rried
into the opposite extreme, and had universally adopted the highest
principles and practices of the Puritans. Monarchy, as well as the
hierarchy, was become odious to them; and every method of limiting
the authority of the crown, and detaching themselves from the king of
England, was greedily adopted and pursued. They considered not, that
as they scarcely formed the sixth part of the people, and were secretly
obnoxious to the ancient inhabitants, their only method of supporting
themselves was by maintaining royal authority, and preserving a great
dependence on their mother country. The English commons, likewise, in
their furious persecution of Strafford, had overlooked the most
obvious consequences; and, while they imputed to him as a crime every
discretionary act of authority, they despoiled all succeeding governors
of that power by which alone the Irish could be retained in subjection.
And so strong was the current for popular government in all the three
kingdoms, that the most established maxims of policy were every where
abandoned, in order to gratify this ruling passion.

Charles, unable to resist, had been obliged to yield to the Irish, as
to the Scottish and English parliaments; and found, too, that their
encroachments still rose in proportion to his concessions. Those
subsidies which themselves had voted, they reduced, by a subsequent
vote, to a fourth part; the court of high commission was determined to
be a grievance; martial law abolished; the jurisdiction of the council
annihilated; proclamations and acts of state declared of no authority;
every order or institution which depended on monarchy was invaded;
and the prince was despoiled of all his prerogative, without the least
pretext of any violence or illegality in his administration.

The standing army of Ireland was usually about three thousand men; but,
in order to assist the king in suppressing the Scottish Covenanters,
Strafford had raised eight thousand more, and had incorporated with
them a thousand men drawn from the old army; a necessary expedient for
bestowing older and discipline on the new-levied soldiers. The private
men in this army were all Catholics; but the officers, both commission
and non-commission, were Protestants, and could entirely be depended on
by Charles. The English commons entertained the greatest apprehensions
on account of this army, and never ceased soliciting the king till he
agreed to break it. Nor they consent to any