74 Pollard, Suckling, O'Neale, and others, of whom some confess'd and impeacht their fellows, others fled, others were put in prison. While this parliament was sitting, the king would needs, contrary to their desires, take a iourney to Scotland, and -past by the two disbanding armies in his iourney, where some report that he secretly attempted to urge the Scotch armie against the parliament, which then succeeded not. The houses had reiourned for some time, and left a standing committee of fifty to prepare businesses. About that time a plott was discover'd to them from Scotland, against the lives of some of the greatest peeres of that kingdome; the committee, fearing the like attempts from the ~ame spring, placed strong guards in divers parts of the citie of London. The king's clesigne in going to Scotland was variously coniectur'd, but this was a certeinc effect of it, that it retarded all the affaires of the government ' of England, which the king had put into such disorder that it was not an easie taske to reforme what was amisse, and redresse the reall grievances of the people; but yet the parliament shew'cl such a wonclerfull respect to the king, that they never mention'd him, as he was, the sole author of all those miscarriages, but imputed them to evi ll councel lors, and gave him all the submissive language that could have bene us'd to a good prince, fixing all the guilt upon his evil\ councellors and ministers of state, which flattery I feare they . have to answer for: I am sure they have thereby expos'd themselves to much scandal!.' While the king was in Sco tl and, that cursed 1·ebellion in Ireland broke out, wherein above .200,000 were mas- 'sacred in two months space, being surpriz'd, and many of them most inhnmanely butcher'cl and tormented; and besides the slaine, abundance of poore famelies stript and sent naked away, out of all n This is an Qversight of :Mrs. Hutchinson's, of which she is seldom guilty. Good policy required then, ns it does now, that the king should be held incapable of wrong, and the criminality fixed on ministers, who are amenable to the law. If the patrioti of that day were the inventors of this maxim, we are highly obliged to them.
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