all differences betwixt his majesty and parliament. Charles snubbed them for intermeddling in his affairs, and the commons thanked them; the consequence was, that the Scotch were made still more the fast friends of the parliament, and immediately agree with them to send two thousand five hundred men into Ireland, to aid in putting down the rebellion.
The house of commons now urged Charles to proceed with the impeachment of lord Kimbolton and the five commoners. He had assured them that he should let the impeachment drop; but they were desirous to discover who had been the advisers of the measure, and therefore sent him this challenge. Charles declined to proceed, but desired the house to give him a statement at once of all the grievances that they had to complain of, and they should find him one of the most complying of monarchs. They were too well acquainted with the king's habit of promising what he meant only to concede for a present purpose, to make their statement too easy, as he would have deprived them of all power of proceeding by nominally granting them everything; but they put down their chiefest of grievances, the want of confidence in his assurances, and demanded as the guarantee of all arrangements that the government of the forts and the command of the army and navy should be intrusted to officers nominated by parliament. Startling as was this proposition, for it, in fact, demanded a surrender of his last prerogative, Charles declared himself ready to grant all for a time, provided he might nominate the officers, which the commons, of course, regarded as a mere subterfuge.
All this time Charles and his court were favouring the Irish insurgents, partly, it was supposed, through the queen's interest in the catholics, and the king's dislike to the presbyterian protestants, who were as much puritans as his own troublesome subjects. The king was found to have withdrawn the ships which were ordered to guard the coasts: great numbers of the catholics who had served in the army of the north hastened over and joined the insurgents, and others were known to be assisting them with arms and ammunition. The commons applied for a loan of one hundred thousand pounds to the city of London, to furnish the necessary supplies for the Irish army against the insurgents; but they had not paid the money already borrowed, and whilst they reminded the house of it, they complained that these expenses were occasioned by the bishops and popish lords, who favoured the Irish insurgents. The commons, therefore, issued orders to all justices and sheriffs to prevent these treasonable attempts. They also sent Mr. Pym up to the peers, who told them that if they would not heartily join the commons in saving the kingdom, they would go on and save it without them; and the commons thanked Pym for his plain speaking.
But on Pym's speech being printed by order of the commons, Charles greatly resented it, and demanded to know on what authority he had declared him to favour such designs. The commons named commissions given to lord Delvin, Sir George Hamilton, a known papist, a son of lord Nettlefield, to colonel Butler, a brother of lord Minyard, and others. Charles denied or explained, and this correspondence was drawn out. Charles afterwards reached York at the end of March, when he called on the house to declare publicly that they had accused him on insufficient grounds. But about the same time a letter was intercepted from lord Digby to the queen, and read publicly in the house, informing her that unless the king betook himself to a place of safety, and took rigorous measures to protect his servants, he himself should prefer remaining abroad; and he offered to do the king service abroad, and correspond with the queen in that service in ciphers.
This produced great alarm at court, and the queen, apprehensive of an impeachment, made haste to escape out of the country. The commons assured her that they had no such intention, and she professed to be satisfied; but not the less did she resolve to escape, and a most favourable opportunity now offered. The princess Mary, who had been some time betrothed to the prince of Orange, though she was yet a mere child, only about ten years of age, was to be delivered to the Dutch court, and nothing was more natural than that her mother should accompany her. Even the stern reformers, who had forbidden her twice before leaving the kingdom, could find no excuse for forbidding this maternal office. On the 9th of February Charles and the court returned from Windsor to Hampton Court, and the next day the royal party set out for Dover, where, on the 23rd, the queen and her daughter embarked for Holland. The prince of Orange received her majesty with all kindness, which he indeed owed her, for she had always taken the part of him and his country against Richelieu; but the civic authorities were not so glad to see her, fearing that she might embroil them with the all-powerful parliament of England. They entered her presence with their hats on, seated themselves in her presence, and took their leave without a bow or a word. But Henrietta restrained her disgust better than her husband would have done, for she had great interests at stake, and succeeded by her flattering courtesies in so melting the Dutch phlegm, that she eventually succeeded in borrowing of the authorities of Amsterdam eight hundred and forty-five thousand guilders, at Rotterdam sixty-five thousand, of the merchants at the Hague one hundred and sixty-six thousand, besides pawning her pearls for two hundred and thirteen thousand, and six rubies for forty thousand, thus raising for her husband two million pounds sterling.
Whilst the king was at Canterbury, waiting for the queen's departure, the commons sent to press his signing the two bills for the removal of the bishops from parliament, and they and the clergy from all temporal offices, and for power to press soldiers for the service of Ireland. He passed them, the second bill to be in force only till the 1st of November. The commons expressed their satisfaction, but still urged the removal of all privy counsellors and officers of state, except such as held them hereditarily, and the appointment of others having the confidence of parliament; they then returned to the subject of the militia bill, which would put the whole force of the army into the hands of parliament; but there Charles made a stand. He sent orders that the prince of Wales should meet him at Greenwich. The parliament, which watched his every movement, and no doubt were informed of his intentions, sent a message to the king, praying him to allow the prince to remain at Hampton Court, but Charles, complaining of these suspicions, orders
