e of jealousy, that their
danger chiefly arose from the king himself.[**]

* Clarendon, vol. ii. p. 415.

** Journ. 30th Nov. 1641 Nalson, vol ii. y 688.

They ordered halberts to be brought into the hall where they assembled,
and thus armed themselves against those conspiracies with which, they
pretended, they were hourly threatened. As stories of plots, however
ridiculous, were willingly attended to, and were dispersed among the
multitude, to whose capacity they were well adapted. Beale, a tailor,
informed the commons that, walking in the fields, he had hearkened to
the discourse of certain persons unknown to him, and had heard them
talk of a most dangerous conspiracy. A hundred and eight ruffians, as
he learned, had been appointed to murder a hundred and eight lords
and commoners, and were promised rewards for these assassinations,
ten pounds for each lord, forty shillings for each commoner. Upon
this notable intelligence, orders were issued for seizing priests
and Jesuits, a conference was desired with the lords, and the deputy
lieutenants of some suspected counties were ordered to put the people in
a posture of defence.[*]

The pulpits likewise were called in aid, and resounded with the dangers
which threatened religion from the desperate attempts of Papists and
malignants. Multitudes flocked towards Westminster, and insulted the
prelates and such of the lords as adhered to the crown. The peers voted
a declaration against those tumults, and sent it to the lower house; but
these refused their concurrence.[**] Some seditious apprentices, being
seized and committed to prison, immediately received their liberty, by
an order of the commons.[***] The sheriffs and justices having appointed
constables with strong watches to guard the parliament, the commons sent
for the constables, and required them to discharge the watches, convened
the justices, voted their orders a breach of privilege, and sent one of
them to the Tower.[****]

* Nalson, vol. ii. p. 646. Journ. 16th Nov. 1641. Dugdale,
p. 79.

** Rush. part. iii. vol. i. p. 710.

*** Nalson, vol ii. p 784, 792.

**** Nalson, vol. ii. p. 792. Journ. 27th, 28th, and 29th of
Dec. 1641.

Encouraged by these intimations of their pleasure, the populace crowded
about Whitehall, and threw out insolent menaces against Charles himself.
Several seduced officers and young gentlemen of the inns of court,
during this time of disorder