imself, had the courage to resist him on the Spanish question.[440]
By his strict and successful management of business, Cranfield had won
the favour of the King, who believed that he had found in him a second
Sully. It seems that Cranfield himself had intended to effect the ruin
of Buckingham: but Buckingham was too strong for him. Certain
accusations, which were partly well founded, were made available in
bringing him to trial by Parliamentary means, and in removing him from
his office like Bacon; for he had incurred the enmity of many by his
strictness and incorruptibility. The King professed to regard this
case as even worse than the former, because Bacon had acknowledged his
guilt, while Cranfield denied all guilt. The doctrine of the
responsibility of ministers was by this means advanced still further,
for it was now becoming more dangerous to fall out with Parliament
than with the King.

The authority of Parliament in general made important strides. It now
threw paramount weight into those deliberations which concerned the
general affairs of the kingdom, war and peace, and the royal family.
What became of the principle on which the King had hitherto taken his
stand, that the decision of these matters must be left exclusively to
his discretion? Parliament again assumed the attitude which three
years before had led to its dissolution.

It was not possible that James I could look on all this without
displeasure and uneasiness. Sometimes the thought occurred to him that
Buckingham had not been the right man to conduct the negotiations with
Spain. The words escaped him that, if he had sent the Lord Keeper
Williams with his son instead of Buckingham, his honour would then
have been saved, and his heart would now beat more lightly. He did not
approve of the decided turn which was being given to foreign politics.
He was once heard to say that he was a poor old man, who in former
times had known something about politics, but who now knew nothing
more about them.

It seems indeed that he had fancied that he could still continue to
hold the balance between parties: so at least those who knew James
understood him. He had no intention of allowing Buckingham's fall, as
the enemies of that nobleman wished, but he perhaps thought of finding
a counterpoise for him: he did not wish to let him become lord and
master of affairs. On the other hand Buckingham, by his connexion with
the leading men of the Lower House, had already wo