,o6 fle HISTORY of the PURITANS. Chap. III. K. Chade> I. only the pernicious maxims of that court, but their referved and diffant v' behaviour. He affured the pope by letter, in order to obtain a difpenfa- tton to marry the Infanta, That he would not marry any mortal whofe " religion he hated : He might therefore depend upon it, that he would " always abflain from fuch actions as might teffify an hatred to the Roman " catholick religion, and would endeavour that all finifter opinions might " be taken away ; that as we all profefs one individual Trinity, we may " unanimoufly grow up into one faith." His majefly began his reign upon molt arbitrary principles, and though he had good natural abilities, was al- ways under the direction of fome favourite, to whole judgment andconduct he was abfolutely refigned. Nor was he ever matter of fo much judgment in politicks, as to difcern his own and the nation's true intereft, or to take the advice of thofe whodid. With regard to the church, he was a punátual obferver of its ceremonies, and had the higheff diflike and prejudice to that Volr L.p. Sr, part of his fubjects who were againff the ecclefiaftical conftitution, " look- ing upon them as a very dangerous and feditious people, who would " under pretence of confcience, which kept them from fubmitting to the " fpiritual jurifdiétion, take the firft opportunity they could find or make " ° (lays lord Clarendon) to withdraw the.mfelves from his temporal jurif- " di?tion ; and therefore his majefly caufed this people [the puritans] to " be watchedand providedagainff with the utmolt vigilance." Ofhis queen. Upon his majefly's acceffion, and before the folemnityof his father's fu- neral, he married HENRIETTA MARIA daughter of Henry IV. and fitter of Lewis XIII. then king ofFrance. The marriage was folemnized by proxy ; firft at Paris, with all the ceremonies of the Romifh church, and afterwards at Canterbury, according to the rites of the church of Eng- land ; the articles being in a manner the fame, with thole already men- tioned in the Spanif match. Her majefty arrived at Dover Yune 13. and brought with her a long train of priefts and menial fervants of the Romifh religion ; for whole devotions-a chapel was fitted up in the king's houle at Sr. 7ames's. " The queen was an agreeable and beautiful lady, and by " degrees, Pays lord Clarendon, obtained a plenitude of power over the " king. His majefty had her in perfeft adoration, and would do no- " thing without her, but was inexorable as to every thing that he pro- HO. life and "4 mifed her." Bithop Burnet fays, " the queen was a lady of great vi- times. " vacity, and loved intrigues of all forts, but was not ferret in them, as the ought ; She had no manner of judgment, beingbad at contrivance, " but worfe at execution. By the livelinefs of her difeourfe, the made " great impreffions upon the king ; fo that to the queen's little practice, " and the king's own temper, the fequel of all his misfortunes were owing." BithopKennet adds; " That the king's match with this lady, 46 was a greater judgment to the nation than the plague, which then raged " in
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