their stern rule became at last unbearable, yet when their power was overthrown liberty was again threatened and vice became the fashion.

During the reign of Elizabeth the Puritans had been obliged to conform; but they had some degree of 8 toleration under her successor. That successor was

James, the son of 9 Mary Stuart. He had been king of Scotland almost from his birth, in 1567; he became king of England in 1603, since which time the two countries have been under the government of one sovereign.

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James had a coarse face, awkward body, and vulgar manners. His ability was considerable, and he possessed a good deal of learning, of which he was excessively vain. His tutor being blamed for making him a 11 pedant, said that was the best thing he could make of him. James, with all his knowledge, had little wisdom, so that a French ambassador described him as the most learned fool in 12 Christendom.

Soon after the new king arrived in England the Puritans asked that they might be allowed to worship in their own fashion. In Scotland the Puritans had been strong enough to withstand James; he therefore resolved that he would grant no favours to the English Puritans, lest they also should grow too powerful. He summoned their leading ministers to meet the bishops at 13 Hampton Court to talk over the differences between them. He professed to be acting as chairman, but anxious to show off his learning, he joined in the discussion, taking the side of the bishops and heaping abuse upon the ministers. He would make the Puritan party, he said, "conform themselves, or else 14 harry them out of the land, or else do worse. 1 See page 97. 2 ceremony, rite, an outward form. distinction, that in which they differed from other sects. perverse, turned

the wrong way. 5 antipathy, dislike. 6 aristocracy, the upper class. 7 conform, to be like others in outward behaviour. 8 toleration, permission to believe or worship in a way not approved by the government. 9 Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots. 10 excessively, in an exceeding degree, beyond measure. 11pedant, one who makes a vain show of his learning. 12 Christendom, the part of the world where the religion of Christ is believed. 13 Hampton Court, a palace on the Thames, about a dozen miles from London. 14 harry, to plunder, afflict, harass.

"THE PILGRIM FATHERS."

JAMES kept his word. The clergymen who would not conform were deprived of their livings; fines and imprisonment were inflicted on them and their followers, till many were driven to leave the country in the hope of finding quiet abroad. The most famous of the 1 exiles were worshippers from the neighbourhood of Scrooby, in Nottinghamshire.

They tried to quit England in 1607, but were all arrested. Next year they tried again. They met secretly upon a lonely Lincolnshire heath, near the mouth of the Humber. A ship was lying at anchor off the shore. The sea being rough, the men went first on board. Before the women and children could follow, a troop of horsemen galloped down and seized them. "Pitiful it was to see their heavy case." They could hardly be punished for accompanying their husbands and fathers, and they could not be sent home, because they had no homes to go to"; so at last they were allowed to join their relatives.

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The little band reached Amsterdam in safety; but this was only the beginning of their wanderings: "They knew they were pilgrims, and looked not much on those things, but lifted up their eyes to heaven, their dearest country, and quieted their spirits." From

Amsterdam they moved to Leyden, where for eleven years they lived in peace.

They did not wish to lose their distinct character, so they resolved to form a separate settlement under English rule in America. They bargained with some London merchants to provide two ships for them. These would not hold all the people, so John Robinson, their minister, remained behind with some, while William Brewster, their elder, conducted the rest to the New World. The little band of adventurers first went to England. At Southampton they embarked on board the Speedwell and the Mayflower, and set out. They soon found that one of the vessels needed repairs, and put in at Dartmouth. In eight days they started again; but just as the land was fading out of sight, the captain of the Speedwell, frightened by the dangers which they might encounter, said his ship was too weak to undertake the voyage. They determined to leave her behind, and so made for Plymouth. Having reached that town, they landed such of the party as had grown faint-hearted; the rest—in all one hundred and two men, women, and children-crowded on board the Mayflower, and on September 6th, 1620, she finally set sail. After a stormy voyage of sixty-three days they saw land, and in two days more cast anchor in Cape Cod harbour.

Parties were sent out to explore the country. After meeting with great hardship they fixed upon the most likely spot for a settlement. The ship was brought thither, and the Pilgrim Fathers disembarked. This little band of poor folk-scarce a hundred in all-founded in New England probably the most important colony the world has ever known.

1 Exile, one who leaves his native land. 2 Leyden, between Amsterdam and Delft, on the Old Rhine in South Holland.

THE GUNPOWDER PLOT.

THE Catholics were as little permitted to worship in their own way as the Puritans. In the time of Elizabeth a catholic landowner who refused to go to church was liable to be fined £20 a month; if he could not afford to pay that sum he was deprived of two-thirds of his estate. If a Catholic had no land his furniture might be seized. The saying of mass was held to be a 1 capital crime.

Often in the days of the queen it was doubtful whether James would be allowed to succeed her. He was therefore anxious to make friends in England, in order to ensure his succession, and he led the Catholics to believe that under his rule they would be tolerated. On arriving in his new kingdom, also, he gave them to understand that as long as they were loyal to him they would not be punished for staying away from church. Next year, however, in spite of his promises, he banished all priests from England.

The stern 2 repression of the Catholics during the preceding reign, when the whole power of the papacy was directed towards the ruin of England, caused a number of them to plot against the government. In nearly every plot a Northamptonshire gentleman, named Robert Catesby, had a share. Hence he was well ac

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quainted with all the most desperate of his fellowreligionists, and found it easy to hatch a conspiracy. When the proclamation for the banishment of the priests was published, he conceived the idea of overwhelming king, lords, and commons in one general destruction. His plan was to blow up James and the two houses of Parliament, when, at the opening of the session, they were all assembled in one chamber. He