CHARLES II.

during their present distress and danger , theywere so intoxicated with these ambitious projects ,as to stight all treaty, nay, to refuse all cessationof hostilities : That the king, in entering on thiswar, did no more than prosecute those maxims,which had engaged the parliament to advise andapprove-os the last; and he might therefore safelysay , that it was their war : That the States beingthe eternal enemies of England , both by interestand inclination , the parliament had wisely judgedit necessary to extirpate them, and had laid itdown as an eternal maxim , that delenda est Carthago,this hostile government by all means is to besubverted : And that though the Dutch pretendedto have assurances , that the parliament wouldfurnish no supplies to the king , he was confident,that this hope, in which they extremely trusted,would soon fail them.

Before the commons entered upon business,there lay before them an affair, which discovered,beyond a possibility of doubt , the arbitraryprojects of the king; and the measures, takenupon it, proved, that the house was not at pre-sent in a disposition to submit to them. It hadbeen the constant undisputed practice , ever sincethe parliament in 1604, for the house, in case okany vacancy , to issue out writs for new elections jand the chancellor, who, before that time, hadhad some precedents in his favor, had ever after-wards abstained from all exercise of that authority.This indeed was one of the first steps , which thecommons had taken in establishing and guarding

O 4

HAP.

LXV.

i<73.