, however, only brought a small sum into the
treasury. On the 2nd of January 1628 Charles ordered the release of all
the persons imprisoned, and on the 17th of March summoned his third
parliament.

Instead of relieving the king's necessities the Commons immediately
proceeded to discuss the constitutional position and to formulate the
Petition of Right, forbidding taxation without consent of parliament,
arbitrary and illegal imprisonment, compulsory billeting in private
houses, and martial law. Charles, on the 1st of May, first demanded that
they should "rest on his royal word and promise." He obtained an opinion
from the judges that the acceptance of the petition would not absolutely
preclude in certain cases imprisonments without showing cause, and after
a futile endeavour to avoid an acceptance by returning an ambiguous
answer which only exasperated the Commons, he gave his consent on the
7th of June in the full and usual form. Charles now obtained his
subsidies, but no real settlement was reached, and his relations with
the parliament remained as unfriendly as before. They proceeded to
remonstrate against his government and against his support of
Buckingham, and denied his right to tonnage and poundage. Accordingly,
on the 26th of June they were prorogued. New disasters befell Charles,
in the assassination of Buckingham and in the failure of the fresh
expedition sent to Re. In January 1629 the parliament reassembled,
irritated by the exaction of the duties and seizure of goods during the
interval, and suspicious of "innovations in religion," the king having
forbidden the clergy to continue the controversy concerning Calvinistic
and Arminian doctrines, the latter of which the parliament desired to
suppress. While they were discussing these matters, on the 2nd of March
1629, the king ordered them to adjourn, but amidst a scene of great
excitement the speaker, Sir John Finch, was held down in his chair and
the doors were locked, whilst resolutions against innovations in
religion and declaring those who levied or paid tonnage and poundage
enemies to their country were passed. Parliament was immediately
dissolved, and Charles imprisoned nine members, leaders of the
opposition, Eliot, Holles, Strode, Selden, Valentine, Coryton, Heyman,
Hobart and Long, his vengeance being especially shown in the case of
Eliot, the most formidable of his opponents, who died in the Tower of
consumption after long years of close and unhealthy