"

"and fo that they had blanched all sharp and " odious mention of Ship-Money, because it could hardly be touched without fome reflection upon "the Lord Keeper Finch, who had acted fo "odious a part in it, and who, fince the meeting "of the Great Council at York, had rendered " himself very gracious to them, as a man who "would facilitate many things to them, and "therefore fit to be preferved and protected.

Whereupon the Lord Falkland took notice of "the business of Ship-Money, and very sharply " mentioned the Lord Finch as being the prin

cipal promoter of it; and that, being a fworn Judge of the Law, he had not only given his judgment against law, but had been the foli"citor to corrupt all the other Judges to concur a with him in their opinion; and concluded, that "no man ought to be more feverely profecuted "than he. It was very fenfible that the leading "men were much troubled at this discourse, and "defired to divert it; fome of them propofing

(in regard we had very much and great business

upon our hands in neceffary preparation) we "fhould not embrace too much together, but

fufpend the debate of Ship-Money for some time, till we could be more vacant to purfue it, "and fo were ready to pafs to fome other matter. Upon which Mr. Hyde infifted upon what the "Lord Falkland had faid, that this was a parti

es

" cular

cular of a very extraordinary nature, which ought to be examined without delay, because "the delay would probably make the future exa"mination to no purpofe; and therefore pro"pofed, that immediately, whilft the House of "Commons was fitting, a fmall Committee might "be appointed, who, dividing themselves into the "number of two and two, might vifit all the Judges, "and ask them apart, in the name of the House, "What meffages the Lord Finch (when he was "Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas) "had brought to them from the King in the "bufinefs of Ship-Money? and, Whether he had. "not folicited them to give judgment for the King in that cafe? Which motion was fo

generally approved of by the House, that a Com"mittee of eight perfons (whereof himself was

"one) was prefently fent out of the House to "vifit the feveral Judges, moft whereof were at "their Chambers; and Juftice Croke and fome "other of the Judges (being furprised with the

:

queftions, and preffed earnestly to make clear " and categorical anfwers) ingenuously acknowledged that the Chief Juftice Finch had frequently (whilst the matter was depending) earnestly folicited them to give their judgment "for the King, and often used his Majefty's name. "to them, as if he expected that compliance from "them. The Committee (which had divided "themselves

"themselves to attend the feveral Judges) agreed "to meet at a place appointed to communicate the "substance of what they had been informed of, " and agreed upon the method of their report to "the House, which they could not make till the "next morning, it being about ten of the clock they were sent out of the House.

"That Committee was no fooner withdrawn,

(which confifted of men of more temperate fpirits than the Leaders were poffeffed with,) « but without any occafion given by any debate, "or coherence with any thing propofed or men«tioned, an obfcure perfon inveighed bitterly

against the Archbishop of Canterbury; and "there having been a very angry vote paffed the "House two days before, upon a sudden debate

upon the Canons which had been made by the "Convocation after the diffolution of the last "Parliament (a feafon in which the Church "could not reafonably hope to do any thing that "would find acceptation); upon which debate "they had declared, by a vote, that thofe Canons "were against the King's prerogative, the funda"mental laws of the realm, the liberty and pro

perty of the fubject, and that they contained "divers other things tending to fedition, and of dangerous confequence; Mr. Grimstone took "occafion (from what was faid of the Archbishop) "to put them in mind of their vote upon the "Canons,

"Canons, and faid, that the prefumption in fitલ ting after the diffolution of the Parliament, (contrary to custom, if not contrary to law,) " and the framing and contriving all these Canons, (which contained fo much fedition,) was all to "be imputed to the Archbishop; that the Scots "had required juftice against him from his being

a chief incendiary and caufe of the war be"tween the two nations; that this kingdom "looked upon him as the author of all those "innovations in the Church which were intro"ductive to Popery, and as a joint contriver with "Lord Strafford to involve the Nation in flavery; and therefore proposed that he might be pre

fently accused of high treason, to the end that " he might be fequeftered from the Council, and "no more repair to the prefence of the King

(with whom he had fo great credit, that the Earl of Strafford himfelf could not do more "mischief by his councils and infufions). This "motion was no fooner made but feconded and

thirded, and found fuch a general acceptation, that, without confidering that of all the envious particulars whereof the Archbishop stood ac"cufed there was no one which amounted to "treason, they forthwith voted that it fhould be

fo, and immediately promoted Mr. Grimstone "to the meffage, who prefently went up to the "House of Peers; and being called on, he, in

"the

"the name of all the Commons of England, accused "the Archbishop of Canterbury of high treason " and other misdemeanors, and concluded in the "fame style they had used in the cafe of the Lord "Lieutenant of Ireland. Upon which the poor

cr

Archbishop (who ftoutly profeffed his inno"cence) was brought on the Bar upon his knees, " and thence committed to the custody of Maxwell, the Gentleman Uther of the Black Rod,

(from whence the Earl of Strafford had been "fent a few days before to the Tower, where he " remained many months before they brought in "a particular charge against him.

"Notwithstanding which brifk proceeding against the Archbishop, (when the Committee "the next morning made their report of what the "feveral Judges had faid concerning the Lord

Finch,) they were wonderfully indisposed to "hear anything against him; and though many spoke with great sharpness of him, and how fit "it was to profecute him in the same manner and

"

"

by the fame logic they had proceeded with against the other two, yet they required more "particulars to be formally fet down of his mif

carriage, and made another Committee to take "farther examination (in which Committee Mr.

Hyde likewife was): and when the report was "made, within a few days, of feveral very high " and imperious mifcarriages, (befides what re"lated