Note 239 — Chapter IX

The bishops had so few friends in the House of Commons, that in the debate arising out of this protest, all agreed that they should be charged with treason, except one gentleman, who said he thought them only mad, and proposed that they should be sent to Bedlam instead of the Tower. Even Clarendon bears rather hard on the protest; chiefly, as is evident, because it originated with Williams. In fact, several of these prelates had not courage to stand by what they had done, and made trivial apologies. Parl. Hist. 996. Whether the violence was such as to form a complete justification for their absenting themselves, is a question of fact which we cannot well determine. Three bishops continued at their posts, and voted against the bill for removing them from the House of Lords. See a passage from Hall's "Hard Measure," in Wordsworth's Eccles. Biogr. v. 317. The king always entertained a notion that this act was null in itself; and in one of his proclamations from York, not very judiciously declares his intention to preserve the privileges of the three estates of parliament. The Lords admitted the twelve bishops to bail; but, with their usual pusillanimity, recommitted them on the Commons' expostulation. Parl. Hist. 1092.