eir tame behavior, and to public hatred, by their
indirectly patronizing so obnoxious a prerogative.[*] They were
determined, therefore, almost universally, to preserve the regard of the
people; their only protection, while the laws were become of so
little validity, and while the court was so deeply engaged in opposite
interests. In order to encourage them in this resolution, six prelates,
namely, Lloyde bishop of St. Asaph, Ken of Bath and Wells, Turner
of Ely, Lake of Chichester, White of Peterborough, and Trelawney of
Bristol, met privately with the primate, and concerted the form of a
petition to the king. They there represent, in few words, that, though
possessed of the highest sense of loyalty, a virtue of which the church
of England had given such eminent testimonies; and though desirous of
affording ease in a legal way to all Protestant dissenters; yet, because
the declaration of indulgence was founded on a prerogative formerly
declared illegal by parliament, they could not, in prudence, honor, or
conscience, so far make themselves parties, as the distribution of it
all over the kingdom would be interpreted to amount to. They therefore
besought the king, that he would not insist upon their reading that
declaration.[**]

* When Charles dissolved his last parliament, he set forth a
declaration, giving his reasons for that measure, and this
declaration the clergy had been ordered to read to the
people after divine service. These orders were agreeable to
their party prejudices, and they willingly submitted to
them. The contrary was now the case.

** The words of the petition were: That the great averseness
found in themselves to their distributing and publishing in
all their churches your majesty's late declaration for
liberty of conscience, proceeds neither from any want of
duty and obedience to your majesty, (our holy mother the
church of England, being both in her principles and her
constant practice unquestionably loyal, and having to her
great honor been more than once publicly acknowledged to be
so by your gracious majesty,) nor yet from any want of
tenderness to dissenters, in relation to whom we are willing
to come to such a temper as shall be thought fit, when the
matter shall be considered and settled in parliament and
convocation; but, among many other considerations, from this
especially, because that