Chap. IX. ne HISTORY of the PURITANS. 721 da: The impeachmentwas of high crimes and mifdemeanors, "For K Charles I. " making andpublifning the late canons, contrary to the king'sprerogative, 1E41 to the f iendamental laws of the realm, to the rights of parliament, and J " to the property and liberty of the fubje5l ; and containing matters " tending to (edition, andof dangerous confequence ; and for granting a benevolence or contribution to his maje/ly, to be paid by the clergy ofthat province, contrary to law." It was carried up to the lords Auguft 4. by ferjeant Wild, who demanded in the name of all the commons of England, that the bithops might be forthwith put to anfwer the crimes and mifdemeanors abovementioned, in theprefence of the hoof of com- mons; and that fuch further proceedings might be had againft them as to law and juflice'appertained. The commons were in hopes, that the Fuller, B. bithops would have quitted their votes in parliament to be difcharged of XI. P. 1$3 the præmunire ; but they refolved to abide by their right, and therefore only defired time to prepare their anfwer, and council for their afíifl- ance ; accordingly they were allowed three months time to put in their anfwer, and council of their own nomination, (viz.) ferjeant ,ermin, Mr. Chute, Mr. Herne, and Mr. Hales. From this time the bithops fell under a general difregard ; the cry Theyfallinto of the populace was againft them, as the chief impediments of all re- neglect' formation in church and Rate; and even the temporal peers treated them with neglect, exprefling their diflike at the bifhop of London's being filed Right Honourable. Befides, the lordsfpiritual were not dif- tinctly mentioned in the bills that paired this feffion, according to an- cient ufage ; the clerk of the parliament in reading the bills to the houle, turned his back upon the bench of bithops ; and when the houles went in a body to church on a fait day, the temporal barons gave them - felves precedence of the bifhops. Thefe were the preludes to their downfal, which happened about fix months forward, though from this time they were little better than cyphers in the houle. Thefe refolute proceedings againft the bithops, put the court upon The king re- forming new projects to break up the parliament. It was obferved thatJolv'.'upena the flrength and courage of the houle of commons rote from their Sä81ñd,ntá confederacy with the Scots, whdfe army in the north was entirely in djunite that their intereft ; it was therefore refolved in council, to detach that na- nationfrom tion (if poffible) from the parliament, and to bring them over to the the podia- king; by yielding every thing they fhouÍd defire ; for this purpofe his meet. maiefly declared his refolution to the two houfes, to vifit his native country in perfon within fourteen days, and defired them to finifh the bills which were before them by that time. The commons being aware of the defign, and apprehenfive Hof danger, if the king fhould put him- felf at the head of the Englifh army in the north, rent away the earl 4 Z of 1111111I
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