ry opposition in England.
On the 20th of August the Scots crossed the Tweed, beginning the
so-called second Bishops' War, defeated the king's army at Newburn on
the 28th, and subsequently occupied Newcastle and Durham. Charles at
this juncture, on the 24th of September, summoned a great council of the
peers; and on the 21st of October a cessation of arms was agreed to by
the treaty of Ripon, the Scots receiving L850 a day for the maintenance
of the army, and further negotiations being transferred to London. On
the 3rd of November the king summoned the Long Parliament.

Such was the final issue of Charles's attempt to govern without
parliaments--Scotland in triumphant rebellion, Ireland only waiting for
a signal to rise, and in England the parliament revived with almost
irresistible strength, in spite of the king, by the force of
circumstances alone. At this great crisis, which would indeed have taxed
the resolution and resource of the most cool-headed and sagacious
statesman, Charles failed signally. Two alternative courses were open to
him, either of which still offered good chances of success. He might
have taken his stand on the ancient and undoubted prerogative of the
crown, resisted all encroachments on the executive by the parliament by
legal and constitutional means, which were probably ample, and in case
of necessity have appealed to the loyalty of the nation to support him
in arms; or he might have waived his rights, and, acknowledging the
mistakes of his past administration, have united with the parliament and
created once more that union of interests and sentiment of the monarchy
with the nation which had made England so powerful. Charles, however,
pretended to do both simultaneously or by turns, and therefore
accomplished neither. The illegally imprisoned members of the last
parliament, now smarting with the sense of their wrongs, were set free
to stimulate the violence of the opposition to the king in the new
assembly. Of Charles's double statecraft, however, the series of
incidents which terminated the career of the great Strafford form the
most terrible example. Strafford had come to London in November, having
been assured by Charles that he "should not suffer in his person, honour
or fortune," but was impeached and thrown into the Tower almost
immediately. Charles took no steps to hinder the progress of the
proceedings against him, but entered into schemes for saving him by
bringing up an army to London,