Chap. VIII. The HISTORY of the PuRITANs. them may be put in execution. Upon which a proclamation was King · J' j · · · 11 'IL • 11. • • {i · Charles If. 1ffued, though to very ttt e pU!·pofe, enJomu:g a po~l!u pne.tts and Je u_Its 1675 _ to depart the realm, and the laws to be put m executiOn agamft all popt!h ~recufJnts. But his maje!ty making no mention of removing them from places oj'J'he tejl att profit and trt!fl, the commons knowing where their !trength lay, fufpend ed brought into their money bill, and ordered a bill to be brought in, to confine all places tbc boufe. of profit and tru!t, to thofe only who are of the communion of the church of England: This is commonly called the tefl aB, and was levelled againil t he duke of YoYk and the prefent mini!try, who were chiefly of his perfuaGon. li\Then it was brought into the boufe, the court oppofed it with all their might, and endeavoured to divide the church party, by propofing, that fome regard might be had to prot'!flant dijfenters, hoping by this means to clog the bill, and throw it out of the houfe; upon which alderman L?ve, a diffenter, and reprefentative for the city, ftood up ·again and fa id, he hoped the claufe in favour of proteil:ant diffenters would occafion no intemperate heats; and moved, that fince it was like to prove fo confiderable a barrier againil: popery, the bill might pafs without any alteration, and that nothing might interpofe till it was finifhed, and then (fays the alderman), we [diifenters] will try if the parliament will not difiingui!h us from popijh recufants, by fome marks of their favour; but we are willing to lie under the feverity of the laws for a time, rather than clog a more neceifary work with our concerns. Thefe being the fentiments of the leading diffenters both in the houfe and without doors, the bill paffed the commons with little oppolition ; but when it Debat:r c,1me to be debated in the houfe of peers, in the king's prefence, March about zt•. 15, the whole cou rt was againil: it, except the earl of Briflol; and maintained that it was his majefl:y's prerogative to employ whom he pleafed in his fervice. Some were for having the king il:and his ground againil: the parliament. The duke of Buckingham and lord Berkley propofed bring- Burnet,. p~ ing the army to town, and taking out of both houfes the members who 348. made oppofition. Lauderda/e offered to bring an army from Scotland; lord Clijford told the king, that the people now faw through his defigns, and therefore he mufl: refolve to make himfelf mafier at once, or be for ever fubjeCI: to much jealoufy and contempt. But the earl of Shciftjlmry having cha!1ged fides, preffed the king to give the parliament full content, and then they would undertake to procure him the fupply he wanted. TI:is_ fuited the kin_g's eafy temper, who not being will ing to ri!k a fecond clVll war, went Into thefc meafures, and out of meer neceility for money, gave up the papifis, in hopes that he might afterwards recover wbat in the prefent extremity he was forced to refign. This effeCtually It receiwr broke the CAB A L, and put the roman catholics upon purfuing other t;/oyal afmeafures
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