messenger, and asked him, "What was become of the priest he had at such a time brought before " him?" He told him, “ that he conceived his “honour had been offended with the apprehension

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of him, and therefore he had looked no farther "after him." The secretary in much passion told him, "the discharging a priest was no light matter; " and that if he speedily found him not, he should answer the default with his life; that the priest was a dangerous fellow, and must not escape in "that fashion." The messenger, besides his natural inclination to that exercise, terrified with those threats, left no means untried for the discovery, and at last heard where the man was in execution in prison thither he went, and demanded the priest (who was not there known to be such) as his prisoner formerly, and escaped from him; and by virtue of his first warrant took him again into his custody, and immediately carried him to the secretary; and within few days after, the priest was discharged, and at liberty. The jailor, in whose custody he had been put for debt, was arrested by the parties grieved, and he again sued the messenger, who appealed for justice to the house of commons against the secretary.

And this case had been presented to the committee, and was ready to be reported, with all those warrants under his own hand before mentioned, at the time when secretary Windebank was in the house. Besides that, he was charged by the lords, by message or at a conference, for the breach of privilege at the dissolution of the last parliament, and signing warrants for the searching the studies and

papers of some members; for which, according to the doctrine then received, he might have been put into the custody of the sergeant of the house. But as the last occasion was not laid hold of, because it would have inevitably involved his brother secretary, sir Harry Vane, who was under the same charge, and against whom indeed that charge was aimed so, it seems, they were contented he should make an escape from any trial for the rest; either, because they thought his place would be sooner void by his flight than by his trial, which would have taken up some time, and required some formality, they [having] designed that place to Mr. Hollis; or, that they thought he would, upon any examination, draw in somewhat to the prejudice of sir Henry Vane, whom they were to protect: and so they were well content with his escape; so the house deferred the farther debate till the next morning, before which time he chose to retire, and transported himself into France.

Having made their first entrance upon business with this vigour, they proceeded every day with the same fervour; and he who expressed most warmth against the court and the government, was heard with the more favour; every day producing many formed elaborate orations against all the acts of state which had been done for many years preceding. That they might hasten the prosecution of the earl of Strafford, which was their first great design, they made a close committee of such members as they knew to be most for their purpose, who should, under an obligation of secrecy, prepare the heads of a charge against him; which had been never heard of before in parliament: and

that they might be sure to do their business effectually, they sent a message to the house of peers, to desire them "to nominate a select committee "likewise of a few, to examine upon oath such "witnesses, as the committee of the house of commons for preparing the charge against the "earl of Strafford should produce before them, "and in their presence, and upon such interroga"tories as they should offer;" which, though it was without precedent or example, the lords presently consented to, and named such men as knew well what they had to do. Then they caused petitions to be every day presented, by some who had been grieved by any severe sentences in the starchamber, or committed by the lords of the council, against lords lieutenants of counties, and their deputy lieutenants, for having levied money upon the country, for conducting and clothing of soldiers, and other actions of a martial nature, (which had been always done by those officers so qualified, from the time of queen Elizabeth, and was practised throughout her reign,) and against sheriffs, for having levied ship-money. Upon all which petitions (the matter being pressed and aggravated still upon every particular by some member of note and authority, upon which) all the acts how formal and judicial soever, and without so much as hearing the sentences or judgments read, were voted "to be illegal, and against the liberty and property "of the subject; and that all who were guilty of "such proceedings should be proceeded against "for their presumption, and should likewise pay` "damages to the persons injured."

By which general votes (all passed within three

or four days after the sitting of the parliament) they had made themselves so terrible, that all privy-counsellors, as well for what they had done at the board, as in the star-chamber; (where indeed many notable sentences had passed, with some excess in the punishment ;) all lords lieutenants, who for the most part were likewise counsellors, whereof all were of the house of peers; and then all who were deputy lieutenants, or had been sheriffs since the first issuing out of writs for the collection of ship-money, whereof very many were then of the house of commons; found themselves involved under some of those votes, and liable to be proceeded against upon the first provocation; whereby they were kept in such awe, both in the one house and the other, as if they were upon their good behaviour, that they durst not appear to dislike, much less to oppose, whatsoever they proposed.

All persons imprisoned for sedition by the starchamber upon the most solemn examination and the most grave deliberation, were set at liberty, that they might prosecute their appeals in parliament. In the mean time, though there were two armies in the bowels of the kingdom, at the monthly expense of no less than one hundred and fifty thousand pounds, care was taken only to provide money to pay them, without the least mention that the one should return into Scotland, and the other be disbanded, that so that vast expense might be determined: but, on the contrary, frequent insinuations were given, "that many great things were "first to be done before the armies disband;" only they desired the king "that all papists might

"be forthwith cashiered out of his army," which his majesty could not deny; and so some officers of good account were immediately dismissed.

It will not be impertinent nor unnatural to this present discourse, to set down in this place the present temper and constitution of both houses of parliament, and of the court itself, that it may be the less wondered at, that so prodigious an alteration should be made in so short a time, and the crown fallen so low, that it could neither support itself and its own majesty, nor them who would appear faithful to it.

Of the house of peers, the great contrivers and designers were-The earl of Bedford, a wise man, and of too great and plentiful a fortune to wish a subversion of the government; and it quickly appeared, that he only intended to make himself and his friends great at court, not at all to lessen the court itself.

The lord viscount Say, a man of a close and reserved nature, of a mean and a narrow fortune, of great parts, and of the highest ambition, but whose ambition would not be satisfied with offices and preferment, without some condescensions and alterations in ecclesiastical matters. He had for many years been the oracle of those who were called puritans in the worst sense, and steered all their counsels and designs. He was a notorious enemy to the church, and to most of the eminent churchmen, with some of whom he had particular contests. He had always opposed and contradicted all acts of state, and all taxes and impositions, which were not exactly legal, and so had as eminently and as obstinately refused the payment of