egally find them. At last they came before the court and were
sentenced to heavy fines, and to be imprisoned during the King's
pleasure. When Sir John Eliot's health had quite given way, and he so
longed for change of air and scene as to petition for his release, the
King sent back the answer (worthy of his Sowship himself) that the
petition was not humble enough. When he sent another petition by his
young son, in which he pathetically offered to go back to prison when his
health was restored, if he might be released for its recovery, the King
still disregarded it. When he died in the Tower, and his children
petitioned to be allowed to take his body down to Cornwall, there to lay
it among the ashes of his forefathers, the King returned for answer, 'Let
Sir John Eliot's body be buried in the church of that parish where he
died.' All this was like a very little King indeed, I think.

And now, for twelve long years, steadily pursuing his design of setting
himself up and putting the people down, the King called no Parliament;
but ruled without one. If twelve thousand volumes were written in his
praise (as a good many have been) it would still remain a fact,
impossible to be denied, that for twelve years King Charles the First
reigned in England unlawfully and despotically, seized upon his subjects'
goods and money at his pleasure, and punished according to his unbridled
will all who ventured to oppose him. It is a fashion with some people to
think that this King's career was cut short; but I must say myself that I
think he ran a pretty long one.

WILLIAM LAUD, Archbishop of Canterbury, was the King's right-hand man in
the religious part of the putting down of the people's liberties. Laud,
who was a sincere man, of large learning but small sense--for the two
things sometimes go together in very different quantities--though a
Protestant, held opinions so near those of the Catholics, that the Pope
wanted to make a Cardinal of him, if he would have accepted that favour.
He looked upon vows, robes, lighted candles, images, and so forth, as
amazingly important in religious ceremonies; and he brought in an
immensity of bowing and candle-snuffing. He also regarded archbishops
and bishops as a sort of miraculous persons, and was inveterate in the
last degree against any who thought otherwise. Accordingly, he offered
up thanks to Heaven, and was in a state of much pious pleasure, when a
Scotch clergyman, named LEIGHTON, was