27* HISTORY OF GREAT BRITAIN.

chat. argument were now reversed between the parties.iv. The king , while he acknowledged his formererror, of employing a plea of necessity, in orderto infringe the laws and constitution, warned theparliament not to imitate an example, on whichthey threw such violent blame; and the parliament,while they clothed their personal fears or am-bition under the appearance of national and im-minent danger, made unknowingly an apologyfor the most exceptionable part of the king’s con-duct. That the liberties of the people were nolonger exposed to any peril from royal authority,so narrowly circumscribed, so exactly defined, somuch unsupported by revenue and by militarypower , might be maintained upon very plausibletopics: But that the danger, allowing it to haveany existence, was not of that kind; great,urgent, inevitable; which dissolves all law andlevels all limitations , seems apparent from thesimplest view of these transactions. So obviousindeed was the king’s present inability to invadethe constitution, that the fears and jealousies,which operated on the people, and pushed themso furiously to arms , were undoubtedly not of acivil, but of a religious nature. The distemperedimaginations of men were agitated with a con-tinual dread of popery , with a horror againstprelacy, with an antipathy to ceremonies andthe liturgy , and with a violent affection forwhatever was most opposite to these objects ofaversion. The fanatical spirit, let loose, con-

founded