produced a scene in the Commons such as St.
Stephen's had never witnessed before. Eliot sate abruptly down amidst
the solemn silence of the House. "Then appeared such a spectacle of
passions," says a letter of the time, "as the like had seldom been seen
in such an assembly: some weeping, some expostulating, some prophesying
of the fatal ruin of our kingdom, some playing the divines in confessing
their sins and country's sins which drew these judgements upon us, some
finding, as it were, fault with those that wept. There were above an
hundred weeping eyes, many who offered to speak being interrupted and
silenced by their own passions." Pym himself rose only to sit down
choked with tears. At last Sir Edward Coke found words to blame himself
for the timid counsels which had checked Eliot at the beginning of the
Session, and to protest "that the author and source of all those
miseries was the Duke of Buckingham." Shouts of assent greeted the
resolution to insert the Duke's name in the Remonstrance. But at this
moment the king's obstinacy gave way. A fresh expedition, which had been
sent to Rochelle, returned unsuccessful; and if the siege was to be
raised far greater and costlier efforts must be made. And that the siege
should be raised Buckingham was still resolved. All his energies were
now enlisted in this project; and to get supplies for his fleet he bent
the king to consent in June to the Petition of Right. As Charles
understood it, indeed, the consent meant little. The one point for which
he really cared was the power of keeping men in prison without bringing
them to trial or assigning causes for their imprisonment. On this he had
consulted his judges; and they had answered that his consent to the
Petition left his rights untouched; like other laws, they said, the
Petition would have to be interpreted when it came before them, and the
prerogative remained unaffected. As to the rest, while waiving all claim
to levy taxes not granted by Parliament, Charles still reserved his
right to levy impositions paid customarily to the Crown, and amongst
these he counted tonnage and poundage. Of these reserves however the
Commons knew nothing. The king's consent won a grant of subsidy, and
such a ringing of bells and lighting of bonfires from the people "as
were never seen but upon his Majesty's return from Spain."

[Sidenote: Death of Buckingham.]

But, like all the king's concessions, it came too late to effect the end
at which