the "rebels." After a little while there were disputes as to the meaning of the agreement. The king resolved that this time he would put down all opposition, and in order that he might have the assistance of the ablest of his advisers, he sent for Lord Wentworth.

When Charles's third parliament was trying to make him grant the Petition of Right, no one showed more skill and daring than Sir Thomas Wentworth, but after the death of Buckingham, next year, he became a member of the king's council, and was made a peer. Henceforth he bent all the powers of his strong mind towards enlarging his master's authority. When appointed governor of Ireland he created a fine army, and sternly put down all disorder. If, therefore, anyone could quiet Scotland, it would be he.

Upon coming over, Wentworth was made Earl of Strafford. He could see no way out of Charles's many difficulties without the aid of a parliament, and a parliament—the first for eleven years—was accordingly called. When it met, the members were informed of the Scotch troubles. Then they were told that "his majesty did not expect advice from them, much less" that they should try to make peace between him and the "rebels." What the king expected was "that they should, as soon as might be, give his majesty such a supply" as would enable him to raise an army; if they did this first, "he would give them time enough afterwards to represent any 5 grievances to him." But the House of Commons did not feel disposed to grant a penny till the misgovernment of the last eleven years had been considered. Charles's needs were pressing, so he sent to say that if Parliament would vote him a certain sum, he would give up his right to raise shipmoney in the future. To agree would be to own that

he had a right to ship-money; the Commons would not do that, and the king in his anger dissolved Parliament. It had only sat for twenty-three days, and is generally known as the Short Parliament.

Though the king had not obtained any money, he was still determined to subdue Scotland. By borrowing he managed to send an army north, but at 6 Newburn, on the Tyne, it was put to shameful flight. Seeing it was hopeless to continue the struggle he agreed that till the differences between him and the Scotch had been settled, he would pay the victors £850 a day, and leave Northumberland and Durham in their hands.

With a defeated and disheartened army, with an empty exchequer, Charles found himself again in difficulties, out of which there was only one way of escape. He therefore issued writs for another election, and on November 3rd, 1640, met the Long Parliament, "that 8 renowned parliament which, in spite of many errors and 9 disasters, is justly entitled to the reverence and gratitude of all who in any part of the world enjoy the blessings of 10 constitutional government." *

9

1 A great Protestant reformer, John Knox. 2 liturgy, church service, prayer-book. 3 the Solemn League and Covenant was an agreement to defend the Protestant religion. It had first been made in 1581. 4 5 innovation, change. grievance, subject of complaint. 6 Newburn, a few miles above Newcastle. 7 exchequer, the place where the public money is kept. renowned, famous. 9 disaster, misfortune. 10 constitutional government, government according to law.

8

BOOK III.

* Macaulay.

K

14

THE LONG PARLIAMENT.

SOMEBODY must be to blame for the bad government which the country had endured from the beginning of Charles's reign. People shrank as yet from believing that the king himself was chiefly at fault, and accused his ministers of giving him evil advice. The first to be formally charged was the Earl of Strafford. Eight days after the meeting of the Long Parliament, Pym, speaking in the House of Commons, said that an attempt had been made “to deprive the nation of all the liberty and property which was their birthright by the laws of the land," and that "the principal author and 1 promoter of all those counsels which had exposed the kingdom to so much ruin" was the earl. Pym therefore moved that he be impeached,-in other words, that he be tried before the House of Lords for high treason. After a bitter discussion, the 2 motion was carried.

Strafford, knowing how he was hated, wanted to stay away from London, but Charles bade him come, for

66

as he was king of England the Parliament should not touch a hair of his head." Notwithstanding this proImise the earl was arrested and sent to the Tower. Four months later he was tried in Westminster Hall. The Lords sat as judges, while the Commons appeared as accusers. The prisoner defended himself boldly and skilfully. Most of the charges against him were true, but it was doubtful whether in the eye of the law they amounted to treason. Hence the Commons determined to drop the impeachment, and to gain their end in another way. They passed a Bill of 3 Attainder, condemning him to death. The House of Lords agreed to the Bill, but it would not become law till it had received the king's assent. Strafford's crime was that he had

served his master too faithfully; it was therefore natural that Charles should be unwilling to sanction his death. He hesitated a while, but at last, in spite of his promise, consented. When the earl heard he cried in the words of the 5 Psalmist, "Put not your trust in princes." We are told by a spectator that

6

THOMAS WENTWORTH, EARL OF STRAFFORD.

when he was led forth to execution his step and manner were those "of a general marching at the head of an army to breathe victory, rather than those of a condemned man to undergo the sentence of death." To the last moment of his life he showed that fearlessness which made him so dangerous an enemy to liberty.

Parliament did not rest content with punishing

Strafford; it declared ship-money to be illegal, and cancelled the judgment against Hampden; it decided that tonnage and poundage could not be levied on the king's authority alone; it did away with the Court of Star Chamber, and enacted that a new parliament should be elected at least once in 7 three years.

1 Promoter, one who helps forward any cause. motion, that which is moved. 3 attainder. The person who is condemned to death by an Act of Parliament is said to be attainted or stained. 4 sanction, to agree to. 5 psalmist, see Psalm cxlvi. 3. 6 spectator, looker-on, eye-witness. 7 three years. The Long Parliament got Charles to agree that it should not be dissolved without its own consent, and thus, in its own case, set this law aside.

THE FIVE MEMBERS.

NOTWITHSTANDING all the reforms which had been brought about by the Long Parliament, Pym and his party were not even yet satisfied. They seemed to feel that, however fair might be the words of Charles, he was not to be trusted. They therefore drew up the Grand 1 Remonstrance, and Pym moved in the House of Commons that it be presented to the king. This famous document contained a list of the illegal acts of the Government, and prayed "his majesty . . . to employ such counsellors, ambassadors, and other ministers . . . as the Parliament had come to confide in, without which they could not give his majesty such supplies

as was desired.”

The debate was long and bitter. The House used to meet early in the morning and rise at noon, but this time the discussion went on till after midnight. On a division being taken there was a majority of eleven in favour of Pym's motion, but when it was proposed that the Remonstrance should be printed, in order that