CHAP. III.

From the Death of King JAMES I. to the Dissolution of the third Parliament of King CHARLES I. in the year 1628.

BEFORE we enter upon this reign, it will be proper to take a short view of the court, and of the most active ministers under the king for the first fifteen years.

King CHARLES I. came to the crown at the age of twentyfive years, being born at Dumferling in Scotland, in the year 1600, and baptized by a presbyterian minister of that country. In his youth, he was of a weakly constitution, and stammering speech; his legs were somewhat crooked, and he was suspected (says Mr. Eachard) to be of a perverse nature. When his father [king James] came to the English crown, he took him from his Scots tutors, and placed him under those who gave him an early aversion to that kirk, into which he had been baptized,* and to those doctrines of christianity which they held in the greatest veneration. As the court of king James leaned towards popery† and arbitrary power, so did the prince, especially after his

*The expression here, whether it be Mr. Neal's own, or that of any writer of the times, is inaccurate, improper, and proceeds upon a wrong notion of the design of baptism. This rite resting solely on the authority of Christ, refers not to the peculiar sentiments of the church, or the particular party of christians, amongst whom a person may happen to have it administered to him. It expresseth a profession of christianity only, and refers exclusively to the authority of its author, acting in the name of God the Father, and having his ministry sealed by the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The notion of being baptized into the kirk of Scotland, or into the church of England, is entirely repugnant to the reasoning of Paul in 1 Cor. i. who, as Dr. Clarke expresses, "we find was very careful, was very solicitous, not to give any occasion to have it thought, that there was any such thing as the doctrine of Paul, much less any such thing as the doctrine of the church of Corinth or Rome, or of any other than Christ only-in whose name only we were baptized."Clarke's Sermon's, vol. iv. p. 95. 8vo. Ed.

† Dr. Grey controverts this assertion of Mr. Neal,and calls it 'ground'less ;' with a view to confute it, he quotes Rymer, Clarendon, and bishop Fleetwood. The first and last authorities go to prove only the king's

journey into Spain; where he imbibed not only the pernicious maxims of that court, but their reserved and distant behavior.* He assured the pope by letter, in order to obtain a dispensation to marry the Infanta, "That he would not marry any mortal whose religion he hated: He might firm adherence to protestantism and the church of England, so far as concerned his own personal profession of religion; the former alledges that the attempt of the court of Spain to convert him to popery was inefficient; the latter is only a pulpit eulogium to the memory of Charles on the 30th of January. The quotation from lord Clarendon, apparently proves more than these authorities; for it asserts that no man 'was more averse from the Romish church than he [i. e. king Charles] 'was." But to be consistent with himself, his lordship must be understood with a limitation; as speaking of bis remoteness from a conformity to popery in his own belief and practice; not of his disposition towards that religion, as professed by others. Dr. Harris has produced many proofs, that the king was not a papist himself. But he has also evinced, by many authorities, that professed papists were favored, earressed, and preferred at court. The articles of the marriage treaty, to which he signed and solemnly swore, sanetioned the profession of that religion in his kingdom. The clergy, who enjoyed the smiles of the court, preached in favor of the practices and tenets of popery. And popish recusants were not only tolerated, but protected by this prince. See Harris's Life of Charles I. p. 198 to 204, and from p. 204 to 208. The facts of this nature are also amply stated in "An Essay towards 'attaining a true Idea of the Character and Reign of King Charles I. 'chap. ix." On these grounds Mr. Neal is fully vindicated, for he speaks, it should be observed, not of the king's being a papist, but of his "leaning towards popery." But it might be sufficient to quote, against Dr. Grey, even lord Clarendon only, who tells us, "that the papists were upon the matter, absolved from the severest parts of the law, ' and dispensed with for the gentlest. They were looked upon as good 'subjects at court, and as good neighbors in the country: all the res'traints and reproaches of former times being forgotten." His lordship expatiates largely on the favors they received, and on the boldness they assumed.

History of the Rebellion, vol. i. p. 148, 8vo edit. of 1707. Ed.

* In confutation of this assertion, Dr. Grey quotes Rushworth; whe says, that at the court of Spain "Prince Charles gained an universal love, and earned it, from first to last, with the greatest affability." The doctor did not observe that his authority was not to the point; for Mr.Neal speaks of Charles's deportment after he had been in Spain, and of his general temper; Rushworth's delineation is confined to his conduct at court, where he was treated with all imaginable respect; and when the object of his visit would of course animate a youth to good, humor, politeness, and gallantry. Mr. Neal is fully supported by many authorities, which the reader may see collected by Dr. Harris, p. 68 -72; and An Essay towards attaining a true idea, &c. chap. i. Ed.

therefore depend upon it, that he would always abstain 'from such actions as might testify an hatred to the Roman catholic religion, and would endeavor that all sinister o'pinions might be taken away; that as we all profess one 'individual trinity, we may unanimously grow up into one 'faith." His majesty began his reign upon most arbitrary principles, and though he had good natural abilities, was always under the direction of some favorite, to whose judgment and conduct he was absolutely resigned. Nor was he ever master of so much judgment in politics, as to discern his own and the nation's true interest, or to take the advice of those who did. With regard to the church, he was a punctual observer of its ceremonies, and had the highest dislike and prejudice to that part of his subjects who were against the ecclesiastical constitution, "looking upon them as a very dangerous and seditious people, who would under pretence of conscience, which kept them from submit'ting to the spiritual jurisdiction, take the first opportunity they could find or make (says Lord Clarendon,*) to with'draw themselves from his temporal jurisdiction; and there'fore his majesty caused this people [the puritans] to be watched and provided against with the utmost vigilance." Upon his majesty's accession, and before the solemnity of his father's funeral, he married Henrietta-Maria, daughter of Henry IV. and sister of Lewis XIII. then king of France. The marriage was solemnized by proxy; first at Paris, with all the ceremonies of the Romish church, and afterwards at Canterbury, according to the rites of the church of England; the articles being in a manner the same with those already mentioned in the Spanish match. Her majesty arrived at Dover, June 13, 1625, and brought with her a long train of priests and menial servants of the Romish religion; for whose devotion a chapel was fitted up in the king's house at St. James's. "The queen was an agreeable and beautiful lady, and by degrees (says Lord Clar'endon) obtained a plenitude of power over the king. His majesty had her in perfect adoration,† and would do Clarendon, vol. i. p. 81.

6

"Whoever sees her charming portrait at Windsor," says Mr.Granger, will cease to admire at her great influence over the king." The Biographical History of England, vol. ii. p. 96, 8vo.

Ed.

'nothing without her, but was inexorable as to every thing that he promised her." Bishop Burnet says, "the queen 'was a lady of great vivacity, and loved intrigues of all 'sorts, but was not secret in them as she ought; she had no 'manner of judgment, being bad at contrivance, bntworse at 'execution. By the liveliness of her discourse, she made 'great impressions upon the king; so that to the queen's little practice, and the king's own temper, the sequel of all his misfortunes were owing." Bishop Kennet adds; That the king's match with this lady, was a great'er judgment to the nation than the plague, which then ra'ged in the land; for considering the malignity of the po'pish religion, the imperiousness of the French government, 'the influence of a stately queen over an affectionate hus'band, and the share she must needs have in the education 'of her children, [till thirteen years of age] it was then ea'sy to foresee it might prove very fatal to our English 'prince and people, and lay in a vengeance to future gener"ations." The queen was a very great bigot to her relig ion ;† her conscience was directed by her confessor, assisted by the pope's nuncio, and a secret cabal of priests and jesuits. These controlled the queen, and she the king; so that in effect the nation was governed by popish councils, till the long parliament.

The prime minister under the king was G. Villiers duke of Buckingham, a graceful young gentleman, but very unfit for his high station. He had a full possession of the king's heart, insomuch that his majesty broke measures "Most men (says with all his parliaments for his sake. 'Lord Clarendon||) imputed all the calamities of the nation to his arbitrary councils; so that few were displeased at the news of his murder by Felton, in the year 1628, when 'he was not above thirty-four years of age.'

Upon the duke's death, Dr. William Laud, then bishop of London, became the chief minister both in church and

As the demand to have the solemnity of the coronation performed by the bishops of her own religion was refused, and such was her bigotry it would not permit her to join in our church ceremonies; she appeared therefore as a spectator only on that occasion.

VOL. II.

Granger, as before, vol. ii. p. 96, note. Ed. Clarendon, vol. i. p. 837.

23

state. He was born at Reading, and educated in St. John's college, Oxford, upon the charitable donation of Mr. White, founder of Merchant-Taylor's school. Here he continued till he was fifty years of age, and behaved in such a manner, that nobody knew, what to think of him. "I would Í knew," says the pious bishop Hall in one of his letters, where to find you; to-day you are with the Romanists, to-morrow with us; our adversaries think you ours, and we theirs; your conscience finds you with both and nei'ther: How long will you halt in this indifferency ?" Dr. Abbot says, "He spent his time in picking quarrels with the lectures of public readers, and giving advice to the then bishop of Durham, that he might fill the ears of the king [James I.] with prejudices against honest men, whom he called puritans." Heylin confesses it was thought dangerous to keep him company. By the interest of bishop Williams, he was first advanced to a Welch bishoprick, and from thence by degrees to the highest preferments in church and state. He was a little man, of a quick and rough temper, impatient of contradiction even at the council table, of arbitrary principles both in church and state, always inclined to methods of severity, especially

"As to his preferments in the state," says Dr. Grey, “I should "be glad to know what they were." Though the doctor, who was ignorant of them, is now out of the reach of a reply; for the information of the reader they shall be mentioned. In 1635 he was put into the great committee of trade; and on the death of the earl of Portland, was made one of the commissioners of the treasury and revenue;" which," says lord Clarendon," he had reason to be sorry for, because it engaged him in civil business and matters of state." History of the Rebellion, v. i. p. 98, 8vo, 1707. British Biography, vol. iv, p. 269. Ed.

+ Rushworth, vol. i, p. 444.

To refute this account of the cause of Laud's preferment, Dr. Grey quotes Mr. Wharton. The circumstance in itself is of no importance to the credit or design of Mr. Neal's history. And the passage even admits the fact that Laud owed his preferments to bishop Williams's solicitations, on the authority of Laud's diary, and bishop Hacket, Williams's biographer; but the drift of Mr. Wharton is to exculpate Laud from the charge of ingratitude to bishop Williams on this ground; that the latter, in the service he rendered the former, was not actuated by kindness, but by selfish and interested views. This does not confute, in any degree, Mr.Neal; who says nothing about the motives by which bishop Williams was governed. Ed.