rles had a somewhat stronger
force than Leslie, but his men had no will to fight; and he was forced
to evade a battle by consenting to the gathering of a free Assembly and
of a Scotch Parliament. But he had no purpose of being bound by terms
which had been wrested from him by rebel subjects. In his eyes the
pacification at Berwick was a mere suspension of arms; and the king's
summons of Wentworth from Ireland was a proof that violent measures
were in preparation. The Scotch leaders were far from deceiving
themselves as to the king's purpose; and in the struggle which they
foresaw they sought aid from a power which Scotch tradition had looked
on for centuries as the natural ally of their country. The jealousy
between France and England had long been smouldering, and only the
weakness of Charles and the caution of Richelieu had prevented its
bursting into open flame. In the weary negotiations which the English
king still carried on for the restoration of his nephew to the
Palatinate, he had till now been counting rather on the friendly
mediation of Spain with the Emperor than on any efforts of France or its
Protestant allies. At this moment however a strange piece of fortune
brought about a sudden change in his policy. A Spanish fleet, which had
been attacked by the Dutch in the Channel, took refuge under the guns of
Dover; and Spain appealed for its protection to the friendship of the
king. But Charles saw in the incident a chance of winning the Palatinate
without a blow. He at once opened negotiations with Richelieu. He
offered to suffer the Spanish vessels to be destroyed, if France would
pledge itself to restore his nephew. Richelieu on the other hand would
only consent to his restoration if Charles would take an active part in
the war. But the negotiations were suddenly cut short by the daring of
the Dutch. In spite of the king's threats they attacked the Spanish
fleet as it lay in English waters, and drove it broken to Ostend. Such
an act of defiance could only embitter the enmity which Charles already
felt towards France and its Dutch allies; and Richelieu grasped gladly
at the Scotch revolt as a means of hindering England from joining in the
war. His agents opened communications with the Scottish leaders; and
applications for its aid were forwarded by the Scots to the French
court.

[Sidenote: The Short Parliament.]

The discovery of this correspondence roused anew the hopes of the king.
He was resolved not to y