Constitutional History of England, Henry VII to George II. Volume 2 of 3Hallam, Henry
History
Constitutional History of England, Henry VII to George II. Volume 2 of 3
Hallam, Henry
Constitutional history -- Great Britain
[181] Lords' Journals, May 6; _Parl. Hist._ 757. This opinion of the
judges which is not mentioned by Clarendon, Hume, and other common
historians, seems to have cost Strafford his life. It was relied on by
some bishops, especially Usher, whom Charles consulted whether he
should pass the bill of attainder, though Clarendon puts much worse
casuistry into the mouth of Williams. Parr's _Life of Usher_, p. 45;
Hacket's _Life of Williams_, p. 160. Juxon is said to have stood alone
among five bishops, in advising the king to follow his conscience.
Clarendon, indeed, does not mention this; though he glances at Usher
with some reproach (p. 451); but the story is as old as the _Icon
Basilike_, in which it is alluded to.
[182] The names of the fifty-nine members of the Commons, who voted
against the bill of attainder, and which were placarded as
Straffordians, may be found in the _Parliamentary History_, and
several other books. It is remarkable that few of them are
distinguished persons; none so much so as Selden, whose whole
parliamentary career, notwithstanding the timidity not very fairly
imputed to him, was eminently honourable and independent. But we look
in vain for Hyde, Falkland, Colepepper, or Palmer. The first,
probably, did not vote; the others may have been in the majority of
204, by whom the bill was passed. Indeed, I have seen a MS. account of
the debate, where Falkland and Colepepper appear to have both spoken
for it. As to the Lords, we have, so far as I know, no list of the
nineteen who acquitted Strafford. It did not comprehend Hertford,
Bristol, or Holland, who were absent (Nalson, 316), nor any of the
popish lords, whether through fear or any private influence. Lord
Clare, his brother-in-law, and Lord Saville, a man of the most
changeable character, were his prominent advocates during the trial;
though Bristol, Hertford, and even Say, desired to have had his life
spared (Baillie, 243, 247, 271, 292); and the Earl of Bedford,
according to Clarendon, would have come into this. But the sudden and
ill-timed death of that eminent peer put an end to the negotiation for
bringing the parliamentary leaders into office, wherein it was a main
object with the king to save the life of Strafford; entirely, as I am
inclined to believe, from motives of conscience and honour, without
any views of ever again restoring him to power. Charles had no
personal attachment to Strafford; and the queen's dislike of him
(according to Clarendon and Burnet, though it must be owned, that
Madame de Motteville does not confirm this), or at least his general
unpopularity at court, would have determined the king to lay him
aside.
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