Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A50359
|
A breviary of the history of the Parliament of England expressed in three parts, 1. The causes and beginnings of the civil war of England, 2. A short mention of the progress of that civil war, 3. A compendious relation of the original and progress of the second civil war / first written in Latine, & after into English by Thomas May.
|
May, Thomas, 1595-1650.
|
1655
(1655)
|
Wing M1396; ESTC R31201
|
87,485
|
222
|
express Command that they should read it publikely in their Churches The Scots complained that a thing of so great concernment having not been allowed by their Church in a National Synod should be imposed upon them they complained likewise that it was not the same with the book of England but alterations were made some of them they confessed were for the better but more for the worse Lastly they affirmed that wheresoever that book varies from the English Lyturgie it approaches directly to the Romane Missal and all the parts of Popery are there But the King seemed to excuse those alterations in his great Declaration These are his words which were not satisfactory to the Scots We supposing that they might have taken some offence if We should have tendered them the English Service-book totidem verbis and that some factious spirits would have endeavoured to have misconstrued it as a badge of dependencie of that Church upon this of England which We had put upon them to the prejudice of their Laws and Liberties We held it fitter that a new Book should be composed by their own Bishops in substance not differing from that of England that so the Romane party might not upbraid us with any weighty or material differences in our Lyturgies and yet in some few insensible alterations differing from that it might truely and justly be reputed a Book of that Churches own composing and established by Our Royal authority as King of Scotland This Book of Lyturgie was read as the King commanded in the great Church at Edinburgh but not without a great uproar in which the Bishop that read it hardly escaped The Plebeians first stirred but presently after the Nobility and Ministers publikely avowed their detestation of that Book some therefore were sent to the King to intreat him that he would recal his command concerning it But the King was immoveable and sent another peremptory command for reading of the Book and that all people who came as Petitioners against it should depart from Edinburgh which did but increase the number of Petitioners who intreated the Councel once more to send to the King concerning it in the mean time they much accused their Bishops as the causers of this Innovation The King commanded his Councel to receive no more Petitions from them and sent the Earl of Traquare into Scotland with a Proclamation which was published at Sterlin wherein he declared That the Bishops were wrongfully accused about the Prayer-book that he himself was the Author of it and all done by his Command he condemned their proceedings as tumultuous and denounced the punishment of high-Treason to those who persisted Against this Proclamation the Lords of the Commission protested and so did the Ministers and others justifying their assembly to be lawful as tending to Gods glory the Kings honour and Liberty of the Nation Immediately after they entered into a Solemn Covenant for defence of their Religion and Liberties This Covenant was subscribed not onely by the Nobles but all sorts of men that their number within few months was many thousands the King enraged did by many Messengers condemn that Covenant the Scots defended it What was alleadged on both sides is more largely expressed in that book intituled Tumultus Scotici In June the Marquess Hamilton as Commissioner from the King came to Edinburgh who in vain dealt with the Covenanters to renounce their Covenant but published a Proclamation of the Kings wherein he forbears to press the reading of that Prayer-book upon them and resolved to call both a Parliament and Synod but the Covenanters in their Protestation declare that the Kings grants were not large enough to cure their present distempers and offer some particular Exceptions So great grew the differences and alterations upon several points that the Marquess Hamilton was enforced that yeer to make two journeys into England to the King and at last by the Kings command called a National Synod which accordingly began at Glasco Novemb. 1. but within seven days the Marquess dissolved that Synod alleadging for reasons that they had broken the Laws of a free Synod both in the maner of their Elections and in other businesses during their sitting But they protested against that dissolution and continued their Synod after that the Marquess was gone away and proceeded in such Laws and Decrees as they judged fit for the present State after which they dissolved the Synod and published a Declaration from Edinburgh to all sincere and good Christians in England concerning their innocencie and intentions The King after a sharp Proclamation against the Scots which he commanded to be read in all English Churches raised an Army to subdue them by force in which the Nobles and all Gentlemen his servants were commanded to attend him at York the first of April with Horse and Arms sutable to their degree the Earl of Arundel was made General and a rich and well-appointed Army at that time and place attended the King But the people of England in general abhorred that wicked War as a designe to enslave both Nations and loved the Scots as brethren persecuted by the same power which had long oppressed themselves they likewise hoped that such an occasion might necessitate the King to call a Parliament in England so long wanted there But the King while he could make any other shift how lowe soever and dishonourable would not endure to think of a Parliament The Covenanting Lords of Scotland published a Remonstrance in answer to the Kings Proclamation and wisely provided against all Invasions that might be made upon them on any side they seized the considerable Forts and disarmed all suspected persons without any great trouble electing Sir Alexander Lesly an old Souldier for their General to whom all the Noble men were content to give obedience at which time the King commanded the Parliament of Scotland to dissolve and his command was obeyed But the threatned War did not proceed it pleased God that by the happie mediation of some honest Lords of both Nations and upon a Conference granted that the Pacification was made and solemnly declared on the 18 of June 1639. and both Armies were disbanded within eight and fourty hours The King granted to the Scots a National Synod to begin upon the first of August following and a Parliament to begin on the 24 day of the same month so that both sides peaceably retreated home But when the King had been but a little time at London his heart was again estranged from the Scots and thoughts of peace He commanded by Proclamation that Paper which the Scots avowed to contain the true conditions of the Pacification to be disavowed and burnt by the hands of the Hangman and the honest people of both Nations began to fear another War The King about the beginning of December told the Lords of his Council that he intended to call a Parliament in England to begin in April following which being spread among the people made them almost amazed so
by no means consent to the abrogation of Episcopacy not in the second place would he suffer the Militia to be taken out of his hands which he conceived to be a cheif flower of his Crown Yet he was contented that for three yeares it should be governed by twenty equally chosen out of both sides Lastly to the prosecution of a War against the Irish he could not consent having made a cessation of Arms with them which in Honour he could not break Thus nothing at all being done toward peace the War must decide it The Parliament hasten the modelling of their new Army The Earls of Essex Warwick Manchester and Denbigh freely and voluntarily lay down their Commissions The new modelled Army of the Parliament consisted of twenty one thousand namely fourteen thousand foot six thousand Horse and one thousand Dragoneers Sir Thomas Fairfax was made General Philip Skippon an excellent souldier was made Major General Colonels of the Foot Regiments were Holborn Fortescue Barclay Craford Ingolesby Mountain Pickering Rainsborough Welden Aldridge of Horse Regiments Sir Michael Levesâ—y Sheffield Middleton Sidney Graves Vermuden Whaley Fleetwood Rossiter Py. The King on the other side had great Forces under divers Commanders to whom he distributed several Provinces the Princes Rupert and Maurice with numerous forces possessed some of the Northern parts of the Kingdom others were held by the Earl of Derby and Sir Marmaduke Langdale Sir John Biron and Gerard held Wales and some adjacent Counties The West was wholly possessed by three Armies of his under the several Commands of Sir Ralph Hopton Sir Richard Greenvile and Colonel Goring All these three though Generals by themselves yet served under the name of Charles Prince of Wales as their supreme General But the King not content with so great a force of English Souldiers was more earnest than before to get over the Irish Papists with whom he had before committed the business to Ormund to make an absolute peace but when the King perceived that those Irish made too high demands and that nothing was effected by Ormund toward the peace in so many Treaties and so long a time he thought of another way which was to the Lord Herbert of Ragland Son to Worcester whom he had created Earl of Glamorgan a zealous Papist and therefore most acceptable to those Irish Rebels the King gave full power by his Letters to make a peace with and indulge to the Irish whatsoever should seem needful It seemed strange to all men when these things were brought to light which was before the end of that year that such a business should be carried on and yet concealed from the Lord Digby Secretary for Ireland and Ormund the Lord Lieutenant to whom the whole matter of that peace had been before committed But the King when he saw it too hard a thing otherwise to make such a peace as would bring a certainty of assistance from them that he might throw all that Envy upon Glamorgan impowred him unknown to the rest for so the Rebels sweetened with large promises unknown to Ormund might the better admit of conditions just in shew and openly excusable and the King might draw from Ireland such Souldiers as would more firmly adhere to his side and he might trust as being the greatest haters of English Protestants and despairing of pardon against the Parliament of England He therefore gave Letters of authority to Glamorgan in these words CHARLES by the grace of God King of England Scotland France and Ireland Defender of the Faith c. To our Trusty and Well beloved Cousin Edward Earl of Glamorgan Greeting Being confident of your wisdom and fidelity We do by these Letters as if under â—ur great Seal grant unto you full power and authority to Treat and conclude with the confeâ—erate Roman Catholikes of Ireland and to inâ—ulge to them all those things which necessity â—â—all require and which we cannot so commodiâ—â—sly do by our Lieutenant nor our Self publick-â—own at present Therefore We command that 〈◊〉 do this business with as much secresie as can 〈◊〉 whatsoever you shall think fit to be promâ—â—â—â— in my name that do I attest upon the word of a King and a Christian to grant to those Confederate Catholikes who by their assistance have abundantly shewed their zeal to us and our Cause Given at Oxford under our Royal Seal the twelfth day of March and twentieth year of our Raign Nor into England onely did he endeavour to bring those Irish but into Scotland which he effected to the great damage of that unhappy Kingdom by Montross about the beginning of the year 1644. when the Scottish Covenanters came into England to assist the Parliament Montross went to Oxford to the King to offer his service against the Covenanters in Scotland The King to fit him for that purpose created him a Marquess and gave him his Commission to be Lord Governour of Scotland and General of all his forces the King then also sent for the Earl of Antrim to participate with Montross his Councels who entering into a confederacy with him before the King engaged himself there that he would send to Montross the next April into Arguile where the passage is short into Ireland ten thousand Irish This promise at the appointed time Aâ—trim performed in part but was very deficient in the number of Souldiers for instead of ten thousand he sent scarce twelve hundred Irish into Scotland under the conduct of Macdonald Montross notwithstanding with these men with the addition of his Atholians made up a sufficient theeving Army and making sudden excursions he fell into the neighbouring Countries wasting all robbing houses and burning up the Corn where he came insomuch as that the State had need of great Armies to restrain his violence whilst the craggy Mountains of Atholia and rough woody places there gave safe retreat to his Highlanders and Irish In this manner did Montross for the space almost of two years lie within the bowels of his Country like a pestilent disease such were his retreats and so great his boldness in excursions that no less an Army than twelve thousand was thought sufficient to defend the Provinces against him But Montross was tossed with various turns of Fortune The first Summer after his arrival in Scotland he gave the Earl of Arguile a great blow through the negligence of his men where fifteen hundred were slain and taken by Montross whereupon the Parliament of Scotland raised an Army of ten thousand against him and the same parliament condemned Montross with some other Lords to be a Traitor and Enemy to his Country Montross afterwards received a great overthrow from Hurry and was enforced to fly to his craggy retreats and shortly after he was again beaten by Hurry near to Dundee and absolutely forced to hide himself in his old receptacles from whence notwithstanding on a sudden as shall be shewed anon he shewed himself and from a contemptible estate grown justly formidable he overwhelmed Scotland