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Richelieu. Whilst preparing for the third expedition, the Duke was assassinated at Portsmouth by one Felton.

168. Petition of Right, 1628.-This, the second Great Charter of English liberties,' was the result of the arbitrary expedients resorted to by Charles, in order to obtain the money for his wars which the Commons would not grant him. Two Parliaments had been summoned and hastily dissolved; a third presented this petition, to which the king gave an unwilling assent, on condition that subsidies should be granted. It required (1) that no loans, taxes, or other charges, should be levied without consent of Parliament; (2) that no one should be imprisoned for refusing to pay such charges; (3) that the billeting of soldiers and marines upon citizens should be discontinued; and (4) that no commissions should be issued for the execution of martial law.

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169. The Star Chamber and High Commission.-The Star Chamber dates from the earliest period of English history. It had obtained considerable notoriety in the reign of Edward III., and its unpopular powers had been greatly restricted by various statutes passed to control its jurisdiction; but in Henry VII's time it rapidly rose again to its old eminence. The High Commission dates from Elizabeth. The former was a political, the latter a religious inquisition,' and both reached the zenith of arbitrary tyranny under Charles I. and the Primate Laud. Offenders brought before them were mercilessly fined, imprisoned, pilloried, or otherwise maltreated. Prynne, the author of 'HistrioMastix,' was pilloried and lost his ears; Dr. Leighton, for a book against prelacy, was whipped, branded, and mutilated. Both these tribunals were abolished by the Long Parliament in 1641.

170. Trial of John Hampden, 1637.-One of Charles's expedients to obtain supplies had been the revival, in 1634, of Shipmoney for the maintenance of the fleet. Formerly this tax had been confined to seaports, but it was now extended to inland towns. John Hampden, a gentleman of Buckinghamshire, refused to pay it, as being levied by arbitrary edict of the Star Chamber, at the instance of the king, in violation of the Petition of Right. He was tried, fined, and imprisoned, and his sentence greatly increased the popular irritation.

171. The Covenant and the Covenanters, 1638.-In an evil hour Charles attempted to force the English Liturgy on the Scotch. This ill-judged step produced the Covenant. The subscribers pledged themselves (1) to renounce Popery; (2) to resist religious innovation, and to defend one another against opposition.

War between England and Scotland followed. The king's forces were inadequate to the occasion, and hostilities were concluded in 1640 by the Treaty of Ripon, by which a weekly sum of 5,000l. was to be paid to the Scotch until differences were adjusted.

172. The Long Parliament, 1640-1653.-Was the fifth Parliament assembled by King Charles: it sat until its forcible dissolution, by Cromwell, in 1653. Its chief acts were the abolition of the Star Chamber and High Commission (see p. 46, s. 169), and the impeachment of Wentworth Lord Strafford and Archbishop Laud.

173. Thomas Wentworth, Lord Strafford, 1593-1641 (May 12). Strafford was at first a Parliamentarian, but afterwards joined the king's party, and became his chief adviser. He was ultimately tried, found guilty, and beheaded, upon divers charges preferred against him as President of the Council at York, as Lord Deputy of Ireland, and as Privy Councillor. The chief of these was arbitrary taxation, contrary to the Petition of Right. He was at first impeached of high treason by the Commons; but as this left the judgment in the hands of the Lords, the Commons resorted to a Bill of Attainder, by which they shared the judicial power, and thus ensured his fate.

174. William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury, 15731645.-Induced the king to attempt the introduction of the Liturgy into Scotland, and is responsible for many arbitrary measures in matters ecclesiastical. He was executed in 1645.

175. The Irish Rebellion, 1641 (September 23).—In the hope of expelling the English, the Irish Catholics, under Sir Phelim O'Neale and others, revolted and massacred thousands of Protestants, under circumstances of great barbarity.

176. The Great Remonstrance, 1641 (November 22).—This was a document drawn up by the Commons, and enumerating the offences of the king since his accession.

177. The Five Members.-Commencement of the Civil War, 1642 (August 22).—The bishops, having protested against the proceedings of Parliament as invalid, were impeached of high treason by the Commons, and placed in custody. Thereupon the king impeached in their turn Pym, Haselrig, Hampden, Holles, and Strode, the five members who had conducted the impeachment, and endeavoured to arrest them. This breach of parliamentary privilege excited such popular resentment that the king withdrew from London, and, on August 22, raised his royal standard at Nottingham. The civil war began. His followers were called Cavaliers, and those of the Parliament Roundheads.

178. Battle of Edgehill, 1642 (October 23).—Between the king and the Parliamentarians, under the Earl of Essex. A drawn battle. 179. Battle of Chalgrove Field, 1643 (June 18).—A skirmish in which Hampden was killed. (See p. 46, s. 170.)

180. First Battle of Newbury, 1643 (September 20).— Memorable by the death of Lord Falkland. The victory was undecided.

181. The Solemn League and Covenant, 1643 (September 25). This was a league between the Scots and the Parliamentarians. They were to defend each other, the Scots were to supply 21,000 men to aid in the war, and Popery, Prelacy, Heresy and Schism were to be put down. An Assembly of Divines met at Westminster to promote uniformity of worship in the two countries.

182. Battle of Marston Moor, 1644 (July 2).

183. Second Battle of Newbury, 1644 (October 27),

184. Battle of Naseby, 1645 (June 14).—In these three last battles Charles's fate was sealed by the skill and valour of General Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell-the latter of whom came into notice at Marston Moor-and the impetuosity of Prince Rupert. After Naseby, Charles gave himself up to the Scotch, who subsequently handed him over to Parliament, on receiving the arrears of pay that were due to them. (See p. 46, s. 171.)

185. Battle of Philiphaugh, 1645 (September 13). In this battle the Marquis of Montrose, a hitherto victorious adherent of the king, was defeated by the Parliamentarians.

186. The Self-denying Ordinance, 1645, rendered Members of Parliament ineligible for civil and military offices. Cromwell managed to except himself from its operation, but Essex, Manchester, and some others who were opposed to his designs, were thus got rid of.

187. Battle of Preston, 1648.-In this battle the Scots, who had taken the field for the king, were defeated by Cromwell.

188. King Charles executed, 1649.—After being confined in various places, the king was imprisoned in Carisbrooke Castle, afterwards in Hurst Castle, and then formally tried at Whitehall for levying war against his Parliament and people.

Among the causes of his fate were (1) the Irish Rebellion of 1641; (2) the ill-judged attempt to impose the English Liturgy on the Scotch, which produced the party who first attacked his crown; and (3) the disaffection of the numerous sects with which the country swarmed, some of whom (the Fifth Monarchy men, for

instance) were opposed to the supremacy of mortal man altogether and most of whom were oppressed by the king, or had been oppressed by his predecessors. He was at first successful because his followers had the greater military experience, but his ultimate failure was inevitable, because they were fewer in number than his opponents. Add to this that he had no means, and the Parliament every means of raising money.

189. THE COMMONWEALTH, 1649-1653.-The death of Charles was followed by the institution of a republic. The government was placed in the hands of a Council of State, of which Bradshaw, the king's judge, was president, and John Milton Latin secretary. Cromwell was made Lord Deputy of Ireland.

190. Battle of Dunbar, 1650.-Cromwell defeats the Covenanters.

191. Battle of Worcester, 1651.-Cromwell defeats Prince Charles, who had been crowned in Scotland, and had then marched into England. Prince Charles escaped to France.

192. The Navigation Act, 1651.-By this, no foreign commodities could be imported into this country, except in English ships, or in the ships of the country whence they came. The Parliament designed a blow at their rivals in commerce, the Dutch, who depended chiefly on their carrying trade.

193. The First Dutch War, 1652.—A succession of naval engagements ensued between the English under Blake, and the Dutch under Van Tromp, De Witt, and De Ruyter. The war was terminated by the victory of the former off the Texel, in July 1653, and the conclusion of the First Treaty of Westminster in 1654.

194. The Protectorate of OLIVER CROMWELL, 1653-1658. Foreseeing the opposition of the Long Parliament to his ambitious designs, Cromwell, with the aid of his soldiery, dissolved it suddenly. It was replaced by the so-called 'Barebones' Parliament, which subsequently resigned its power into Cromwell's hands By a document styled an Instrument of Government, drawn up by his officers, he was constituted Lord Protector for life, and provision was made for a Triennial Parliament.

195. The Spanish War, 1655-1658.-England joined Louis XIV. in his war with Spain. Jamaica, which has ever since belonged to this country, was taken by Admiral Penn and Colonel Venables. In 1658 Dunkirk was also taken by the allies, and

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handed to the English. It was afterwards sold to France by Charles II. for 500,000%.

196. The Protectorate of RICHARD CROMWELL, 1658 -1659.-In his later years Cromwell suffered much disquietude from the numerous plots against his life. At his death, his son Richard succeeded to the Protectorate; but, possessing none of the abilities of his father, he found himself the mere puppet of the generals of the army, and abdicated.

197. The Restoration, 1660.-A short period of anarchy followed the abdication of Richard Cromwell. General Monk, commander of the Scotch army, after feeling his way with great caution and dissimulation, marched into England, and finally declared for Charles II., who landed at Dover on May 25. The Restoration, as the return of the exiled family was called, was mainly attributable to Monk, whose motives, however, were too interested to entitle him to the highest praise.

198. CHARLES II., 1660-1685.-Eldest son of Charles I. and Henrietta Maria of France; married Catherine of Braganza in 1662. The 'Merry Monarch,' as he was called, was a most dismal-looking personage. His manners were easy and popular; but he was cynical, extravagant, and vicious. Reckoned merciful at the beginning of his reign, he nevertheless executed Vane and Algernon Sidney, in opposition to all rules of equity and constitutional law.

199. The Corporation Act, 1661.-The chief feature of this Act was the obliging all officers of corporate bodies to take an oath of non-resistance to kingly authority.

200. The Act of Uniformity, 1662.-Obliged all clergymen (1) to receive episcopal ordination, (2) to assent to the Book of Common Prayer, (3) to take the oath of canonical obedience, (4) to renounce the Solemn League and Covenant (which had been ordered to be burnt by the common hangman), and (5) to renounce the taking up of arms against the king. Nearly 2,000 incumbents resigned their livings rather than comply, and were styled Nonconformists.

201. The Conventicle Acts, 1664-1670.-To prevent the meeting of Nonconformists in places other than Established churches, an Act was passed prohibiting the assembling of more than a given number of persons for religious purposes. In 1670 a second Act was passed, lessening the penalties as regards the hearers, but increasing them as regards the preachers.

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