of liberty grew with the growing wealth and intelligence of the
people. The feeble struggles and insults of James irritated
instead of suppressing it; and the events which immediately
followed the accession of his son portended a contest of no
common severity, between a king resolved to be absolute, and a
people resolved to be free.

The famous proceedings of the third Parliament of Charles, and
the tyrannical measures which followed its dissolution, are
extremely well described by Mr. Hallam. No writer, we think, has
shown, in so clear and satisfactory a manner, that the Government
then entertained a fixed purpose of destroying the old
parliamentary constitution of England, or at least of reducing it
to a mere shadow. We hasten, however, to a part of his work
which, though it abounds in valuable information and in remarks
well deserving to be attentively considered, and though it is,
like the rest, evidently written in a spirit of perfect
impartiality, appears to us, in many points, objectionable.

We pass to the year 1640. The fate of the short Parliament held
in that year clearly indicated the views of the king. That a
Parliament so moderate in feeling should have met after so many
years of oppression is truly wonderful. Hyde extols its loyal and
conciliatory spirit. Its conduct, we are told, made the excellent
Falkland in love with the very name of Parliament. We think,
indeed, with Oliver St. John, that its moderation was carried too
far, and that the times required sharper and more decided
councils. It was fortunate, however, that the king had another
opportunity of showing that hatred of the liberties of his
subjects which was the ruling principle of all his conduct. The