CHARLES II. 199

house of peers, who advised him to cormplywitn the commons. Accordingly the king sentfor the declaration , and with his own h andsbroke the seals. The commons expressed theuemost satisfaction with this measure , and themoss entire duty to his majesty. Charles assuredthem , that he would willingly pass any law,offered him , which might tend to give themsatisfaction in all their just grievances.

Siiaftesbury, when he found the king recedeat once from so capital a point, which he hadpublicly declared his resolution to maintain, con-cluded , that all schemes for enlarging royalauthority were vanished , and that Charles wasutterly incapable of pursuing such difficult andsuch hazardous measures. The parliament , heforesaw, might push their inquiries into thosecounsels, which were so generally odious; andthe king, from the same facility of disposition,might abandon his ministers to their vengeance.He resolved, therefore, to make bis peace intime with that party , which was likely to pre-dominate, and to atone for all his violences infavor of monarchy, by like violences in oppositionto it. Never turn was more sudden, or less cal-culated to save appearances. Immediately, heentered into all the cabals of the country-party;and discovered to them, perhaps magnified, thearbitrary designs of the court , in which hehimself had borne so deep a share. He was re-ceived with open arms by that party, who stoodin need of so able a leader; aud no questions

O 4

CHAP.

LXV.

I«7Z.

Declarationof indul-gence re-called.