episcopacy, not only for the reasons abovesaid, but likewise to hinder the growth of Presbyterian doctrine, which cannot but bring anarchy into any country, wherever it shall come for any time." - Meaning and context.">
Letter to the Prince of Wales (26 August 1646), quoted in Letters of the Kings of England, Now First Collected from the Originals in Royal Archives, and From Other Authentic Sources, Private as well as Public, Vol. II, ed. James Orchard Halliwell (1846), pp. 417-418
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As I know that you are not now to learn that chiefest particular duty of a king is to maintain the true religion (without which he can never expect to have God's blessing), so I assure you that this duty can never be right performed without the Church is rightly governed, not only in relation to conscience, but likewise for the necessary subsistence of the Crown. For, take it as an infallible maxim from me, that, as the Church can never flourish without the protection of the Crown, so the dependency of the Church upon the Crown is the chiefest support of regal authority. This is that which is so well understood by the English and Scots rebels, that no concessions will content them without the change of Church government, by which that necessary and ancient relation which the Church hath had to the Crown is taken away. Wherefore, my first direction to you is, to be constant in the maintenance of the episcopacy, not only for the reasons abovesaid, but likewise to hinder the growth of Presbyterian doctrine, which cannot but bring anarchy into any country, wherever it shall come for any time.

— Charles I of England

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "As I know that you are not now to learn that chiefest particular duty of a king is to maintain the true religion (without which he can never expect to have God's blessing), so I assure you that this duty can never be right performed without the Church is rightly governed, not only in relation to conscience, but likewise for the necessary subsistence of the Crown. For, take it as an infallible maxim from me, that, as the Church can never flourish without the protection of the Crown, so the dependency of the Church upon the Crown is the chiefest support of regal authority. This is that which is so well understood by the English and Scots rebels, that no concessions will content them without the change of Church government, by which that necessary and ancient relation which the Church hath had to the Crown is taken away. Wherefore, my first direction to you is, to be constant in the maintenance of the episcopacy, not only for the reasons abovesaid, but likewise to hinder the growth of Presbyterian doctrine, which cannot but bring anarchy into any country, wherever it shall come for any time." in the context of "Letter to the Prince of Wales (26 August 1646), quoted in Letters of the Kings of England, Now First Collected from the Originals in Royal Archives, and From Other Authentic Sources, Private as well as Public, Vol. II, ed. James Orchard Halliwell (1846), pp. 417-418" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Charles I of England" (Quotes, 1640s) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Charles I of England

About Charles I of England

Charles I (November 19, 1600 – January 30, 1649) was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. After his succession in 1625, Charles quarrelled with the Parliament of England, which sought to curb his royal prerogative. Charles believed in the divine right of kings, and was determined to govern according to his own conscience.