Page:Cassell's Illustrated History of England vol 3.djvu/470

456 they had done some great deed, to honours and titles. Clifford was called lord Clifford of Chudleigh; lord Arlington, earl of Arlington; and Ashley, earl of Shaftesbury. Buckingham and Arlington received the honour of the garter. In order to protect the bankers whom he had kept out of their money, from the suits commenced against them by their creditors in chancery, Charles desired Bridgman to enter an injunction there, but Bridgman doubted the rectitude of the proceeding, and he was suddenly removed, and Shaftesbury Jut in his place, who at once issued the injunction, and appointed a distant day for hearing evidence against it. Ashley, as the new lord chancellor, displayed a, vanity and eccentricity which caused him to be greatly ridiculed by the lawyers. He went to preside on the bench in "an ash-coloured gown silver-laced, and full-ribboned pantaloons."

He at first acted with much self-sufficiency and conceit, but was soon brought to his senses by the lawyers, and afterwards became one of the most tame and complying judges that ever sate on the bench. Violent altercation, however, arose betwixt Ashley and Arlington, who expected Ashley's place made vacant in the treasury, which was given to Clifford.

On the 5th of February, 1673, parliament was summoned after a recess of nearly a year and a half. Ashley undertook to justify the shutting of the exchequer and the Dutch war. But the days of the cabal were numbered. The king, by their advice, had, during the recess, issued a declaration of indulgence. This was done with the hope of winning the support of the nonconformists and the papists. But of all subjects, that of indulgence of conscience in religion, at that period, was the most double-edged. The nonconformists were ready enough to enjoy indulgence, but then the eternal suspicion that it was intended only as a cloak for the indulgence of popery, made them rather satisfied to be without it than enjoy it at that peril. No sooner, therefore, had they granted Charles the liberal sum of one million two hundred thousand pounds, to be collected by eighteen monthly assessments, than the commons fell on this proclamation of indulgence. The members of the church and the nonconformists united in their denunciation of it. On the 10th of February they resolved, by a majority of one hundred and sixty-eight to one hundred and sixteen, that "penal statutes, in matters ecclesiastical, cannot be suspended except by act of parliament." Charles stood for awhile on his prerogative, but the effervescence in the house and country was so great that he gave way, and his declaration, that what he had done should not be drawn into a precedent, on the 8th of March was received with acclamations by both houses, and by rejoicings and bonfires by the people.

The cabal, seeing their error in this respect, fell into an opposite one. Arlington recommended to Charles that, to pacify the fears of the country, it would be well to have an act passed requiring every person holding any office, civil or military, not only to take the oath of allegiance and supremacy, but that he should receive the sacrament in the form prescribed by the church of England, or be incapable of receiving or continuing such office. All such persons were required also to make a declaration against transubstantiation, under a penalty of five hundred pounds, of being disabled from suing in any court of law, or of being a guardian or executor. This act was passed by both houses unanimously, the nonconformists being promised that another bill should be introduced to protect them from the operation of this. But before it was done parliament was prorogued on the 29th of March, and they were taken in their own trap.

No sooner was this act passed, which became known as the Test Act, and continued in force till the reign of George IV., than the ministers found that they had overshot themselves again. Its immediate effect was to compel lord Clifford to resign his staff: the wedge was thus introduced into the cabal, and the duke of York, who resigned his office of lord high admiral, became inimical to them. Shaftesbury had given great offence to the king by being in a hurry in the lords to pronounce the indulgence illegal, and soon after the prorogation Charles took the great seal from him, and gave it to Sir Heneage Finch. The office of lord treasurer, resigned by Clifford, was given by the king to Sir Thomas Osborne, a gentlemen of Yorkshire, who was created earl of Danby, and became in reality prime minister. The rise of Danby was the certain destruction of the cabal. His foreign policy was entirely opposed to theirs he saw clearly enough the ruinous course of aggrandising France at the expense of the protestant states of Europe; his views of domestic policy were more profound, though not less unprincipled than theirs. He saw the necessity of combining the old royalist and church interests for the support of the throne, but he set about this process by buying up the favour of the cavaliers, the nobles, the country gentlemen, and the clergy and universities. He was not the first to bribe—the cabal had done that so far as parliament members were concerned, but Danby, like Walpole, and the ministers after him, bought up any and every man that could secure his views, by direct bribes or lucrative appointments. He might be said to be the father of that system of corruption which became so universal in after times, and has yet left its prolific slime on our ministerial system.

When parliament reassembled on the 7th of January, 1674, there appeared alarming proofs of some whispered disclosures having taken place during the disruptions in the cabal, regarding the king's secret treaty with Louis. Charles solemnly denied his having any secret engagement whatever with France. Parliament also exhibited its uneasiness regarding the practices of the papists. The duke of York, since the prorogation of parliament on the 4th of November last, had married the Maria D'Este, a catholic princess, sister of the duke of Modena. This had roused all the fears of the country regarding the succession, and the commons recommended severe measures against the papists, and that the militia should be ready at an hours notice to act against any disturbances on their part. They also demanded the removal of all persons from the ministry popishly affected, and of those who advised the alliance with France and the rupture with Holland, and the placing a foreigner at the head of the army. Both army and navy, in fact, were commanded by foreigners—prince Rupert had succeeded the duke of York as admiral; Schomberg was sent with the army to Holland. Under the direction of Shaftesbury, who had now gone over to what was called the country party, that is, the opposition, they called for the dismissal of