190

REIGN OF QUEEN ELIZABETH.

831. Was the constitution of England exposed to extreme danger during the reign of Henry the Eighth ?

Yes; had that prince, so tyrannical in his nature, and yet so respected for his courage and understanding, lived longer, or, had his successor resembled him in capacity and disposition, this island, like France, might have lost its liberties for ever.

832. Did Edward the Sixth repeal the acts which violated the acknowledged liberties of the country?

Yes; and yet, this well-intentioned, though inexperienced prince, was persuaded at the close of his reign to issue a proclamation influencing the election of members of parliament.

833. What does the constitutional history of the reign of Elizabeth present?

A continuous struggle between the strength and extent of the royal prerogative and the opposing measures of the House of Commons. The arbitrary conduct of the queen received the abject submission of the greatest men of the age, who became the knights of her caprice, rather than the patriotic legislators of their country and mankind.

834. Who eloquently opposed the queen's attempt to curtail the powers of parliament?

Wentworth; his freedom of speech cost him his liberty, but a month only elapsed before Elizabeth remitted her displeasure! In her own nature most haughty and imperious, this princess, while she asserted her powers of the prerogative, prudently managed to yield at a time and in a manner to render her concessions a favour.

835. Did the sovereign and the Commons of the

THE IRISH REBELLION.

191

reign of James the First resemble their predecessors in disposition?

Yes; but the former was far more advanced in folly, and the latter excelled their forerunners in wisdom.

836. Who is supposed to have written the famous Apology of the House of Commons" to the king touching their privileges?

The great Bacon; it was presented to the house by one of its committees. The king appears to have formed one idea of the constitution, and the Commons another. Before the end of his reign he expressed himself in a manner more agreeable to the general spirit of the laws and customs of the realm; yet his reign was marked by a continual state of warfare, and an open rupture was at last the result.

837. Did this great question of prerogative and privilege agitate the public mind when his successor ascended the throne?

Yes; and it would have required far other abilities and virtues than those which Charles possessed, to have been a guardian minister of good to his unhappy country, in a situation so little understood, and, however understood, so encompassed with difficulties.

838. Name some of the parliamentary questions of this reign.

"The Petition of Right,"-the question of tonnage and poundage, ecclesiastical power, the law of knighthood; and the forest laws.

839. In what did the Irish rebellion originate?

The Queen hearkened to the propositions made by the Irish, who undertook to govern Ireland, and assist the king to subdue the hot spirits at Westminster;

192

THE VICTORY OF NASEBY.

with this the plot of the insurrection began, but in the first design there was no thought of a massacre. The priests were the chief men who instigated the Irish to all the blood and cruelty that followed.

840. Name some of the leading events that preceded the public execution of the sovereign.

The breaking out of civil war. This was followed by the victory of Naseby, which rendered the cause of the king desperate. Charles appealed to the Scotch army, but they, to their lasting shame, bartered the person of their sovereign for the arrears due to them from the English parliament,—a transaction which reflects no honour to the English themselves.

841. Who delivered a speech in favour of the king at the moment when Cromwell and the army had possession of the metropolis, and it was hazardous to defend the king's answers to the propositions of parliament?

Prynne: this virtuous man showed himself superior alike to the meanness of fear from Cromwell and the soldiers, and the remembrance of all the ferocious insults and all the abominable pains and penalties which he had endured from Charles and his advisers ; in defiance of all, he enforced upon the house, by the exertion of every faculty he could command, his own upright declaration, that they were bound in honour, prudence, justice, and conscience to proceed upon the king's propositions to the speedy settlement of the peace of the kingdom.

842. What were the subsequent events?

Cromwell and the army sent Colonel Pride to clear the house of all who were disposed to an accommodation

THE DEATH OF CROMWELL.

193

with the king. The public execution of the sovereign followed-a cruel and dreadful outrage, and the most afflicting and awful event that can be conceived as happening in the midst of a civilized community.

843. Mention some of the difficulties Cromwell had to overcome, while he was endeavouring to seize the power of the state, and afterwards labouring to retain it.

He had to subdue, not only the Royalists, but the Presbyterians; and this not merely by force, but by the most extraordinary performances of cant and hypocrisy that human nature ever yet exhibited.

844. When did Cromwell die?

On the auspicious third of September, 1658: on that day, in 1650, he had defeated the Scotch at Dunbar, and the next year the king at Worcester. He left two sons and four daughters. His sons were weak but honest men. Richard, who had neither genius nor friends, neither treasure nor army, to support him, withdrew his pretensions, and retired to private life. The second son had been made by his father lieutenant of Ireland, and had the more spirit of the two; but his interest was not sufficient to compete with the stronger party. One of Cromwell's daughters was married to Claypole, and died before himself; another to the Earl of Falconbridge; another married the Earl of Warwick's heir, and afterwards Russell. They were wise and worthy

women.

845. What was the character of the old Cavaliers?

There were many brilliant and sterling characters amongst them, but the generality were fierce and full of courage after battle, and discreet in managing it during action in the field. When the conflict was over,

S

all had killed their thousands, and their pretensions exceeded the revenues of Scotland. Of this party the Earls of Middleton and Glencairn were the chief.

846. What was the grand difficulty of the republican party after the death of Cromwell?

Not being able to retain the army in civil obedience, and not being able to attain to power without the support of the army. This evil always existed, and was always insurmountable.

847. Were the liberties of the country endangered by the concessions of parliament on the restoration of Charles the Second?

No, the " healing parliament" avoided extremes.

It confirmed an act of the long parliament for taking away the courts of wards and liveries, together with tenures in capite, knights' service, and tenures in purveyance. It was careful of grants of the public money. In exchange for the court of wards, the king was allowed a grant of particular imposts on ale, beer, and other liquors.

848. What was the character of the Chancellor Clarendon?

His mind was ardent, and his conduct noble; and he never failed, while he possessed any influence, to use it in recalling his sovereign's mind to the great principles of the English constitution as the best security of the crown.

849. Did the king possess a standing army?

Yes; he had a small force of four thousand men, Monk's regiment, which had not been disbanded.

850. How many state criminals were executed?