The English works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, Volume 06 (of 11)
Thomas Hobbes · en
_A._ And the Scotch have their Parliaments, wherein their assent is
required to the laws there made, which is as good. Have not many of the
provinces of France their several parliaments and several constitutions?
And yet they are all equally natural subjects of the King of France. And
therefore for my part I think they were mistaken, both English and
Scotch, in calling one another foreigners. Howsoever that be, the King
had a very sufficient army, wherewith he marched towards Scotland; and
by the time he was come to York, the Scotch army was drawn up to the
frontiers and ready to march into England; which also they presently
did; giving out all the way, that their march should be without damage
to the country, and that their errand was only to deliver a petition to
the King, for the redress of many pretended injuries they had received
from such of the court, whose counsel the King most followed. So they
passed through Northumberland quietly, till they came to a ford in the
river of Tyne, a little above Newcastle, where they found some little
opposition from a party of the King’s army sent thither to stop them,
whom the Scotch easily mastered; and as soon as they were over, seized
upon Newcastle, and coming further on, upon the city of Durham; and sent
to the King to desire a treaty, which was granted; and the commissioners
on both sides met at Ripon. The conclusion was, that all should be
referred to the Parliament, which the King should call to meet at
Westminster on the 3rd of November following, being in the same year
1640; and thereupon the King returned to London.
_B._ So the armies were disbanded?
_A._ No; the Scotch army was to be defrayed by the counties of
Northumberland and Durham, and the King was to pay his own, till the
disbanding of both should be agreed upon in Parliament.
_B._ So in effect both the armies were maintained at the King’s charge,
and the whole controversy to be decided by a Parliament almost wholly
Presbyterian, and as partial to the Scotch as themselves could have
wished.
_A._ And yet for all this they durst not presently make war upon the
King: there was so much yet left of reverence to him in the hearts of
the people, as to have made them odious, if they had declared what they
intended. They must have some colour or other to make it believed that
the King made war first upon the Parliament. And besides, they had not
yet sufficiently disgraced him in sermons and pamphlets, nor removed
from about him those they thought could best counsel him. Therefore they
resolved to proceed with him like skilful hunters; first to single him
out, by men disposed in all parts to drive him into the open field; and
then in case he should but seem to turn head, to call that a making of
war against the Parliament.