but the king nevertheless
condescended to reply sensibly to the weak objection.

"What speak you of the pope's authority here? _Habemus jure quod habemus_;
and therefore inasmuch as it is said he hath not, it is plain enough that
he ought not to have." It was on this occasion that some "pleasant
discourse passed," in which "a Puritan" was defined to be "a Protestant
frightened out of his wits." The king is more particularly vivacious when
he alludes to the occurrences of his own reign, or suspects the Puritans
of republican notions. On one occasion, to cut the gordian-knot, the king
royally decided--"I will not argue that point with you, but answer as
kings in parliament, _Le Roy s'avisera"_

When they hinted at a Scottish Presbytery the king was somewhat stirred,
yet what is admirable in him (says Barlow) without a show of passion. The
king had lived among the republican saints, and had been, as he said, "A
king without state, without honour, without order, where beardless boys
would brave us to our face; and, like the Saviour of the world, though he
lived among them, he was not of them." On this occasion, although the king
may not have "shown his passion," he broke out, however, with a _naive_
effusion, remarkable for painting after the home-life a republican
government. It must have struck Hume forcibly, for he has preserved part
of it in the body of his history. Hume only consulted Fuller. I give the
copious explosion from Barlow:--

"If you aim at a Scottish Presbytery, it agreeth as well with monarchy as
God and the devil. Then Jack, and Tom, and Will, and Dick, shall meet, and
at their pleasure censure me and my council, and all our proceedings; then
Will shall stand up and say, It must be thus; then Dick shall reply, Nay,
marry, but we will have it thus. And therefore here I must once more
reiterate my former speech, _Le Roy s'avisera._ Stay, I pray you, for one
seven years before you demand that of me, and if then you find me pursy
and fat, I may hearken to you; for let that government once be up, I am
sure I shall be kept in breath; then shall we all of us have work enough:
but, Dr. Reynolds, till you find that I grow lazy, let that alone."

The king added,

"I will tell you a tale:--Knox flattered the queen-regent of Scotland that
she was supreme head of all the church, if she suppressed the popish
prelates. But how long, trow ye, did this continue? Even so long, till, by
her authority, the popish bishop