Chap. IX. The HISTORY of the PURITANS. 693 king had fent him exprefs orders to receive a hundred men into that gar-K. Charles I. rifon under the command of captain Billingfty, to favour the earl's efcape ; ', and that the earl himfelf offered him twenty- thoufand pounds in money, and to advancehis fon in marriage to one of the be(t fortunes in the king- dom. Lord Clarendon has ufed all his rhetoric to colour over this confpi- Ruthw. racy, and make pofterity believe it was little more than the idle chat ofP' 29` fome officers at a tavern ; but they who will compare the depofitions in 6 Ruthworth with his lordfhip's account of that matter (fays bifhop Burnet) will find, that there is a great deal more in the one, than the other is willing to believe. Mr. Eachard confeffes that the plot was not wholly without a foundation. The court would have difowned it, but their keeping the confpirators in their places, made the parliament believe that there was a great deal more in it than was yet difcovered ; they therefore Pent orders immediately to fecure the town and haven of Port/mouth, and to difband the iri/h army ; they voted that all papifts lhould be re- moved from about the court; and direéted letters to Sir Jacob 4jbley, to induce the army to a dutiful behaviour, and to allure them of their full pay. The confequences of this plot were infinitely prejudicial to the king's Mifebieveur affairs; the court loft its reputation; the reverence due to the king and ronjequencegf queen was leffened ; and the houle of commons began to be efteemed't' the only barrier of the peoples liberties; for which,purpofe they entered into a folemnprotejtation to ftand by each other with their lives and for- tunes; the [cots army was continued for their fecurity; a bill for the con- tinuance of the prefent parliament was brought in and urged with great advantage ; and laft of all, by the difcovery of this plot, the fate of the earl of Strafford was determined ; great numbers of people crouded in a tumultuous manner to Wejiminfler cryingjujlice!juflice ! and threat- ping violence to thofe members of the houle of commons who had voted againft his attainder. In this fituation of affairs, and in the abfence of the bench of bithops (as being ä cafe of blood,) the bill gaffed with the ditlent only of eleven peers. The king had tome- fcruples about giving it the royal affent, becaufe though he was convinced the earl had been guilty of high crimes andmifdemeanors, he did not apprehend that an en- deavour tofubvert thefundamentalformofgovernment, and to introduce an arbitrarypower was high treafon; his majefly confulted his bithops and judges, but was not fatisfied till he received a letter from the earl him- felf, befeeching his majefty to fign the bill, in order to make way, for an happy agreement between him and his fubjefts. Mr. Whitlock in- finuates that this letter was but a feint of the earl's; for when fecretary Carlton: acquainted him with what the king had done, and with the motive,
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