CHARLES I. 103

night upon Laud, in his palace of Lambeth, by cabove 500 persons; and he found it necessary tofortify himself for his defence A multitude,consisting of two thousand sectaries, entered St.Paul’s, where the high commission then fat; toredown the benches; and cried out, No bishop,no high commijfion All these instances of dis-content were presages of some great revolution ;had the court possessed sufficient skill to discernthe danger, or sufficient power to provide against it.

In this disposition of men’s minds, it was invain that the king issued a declaration, in orderto convince his people of the necessity, whichhe lay under , of dissolving the last parliament S! .The chief topic, on which he insisted, was,that the commons imitated the bad example ofall their predecessors of late years , in makingcontinual encroachments on his authority , incensuring his whole administration and conduct,in discussing every circumstance of public govern-ment, and in their indirect bargaining and con-tracting with their king for supply ; as if nothingought to be given him but what he should pur-chase , either by quitting somewhat of his royalprerogative, or by diminishing and lessening hisstanding revenue. These practices, he said, werecontrary to the rtiaxims of their, ancestors; andthese practices were totally incompatible withmonarchy ".

" Dugdale, p. 62. Clarendon, vol. i. p. 14;.

f * Dugdale, p. 6;, es Ru Ih worth , vol, iii. p. 1166.

*' See note [B] at the end of the volume.

H*

XI A f

LIII.

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