ment.

A. C. 1661. complied with his defire; and on the tenth day of June, he gave his affent to an act to confirm the act of indemnity paffed in the preceding parliament; and to another, authorifing the king to receive a free and voluntary contribution from his fubjects. The next business on which the commons proceeded, was a bill for confifcating the eftates of the regicides who were dead; and for the punishment of lord Monfon, Henry Mildmay, and Robert Wallop, who, though the king spared their lives, were referved for other pains and penalties. In confequence of this act, they were dragged on a hurdle to Tyburn, with ropes about their necks, and then doomed to perpetual imprifonThis complaifant parliament, in an act for the preservation of his majesty's perfon and government, extended the penalties of high-treason to all who should devife the death of the king, or any injury to his person; who fhould plot to arreft, imprifon, depofe, or wage war against him; who fhould inftigate any foreign power to invade his dominions, or manifeft this evil intention by word or writing. They decreed, that whoever fhould affirm the king was a papift or heretic, or excite the hatred of the people against his government or perfon, fhould be rendered incapable of exercising any employment in church or state. They annulled the act for excluding bifhops from the house of lords; they declared that the power of the militia belonged to the king alone; and they empowered him to difpofe of the land-forces. He thanked them for thefe marks of their confidence and affection; and having paffed the bills, ordered them to adjourn till the twentieth day of November. The convocation which fat during this feffion, did nothing of any confequence, but grant a benevolence to his majefty, according to the act paffed for that purpose,

Rapin.
Ralph.

1

condefcen

liament.

In Scotland the tide of loyalty ran with extraor- A. C. 1661. dinary violence. The parliament of that kingdom Extravagant carried their complaifance to fuch extravagance, as fions of the to annul by a refciffory act all the laws that had Scottish par paffed fince the beginning of their disputes with the late king: fo that epifcopacy was of course reftored. They declared the covenant unlawful, and voted an additional revenue to the king, of forty thousand pounds, to be levied by way of excife for the maintenance of a small force, which might prevent future difturbances. The marquis of Argyle was tried for his compliance with the late ufurpation; and made fuch a vigorous defence, that the parliament, though bent upon his deftruction, must have acquitted him of the charge, had not the commiffioner produced letters which he had written to Monk, while he commanded in Scotland, expreffing his hearty concurrence with the government at that time established. Being thus bafely betrayed by his former friend, he was found guilty, and condemned to lose his head, which was ordered to be fixed upon the place from whence the head of Montrose had been lately taken down, and folemnly interred with the other parts of his body. The marquis behaved at his execution with great compofure; declared himself innocent of the late king's death; exhorted the people to adhere to the covenant, which he called the work of God, and died in peace with all mankind. Guthry confeffed all that was laid to his charge, and feemed to glory in his fufferings. On the ladder, he made a kind of fermon to the people, in which he juftified all he had done, and extolled the covenant as the most meritorious obligation. Sir Archibald Johnston of Warriston, who had been one of Cromwell's lords, was now attainted; but escaped into France, where he was afterwards feized, brought over, and executed. Sharp, who had been agent for the

Scottish

Burnet,

Rap n.

plots.

A. C. 1661. Scottish prefbyterians, now deferted his party, and being confecrated by the bifhop of London, was created archbishop of St. Andrews. Hamilton, Fairfoul, and Leighton, received the fame confecration, and were appointed to different fees in Scotland. They obtained from the king a declaration re-establishing epifcopacy in that kingdom. The council fuppreffed all fynods and prefbyteries, but fuch as fhould be authorized by the bishops. The parliament confirmed this restoration; prohibited all forts of conventicles; re-eftablished the right of patronage; and ordained that all perfons in public employments fhould not only renounce the two covenants, but alfo declare in writing, that it was unlawful for fubjects, on any pretence whatfoever, to engage in fuch affociations, or to take arms against their fovereign, Rumours of In England the cavaliers loudly complained of the king's ingratitude, in neglecting and leaving them to ftarve, while their perfecutors, by the act of indemnity, enjoyed the immenfe wealth they had acquired by the moft unlawful methods. The ministry, on the other hand, filled the city with rumours of plots and confpiracies against the king and government. Their aim was partly to amufe the public, and partly to animate the people and parliament against the nonconformifts, who were faid to be the authors of all thofe combinations. The king himfelf, the members of both houses, and especially the earl of Clarendon, hated the prefbyterians, and wanted an opportunity to humble them, under the general term of Nonconformifts. The parliament meeting in November, petitioned the king to iffue a proclamation, commanding all reduced officers and foldiers to retire to the distance of twenty miles from London: then the commons voted twelve hundred thousand pounds for his majesty's present occasions.

The

Corpora

The earl of Clarendon, in a conference between A C. 1661. the two houses, pofitively affirmed that a confpiracy had been formed fince the month of March, to interrupt the peace of the nation. He named feveral perfons concerned in this plot, the particular circumstances of which he explained; and faid, that although it had been defeated at London, by the precaution taken with regard to the difbanded officers and foldiers, it would, nevertheless, be prosecuted in different counties of England. The two houfes immediately appointed a committee to enquire into the affair, that measures might be taken to fecure the peace of the kingdom. This, pretended discovery was the foundation of the cor- tion-act. poration-act, which was now paffed in parliament, ordaining all mayors, aldermen, counfellors, or officers of corporations, to take an oath, importing, that they did not think it lawful, on any pretence whatever, to take arms against the king; and that they abhorred the deteftable maxim of arming against the king's perfon, under the fhadow of his authority; or even of oppofing fuch as acted by virtue of his commiffion. This was a moft fcandalous conceffion, by which the liberties of England were left at the mercy of regal power. The committee of both houfes proceeded on their inquiry into the nature of the confpiracy; and the earl of Clarendon made an alarming report of a defign to furprise Shrewsbury, Coventry, and Briftol: but this plot feems to have been no other than a fiction of the miniftry, to pave the way for the act of uniformity; for that was no fooner paffed than the inquiry was laid aside.

act of uni

On the firft day of March, the king fending for The king the commons to Whitehall, gently reproached paffes the them for the little care they had taken to fettle his formity. revenue; mentioned. a republican party that ftill fubfifted in the kingdom; expreffed uncommon zeal

N° 71.

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for

A. C. 1662 for the church of England; gave them to understand that he had fent the book of Common-prayer to: the lords, with his approbation of fome changes. which the convocation had thought proper to make in it, that it might be more fuitable to an act of uniformity, which he defired the lower house would prepare, without paffion or precipitation The commons were refolved to manifeft their obedience in every particular. They brought in a bill to profecute the quakers for refufing to take oaths in courts of judicature. On the nineteenth of May, the king gave his affent to the act for establishing uniformity in public worship, and in the administration of the facraments. By this ftatute, which began to be in force on St. Bartholomew's day, every minister was obliged to conform to the worfhip of the English church, according to the book of Common-prayer lately revifed, and to fign a declaration approving of that ritual; to take the oath of canonical obedience, abjure the folemn league and covenant, and acknowledge his detefta-. tion of the principle of taking up arms against the king, or those acting by his commiffion, on any, pretence whatsoever. He was likewife reftrained from adminiftring the facraments, unless he had been previously ordained by a bishop. By an act regulating the militia, all lords lieutenants of counties, and their deputies, together with officers and foldiers, were obliged to declare, upon oath, that they held it unlawful to take arms against the king, or thofe acting by his commiffion. As another inftance of the parliament's devotion to the king, the commons voted an annul tax of two fhillings upon every hearth, to his majesty and his fucceffors: this impofition, joined to the tonnage and poundage, the excife, and duty upon merchandize, augmented his revenue to a much greater fum than had ever been paid to any of his predeceffors.

On