372 Yhe HISTORY oj the PuRITANS. VoL. n. K. Chules I. gion, without any regard to the ancient confiitution of their country or ~ th.e funda~e~tal laws of fo.ciety.; for by the ~ormer, the king canno't be tned for his life before any mfenor court of JUftice; nor could they feign any prete~ce f~r the. latter, without the expr~fs confen~ .of the majority of the nation, ,m their perfonal or re_pre(entatlve capacities, which thefe gentlemen never pretended. But fince all parties have endeavoured to throw off the odium of this fatal event from them(elves, it may not be improper to fet before the reader the fentiments of our bell: hiftorians upon this head, leaving every one to draw what conclufion from them he pleafes. Of the king Not to infifl: upon the king's fervile fondnefs for his queen and htr a~d hu cbfriends ; his refolute fiiffnefs for his old principles of government in church Wh~· Mem. and fl:ate ; his untimely and ungracious manner of yielding to what he p. 335· could not avoid; his difl:ant and referved behaviour towards thofe who Coke's De- were only capable of ferving him, and his manifefl: doubling between the tc~. P· 33r, parliament and army, which fame very reafonably apprehend were the 33 • principal caufes of all his misfortunes, Mr. Whitlock and Mr. Coke lay a good deal of blame on his majefl:y's chaplains; the latter reproaches them with infifiing peremptorily to the lafl: upon the divine right of epifcopacy; and the former for continual wbifpering in the king's ears the importance of preferving the revenues of the church to the hazard of his perfon and kingdom; and furely if thf!fi! 7varm and eager divines could have difentang– led his majefl:y's confcience (which Mr. Whitlock apprehends was not fully fatisfieJ), as foon as the cavaliers had been difperfed, and the fcots beaten out of the field, the mifchief that followed might have been prevented, I will not take upon me to fay how far their influence might reach, tho' his majefiy's profound deference.to their judgment was notorious; but the conviClion does not feem impraClicable, when it is remembered the king was of opinion, that what he yielded through the necejjity of his affairs was not binding when he jhou!d be at liberty ; but neither his majefl:y nor his clergy forefa w the ilfue. Of the prefMo~ of t.he wr!ters o.n the king's fide, as wel! the pre~c.her~ fince the byterians. refl:orat10n, m the1r anmverfary fermons, have with great lllJUfiice charged the presbyterians with bringing the king to the block, contrary to the firongell: and mofl: convincing evidence; for though their ftiffnefs for the divine 1·ight if prejbytery, and their antipathy to liberty qf confcience, is not to be vindicated, yet I apprehend enough has been faid in the foregoing pages, to clear them from this unrighteous charge; if the zeal of the presh)lferians for their di.fcipline an"d covenant was culpable, the behaviour of the king and. his divines in the oppofition was no lefs fo, confidering he was.a prifo– ner, and in the hands of a viClorious parliament; neither fide were fenfi,. ble of the danger till it was too late. but when the fl:orm was ready to - budt
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