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1, A. B. do swear, that I do approve the doctrine and discipline, or government established in the church of England, as containing all things necessary to salvation; and that I will not endeavour, by myself, or any other, directly or indirectly, to bring in any Popish doctrine, contrary to that so established; nor will I ever give my consent to alter the government of this church by Archbishops, Deans, and ArchDeacons, &c. (Et cætera, and so forth) as it stands now established, and as by right it ought to stand, nor yet ever to subject it to the usurpations and superstitions of the See of Rome: And all these things do I plainly and sincerely acknowledge and swear, according to the plain and common sense or understanding of the same words, without any equivocation, mental evasion, or secret reservation whatsoever. And this I do, heartily, willingly, and truly, upon the faith of a christian. So help me God in Jesus Christ. This oath was imposed upon all ministers, and was excepted against for three reasons. 1. Because the (Et cetera) did leave the oath so loose, that neither the makers nor takers thereof, understood the same. 2. For that exacting an oath of dissent from civil establishment in things of indifferency, was

very fundamenment. 3. And juror therein de-19

willingly to

constrained unpenalties. This siness of this conended, May 26, Archbishop earnest proceedconformists, and ed puritans, and. joyning of cereally reviving old which had not served, procured himself from the

larly the Lona particular dis

an affront to the
tals of govern
lastly, that the
clares he swears
which he was
der the highest
was the chief bu
vocation, which
1640.
Laud, by his
ings against non-
such as were call-
by his strict en-
monies, especi-
ceremonies,
been lately ob-
much hatred to
people, particu-

doners, who had
gust against him

Bastwick; inso

for his severity DR. BASTWICK. upon Mr. Burton, Pryn, and much, that upon May 9, 1640, a paper was fixed upon the Royal Exchange, inciting the apprentices to rise, and sack his house, at

Lambeth the Monday after; which they were the more inclined to do, because it was reported that he was the chief instigator of the king to dissolve the last parliament; but the Archbishop had notice of their

design, and cordingly; upon Monnight, about of them beset and endeaenter, but pulsed, and part; having sure vented

in words,

provided achowever, day at midfive hundred his house, voured to.

were reforced to de-i in some meatheir spleen and breaking

his glass windows. The next day many of them were apprehended, and imprisoned, but three days after, they were forcibly rescued from thence by their companions, who broke open the prison doors; for which one of the ring-leaders was drawn, hanged and quartered, and his head and quarters set upon London Bridge.

The king grew daily more offended against the Scots, and calls a select juncto to consult about them, where the Earl of Stafford delivered his mind in such terms, as were afterward made use of to his destruction. War against them was resolved on, and money was to be procured one way or other; the City of London was invited to lend, but refused, and pleaded poverty, being distasted in seems at some proceedings in the Star chamber, about their plantation of London-Derry in Ireland, which was judged to be forfeited for some alledged misdemeanors, and the undertakers fined; yet the citizens were willing to offer a large sum, for the building a magnificent palace for the king in St. James's Park, which took no effect. The gentry contributed indifferently freely; so that with their assistance, the royal army was completed, the king himself being generalissimo, the earl of Northumberland, general, and the earl of Strafford, lieutenant-general; Northumberland falls sick, and therefore the king takes the command upon himself, and sends away part of the army, horse and foot, under the Lord Conway into the north. July 20, 1640, the queen was delivered of a son, who was christened Henry, afterward created Duke of Gloucester. In the mean time the Lord Conway had but ill success, for having drawn about one thousand two hundred horse, and three thousand foot to secure the passes upon the river Tyne, the Scotch Army under their general Lesly advanced thither, better provided than before; and August 27, Lesly desired leave of the Lord Conway, for

his whole army to pass to the king with their petition, which was denied: whereupon about three hundred Scotch horse attempted to pass the river, but were beaten back by the English Musquetiers, who were placed under a breast work.

Lesly comes on with his horse, and charges commissary general Wilmot, who maintained the ground very stoutly till overborn with multitude and canon, they were put to a disorderly retreat, both horse and foot; upon which the Lord Conway hastes to the king with the unwelcome news; Sir Jacob Astly, governor of Newcastle finding himself unable to defend the place, deserts it, sinking the great guns in the river, whereby Newcastle and Durham came in a short time into the hands of the Scots. And now Strafford comes up, with whom the king retreats to York, and stays there while Strafford, who was now sole commander, charges the whole miscarriage upon Conway, who as stoutly denies it.

The king had formerly declared the Scots to be rebels and traitors, by proclamation, and commanded that public prayers should be put up against them in all churches, but at this time he is contented to treat with them; and to that end he receives a petition from them complaining of their grievances: to which he answers by his secretary of Scotland, that he expects their particular demands, which he receives in three days, all tending to require a parliament to be called in England, without which, there could be no satisfactory redress for them; they had likewise before their march into England published a declaration called, the Intentions of the Army, viz. Not to lay down arms till the reformed religion were settled in both nations upon sure grounds, and the causes and abettors of their present troubles, that is, archbishop Laud, and the Earl of Strafford, were brought to public justice in parliament. At the same time, twelve English peers, that is, the Earls of Bedford, Hartford, Essex, Warwick, Mulgrave, Bristol, Bullingbrook, Say and Seal, Mandevil, Howard, Brook and Paget, drew up a petition, which they delivered to the king, for the sitting of the parliament after which divers others were presented to the same purpose from the City of London, and several other parts of the kingdom, all centring in this, that nothing could relieve the pressures of the kingdom but a parliament.

To this, the king condescends in part, giving hopes likewise of further satisfaction ere long; and for the present summons the lords to appear at York, September 24, which they did, and upon the first day of their meeting it was agreed, that the parliament should be called to meet November 3 following, and then, (for the relief of the north sorely suffering under Lesly's army, the bishoprick of Durham being then taxed

three hundred pounds; and Northumberland three hundred pounds a day) it was resolved, that a treaty should be set on foot, and that sixteen English lords should meet with as many Scots, and York was proposed for the place of treaty, which the Scotch commissioners refused, as not judging it safe, by reason of the presence of the Earl of Strafford, who had proclaimed them traitors in Ireland, and was now chief commander of the king's army, and a capital enemy to their nation, and against whom they had matter of high complaint; therefore it was concluded to be held at Rippon, where among other things it was agreed, that the Scottish army should be maintained by the English, till the treaty was ended, and peace secured; that there should be a safe convoy for all letters between the Scots and the parliament of England. The first of these articles seemed unreasonable and dishonourable to the English nation: and the Earl of Strafford was so offended thereat, that he desired leave of the king to give them battle, and was willing (as he writ to Archbishop Laud) to undertake upon the peril of his head with his army of English grasshoppers, to beat those Sons of Anak home again, for so much superior were the Scots then accounted to the English, as to matter of Soldiers; but October 16, the English commanders, whether through fear, favour, or out of a political maxim not to fight against the Scots, condescended to articles of agreement, which were afterward signed by the king himself.

This treaty of Rippon was but previous to another of higher importance at London, for a general concluding and making up all differences between the king and his subjects of Scotland; during which treaty, James, Earl of Montross, made several applications to the king, and by letters offered his service to him, testifying his dislike of the Scottish proceedings; but these his letters were said to have been secretly taken out of the king's pockets, and conveyed to the covenanters by the means of Hamilton; who understanding Montross' design, used all means to render him odious to the people, and so unserviceable to the king.

And now the time approaching for the sitting of the parliament, who accordingly met, November 3, 1640, which was looked upon by Arch bishop Laud as a fatal day for summoning of parliaments, in reference to church matters; the parliament in king Henry the Eighth's time, which pulled down abbies and monasteries, being likewise assembled upon November 3. Whereupon he advised the king for luck's sake to put off their meeting for two or three days, but the king not minding any such observations, did not regard it.

To give some account of the temper of those times it may not be amiss to repeat the words of a person of honour, who was then a member of the House of Commons, and hath lately published some passages concerning that parliament.

Never parliament (saith he) was assembled when the people "were in an higher discontent than at this time; such a general diffidence there was, as they thought themselves sure of nothing; the increase of ceremonies made them fear the approach of a religion hateful to them; the late business of ship-money, together with some impositions without the consent of parliament, caused them to apprehend the loss of property in their estates, and they had little hope of redress by parliaments, because his then Majesty had been so unhappy as to be put upon a sudden dissolution of all parliaments, formerly by him called: There wanted not persons ill disposed, and seditious to trumpet these things in the ears of the generality, whereby they <incensed them so far, as thereby they found means to raise a power against their sovereign.'

Mr. William Lenthal was chosen speaker of the House of Commons, and the King in a speech tells them that the Scottish troubles were the cause of their present meeting, and therefore requires them to consider of the most expedient means for casting them out, and then promises that he will heartily and clearly concur with them for the satisfying their just Grievances: after which, he gave them an account of his want of money for the maintaining of his army, and how dishonoura ble it would be to the English nation, if his army should be disbanded before the Scots were put out of the Kingdom; and desired them to consider of the oppression of the northern countries during the treaty,

It was ill resented by many that the King should call the Scots rebels, whereupon he took occasion to tell them that he must needs call them rebels, as long as they have an army which did invade England. The Commons then voted down all monopolies, and all such members as had any benefit by them were expelled out of the house; complaint was made in the house of lords against Sir William Beecher, one of the clerks of the council, for violating their privileges, in searching the Earl of Warwick's, and the Lord Brook's studies, cabinets and pockets, upon the dissolving the last parliament; upon which he was committed prisoner to the Fleet, though he pleaded the command of the secretary of state for his so doing, The Earl of Strafford is impeached of high treason by the Commons in the house of Lords, whereupon he is sequestered from the House, and likewise his friend Sir George Ratcliff is sent for out of Ireland by a serjeant at

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