THE RUPTURE BETWEEN CHARLES I. AND THE PARLIAMENT. (Guizot's History of the English Revolution.) A.D. 1642. ON January 3d, 1642, Sir Edward Herbert, the Attorney-general, went to the House of Lords, and, in the king's name, accused of high treason Lord Kimbolton and five members of the Commons, Hampden, Pym, Hollis, Strode, and Haselrig, for having attempted, 1st, to overturn the fundamental laws of the realm, and to deprive the king of his lawful power; 2dly, to alienate the people from the king by hateful calumnies; 3dly, to raise the army against the king; 4thly, to engage a foreign power, Scotland, to invade the kingdom; 5thly, to annihilate the privileges and even existence of parliaments; 6thly, to stir up seditious gatherings against the king and the parliament, for the purpose of securing success to their criminal designs by violence; 7thly, to make war upon the king. Sir Edward demanded, at the same time, that a committee should be appointed to examine into the charges, and that the house would be pleased to secure the persons of the accused. The Lords sat thunderstruck; no one had foreseen such a proceeding, and no one dared to speak first. Lord Kimbolton rose: "I am ready," said he, "to obey any order of the House; but since my impeachment is public, I demand that my justification may be so too." And he resumed his seat amid continued silence. Lord Digby sat next him. He whispered in his ear, "What mischievous counsels are given to the king! It shall go hard but I find out whence they come." He then left the house, as if to seek the information of which he spoke. Yet it was no one but himself, it is said, who had urged the king to this undertaking, promising, moreover, that he would demand the immediate arrest of Lord Kimbolton, as soon as the Attorneygeneral should have accused him. A message from the Lords at once informed the Commons of ence with the Lords was opened, and in less than an hour it was jointly resolved to order the removal of the seals placed on the papers .of the five members, and that a guard should be demanded. The petition for a guard was at once carried to the king by the Duke of | Richmond, one of the most honest of his favourites. "I will give an answer to-morrow," said the king, in his turn; and the Commons adjourned till the next day at one o'clock, ordering the accused members to attend at Westminster as usual. what had happened; they had just heard that the king's messengers had gone to the houses of the five members, and were sealing up everything in them. The House forthwith voted such an act a breach of privilege, which the accused were entitled, and the constables were in duty required to resist, and that the king's officers should be arrested and brought to the bar as delinquents. Sir John Hotham was sent to the Lords to request an immediate conference, and had orders to declare that if the House of Peers refused to join with the Commons in demanding On the re-assembly of the Coma guard from the king, the Com- mons (Jan. 4th) at the appointed mons would retire to a place of hour, their uneasiness and anger security. While they were wait- were redoubled; the presentiment ing for the answer of the Lords, of some new danger, unknown but a sergeant-at-arms presented him- certain, troubled every mind. The self. "In the name of the king king's party sat sorrowful and my master," he said, "I am come silent; among their adversaries a to require Mr. Speaker to place in thousand reports were circulated, my custody five gentlemen, mem- collected the evening before, bers of this house, whom his through the night, that very mornnajesty has commanded me to ing: the cavaliers, it was said, had arrest for high treason;" and he assembled, the king had given vent on to name them. The them orders to be ready, arms and accused members were present, two barrels of gunpowder had been out not one quitted his place; the brought from the Tower to WhiteSpeaker ordered the sergeant to hall. Every one crowded round etire. Without tumult or oppo- the five members, with surmisings, ition the House appointed a com- information, advice. They themittee to go while the House was selves knew more of the matter till sitting, to inform the king than their counsellors; the minishat so important a message could ter of France, long in secret comnly be answered after mature munication with them, and the eliberation. Two ministers of Countess of Carlisle, Pym's mishe crown, Lord Falkland and Sir tress, it is said, had given them ohn Colepepper, were among this warning of the blow in preparaommittee; they had been quite tion; but of this they did not say norant of the plan. The confer- a word. Suddenly there entered the House an officer, Captain | bold with your chair for a time.” Langrish, lately returned from Then seating himself, he cast his service in France, and whose inter- eyes round on the meeting: course with some of the cashiered "Gentlemen," he said, "I am officers gave him opportunities of sorry for this occasion for coming learning all that was going on. unto you. Yesterday, I sent a He announces that the king is at sergeant-at-arms upon а very hand, that he had seen him set out important occasion, to apprehend from Whitehall, escorted by three some that by my commandment or four hundred men, guards, were accused of high treason, cavaliers, students, all armed, to whereunto I did expect obedience, seize the accused members in and not a message; and I must person. A great tumult arose, but declare unto you here, that albeit the necessity of a prompt decision no king that ever was in England soon calmed it. The House urged shall be more careful of your the five members to withdraw, as privileges, to maintain them to several gentlemen had already the uttermost of his power, than I drawn their swords for resistance. shall be, yet you must know that Pym, Hampden, Hollis, and in cases of treason no person hath Haselrig, at once departed; Strode a privilege; and therefore I am refused; he was entreated, pressed; come to know if any of these the king had already entered persons that were accused are Palace Yard; at last his friend, here, for I must tell you, gentleSir Walter Earl, roughly pushed men, that so long as these persons him out. The other members all that I have accused, for no slight took their seats. crime, but for treason, are here, I cannot expect that this House will be in the right way that I do heartily wish it; therefore I am come to tell you that I must have them, wheresoever I find them. Mr. Speaker, where are they?" The king had traversed Westminster Hall between two ranks of his attendants; but only his body-guard ascended with him the stairs of the House; and when they reached the door, he forbade them, under penalty of death, to follow him a step farther, and entered the House with his hat in his hand, accompanied only by his nephew, the Count Palatine. All the members uncovered and rose. As he passed, the king cast a glance at the place where Pym usually sat, and not seeing him there, advanced towards the Speaker. "By your favour, Mr. Speaker," said he, "I must make I see all the birds are I do expect from you that all send them unto me as they return hither. But I you, on the word of a king, did intend any force, but prosecute against them in a nd fair way; for I never any other. And now, since cannot do what I came for, trouble you no more, but u, I do expect, as soon as me to the House, you will em to me, otherwise I must y own course to find them." n quitted the chair, his hat 1 his hand. The House ed motionless; but from parts of the house, as the withdrew, arose the cry, lege! Privilege!" en he was gone, the House, t doing, or even giving of anything, adjourned to xt day; all the members way, eager to learn to what the king's designs had gone, hat the people thought of They found outside, on irs, in the great hall, at the among their own servants were waiting for them, and assembled crowd, an indigno less strong than their All their talk was of the - of the Cavaliers. "Show at's to be done," said one, in hand," and I shall not "To the devil with the of Commons!" cried others, t have we to do with these s? Bring them out, and them!" Some even asked the order would come? as if waiting for some bloody outburst. These stories rapidly circulated, and spread everywhere the same indignation. The five members had withdrawn into the City; the citizens took up arms; the Lord Mayor tried in vain to calm them; strong patrols of volunteers were formed for the common safety; and bands of apprentices paraded the streets during the evening, crying out from door to door, that the cavaliers were coming to set the City on fire; some even added that the king was to lead them on. At Whitehall the agitation was no less. The king and queen had built the highest hopes on this coup d'état; it had for a long time past occupied all their thoughts, had been the constant subject of their private conversation, of their conferences with their most intimate friends. In the morning, Charles, kissing his wife before he went away, had promised her in an hour to return, master, at length, of his kingdom, and the queen, with her watch in her hand, had counted the minutes till his return. Now, all had failed; and though the king still persisted in his design, it was without hoping anything from it, and without knowing how to carry it out. Offended and afflicted, his wisest friends, Falkland, Hyde, Colepepper, kept aloof, and offered no counsel. A proclamation was issued, ordering the gates to be closed, and that no citizen should harbour the accused; but no one, even at court, deceived himself as Arrived at Guildhall, Charles claimed the surrender of the five members, in courteous and mild language, protesting his devotion to the reformed religion, the sincerity of his concessions, and promising to act in all things according to the laws. No plaudits answered him; like the people, the Common Council were grave and sorrowful. The king, addressing one of the Sheriffs, known as a zealous Presbyterian, told him he would dine with him. The Sheriff bowed, and when the meeting rose, received him in his house with splendour and respect. On his return to Whitehall, Charles only obtained from the crowd the same reception as before, and reentered his palace angry and downcast. to the uselessness of these orders. | boam. Accordingly, about ten o'clock on the 5th of January, he left Whitehall without any guards, showing complete confidence in the affection of his subjects. The mob crowded on his way, but cold and silent, or only raising their voices to conjure him to live in concord with his parliament. In some places, threatening cries were heard; the phrase, "Privilege of parliament privilege of parliament!" echoed round him, and a man, named Walker, threw into his carriage a pamphlet, entitled, To your tents, O Israel! the cry of revolt of the ten Jewish tribes when they separated from Reho The Commons had meanwhile met (Jan. 5), and had voted that after so enormous a breach of their privileges, until reparation had been made, and a trusty guard protected them from similar risks, they could not sit with any feeling of freedom, and had accordingly adjourned for six days. But, though they adjourned, they did not cease to act. A Committee, vested with great powers, was ordered to sit in the City, to make an inquiry into the late outrage, and to examine into the general state of the kingdom, especially of Ireland, in concert with the citizens, the faithful friends of parliament. The Committee was installed at Guildhall with great pomp (Jan. 6); a strong guard was in attendance, and a deputa |