A. C. 1603. Markham, were pardoned on the fcaffold, even after having laid their heads upon the block; and Raleigh, though reprieved, was detained many years in the Tower, where he wrote his hiftory of the world. Camden. Petitions for Immediately after the discovery of this plot, the king returned from Wilton, and with the queen was crowned at Westminster. Then he published a proclamation, forbidding all persons, who were not immediately neceffary, to approach the court till winter, on account of the plague, which in the course of one year had swept off above thirty thoufand fouls in London, though the whole number of inhabitants at that period did not amount to two hundred thousand. The papifts, flushed with the hope of a toleration, under a monarch who at one time feemed to favour their religion, prefented a petition for this purpose: and were not a little mor tified when he gave them to understand that he thought himself obliged to maintain those regulations in religion which he found in force at his acceffion. Though James was no enemy to the catholic religion, he was extremely averse to their attachment to the court of Rome, and the pow er of the papacy; add Cecil had perfuaded him that a toleration was incompatible with his regal power and prerogative. The puritans flattering themselves with the hope of a more favourable anfwer from a prince who had been educated in their religion, petitioned not only for a toleration, but likewife demanded that he would give order for reforming fome articles of the English doctrine and discipline with which they could not conform. There was no fet of people which James detested fo much as the puritans. The Scottish prefbyterians had thwarted him on many occafions: they had treated his perfon with indecent familiarity, and his power with difrefpect; and the republican fpi rit by which they were animated could not but be 4. C. 1603. extremely odious to a prince who prided himself in cherishing the most arbitrary maxims of abfolute monarchy. 9 ton-court and diffen He had by this time joined in the English com- Conferences munion, and refolved to oblige the diffenters to a at Hampconformity with the established religion: but, with between the a view to maintain the appearance of impartiality, churchmen he defired that a conference might be held between ters. fome bishops and minifters of the puritan party at Hampton-court, where the king appeared in perfon, not as a judge, but with all the zeal of a warm partifan. He began with declaring that he A. C. 1604. would not alter one tittle of the established religion; and, indeed, they did not diffent fo much in doctrinal points as in the exterior forms of worship, and in the government of the hierarchy. They complained, that the churches were filled with ignorant paftors; that they were obliged to conform to the book of Common-prayer, that contained many things which their confciences could not digeft; that the clergy were fubjected to the cenfure of laymen, by means of the high commiffioncourt, which exercifed the king's ecclefiaftical fupremacy that the fign of the crofs in baptifm, the ring in marriage, and the furplice worn by the priests, were fuperftitious ceremonies, and remnants of popery. These important articles produced warm debates, in which the king mingled with great eagernefs. The chancellor exclaimed that he had often heard the priesthood was united to royalty; but now he was convinced of that truth Wilson, by the learned arguments of his majefty. Archbi- Coke. shop Whitgift carried his flattery ftill higher, in declaring, he was perfuaded that the king fpoke from the immediate infpiration of the Holy Ghoft. The puritans, far from reaping any advantage from this conference, were exhorted to conform to A. C. 1604. the established church, and even threatened with A great proclamati ed. fevere profecution, in cafe of difobedience. If there was any flate scheme on the part of the king in this difputation, it was to perfuade the public that the minifters of the puritans were fairly confuted, and that nothing but obftinacy hindered them from uniting with the church; but in all probability he had no other defign in proposing the conference than that of enjoying an opportunity to display his learning. In a few weeks after this fruitlefs conference, the number of metropolitan fee of Canterbury became vacant by ons publifh- the death of archbishop Whitgift, who was fucceeded by Richard Bancroft, a declared enemy of the proteftant diffenters, against whom he raifed fuch a perfecution, that a great number of families retired to other countries, where they could enjoy liberty of conscience. In the later end of February, a proclamation was iffued, commanding all jefuits and priests ordained by foreign power, to leave the kingdom; and this was followed by another against the proteftant nonconformifts. A third was publifhed, prohibiting all perfons from hunting but fuch as were duly qualified. A fourth ordained, that an annual feftival fhould be kept in remembrance of the king's miraculous deliverance from the confpiracy of Gowry; and, in a word, so many ordinances of this fort appeared, that this was called the reign of proclamations. In that by which the parliament was convoked, he exhibited a strong fpecimen of his arbitrary difpofition. He commanded the counties and boroughs to return members of fuch qualifications as he defcribed, on pain of their being excluded from parliament; and threatened any city, borough, or corporation, which fhould act contrary to this order, with fine and deprivation of privileges. On the fifteenth day of March, the king and queen rode in proceffion through through the streets of London, which was now free A, C. 1604. from the plague; and, on the seventh day of July, the parliament met at Westminster. in parlia ment. Echard To this affembly James made a long harangue, Proceeding expatiated upon the happiness of the nation in his acceffion to the throne; explaining his fentiments of religion, and enforcing the maxims of his government. It was a cold, tedious, diffufe oration, ftuffed with pedantic conceits, culled and studied for the occafion; and formed a natural picture of his own difpofition and character, the strongest features of which were his fublime notion of the prerogative, his averfion to the puritans, his tendernefs towards the Roman catholics, his vanity and felf-importance. Instead of that admiration with which he hoped to infpire his audience, he met with little elle than difapprobation and contempt. The members were offended at the expreffions he used in favour of the Roman catholics, Wilfo whom he promised to meet half way in the road of Coke. reformation, The puritans were incenfed to find themselves represented by the king as a fect of republicans that ought not to be tolerated in a monarchical government, and the nation in general were difgufted at his comparing Scotland with England, as one equal half of the island, which he wifhed to fee united under the fame religion, laws, and government. The bufinefs with which the parliament began, was an act to acknowledge and confirm his title to the crown of England, though he would have willingly difpenfed with this mark of their regard, as he depended entirely on his hereditary title. His branding the puritans, without diftinction, as men of a turbulent and republican fpirit, not only alienated that powerful fect from all affection to him and his family, but also obliged them, for their own prefervation, to unite and coalefce with the political malcontents of the king A. C. 1604. dom; and this junction formed a party ftrong enough to shake the English monarchy to its foundation. As James had, in his proclamation for convoking the parliament, ftruck at the freedom of election, the house of commons took the first opportunity of afcertaining their own privileges. Sir Francis Goodwin being returned for the county of Bucks, was pronounced an out-law by the chancellor, His feat was vacated; a writ iffued for a new election, and Sir John Fortefcue chofen in his room. The house reversed the chancellor's decree, and restored Sir Francis to his feat. They refused to hold a conference with the lords on this fubject. In a remonstrance to the king, they maintained, that though the returns were made into chancery, the right of judging elections belonged to the house: yet they afterwards appointed a committee to confer with the judges before the king and council; and, in order to fave the honour of the king, who interested himself warmly in this affair, they agreed to an expedient which he proposed; namely, that both Goodwin and Fortefcue fhould be fet afide, and a writ be iffued, by warrant of the house, for a new election: thus, however, they fecured their own right of judging folely in their own elections and returns. This was the firft effort of that parliamentary spirit which in the next reign became too powerful for the fovereign. The commons were no longer a paffive herd, obfequious to the will of an imperious monarch. They had acquired wealth and property from traffic: their ideas were expanded by learning and commerce, which now had made confiderable progrefs in many parts of Europe, as well as in England; and they were fired with a spirit of independence, which they had now an opportunity of exerting to advantage, under a weak prince, a foreigner, who did not understand the genius of his fubjects, and who, in ftead |