Chap. IX. The HISTORY of the PtIRIrANs. 777 conditions they would impofe upon them for their affiftance, the kirk di!: K. Charles I. cipline gained the afcendant, and at length advanced into a divine right in 1641. the affembly ofdivines; yet the parliament would never come into it, and c.. when thefats were gone home, it dwindled by degrees, till it was almofl totally eclipfed by the riling greatnefs of the independents. It appears therefore to me, that there was no formed deuign as yet, either in the houfe of commons, or among the puritan clergy, to fub- vert the hierarchy, and ere& the prefbyterian government upon its ruins; there were no confiderable number of prefbyterian miniflers in the nation ; and the leading members in both houles were known to be ofanother Stamp. " We are confident (lays the king, in his letter to thecouncil ofHam. Mema " Scotland, Aug. 26.) that the molt confiderable perfons in both houls B. IV. " of parliament, and thofe who make the faireft pretenfons to you. of P. 197 " uniformity in church government, will no fooner embrace a pref- " byterial than you an epi/copal." And bifhop Burnet fpeaks the fame language. So that what was done in the houle of commons afterwards;. was the refult of the fituation of their affairs, and not of any formed de- fign : as that changed, fo did their councils and meafures. The contra- ry to this ought not to be fuppofed, but proved by inconteftible mat- ters of fad, which neither Mr. Rapin, or any other hiftorian whom I have read, has yet done. And I will venture to fay, that if there were- fuch invifible prefbyterians behind the curtain, who planned the fubver- fion of the hierarchy, and blew it up as it were without hands, they muff have been abler ftatefinen, and mailers of much more worldly po- litics, than their pofterity have ever been remarkable for. To return to the parliament ; there were two bills which affe&ed the King'; con- - prerogative now ready for the royal affent ; one to abolgo thecourt ofhigh da?t as paf commßion, and regulate the privy council; the other to take away theflar-fifanr g the biII /Gin chamber. To induce the king to pars them more readily, the commons tGehighcon, rent up ,a money bill with them; but when the king came to themt¡janand houle [fuly 3.} he paired the money bill, and told the houles, he muilymai`rhambar take force time to confider of the others; which difgufted the commons fo much, that they returned to their houle and immediately adjourned.. At their next meeting they fell into new heats, of which his majefty being informed, came to the houfe of peers, and having Pent for the commons reprimanded them for their jealoufies, and then palled the bills; he alto put them in mind what he had done this felon " That he had yielded, that the judges fhould hold their places goats Nalfbn;. " diefe bene geprint ; that he had given away his right to Pip-money;.P 32-7.. " granted a law for triennial parliaments, and for fecuring the money k borrowed for difbanding the armies , in a word, that he had hitherto " given,
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