to hear it, and therefore they might leave the church; an hint which the congregation quickly obeyed. It may eafily, therefore, be fuppofed that the petitioning bishops had little to dread from the utmoft efforts of royal refent

ment.

As the petition was delivered in private, the king fummoned the bishops before the council, and there queftioned them whether they would acknowledge it? They for fome time declined giving an answer; but being urged by the chancellor, they at laft owned the petition. On their refufal to give bail, an order was immediately drawn for their commitment. to the Tower, and the crown-lawyers received directions to profecute them for a feditious. libel.

The king gave orders that they should be conveyed to the Tower by water, as the whole city was in commotion in their favour. The people were no fooner informed of their danger, than they ran to the river fide, which was lined with incredible multitudes. As the reverend prifoners paffed, the populace fell upon their knees; and their knees; and great numbers ran into the water, craving their bleffing, calling upon Heaven to protect them, and encouraging them to fuffer nobly in the caufe of religion.

The

The bishops were not wanting, by their fubmiffive and humble behaviour, to raise the pity of the fpectators; and they still exhorted them to fear God, honour the king, and maintain their loyalty. The very foldiers, by whom they were guarded, kneeled down before them, and implored their forgivenefs. Upon landing, the bishops immediately went to the Towerchapel to render thanks for those afflictions. which they fuffered in the caufe of truth.

The twenty-ninth day of June was fixed for their trial; and their return was ftill more fplendidly attended than their imprisonment. Twenty-nine peers, a great number of gentlemen, and an immenfe crowd of people, waited upon them to Weftminster-hall. The cause was looked upon as involving the fate of the nation, and future freedom, or future flavery awaited the decifion. The difpute was learnedly managed by the lawyers on both fides. Holloway and Powel, two of the judges, declared themselves in favour of the bishops. The jury withdrew into a chamber, where they paffed the whole night; but next morning they returned into court, and pronounced the bishops, Not guilty. Westminster-Hall inftantly rang with loud acclamations, which were communicated to the whole extent of

the

the city. They even reached the camp at Hounslow, where the king was at dinner, in lord Feverfham's tent. His majesty demanding the cause of thofe rejoicings, and being informed that it was nothing but the foldiers shouting at the delivery of the bishops, "Call you "that nothing, cried he; but so much the "worse for them."

If the bishops teftified the readiness of martyrs in fupport of their religion, James fhewed no less ardour in his attempts toward the establishment of his own. Grown odious to every class of his fubjects, he still resolved to perfist; for it was a part of his character, that those measures he once embraced he always perfevered in pursuing. He struck out two of the judges, Powel and Holloway, who had appeared to favour the bishops. He iffued orders to profecute all those clergymen who had not read his declaration, and all had refused it, except two hundred. He fent a mandate to the new fellows, whom he had obtruded on Magdalen College, to elect for prefident, in the room of Parker, lately deceased, one Gifford, a doctor of the Sorbonne, and titular bishop of Madura.

As he found the clergy every where averse to the harshness of his proceedings, he was

willing

willing to try next what he could do with the army. He thought if one regiment should promise implicit obedience, their example would foon induce others to comply. He therefore ordered one of the regiments to be drawn up in his prefence, and defired that fuch as were against his late declaration of liberty of conscience should lay down their arms, He was surprised to fee the whole battalion. ground their arms, except two officers, and a few roman catholic foldiers.

Oppofition only ferved to enflame this infatuated monarch's zeal. He was continually stimulated by the queen, and the priests about him, to go forward without receding. A fortunate circumftance happened in his family. A few days before the acquittal of the bishops, the queen was brought to bed of a fon, who was baptifed by the name of James. This would, if any thing could at that time, have served to establish him on the throne; but fo great was the animofity against him, that a story was propagated that the child was fuppofititious, and brought to the queen's apartment in a warming-pan. But fo great was this monarch's pride, that he scorned to take any precautions to refute the calumny. Indeed all his measures were marked with the characters of pride, cruelty,

bigotry,

bigotry, and weak nefs. In thefe he was chiefly supported by Father Peters, his confeffor, an ambitious, ignorant, and intriguing priest, whom fome fcruple not to call a concealed creature belonging to the prince of Orange. By that prince's fecret directions, it is afferted, though upon no very good authority, that James was hurried on, under the guidance of Peters, from one precipice to another, until he was obliged to give up the reins of that government which he went near to overthrow.

CHAP.