giving the Papiſts liberty to inhabit in Corporations, and married the Duke of York not only to a Papiſt, but one of the French Intereſt, notwithſtanding the repeated Addreſſes of the Parliament to the contrary.[1] It was in this Reign that that curſed and deteſtable Policy was much improved of bribing Parliaments, by diſtributing all the great Employments in England among them, and ſupplying the Want of Places with Grants of Lands and Money. No Man could be preferred to any Employment in Church or State, till he had declared himſelf an open Enemy to our Conſtitution, by aſſerting Deſpotic Power under that nonſenſical Phraſe of Paſſive Obedience, which was more preach'd up than all the Laws of God and Man. The Helliſh Popiſh Plot was ſtifled, proved ſince too true by fatal Experience; and in the Room of it Proteſtant ones were forg'd, and Men trapann'd into others, as the Meal-Tub, Fitz Harris's, the Rye-Houſe, Newmarket, and Black-Heath Plots; and by theſe Pretences, and the Help of Packt Judges and Juries, they butchered ſome of the beſt Men in England, ſet immoderate Fines upon others, gave probable Suſpicion of cutting the Lord Eſſex's Throat; and to finiſh our Deſtruction, they took away the Charters, as faſt as they were able, of all the Corporations in England, that would not chooſe the Members preſcribed them.
But he durſt not have dreamt of all theſe Violations if he had not had an Army to juſtify them. He had thoughts at firſt of keeping up the Parliament-Army, which was ſeveral times in Debate. But Chancellor Hyde prevailed upon him by this Argument, that they were a Body of Men that had cut off his Father's Head; that they had ſet up and pulled down ten ſeveral Sorts of Government; and that it might be his own Turn next. So that his Fears prevailing over his Ambition, he conſented to diſband them; but ſoon found how vain and abortive a Thing Arbitrary Power would prove without an Army. He therefore try'd all ways to get one; and firſt he attempted it in Scotland, and by means of the Duke of Lauderdale, got an Act paſſed there, whereby the Kingdom of Scotland was obliged to raiſe 20000 Foot and 2000 Horſe at his Majeſty's Call, to march into any Part of his Dominions; and this Law is in
