The King accused five leaders of Parliament, including Pym, of trying to subvert the government of the kingdom, to deprive the King of his regal power, to alienate the affections of the people toward their King, forcing the Parliament to their ends by foul aspersions, and inviting the Scots to invade England. In 1642, the King entered Parliament with 300 soldiers to arrest these five. They had flown, but Parliament was shocked that the King had threatened the liberties of Parliament with military force. The citizens of London, in their fear of popery, rose in arms against the King, who left the city. Both sides raised big armies. The goal of the Parliamentarians was to capture the King alive and force him to concessions.
When the Parliamentarians took Oxford in 1648, they purged its faculty of royalists.
- The Law -
From 1625 to 1627 these statutes were passed:
No one shall engage in sports or any pastimes outside his own parish or bearbaiting, bullbaiting, interludes, plays or other unlawful pastimes inside his parish on Sundays because such has led to quarrels and bloodshed and nonattendance at church. The fine is 3s.4d. or if the offender does not have the money or goods to sell to pay, he shall be set in the public stocks for three hours.
No carrier with any horse or wagon or cart or drover with cattle may travel on Sunday or forfeit 20s.
No butcher may kill or sell any victual on Sunday or forfeit 6s.8d.
Every innkeeper, alehousekeeper, and other victualler permitting a patron who is not an inhabitant of the area to become drunk shall forfeit 5s. or be place in the stocks for six hours. Offenders convicted a second time shall be bound by two sureties to the sum of 200s.
As of 1627, a parent sending a child out of the country to go to a Catholic school were to forfeit 100 pounds, one half to the informer and one half to the king.
The Petition of Right herebefore described was passed as a statute in 1627.