n or controversy. The English
divines went away full of admiration at the blind assurance and bigoted
prejudices of the man: he on his part was moved with equal wonder at
their obstinate attachment to such palpable errors and delusions.

By the concessions which the king had granted to Scotland, it became
necessary for him to summon a parliament once in three years; and in
June of the subsequent year was fixed the period for the meeting of that
assembly. Before that time elapsed, Charles flattered himself that
he should be able, by some decisive advantage, to reduce the English
parliament to a reasonable submission, and might then expect with
security the meeting of a Scottish parliament. Though earnestly
solicited by Loudon to summon presently that great council of the
nation, he absolutely refused to give authority to men who had already
excited such dangerous commotions, and who showed still the same
disposition to resist and invade his authority. The commissioners,
therefore, not being able to prevail in any of their demands, desired
the king's passport for London, where they purposed to confer with the
English parliament;[*] and being likewise denied this request, they
returned with extreme dissatisfaction to Edinburgh.

The office of conservators of the peace was newly erected in Scotland,
in order to maintain the confederacy between the two kingdoms; and
these, instigated by the clergy, were resolved, since they could not
obtain the king's consent, to summon in his name, but by their own
authority, a convention of states; and to bereave their sovereign of
this article, the only one which remained, of his prerogative. Under
color of providing for national peace, endangered by the neighborhood
of English armies, was a convention called; an assembly which though
it meets with less solemnity, has the same authority as a parliament in
raising money and levying forces. Hamilton, and his brother the earl
of Laneric, who had been sent into Scotland in order to oppose, these
measures, wanted either authority or sincerity; and passively yielded
to the torrent. The general assembly of the church met at the same time
with the convention; and exercising an authority almost absolute over
the whole civil power, made every political consideration yield to their
theological zeal and prejudices.

The English parliament was at that time fallen into great distress
by the progress of the royal arms; and they gladly sent to Edinburg