CHARLES II.

declare themselves; not only the old parliamentary c H Afaction, which, though they kept not in a body, txvk.were still numerous; but even the greatest royal- U74 ‘ists, who were indeed attached to monarchy,but desired to fee it limited and restrained by law.

It had appeared, that the present parliament,though elected during the greatest prevalence ofthe royal party, was yet tenacious of popularprivileges, and retained a considerable jealousyof the crown, even before they had received anyjust ground of suspicion. The guards, therefore,together with a small army, new levied, andundisciplined, and composed too of Englislimen,were almost the only domestic resources, whichthe king could depend on in the prosecution ofthese dangerous counsels.

The assistance of the French king was, nodoubt, deemed by the Cabal a considerable sup-port in the schemes which they were forming ;but it is not easily conceived, that they couldimagine themselves capable of directing and em-ploying an associate of so domineering a character.

They ought justly to have suspected, that itwould be the sole intention of^Lewis , as itevidently was his interest, to raise incurablejealousies between the king and his people; andthat he saw how much a steady uniform govern-ment in this island, whether free or absolute,would form invincible barriers to his ambition.

Should his assistance be demanded ; if he sent asmall supply, it would serve only to enrage thepeople, and render the breach altogether irre-

p.