UNDER CHARLES THE SECOND.

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CHAPTER H.

The history of England, during the seventeenth century, chap.is the history of the transformation of a limited monarchy, conduc'rconstituted after the fashion of the middle ages, into a limited ° f h t 0 bosemonarchy suited to that more advanced state of society in restored

J , the House

which the public charges can no longer he borne by the of stuartestates of the crown, and in which the public defence can no censured,longer be entrusted to a feudal militia. We have seen thatthe politicians who were at the head of the Long Parliamentmade, in 1642, a great effort to accomplish this change bytransferring, directly and formally, to the Estates of therealm the choice of ministers, the command of the army, andthe superintendence of the whole executive administration.

This scheme was, perhaps, the best that could then be con-trived: but it was completely disconcerted by the coursewhich the civil war took. The Houses triumphed, it is true;but not till after such a struggle as made it necessary for themto call into existence a power which they could not control,and which soon began to domineer over all orders and allparties. For a time, the evils inseparable from militarygovernment were, in some degree, mitigated by the wisdomand magnanimity of the-great man who held the supremecommand. But, when the sword which he had wielded, withenergy indeed, but with energy always guided by good senseand generally tempered by good nature, had passed tocaptains who possessed neither his abilities nor his virtues,it seemed too probable that order and liberty would perish inone ignominious ruin.

That ruin was happily averted. It has been too much thepractice of writers zealous for freedom to represent theRestoration as a disastrous event, and to condemn the folly or