LIFE OF RICHARD BAXTER. 33 ed the uninterrupted exercise of all the rites of their religion. Hardly anything could have been moreobnoxious to the Protestant feelings ofthe nation than the insolence of these privileged foreign- ers. The queen of England was seen walking through the streets of the city to do penance, "her confessormeanwhile riding by her in his coach;" and, as if on purpose to rouse popular indignation into frenzy, her priests led her to Tyburn, "there to present her devo- tions for the departed souls of the Papists who had been executed at that place, on account,of the gunpowder treason, and other enormous crime's. " Ifany thing had been wanting to excite pre- judice against the superstitions of Rome, or against the court as inclinedto Popery, such proceedings.were best adapted to that end. The parliament, assembled. by the young.monarch. at Westmin- ster immediately after the arrival of"the queen, and thence adjourn- ed to Oxford on account of the plague, betrayed a new spirit, and gave decided indicationsthat the time had come in which the peo- pie would be heard, and wouldmake their rights respected. There were men in the house of commons who were conscious of the in- creased political importance which the increase of wealth and intel- ligence had given to the middling classes; who had witnessed, during the preceding reigns, the .encroachments of arbitrary power on the ancient privileges of the people ; and who ; saw that the ac- cession of a new prince, involved in war, embarrassed with debt, and guided by a weak and odious favorite, afforded them the best opportunity to assert their rights, and to erect new barriers against future usurpation. Accordingly, when called upon to replenish the royal treasury, they began by voting a supply so limited as to keep the court still dependent on the commons, and tosecure for themselves the vantage ground. in negotiating, for the, redress of grievances. To the king's explanations of his necessities and his engagements they were inexorable ; and instead of giving money to make him independent of his people, they joined in a petition setting forth the causes of the increase of Popery, with an enume- ration of such remedies, as, in their judgment, ought to be applied. Among the remedies, theyproposed " that thepreachingoftheword of God might be enlarged, and that, to this purpose, the bishops be advised to make use of the labors of such able ministers as have been formerly silenced, advising and beseeching them to behave themselves peaceably." The king's answerwas full ofcompliance, especially and repeatedly promising that the laws against Popery should be put in execution ; and the next day, his special warrant, releasing eleven Popish priests from prison, gave -them a practical " H. L'Estrange's ViewofKing Charles, quoted in the " SeleCtion from the Harleian Miscellany," p. 331. London, 1793. VOL. r. 5
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