iting
according to their desire; but because it was then past midnight, and
too late to put it into writing, he would have it drawn up next morning,
when he commanded them to wait on him again, and then he would give them
his answer in writing as it was now agreed upon. But next morning the
king told them that he had altered his mind; and some of his friends, of
whom the commissioners inquired, told them, that after they were
gone, and even his council retired, some of his bed-chamber never left
pressing and persuading him till they prevailed on him to change his
former resolutions." It is difficult, however, to conceive that any
negotiation could have succeeded between the king and parliament, while
the latter insisted, as they did all along, on a total submission to all
their demands; and challenged the whole power, which they professedly
intended to employ to the punishment of all the king's friends.]

[Footnote 13: NOTE M, p. 247. The author is sensible that some blame
may be thrown upon him, on account of this last clause in Mr. Hambden's
character; as if he were willing to entertain a suspicion of bad
intentions where the actions were praiseworthy. But the author's meaning
is directly contrary. He esteems the last actions of Mr. Hambden's
life to hare been very blamable; though, as they were derived from good
motives, only pushed to an extreme, there is room left to believe that
the intentions of that patriot, as well as of many of his party, were
laudable. Had the preceding administration of the king, which we are
apt to call arbitrary, proceeded from ambition, and an unjust desire
of encroaching on the ancient liberties of the people, there would have
been less reason for giving him any trust, or leaving in his hands a
considerable share of that power which he had so much abused. But if
his conduct was derived in a great measure from necessity, and from a
natural desire of defending that prerogative which was transmitted
to him from his ancestors, and which his parliaments were visibly
encroaching on, there is no reason why he may not be esteemed a very
virtuous prince, and entirely worthy of trust from his people. The
attempt, therefore, of totally annihilating monarchical power, was a
very blamable extreme; especially as it was attended with the danger,
to say the least, of a civil war, which, besides the numberless ills
inseparable from it, exposed liberty to much greater perils than it
could have incurred