to about both the Great Contract and the Impositions. But, after all, the king and the House of Commons quarrelled. The king wanted more money than the Commons were ready to give, and he dissolved the Parliament in an ill-temper.

last James

9. The Addled Parliament.-At summoned another Parliament. But that Parliament said just the same about the Impositions as the one before it had said. The king dissolved it after it had sat for only a few weeks. It is known as the Addled Parliament, because it did not produce a single new law.

CHAPTER XXIV.

JAMES I. AND SPAIN.
(1614-1625.)

1. James's Favourites.-James had quarrelled with his Parliaments because he wanted to have everything his own way, and did not care about the things about which his subjects cared. In managing the affairs of government, too, he did not like to take good advice. He thought it best to have a young man near him who was clever and amusing, and who would do everything for him, without wanting to have a way of his own. The first young man whom he chose for this purpose was a Scotchman named Robert Carr, whom he made Earl of Somerset. After some time, the new earl was

accused of committing a murder, and, though it is not quite certain whether he had done so, there can be no doubt that his wife had planned the crime. At all events, both he and his wife were tried and condemned to death, and, though James pardoned them, they never came near the court again. The next favourite was George Villiers, who was soon made Lord Buckingham, and some years afterwards Duke of Buckingham. He was a gay young man, fond of dancing and riding, and was able to amuse the king with his talk. James gave him very large landed estates, so that he soon became very rich, though when he first came to court he was so poor that he had to borrow money to buy himself a suit of clothes fit to appear in. Nobody was appointed to any office who did not first come to Buckingham to ask for his favour, so that though he was at first kind and affable, he soon became conceited, and used to speak roughly to men who did not treat him with very great respect indeed. This was very bad for the king, as men who were fit to give him good advice did not like to be humble to Buckingham.

2. The Spanish Marriage Treaty.-James knew that he would be obliged to send for another Parliament unless he could get money in some other way. One plan he had for getting money was to marry his son Charles to Maria the daughter of Philip III., king of Spain. She was known as the Infanta, a title given to the daughter of the Spanish kings. Philip offered to give a large sum of money when the marriage took place, but he asked that Catholics in England should be allowed to worship in their own

way without punishment. Englishmen were still so angry about the Gunpowder Plot that James would hardly have been able to do this if he had wished it, and, though the marriage was talked of for some time, it did not seem likely that it would ever be really brought about. The English people did not at all like to see their king friendly with Spain, as they had not forgiven the Spaniards for all that had happened in Elizabeth's time, and they thought that if the king of Spain got a chance he would be as ready to meddle in England as his father, Philip II., had been before him.

3. Raleigh's Voyage.-One of those who hated Spain most was Sir Walter Raleigh. At the beginning of the reign he had been accused of a crime of which he had not been guilty, and had been condemned to death. But James had shut him up in prison in the Tower instead of having him executed. He now declared that if James would let him out he would go to a gold mine in South America near the Orinoco and bring home a large store of gold. James, who wanted gold, let him go, but told him that he must not go to any of the lands belonging to the king of Spain, and that if he did he should be beheaded, as he might be, without any new trial, because he had been already condemned. Raleigh sailed, and when he reached the mouth of the Orinoco it was arranged that some of his ships should go up the river to look for the mine, and that others should stay at the mouth to prevent any Spanish ships coming in. None of the sailors would go up unless Raleigh would stay to guard the mouth, as

they said that they could not trust any one else not to sail away if danger came. He was therefore obliged to leave the search for the mine to one of his sons and to his friend Captain Keymis. When Keymis had nearly reached the place where the mine was, he found a Spanish village on the bank where he had not expected to find it. He landed his men, and after a sharp fight they forced their way into the village, though they were obliged to set fire to it before the Spaniards could be driven out. Young Raleigh was shot down in the midst of the fight. His comrades never reached the place where the mine was. The Spaniards, who had taken refuge in the woods, fired at the English from behind the trees whenever they attempted to move, and at last Keymis was obliged to re-embark his men in the boats and to make his way sadly down the stream of the mighty river. Raleigh learned from his old friend that all his prospect of success and his hope of life itself was at an end. He lost his temper, and threw all the blame on poor Keymis, who had done his best. It is for you,' he said, 'to satisfy the king since you have chosen to take your own way. I cannot do it.' The old sailor could not bear this unmerited reproach. He went back to his cabin, and thrust a knife into his heart. A boy, who opened the door half an hour afterwards, found him dead.

4. Raleigh's Return and Execution.-Raleigh's first thought after this failure was to try to persuade the captains of his fleet to join him in attacking

Spanish ships in order to get gold or silver to

take home to the king. The captains thought that this would be piracy, and said that they did not want to be hanged. Raleigh had to come home. He was seized and thrown into prison. So hateful were the Spaniards in England that James did not venture to allow him to be heard in public in his own defence. Almost every man in England was ready to applaud a bold sailor who had hurt nobody but the Spaniards. Raleigh was now the most popular man in the country. He ascended the scaffold with a jest on his tongue. The crowd was thick, and he saw one of his friends trying with difficulty to push his way through it. I know not,' Raleigh called out, what shift you will make, but I am sure to have a place.' When he knelt down to lay his head on the block some one told him that he ought to have laid his face towards the east. 'What matter,' he answered, 'how the head lie, so that the heart be right.' The axe descended, and his voice was silenced for ever.

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5. James I. and the Thirty Years War.-A war broke out in Germany, called the Thirty Years War, in which the German Catholic princes were on one side and many of the German Protestant princes on the other. The principal of these latter was Frederick, who ruled over the Palatinate, a country of which the chief town was Heidelberg. Frederick had married James's daughter Elizabeth. He was defeated, and part of his dominions were seized by a Spanish army which had come to help his enemies. Englishmen were very anxious that the Spaniards should not remain in possession of Frederick's land,