and, by founding religious principle upon reafon and Scripture alone, improved the manly ferioufnefs and inherent dignity of the British character. The Reformation was highly favourable to civil as well as religious rights, and encouraged that fpirit of free inquiry, from which it derived its origin. Men, who had the intrepidity to demolish the fabricof Popery, fupported as it was by the antiquity of its establishments, the fplendour of its ceremonies, and the facred character of its minifters, were not to be checked in their refearches into the imperfections and abufes of government. The feeds therefore of political innovation were deeply fown; and although they were for fome time checked in their growth, as all orders of his fubjects bowed with the moft abject fervility before this impetuous and tyrannical monarch, yet in fucceeding times their fruits fprung up in the greatest abundance.

Splendid as the reign of ELIZABETH appears, with refpect to her tranfactions with foreign countries, the inherited the temper of her father: the imperfections of her mind were thofe for which the Tudor family was remarkable, and the ruled with the moft defpotic fway. Uncontrollable in the indulgence of her paffions, and by turns the flave of love and hatred, the fentenced her favourite Effex to death, and configned to a miferable and tedious imprisonment, and finally to the axe of the executioner, a coufin and a fovereign, whofe charms

A. D. 1558.

excited

excited her envy, and the fufpicion of whofe confpiracies provoked her revenge. Mary, queen of Scotland, many particulars of whofe hiftory are perplexed by contradictory accounts, and involved in obfcurity, has been made the object of admiration to fucceeding ages, as much perhaps on account of her misfortunes, captivity, and cruel death, as her incomparable beauty, fweetness of difpofition, and excellent understanding". The nobles feared and venerated Elizabeth; and the Members of her Houfe of Commons, more obfequious to her demands and caprice than the ancient parliaments of Paris ever were to the dictates of a French monarch, affembled only to learn and obey her will, and to tax their constituents for her fupport. Her fubjects were exempted from the privi leges and cares of political power; and, at once dazzled by the fplendour of her court, and the fuc cefs of her arms, the ftrength of her understanding, the extent of her learning, and the mafculine intrepidity of her temper, were blind to her obftinacy, avarice, and cruelty.

JAMES I. was remarkable for the mildnefs of his difpofition, and the attention he always paid to re

"The learned Camden, a contemporary writer, afcribes to her a conftant fteadiness in religion, a fingular piety to God, an invincible greatness of mind, and a wisdom above her fex, besides her perfonal charms. Carte, as if enamoured of the fubject, has drawn her character with a degree of eloquence far fuperior to his ufual file. Vol. iii. p. 619. Appendix, p. 817.

moving the grievances of his fubjects, in which circumftance he afforded an illuftrious contraft to his immediate predeceffors. In his pacific reign many encroachments were made upon the royal prerogative; or rather all the different orders of his kingdom began to feel their own importance, and were determined to exert their power". The flourishing state of commerce raised the merchants to great refpectability; and their rapid increase of wealth naturally claimed fuitable diftinctions and privileges. The members of corporations were active in augmenting their rights; and the King, by an impolitic imitation of his predeceffors, added to their number. The citizens of London were not fo blinded by the condefcenfion of their royal mafter in becoming a member of a company of merchants, as not to folicit large conceffions from the throne. The fpirit of fanaticifi, difcontent, and ambition, prevailed in the Houfe of Commons; and all the actions of the King, and his immediate fucceffors, their folly or wifdom, their virtues or their vices, were equally expofed to complaint and oppofition. The caprice of his temper, and the ünfteadiness of his conduct, appearing at one time refolved upon measures, which at another he retracted; writing one day to his House of Com

*Sir Edward Coke, at a time when he was out of favour and a malecontent, declared, that he never knew any complaint made to the King of any abufe out of parliament, but he gave orders immediately to have it reformed." Carte, vol. iv. p. 129, y A. D. 1602. * A. D. 1625.

mons

mons in a peremptory ftrain, and foon after fending them letters replete with conceffion and apology; gave great advantage to the artful fupporters of the puritanical party, and encouraged them in the purfuit of their dark machinations against Church and State".

Such was the threatening afpect of affairs, when the amiable and accomplished CHARLES affumed the reins of government. It was his peculiar misfortune to afcend the throne at a period, when no experience of his predeceffors could be fully conclufive, as to the measures of ftate moft proper to be adopted; and when the conftitution of the country was in reality undergoing an alteration, while it appeared to be the fame as in preceding times. Thofe who fucceeded him discovered the change, and took the proper means to prevent its unhappy confequences: but the discovery, though afterwards eafy to be made, was perhaps at that time placed out of the reach of human fagacity. The good qualities of Charles were more calculated to accelerate than to retard the fury of the ftorm, which threatened, and foon burft around him. Too fcrupulous an adherence to his rights as a king, and his extraordinary zeal for the Church of England, contributed to introduce the train of events, which proved fo fatal to himself, and fo difaftrous to his country.

a Carte, vol. iv. p. 128.

Carte, vol. iv. p. 606.

In the early part of his reign, he was induced to exercise with too much severity that undefined prerogative, over the odious part of which the cautious Elizabeth had drawn a veil, but which her fucceffor James had exerted with oftentatious parade upon trivial occafions. However inquifitorial the conftitution of the Star Chamber and the high Commiffion Court was, or however rigid the punish ments, which they denounced against state offences; their authority was fully fanctioned by ancient customs. Few if any clamours had been raised against their proceedings during the reigns of former fovereigns. But, unhappily for Charles, the decrees of the Star Chamber at firft excited popular invectives and tumult, and finally provoked a fteady and determined oppofition. The people called with a peremptory voice for a general redress of grievances. It ought for ever to be remembered, that this call was obeyed, and that the fulleft conceffions were made on the part of the King previous to the great rebellion. But as fufpicions were entertained of the fincerity of his declarations, his facrifices to the parliament, connected with fome rafh actions and unguarded expreffions,, were confidered rather as the refult of compulfion than of choice. Cromwell, Fairfax, Ireton, and all the popular leaders, therefore, failed not to embrace an opportunity fo favourable to their ambition. They fired the minds of their party with their own fanaticism, and plunged the nation into all the horrors of a civil war. The refufal of Charles to refign the appointment of

officers