806 The HISTORY of the PURITANS. Chap. XII. K. Charles I. cabinet council at Windfor, that while her majefty was negotiating in Hol- 'w^u land the king fhould retire to'York and there make his firft levies. He adds, that all mankind believed that his maje/iy was underhand preparing for war, that the (word might cut afunder thole knots he had made with his pen. Abe queen. In order to excufe the unhappy king, who was facrificed in the houle of his friends, a load of guilt is with great juftice laid upon the Qá EEN, who had a plentitude of power over his majefty, and could turn him about Hill. wean,/ which way the pleafed. Bifhop BURNET fays, that by the livelinefs of times. her.difcourje fire made great impreions upon the king ; fo that to the queen's want. ofjudgment, and the king's own temper, thejequel of all his misfor- Lompl. bill. tunes was owing. Bifhop KENNET adds, that the king's snatchwith his lady was a greater judgment upon the nation than theplague which then ra- ged in the land; and that the influence ofa(lately queen over an affeo`lionate 'bufbandproved veryfatal both to prince andpeople, and laid in a vengeance jarfuture generations. The queen was a great bigot to her religion, and directed by her father conjèllòr to proteEt the roman catholicks, even to the hazard of the king's crown and dignity. Though his majefty ufual- ly confulted her in all affairs of Hate, yetthe fometimes prefumed to at without him, and to make ufe of his name without his knowledge. It was the QUEEN that made all thegreat officers ofdate (fays lord Claren- don) nopreferments were b f owed without her allowance, She was an ene- my to parliaments, and pufhed the king upon the molt arbitrary and un- popular actions, to raife the englijh government to a level with thefrench. It was the 0,N EE N that countenanced the irifh infurreétion ; that obli- ged the king to go to the houle of commons and feize the five members; and that was at the head of the council at Windfor, in which it was de- termined to- break with the parliament and prepare for war ; this (fays the noble hiftorian) (viz.) the king's perfects adoration of his queen, his refolution to do nothing without her, and his being inexorable as to eve- ry thing he promifed her, was the root and cauje of all other grievances. The two houles often petitioned the king ndt to admit her majefty into his councils, or to follow her advice in matters of flaw ; but he was not to be moved from his too fervile regards to her diftates, even to the day of his death. Fait comfit- Sundry others of his majefty's privy- council had their (hare in bringing dos,. on the calamities of the war, though when it broke out they were either dead difperfed or imprifoned, as the duke of Buckingham, earl of Straf= ford, archbi(hop Laud, Finch, Windebank, Noy, &c. There had been the molt bufy actors at the council- table, theßar-chamber, and court of high- commillion, and were at the headof all the monopolies and illegal projeds that enflaved the nation for above twelve years, and might have done it for
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