BEFORE THE RESTORATION.

Ill

been in hopes of obtaining by peaceable means the as- ciiap.

cendency in the House of Commons; but every such hope had-

been blighted. The duplicity of Charles had made his oldenemies irreconcileable, had driven back into the ranks of thedisaffected a crowd of moderate men who were in the very actof coming over to his side, and had so cruelly mortified hisbest friends that they had for a time stood aloof in silentshame and resentment. Now, however, the constitutionalRoyalists were forced to make their choice between twodangers; and they thought it their duty rather to rally rounda prince whose past conduct they condemned, and whoseword inspired them with little confidence, than to suffer theregal office to be degraded, and the polity of the realm to beentirely remodelled. With such feelings, many men whosevirtues and abilities would have done honour to any causeranged themselves on the side of the King.

In August 1642 the sword was at length drawn; and soon,in almost every shire of the kingdom, two hostile factions ap- “Jpeared in arms against each other. It is not easy to say which war.of the contending parties was at _first the more formidable.

The Houses commanded London and the counties roundLondon, the fleet, the navigation of the Thames, and most ofthe large towns and seaports. They had at their disposalalmost all the military stores of the kingdom, and were ableto raise duties, both on goods imported from foreign coun-tries, and on some important products of domestic industry.

The King was ill provided with artillery and ammunition. Thetaxes which he laid on the rural districts occupied by histroops produced, it is probable, a sum far less than that whichthe Parliament drew from the city of London alone. Herelied, indeed, chiefly, for pecuniary aid, on the munificenceof his opulent adherents. Many of these mortgaged theirland, pawned their jewels, and broke up their silver chargersand christening bowls, in order to assist him. But experience