eatened some of the
popular leaders with an impeachment; and, had he not himself been
suddenly prevented by the impeachment of the commons, he had that very
day, it was thought, charged Pym, Hambden, and others with treason,
for having invited the Scots to invade England. A bill of attainder was
therefore brought into the lower house immediately after finishing these
pleadings; and, preparatory to it, a new proof of the earl's guilt was
produced, in order to remove such scruples as might be entertained with
regard to a method of proceeding so unusual and irregular.

Sir Henry Vane, secretary, had taken some notes of a debate in council,
after the dissolution of the last parliament; and being at a distance,
he had sent the keys of his cabinet, as was pretended, to his son Sir
Henry, in order to search for some papers which were necessary for
completing a marriage settlement. Young Vane, falling upon this paper
of notes, deemed the matter of the utmost importance; and immediately
communicated it to Pym, who now produced the paper before the house of
commons. The question before the council was, "Offensive or defensive
war with the Scots." The king proposes this difficulty, "But how can I
undertake offensive war, if I have no more money?" The answer ascribed
to Strafford was in these words: "Borrow of the city a hundred thousand
pounds: go on vigorously to levy ship money. Your majesty having tried
the affections of your people, you are absolved and loose from all rules
of government, and may do what power will admit. Your majesty, having
tried all ways, shall be acquitted before God and man. And you have
an army in Ireland, which you may employ to reduce this kingdom to
obedience: for I am confident the Scots cannot hold out five months."
There followed some counsels of Laud and Cottington, equally
violent with regard to the king's being absolved from all rules of
government.[*]

* Clarendon, vol. i. p. 223, 229, 230, etc. Whitlocke, p.
41. May p. 93.

This paper, with all the circumstances of its discovery and
communication, was pretended to be equivalent to two witnesses, and to
be an unanswerable proof of those pernicious counsels of Strafford which
tended to the subversion of the laws and constitution. It was replied
by Strafford and his friends, that old Vane was his most inveterate
and declared enemy; and if the secretary himself, as was by far most
probable, had willingly delivered to his son this pa