686 The HISTORY of the PURITANS. Chap. VIII. K. Charles I. " I look upon the petition with terror, as on a comet or a blazing fiar, t___ " railed and kindled out of the poifonous exhalations of a corrupted hie- " rarchy : methoughts the comet had a terrible tail, and pointed to the north, and I fear all the prudence of this houle will have a hard " work to hinder this meteor from caufing loch didempers and combuf- " tions as it portends by its appearance; whatever the event be, lama dif- " charge my confcience freely, unbiaffed both from popularity and court " refpeEt." His lordfhip then goes on to argue the unreafonablenefs of abolifhing a thing, becaufe of fome abuies that attend it; he complains of the pre.. fumption of the petitioners, in defiring the repeal of fo many laws at once, and not applying in a more modell manner for a redrefs of grie- vances, as the miners have done. On the other hand, he allows the behaviour of the prelates had given too juft an occafion for it ; that no people had been fo infulted as the people of England had lately been, by the infolencies of the prelates ; " their vengeance has been fo laid, as " if it were meant no generation, no degree, no complexion of mankind, fhould efcape it. Was there a man of tender confcience (lays his lordfhip) " him they loaded with unneceffary impofitions ; was there a man of a le- " gal confcience, him they nettled with innovations, and frefh introduéiions " to popery; was there a man ofan humble fpirit, him they trampled to dirt in their pride; was there a man of proud fpirit, ,him they have bereft of " reafon, with indignation at their fuperlative infolence; was there a man " faithfully attached to the rights of the crown, how has he been galled " by their new oath ; was there a man that durfi mutter againft their info- " lencies, he may enquire for his lugs. They have been within the bi- fhops vifitation as if they would not only derive their brandifhment of " thefpiritualfword from St. Peter, but of the material one too, and the " right to cut off ears; for my part I am fo inflamed with thefe things, " that I am ready to cry; with the loudeft of the fifteen thoufand, down " with them to the ground. " But Mr, Speaker, we muff diveft ourfelves of paffion ; we all agree " a reformation of church government is neceffary ; but before I can " ftrike at the RooT, and agree to a total extirpation of epifcopacy, it " mutt be made manifeft to me, (r.) That the mil-chiefs we have felt " arife from the nature of epifcopacy, and not from its abufe. (2.) Such " a form of government muli be fet before us as is not liable to pro- " portionable inëonveniencies. (3.) It mull appear that the Utopia is " practicable. Let us therefore lay afide the thoughts of extirpating bi- " £hops, and reduce them to their primitive flandard ; let us retrench " their diocefes; let them govern by affemblies of their clergy, ; let us exclude
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