y at another, he carried still a face of religion in profession
while in Scotland. The church had many struggles, sometimes Israel, and
sometimes Amalek prevailed; but as soon as he ascended the throne of
England, he wholly assumed an arbitrary power and absolute supremacy
over the church, which before he had long grasped at. And though he had
sworn to maintain the Presbyterian form of church-government and
discipline, &c. his desire of unlimited authority made him now relish
Episcopacy to the highest degree: the bishops were his creatures. By
bribery, falsehood and persecution he introduced prelacy into Scotland,
created such bishops whom he knew would stick at nothing to serve his
purpose. Such as opposed his measures in both kingdoms, especially
Scotland, shared deep in his persecuting vengeance, some were
imprisoned, others deprived of their offices, while numbers fled to
foreign countries where they might serve God with a safe conscience.
Toward the end of his reign he waxed still worse:--a high commission
court was by him erected 1610: a set of wicked profane bishops installed
about 1618, by the help of whom and other corrupt clergy, he got the
five articles of Perth agreed to by a patched assembly that year--in
1621. He got them ratified by act of parliament, and then they began to
be pressed with rigour. In England matters were but little better: a
declaration was emitted for using sports and gaming on the Lord's day
after sermon, which profanations continue there to this day. He had
before wrote against the pope, threatening a malediction upon any of his
posterity that should apostatize to popery; but now he hastened toward
Rome; for, upon the match of his son with France, he agreed to the
following articles, That all laws formerly made against popery should
not be executed: 2. That no new laws should be made against Roman
Catholics, but they should have a free toleration in England, Scotland
and Ireland.--At the same time, to the arch-bishop of Embrun he
acknowledged the pope's authority, and it is said, concluded on a
convocation for that purpose at Dover or Boloign, in order to effect a
more full toleration for papists. By his management in favours of
popery, his son-in-law the Protestant king of Bohemia lost a
kingdom.--In Scotland, several were incarcerate and fined for
non-conformity. He had commanded Christmass communion to be kept at
Edinburgh; but, by the Lord's immediate hand in the plague, he was in
t