LORD BACON-LORD NAPIER-SIR EDWARD COKE. 299

from his station, and sentenced to pay a heavy fine, and to be im prisoned during the king's pleasure. James, in consideration of his many merits, released him from prison, and remitted the fine.

4. Bacon survived his disgrace five years, during which time he employed himself in prosecuting those philosophical studies in which he was naturally fitted to excel, and in which he has attained a higher reputation than, perhaps, any other writer of any age or country. He died in 1626.

5. There is another man of science who deserves a passing notice. This is Lord Napier, who immortalized himself by the invention of a system of artificial numbers, called logarithms, which greatly facilitated the calculation of great sums in arithmetic.

6. This age was so prolific in great men, that we hardly know where to stop. We can mention but one more. Sir Edward Coke was the most eminent lawyer of this age. He met with many changes of fortune; but he made the best of adversity, and King James used to compare him to a cat, who always falls upon her feet.

7. Before beginning the story of King Charles, we must notice a new sect which had arisen among the Protestants. Many of these had taken refuge from the persecution of Mary, at Geneva, and had there learned the doctrines of Calvin, the Swiss reformer.

Becon after his disgrace? 5. What of Lord Napier? 6. What of Sir Edward Coke'

8 These Puritans-for so they were called from their strict man ner of living-laid a most serious stress on many minute trifles. Square caps, like those still worn by the students at the English universities, had hitherto been a part of the dress of the clergy. The puritans attacked the use of them as being a sinful remnant of popery; and the respective merits of square caps and round caps became a subject of furious contention.

9. The puritans found no favor with the court, for they did not acknowledge the supremacy of the queen, any more than of the pope, in spiritual matters; yet their doctrines made rapid progress among the people. Their public preachings and private exhortations had a visible effect on the manners of the age, particularly in regard to the Sabbath, which, by their example, began to be observed with seriousness, instead of being made, as heretofore, a day of pastime, and often of excess.

CHAPTER CLXIV.

Charles I., sometimes called the Martyr, is opposed by the Parliament in his Áttempts to increase the Royal Power.-Murder of the Duke of Buckingham.

1. CHARLES was in the twenty-fifth year of his age when he ascended the throne. His features were regular, and he would have been handsome, if it had not been for the melancholy cast of his countenance. His deportment was exceedingly dignified, though during the early part of his life it was somewhat ungracious from its too great stateliness and formality; but this wore off as he grew older.

2. In the morality and regularity of his conduct he set a good example to his court and people; he was moderate in all his habits and his expenses, humane and gentle in his disposition, was a man of kind affections, and a most tender husband and father. His mind was highly cultivated, and he had extraordinary talents for reasoning and argument; but through his indecision of character, he seldom acted as wisely as he could talk, and was often swayed by the counsels of men of far inferior capacity. His temper was somewhat hasty, but he was generous and forgiving.

3. But Charles had imbibed some notions, which, notwithstanding his many fine and good qualities, at length brought about his destruction. He had too high an idea of the royal prerogative; many of the unjust usurpations of power made by Elizabeth he considered as the natural rights of the sovereign, which he could not fairly be expected to resign.

4. From the very commencement of this new reign, much popu

7. What new sect arose? 8. Why called Puritans? 9. What of the progress of their opinions?

CLXIV.-1, 2. What of Charles I.? 3. What notions of power had he imbibed? 4

DISAFFECTION OF PARLIAMENT.- -1620.

301

lar dissatisfaction prevailed, chiefly because the king surrendered himself entirely to the control of Buckingham, who, implacable in his hatreds, fickle in his friendships, imperious and grasping in his desires, was regarded with universal dislike. The king's marriage with Henrietta Maria was also very displeasing to the people, because she was a papist, and their religious feelings were shocked at her being allowed publicly to exercise her own form of worship. 5. She also offended the more serious part of the nation by the change her elegance and gayety wrought in the manners of the court; and the puritans found less to dislike in the homely vulgarity of the late Queen Anne, of Denmark, than in the grace and beauty of Henrietta. She possessed great influence with the king; and much of his subsequent suffering is to be attributed to his yielding to the dictates of her violent and imperious temper.

6. It was a great error in James, as also in his son Charles, to be Occupied with abstract speculations, and not to see what was passing under their eyes. Thus, while James was writing books on kingly government, he never perceived that the house of commons was no longer that subservient body it had been in all former reigns, but that it had at last found out its own strength, and that from being the slave of kings, it was now in fact their master.

7. Charles was equally blind to this change, and was not aware of the difficulties which he was bringing on himself by his rash treatment of this great organ of the will of the people. The first year of his reign was spent by him in making attempts to extend his authority, and by the commons in trying to curb it. Provoked by this opposition, Charles hastily dissolved the parliament, and thus the king and the commons parted in mutual disgust and animosity.

8. One source of discontent was soon removed by the death of Buckingham. In revenge for some personal affront, he had persuaded Charles to declare war against France, and to send some troops under his command to relieve Rochelle, in which a body of Huguenots, as the French Protestants were called, were closely besieged by the troops of the king, who was a strict Catholic.

9. The expedition was ill planned and badly executed; and Buckingham was compelled to return to England, where he set about preparations for a new expedition, in which he hoped to recover his lost reputation. Portsmouth is one of the great naval stations of England, and thither he went to superintend some of the prepara

tions.

10. At the same time with the duke, a man of the name of Felton arrived there, a puritan of a melancholy and enthusiastic turn of mind, who, learning the universal complaints made against Buckingham, persuaded himself that he should do his country a service by taking his life. He had, too, been disappointed in his hopes of promotion in the army, and felt some personal resentment against the duke.

11. For several days, Felton followed the duke like his shadow,

What rendered the new king unpopular? How did the queen offend the people? What of her influence over the king? 6. What error did both James and Charles commit? 7.

302 DEATH OF THE DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM.

1628.

without having any opportunity to effect his purpose. At last, as Buckingham was passing through a doorway, he turned to speak to Sir Thomas Fryer, who was following him, when an arm was suddenly stretched over Sir Thomas' shoulder, which struck a knife

into the duke's breast. All passed in a moment. No one saw the blow, or the person who gave it; the bystanders heard Buckingham exclaim, "The villain has killed me!" and saw him pull the knife from the wound, and fall dead at their feet. This happened on the 23d of August, 1628.

12. It chanced that the duke had been engaged in an animated conversation with some French gentlemen, who, as is the custom with that lively nation, had made use of much gesticulation and a loud tone of voice. Those who did not understand the conversation conjectured that there had been a quarrel between the parties, and that the duke had been murdered by the French gentlemen, upon whom it was proposed to execute summary punishment. were others present, however, who, though equally persuaded of There their guilt, were in favor of having them dealt with according to law. 13. But the matter was soon set right. A hat was found, in which was pinned a paper, containing some written words and a

How was the first year of Charles' reign spent? 8. Upon what expedition was Buck ingham sent? 9, 10, 11, 12, 13. Relate the particulars of Buckingham's death.

MORE TROUBLES WITH PARLIAMENT.-1629.

303

short prayer, which proved to have belonged to the murderer. A search was now made for a person without a hat, though most agreed that it was hopeless, as sufficient time had been allowed the criminal to escape. În the midst of the confusion, a man without a hat was seen walking very composedly before the door. One cried out, "Here he is!" Others ran up, asking, “Which is he?” The man very sedately answered, "I am he!" He was accordingly taken, tried, and executed.

CHAPTER CLXV.

Wentworth, Earl of Strafford.-The King finds the Parliament very unyielding. He resorts to illegal Measures to obtain Money.—About the Scotch Covenanters.

1. AFTER the death of Buckingham, a change took place in the policy of the king, which is worthy of remark, as it may be considered almost as a change in the constitution of England. Hitherto the king had chosen his ministers from personal favor, or from his own opinion of their abilities, without regard to the opinion of the people.

2. Charles now selected his chief ministers from the leaders of those who opposed the assumption of new power by the crown, and who were chiefly puritans, thus making it for their interest to maintain the power, of which they had become the partakers. But the king did not derive from this measure all the advantages which he expected; for his views were so directly opposed to those of the puritans, that the leaders whom he had gained lost from that moment all influence with their party, and were even pursued as traitors with implacable resentment.

3. The chief of these was Sir Thomas Wentworth, who was created Earl of Strafford, a man whose great abilities were from that time devoted with as much zeal to increase the royal power as they had hitherto been to diminish it. Indeed, like all proselytes, he seemed to have wished to remove all suspicion of the sincerity of his conversion by the ardor of his new faith. The opinions which he now advocated would have better suited the despotic times of the Plantagenets, than those in which he was placed.

4. The late king had left an exhausted treasury, and the parlia ment had granted such scanty supplies to Charles, that he found himself in want of money to pay the necessary expenses of the government. The right of imposing taxes had always belonged to the parliament; but such was the subserviency of that body in all former reigns, that possession of it was of no great practical value, for the king's wishes were always complied with.

CLXV.-1. What change in policy after Buckingham's select for his ministers? Why? With what result? 3. worth? 4. Who possessed the sole right to impose taxes?

death? Whom did Charles What of Sir Thomas Went5. What of the king's power