The assembly of the Scottish church accordingly met, and again abolished Episcopacy, stigmatizing the litur gy, canons, and high commission, as before. The Scot tish parliament also assembled, a truly patriotic parlia ment, Nvho proposed to re-establish all their legislative rights which had been usurped since the accession of James, and to rectify many public abuses. Charles, who had never been sincere in his treaty with the Scotch, made these proposals a pretext for suddenly ordering the earl of Traquaire to prorogue their parliament, and both sides again prepared for hostilities. The bigotry of Laud, and the violence of Wentworth, overpowered in the English council the moderation of Hamilton and Morton ; for to those four, under the name of the junto, the Scottish affairs had been long entrusted. A letter, which had been signed by seven of the Scottish nobility before the pacification of Berwick, and addressed to the French king, (but from proper motives never sent,) to solicit assistance, was thought a sufficient justification of war on the royal side ; and Loudon, the Scottish commissioner from the Covenanters, was ordered for execution, (though the order was revoked,) for being the author of the letter.
After eleven years intermission, it was necessary to convoke another parliament in England. By the mouth of the lord keeper Finch, the king discovered his wants, and representing his debts, for which he had given secu rity on his crown lands, amounting to 300,0001., pleaded for immediate supplies to support his armaments, and promised, though indefinitely, to promote the best wishes and interests of his English subjects. The house of commons, instead of listening to his wants, began with arranging the grievances of the public, under three dif ferent heads : those of the broken privileges of parlia ment, of illegal taxes, and of violence clone to the cause of religion. After an intercession on the part of the peers in the king's behalf, which, so far from obtaining the supplies, was declared by the commons to be an illegal interposition, Charles dissolved the parliament ; and to make this procedure still more dangerous and un popular, imprisoned Bellasis and sir John Hotharn, for the share they had taken in the debates.
Though the parliament was dissolved, the convocation of the clergy was still allowed, which, besides granting to the king a supply from the spirituality, imposed an oath on the clergy and the graduates of the University, to support the established government of the church, by. archbishops, bishops, deans, chapters, &c. The public notions of liberty were too far matured not to perceive, that such an assembly as the convocation, without con sent of parliament, was unconstitutional ; and an oath, which contained an &c. was justly exposed to ridicule. In the mean time, subscriptions were raised at court, or extorted from the merchants ; nor were former illegal exactions, however productive of discontent, omitted.
Instead of Arundel, Essex, and Holland, whose capaci ty, or whose zeal, in the last expedition was suspected, the earl of Northumberland was appointed general, the earl of Strafford lieutenant-general, and lord Conway general of the horse. The army which was now raised, consisted of 19,000 foot and 2000 horse.
The Scottish Covenanters and parliament, were much more successfully active. The parliament having se cured their own constitution, by the creation of a third estate ; having passed a statute for triennial renovations, and having guarded the legislative power against the encroachments of royalty by other wise regulations, ap pointed a committee of estates to superintend at the camp and in the capital, the operations of the war. Con scious of the good wishes of the popular party in Eng land, and we may well suppose in correspondence with the English parliamentary leaders, they crossed the Tweed with 23,000 foot, 3000 horse, and a train of ar tillery. Maintaining as before the most submissive lan guage, they entered England, they said, with no hostile intentions, but to obtain access to the king's person, and lay their petition at his feet. At Newburn upon Tyne they were opposed by general Conway, with batteries erected on the opposite bank, and 6000 horse and foot. Lesly, their general, first requested permission to pass ; then on a shot being fired by an English ccntinel, they opened their artillery, and charging their opponents, put them to flight. Their army thus obtained immediate possession of Newcastle, Tynemouth, Shields, and Dur ham. Charles retired with a mutinous and panic-struck army from Northallerton to York, where an address reached him from the city of London, petitioning for a parliament. He contented himself, however, for the present, with summoning a great council of the peers at York. A treaty was suggested, as the only means to prevent the advance of the Scotch ; and as that enemy still held out the language of petition, sixteen noblemen, eminent for their rank and popularity, were proposed to negotiate with the committee of the Scottish estates. In the mean time, to exempt the four northern counties from the contributions of the Scottish army, the sum of 8501. a day was allowed for their subsistence. A loan of 200,000i. was obtained by the credit of the peers ; and Charles was thus in the singular situation of a sovereign supporting two hostile armies at once in the field. As many difficulties occurred in the negotiation, it was pro posed to transfer the treaty from Rippon to London, a change of place by no means favourable to the royal cause. Charles yielding in despair to the torrent which be could not stem, as he had foreseen that the council of the peers at York would advise him to call a parlia ment, told them in his first speech, that he had already •taken that resolution.