independently of Parliament, and to get an abundance of money to spend
on his extravagant pleasures and vices.

In order to accomplish these three ends he made a secret and shameful
treaty with Louis XIV of France, 1670 (S476). Louis wished to crush
the Dutch Protestant Republic of Halland, to get possession of Spain,
and to secure, if possible, the ascendancy of Catholicism in England
as well as throughout Europe. Charles, who was destitute of any
religious principle,--or, in fact, of any sense of honor,--agreed to
publicly declare himself a Catholic, to favor the propagation of that
faith in England, and to make war on Holland in return for very
liberal grants of money, and for the loan of six thousand French
troops by Louis, to help him put down any opposition in England. Two
members of the "Cabal" were acquainted with the terms of this secret
Treaty of Dover. Charles made a second secret treaty with Louis XIV
in 1678.

Charles did not dare to openly avow himself a convert--or pretended
convert--to the Catholic religion; but he issued a Declaration of
Indulgence, 1672, suspending the harsh statutes against the English
Catholics (S477).

Parliament took the alarm and passed the Test Act, 1673, by which all
Catholics were shut out from holding any government office or position
(S477). This act broke up the "Cabal," by compelling a Catholic
nobleman, who was one of its leading members, to resign. Lather,
Parliament further showed its power by compelling the King to sign the
Act of Habeas Corpus, 1679 (S482), which put an end to his arbitrarily
throwing men into prison, and keeping them there, in order to stop
their free discussion of his plots against the constitution.[1]

[1] See Habeas Corpus Act in Constitutional Documents, p.xxxii.

But though the "Cabal" had been broken up, the principle of a limited
private council survived, and long after the Revolution of 1688 it was
revived and the Cabinet, under the lead of Sir Robert Walpole, the
first Prime Minister,[2] in 1721, became responsible for th epolicy of
the sovereign.[3] At present, if the Commons decidedly oppose that
policy, the Prime minister,[2] in 1721, became responsible for the
policy of the sovereign.[3] At present, if the Commons decidedly
oppose that policy, the Prime Minister, with his Cabinet, either
resigns, and a new Cabinet is chosen, or the Minister appeals to the
people for support, and the sovereign dissolves Parliament and orders
a