fion. But this was but fparingly done in the time of Queen Elizabeth, whose fear and jealousie they were afraid of. Nor had they as yet any great power in the Parliament House, whereby to call in question her Prerogative by Petitions of Right, and other Devices, as they did afterwards, when Democratical Gentlemen had receiv'd them into their Councels, for the defign of changing the Government from Monarchical to Popular, which they called Liberty.

B. Who would think that fuch horrible designs as these could fo eafily and fo long remain covered with the Cloak of Godlinefs for that they were most impious Hypocrites is manifeft enough by the War these proceedings ended in, and by the impious Acts in that War committed. But when began firft to appear in Parliament the Attempt of Popular Government, and by whom?

A. As to the time of attempting the change of Government from Monarchical to Democratical, we must distinguish. They did not challenge the Sovereignty in plain terms, and by that Name, till they had flain the King, nor the Rights thereof altogether by particular Heads, till the King was driven from London by Tumults, raised in that City against him, and retir'd for the fecurity of his Perfon to Tork, where he

had

bad not been many days,when they fent unto him

19 Propofitions, whereof above a dozen were Demands of feveral Powers, ef fential parts of the Power Sovereign. But before that time they had denianded fome of them (in a Petition which they called a Petition of Right) which nevertheless the King had granted them in a former Parliament, though he deprived himself thereby, not only of the Power to levy Money without their confent, but also of his ordinary Revenue by Custom of Tonnage and Poundage, and of the Liberty to put into Cuftody fuch Men as he thought likely to disturb the Peace, and raise Sedition in the Kingdom. As for the Men that did this, 'tis enough to say they were the Members of the laft Parliament, and of fome other Parliaments in the beginning of King Charles, and the end of King James his Reign; to name them all is not neceffary, farther than the Story fhall require. Moit of them were Members of the Houfe of Commons; fome few alfo of the Lords; but all fuch as had a great opinion of their fufficiency in Politicks, which they thought was not fufficiently taken notice of by the King.

B. How could the Parliament when the King had a great Navy, and a great number of Train'd Soldiers, and all the Magazines

of

of Ammunition in his power, be able to begin the War?

A. The King had these things indeed in his right, but that fignifies little; when they that had the Cuftody of the Navy and Magazines, and with them all the Train'd Soldiers, and in a manner all his Subjects, were by the preaching of Presbyterian Minifters, and the feditious whisperings of false and ignorant Politicians, made his Enemies: And when the King could have no Money but what the Parliament should give him, which you may be fure should not be enough to maintain his Regal Power, which they intended to take from him.

And yet I think they would never have adventured into the Field, but for that unlucky bufinefs of impofing upon the Scots who were all Presbyterians) our Book of Common-Prayer; for I believe the English would never have taken well that the Parliament should make War upon the King upon any provocation, unless it were in their own defence, in cafe the King should firft make War upon them; and therefore it behooved them to provoke the King, that he might do fomething that might look like Hoftility.It happened in the Year 1637. that the King by the Advice,as it is thought,of the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury,fent down a Book

of

of Common-Prayer into Scotland, not differing in fubitance from ours, nor much in words, befides the putting of the word Presbyter for that of Minifter, commanding it to be used (for conformity to this Kingdom) by the Minifters there, for an ordinary Form of Divine Service: This being read in the Church at Edenburgh, caufed fuch a Tumult there, that he that read it had much ado to escape with his life, and gave occafion to the greatest part of the Nobility and others to enter by their own Authority, into a Covenant amongst themfelves, which impudently they called a Covenant with God, to put down Epifcopacy, without confulting with the King; which they presently did, animated thereto by their own confidence, or by affurance from fome of the Democratical English-men, that in former Parliaments had been the greatest oppofers of the King's Intereft, that the King would not be able to raise an Army to chastise them without calling a Parliament, which would be fure to favour them: For the thing which those Domocraticals chiefly then aimed at, was to force the King to call a Parliament, which he had not done of ten years before, as having found no help, but hinderance to his Designs in the Parliaments he had formerly called. Howfoever contrary to their expectation,

by

by the help of his better affected Subjects of the Nobility and Gentry, he made a shift to raise a fufficient Army to have reduced the Scots to their former obedience, if it had proceeded to battle: and with this Army he marched himself into Scotland, where the Scotch Army was alfo brought into the Field against him, as if they meant to fight: but then the Scoth fent to the King for leave to treat by Commiffioners on both fides; and the King willing to avoid the destruction of his own Subjects, condefcended to it. The Iffue was peace, and the King thereupon went to Edenburgh, and paffed an Act of Parliament there to their fatisfaЄtion.

B. Did he not then confirm Episcopacy? A. No, but yielded to the abolishing of it but by this means the English were crofs'd in their hope of a Parliament, but the faid Democraticals, formerly oppofers of the King's Intereft, ceased not to endeavour ftill to put the two Nations into a War; to the end the King might buy the Parliaments help at no less a price than Sovereignty it felf.

B. But what was the cause that the Gentry and Nobility of Scotland were so averse from the Epifcopacy? for I can hardly believe that their Confciences were extraordinarily tender, nor that they were so very

great