pockets were searched for papers: Mr. Bellasis, A.D. 1640. knight of the shire for Yorkshire, and Sir John Hotham, were summoned before the council, the king being present; and, having been examined concerning some transactions in parliament, they were committed to the Fleet. Mr. Crew (afterwards Lord Crew) was required several times by the king to deliver up all petitions, papers, and complaints which he had received whilst he was chairman in the committee for religion. Mr. Crew, being unwilling to discover the names of subscribers to petitions complaining of innovations, refused to deliver them; and was therefore committed close prisoner to the Tower, where he continued till near the meeting of the parliament in November following.

"That,

The commons had likewise resolved, in the conference with the lords, there should be a protestation and saving made to preserve and keep entire the rights of the commons not to be bound by any canons that were or should be made upon any commission granted to the convocation, without their consent in parliament." The convocation, however, which used to end with the parliament, was by a new writ continued under the name of a synod; and sat till the

A.D. 1640. 29th of May.

Seventeen new canons

were

made by them; the first of which supported the doctrines of implicit and passive obedience, and declared monarchy to be of divine right. Another of the canons enjoined an oath to be taken, which was chiefly intended for the establishment of the hierarchy. These canons were confirmed by the king under the great seal. The synod, likewise, granted six subsidies, to be paid by the clergy in six years, with a penalty to be imposed upon the refusers, viz. that these should

* Lord Clarendon says, "this synod gave subsidies out of parliament, and enjoined oaths, which certainly it might not do."

Lord Digby, speaking of the convocation, in his speech in the following parliament, says, "What good Christian can think with patience on such an ensnaring oath as that which is by the new canons enjoined to be taken by all ministers, lawyers, physicians, and graduates in the universities; where, besides swearing such an impertinence as that things necessary to salvation are contained in discipline; besides swearing those to be of divine right, which amongst the

learned were never pretended to as the arch things in our hierarchy; besides the swearing not to consent to the change of that which the state may in great reason think fit to alter; besides the bottomless perjury of an etcætera ; all this men must swear that they swear freely and voluntarily, what they are compelled unto; and lastly, that they take that oath in the literal sense, whereof no two of the makers themselves, that I have heard of, could ever agree in the understanding."

Dr. Goodman, bishop of Gloucester, refusing to subscribe this oath, was suspended till he submitted.

be deprived of their functions, and should be A.D. 1640. excommunicated.

The commons had resolved, "That the complaints which had been made by petitions from the several counties concerning military charges, viz. coat and conduct money, wages and arms taken from the owners, forcing the country to buy and provide, at their charges, horses and carts by way of tax, should be made a branch of the conference." Two days after the parliament was dissolved, letters were sent from the privy council to the lords lieutenants of counties, to return the names of the principal men of the several counties who refused to pay coat and conduct money for the men to be levied there; and to commit to prison those who should refuse to receive prest money. A letter was, likewise, sent to the lord mayor of London to levy four thousand foot for the expedition against the Scotch, and for providing coat and conduct money for them.

The commons had also resolved, "That the complaints which had been made by several petitions from the counties, relating to ship-money, should be a subject of the conference." Two days after the dissolution, an order was made by the king and council, that a round course should be

A.D. 1640 taken with the high sheriffs of counties who had been negligent in the execution of the writs for ship-money; and the attorney-general was ordered to proceed in the star-chamber against the lord mayor, and sheriffs of London and Middlesex, for not distraining against persons according to the said writs; as, likewise, against the high sheriffs of York, Berks, Surrey, Leicester, Essex, Northampton, and Suffolk. And letters were sent to the sheriffs of all the other counties, requiring them to pay in at least one half of the money payable by their several counties by the last day of that month, and the other half by the 24th of June following; or they must expect to feel the smart and punishment due to their remissness.

General disgust of

The dissolution of the parliament before anythe people. thing had been done to satisfy the people, when nothing had been done to irritate the king, when the parliament had sat so short a time after so long an intermission, occasioned an universal concern and astonishment; an astonishment which was immediately converted into anger, when the public saw the king persist in his former measures. This spirit soon broke out in complaints and murmurs against his ministers. Lord

Clarendon, however, observes, "that in less than A.D. 1640. three weeks after the dissolution, by the voluntary loan of the particular lords of the council, and of other private gentlemen about the city, some relating to the court, and others strangers to it, there was no less than three hundred thousand pounds paid into the exchequer, to be issued out as his majesty should direct, which was an unanswerable evidence that the hearts of his subjects were not then alienated from their duty to the king, or a just jealousy for his honour." This loan was so far from being a voluntary one, that there was an order for the lord mayor and all the aldermen of the city of London to meet, and set down in writing the names of all such persons, inhabitants within their respective wards, as they conceived were able to lend the king upon security the sum of two hundred thousand pounds, and to set down how much, in their opinion, every person was able to lend towards the said sum; and four of the aldermen who refused to set down the names of persons as ordered, were, by warrants dated May the 10th, committed to different prisons, viz. Alderman Soanes to the Fleet, Alderman Atkyns to the King's Bench, Sir Nicholas Rainten to the Marshalsea, and

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