafford, by whom Lord Conway was ordered, with less than five thousand horse and foot, to dispute the passage of the Tyne. To effect this he took up a position between Newburn and Stellahaugh, on the south side of the river, but his force was far too feeble to stop the Scots, who crossed (Aug. 27) after a slight skirmish, which cost the English about

sixty men. The Rout of Newburn, as this affair was called, put the Scotch in possession of Newcastle, from which the English army with its material fell back to Durham, and thence to Northallerton, where Charles was. Finding that Leslie was moving after them, the English retreated till they reached York, where Charles, satisfied of his inability to contend with his difficulties, consented to enter into negotiations with the Scots. To avoid a parliament if possible, a great council of peers was summoned to meet the king, but this procedure was unusual. Many centuries had passed since such an assembly had been convened, and as the drift of it was seen, twelve peers subscribed a petition, pointing out a parliament as the only remedy for the grievances of the nation. This was followed by another petition signed by ten thousand Londoners. The same course was advocated by the king's counsellors and the gentry of Yorkshire; under this pressure, Charles reluctantly consented, and ordered the issue of writs for a new parliament.

The Great Council of Peers met as appointed on the 24th of September, in the dean's house near the Minster. They were first informed that a new parliament was to meet, and then required to say how the king could support his army for the next three months; this was settled by a deputation being sent to London, and on their own bonds raising a loan of £200,000. The next question was, how to deal with the Scotch; this was left to be determined by sixteen peers, who were to proceed to Ripon, and negotiate with the Scottish commissioners, which however was found difficult to do, for the Scots had taken to plunder, and in lieu thereof demanded £40,000 a month subsistence money. This was reduced to £5,600 to be paid weekly, from rates on the northern counties. It was further agreed that all the northern ports should be opened for a free trade whether by sea or land, and that all hostilities should cease; this being done, it was agreed that for the settlement of all grievances, and a definite treaty, the negotiations should be transferred from Ripon to London.

PERIOD III.

THE LONG PARLIAMENT, 1640-49; AND THE CIVIL WAR, 1642-18. SECTION XI. THE FIRST SESSION OF THE LONG PARLIAMENT, 1640–41.

1. Character of the Long Parliament. On this point Hallam writes:-"We are now arrived at that momentous period in our history, which no Englishman ever regards without interest, and few without prejudice; the period from which the