CHAP. LXV. 1668. A Parliament.-The Cabal-their Characters— their Counsels.-Alliance with France.-A Parliament.-Coventry Act.-Blood's Crimes.-Duke declares himself Catholic.-Exchequer shut.-Declaration of Indulgence.-Attack of the Smyrna Fleet. -War declared with Holland.-Weakness of the States.- Battle of Solebay.-Sandwich killed.-Progress of the French.-Consternation of the Dutch.— ·Prince of Orange Stadtholder.—Massacre of the De Wits.-Good Conduct of the Prince.—A Parliament. -Declaration of Indulgence recalled.-Sea-fight.Another Sea-fight.-Another Sea-fight.-Congress of Cologne.-A Parliament.-Peace with Holland. SINCE CHAP. NCE the restoration, England had attained a LXV. situation which had never been experienced in any former period of her government, and which seemed the only one that could fully ensure, at once, her tranquillity and her liberty: The King was in continual want of supply from the parliament: And he seemed willing to accommodate himself to that dependent situation. Instead of reviving those claims of prerogative, so strenuously insisted on by his predecessors, Charles had strictly confined himself within the limits of law, and had courted, by every art of popularity, the affections of his subjects. Even the severities, however blameable, which he had exercised against non-conformists, are to 451 1668. to be considered as expedients by which he strove CHA P. to ingratiate himself with that party which predo- LXV. minated in parliament. But notwithstanding these promising appearances, there were many circumstances which kept the government from resting steadily on that bottom on which it was' placed. The crown having lost almost all its ancient demesnes, relied entirely on voluntary grants of the people; and the commons, not fully accustomed to this new situation, were not yet disposed to supply with sufficient liberality the necessities of the crown, They imitated too strictly the example of their predecessors in a rigid frugality of public money; and neither sufficiently considered the indigent condition of their Prince, nor the general state of Europe; where every nation, by its increase both of magnificence and force, had made great additions to all public expences. Some considerable sums, indeed, were bestowed on Charles; and the patriots of that age, tenacious of ancient maxims, loudly upbraided the commons with prodigality: But if we may judge by the example of a later period, when the government has become more regular, and the harmony of its parts has been more happily adjusted, the parliaments of this reign seem rather to have merited a contrary reproach. THE natural consequence of the poverty of the crown was, besides feeble irregular transactions in foreign affairs, a continual uncertainty in its domestic administration. No one could answer with any tolerable assurance for the measures of the house of commons. Few of the members were attached to the court by any other band than that of inclination. Royalists, indeed, in their principles, but unexperienced in business, they lay exposed to every rumour or insinuation; and were driven by momentary gusts or currents, no less than the populace themselves. Even the attempts made & G 2 1668. 452 CHAP. made to gain an ascendant over them by offices, LXV. and, as it is believed, by bribes and pensions, were apt to operate in a manner contrary to what was intended by' the ministers. The novelty of the practice conveyed a general, and indeed a just alarm; while, at the same time, the poverty of the crown rendered this influence, very limited and pre 8th of February. ment. carious. THE character of Charles was ill fitted to remedy those defects in the constitution. He acted in the administration of public affairs as if government were a pastime, rather than a serious occupation; and by the uncertainty of his conduct, he lost that authority which could alone bestow constancy on the fluctuating resolutions of the parliament. His expences too, which sometimes, perhaps, exceeded the proper bounds, were directed more by inclination than by policy; and while they increased his dependence on the parliament, they were not calculated fully to satisfy either the interested or disinterested part of that assembly. THE parliament met, after a long adjournment; and the King promised himself every thing from A parlia the attachment of the commons. All his late measures had been calculated to acquire the good will of his people; and, above all, the triple league, it was hoped, would be able to efface all the disagreeable impressions left by the unhappy conclusion of the Dutch war. But a new attempt made by the court, and a laudable one too, lost him, for a time, the effect of all these endeavours. Buckingham, who was in great favour with the King, and carried on many intrigues among the commons, had also endeavoured to support connexions with the non-conformists; and he now formed a scheme, in concert with the lord keeper, Sir Orlando Bridgeman, and the chief justice, Sir Matthew Hale, two worthy patriots, to 1668. to put an end to those severities under which these CHAP. religionists had so long laboured. It was pro- LXV. posed to reconcile the presbyterians by a comprehension, and to grant a toleration to the independents and other sectaries. Favour seems not, by this scheme, as by others embraced during the present reign, to have been intended the catholics: Yet were the zealous commons so disgusted, that they could not be prevailed on even to give the King thanks for the triple league, however laudable that measure was then, and has ever since been, esteemed. They immediately voted an address for a proclamation against conventicles. Their request was complied with; but as the King still dropped some hints of his desire to reconcile his protestant subjects, the commons passed a very unusual vote, that no man should bring into the house any bill of that nature. The King in vain reiterated his solicitations for supply; represented the necessity of equipping a fleet; and even offered, that the money which they should grant should be collected and issued for that purpose by commissioners appointed by the house. Instead of complying, the commons voted an inquiry into all the miscarriages during the late war; the slackening of sail after the Duke's victory from false orders delivered by Brounker, the miscarriage at Bergen, the division of the fleet under Prince Rupert and Albemarle, the disgrace of Chatham. Brounker was expelled the house, and ordered to be impeached. Commissioner Pet, who had neglected orders issued for the security of Chatham, met with the same fate. These impeachments were never prosecuted. The house at length, having been indulged in all their prejudices, were prevailed with to vote the King three hundred and ten thousand pounds, by an imposition on wine and other liquors; after which they were adjourned. & G 3 PUBLIC CHAP. 1668. 11th of May. PUBLIC business, besides being retarded by the LXV. disgust of the commons against the tolerating maxims of the court, met with obstructions this sessions from a quarrel between the two houses. Skinner, a rich merchant in London, having suffered some injuries from the East India company, laid the matter by petition before the house of lords, by whom he was relieved in costs and damages to the amount of five thousand pounds. The commons voted, that the lords, in taking cognizance of this affair, originally, without any appeal from inferior courts, had acted in a manner not agreeable to the laws of the land, and tending to deprive the subject of the right, ease, and benefit due to him by these laws; and that Skinner, in prosecuting the suit after this manner, had infringed the privileges of the commons: For which offence they ordered him to be taken into custody. Some conferences ensued between the houses; where the lords were tenacious of their right of judicature, and maintained that the method in which they had exercised it was quite regular. The commons rose into a great ferment; and went so far as to vote, that "whoever should "be aiding or assisting in putting in execution the "order or sentence of the house of lords, in the "case of Skinner against the East-India company, "should be deemed a betrayer of the rights and "liberties of the commons of England, and an in 1669. 9th of fringer of the privileges of the house of commons.' They rightly judged, that it would not be easy, after this vote, to find any one who would venture to incur their indignation. The proceedings indeed of the lords seem in this case to have been unusual, and without precedent. THE King's necessities obliged him again to assemble the parliament, who shewed some disposiOctober. tion to relieve him. The price, however, which he must pay for this indulgence, was his yielding to |