er Catholics or Puritans--who refused to
conform to the Episcopal mode of worship. The High Commission Court
was organized (1583) to try and to to punish heretics--whether
Catholics or Puritans. The great number of paupers caused by the
destruction of the monasteries under Henry VIII and the gradual decay
of relations of feudal service caused the passage of the first Poor
Law (1601) (S403), and so brought the Government face to face with a
problem which has never yet been satisfactorily settled; namely, what
to do with habitual paupers and tramps.

[1] By the Third Act of Uniformity and the establishment of the High
Commission Court (S382). The First and Second Acts of Uniformity were
enacted under Edward VI (S362).

The closing part of Elizabeth's reign marks the revival of
parliamentary power. The House of Commons now had many Puritan
members, and they did not hesitate to assert their right to advise the
Queen on all questions of national importance. Elizabeth sharply
rebuked them for presuming to meddle with questions of religion, or
for urging her either to take a husband or to name a successor to the
throne; but even she did not venture to run directly counter to the
will of the people. When the Commons demanded (1601) that she should
put a stop to the pernicious practice of granting trading monopolies
(S388) to her favorites, she was obliged to yield her assent.

16. James I; the Divine Right of Kings; Struggle with Parliament.

James began his reign by declaring that kings rule not by the will of
the people, but by "divine right." "God makes the King," said he, "and
the King makes the law" (S419). For this reason he demanded that his
proclamations should have all the force of acts of Parliament.
Furthermore, since he appointed the judges, he could generally get
their decisions to support him; thus he made even the courts of
justice serve as instruments of his will. In his arrogance he
declared that neither Parliament nor the people had any right to
discuss matters of state, whether foreign or domestic, since he was
resolved to reserve such questions for the royal intellect to deal
with. By his religious intolerance he maddened both Puritans and
Catholics, and the Pilgrim Fathers fled from England to escape his
tyranny.

But there was a limit set to his overbearing conceit. When he
dictated to the Commons (1604) what persons should sit in that body,
they indignantly refused to submit to any interfe