They never gave up the right of grant ing fubfidies. Henry VIII. laws of treason abolished by Edward VI. alone could furnifh him with the means of exercifing it; and whether it was, that the members of this tion. "Under Edward the Sixth the abfurd tyrannical laws against high treafon instituted under Henry the Eighth his predeceffor were abolished. But this young and virtuous prince having foon paffed away, the blood-thirsty Mary aftonifhed the world with cruelties, which nothing but the fanaticism of a part of her fubjects could have enabled her to execute. "Under the long and brilliant reign of Elizabeth England began to breath anew; and the proteftant religion being feated once more on the throne brought with it fome more freedom and toleration. "The ftar chamber, that effectual inftrument of the tyranny of the two Henrys, yet continued to fubfift; the inquifitorial tribunal of the high commiffion was even inftituted; and the yoke of arbitrary power lay ftill heavy on the fubject. But the general affection of the people for a queen, whofe former misfortunes had created fuch a general concern, the imminent dangers, which England escaped, and the extreme glory attending that reign leffened the fenfe of fuch exertions of authority, as would in thefe days appear the height of tyranny, and ferved at that time to justify, as they still do excufe a princess, whose great talents, though not her principles of government, render her worthy of being ranked among the greatest fovereigns. Arbitrary though prof perous reign of Elizabeth. of the king's "Under the reign of the Stuarts the nation began to recover from its long lethargy. James the First, a prince rather imprudent James I, boafts than tyrannical drew back the veil, which prerogatives. had hitherto disguised fo many ufurpations, and made an oftentatious difplay of what his predeceffors had been contented to enjoy. "He was inceffantly afferting, that the authority of kings was not to be controuled, any more than that of God himself. Like him they were omnipotent; and those privileges, to which the people fo clamorously laid claim, as their inheritance and birthright, were thefe high no were no more than an effect of the grace and toleration of his royal ancestors*. "Those principles hitherto only filently adopted in the cabinet, and in the courts of justice had maintained their ground in conPublication of fequence of this very obfcurity. Being now tions of royalty announced from the throne, and refounded caufed them to from the pulpit they fpread an univerfal be canvaffed. Storm gathered under James which burst upon Charles I. Improvements in the conftitution under Charles I. alarm. Commerce befides with its attendant arts, and above all that of printing, diffused more falutary notions throughout all orders of the people; a new light began to rise upon the nation; and the fpirit of oppofition frequently displayed itself in this reign, to which the English monarchs had not for a long time past been accustomed. "But the ftorm, which was only gathering in clouds during the reign of James, began to mutter under Charles the Firft his fucceffor; and the scene, which opened to view on the acceffion of that prince prefented the most formidable afpect." "By the famous act, called the petition of right, and another pofterior act, to both which he affented, the compulfory loans and taxes difguifed under the name of benevo * See his declaration made in Parliament, in the years 1610 and 1621. + De Lolme, p. 50. & feq. lences were declared to be contrary to law; arbitrary imprisonments, and the exercise of the martial law were abolished; the court of high commiffion, and the star-chamber were fuppreffed*; and the conftitution freed from the apparatus of defpotic powers, with which the Tudors had obfcured it, was reftored to its ancient luftre. Happy had been the people if their leaders, after having executed fo noble a work, had contented themfelves with the glory of being the benefactors of their country. Happy had been the king, if obliged at laft to fubmit, his fubmiffion had been fincere, and if he had become fufficiently fenfible, that the only resource he had left was the affection of his fubjects. "But Charles knew not how to furvive the lofs of a power he had conceived to be indifputable; he could not reconcile himself to limitations and reftraints fo injurious according to his notions to fovereign authority. His difcourfe and conduct betrayed his fecret The ftar-chamber differed from all the other courts of law in this; the latter were governed only by the common law, or immemorial custom, and acts of parliament; whereas the former often admitted for law the proclamations of the king in council, and grounded its judgments upon them. The abolition of this tribunal therefore was justly looked upon as a great victory over regal authority. defigns ; Circumstances defigns; diftrust took poffeffion of the na which led to the fall of Charles I. tion; certain ambitious perfons availed them Vain efforts to eftablish a de felves of it to promote their own views ; and the ftorm, which feemed to have blown over burft forth anew; the contending fanaticism of perfecuting fects joined in the conflict between regal haughtiness and the ambition of individuals; the tempeft blew from every point of the compafs; the conftitution was rent afunder, and Charles exhibited in his fall an awful example to the universe. "The regal power being thus annihilated, mocratical go- the English made fruitless attempts to fubftitute a republican government in its stead. vernment in England. It was a curious fpectacle,' fays Montefquieu, 'to behold the vain efforts of the English to establish among themselves a democracy." Subjected at first to the power of the principal leaders in the long parliament, they saw that power expire, only to pass without bounds into the hands of a protector. They faw it afterwards parcelled out among the chiefs of different bodies of troops; and thus fhifting without end from one kind of fubjection to another, they were at length convinced, that an attempt to establish liberty in a great nation, by making the people interfere in the common bufinefs of government, |