758 ? HISTORY of the PURITANS. Chap. X. K. Charles.I. be in the right way that I heartily wifh it ; I exped therefore, that asfion as they come to the ,houle that you find them to me. Having then allured the members, that he defigned no force upon them, nor breach of pri- vilege, after a little time he withdrew ; but as his majefty was going out, many members dyed aloud, fo as he might hear them, .privilege ! privilege ! The houfe was-in a terrible pannic while the king was in the chair, the door of the houle with all the avenues, being crouded with officers and foldiers : as foon therefore as his majefty was gone they ad- journed till next day, and then for a week. It was happy that the five members had notice of the king's coming, juft time enough to withdraw into the city, otherwife it might have occafioned the effufion of blood, for without doubt the armed foldiers at the door only waited for the Ruthw. word to carry them away by force. Next day his majefty went into P. 479. the city [fan. 5.j and demanded them of the lord mayor and, court of aldermen, then afi'embled by his order at Guildhall, profefüng at the fame time his refolution to profecute all who oppofed the laws, whether papfs orféparatfs, and to defend the true proteftant religion which his father profeffed, and in whichhe would continue to the end of his life: But though his majefty was nobly entertained by the Sheriffs, he now per- ceived, that this rafh and unadv f d ablion had loft him the hearts of the citizens, there being no acclamations or huzza's, as ufual, only here and there a voice, as he went along in his coach, crying out privilege of parliament! privilege of parliament! However he perfifted in, his refo- lotion, and fan. 8. publìfhed a proclamation, commanding all magif trates, and officers of juftice, to apprehend the accufed members and carry them to the Tower. Arbors of 'Tis hard to fay withany certainty, who put the king upon this unpa- this projeto ralleled all of violence, a fpecies of tyranny which the molt arbitrary of his predeceffors had never attempted. If his majefty deliberated at all up- on what he was going about, we muft conclude that he intended to digOlve the parliament, and to return to hisformer methods of arbitrary government; becaufe by the fame rule that the king might take five members out of the houle he might takeout five hundred ; befides, feveral of the articles laid againft them were equally chargeable on the majority p. 322, 328. of the houle. It now appeared (fays Rapin) that the king was refolved' to be revenged on thofe who had offended him ; and that there was no further room to confide in his royal word. Some fay this was lord' Digby's mad proje&, who when he found his majefty, after his return- out of the city, vexed at his difappointment, offered to go with a feted company and bring them dead or alive; but the king was afraid of the confequences of fuch an enterprize ; and Digby being ordered to attend' in 4
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