CHAP. XXVIII. JAMES I. JAMES, the sixth of Scotland and the first of England, the son of Mary, came to the throne with the universal approbation of all orders of the state,as in this person were united every claim, that either descent, bequest, or parliamentary sanction could confer. He had every reason, therefore, to hope for a happy reign; and he was taught from his infancy, that his prerogative was uncontrolable, and his right transmitted from heaven. These sentiments he took no care to conceal; and he even published them in many parts of those works, which he had written before he left Scotland. But he was greatly mistaken in the spirit of thinking of the times; for new systems of governinent, and new ideas of liberty, had, for some time, been stealing in with the reformation; and only wanted the reign of a weak or merciful monarch, to appear without controul. In consequence of the progress of knowledge, and a familiar acquaintance with the governments of antiquity, the old gothic forms began to be despised; and an emulation took place, to imitate the freedom of Greece and Rome. The severe, tho' popular government of Elizabeth, had confined this rising spirit within very narrow bounds; but when a new sovereign, and a new family appeared less dreaded, and less loved by the people, symptoms immediately began to be seen of a more free and independent genius in the nation. James scarce was entered into England when he gave disgust to many. The desire in all to see their new sovereign was ardent and natural; but the king, who loved retirement, forbid the concourse that attended on this journey from Scotland,pretending that this great resort of people would produce scarcity of provisions. To this offence to the people, he added, soon after, what gave offence to the higher orders of the state, by prostituting titles of honour, so that they became so common as to be no longer marks of distinction. A pasquinade was fixed up at St. Paul's declaring that there would be a lecture given on the art of assisting short memories, to retain the names of the new nobility. But though his countrymen shared a part of these honours, yet justice must be done the king, by confessing, that he left almost all the great offces in the hands he found them. Among these, Cecil, created earl of Salisbury, who had been so active in the last reign, against his own interests, was continued now prime minister and chief coun sellor. This crafty statesman had been too cunning for the rest of his associates; and while, during Elizabeth's reign, he was apparently leagued againts the earl of Essex whom James protected, yet he kept up a secret correspondence with that monarch, and secured his interests without forfeiting the confidence of his party. But it was not so fortunate with lord Grey, lord Cobham, and Sir Walter Raleigh, who had been Cecil's associates. They felt immediately the effects of the king's displeasure, and were dismissed their employments. These three seemed to be marked out for peculiar indignation, for soon after they were accused of entering into a conspiracy against the king; neither the proof of which, nor its aims, have reached posterity: all that is certain is, that they were condemned to die, but had their sentence mitigated by the king. Cobham and Grey were pardoned, after they had laid their heads heads on the block. Raleigh was reprieved, but remained in confinement many years afterwards, and at last suffered for this offence, which was never proved This mercy, shewn to these supposed delinquents, was very pleasing to the people; and the king willing to remove all jealousy of his being a stranger, began his attempts in parliament by an endeavour to unite both kingdoms into one. However, the people were not as yet ripe for this coalition; they were apprehensive that the posts and · employments, which were in the gift of the court, would be conferred on the Scotch, whom they were as yet taught to regard as foreigners. By the repulse in this instance, as well as by some exceptions the house of commons took to the form of his summons to parliament, James found that the people he came to govern, were very different from those he had left behind; and perceived that: he must give reasons for every measure he intended to enforce. He now therefore attempted to correct his former mistake, and to peruse the English laws, as he had formerly done those of his own country,. and by these he resolved to govern. But even here he again found himself disappointed. In a government so fluctuating as that of England, opinion was ever deviating from law; and what was enacted in one reign, was contradicted by custom in another. The laws had all along declared in favour of an almost unlimited prerogative, while the opinions of the people were guided by instructors, who began to teach opposite principles. All the kings and queens before him, except such as. were controlled by intestine divisions, or awed by. foreign invasion, issued rather their commands to parliament, than gave their reasons. James, unmindful of the alteration in the opinions of the people, people, resolved to govern in the ancient manner; while the people, on the contrary, having once got an idea of the inherent privileges of mankind, never gave it up, sensible that they had reason and power also on their side. Numberless, therefore, where the disputes be-, tween the king and his parliament during his whole reign; one attempting to keep the privileges of the crown entire, the other aiming at abridging the dangerous part of the prerogative; the one labouring to preserve customs established for time immemorial, the other equally assiduous in defending the inhererent privileges of humanity. Thus we see laudable motives actuating the disputants on both sides of the question, and the principles of both founded either in law or in reason. When the parliament would not grant a subsidy, James hadexamples enoughamonghispredecessors, which -taught him to extort a benevolence. Edward the Fourth, Henry the Eighth, and queen Elizabeth herself, had often done so; and precedent. undoubtedly entitled him to the same privilege. On the other hand, the house of commons, who found their growing power to protect the people, and not suffer the impositions of the crown, considered that this extorted benevolence might at length render the sovereign entirely independent of the parliament,and therefore complained against it as an infringement of their privileges, These attempts of the crown, and these murmurings of the commons, continued through the whole reign, and first gave rise to that spirit of party, which has ever since subsisted in England; the one for preserving the ancient constitution, by maintaining the prerogative of the king; the other for trying an experiment to improve it, by extending the liberties of the people. During During these contests, James, who supposed no arguments sufficient to impair the prerogative, scenied entirely secure that поне would attempt to allege any. He daily continued to entertainhis parliament with set speeches, and flo.id harangues, in which he urged his divine right and absolute polver as things incontestable; to these the commons made as regular answers, not absolutely denying his pretensions, but slowly and regularly abridging his power. However, though James pesevered in asserting his prerogative, and threatened those who should presume to abridge it, yet his justice and clemency were very apparent in the toleration which he gave to the teaching of different religions throughout the kingdom. The minds of the people had long been irritated against one another, and each party persecuted the rest, as they happened to prevail; it was expected, therefore, that James would strengthen the hands of that which was then uppermost; and that the catholics and sectaries should find no protection. But the monarch wisely observed, that men should be punished for actions, and not for opinions; a decision which gave general dissatisfaction: but the universal complaint of every sect was the best argument of his moderation towards all. Yet mild as this monarch was, there was a project contrived in the very beginning of his reign for the re-establishment of popery, which, were it not a fact known to all the world, could scarcely be credited by posterity. This was the gun-powder plot, than which a more horrid or terrible scheme never entered into the human heart to conceive, and which shews at once the most determined courage may be united with the most execrable intentions. The |