on of parliament to these acts of power; and he knew
that, without this authority, his edicts alone would never afford a
durable security to the Catholics. He had employed, therefore, with the
members of parliament many private conferences, which were then called
"closetings;" and he used every expedient of reasons, menaces, and
promises to break their obstinacy in this particular. Finding all his
efforts fruitless, he had dissolved the parliament, and was determined
to call a new one, from which he expected more complaisance and
submission. By the practice of annulling the charters, the king was
become master of all the corporations, and could at pleasure change
every where the whole magistracy. The church party, therefore, by whom
the crown had been hitherto so remarkably supported, and to whom the
king visibly owed his safety from all the efforts of his enemies, was
deprived of authority; and the dissenters, those very enemies, were
first in London, and afterwards in every other corporation, substituted
in their place. Not content with this violent and dangerous innovation,
the king appointed certain regulators to examine the qualifications of
electors; and directions were given them to exclude all such as adhered
to the test and penal statutes.[*]

* The elections in some places, particularly in York, were
transferred from the people to the magistrates, who, by the
new charter, were all named by the crown. Sir John Reresby's
Memoirs, p. 272. This was in reality nothing different from
the king's naming the members. The same act of authority had
been employed in all the boroughs of Scotland.

Queries to this purpose were openly proposed in all places, in order
to try the sentiments of men, and enable the king to judge of the
proceedings of the future parliament. The power of the crown was at
this time so great, and the revenue managed by James's frugality, so
considerable and independent, that, if he had embraced any national
party, he had been insured of success, and might have carried his
authority to what length he pleased. But the Catholics, to whom he
had entirely devoted himself, were scarcely the hundredth part of the
people. Even the Protestant nonconformists, whom he so much courted,
were little more than the twentieth; and, what was worse, reposed no
confidence in the unnatural alliance contracted with the Catholics, and
in the principles of toleration, which, contrary to their