parishes and also from a number of the principal burghs, with large numbers of the gentry and commoners from the counties of Fife, Stirling, Lothian, Ayr, and Lanark, arrived in Edinburgh, all resolved to defend the purity and freedom of their national religion. This multitude crowded the streets; when lodging failed they camped at the gates and beneath the walls of the city. They came to petition the king, through his Council, against the service-book and the change in public worship. Their petitions were received, and a promise was given that they should have his Majesty's answer on October 17th.

In the middle of that month a greater number of people than before met in Edinburgh, to await the king's answer. Fresh petitions from two hundred parishes were presented. On the 17th of October, the king's answer was announced in the shape of three proclamations by the Council, which were to the effect that nothing would be done that day touching religious matters; that the petitioners should leave Edinburgh within twenty-four hours, under pain of rebellion; that the government and courts of law should remove to Linlithgow; and that all copies of a certain popular book, entitled A Dispute against the English Popish Ceremonies Obtruded upon the Church of Scotland, should be brought to the Council and publicly burned.

The petitioners resolved at once to disobey the summons, and, instead of acting merely on the defensive, to become themselves the assailants. They accordingly laid before the Privy Council a formal complaint against the prelates, accusing them directly of being the cause of all the troubles that disturbed the nation, by their lawless and tyrannical attempts to force the book of canons and the liturgy upon an unwilling Church and people. They complained also of the arbitrary nature of the proclamation commanding them to leave the town, while they were peaceably waiting for an answer to their supplication. They pointed out some of the pernicious characteristics of the books of common prayer and canons, as being subversive of the discipline established in the Scottish Church; and concluded by declaring the belief of the petitioners that all these wrongs had been committed by the bishops, and craving that these matters might be brought to trial, and decided according to justice.

This important document was subscribed by thirty-eight of the nobility, several thousand gentlemen, nearly all the ministers of the kingdom, and all the commissioners of the burghs.

The morning following the proclamations of the Council, while the bishop of Galloway was proceeding to the Council House, a mob attacked him and pursued him to the door. The crowd then surrounded the Council House, and demanded that the obnoxious lords should surrender. A part of the mob also gathered around the Town House, and, entering the lobbies, threatened that, unless the magistrates joined the citizens in opposing the liturgy, they would burn the building. When this became known to the Council, the Treasurer and the earl of Wigton forced their way to the Town House,

where they held a brief consultation with the magistrates as to the best means of dispersing the mob. The magistrates accordingly announced to the multitude without that they had acceded to the demands of the people. But the moment the Treasurer and his friends attempted to return to the Council House, they were assailed with hootings and jeers. Then a rush was made, and the Treasurer was thrown to the ground; his hat, cloak, and staff of office were torn from him, and it was with difficulty he escaped being trodden to death. He was rescued by his companions, however, and finally carried to the Council House. Here, in a short time, the magistrates joined the Council, and all of them were beset by the crowds. Many trembled for their safety, and at last it was resolved to send for the nobles who were opposed to the liturgy. By their persuasions, the crowds were dispersed, and the counsellors managed to reach their homes in safety.

Before separating, the Presbyterians agreed to meet again on the 15th of November. In the interval they exerted themselves to the utmost to secure a large meeting of the people to await an answer to their former petitions. On the appointed day, the Presbyterians assembled in the capital again, in still larger numbers. The Privy Council held a conference with their leaders, and requested the nobles to use their influence with their friends to induce them to return quietly to their homes. The nobles on the side of the petitioners maintained their right to meet and to present their grievances; but, to obviate all cause of complaint, they agreed for their party that it should act through representatives. To this the Council assented, and the petitioners accordingly appointed four permanent committees, the first consisting of as many nobles as pleased to join the party; the second, two gentlemen from every county; the third, one minister from every presbytery; and the fourth, one burgess from every burgh. These representatives formed a general commission, representing the whole body of the Presbyterians. A smaller committee was then chosen by the general commission, the members of which were to reside at Edinburgh, watch the progress of events, and be ready to communicate with the whole body on any emergency. This smaller committee was composed of sixteen persons-four noblemen, four gentlemen, four ministers, and four burgesses; and from the circumstance of their sitting in four separate rooms in the Parliament House, they were designated "The Four Tables." A member from each of these constituted a chief Table of last resort, making a supreme council of four members. At first, the Tables only took charge of the petitions, and urged them on the attention of the government; but they shortly began to form proposals for the party, to assume the functions of government, and the control of affairs ultimately passed into their hands.

On December 21, 1637, the committee of the Tables demanded of the Privy Council that their petitions should be heard. John Campbell, Earl of Loudon, boldly stated their grievances, and protested against the bishops, who were the chief delinquents, sitting as judges in their own cases. In

January, 1638, the Earl of Traquair, Lord Treasurer of Scotland, was called to London by the king, and returned to Scotland with Charles's instructions, which were soon made public. They appeared in the form of a proclamation, which declared that "the bishops were unjustly accused as being authors of the service-book and canons, seeing whatever was done by them in that matter was by his Majesty's authority and order." The proclamation further condemned all meetings and petitions against the use of the books, prohibiting all such proceedings under pain of rebellion; and ordaining that no supplicant should appear in any town where the Council was sitting under pain of treason. Traquair attempted to have this proclamation issued at Stirling before the Presbyterians could publicly protest against it; thus shutting them off from the only legal method by which the dispute could be brought before Parliament. But when the members of the Privy Council appeared in Stirling to publish the proclamation, they were met by the Lords Home and Lindsay, who read a protest, and affixed a copy of it on the market-cross beside that of the proclamation, thus preserving the constitutional right of the petitioners to appeal to Parliament. In this protest, they claimed that they should still have the right to petition the king; stated that they would not recognize the bishops as judges in any court; that they should not incur any loss for non-observance of such canons and proclamations as were contrary to the Acts of Parliament and of the General Assembly; and that if any disturbance should arise, it should not be imputed to them.

These proceedings hastened on the crisis. The Presbyterians now realized fully the extent to which the king was willing to go in supporting the bishops. At the same time, it became apparent that there was needed a closer organization and more permanent bond of union among them than that afforded by the Tables, if they expected to undertake a forcible resistance to the policy of Charles. Under these considerations it was suggested by Alexander Henderson and some of his brother ministers, that the Presbyterians should in a public manner renew their acceptance of the National Covenant. On the 26th of February the subject was openly mentioned in the churches, and it was found that there was a general desire on the part of the nation that the Covenant should be newly taken. Accordingly, Alexander Henderson and Johnstone of Warriston, an advocate, were appointed to frame an instrument to suit the present conditions, and Lords Rothes, Loudon, and Balmerino were selected to revise it. This new National Covenant consisted of three parts-the first was a copy of the negative confession, or old Covenant of 1581; the second contained a summary of the Acts of Parliament which condemned Roman Catholicism and ratified the Acts of the General Assembly establishing the Reformed Church; and the third part-written by Henderson-was the New Covenant, by which the subscribers swore in the name of the "Lord their God," that they would remain in the profession of their religion; that they would defend it to the utmost of their power from all errors; that they would stand by the king's

person in support of the true religion, the liberties, and the laws of the kingdom; and that they would stand by each other in defence of the same against all persons.

The 28th of February, 1638, was the day chosen for the signing of the Covenant. By daybreak all of the commissioners were met. The Covenant was read over to them, and each proposition discussed and agreed to. The meeting for the signing of the Covenant had been appointed for the afternoon, and crowds of people soon gathered in the Greyfriars' Church and churchyard. From all parts of the kingdom some sixty thousand people assembled; and before the commissioners appeared the church and grounds were densely filled with multitudes of Scotland's bravest and wisest sons and daughters. When the hour of two approached, Rothes, Loudon, Henderson, Dickson, and Johnstone entered, bearing a copy of the Covenant prepared for signatures. The Earl of Loudon then stood forth and spoke to the people. He made an eloquent and patriotic address touching the preservation of their religion, their duty to God, and to their country. He voiced the nation's defiance of tyrannous threatenings in these memorable words: 'We know no other bands between a king and his subjects than those of religion and the laws; and if these are broken, men's lives are not dear to them. Threatened we shall not be. Such fears are past with us.” After he had ceased speaking, Johnstone of Warriston unrolled the vast sheet of parchment and read the Covenant. Opportunity was then given for those who might have objections to offer to do so, but no objections were offered. An aged nobleman, the earl of Sutherland, was the first to sign the bond, and then name followed name in quick succession until all within the church had affixed their signatures. The parchment was then carried out to the churchyard, and placed on a flat gravestone for additional signatures. Here the scene became still more impressive. The emotions of many became irrepressible. Some wept and cried aloud; some burst into a shout of exultation; some, after their names, added the words "till death"; and some, opening a vein, subscribed with their own blood. As the space became filled, they wrote their names in a contracted form, limiting them at last to the initial letters, till not a spot remained on which another letter could be inscribed. On the next day, copies of the Covenant were circulated in Edinburgh, and carried throughout the kingdom, that by being universally signed it might become indeed a National Covenant. Before the end of April there were few parishes in Scotland in which the Covenant had not been signed by nearly all of competent age and character. Some men of no small note," wrote Henderson, "offered their subscription, and were refused, till time should prove that they joined from love of the cause and not from the fear of man." Gentlemen, ministers, citizens, laborers, assembled in crowds to swear it and sign it. In less than two months, Scotland was banded together under the Covenant.

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Word of the state of affairs in Scotland was quickly sent to King Charles

by the Council, and in April several members of that body were called to London, where in consultation with some of the bishops, the situation was thoroughly discussed by the king. His Majesty finally called to his cabinet the archbishops of Canterbury and of St. Andrews, the bishops of Galloway, Brechin, and Ross, and the marquis of Hamilton; and this council proceeded to devise measures of repression. Charles appointed Hamilton as High Commissioner, ordered him to proceed to Scotland, and among other numerous instructions gave him the following: "If you cannot, by the means prescribed by us, bring back the refractory and seditious to due obedience, we do not only give you authority, but command all hostile acts to be used against them, they having deserved to be used in no other way by us but as a rebellious people."

Lord Hamilton accordingly returned to Scotland in June, but dared not publish the royal proclamation, as he was entirely without means to enforce it. This being the case, he corresponded with his master, and it was agreed between them that he should parley with the Presbyterian party and soothe them with fair promises while the king was getting together an army. After some months spent in fruitless negotiation and quibbling with the Scots, the King finally consented to call an Assembly, just as they were getting ready to convene one for themselves. This Assembly met in the cathedral of Glasgow on November 21, 1638. It consisted of one hundred and forty ministers, freely chosen by their presbyteries, and ninety-eight ruling elders. Seventeen of the elders were noblemen, nine were knights, twenty-five were landed proprietors, and forty-seven were burgesses of good position. The marquis of Hamilton was present as the king's commissioner, instructed, as the king's correspondence shows, to use every endeavor to divide the Assembly by sowing jealousy between the clergy and laity. On no account was he to permit them to interfere with the bishops. Before it should come to that, he was to dismiss the Assembly. Notwithstanding Hamilton's persistent opposition, Alexander Henderson was elected as moderator by his associates, and Johnstone of Warriston appointed clerk of the Assembly. Hamilton offered a paper in the name of the bishops, protesting against the authority of the Assembly. He then argued on the subject, and parts of it were debated. The moderator then put the question, whether the Assembly found itself a competent judge of the bishops? Before a vote could be taken, Hamilton, aware of the temper of the meeting, arose, in the king's name dissolved the Assembly, and departed. But a protest was read against the arbitrary order of the king, a vote taken, and the Assembly continued its sittings; going on with its business of trying the bishops for their usurpation and tyranny over the Church, and for serious moral offences besides. The proceedings lasted an entire month. Bishops, and the whole fabric of prelacy, were solemnly condemned and swept out. The Reformed Church of Scotland was restored in its entirety and purity. All that had been done by the bishops in the name of the Church since 1605 was annulled. The