successful aim in this room; and art, guided by sound judgment, lively and polished taste, has availed itself of all sorts of materials to attain the end proposed. The splendid number of glossy jars of blue porcelain, well appropriated and judiciously placed, contribute magnificently to this effect; they excel, in richness and brilliancy, whatever of the kind we have before seen, foreign or native; they are of Staffordshire manufacture, and were furnished by Spode and Copland. Like the music room, this apartment is carpetted throughout, and displays another fine specimen of talent in that line, from Axminster, and, like that room, this is also lighted by five spacious windows, which open to the east, the draperies of which, composed of the richest crimson silks, adorned with gold, delightfully harmonize with silks of celestial blue, which clothe the dividing piers, and complete a tout ensemble of such matchless beauty, as render words inadequate to do it justice. The painted decorations, and the general designs, under the classic suggestions of their illustrious possessor, have been the work of Robert Jones, Esq. and have deservedly raised his reputation to the highest pinnacle of professional fame; the time-piece, &c. are by Perry; the furniture and draperies are by Bailey and Saunders; and the stoves, &c. throughout, are Cutler's. To speak of this room as a whole, it involves the perfection of British art, and stamps on it a

character, we doubt not, the reverse of secondary, to whatever travelled experience can be qualified to point out as actually existing in any other part of the habitable globe*.

Centrally, between the two magnificent apartments described, rises the rotunda or saloon, the interior of which forms an oblong of fifty-five feet, with cornice supported by columns and pillasters. The ornamental embellishments here have been much changed since 1820; the diversity of decoration having given way to a dead white, with gold edgings, &c. which unite apparent coolness and simplicity, with richness and elegance of effect. To the north, occupying the space between the rotunda and music room, is, what is now termed, the yellow room, from the prevalent colour there, formerly called the breakfast room; it is fifty-six feet in length by twenty in breadth. An apartment, of about the same dimensions, connects the rotunda to the banqueting room, southward; and there are various anti-rooms, drawing rooms, including a new breakfast room, &c. to the west of the Chinese gallery, in all of which the embellishments have been studiously regulated to produce an effect in close alliance, if we may so express ourselves, with the science of taste, that the several links of the radiant chain may improve the beauty of each, and resolve themselves into a species of glowing perfection as a whole. (To be continued).

1639.

This forced the king to set forth against them, accompanied with an army royal, and furnished with such a gallant company of lords and gentlemen, as might assure him of a cheap and easie victory. But he, conceiving that the terrour of his coming would reduce the Scots to obedience without blows or bloodshed, resolved in himself not to out-go muster and ostentation; and, thereupon, was very easily intreated to refer all differences between them to certain commissioners of both kingdoms.

By their negotiation, a general accord was made at Berwick, on the seventeenth of June, anno 1639, upon which the king presently disbanded his forces, and returned towards London, having effected nothing by his chargeable expedition, but his making the Scots more insolent than before they were, and giving them a greater reputation in the eye of the world than before they had; of which he became assured and sensible when it was too late. For no sooner had he disbanded his army, but the pacification, such as it was, was openly protested against in the Scots army; and many false copies of it were scattered abroad to make it more dishonourable to the king, and of more advantage to themselves. The officers of their army were retained in pay the old form of holding parliaments in that kingdom was altered by them-and the prerogatives of the crown invaded; their words and actions tending to a more general defection than

before; so that the king was fain to call home his sheet anchor, the lord lieutenant of Ireland, whom, not long after he created earl of Stratford, in the county of York; by whose advice, seconded by the archbishop of Canterbury, his majesty gave a publick intimation of a parliament, to begin on the thirteenth day of April, then next following. And it was intimated so long beforehand for these two reasons. First-that the lord lieutenant of Ireland might in the mean time hold a parliament in that kingdome, which he did, and managed so much to the king's advantage, that an army of eight thousand horse and foot was speedily raised, and money granted by the parliament to keep them in pay, and furnish them with ammunition, arms, and all other necessaries. Secondly-that by the reputation of a following parliament, he might be the better enabled to borrow money for the carrying on of the war, in case the parliament should fail him, as it after did. For, being conie together at the time appointed, instead of acting any thing in order to his majesty's service, they were at the point of passing a vote for blasting his war against the Scots. To prevent which, his majesty was forced to dissolve them on the fifth of May-the convocation still continuing, who granted him a benevolence of foure shillings in the pound for all their ecclesiastical promotions, to be paid six years together then next ensuing.

The members of the dissolved

parliament inflamed the people in all parts of the kingdome with such discontentments, which actually brake out in Southwark into open sedition, not pacified without much danger and the execution of the principal leader. In the middle of which distempers his majesty was blest with a third son, born on the eighth of July, christened by the name of Henry, and by his majesty's command called duke of Glouces

ter.

1640.

To welcome this young prince into the world, the Scots put themselves into arms again, and backed by a strong faction here, thought they could not do enough by standing on their defence at home, unless they entered England also, as they did accordingly. But they took not his majesty unprovided, who had raised another gallant army under the command of the earl of Northumberland, as chief general, and the earl of Strafford as the chief commander under him-himself, with all speed, posting towards the north, as soon as the news of this invasion had been brought unto him. But scarce was he well settled at the head of his army, but he was followed by a petition from some lords of England, conformable in the main points of it to a declaration of the Scots, which they called the intention of their army. So that the cloud which gathered behind him in the south threatened more danger to him than the northern tempest, which blew directly in his teeth.

Sailing thus between Scylla and Charybdis, it concerned him to steer as even as he could, and,

thereupon, he summoned the great council of his peers to attend him at York, that, doing nothing in this great businesse without their advice, he might give himself the better hopes of their assistance, as his occasions should require. By their advice commissioners are appointed to treat with the Scots-to understand their grievances-the reasonableness or unreasonableness of their demands—and, finally, to make up the breach by such an accommodation as might conduce to the peace and happiness of both kingdoms, and his majesty's honour.

In the mean time he calls a parliament, to begin at Westminster, the third day of November then next following, which, if it had been held at York, as lying nearest to the danger and scene of action, might not have proved so fatal and destructive to him, as it after did.

In the beginning of this parliament, he cast himself on the love and loyalty of his English subjects, in which he found himself deceived of his expectation. For the first thing they did, was to deprive him of the counsels of the lord lieutenant of Ireland, and the archbishop of Canterbury; and, thereby, to terrify all others from adhering to him in the times of the greatest need. These they impeached of high treason-removed them from the house of peers, and committed them to the tower of London, where the archbishop staid four years before any particular charge, or any prosecution upon that charge, was brought against him. But with the lord lieutenant of Ireland they made quicker work, inviting the people of the

par

three kingdomes to bring them in such matter as they had or could devise against him; and having made all things ready for a public tryal, they brought him to the bar, before the peers, sitting in Westminster-hall, on the sixth of April then next following; but he so rationally pleaded in his own behalf, and so fully satisfyed all objections which were made against him, that the commons were fain to desist from the course which they had begun, and to proceed against him in a bill of attainder. For the better passing whereof the commons framed a protestation on the third of May, in many things not unlike the the Scottish covenant, before-mentioned, by which they bound themselves, among other things, to maintain and defend the power and privileges of liament-the lawful rights and liberties of the subject-to endeavour to bring to condigne punishment all such as shall, either by force, practice, plots, counsels, and conspiracies, or otherwise, do any thing to the contrary, (amongst which they reckon the earl Strafford to be one), and, finally, to stand unto one another, and to every other person whatsoever in any thing he shall do in pursuance of the said protestation. Which protestation, being first taken by themselves, was the next day taken also by the house of peers, and, not long after, obtruded on all the rest of the kingdom. But not finding this sufficient to effect their purpose, they first forced the lords by tumults, and, afterwards, the king by their importunities to passe that unhappy bill of attainder; which, having obtained, they brought

him to the scaffold on Tower-hill, the thirteenth of May, where, with as much christian confidence and magnanimity as could be expressed by flesh and blood, he delivered up his neck to the executioner.

In order to this great work which they knew the Scots much laboured for, and had declared so much in a pamphlet called "The intentions of their Army," at their first coming into England, the leading men in the house of commons held a strict correspondence with the Scots commissioners, then residing in London, and voted no less than three hundred thousand pounds (by the name of a brotherly assistance), to be given to the Scots in general, under colour of repairing such damages as they had sustained in the time of this breach, but in plain truth to bind them fast unto themselves. having made sure work with them, they deprived the king by little and little of almost all the ancient aud undoubted prerogatives which of right belonged unto his crown.

And

The power of calling parliaments, in case of his neglect and refusal, is put into the hands of sheriffs and constables; his right to tonnage and poundage must be disclaimed by act of parliament; the bill of the attainder of the earl of Strafford, and that for the continuance of this parliament during the pleasure of the houses, are extorted by tumults. And by the terror of the like, the act for knighthood is repealed, and the imposition for ship-money condemned as an illegal tax, and abolished also. The like acts passed against the office of the clerk of the market,

the court of stanneries, his propriety in the making of gunpowder, the authority of the counciltable, the courts of star-chamber and high commission, the jurisdiction of the ecclesiastical courts, as, also, the presidial courts held for a long time in York and the marches of Wales. And, finally, that he might lose both his strength in parliament, and his power with the people, they extorted the passing of two acts, the one for taking away the bishops' votes and place in the house of peers, the other for disclaiming of his power in pressing soldiers (enjoyed by all his predecessors), for the defence of his person and the realm.

And that they might the better awe the king to their concessions, the army of the Scots must be maintained with pay and

plunder, till there was almost nothing left for them to crave, or the king to grant. But being at the last sent home, his majesty followed not long after to settle his affairs in that broken kingdom; where, to oblige that nation to him, he confirmed not only all his former concessions by act of parliament, but all such things also has had been acted by them in their assembly held at Glasgow. And more than so, he parted with so much of his royal prerogative (invaded and usurped by them in the late confusions), that he had almost nothing left remaining to him, but the empty title, the having of a sword carried before him, and some other outward pomps of court, which signify just nothing when the power is gone.

(To be continued.)

Mr. Editor,

The following Epitome of the Bible, by the late celebrated William Huntington, may not be unworthy of a place in your valuable GLEANER. A SUBSCRIBER.

THE BIBLE.-A nation must be truly blessed, if it were governed by no other laws than those of this blessed book. It is so complete a system, that nothing can be added to it or taken from it. It contains every thing needful to be known and done. It affords a copy for a king (Deut. 17, 18); and a rule for a subject. It gives instruction and counsel to a senate, authority and direction for a magistrate. It cautions a witness, requires an impartial verdict of a jury, and furnishes the judge

with his sentence. It sets the husband as lord of the household, and the wife as mistress of the table; tells him how to rule, and· her how to manage. It entails honour to parents, and enjoins obedience to children. It prescribes and limits the sway of the sovereign, the rule of the ruler, and the authority of the master; commands the subject to honour, and the servant to obey, and promises the blessing and protection of its author to all who walk by its rules. It gives directions for weddings, and for burials; regulates feasts and fasts, mournings and rejoicings; and orders labour for the day and rest for the night. It promises food and raiment, and limits the use of both. It points out a faithful and an eternal guar