ing on his struggle with English
freedom, and the victory of English freedom was well-nigh won. James had
himself destroyed that enthusiasm of loyalty which had been the main
strength of the Tudor throne. He had disenchanted his people of their
blind faith in the monarchy by a policy both at home and abroad which
ran counter to every national instinct. He had alienated alike the
noble, the gentleman, and the trader. In his feverish desire for
personal rule he had ruined the main bulwarks of the monarchy. He had
destroyed the authority of the Council. He had accustomed men to think
lightly of the ministers of the Crown, to see them browbeaten by
favourites, and driven from office for corruption. He had degraded the
judges and weakened the national reverence for their voice as an
expression of law. He had turned the Church into a mere engine for
carrying out the royal will. And meanwhile he had raised up in the very
face of the throne a power which was strong enough to cope with it. He
had quarrelled with and insulted the Houses as no English sovereign had
ever done before; and all the while the authority he boasted of was
passing without his being able to hinder it to the Parliament which he
outraged. There was shrewdness as well as anger in his taunt at its
"ambassadors." A power had at last risen up in the Commons with which
the monarchy was to reckon. In spite of the king's petulant outbreaks
Parliament had asserted with success its exclusive right of taxation. It
had suppressed monopolies. It had reformed abuses in the courts of law.
It had impeached and driven from office the highest ministers of the
Crown. It had asserted its privilege of freely discussing all questions
connected with the welfare of the realm. It had claimed to deal with
the question of religion. It had even declared its will on the sacred
"mystery" of foreign policy. The utter failure of the schemes of James
at home can only be realized by comparing the attitude of the Houses at
his death with their attitude during the last years of Elizabeth. Nor
was his failure less abroad than at home. He had found England among the
greatest of European powers. He had degraded her into a satellite of
Spain. And now from a satellite he had dropped to the position of a
dupe. In one plan alone could he believe himself successful. If his son
had missed the hand of a Spanish Infanta, he had gained the hand of a
daughter of France. But the one success of James was the