[851a] “The right divine of kings to govern wrong.”
[851b] Laing.
[856] That is, of the populace, who on the first discovery of his flight proceeded to plunder the popish chapels and houses, but were soon restrained and obliged to desist.
[857] “A voluntary desertion and a virtual renunciation, both of the government and realm, were meant to be implied in that ambiguous expression, in order to open the succession to the next protestant heir. But the abdication of government was irreconcileable with the premises, as it was neither applicable to his abuse of power, nor to his departure from the kingdom, which was more from constraint than choice.”—Laing, as before.
[859] For a more circumstantial account see Rapin, and especially Laing, from whose excellent History of Scotland much of the preceding account if taken.
[861] The chief of whom, we presume, was the famous Framingham, who was then mayor. There was another great man that was also deeply concerned in this vile business, perhaps the first Turner, but we are not sure, for a blank is left for the name in the printed account.—Of Framingham there can be little doubt, and Turner seems the most likely to be the other, as he was mayor the next year, when the persecution was still going on. They were, no doubt, very competent to judge, what sort of religion was fit to be allowed in the town: one educated at a bakehouse, and the other at a pot-house, or tavern.
[862] About this same time, if we are not mistaken, the informers affected to be very sorry for what they had done, and pretended great trouble of conscience and contrition, whereby they so wrought upon Marham, that they got from him a discharge from their false information, upon their giving bonds for their future good behaviour. But it was all a villanous contrivance, in order to escape out of their present danger, and be able more easily to effect his ruin; for, about a fortnight after, they came (says our account) “and actually seized his goods according to the former levy; which plainly discovered their design of agreement was but to have a safer advantage against him; and by seizing, to ruin him; and therefore it was that he was advised to sue the Bonds.”—See a small tract entitled The Lynn Persecution, printed in London in the early part of 1693.
[864] That affair appears to have been in agitation as early as 1685; whence the following note has been inserted in the town-books—“Nov. 23. 1665, Recommended a petition which was presented to this house, concerning the decay of the stocking trade in this towne, by weaving of the same, to the care of Sir Simon Taylor and Sir John Turner, our members of parliament.”—It would seem by this, that the case was, even then, laid before the legislature, or meant so to be; but we know not the result.
[865] Kimber.
[869] So it is in the Extracts, but it should, no doubt, be 1627l.