CHARLES II.

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agreeable to the king, they gave alarm to the C H A p<English commons , and were the chief cause of i-xvr.the redoubled attacks, which they made upon ,67K 'Lauderdale. These attacks, however, servedonly to fortify him in his interest with the king;and though it is probable, that the militia ofScotland, during the divided state of that king-dom, would, if matters had come to extremities,have been of little service against England ; yetdid Charles regard the credit of it as a considerablesupport to his authority : And Lauderdale, bydegrees, became the prime or rather sole ministerfor Scotland. The natural indolence of the kingdisposed him to place entire consistence in a man,who had so far extended the royal prerogative,and who was still disposed to render it absolutelyuncontronlable.

In a subsequent session of the same parlia-ment ”, a severe law was enacted against con-venticles. Ruinous fines were imposed both onthe preachers and hearers, eve it if the meetingshad been in houses; but si eld-conventicles weresubjected to the penalty of death and confiscationof goods: Four hundred marks Scotch wereoffered as a reward to those who should seizethe criminals; and they were indemnified forany slaughter , which they might commit in theexecution of such an undertaking. And as itwas found difficult to get evidence against theseconventicles, however numerous, it was enabled

" 28th of July, 1670.

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