usual practice
in all ages, seemed at present to be adopted by that sect. The king,
therefore finding little hopes of success, delayed the summoning of
a parliament, and proceeded still in the exercise of his illegal and
arbitrary authority.

The whole power in Ireland had been committed to Catholics. In Scotland,
all the ministers whom the king chiefly trusted, were converts to
that religion. Every great office in England, civil and military, was
gradually transferred from the Protestants. Rochester and Clarendon,
the king's brothers-in-law, though they had ever been faithful to his
interests, could not, by all their services, atone for their adherence
to the national religion; and had been dismissed from their employments.
The violent Jefferies himself, though he had sacrificed justice and
humanity to the court, yet, because he refused also to give up his
religion, was declining in favor and interest. Nothing now remained but
to open the door in the church and universities to the intrusion of the
Catholics. It was not long before the king made this rash effort; and
by constraining the prelacy and established church to seek protection
in the principles of liberty, he at last left himself entirely without
friends and adherents.

Father Francis, a Benedictine, was recommended by the king's mandate to
the university of Cambridge for the degree of master of arts; and as it
was usual for the university to confer that degree on persons eminent
for learning, without regard to their religion; and as they had even
admitted lately the secretary to the ambassador of Morocco; the king on
that account thought himself the better entitled to compliance. But
the university considered, that there was a great difference between
a compliment bestowed on foreigners, and degrees which gave a title to
vote in all the elections and statutes cf the university, and which,
if conferred on the Catholics would infallibly in time render that sect
entirely superior. They therefore refused to obey the king's mandate,
and were cited to appear before the court of ecclesiastical commission.
The vice-chancellor was suspended by that court; but as the university
chose a man of spirit to succeed him, the king thought proper for the
present to drop his pretensions.

The attempt upon the university of Oxford was prosecuted with more
inflexible obstinacy, and was attended with more important consequences.
This university had lately, in their famous decre