British
nation. "As well," said he, "may we venture to call their language to
the King loyalty, or their actions law and justice, as to misname the
present House of Commons, the representatives of England; when every
friend to His Majesty or the constitution has been ejected, banished, or
imprisoned, by votes passed under the immediate influence of hired mobs
of apprentices, prostitutes, and the worst rabble London contains."

"Quite my opinion," resumed Sir William; "yet, Sir, though I excessively
condemn and lament the unfortunate length to which Parliament has gone,
I must say, that at the beginning there were faults on both sides. His
Majesty was wrong, evidently wrong, and then Parliament went too far,
and then the King promised and retracted, and then they applied to more
coercive measures, till really it becomes doubtful who is most to
blame."

"When," said Evellin, "you can find in the King's actions any violation
of the constitution as flagrant as either the legal assassination of
Lord Strafford, in which all forms and usages of Parliament were
violated; the accusation of Laud, that eminent defender of the
Protestant faith, for Popery; the imprisonment of the bishops for
claiming their ancient privileges; or, lastly, a dependent and elective
body voting itself supreme and permanent, and in that state levying war
upon the King, by whose writs they were first summoned and consolidated;
when you can find, I say, in the arbitrary proceedings of the Star
Chamber, or of the High Commission courts, actions as repugnant to our
fundamental laws as these, I will then agree with you, Sir William
Waverly, and admit that a wise and considerate man would doubt what
party to choose, as not knowing which was most to blame."

Sir William protested that there was not a man in England who lamented,
more bitterly than himself, the excess which had brought the popular
cause into disrepute; yet he thought candour required us to make
allowances for the heat of debate, and the ebullition of passion
incident to deliberative assemblies, which made the members often push
matters further than they intended; and he extremely regretted that the
King, by some ill-advised steps, such as that of violating the freedom
of Parliament, by personally demanding five members to be given up to
his vengeance, had fomented a spirit of animosity which mild counsels
might have subdued.

These qualifying remarks irritated Evellin. "After a series of n