guardian of the laws, they ought to have liberty to discharge their
trust, and to maintain that authority whence even kings themselves
derive their being: that a king was constituted such by law, and though
he was not dependent on man, yet was he subordinate to God and the law,
and was obliged to make their prescriptions, not his own will, the rule
of his conduct: that even his commission, as God's vicegerent, enforced,
instead of loosening this obligation; since he was thereby invested with
authority to execute on earth the will of God, which is nothing but
law and justice: that though these surmises of displeasing the queen by
their proceedings, had impeached, in a very essential point, all freedom
of speech,--a privilege granted them by a special law,--yet was there
a more express and more dangerous invasion made on their liberties, by
frequent messages from the throne: that it had become a practice, when
the house was entering on any question, either ecclesiastical or civil,
to bring an order from the queen, inhibiting them absolutely from
treating of such matters, and debarring them from all further discussion
of these momentous articles: that the prelates, emboldened by her royal
protection, had assumed a decisive power in all questions of religion,
and required that every one should implicitly submit his faith to their
arbitrary determinations: that the love which he bore his sovereign
forbade him to be silent under such abuses, or to sacrifice, on this
important occasion, his duty to servile flattery and complaisance; and
that, as no earthly creature was exempt from fault, so neither was the
queen herself; but, in imposing this servitude on her faithful commons,
had committed a great and even dangerous fault against herself and the
whole commonwealth.[*]

It is easy to observe from this speech, that, in this dawn of liberty,
the parliamentary style was still crude and unformed; and that
the proper decorum of attacking ministers and counsellors, without
interesting the honor of the crown, or mentioning the person of the
sovereign, was not yet entirely established. The commons expressed great
displeasure at this unusual license; they sequestered Wentworth from
the house, and committed him prisoner to the serjeant at arms. They
even ordered him to be examined by a committee, consisting of all those
members who were also members of the privy council; and a report to be
next day made to the house. This committee met i