1622.]

PARLIAMENT DISSOLVED.

383

the Commons against the Crown. The king dissolved the parliament, and imprisoned the earl of Oxford, and the leading members of the Commons. The struggle which was to be fought out in the battle-field, twenty years

afterwards, was already commenced in a most unmistakeable manner. It was a contest for first principles. England was to be a Constitutional Monarchy or a Despotism. The parliament being dissolved, James again resorted to a Benevolence-a voluntary contribution of the people, as the courtiers pretended. Its voluntary character may be understood from a little incident: "A merchant of London, who had been a cheesemonger, but now rich, was sent for by the Council, and required to give the king 2001., or to go into the Palatinate and serve the army with cheese, being a man of eighty years of age." *

The king, who publicly declared that "he would govern according to the good of the commonweal but not according to the common-will," + went on with his Spanish negotiation in utter defiance of the public feeling. His son-inlaw was now a refugee at the Hague, with his queen,-a favourite of the English, and their family. Their misfortunes, as well as the defeat of the principle which they represented, excited the warmest sympathy. In no point of policy was there any concord between the government and the people. In February, 1623, London was startled with the extraordinary news that the prince of Wales and Villiers, now marquis of Buckingham, had gone off privately for Madrid. The negotiation for the marriage with the Spanish princess had been nearly concluded by the earl of Bristol, a special ambassador to the court of the young king Philip IV., the brother of the Infanta. A dispensation from the pope was only waited for; and James had "Letter of Mr. Mcad," February, 1622. Ellis, Second Series, vol. iii. p. 240. +Ibid.

384

PRINCE CHARLES AND VILLIERS IN SPAIN.

(1623. himself written to his Holiness to urge the favour. He promised all sorts of toleration; and to give an earnest of his disposition, suddenly released from prison a large number of Popish recusants, to the great anger of the Puritans. The motives for the strange proceeding of the prince and the favourite remain a mystery. Clarendon holds that Villiers originated the scheme to gain favour with the prince, who had been long jealous of him. The king was at first greatly opposed to the adventure, which was not without its danger. Smith seems to be a favourite name for disguised princes. Charles was John Smith, and the marquis Thomas Smith. They were accompanied by sir Richard Graham. They got to Dover, after some awkward enquiries, and there were joined by sir Francis Cottington and Mr. Endymion Porter. They reached Paris, and in their disguise had a peep at the Court, and saw the princess Henrietta Maria, the lady whose good or evil destiny to be the future queen of England overruled that of the Spanish princess. On the 7th of March the "sweet boys and dear ventrous knights, worthy to be put in a new romanso," as James termed them, arrived at Madrid. Howell, one of the most amusing of letter-writers, was then in the Spanish capital, and he describes how "to the wonderment of all the world, the prince and the marquis of Buckingham arrived at this court." He tells how they alighted at my lord of Bristol's house; how Mr. Thomas Smith came in at first with a portmantle, whilst Mr. John Smith staid on the other side of the street in the dark; how Bristol brought in the prince to his bed-chamber; how the marquis the next day had a private audience of the king of Spain; how the king came to visit the prince; how the royal family went out in a coach, the Infanta having a blue ribbon about her arm that the prince might distinguish her as he took the air on the Prado; and how when the lady saw her lover her colour rose very high. The prince and his companion were seven months absent from England. To attempt to follow out the course of the intrigues that took place during this period, would be far beyond our limits; nor do we conceive that, however amusing may be the relations of court festivities, the bull fights and the tournaments, the processions and the banquets, with which the heir of England's throne was received, they are necessary to be here detailed. That Charles was conducting himself with that duplicity which belonged to his nature is agreed on all hands. He was ready to promise, not only toleration for the Roman Catholics in England, but that he would never engage in any hostile measure against the Church of Rome; but on the contrary would endeavour to bring about an unity in one faith and one church.* In August James made oath to certain articles which had been agreed upon that the Infanta, with her suite, was to be allowed the exercise of her religion; that the early education of her children should be intrusted to her; that even if they should remain Catholic their right of succession should not be interfered with. The king also promised not to trouble the Catholics in the private exercise of their religion; nor to impose any oath against their faith; and to endeavour to obtain from parliament a repeal of all penal laws against them. If the marriage had taken place, and these conditions had been observed, England would infallibly have been plunged into civil war. As it was, after a long course of deceit either to the court of Spain or to the people of England, or

*See Ranke, vol. ii. p. 500.

1624.]

PARLIAMENT-WAR-MONOPOLIES.

385

to both, Charles and Buckingham returned home. The ministers of Spain had interposed many vexatious delays whilst Charles was at Madrid, and had attempted to take advantage of his presence. He made engagements which he would not have ventured to fulfil; and he sanctioned misrepresentations for his vindication when he returned to England. Buckingham was jealous of the earl of Bristol; and he conceived a dislike of the Spanish court, to which his insolent manners and his gross licentiousness were displeasing. His personal resentments, and perhaps the tastes of the prince, destroyed the web of policy which James had been so long weaving. The king had been quite willing to surrender all the outworks which defended England against a new invasion of papal supremacy, in his desire for a marriage which would give his son a princess with a great dowry, and secure, as he fondly expected, the restoration of his son-in-law to his hereditary dominions. The people would have made no compromise with Spain, and they would have boldly sought to settle the affairs of the Palatinate by the sole argument which the Catholic powers would have regarded, success in arms. When the prince and Buckingham returned home, and the marriage treaty was broken off, there was universal rejoicing. The duke became immediately popular; and in his confidence in the altered tone of public feeling he persuaded the king to summon a parliament. It met on the 19th of February, 1624. The houses confided in Buckingham's artful representations of his conduct in the transactions with Spain; and he was hailed by Coke, in the Commons, as the saviour of his country. The king was all graciousness. It was resolved that a grant to the extent of 300,000l. should be made, for the specific purpose of recovering the Palatinate; and the war was thus necessarily a war against Spain, united as she was with the other branch of the house of Austria in holding the dominions of the Elector and in endeavouring to destroy Protestantism in Europe. In this Session of three months a great good was sought to be accomplished by the passing of a Statute which declared all monopolies to be contrary to law, and all such grants to be void.* struggle to effect this object had been a long one. The promises of the Crown had been constantly broken; but now, by a solemn Act of Parliament, the exclusive privileges to use any trade and to sell any merchandise were declared to be contrary to the ancient and fundamental laws of the realm, and all grants and dispensations for such monopolies to be of none effect. How the Statute was respected will be seen in the next reign.

The

B-:

In this last parliament of James, there was unquestionably a better understanding between the Crown and the representatives of the people: practical concord that, under a new king, might have been improved into a co-operation for the general good, if the altered condition of society had been understood by both parties. The Commons had now acquired a full confidence in their own strength. They impeached Cranfield earl of Middlesex, lord treasurer of England, for bribery and other misdemeanours. He was convicted, after a trial before the Peers, conducted by managers on the part of the Commons; was fined 50,000l.; and was declared incapable of sitting in parliament. Buckingham's jealousy of the lord treasurer's power is held to have contributed to this result. The king warned his son and his favourite

* 21 Jac. I. c. 3.

VOL. III.

c c

386

'DEATH OF KING JAMES.

I

that they might live to have their fill of parliamentary impeachments; but could not resist the united force of public justice and private intrigue. Fr the time of the failure of the Spanish treaty, the monarch who claimed to absolute felt that he was powerless. He had lost even the respect his son; his insolent minion despised him. He was forced into war again his will; and the war brought him no honour, whilst it absorbed his revenue An army of twelve thousand men was raised in England for the service of th Elector Palatine. Half the number were lost from sickness by being embarke in foul and crowded ships; and their commander, Count Mansfeldt, was not strong enough to undertake any offensive operations. England was not in any very glorious attitude. The people became discontented; and their dis contents were not lightened when another negociation was set on foot for the marriage of prince Charles with a princess of France, in which country Catholicism was again becoming intolerant and persecuting.

In March, 1625, king James was taken ill at Theobalds. He died on the 27th of that month, in the fifty-ninth year of his age, and in the twenty-third year of his reign.