ned in
raising the ship money, or any other money, from the people, in an
unlawful manner; the Hampden judgment was reversed; the judges who had
decided against Hampden were called upon to give large securities that
they would take such consequences as Parliament might impose upon them;
and one was arrested as he sat in High Court, and carried off to prison.
Laud was impeached; the unfortunate victims whose ears had been cropped
and whose noses had been slit, were brought out of prison in triumph; and
a bill was passed declaring that a Parliament should be called every
third year, and that if the King and the King's officers did not call it,
the people should assemble of themselves and summon it, as of their own
right and power. Great illuminations and rejoicings took place over all
these things, and the country was wildly excited. That the Parliament
took advantage of this excitement and stirred them up by every means,
there is no doubt; but you are always to remember those twelve long
years, during which the King had tried so hard whether he really could do
any wrong or not.

All this time there was a great religious outcry against the right of the
Bishops to sit in Parliament; to which the Scottish people particularly
objected. The English were divided on this subject, and, partly on this
account and partly because they had had foolish expectations that the
Parliament would be able to take off nearly all the taxes, numbers of
them sometimes wavered and inclined towards the King.

I believe myself, that if, at this or almost any other period of his
life, the King could have been trusted by any man not out of his senses,
he might have saved himself and kept his throne. But, on the English
army being disbanded, he plotted with the officers again, as he had done
before, and established the fact beyond all doubt by putting his
signature of approval to a petition against the Parliamentary leaders,
which was drawn up by certain officers. When the Scottish army was
disbanded, he went to Edinburgh in four days--which was going very fast
at that time--to plot again, and so darkly too, that it is difficult to
decide what his whole object was. Some suppose that he wanted to gain
over the Scottish Parliament, as he did in fact gain over, by presents
and favours, many Scottish lords and men of power. Some think that he
went to get proofs against the Parliamentary leaders in England of their
having treasonably invited the S