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1652.] to the church at Charenton.

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princes on his behalf, and by an united force to restore him; and that such a conjunction would never be entered into, except the king himself became Roman catholic. Therefore from this time she was very well content that any attempts should be made upon him to that purpose; and, in that regard, wished that he would go to Charenton; which she well knew was not the religion he affected, but would be a little discountenance to the church in which he had been bred; and from which as soon as he could be persuaded in any degree to swerve, he would be more exposed to any other temptation. The king had not positively refused to gratify the ministers of that congregation; who, with great professions of duty, had besought him to do them that honour, before the chancellor of the exchequer came to him; in which it was believed, that they were the more like to prevail by the death of Dr. Steward; for whose judgment in matters of religion the king had reverence, by the earnest recommendation of his father and he died after the king's return within fourteen days, with some trouble upon the importunity and artifice he saw used to prevail with the king to go to Charenton, though he saw no disposition in his majesty to yield to it.

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The lord Jermyn still pressed it, "as a thing "that ought in policy and discretion to be done, to "reconcile that people, which was a great body in France, to the king's service, which would draw "to him all the foreign churches, and thereby he might receive considerable assistance." He wondered, he said, " why it should be opposed by any "man; since he did not wish that his majesty

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The chancellor dissuades the king [B. XIII.

"would discontinue his own devotions, according to "the course he had always observed; nor propose "that he should often repair thither, but only "sometimes, at least once, to shew that he did look upon them as of the same religion with him; which the church of England had always acknowledged; and that it had been an instruc"tion to the English ambassadors, that they should "keep a good correspondence with those of the religion, and frequently resort to divine service "at Charenton; where they had always a pew kept for them."

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The chancellor of the exchequer dissuaded his majesty from going thither with equal passion; told him, 66 that, whatever countenance or favour "the crown or church of England had heretofore "shewed to those congregations, it was in a time "when they carried themselves with modesty and

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duty towards both, and when they professed

great duty to the king, and much reverence to "that church; lamenting themselves, that it was "not in their power, by the opposition of the state, "to make their reformation so perfect as it was in England. And by this kind of behaviour they had indeed received the protection and countenance from England as if they were of the same religion, though, it may be, the original of that "countenance and protection proceeded from another less warrantable foundation; which he was sure would never find credit from his majesty. But, whatever it was, that people now had unde"served it from the king; for, as soon as the "troubles begun, the Hugonots of France had generally expressed great malice to the late king,

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1652.] from going to the church at Charenton. 9

"and very many of their preachers and ministers "had publicly and industriously justified the rebellion, and prayed for the good success of it; and "their synod itself had in such a manner inveighed

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against the church of England, that they, upon "the matter, professed themselves to be of another "religion; and inveighed against episcopacy, as if "it were inconsistent with the protestant religion. "That their great professor at their university of Saumur, monsieur Amirant, who was looked upon as a man of the most moderate spirit amongst "their ministers, had published an apology for the general inclination of that party to the proceed"ings of the parliament of England, lest it might 'give some jealousy to their own king of their "inclination to rebellion, and of their opinion that "it was lawful for subjects to take up arms against "their prince; which, he said, could not be done "in France without manifest rebellion, and incur"ring the displeasure of God for the manifest

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breach of his commandments; because the king of France is an absolute king, independent upon 64 any other authority. But that the constitution "of the kingdom of England was of another nature; "because the king there is subordinate to the par

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liament, which hath authority to raise arms for "the reformation of religion, or for the executing "the public justice of the kingdom against all "those who violate the laws of the nation, so that the war might be just there, which in no case could be warrantable in France."

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The chancellor told the king, 'that, after such an indignity offered to him, and to his crown, and since they had now made such a distinction

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The king declared he

[B. XIII. "between the episcopal and the presbyterian go"vernment, that they thought the professors were "not of the same religion, his going to Charenton "could not be without this effect, that it would be "concluded every where, that his majesty had "renounced the church of England, and betaken himself to that of Charenton, at least that he thought the one and the other to be indifferent; "which would be one of the most deadly wounds "to the church of England that it had yet ever "suffered." These reasons prevailed so far with the king's own natural aversion from what had been proposed, that he declared positively," he would never go to Charenton ;" which determination eased him from any farther application of that people. The reproach of this resolution was wholly charged upon the chancellor of the exchequer, as the implacable enemy of all presbyterians, and as the only man who diverted the king from having a good opinion of them: whereas in truth, the daily information he received from the king himself of their barbarous behaviour in Scotland towards him, and of their insupportable pride and pedantry in their manners, did confirm him in the judgment he had always made of their religion; and he was the more grievous to those of that profession, because they could not, as they used to do to all those who opposed and crossed them in that manner, accuse him of being popishly affected, and governed by the papists; to whom they knew he was equally odious; and the queen's knowing him to be most disaffected to her religion, made her willing to appear most displeased for his hindering the king from going to Charenton.

1652.] would not go to the church at Charenton. 11

noble

There was another accident, which fell out at this time, and which the chancellor of the exchequer foresaw would exceedingly increase the queen's prejudice to him; which he did very heartily desire to avoid, and to recover her majesty's favour by all the ways he could pursue with his duty; and did never, in the least degree, dispose his majesty to deny any thing to her which she owned the desire of. Lieutenant general Middleton, who had been taken prisoner after Worcester fight, after he was recovered of his wounds was sent prisoner to the Tower of London; where were likewise many persons of that nation, as the earl of Crawford, the earl of Lautherdale, and many others. But as they of the parliament had a greater reverence for Middleton than for any other of that nation, knowing him to be a man of great honour and courage, and much the best officer the Scots had, so they had a hatred of him proportionable; and they thought they had him at their mercy, and might proceed against him more warrantably for his life, than against their other prisoners; because he had heretofore, in the beginning of the war, served them; and though he had quitted their service at the same time when they cashiered the earl of Essex, and made their new model, and was at liberty to do what he thought best for himself, yet they resolved to free themselves from any farther apprehensions and fear of him: to that purpose they erected a new high court of justice, for the trial of some persons who had been troublesome to them, and especially Middleton and Massey.

This last, after he had escaped from Worcester, and travelled two or three days, found himself so

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