Any Catholic priest might say mass: any Quaker might harangue his brethren: but the Privy Council was directed to see that no Presbyterian minister presumed to preach without a special license from the government.

Every line of this instrument, and of the letters by which it was accompanied, shows how much it cost the King to relax in the smallest degree the rigour with which he had ever treated the old enemies of his house.
[235] There is reason, indeed, to believe that, when he published this proclamation, he had by no means fully made up his mind to a coalition with the Puritans, and that his object was to grant just so much favour to them as might suffice to frighten the Churchmen into submission.
He therefore waited a month, in order to see what effect the edict put forth at Edinburgh would produce in England.

That month he employed assiduously, by Petre's advice, in what was called closeting.

London was very full.

It was expected that the Parliament would shortly meet for the dispatch of business; and many members were in town.