In the midst of these transactions, intelligence arrived of the Irish rebellion,—an event unparalleled, for horror and cruelty, in our own annals. The king had not left Scotland when the first information of this dreadful af fair was transmitted to him, but the extent of its enor mity was not at first known. The Scottish parliament has been represented as indifferent to the fate of their fellow Protestants ; but, it seems, that Charles, unac quainted himself with the extent of the rebellion, repre sented it as insignificant to the parliament. The danger was no sooner discovered, than they offered 3000 stand of spare arms, and 10,000 men for the relief of Ireland ; a relief which, if timely accepted, might have proved sufficient.
The king, upon his return from Scotland, was received in London with shouts and acclamations of the people. Sir Richard Gournay, the lord mayor, had promoted these favourable dispositions, and had persuaded the populace to give some marks of affection to the king, so ..pparently inconsistent with their past and subsequent contempt of hint. But the pleasure which Charles en joyed from this reception was speedily damped, by a remonstrance of the commons, which was presented to him immediately on his return. This remonstrance, which contained a merciless and minute exposure of all that was unfortunate, invidious, or faulty in his reign, was not voted in the commons without a warm debate of the house, and carried by a majority of only eleven. It concluded with recommending the appointment of minis. tet s, in whom the pardament might have reason to con fide. Although the acrimony of this remonstrance was extreme, the conclusion showed that a constitutional re medy, if not certain, was at least open to trial. The public confidence at that time was denied to those mi nisters of Charles who had deserted the public cause : it was withheld from the servile insolence of Archbishop Williams, from the levity of Digby, and the infamy of Saville ; but was reserved for the unassuming, but in flexible virtues of Hambden, the mild integrity of Kim bolton, the sincere and ardent genius of Hollis, and the cool sagacity of the aged Pym.
From this period the proceedings of the commons became more bold, determined, and violent. They had accused thirteen bishops of high treason. for enacting canons without consent of parliament. They brought a bill forward twice in the same session, for taking away the votes of these bishops. This exclusion of the popish and spiritual lords, was at last accomplished by popular tumults, which the commons kept alive by politic design, and to which the supporters of loyalty and hierarchy only gave force by resistance. The latter party were now denominated the cavaliers ; while their antagonists, from the short cut of their hair, were contemptuously called round heads. Several reduced officers, and young gentlemen of the inns of court, during the menaces and assemblies of the populace round Whitehall. offered their services to the king ; and had frequent, and some times bloody, skirmishes with the people.
While the tumults raged, Williams, the archbishop of York, exasperated at some indignities which he had received, hastily called a meeting of his brethren, and by his advice, a protestation was addressed to the king, setting forth, that they had been menaced and assaulted by an unruly multitude, and could no longer exercise their right of attending and voting in the house. For
this reason, they protested against all laws and resolu times that should be voted during their constrained ab sence. As soon as the imprudent protestation was pre sented, the peers desired a conference with the other house. The commons immediately sent up an impeach ment of high treason against the protesting bishops, for endeavouring to subvert the fundamental laws, and to invalidate the authority of the legislature. No man in either house ventured to speak a word in their vindica tion, so much was every one displeased at their egregi ous imprudence.
A few days after, the king was betrayed into an indis cretion still more fatal, to which all the ensuing disorders and civil wars may be ascribed.* This was, the impeach ment of Lord Kimbolton and the five commoners, Hollis, Sir Arthur Hazlerig, Hambden, Pym, and Strode. Charles is supposed to have been impelled to this mea sure by the advice of the queen and the court ladies, and of Lord Digby.
Herbert, attorney•general, appeared in the house of peers, and in his majesty's name preferred articles of impeachment against these six individuals; importing, that they had endeavoured to subvert the laws, to de prive the king of his just power, to draw his army to disobedience ; that they had endeavoured to compel the parliament by force and terrors to join them, and had actually levied war against the king. The injustice of attempting to punish the connection of those men with the Scottish Covenanters, after an act of oblivion, and all that had passed, could only be equalled by the folly of attempting to seize them. A scrjeant at arms de manded the five commoners from their own assembly : he was sent back without a positive answer. Messen gers were employed to search for the members, who sealed and locked their trunks and private apartments. The king came next day in person to demand them of the house of commons; but the five commoners had a private notice to withdraw a moment before the king en tered.* The king left his retinue of about 200 men, some with halberts, others with walking swords at the door, and advanced alone through the hall, while all the members rose to receive him. The speaker with drew from the chair, and the king took possession of it. He repeated his resolution of seizing the accused members wherever he could find them ; of proceeding against them in a fait- and legal way; and expected, as he had not come to take them by force, but by lawful authority, that the house would send them to him. He then asked the speaker, if they were in the house. " Sir," answered the speaker, (falling on his knee,) " I have neither eyes to see, nor tongue to speak in this place, but as the house is pleased to direct me, whose servant I am ; and I humbly ask pardon that I cannot give any other answer to what your majesty is pleased to demand of me." The commons were in the utmost disorder; and when the king was departing, some mem bers cried out, " Privilege, privilege !" The house immediately adjourned.