Opening the text

A history of England principally in the seventeenth century, Volume 2 (of 6)Ranke, Leopold von

History

A history of England principally in the seventeenth century, Volume 2 (of 6)

Name: A history of England principally in the seventeenth century, Volume 2 (of 6)
Author: Ranke, Leopold von

Ranke, Leopold von

England -- Civilization -- 17th century; Great Britain -- History -- Stuarts, 1603-1714

And in truth there could never perhaps have been a more        [A.D. 1637.]
opportune moment for seriously weighing the position of
affairs, for investigating the causes of the discontent,
and for meditating how to remove them. If any one had
called to mind by what means James I had once succeeded in
quelling the rebellion of the town of Edinburgh, he would
have found that his success had been principally due to the
King’s agreement with the nobles of the country. If it had
been asked how he had achieved so much in ecclesiastical
matters, it would have been seen that the scale was turned
in his favour, because among churchmen too he always had a
party on his side, and knew how to avoid steps which would
excite prejudices universally felt. But on the present
occasion there were found, even among the bishops, some
who resisted the introduction of the Liturgy, so that the
Archbishop of Canterbury himself expressed a wish to learn
the objections which were made against certain articles,
and showed an inclination to pay heed to them. But it is
quite clear that the matter could now no longer be settled
in this way. Men’s minds had been seized by anxiety lest
their old native Church with which the independence and
freedom of the country were bound up, should be brought
to an end. This fear could no longer be dispelled by the
surrender of one or two controverted points of theology.
The King, dissatisfied with the Privy Council, which
had not, as he thought, done all that lay in its power
to enforce the two books, and extremely incensed by the
tumult in the Scottish capital, demanded the punishment
of the disorder, and the performance of divine worship
according to the prescribed form[92]. He did nothing to
calm either the nobles or the clergy; his declaration was
not calculated to meet the existing state of affairs,
of which the disturbances were symptoms, but rather the
symptoms themselves, which he regarded as manifestations
of a disobedience which the weight of his authority would
soon suppress. But while he entertained this hope, he was
forced to learn by experience that the cause of resistance     [A.D. 1637.]
and disobedience received almost universal support in
Scotland.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

A history of England principally in the seventeenth century, Volume 2 (of 6)Ranke, Leopold von

History

A history of England principally in the seventeenth century, Volume 2 (of 6)

Ranke, Leopold von

England -- Civilization -- 17th century; Great Britain -- History -- Stuarts, 1603-1714

And in truth there could never perhaps have been a more        [A.D. 1637.]
opportune moment for seriously weighing the position of
affairs, for investigating the causes of the discontent,
and for meditating how to remove them. If any one had
called to mind by what means James I had once succeeded in
quelling the rebellion of the town of Edinburgh, he would
have found that his success had been principally due to the
King’s agreement with the nobles of the country. If it had
been asked how he had achieved so much in ecclesiastical
matters, it would have been seen that the scale was turned
in his favour, because among churchmen too he always had a
party on his side, and knew how to avoid steps which would
excite prejudices universally felt. But on the present
occasion there were found, even among the bishops, some
who resisted the introduction of the Liturgy, so that the
Archbishop of Canterbury himself expressed a wish to learn
the objections which were made against certain articles,
and showed an inclination to pay heed to them. But it is
quite clear that the matter could now no longer be settled
in this way. Men’s minds had been seized by anxiety lest
their old native Church with which the independence and
freedom of the country were bound up, should be brought
to an end. This fear could no longer be dispelled by the
surrender of one or two controverted points of theology.
The King, dissatisfied with the Privy Council, which
had not, as he thought, done all that lay in its power
to enforce the two books, and extremely incensed by the
tumult in the Scottish capital, demanded the punishment
of the disorder, and the performance of divine worship
according to the prescribed form[92]. He did nothing to
calm either the nobles or the clergy; his declaration was
not calculated to meet the existing state of affairs,
of which the disturbances were symptoms, but rather the
symptoms themselves, which he regarded as manifestations
of a disobedience which the weight of his authority would
soon suppress. But while he entertained this hope, he was
forced to learn by experience that the cause of resistance     [A.D. 1637.]
and disobedience received almost universal support in
Scotland.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

A history of England principally in the seventeenth century, Volume 2 (of 6)

A history of England principally in the seventeenth century, Volume 2 (of 6)

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