Chap. X. The HISTORY of the PURITANS. 757 " reafon to conclude the Root and Branch work would certainly go for- K. Charles I. " ward, and therefore to be filent under fuck an outrage would look like '641' " cowardice. When the profpett is thus menacing, and a man is almoft tv " certain to be undone, the molt creditable expedient is to (pend himfelf in " a blaze, and flafh to the lad grain of powder. To gd out in a fmoak and fmother is but a mean way of coming to nothing. To creep and crawl to " a misfortune is to fuffer like an infe&. Aman ought to fall with dig- " nity and honour, and to keep his mind erect though his fortune happens " to be crufhed. This was the bifhops meaning, and for making fo hand- " tome a retreat they ought to ftand commended upon record." But Remarks. with due regard to this reverend divine, was there no medium between being filent, and taking upon them in fuch a crifis, to flop all the bufinefs of parliament ? For if the proceedings of the houfe of peers are null with- out theWhops, 'tis no lefs certain, that thole of the houfe ofcommons are null without the peers; from whence it mutt follow, that the whole parlia- ment was incapable of acting. Mr. Rapin is of opinion, that the king p. got. hoped that this affair might occafaon the dfolution of the parliament. But if he did, his majefty was much miftaken, for the bifhops and popi(h lords being now abfent, the majority of the houle of peers *as againft the court; which vexed the queen and her fafion, and put them upon fuch an extravagant piece of revenge, as effectually broke the peace of the kingdom, and'rendered the king's affairs irretrievable. His majefty having been affured that the lord Kimbolton, and five of Kinggoer to the mod attive members in the houfe of commons, (viz.) Denzil Hol- the houfe of lit, Sir Arthur Haflerigge, John Pym, John Hambden, and William Stroud, Efqs; had invited the feats into England, and were now the five of q $ their mem- chief encouragers of thofe tumults that had kept the bifhops and popifh bers. lords from the bottle ; that they had afperfed his government, and were endeavouring to deprive him of his royal power; in a word that they were confpiring to levy war againft him, refolved to impeach them of high treafon. Accordingly his majefty fent his attorney-general to the houfe with the articles [Jan. 3.] and at the fame time difpátched officers to their houfes to Peal up their trunks, papers, and doors; hut the members not being ordered into cuftody, as his majefty expected, the king went himfelf to the houfe next day in the afternoon [Jan. 4.) to feize them, attended with about two hundred officers and foldiers, armed with fwords and piftols ; the gentlemen of the inns of court who had offered their fervice to defend the king's perfon, having had notice to be ready at an hour'swarning. The king having entered the houfe, went direly to the fpeaker's chair, and looking about him, laid with a frown, I perceive the birds are fled, but I will have them wherefoever Tcanfind them, for as long as thefé persons are here, this houfe will never be
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