mons did
many things to discountenance the rites and usages of the Episcopal
Church, and to make them odious. The excitement among the populace
increased, and mobs began to interfere with the service in some of the
churches in London and Westminster. At last a mob of five hundred
persons assembled around the archbishop's palace at Lambeth.[E] This
palace, as has been before stated, is on the bank of the Thames, just
above London, opposite to Westminster. The mob were there for two
hours, beating at the doors and windows in an attempt to force
admission, but in vain. The palace was very strongly guarded, and the
mob were at length repulsed. One of the ringleaders was taken and
hanged.

[Footnote E: See view of this palace on page 133.]

One would have thought that this sort of persecution would have
awakened some sympathy in the archbishop's favor; but it was too
late. He had been bearing down so mercilessly himself upon the people
of England for so many years, suppressing, by the severest measures,
all expressions of discontent, that the hatred had become entirely
uncontrollable. Its breaking out at one point only promoted its
breaking out in another. The House of Commons sent a messenger to the
House of Lords, as they had done in the case of Strafford, saying that
they had found good cause to accuse the Archbishop of Canterbury of
treason, and asked that he might be sequestered from the House, and
held in custody till they could prepare their charges, and the
evidence to sustain them.

The archbishop was at that time in his seat. He was directed to
withdraw. Before leaving the chamber he asked leave to say a few
words. Permission was granted, and he said in substance that he was
truly sorry to have awakened in the hearts of his countrymen such a
degree of displeasure as was obviously excited against him. He was
most unhappy to have lived to see the day in which he was made subject
to a charge of treason. He begged their lordships to look at the whole
course of his life, and he was sure that they would be convinced that
there was not a single member of the House of Commons who could really
think him guilty of such a charge.

Here one of the lords interrupted him to say that by speaking in that
manner he was uttering slander against the House of Commons, charging
them with solemnly bringing accusations which they did not believe to
be true. The archbishop then said, that if the charge must be
entertained, he hoped