340 HISTORY OF GREAT BRITAIN.

Chap. divines went away , full of admiration at the.IVI * blind assurance and bigotted prejudices of theman : He, on his part, was moved with equalwonder at their obstinate attachment to suchpalpable errors and delusions.

By the concessions, which the king hadgranted to Scotland, it became - necessary forhim to summon a parliament once in three years;and in June of the subsequent year, was fixedthe period for the meeting of that assembly.Before that time elapsed, Charles flattered himself,that he should be able, by some decisive advan-tage , to reduce the English parliament to a rea-sonable submission , and might then expect withsecurity the meeting of a Scottish parliamentsThough earnestly solicited by Loudon to sum-mon presently that great council of the nation,he absolutely refused to give authority to men,who had already excited such dangerous commo-tions , and who showed still the same dispositionto resist and invade his authority. The com-missioners , therefore, not being able to prevailin any of their demands, desired the king’s passportfor London, where they purposed to confer withthe English parliament 7 ‘ ; and being likewise. denied this request, they returned with extremedissatisfaction to Edinburgh.

The office of conservators of the peace wasnewly erected in Scotland, in order to maintainthe confederacy between the two kingdoms; and

7 ‘ Rush, vol. vi. p, 406,