Chap. VII. The HISTORY of the PuRITANS.. 243 " undoubtedly will get a toleration in religion from the parliament of Eng· K. Charles I. '' land, unlifs you join with me in that way that I have proprfed for the dJa16 4 6 · ,, blijhing of my crou;n; or at lea~, that ~ou do not p_refs _me to do ~his._~ '' (which is yet agamfl: my confc1ence) till I ~ay do 1t Without finnmg, " which as I am confident, none of you w1ll perfuade me to do, fo I s< hope you have fo much charity, as not to put things to fuch a defperate " i!fue as to hazard the lofs of all, becaufe for the prefent you cannot " have full fatisfaClion from me in point of religion, not confidering, that Ru!hw.· " befides the other mifchiefs that may happen, it will iifallibly jet up the P· 3 28 · " innumerable fetls of the independents, nothing being more againfl your co- " venant, than the (ujj'ering theft Jchifms to encreaje." His majefl:y then Ham. men~. added, '' that he lhould be content to refl:rain epifcopal government toP· 348. " the diocefes of Oiford, lVinchdJer, Bath and Wells, and Exeter, leav- " ing all the reil: of England fully to the preibyterial difcipline, with the ")irifldl clazyes that could be thought of in an at! of' parliament, againft th( '' papijts and independents." But the Jcots would abate nothing in the article of religion; even for the overthrow of the fecraries. Duke HaNiilton left no methods unattempted to perfuade his majefty to comply, but without effeCt. When the king could not gain the commiffioners, he applied by hisSc?ts kirk friends to the kirk, who laid his propofals before the general a!fembly, ~,'1/tt tntft with his offer to make any declaration they lhould defire againfl: the inde- k~m~";;;em. pendents, and that really, without any r~[erve or equivocation; but the p. 298. kirk were as peremptory as the commiffioners; they faid the king's heart Ru!hw, was not with them, nor 'Could they depend upon his promifes 1 any longer P· 3 80 · than it was not in his power to fet them afide. In the mean time the englijh parliament were debating with the fcots commiilioners at London, the right of difpofing of the king's perfon, the latter claiming an equal right to him with the former; and the parlia– ment voted that the kingdom of' Scotland had no joint right to dijpqfe of' thi! perfon of' the king, in the kingd~m of' England. To which theJcots would hardly haOJe fubmitted, had it not been for fear of engaging in a new war, and lofingall their arrears. His majefl:y would willingly have retired in– to Sc~tland, bYt lt'he clergy of that nation would not receive him, a-sap– pears by their folemn warning to all ejlates and degrees if perjons throughout the land, dated Dec. I 7· I 646. in which they fay, " fo long as his their joletnn " majefly does not approve in his heart, and feal with his hand, the warningand " league and c~venant, we cannot but apprehend, that according to his declara·tton. "' former principles he wiU walk contrary to it, and ftudy to draw 'liS into .., the violation of lt. Befides, our receiving his majefty into Scotland at " this time, will confirm 'the !ufpkiotJ of,the En"lifh nation, of our un- ·u derhand dealing with him before he came i nto 6 our army. N'Oi' do we 1 i 2 " fee .
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