CHAPTER XVI. GATHERING CLOUDS. 1642-1648. The sky Is overcast, and musters muttering thunder, -BYRON. Tidings of the Jesuits' doings and of the trouble occasioned thereby soon reached England, and there, like seeds falling on a rich and fertile soil, they forthwith produced an abundant harvest. At once Baltimore's enemies seized upon the reports as a pretext for efforts to deprive him of his province. The experiment, it was claimed, of giving to a Roman Catholic ample and generous powers over the fortunes of English subjects had been tried and had been proved a dismal failure. From the first it had been regarded as but another of those many tactless performances by which the Stuart kings were continually demonstrating to the nation their utter incapacity to level up to the measure and the standard of their opportunities and responsibilities. In consequence of this agitation on March 26th, 1642, Lord Baltimore was summoned to appear before the House of Lords to answer for the alleged misconduct of his officers in Maryland, as if he had been conniving at the realization of their schemes, and abetting them in their lawlessness. Was ever an absolute lord in a more pitiable plight? Fighting Romanism abroad, and at the same time accused of advancing its interests at home. Unhappy Lord Baltimore! He was between the upper and the nether mill-stones. We have nothing, but the most meagre details of the inquiry before the Upper House. But that the lords did not take any very serious view of the situation is evident from the fact that, apparently, they took no action beyond placing Baltimore under bonds not to leave the kingdom, his previous disability in this respect having been removed. But if we may judge of the character and nature of the whole charge from one portion of it, we shall not be surprised at the indifference of the lords. He had, so it was said, actually inserted a provision into the laws of the colony, protecting the Virgin Mary from reproach'-an accusation which indi 1 Ethan Allen, Manuscript book in Episcopal Library, Baltimore, P. 28. cates that his opponents were not very familiar with the teaching of Scripture on the subject of the honor due to our Blessed Lord's mother. It is painfully evident from this incident alone that Lord Baltimore was face to face with extremely unreasoning partizan malice, and that he would have to walk warily if he would retain possession of his proprietary rights. Happily he could say that the troubles in Maryland were none of his making, and that he was even then engaged in a life and death struggle with the Jesuits there, for the very purpose of bringing about their final and complete submission to his authority. Lord Baltimore's justification of himself on this occasion did not however end his difficulties, nor remove serious ground of apprehension for the future. The political sky was black with clouds, and he had soon far more urgent reasons for being anxious about his tenure of Maryland, than anything which might reasonably be expected to result from an impartial judicial inquiry. Events were moving rapidly in England. Every day the king was becoming more unpopular. Threats of civil war began to be heard on all sides. Finally it came, and on the twenty third of October, 1642, the first battle took place in that terrible fratricidal strife which was to witness the death of King Charles I upon the scaffold by the hands of the common executioner. ་ For some time previous to that tragedy Lord Baltimore could scarcely have had much hope of ultimate tranquility. But after it had occurred, and England had received an object lesson in such a policy of Thorough' as even Strafford had never dreamed of, all hope must have effectually died out of his heart, for only by King Charles' personal favor was he Lord Proprietary of Maryland. The royal favor itself had now become a serious disadvantage. But as a Roman Catholic recipient of the king's bounty he labored under a more serious disadvantage still. Even the likelihood of his being involved in whatever hard fate threatened the unfortunate king was not nearly so remote as Baltimore could have wished it to be. He had even begun to fear for his life. 2 In the new turn of events which was lifting up Cromwell and the saints to supreme power in England it was a dangerous thing for a man to be suspected of encouraging Romanism. Better far to be a Mohammedan seeking proselytes than to be charged with advancing the cause of the dark idolatries of the modern Babylon, as all good Puritans held they had Scrip2 The Calvert Papers, No. 1, P. 220. tural authority for so describing Rome. Next to the work of destroying the erroneous opinions and practices which had found place in the National Church the Puritans turned with holy exultation to extirpating Romanism out of the land. Jehu destroying Baal out of Israel was their ideal saint and governor. It was thus becoming increasingly evident that the only course which held out for Lord Baltimore a bare prospect of safety was for him to speedily rout the Jesuits. Nothing must be allowed to interfere with that one grand object. Even his relations to his Church must be subservient to it. He must burn all his bridges behind him. To be sure, even this might prove of no avail, it being only a forlorn hope at the best. But it was the only course which held out any possible prospect of success, and he determined to follow it. this in view, Baltimore undertook the work in a way so thoroughly characteristic and eminently practical as could not fail to compel the admiration of his enemies. Across the seas on the New England shore, where the Pilgrim Fathers had landed, there was rising a splendid commonwealth. The men of that commonwealth were in religious faith one with the party now coming to the front Having |