BISHOP HALL'S HARD MEASURE.

NOTHING could be more plain then, upon the call of this parliament and before, there was a general plot and resolution of the faction to alter the government of the church especially, the height and insolency of some church governors, as was conceived, and the ungrounded imposition of some innovations upon the churches, both of Scotland and England, gave a fit hint to the project. In the vacancy, therefore, before the summons, and immediately after it, there was great working secretly for the designation and election as of knights and burgesses, so especially (beyond all former use), of the clerks of convocation; when now the clergy were stirred up to contest with, and oppose their diocesans, for the choice of such men as were most inclined to the favour of an alteration. The parliament was no sooner sat than many vehement speeches were made against established church government, and enforcement of extirpation, both root and branch; and because it was not fit to set upon all at once,

the resolution was to begin with those bishops which had subscribed to the canons then lately published, upon the shutting up of the former parliament, whom they would first have had accused of treason. But that not appearing feasible, they thought best to indict them of very high crimes and offences against the king, the parliament, and kingdom, which was prosecuted with great earnestness by some prime lawyers in the House of Commons, and entertained with like fervency by some zealous lords in the House of Peers; every of those particular canons being pressed to the most envious and dangerous height that was possible. The Archbishop of York (was designed for the report), aggravating M. Maynard's criminations to the utmost, not without some interspersions of his own. The counsel of the accused bishops gave in such a demurring answer as stopped the mouth of that heinous indictment. When this prevailed not, it was contrived to draw petitions accusatory from many parts of the kingdom, against episcopal government, and the promoters of the petitions were entertained with great respects; whereas the many petitions of the opposite part, though subscribed with many thousand hands, were slighted and disregarded. Withal, the rabble of London, after their petitions cunningly and upon other pretences procured, were stirred up to come to the houses personally to crave justice

both against the Earl of Strafford first, and then against the Archbishop of Canterbury, and last, against the whole order of bishops; which coming at first unarmed, were checked by some well willers, and easily persuaded to gird on their rusty swords, and so accoutred came by thousands to the house, filling all the outer rooms, offering foul abuses to the bishops as they passed, crying out, No bishops! No bishops; and at last, after divers days assembling, grown to that height of fury, that many of them, whereof Sir Richard Wiseman professed (though to his cost) to be captain, came with resolution of some violent courses, insomuch that many swords were drawn hereupon at Westminster, and the rout did not stick openly to profess that they would pull the bishops in pieces. Messages were sent down to them from the lords; they still held firm both to the place and their bloody resolutions. It now grew to be torchlight, one of the lords, the Marquis of Hertford, came up to the bishops' form, told us we were in great danger, advised us to take some course for our safety; and being desired to tell us what he thought was the best way, counselled us to continue in the parliament house all that night; for (saith he) these people vow they will watch you at your going out, and will search every coach for you with torches, so as you cannot escape. Hereupon the house of lords was moved for some order for preventing

their mutinous and riotous meetings. Messages were sent down to the house of commons to this purpose more than once; nothing was effected; but for the present (for all the danger was at the rising of the house), it was earnestly desired of the lords that some care might be taken for our safety. The motion was received by some lords with a smile, some other lords, as the Earl of Manchester, undertook the protection of the Archbishop of York and his company (whose shelter I went under) to their lodgings; the rest, some of them by their long stay, others by secret and far fetched passages escaped home. It was not for us to venture any more to the house without some better assurance: upon our resolved forbearance, therefore, the Archbishop of York sent for us to his lodging at Westminster, lays before us the perilous condition we were in, advises for remedy (except we meant utterly to abandon our right and to desert our station in Parliament), to petition both his majesty and the parliament, that since we were legally called by his majesty's writ to give our attendance in parliament, we might be secured in the performance of our duty and service against those dangers that threatened us; and withal to protest against any such acts as should be made during the time of our forced absence, for which he assured us there were many presidents in former parliament, and which if we did not, we should betray the

trust committed to us by his majesty, and shamefully betray and abdicate the due right both of ourselves and successors. To this purpose, in our presence, he drew up the said petition and protestation, avowing it to be legal, just, and agreeable to all former proceedings, and being fair written, sent it to our several lodgings for our hands, which we accordingly subscribed, intending yet to have some further consultation concerning the delivering and whole carriage of it. But ere we could suppose it to be in any hand but his own, the first news we heard was, that there were messengers addressed to fetch us into the parliament upon an accusation of high trea

son.

For whereas this paper was to have been delivered first to his majesty's secretary, and after perusal by him to his majesty, and after from his majesty to the parliament, and for that purpose to the lord keeper, the Lord Littleton, who was the speaker of the house of peers; all these professed not to have perused it at all, but the said lord keeper, willing enough to take this advantage of ingratiating himself with the house of commons and the faction, to which he knew himself sufficiently obnoxious, finding what use might be made of it by prejudicate minds, reads the same openly in the house of lords: and when he found some of the faction apprehensive enough of misconstruction, aggravates the matter as highly offensive, and of dangerous consequence; d