Editing John Pym (section)

===Forced Loan and Petition of Right===

Pym's diary shows he viewed Parliamentary legislation as a whole, not just issues of interest to himself; combined with an ability to explain them clearly, it led to his appointment to numerous committees. Since direct criticism of the king was considered treason, the only way to express opposition was by attacking his advisors, using the process of [[Impeachment in the United Kingdom|impeachment]]. Pym argued it was for the [[House of Commons of England|Commons]] to decide guilt or innocence, leaving the [[House of Lords|Lords]] only to determine the penalty; this would become significant in his future Parliamentary career.{{sfn|Ferris|Hunneyball|2010}}

[[File:Francis, 4th Earl of Bedford by Henry Bone.jpg|left|thumb|upright=0.8|Pym's patron and political ally, the [[Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford|Earl of Bedford]], 1587–1641]]

Even in an era when it was common, he was notable for his anti-Catholicism, and opposition to alleged [[Arminianism in the Church of England|Catholic practices in the Church of England]]. One reason for this was the close links in the 17th-century between religion and politics, with alterations in one viewed as implying alterations in the other. Many contemporaries fought in the [[Thirty Years' War]] and were concerned at the apparent failure of [[James I of England|James]] to defend his [[Frederick V of the Palatinate|own son-in-law]] and [[Protestantism|Protestant Europe]] as a whole.{{sfn|MacDonald|1969|pp=45–50}}

Following the dissolution of Parliament in 1621, Pym was arrested, and brought before the [[Privy Council of England|Privy Council]], but released in August 1622. In 1624, he was elected for [[Tavistock (UK Parliament constituency)|Tavistock]], a seat controlled by [[Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford|Earl of Bedford]], which he retained for the rest of his career.{{sfn|Ferris|Hunneyball|2010}} In 1626, he led an attempt to impeach the [[George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham|Duke of Buckingham]], an action which led to Parliament being dissolved. Only Buckingham's assassination in August 1628 prevented a second attempt, while Pym supported the presentation of the [[Petition of Right]] to [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] in 1628.{{sfn|Ferris|Hunneyball|2010}}

Pym, his stepbrother [[Francis Rous]], and [[John Hampden]], also led the Parliamentary attack on [[Roger Maynwaring]] and [[Robert Sibthorpe]], two clergymen who published [[sermons]] supporting the Caroline precepts of the [[divine right of kings]], and [[passive obedience]]. Though censured by Parliament for preaching against the established English constitution, Charles pardoned them, and dissolved Parliament, initiating the period of [[Personal Rule]] that continued until 1640.{{sfn|Little|2008|p=33}}

Pym became treasurer of the [[Providence Island Company]] in 1630, a role that increasingly consumed his time, and he relinquished his Exchequer position in 1639. Participation in the colonial movement was common among Puritan leaders, while company meetings later provided cover for co-ordinating political opposition. Many of these became leaders of the Parliamentary opposition in 1642, among them Hampden, Rous, Henry Darley, [[William Fiennes, 1st Viscount Saye and Sele|Lord Saye]], [[William Waller]], and [[Robert Greville, 2nd Baron Brooke|Lord Brooke]].{{sfn|Duinen|2007|p=531}}