180 Tbe HIS T 0 R Y of the P·uRITANS~ VoL. n. K. Charles f. Moll: of the ·king's commiffioners who were not e:lfcepted out of the ar– ~ tic~e of indemnity, were for accommodating matters .b~fore they left Ux– H ifi .Stuarts, brzdge. The earl of Southampton rode poll: fremUxondge to Oxford, to P· 276. , eAtreat the king to yield fometbing to the neceffity of the times; feveral Welwood 6 s 8 of bis council p1effed him to it on their knees; and 'ris-faid his majefty mem. p. • I h 'I d · h d · d · r. was at engt preva1 e Wit , an appomte next mormng to ngn a warrant to th at purpofe, but that lvfontrojs's romantic letter, of his conquell: lb. P· 72 • in Scotland, coming. in the mean time,- made the unhappy king alter his 73 · refolution. Remarks. But there was fomething more in the aff.iir than this; lord Clarendon is of opinion, that if the king had yielded fome things to the demands of the parliamen~, relating to religion, the militia, and Ireland, there were fiill other articles in refe:rve that would have broke off the treaty; in which I cannot but agree with his lordfhip; for not to mention the gi•uing up de• linquents to the jr!flice ofparliament, of which himfelf was one, there had been as yet, no debate about the roman Catholics, whom the parlia– ment would not tolerate, and the king WdS determin ed not to give up, as appears from the correfponde nce between him(elf and the queen at this Rapin, p. time. In the queen's letter, Jan. 6. I 644- 5· lhe de fires his majefty 275· " to have a care of his honoar, and not to abandon thofe who had ferved " him-for if you agree upon firiCl:nefs aga-inll: roman catholicks, it will " · difcourage them from ferving you ; nor can you expect relief from any " roman catholic prince-" In her letter of Jan. 2 7· lhe adds, ... above " all have a care not to abandon thofe who have ferved you, as well the " bilhops as the poor ca-tholicks." In. anfwer to which, . the king writes Jan. 30. "J defi.re thee to be confident, that .t {hall never make peace "by abandoning my friends ." And Feb. 15. "Be confident, that in Rulhw. Vol. V. p. 9fl , 944. 946, 947 · " making peace I fhall ever £11ew my confidence in adhering to the bilhops, '" and all our friend s-" March 5· " I give thee power in my name, to " declare to whom thou thinkefi fit , that I will 1<1ke away all the penal '' laws ag.ainfi: the roman catholics in England, as foon as God fhail make " me able to do it, fo as by their means,. I may have fo power ful a(Jif- « tance as may deierve fo great a favour, and enable me to do it--;' As for Ireland, his rnajefi:y h<~d already commanded the duke of Ormo11d by his letter of P,,b. 27. to make peace with the papifl:s, coil: what it would. " If the fufpending P.op2ings's ad will do it (fays he) and ta~ '' king away the penal laws, I fhall not think it a hard bargain- When Jb. p. 712, " the lrijh give me that at1iftance they have promifed,. I will confent to 978. " the repeal by law.~' lt appears from hence, that the peace which the hing {eemed (o mud1 to defire was an empty found. T he qneen w,1s afra id he might be pre– vailed with to yield too far; but bis majet1y bids her be con t-ident of the cont rary,
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