CHARLES I.

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massacres, rapes, anc! outrages, with those which chat.had been committed upon their sex in Ireland. lv.They had been necessitated, they said, to imitate IS * a>the example of the woman of Tefdoah : Andthey claimed equal right with the men , of de-claring , by petition, their sense of the publiccause; because Christ had purchased them at asdear a rate , and in the free enjoyment of Christconsists equally the happiness of both sexes. Pymcame to the door of the house; and j havingtold the female zealots, that their petition wasthankfully accepted , and was presented in aseasonable time, he begged that their prayers forthe success of the commons might follow theirpetition. Such low arts of popularity' wereaffected ! And by such illiberal cant were theunhappy people incited to civil discord and con-vulsions !

In the mean time, not only all petitions, whichfavored the church or monarchy, from whateverhand they came, were discouraged; but the peti-tioners were sent for, imprisoned, and prosecutedas delinquents: And this unequal conduct wasopenly avowed and justified. Whoever desire achange, it was said, must express their sentiments;for how, otherwise, shall they be known? Butthose who favor the established government iilchurgh or state, should not petition; because theyalready enjoy what they wish for * 7 .

The king had possessed a great party in the-

,7 Clarendon, vol. ii. p. 449.

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