up the Foundation of a Government which the people were to consent to which consent or Agreement of the People should be above Law That in the Agreement a day should be set for the Dissolution of the Parliament and this to be drawn up in a Remonstrance from the Army This was incouraged by Major general Harrison who urgged there could be no safety for them nor the Nation but by the cutting off the Kings Head and the thorowly purging at least if not the Dissolving the Parliament Upon this the Army now wholly at Cromwell's Devotion sends up a Petition to the Commons for Justice to be done on the King as a Capital Offender That the Prince of Wales and Duke of York be Summon'd by a Day and if they come not in to be declared incapable of the Succession and Government and if they come in to be proceeded against for Satisfaction That the Revenues of the Crown be sequestred That publick Justice might be done against the Actors in the late Wars against the Parliament That they may be paid their Arrears and the Country eased of free Quarters and lastly that a Period be put to this Parliament and care taken for the Electing of future Parliaments and that no King be admitted for the future The Army Entring the City The Rump dreggs of y e house of Commons Sitting after y e Army had turnd y e good members out Oliver seeking God whilâ— the King is murthered by his order Bradshaw the Taylor and y e Hangman keeper of the Libertyes of England This force being put upon the House and new moulded driving away all that were not for their turn besides many others for fear absented themselves the rest who afterwards obtained the name of Rump or Rumpers being the Relicks of a greater Body met again and submitting to the Power of the Army to please them Vote That no Message be received from the King on pain of Treason That the General should take Care of his Person and that a Charge of High Treason should be drawn up against him Having now fully concluded to destroy him Thus have we briefly drawn to your View the first Lineaments of an Arbitrary Government and Tyrannical Usurpation in very short Draughts shewing however the ways and means whereby these Men or Junto of Usurpers came by their Power and Authority overthrowing the very Foundation of our Ancient and most glorious Monarchy under the Notion of Liberty and setting up a Tyrannical Democracy or rather Oligarchy under the Regiment of a few selected Fellows who called themselves the Parliament and the Representatives of the Nation and in whom they pretend all Right of Power and Magistracy was to be placed The very shadow of all legal Power was now gone and this unparallel'd force put upon the Parliament in excluding the Major part of their Members by the Arbitrary will of Oliver Cromwel and his Mâ—â—midons contrary to all Law and Right took from them the very Name of a Parliament But they care not for that they shadow their impious Acts under that venerable Denomination and having now as they thought got into the Kingly throne by the power of the Army and the Sword imagined they should keep it when all this while not having the Command of the Army but being ridden by the general Officers thereof who designed as soon as they had done their work to pay them their Wages by dismissing them were but as the Cats foot made use of by the Monkey for the raking the Chesnut out of the Fire the benefit of which they intended to take themselves and this was the Murthering of their lawful Soverain whom they had deposed which was the next main Design driven on by the Independent Army and their Dromidaries this Junto of Men. We have seen these Men grown up into full Strength of Arbitrariness and got into the Throne of their Soveraign we will now proceed to Trace them by their Steps in the Exercise of this their Tyrannical Usurpation which we shall find to be according to the same unlawful Progress and to be of the same bloody Complexion for it is a certain Maxim That what Power is got by unlawful means must be kept by the same unlawful ways notwithstanding the specious pretences of Liberty and setling the Kingdom This Junto of Men being met and Voted as we have declared That no more Address should be made to the King nor any Message received from him they take Care in the next place having got into the Saddle to keep it and to make the World believe they had a right to it if they could for now an Ordinance was drawn up that the Lords and Commons of England do declare That by the Fundamental Laws of the Land it is Treason in the King of England to levy War against the Parliament This preparative in making the King a Transgressor and in placing the Supream Power in the People whose Representatives they were was in Order to their Design of Murthering the King This being sent up to the Lords who denyed to consent to it the Commons grow very angry and finding the Lords to be yet an Obstacle to their bloody Intentions they Vote That all Members of Committees should Act in any Ordinance by them made without the Lords Concurrance the People having by God the full power Originally in themselves and therefore what ever they enact is Law which passed Nemine Contradicente The Army still continuing their Guards upon the House keeping out any of those Members were not of their Party and imprisoning them they had much â—doe to make an House and sometimes it was Noon 〈◊〉 they could get forty men together without which iâ— could not be an House so very Scrupulous were these grand Hypocrites to keep up a Face of Authority in these minute Circumstances who in the great Fundamentals had broke in two all Bonds Obligations Oaths and Laws The Army now the Lords of all Garrison Black-Fryars and St. Paul's turning the house of God into a Stable and defiling it with Dung robbing divers Halls which they call'd borrowing of several sums of Money by their Saint-like Prerogative accounting the rest Egyptians In the mean time the secluded Members still imprisoned put forth a Declaration against this most horrid violence of the Army done to their Persons and to the Fundamental Laws of the Land the Rights of the People and the priviledges of Parliament this was dated 11 th December 1648. This being complained of to the House both Lords and Commons put forth a Declaration against it wherein they declare That the Declaration put forth by those Members of the House of Commons Excluded the House in which was these Words viz That all Acts Ordinances Votes and Proceedings of the House of Commons made since the 6 th of December or hereafter to be made duering the restraint and forcible Seclusion from the House and the Continuance of the Armies force upon it are no way Obligatory but
all Acts by Pretext of such Power were illegal and the adjudging any Person to death and Executing them was Treason and wilful Murther Thirdly That the said Commons had no power to make any great Seal of England and that all Commissions granted under their great Seal were illegal and all Proceedings in Law upon such Writs null and voyd to all intents and purposes Lastly That the denyal of the King's Title to the Crown and the plotting to deprive him of it and the setting it upon the Head of another was High Treason and within the Stat. 25 th Ed. 3. Ch. 2. as likewise their Subverting the fundamental Laws of the Land and introducing an Arbitrary and Tyrannical Government was High Treason at the common Law c. This was all the Loyalists could do at present by these weak Indeavours to assert the Kings right and shew the people what Slaves they were become but this affrighted not these Men who in the next place February 1 st Vote That all such Members who assented to the Vote of the 5 th of December 1648. That the Kings Concessions were a Ground for the House to Proceed to a Settlement should not be admitted into the House until they had declared their disapproval of that Vote before they sit and that such as were now in the House should enter their dissent to that Vote being only those who had before Voted in the Negative The Lords were yet sitting but no notice taken of them by the Commons for having overthrown the Monarchy they now lay aside the Lords and therefore Vote them dangerous and useless Frebruary 5 th and so Voted them down with this Proviso That they might be capable to be Elected Knights of the shire and Burgesses and so sit among the Commons Three of them only so debased themselves viz. The Earls of Pembroke Salisbury and the Lord Howard of Estrick The rest of the Peers put forth their Protestation against these Proceedings of the Commons which came forth on the 8 th of Frebruary in which they asserted their own Priviledges and the fundamental Laws of the Nation disclaiming the Votes of the Commons for Erecting an high Court of Justice for the Tryal of the King and altering the Government Law Seal c. and against their Traiterous murthering their Soveraign and disinheriting the Prince the Lawful Heir of the Crown of England and also protesting against their Vote of the 6 th of Frebruary for the abolishing the House of Peers as destructive to the beings of Parliament the Fundamental Laws of the Realm and the Lives Liberties and Properties of the people whom they had made Slaves to their Tyrannical and Arbitrary Government But this affrights not the Commons and to keep the Lords from meeting the Army set a Guard at their Doors of their House and the House now proceeds to set up a Common-wealth and to abolish Monarchy and therefore they formed an Act intituled an Act for the Exheredation of the Royal Line the abolishing of Monarchy in this Kingdom and the setting up a Common-wealth which they ordered to be published in all places And to Vindicate these their most horrid Proceedings they had their Pulpit-Trumpeters who justified their Impious Acts in all places and John Godwin and Milton to write in their Defence of putting the King to death declaring in Print That the King suffered on just Grounds and according to his Demerits And now instead of one King these Common-wealth Rumpers set up forty Tyrants as a Committee of State But the people generally seemed displeased at this Alteration of the Government and Reineldson Lord Major of the City refused to publish their Act for abolishing of Monarchy for whâ—ch he was discharged of his Office and with two Aldermen sent to the Tower and Andrews was chosen in his stead upon this the Rumpers put forth a new Declaration to justifie their Proceedings calling them A Deliverance of the people from the Bondage that was brought in by the Norman Conquest and their Maintenance of the ancient Laws notwithstanding their Alteration of some forms of the Regality which ancient Laws might consist very well with a Republick and that they had only abolished their Abuses promising to establish a safe and firm Peace and to advance the true Protestant Religion the Encouragment of a Godly ministry and of Trade and the Maintenance of the Poor thorowout the Realm Then their Great Seal came forth having on one side a Cross and Harp for the Arms of England and Ireland with this Inscription â— The Great Seal of England And on the other side was the Picture of the Commons with these words In the first year of Freedom by God's blessing restored 1648. Likewise they caused a new Coyn to be minted and stamped their Money with a Cross and Harp instead of the King's Effigies with this Motto God with us Then they took away all Clauses in any former Acts for the taking the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy and made them null and a new Oath framed and tendred to all that were to have any publick place of Trust and assumed to themselves both Judicial and Legislative power of the King and both Houses of Parliament and the Executive power they committed to a Council of State of forty Persons of the most Active men in the Army and others of desperate Fortunes Six of the Judges viz. Justice Bacon Brown Beddinfield Creswell Trevor and Atkins quitted their places not being able to bring their Consciences to Act under this Arbitrary and illegal power six other of them continued who were Justice Rolls St. Johns Pheasanâ— Baron Wild and Baron Yates To their new Council of State they gave Power tâ— Command and settle the Militia of England and irâ—Irâ—land Power to set forth Ships and such a Considerable Navy as they should think fit Power to appoinâ— Magistrates and stores for England and Ireland and tâ— dispose of them for the Service of the Nation Anâ— power to Execute all the powers given them for a whole Year to come They had two Seals appointed a great Seal and a Signet Cromwell was made Chaiâ—-man of this Committee and an Oath framed for eveâ—â— Member to take to be true to the Parliament as they termed themselves not to disclose their Secrets anâ— to adhere to the present Settlement of the Government 〈◊〉 a Republick without King or House of Lords Abouâ— this time the Officers of the Army at a Councâ—â— of War debated Whether they should not put to the Sword all that were of the King's Party to secure the Nation to themselves and it was carried in the Negative but by two voyces so near were they to a general Massacre And many Petitions came from several Counties that at least three of the most eminent of the King's party in each County might be put to Death to free the Land from Blood-Guiltiness Cromwell by this as you may perceive had gotten all the executive Power of the Kingdom into his own
into their proper Channel This Letter was accompanied with others and a Declaration to the same purpose all which were Communicated to the Parliament But there in Requital it was vehemently urged by some That the Prince might be declared a Traitor and a â—ebel but others stood up and gave several Reasons too long here to rehearse to the Contrary and so it passed over at this time On the 7 th of August an ordinance passed for erecting a new Militia in every County and particularly for the County of Wilts Commissioners being named who had power to raise what men they pleased to Arm them and to fine defaulters ten pound a Man and twenty dayes Imprisonment and to levy four hundred pound a Week upon that one County besides the ordinary Taxes and free Quarter O brave Liberty and Freedom Whilst the Army were employed in reducing the Scots and Royal party Petitions were continually sent from several Counties to the Parliament all tending to â—he same effect the disbanding the Army easing the people of their Burthens and a personal Treaty with â—he King The City of London Petitions also for the â—ame and to have their imprisoned Citizens released â—hich were chiefly Aldermen Langham and Bunce and their Recorder â—lin The Lords had it seems not â—â—â—curred readily with the Commons in some of 〈◊〉 Votes upon which it was moved in the House to taâ—â— away the Lords negative Voyce So early Arbitrary began to shew it self in the highest degree nothing now seeming too great for the Commons For a câ—rtain lawyer undertook to make good That the House of Commons being the Representative of all the People had power to Act without the Lords for the safety of the People in case the Lords deserted their Trust Here was a ground lay'd for a future subverting the Foundation of all Parliaments and how well they improved this Doctrine we shall see hereafter The Lords and Commons had lay'd by the King and now the Commons were for laying aside the Lords and the next thing to be expected will be to see the Army and their Grandees to lay aside the Commons and to rule alone by themselves usurping both the Kings Soveraign and Governing power the Parliaments Legislative power and the Judges Indicative power and so Establish their Oligarchy or else it may be expected that one more powerful than the rest should usurp all the Power into his own hand and become a most absolute and Arbitrary Tyrant as it hapned to come to pass I cannot pass over another excellent mark of strange Arbitrariness against all Law and Right Moral as well as Civil in their sequestring the Estate of one Wall a Delinquent as they called him after his Death and taking it from his Wife and Children gave it to one of their Creatures who sued for the same tho it was argued against their unjust Proceedings That in the case of the highest Treasons and of Felony no man was Condemned after his Death because he was not then in being to Answer for himself and there could be no proceeding in Law against Non Ens Nay if a Fellon tho alive will stand mute he shall not forfeit his Lands because he wants Answer tho he loses his Life for Contempt of the Law Yet the Godly party prevailed and they bestowed the Sequestration of the said 〈◊〉 Lands tho dead on another with a Proviso that 〈◊〉 â—hould not be drawn into Example Cromwell gives the Parliament by a Letter to their Speaker an account of his Victories with Admonitions to them not to hate God's people who were as the Apple of his Eye and for whom Kings were to be reproved That they should fulfil the end of their Magistracy that all that would live quietly and Peaceably might have Countenance from them and that they who were implacable might be speedily destroyed out of the Land And to prepare the way for their Destruction they ordered That an Ordinance be Penned and brought into the House of Commons to try all such by Martial Law in the City of London as shall be found to Plot Design or Contrive any thing to endanger the Parliament or City Here again you may see all the Common Laws of the Land laid aside and Martial Law made use of in the Head City of the Land Which was then no Garrison and by order of these Parliamentarians and Assertors of the peoples Liberties Rights and Priviledges But however the Army being at a distance from the City subduing the Kings Friends and the Parliaments Foes the Independent Party in the House of Commons were not so prevalent but that the other Party took Courage and appearing began to come more of themselves encouraged by several Petitions out of the Countrey for a Treaty with the King upon which they became inclinable and begun to set themselves to that Pious work tho hindred all that could be by the Clamours Speeches and Behaviour of the Independants And thereupon the Earl of Middlesex Sir John Hippesly and Mr. Bulkley were sent to the King to let him know their Resolutions who returned related the Kings ready Compliance thereto as a thing he much desired upon which they Vote That the Votes of Non-Addresses should be repealed That the King might send for such Persons as were necessary for him in the Treaty That he should be in a state of Freedom That five Lords and ten Commoners be chosen Commissioners to Treat with the King at Newport in the Isle of Wight These Votes were sent to the King and Commissioners chosen for the Lords the Earls of Northumberland Salisbury Pembroke Middlesex and the Lord Say for the Commons were Lord Wainman Mr. Peirpoint Sr. Henry Vain the younger Sr. Harbottle Grimston Sr. Jo. Pots Mr. Brown Mr. Crew Mr. Bulkly Mr. Hellis and Mr. Glyn. Their Propositions were not much easier than their former to which the King gave very Satisfactory Answers conceding to many things for Peace sake against his Prerogative the greatest Difficulty being the business of Episcopacy which the King was unwilling should be wholly abolished And now it was very likely that the King and Parliament had agreed and a full peace had insued but in the mean time many Officers of the Army held their Cabals at Windsor where they were Contriving the Destruction of the King and the Dissolution of the Parliament which Cabals they also continued at London and other places under the name of Agitators in behalf of the Army These were framing a Government among themselves and drew up a Remonstrance shewing That they were the Body of the People of England That their Interest was the publick Interest of the People That the People were the only Competent Judges of their own safety That the supream Magistrates were the People Armed with supream Authority and with the Sword These persons concluded among themselves that some should be chosen out of the Army to represent the whole Body These not to exercise the Legislative power but only to draw
void and null to all Intents and Purposes was false Scandalous and Seditious and tended to destroy the visible and fundamental Government of the Kingdom And therefore ordered the printed Paper to be suppressed and that all who had an hand in it to be uncapable to bear Office or to have any trust place or Authority in the Kingdom or to fit as Members of either House of Parliament Here again you see a most bold stroke of Arbitrary Sway and what Noses of Wax they made of all priviledes of Parliaments O most excellent Conservators of the Liberties of the Nation The next thing they fell upon was the unvoting of all former Votes of the House which tended to any accommodation with the King and renewed again their old Vote of Non-Addresses in Terminis and that the Treaty with him in the Isle of Wight was highly dishonourable and apparently Destructive to the good of the Kingdom Thus forty or fifty of this Independent Junto undid what was before done by at least three hundred and forty before December 14 th Major General Brown Sr. William Waller Sr. John Clotworthy Major General Massy Commissary General Copley were all imprisoned by a Council of War at White-Hall tho Members of Parliament upon which they put forth also a new Declaration or Protestation in the name of themselves and all the Free-born people of England against the violent and illegal Proceedings of the General and his Council of War against the Laws of the Land and Liberties of the People the Rights and Priviledges of Parliament and that it was an higher Usurpation and exercise of an Arbitrary and unlawful Power than hath been heretofore pretended or attempted by this or any other King or other Power whatsoever within this Realm About this time came forth a Paper from the Army called the Agreement of the People being almost word for word the same which formerly had been presented in the Year 1647. by the Agitators of the Army and one Gifford a Jesuite busie in promoting it and then condemned by the Commons as matter Destructive to the beings of Parliaments and to the Fundamental Government of the Kingdom and caused General Fairfax to condemn one of these Agitators who promoted it and caused him to be shot to Death at Ware This was ill timed and the business not yet Ripe enough and was a second time by the Vote of the same House condemned as Seditious and Contemptuous and Destructive c. and several were imprisoned upon it but now the same being again obtruded upon this Junto they closed with it and followed it's Dictates which were briefly That the people should agree or did agree together to take away the present Government by King Lords and Commons which they were now going about as the Armies Journy-men as fast as they could And now Oliver Cromwell every day begins to grow more Conspicuous insomuch as several Lords laying aside their Honour and Greatness begin to Court and fawn upon him and servilely to attend on him and do him Homage The next thing the Lords and Commons do is to Curb the City whom they suspect and to hinder them from a free Election of their City Officers another mark of Arbitrary Power For which end many Exceptions are made for those that were to be elected into any Office that none who had bore Arms for the King in the first or second War or that had joyned with the Scots or had subscribed the Engagement 1647. or were aiding in any Tumult or Insurrection in the City with other Restrictions by which they brought all those under that they believed not fit for their wicked purposes This was thought yet too short by Skippon who moved it to have also added That none might bear Office that promoted the Treaty with the King or endeavoured to have him brought to London Which according to the desire of the Saints was ordered as an Additional Ordinance So that you now see the very endeavouring of a Peace and Settlement of the Nation was become a notorious Crime and made a person incapable of bearing any Office in the City And to make themselves sure one of another as Oaths Declarations and Protestations could make these Usurpers they cause their Members to sign a new Pâ—otestation against the Votes for a Treaty in the Isle of Wight and especially against that Vote which much troubled them That his Majesties Answers to the Propositions of both Houses were a ground for the two Houses to Proceed to a Settlement This tho formerly thought by themselves to tend to Faction was now readily performed at the Armies request Four of their imprisoned Members had been released and now sixteen more were sent for before Ireton and by him discharged Telling them it was the General 's pleasure they should be released provided they attempted nothing against the Actings of the present Parliament and Army But the Gentlemen would pass no such Engagement which seeing he gave order for their release but with this Menace That if they made any Disturbance it should be at their peril The business they had now in hand and were Resolved on viz The King's murther must be cloaked under a Religious Covering as if they were about some Pious Work and therefore they mock God as well as delude man and keep a Fast at St. Margarets Westminster where some few Lords and some of the Commons assembled to whom the Pulpit merry Andrew Hugh Peters preached Moses leading the Children of Israel out of Egypt being the Subject which he applyed to the General and the Leaders of the Army now leading the people out of Egyptian Bondage and after some tâ—me as Ridiculously as profanely hiding himself in the Pulpit he starts up and tells them he had it now by Revelation That the Army was to root out Monarchy not only in England but in all other Kingdoms and so should bring all people out of that Egyptian Bondage That that Army was the Stone cut out of the Mountain which was to dash all the Powers of the earth to pieces With other Blasphemous Speeches of the like Nature Mr. Prin was yet kept a Prisoner at the Kings-head-Inn in the Strand from whence he wrot a Letter to Fairfax to know by what Authority he was thus kept a Prisoner he beâ—ing a Parliament man and a Free-born Subject of England The General who was but Chip in Porridge and knew little of what was done by Cromwell and Ireton sent him word That he thought he had been released with the rest and that he would send to know what they had against him Upon which Mr. Prin puts forth a Declaration shewing the horrid Injustice of their Proceedings against the Members of Parliament and against and Contrary to all the Laws of the Land and the Liberty of the Subject The Council of War in the mean time to humble his Majesty ordered That all State and Ceremony should be forborn to the King and his Attendants lessen'd And now
all Law and without all President to try depose and bring to Capital punishment the King and to dis-inherit his Posterity c. But at the same time the Officers of the Army had contrived and ordered two Godly Petitions to be presented to them viz For the abolishing Tythes and the Repealing the Act for the Banishment of the Jews And now Oliver and his Privado Officers having brought their Work to this readiness are fasting and praying as hard as they can no doubt for the Success of it tho they put another Face on the matter and said it was for Direction and Counsel And now it was and not before that this great Usurper of the â—onarchy and Liberties of the people began to lay the great Design of steping into the Soveraignty and laying the Foundation of his Tyrannical reign by the Death and Murther of the King For the private Officers both from the King and his Friends and from the Prince himself in this exigent to save the Life of his Father were not small but he that now aimed at all would not be content with a portion of justly acquired greatness and perhaps he was not sufficiently assured of the Mercy of the Prince he had so highly offended as that he could be able to forgive all those great Crimes he was guilty of but that either himself or his Posterity might remember them to his Prejudice since all he was able to do towards his Majesties Restauration was but what in Duty and Conscience he was bound to do But what ever instiâ—ations he had besides those of the Devil he was not to be shaken tho attempted by a Kinsman of his and of his own Name who as reported was sent either from the Prince himself then at the Haguâ— or from the States of Holland with Credential Letters and a Blank sealed with the Kings and Princes Signets and confirmed by the States for Cromwell to write his own Conditions in if he would preserve the Life of the King This found him at his House recluse with his Privadoes at their Prayers as given out but to what God we may easily Imagine The business being urgent and the Kings Martyrdom approaching the Gentleman with some difficulty got to the private Speech of him to whom he very fully laid open the Hainousness of the Fact he was going about and what an Odium it was about to cast on the English Nation abroad and withal let him understand what Terms he had to offer him and that he might now make himself his Family and Posterity for ever happy and Honourable otherwise he would bring such an Ignoimny on the whole Generation that no time would be able to delete Cromwell after his canting way shifted it off from himself and put the Act upon the Army and Parliament declaring he had sought God very much in the Business but as yet had no return of his Fasting and Prayers about it therefore he desired till night to consider of it and promised that he should hear from him before he went to Bed and accordingly about Twelve or One of the Clock the Gentleman expecting his Answer he sent him word That he might return for he and his Officers had been seeking God and that now it was Resolved the King must dye this was but a night or two before the King's Murther On the 20 th day of January 1648. being Saturday these bloody Commissioners met called an high Court of Justice for the Tryal of the King who was brought before them and with much Patience and sometimes smiling he heard their long Charge but denying the Jurisdiction of the Court refused to plead requiring them to shew by what Law or Authority besides their unjust Usurpation or power of the Sword he was brought before them who were his Subjects I shall not trouble the Reader with any farther Relation of this Tryal it being at large so often printed nor with the Names of the Judges and Officers of this pretended Court it being to be had in every Booksellers shop I intending in these Collections only a brief Narrative of these Usurpers Proceedings that the World might behold the true Picture of Arbitrary Government and Tyrannical rule and not an exact Chronicle or History of those times tho I would not omit any Material thing that may give Satisfaction or Delight to the Reader I shall observe that as an ill Omen the Silver head of the King's Staff dropt off as the Charge was reading which the King wondring at and seeing none so Officious as to take it up he stoop'd himself and taking it up put it into his Pocket At his going from the Court looking very austerely about him without moving his Hat he pointed with his Staff to the Sword and said I do not fear that As he went along the Hall some Cry'd out Justice Justice and others God save the King On Sunday Cromwell Bradshaw and the rest of the Commissioners kept a Fast at White-Hall where preached Joshuah Sprigg whose Text was He that sheds-Man's blood by Man shall his Blood be shed Then Mr. Foxley whose Text was Judge not lest you be Judged Lastly Hugh Peters whose Text was I will Bind their Kings in Chains and their Nobles in Fetters of Iron And thus by their wicked application of the word of God they endeavoured to justifie their most Execrable Murther of their Lawful King There was by some who durst to do any thing against these Cruel and powerful men certain Papers scattered about in which were several Queries as Whether a King of three Kingdoms could be Condemned by one Kingdom alone without the Consent or Concurrence of the other Kingdoms Whether a King if try'd ought not to be try'd by his Peers And whether he could be said to have any such in his Kingdom Whether if a King were Tryable he ought not to be tryed in full Parliament of Lords and Commons Whether the 8 th part of the Members of the Commons meeting in the House under the force of the Army the rest being forcibly restrained from sitting can by any Pretext of Law or Justice erect a Court for the Tryal of the King And whether this could be properly called a Court of Justice without the great Seal of England Whether that those men who by several Remonstrances Speeches and Actions have publickly declared themselves Enemies to the King can either in Law or Conscience be his Judges when it is Exception enough for the basest Felon to any Jury-man to hinder him from being his Judge Whether this most illegal and Arbitrary Tryal of the King by an high Court of Justice may not prove a most Dangerous inlet to absolute Tyranny and bloody Butchery and every mans Life be at the Arbitrary will of his Enemies erected into a Court of Conscience without limits or bounds But words are nothing and these paper Arms tho furnished with the highest Reason could not move these obdurate Men who persisted in their bloody Business driven
Hand and into the hands of his own Creatures of the Councel of State altogether ruled by him and therefore it may be wondred at that he did not immediately seize the Crown and set himself in the Throne which he now aspired to But things were not yet ripe and the subtil Fox found such a Levelling party in the Army which he saw must first be Crushed who would never indure it for they were for dividing and sharing all as a Land subdued by them among themselves and for owning no Authority but the Saints who were themselves These begin to rip up the Miscarriages of the Parliament and Cromwell to make them the more Odious puts them upon all Things he believed would make them so to the People and Army One of which was the new Erection of their most Tyrannical Court of Justice for the Tryal of some of the Lords and others whom they had still imprisoned for their Loyalty The first was Duke Hamilton who had invaded England as you have heard with him they at first deal gently hoping to have screw'd out of him the Names of some Eminent men in England that they thought might have invited him in But he either not able or willing in that point to give them Satisfaction and finding the Scots and Argile's party to hate him and to desire his Head he was Condemned tho he pleaded he had Quarter given him by Lambert upon Articles and would have given a hundred Thousand pound to save his Life After him was also tryed and Condemned the Earl of Holland and that most Noble and Heroick Peer the Lord Capel who had escaped out of the Tower but was retaken by means of a perfidious Water-man ever after hated for it He pleaded Articles of surrender but that was denyed him then he pleaded to be tryed at Common-Law put them in mind of Magna Charâ—a Petition of right and of the Fundamental Laws of the Land and that of right he ought to be tryed by his Peers urging them to shew a President of any such Tryal by an Arbitrary Court of Justice as they called it He talk'd to deaf Statues for he was too gallant a Man and too Active and Loyal to be permitted to Live On the 9 th of March these three Lords Duke Hamilton the Earl of Holland and this Noble Lord much lamented were put to Death on a Scaffold in the Pallace-yard in Westminster by severing their Heads from their Bodies It is remarkable that this Lord dyed with much Courage and Christianity being nothing daunted at Death The Earl of Norwich and Sr. John Owen were pardoned by Vote of the House the Earl of Norwich having his Life by the casting Voyce of Lenthal the Speaker only Thus they proceed dipping their hands in Blood growing thereby more Odious to the People and about this time the Scots begin to stir and made a Protest against the Actions of the Parliament of England and on the third of February proclaim the King by the name of Charles the second at Edenborough by Lyon King at Arms. The Scotch Commissioners who had been long here were called home and at their departure they left an Expostulary Declaration putting the Junto in mind of all their Vows and Oaths in maintenance of the Kings Rights and defence of his Person and upbraided them with their shameful Abjuration and Infringment of them by their late horrid Proceedings This paper they Vote Scandalous and Seditious imprison the Messâ—nger who brought it and sending after the Commissioners secure them till the Parliament in Scotland send to justifie the Action and require their Commissioners being imprisoned Contrary to the Law of Nations upon which they were permitted to depart into Scotland and thus Jealousies of a breach began Troublesome John Lilburn an Active Leveller began now to stir delivering a Petition in the Names of many Thousand well affected c. with a Book intituled Englands new Chains discovered in which they find fault with many things done by this Junto and especially the Councel of State and with the erecting an high Court of Justice and altering the Fundamental Laws of the Land for Tryals by Juries Complain of the Excise and of several other things And after this another called a second Part of Englands new Chains which shewed the Hypocrisie and Perfidiousness of the Grandees of the Army and the Councel of State in Cheating all Interests King Parliament People Soldiers City Agitators Levellers c. Upon the back of this comes forth another Book called the Hunting of the Fox which spake against the Army and Councel of State set up by Cromwell and Ireton to erect a new Tyranny worse than the thirty Tyrants at Athens the Star-Chamber the High Commission or house of Lords c. These coming forth one upon the Neck of another shewed the troublesome Spirit that began to ferment in the Army which was now to be Purged as well as the Parliament had been or else Cromwell found he should not be able to work them to his ends And now he had an opportunity offerr'd him for Ireland being in a manner wholly lost excepting Dublin then besieged eleven Regiments were ordered by the Rump to be Transported for its relief by which means Cromwell hoped to purge out this Turgent humour of the Army But some of these bold Petitioners were seized and tryed by a Councel of War of which Barksted was President in which they were Cashiered the Army their Swords ordered to be broken over their Heads and to Ride with their Faces to the Horses Tails with Papers of their Crimes pinned to their Breasts at the head of the Regiments which Sentence was executed accordingly to the great Exasperation of the Army And not long afâ—er several Regiments began to Mutiny and to wear White Colours for distinction in their Hats which might have proved fatal to Cromwell's designs had he not with an undaunted Boldness at that time appearing in Person overawed them and causing two of them to be shot to Death before their Faces But this could not purge out the Humour which 〈◊〉 increasing two more of the Levelling Tribe were 〈◊〉 one of which was named Lockyer a Trooper shot in St. Paul's Church-yard but buried in great State by the 〈◊〉 Faction wearing green and black Ribbons in â—â—â—ir Hats And now the peoples Eyes daily began 〈◊〉 be opened finding what Keepers of Englands Liberties they had got The Regiments ordered to march at Salisbury make an Eruption alledging that this was a Trick to divide the Army and that they were not Mereenaries but took up Arms upon a righteous Principle of Government and therefore would not divide upon which several Regiments revolt and Collonel Scroop's laid aside their Officers and with Colours flying march'd to joyn Harrison's Regiment and Ireton's and Skippon's who had confederated But Fairfax and Cromwell by hasty marches with the whole Army follow them who at Burford in Oxford-shire made up about five Thousand Horse and Foot
States In the mean time they have no small umbrage of the Scots Proceedings who had sent to the King then at the Hague and invited him into Scotland with several Propositions in order thereunto But Middleton and Monroe fearing the Kirk Party would hold the King to hard Terms should he come in upon their Propositions rise in the North of Scotland but were soon supprest by Ker and Stranghan upon this our Junto strike in and offering them by their Letters several fair Temptations that they might break with the King promising to stand by them and to defend their Liberty as they called it But this took not And about this time they make a new Act of Treason such as scarce was ever heard of before That to kill the General Lievtenant General or any Member of that House of Parliament or Councel of State should be Treason was to have been put into it but after long debate was omitted betraying too much Cowardise in them and having other ways secured themselves in the Act. For it was made Treason to Act Plot Contrive or speak against this Fag End of the Parliament or their Government and all Endeavours against the Keepers of the Liberties of England and the Councel of State to subvert them as now Constituted and that shall be hereafter Constituted by Parliament what an individuum vagum is here and for every such Act c. to forfeit Life and Estate And also to move and stir up the people against them was declared Treason nay so much as to endeavour to withdraw any Soldier or Officer from their obedience to their Superior Officer or from the present Government aforesaid Also to Counterfeit their great Seal is by this Act made Treasons Are not these in the mean time excellent Conservators of the Liberties of the Nation And a very free State Lilburn in the Tower was kept from Pen Ink and Paper and all allowance for Meat and Drink taken from him tho he petitioned for it so that he was kept three days with half a Meals meat and in a close Chamber none suffered to come at him This under a King had been Tyrannical but is Prudence in this free State About this time also orders were given to certain Committees to inquire upon Oath and to Certifie the improved vallue of every mans Estate both Real and Personal which they intended thorowout the Kingdom following the Conqueror's steps to have by them a Dooms-day Book that they might the better load the people with Taxes and free Quarter in this their new Subjected and Conquered Kingdom called a Free-state Here the House enables their Committees to give Oaths when they had not Power to give any themselves Contrary to that Maxim None can give what he hath not or more Power than is in himself These are the men that were so much troubled with the Oath ex Officio and yet require Oaths against a mans self Nay the Scriveners in London were commanded by these supream Governors to shew their Books that they might inspect what and whose Money they had in their Hands the better to come at it themselves And that they might grasp at all they were Contriving to seize all the Tythes of the Kingdom into their own Hands and to make all Ministers their Stipendary Lecturers and to depend upon the State that they might Preach no Doctrine but what should be agreeable to themselves or in justification of their Actions This was a politick Device Oliver before he went for Ireland took all the politiok Care possible to keep up the Greatness he had acquired and to secure this Junto of Men which he made use of only to set up himself besides the Bridle he had already made them the Councel of State Composed of his Creatures he picks out of the Army left behind in England the chief of his Creatures and Constitutes them a Councel of War or a Councel of Officers to over-awe all with the Power of the Sword for silent Leges inter Arma and now silet Justitia inter Leges filet Jus inter Judices The Government was now a Cerberus with three Heads a Parliament a Councel of State and a Councel of War Many Scruple to pay their illegal Tax of ninety Thousand pound a Month for the Army and therefore have their Goods taken from them by Violence and sold tho they exclaim against it as not done by Law Mr. Prin declares against it and shews it to be against the Statutes Magna Charta 29.30.25 Ed. 1 Chap. 5.6.34 Ed. 1.21 Ed. 3.25 Ed 3.45 Ed. 3.11 Hen. 4.1 Rich 3. The Petition of Right and many more and it was observed to them that no Tax was to be imposed but upon necessity and for the good of the People 25. Ed. 1. Cook Just but for the keeping up an Army when the Wars were done was the bain of the People and that more Taxes had been raised in eight years than in all the Kings Reigns since the Conquest A hundred and fifty thousand Pound was advanced for Oliver's expedition into Ireland who was to be accomptable only of part of it the rest to be disposed at his Discretion for the use of the Common-wealth And now this Junto begin to think of adjourning themselves according to Oliver's desire and in the mean time things to be left to his two Caballs or Councells That of State and that of War but this was a bitter Pill and they knew not how to leave their old Seats where most of them were grown very warm and tho urged to it by the Councells and that some trouble was given to Lenthal their Speaker by Articles drawn up by his Council of Officers but they fearing lest they might not get together again if once separated desired time to finish some Acts they had upon their Hands and then they would adjourn themselves by which you may see how free these Keepers of the Kingdoms freedom were First down went the King and his Power lapsed into the two Houses down went the House of Lords and then all Power was in the House of Commons now they are going down and the supream Power is in a Councel of State who must down too and then the Wheel turns round and all the Power will be in a single Tyrannical person and Usurper Some of the Acts that lay yet on their Hands and which they promised to dispatch were That all Acts concerning Loans Monies Excise Sequestrations Goldsmiths-Hall Haberdashers-Hall Assessments for England and Ireland be passed so that they intended a Continuance of the Peoples Slavery and Burthens Also an Act for the setling the Militia throughout the Kingdom An Act for punishing revolted Seamen An Act for the relief of well affected Tenants against Malignant Land Lords An Act for suppressing Malignant Pamphlets aspersing the Proceeding of this Parliament Councel of State and Army An Act for the suppressing of seditious Preachers An Act for the â—â—â—ing away of a Clause of the Stat. 25.
King perswaded returns to St. Johnstons where the Committee of Estates being somewhat more Compliant thank Cromwell for that many of the Kings friends were admitted to him This made many dissatisfied Ministers withdraw themselves into the West as Guthery Gelaspy Rutherford and others where they put forth a Remonstrance against the Proceedings of the Assembly in the Admission of Malignants to Power and Employment and with these Ker Stranghan Laird Warreston Sr. John Cheisley Sr. James Stewart and others joyn in Confederacy These Broils made well for Cromwell who found small Opposition He took Ken Prisoner and Edenborow Castle was surrendred to him on the 24 th of December 1650. This very much troubled the Scots for after that Cromwell succeeded so well that he took in all the Forts on this side of Sterling In January the Scots Crown the King at Scoon the accustomed place for the Coronation of the Kings of Scotland which is not far from St. Johnstons with great Pomp and Solemnity In the mean time the Junto in England still sat and Voted Liberty of Conscience to all which was a most distasteful thing to the Presbyterians Also they fell to levying of Souldiers giving the Command to Harrison now made Major General a fâ—fth-Monarchy man most of these men being raised by those sort of men and the other Sectaries with which this Army swarmed and the Presbyterian Interest daily declined every where being called a most horrid Tyranny and worse than the Prelacy They also about this time formally receive Embassadors from Portugal and Spain who for Interest acknowledge their Power All they did besides was the constant Persecution of the Royal Party after their Tyrannical manner Collonel Eusebius Andrews a constant Loyalist and firm to the interest of his King being by Profession a Councellor of Grays-Inn having been underhand Contriving some Insurrection in the behalf of the King was betray'd by some of his Confederates and taken at Gravesend and after sixteen Weeks being Prisoner in the Tower and several times examined he was brought to his Tryal before their bloody High Court of Justice Bradshaw sitting as President Where he admirably pleaded his Cause but the Attorney General Prideaux over-ruled all and told him the Court was not to take notice of his Law Cases but of his Confession and tho he had Acted no Treason yet he had an Affection for Treason and therefore deserved Death An excellent Mark of the Liberty of the Subject under Usurpers And upon this learned distinction the Bloody Court proceeded to Sentence against him that he should be Beheaded Thus the Will of Usurpers is become Law This Heroick Gentleman suffered accordingly on the 22 d. of August 1650 on Tower-Hill where he dyed with much Constancy Magnanimity and Christianity In October following one Benson involved in the same Design with Collonel Andrews was tryed and Condemned by the aforesaid Tyrannical Court and on the 7 th was Executed being Hanged for his Loyalty At the same time was an Insurrection in Northfolk which being suppressed many suffered for the same in several places In March following the Grandees at Wâ—stminster by the same Arbitrary Power after the Turkish Precedent put to Death the Loyal Sr. Henry Hide before the Exchange It was Crime enough that he was a Royalist and Brother to the afterwards Earl of Clarendon then with the King But his pretended Crime was That he had been an Agent from the King after the Death of his Royal Father to the grand Signior He was bred a Merchant and had a repute amongst the Turkish Company and was by them made their Consul at Morea and this Gentleman the King sent to the Port in order to some private concerns and not for the Confiscation of the Merchants Estates as the people were made to believe but he being there the Visiere was privately tampered with who betray'd him and sent him to England a Prisoner in the Ships thence bound for Smiâ—na in one of which he was brought to London and Committed to the Tower convented before the aforesaid Court by whose Power he was Condemned and Beheaded as aforesaid on the 4 th of March 1650. And now their Hands were in all went to Pot that came in their way the April following Captain Brown Bushell was the next Criminal they Murthered for his Loyalty he had long lain under restraint in the Tower and almost starved for want of Sustinance and at last being put into their Bloody Roll of such as were to be Tryed he was called to their Bar and Condemned But his Wife solicited very hard for a Reprieve which at last hey promised her with which joyful News she repaired to her Husband Comforting themselves together till four a Clock in the Afternoon but had no sooner left him with those flattering Hopes but the Warrant came for his present Execution they finding it seems that he was too well beloved by the Seamen and wree in Fear of him and so about six of the Clock at Night they put him to Death on the Ground under the Scaffold on Tower-Hill which he suffered with much Resolution In the mean time Cromwell was very watchful and Diligent and endeavoured all he could tho not with any success to engage the Scots Army which was drawn up at Sterling where the King was with them But the King having a Design to pass into England waved engaging with as much Care as the other flush'd with Victory and Success sought it who was come within sight of the Scotch Army In Lancashire several expected his coming and were ready to rise upon his approach tho disappointed by the Rumps Vigilancy Cromwell for want of Provisions was forced to remove and attempted to get over to Fife side It was about this time that several rude fits of an Ague shook him so shrewdly that there was an equal engagement of Hopes and Fears on the side of either party of his marching into another world Doctor Write and Dr. Bates two eminent Physicians being sent from London to administer Physick to him being brought very low But at last by the help of these Doctors who had the charge of him by the Junto's order he recovered to the sorrow of the Royal Party At last the English under Collonel Overton with about fifteen or sixteen thousand Foot and four Troopâ— of Horse with much difficulty forced their Landing Cromwell drawing up close to the Scots at the same time with all his Forces with an intention to fall upon their Rere if they should attempt to beat them out of Fife Yet the Scots sent four thousand Horse and Foot under Sir John Brown which Cromwell having notice of sent over Lambert and Okey with two Regiments of Horse and Foot and engaging with him defeated him took him with many others prisoners having slain about two thousand of the Scots This gave the English firm footing in Fife and they easily took in several places on that side the Frith And now the King was necessitated to
General Monk whom he had a desire to send further from him But before this last Fight the Parliament called by Cromwell under his Hand and Seal directed to each man such as he picked out godly men as he calleâ— them fit for his turn about One hundred and forty-two of them in all assembled at White-Hall on the Fourth of July where they chose one Mr. Rous a Cornish man Speaker one that had been by the laâ—e Parliament made Provost of Eaton Cromwell in a set Speech declares to them the occasion of their Meeting with his old way of Canting full of Scripture To these men a company of obscure fellows most of them 〈◊〉 Phanaticks the Council of State surrender 〈◊〉 their Power that they might afterwards give it to Cromwell These Adjourn themselves to Westminster where they sit and call themselves the supreme Authority of the Nation and begin to form Committies for the dispatch of Business But this Parliament called Barebones Parliament from a Leatherseller a Member thereof and consisting as I have said of such obscure Persons that most of them were hardly known in the Counties where they were born began to make such ridiculous Acts and so displeasing to the people that some thought Cromwell had called together this little Parliament to bring Parliaments into contempt the better to devolve the Ruling Power on himself as a Monarch One of their Acts was that none should be married without a Justice of Peace and the Banes asked in the Market-place three several Market-daies Thus the Priesthood was invaded and placed in the Civil Magistrate Then they took off the Penal Law of the Engagement to acknowledge the late Rump whereby it was ordered that no man should be admitted to sue in Law in any Court that had not taken it They voted against Tythes and the Universities as Antichristian They also were going in hand with cancelling the Law and all Law Books and so make a new Code more besitting their own turns and for the establishing of the Saints as they called themselves They were also upon making an Act that one Parliament should upon their dissolving have power to call another and so to make Parliaments perpetual This was not to be endured by the Oliverian Party who expected now to solace themselves under the shadow of his greatness And on the twelfth of December this Party in the House with the Speaker made a Motion for their dissolution declaring that their sitting any longer would not be for the good of the Nation Many of the Committee Blades hardly warm in their seats were startled at it these began to stand up stifly pleading for the Cause of God as they called it and shewing they could not leave the Commonwealth and the People of God committed to their charge so soon which would leave them to utter ruine and Harison and Squib a great Sequestrator were very zealous in defence of their own Authority But Oliver's Party being the greater arose and with their Speaker Rous left the House and the Fifth-monarchy Saints sitting in it who having sought God resolved to continue sitting Rous in the mean time with the Mace before him and his Followers go to Whitehall and there resign to Oliver the Instrument of Power he had given them that made them a Parliament with notice how they had left their fellows sitting Oliver returns them his thanks and kindly receives their Present and presently dispatches a Confident of his Colonel White with a Guard of Red-coates to turn the fag end or Rump of this little Parliament out of the House who entring the House commanded them in the name of the General to depart declaring them to be dissolved but they told him they were upon earnest business and therefore desired that he would not disturb them for they were seeking God to which he replied pish is that all 't is to no purpose for God has not been within these walls this twelve years and so fairly compelled them to go out of the House and to seek God somewhere else About four days after the Officers of the Army had prepared an Instrument of Government on which foundation they erected their new Dominion in a single Person entreating their General to accept of the Government under the Title of Protector of the Commonwealth of England Scotland and Ireland and thus a Rotation is made from a Republick to a single Person and Arbitrary Tyranny not the Monarchy is restored and instead of the many Tyrants one as boundless is constituted by a Military Power Good man with his usual dissimulation and Hypocrisie he refused it with much seeming modesty what he so long had sought and ambitioned but being pressed and by being made sensible of the great necessity of it for the upholding the Nation he at last accepts it and is installed with great pomp in Westminster Hall attended by the Lords Commissioners of the great Seal all the Judges in their Robes the Serjeants and learned Counsellors at Law the Lord Mayor Aldermen and Recorder of London in their Scarlets and all the chief Officers of the Army Being seated in a great Chair of State and the Instrument read unto him this Oath was administred I promise in the presence of God not to violate or infringe the Matters and things contained in the Instrument but to observe and cause the same to be observed and in all things to the best of my understanding govern the Nation according to the Laws Statutes and Customes thereof and to seek their peace and to cause Justice and Law to be equally administred But how well he kept this Oath you may perceive by the sequell of his Reign Having taken this Oath putting on his Hat the Commissioners surrender into his Hand the great Seal and the Lord Mayor the City Sword and Cap of maintenance which he respectively returned to them again and then returned in the same pomp to Whitehall The chief Heads of this Instrument as they called it of Government were First That a Parliament should be called every three years Second That the first should assemble the third of September 1654. Third That no Parliament should be dissolved till they had sate five Months Fourth That such Bills as should be offered to the Protector by the Parliament if he assented not in twenty dayes should be Laws without him Fifth That his Council should not exceed the number of twenty one nor be less than thirteeâ— Sixth That immediately after the death of the present and succeeding Protectors the Council shall choose another Protector before they rise Seventh That no Protector after the present should be General of the Army Eighth That the Protector should have power to make War or Peace This they denyed to the King Ninth That in the Intervals of Parliaments the Protector and his Council may make some Laws that should be binding to the Subject Here is a prerogative granted beyond any of the Kings of England Tenth That in the Parliament should be
foundation and that the consequence had been confusion if he had not done it That there were no hereditary Lords or Kings setled the power consisting in the two Houses and himself and that God would judge between them and him God was his witness that there was a seeking of a new settlement in the Army that he spake not to those Gentlemen meaning his Lords or what they would call them but to them the Commons that advised him to that place yet that instead of owning him some of them must have they did not know what And that they were running the Nation into confusion again by their intention of devising a Commonwealth that some of the people might be the Men that might rule all and that those things were not according to God and according to Truth pretend what they would it was a playing a game for the King of Scots if he mought call him so and therefore he thought himself bound before God to doe what he meant to prevent it God was his witness he told them what was true the King of Scots had an Army at the water-side ready to be Shipt for England and that he had the knowledge of it from an eye-witness That they had not only been endeavouring to pervert the Army to draw them to a Commonwealth but some of them while sitting had been listing of persons by Commission from Charles Stuart to joyn with any insurrection that should be made that if this was the end of their sitting and that if these were their carriages concluding he thought it high time to put an end to their sitting and therefore by the living God he declared to them that he did Dissolve that Parliament To which many of the Commons cry'd out Amen And thus ended this Parliament crossing and vexing Oliver to the heart for he expected more supplies of Money Oliver having thus dismist this Parliament and rid himself of that fear begins to fortifie himself against the Royalists who had indeed formed a new Plot for the bringing in their King but were betray'd by Willis and one Corcar a Minister of Sussex who had been long employed by Cromwell for that purpose The Royalists were glad the Parliament was dissolved for they feared a Commonwealth much more than Cromwell not that he was less Tyrannical or had used them more favourably but for that the other sort of Government had rendred it self formidable and was in danger to have been more permanent than Oliver's Kingly Protectorship could for they believed as they well might that King Oliver would never be long endured by the people whose eyes must needs be opened and see that he was got into the Throne and exercised the same power and far more than the Kings of England ever did and whom they had flung out only to make way for a Tyrant and that they would never suffer a man of their own quality and rank thus to play the King amongst them and to be their Lord without endeavouring to fling him out Besides they found Lambert and the Army so much disgusted that they would rather have ventur'd all than not to have seen the downfall of Cromwell so that the Royalists thought all things to be favourable to their design But Cromwell having timely notice of all things by his Agents among them he takes care to prevent them and sending to his right hand Tichbourn Lord Mayor causes him to double the City-Guards and to make great changes in the Militia turning out all he suspected and presently seizes on Sir William Compton the Earl of Northampton's Brother Mr. Russel the Earl of Bedford's Brother Sir William Clayton and many more The Marquess of Ormond who on the design had lain hid for some time in London hardly escapes his hands Also he seizes on Mr. Mordant the Earl of Peterborough's Brother Mr. Manley Mr. Baron Mr. Stapely Mr. Mansel Mr. Woodcock Mr. Carent Mr. Jackson and one Mallory who was thought to be a decoy to the rest being pardoned after Condemnation And now to give more terror to the Royalists Cromwell resolves again to new dye his hands in Blood by the old Arbitrary and Tyrannical way Up goes the High Court of Justice and its bloody President Lisle who on the 25 th of May 1658 sat Cromwell had pickt out two Eminent Men to begin with one Lay-man Sir Henry Slingsby imprisoned ever since the West-Rising and one Clergy-man the Reverend Dr. Hewet Sir Henry Slingsby was accused though falsly to have endeavoured to betray Hull whilst a Prisoner there and for holding Correspondence with Charles Stuart for which he was Condemned for a Traytor and sentenced to be be-headed which Death he suffer'd on Tower-hill on the 8 th of June following though great application to save his life had been made to Cromwell by his Nephew and Cromwell's Son-in-law the Lord Faulconbridge but the Tyrant was inexorable having before-hand with Thurlo resolved on the Death of these two men The next was Dr. Hewet who was accused before the same Court for Conspiring against the Government and holding intelligence with the King But the Doctor Demurred to the Jurisdiction of the Court citing divers Law-Cases and giving many Reasons against their authority desiring them to evince to him the legality of their Court and he would plead to his charge But this they would not nor were able to doe and whilst he disputed with them they took the advantage of demanding his Plea three times after which though he then desired it seeing they would record him a Mute they would not admit for being designed for slaughter had they admitted him to plead he would have escaped them for want of Witnesses which it seems failed them at that time The Doctor had an Eloquent Tongue was of great esteem and abilities and Preached long at St. Gregory's where he sometimes could not forbear to deplore the misery of the Kingdom so that Cromwell had a particular desire to rid him out of the way as a most dangerous man and took this occasion to doe it upbraiding the Doctor with very bitter and unbecoming language when he was brought before him to be examined However though he was Condemned as a Mute yet he had the favour to be beheaded and suffer'd the same day with Sir Henry Slingsby where he prayed almost an hour with great zeal and fervour of spirit having his head severed from his body he dyed with much Christian Magnanimity The next that came to his Tryal was Mr. Mordant who at first denied the Jurisdiction of the Court but was by his friends at last perswaded to plead and was quitted by one voice only for very fortunately Col. Pride being taken with a fit of the Stone went off the Bench to the saving his life Then Mr. Woodcock and Sir Humphrey Bennet were tryed and acquitted Mallory confest was condemn'd but not executed Then Mr. Carent was try'd and acquitted Mr. Henry Frier was condemned by them but when going to be executed in
Johnson and Josiah Berners These under the Mask of the Good Old-Cause begin to â—urn afresh to their old Villanies and to the enriching themselves with the poor remainers of the spoyls of the â—eople On the 12th of May Lambert accompanied with Desborow Barksted and 12 other Colonels of the Army â—resent a Petition to the House from the Army containâ—â—g their desires concerning the Government That the Government might be a free State and Common-Wealth without a single Person Kingship or House of Peers That there might be a due regulation of the Laws That an Act of Oblivion might be passed That the Laws and Ordinances made in the several changes of the Government and not to repealed may be good in Law That the publick Debts might be paid That a Liberty of Conscience be granted to all excepting Papists and Episcopists That a godly Ministry be incouraged That Universities and Schools of Learning be countenanced and Reformed That all Royalists be discountenanced and not suffered to have any place of Trust That none may have places of Trust but such as are eminent for Godliness Constancy and Faithfulness to the good Cause and Interest of the Nations That a provision be made for Succession of Parliaments That Fleetwood may be the Lieutenant-General of the Army That the Legislative power may be in the Representatives of the People consisting of an House successively chosen by the People That the executive power may be in a Council of State consisting of a certain number of qualified persons That the Debts contracted by his late Highness and his Father might be paid and that a Revenue of 10000 l. per Annum might be setled upon the late Protector and his heirs for ever and 10000 l. per Annum more during his Life and 8000 l. upon his honourable Mother during her Life c. This was the Armies project of Government for which they receive the thanks of the House by their Speaker and are told there are many weighty things contained in it which they would take into their Consideration And upon this before they would make any settlement upon the late Protector they send to him for an Acknowledgment of his submission to the Government which he formally sent them in hopes of the Settlement with a Schedule of his Debts But they refuse to pay them and delay making any Settlement either on Him or his Mother for they were a sort of Persons who never lov'd to give away money from themselves Yet to please him and to remove him further from them they give him 2000 pounds to discharge some part of his Debts and required that he and all his Dependences remove from Whitehall in six days Fleetwood began to grow discontented at this slighting his Brother but to please him they Vote him to be the Commander in Chief of all the Armies and Land-Forces in England Scotland and Ireland for one year and that he should have power to Sign Commissions and nominate Officers under him as should be approved by the Parliament But upon the second Reading of the Bill for this purpose they altered their minds and ordered all Commissions for the Land and Sea-Forces to be Signed by the Speaker and delivered to the Officers Gratis They also Order the Government of Ireland to be by Commissioners and Henry Cromwel to be removed 'T is thought if he had stirred at that time being much beloved by the Officers of his Army there he might have disappointed this Parliament of any further proceedings but being over persuaded he quietly left his Authority Scotland was yet a trouble to them which they knew not how to get into their hands for General Monk kept all things in so great Order and quietness there and was so prudent in all his Actions that they could not find fault with him nor mistrust him but believed him really their Friend They now begin to proceed vigorously and cause the Protector 's Seal to be broken and confirm their own old one of which Terryl Fountain and infamous Bradshaw are made Commissioners very busie they are of preferring one another to places of proffit and about the beginning of June keeping close to their Good Old Cause of Gain they ordered a Bill for publick Sales to be brought in And now White-Hall Somerset-House Hampton-Court and all that Cromwell had kept for himself are ordered to be sold for ready money And beginning with the Deer they fall to selling them by five or six Brace at a time And that no Stone might be unturn'd for the getting of money they project to make all such persons who had assumed Dignities or Titles of Honor heretofore conferred on them by the late King taken away by Act of Parliament to pay the summs forfeited by the said Act. Then they offer at an Act for the makeing all honours conferred by Charles Stewart voyd and null Then they fall to their old trade of raising monies by Assessments and continue the Excise and Customs to the 1 st of October And that they may hook in all they can they authorize the collecting of an Assessment granted by the Parliament 1656 for 3 years one year of which was yet behind and uncollected this was 35000 l. a month on England 6000 l. on Scotland and 9000 l. a month on Ireland thus they owned not the authority of that Parliament yet they owned their mony Assessed by them and put it into their own pockets They next revive their Committee of plundring Ministers and make an order for impressing of Seamen which they wanted Then they make their speaker Custos Rotulorum of Oxford shire and Berks. Sir Hen Mildmay of Essex and several other places to the cheif of their members following their old vocation of shareing all among themselves The Government of Jersay to Coll. Mason Cooper Zanker Sadler and Lawrence have Regiments given them in Ireland All things seem to submit to their power and Fleetwood Lambert Desberow and the rest are forced to receive their Commissions from their General Mr Speaker which tho' dissatisfied dissemblingly they submit to It was very much admired that the Parliament should imagine that the Armie would be true to them or that any Oaths would hold them when they had seen them so often break their former Allegiance to themselves and to their late Protector and on the other side it was as much admired that the Armie would thus trust this Parliament or Junto they had so grosly abused for they could not believe that the Junto would not remember their doings and so provide for their own security and establishment as to ruine the Armie if they could But out of all this evil God was now a forming good For the Government of the Armie under the Speaker the General they made 7 Commissioners namely Lieutenant General Fleetwood Sir Hen. Vaine Sir Arthur Hazlerig Colonels Lambert Desborow Ludlow and Berry These were very active in their authority placeing and displacing many Officers in the Armie by the Parliaments
Palace their broad roots are tost Into the air So Romulus was lost New Rome in such a Tempest mis't her King And from Obeying fell to Worshiping On Oeta's top thus Hercules lay dead With ruin'd Okes and Pines about him spread Those his last fury from the Mountain rent Our dying Hero from the Continent Ravish'd whole Towns and Forts from Spaniards rest As his last Legacy to Brittain left The Ocean which so long our hopes confin'd Could give no limits to His vaster mind Our Bounds inlargment was his latest toyle Nor hath he left us Prisoners to our Isle Under the Tropick is our language spoke And part of Flanders hath receiv'd our yoke From Civil Broyles he did us disingage Found nobler objects for our Martial rage And with wise Conduct to his Country show'd Their ancient way of conquering abroad Ungratefull then if we no Tears allow To Him that gave us Peace and Empire too Princes that fear'd him grieve concern'd to see No pitch of glory from the Grave is free Nature her self took notice of His death And sighing swelâ—'d the Sea wiâ—h such a breath That to remotest shores her Billowes rol'd Thâ— approching Fate of their great Ruler told Vpon the late STORME translated out of Mr. Waller's fine Piece of FLATTERY THen take him Devil Hell his Soul doth claime In Stormes as Loud as his King-murthring Fame His cheating Groans and Teares has shak'd this Isle Cleft Brittains Oakes for Brittains funerall Pile Now at his Exit Trees uncut are tost Into the Ayr So Faustus once was lost Rome mist her first so London her last King Both kill'd then wept and fell to worshiping We in a Storme of wind our Nimrod lost King'd him then Sainted him then cursâ—d his Ghost In Oeta's flames thus Hercules lay dead In Worcesters flames he on his raving Bed He some scraggâ—d Oakes and Pines from Mountains rent This stole two brave Isles from the Continent Ravishâ—d whole Towns and that his Spanish Theft As a curs'd Legacy to Brittain left The Seas with which our hopes God had confin'd The Devil made too narrow for his mind Our Bounds enlargement was his greatest toyle He made our Prison greater than our Isle Under the Line our enslav'd crys are spoke And we and Dunkirek draw but in one Yoke From broyles he made he best could dis-engage From his own head diverts our purchas'd rage And by fine State-art to his Country show'd How to be Slaves at home and Theeves abroad Confederate Usurpers quake to see The Grave not under th' power of Tyranny Nature shrunk up at this great Monster 's death And swell'd the Seas with much affrighted breath Then to the Bounder'd Shore her Billowes roll'd Th' approching fate of Europes troubles told ENGLAND Still freshly lamenting the Loss of her KING with several of her Dearest CHILDREN which have been beheaded hanged and shot by O. CROMWEL and the Long-Parliament In a Brief Collection of the remarkable Passages that have happened to this Land from the year 1640 to the year 1660. IN sixteen hundred thirty nine we then Did think and say we were unhappy men Because that we in many years before Had not a Parliament nay I 'le say more We then did murmur and we did complain Of many pressures we did them sustain Ship-mony then a burden was unto us O Lord these taxes we cry'd will unto us This coat and conduct mony is unlawfull Lord sent a Parliament to make us joyfull Shall we be made such slaves unto the will Of such a King that seeks out lives to kill And our estates will take away by force Yea our Religion which of all is worse A Parliament Lord send us was the song Of rich and poor the old and eke the young Well God did hear us and into the heart Of our late King did put it to his smart To call a Parliament as I remember For to begin the third day of November Which is now nineteen years ago compleat And doth sit still with grief we may repeat Then presently the Taxes down were voted Which were so great as I before have noted Star-chamber then and high Commission Court Were then put down t is true what I report Then did the King grant unto them to sit In Parliament so long as they thought fit And then for a Triennial Parliament An Act was made mistakes for to prevent Then joyfull were we this same news to hear Rung Bells made Bonfires as it did appear But now behold consider and look back And see how we have been put to the wrack For first a hundred thousand pound was rais'd To give the Scots at which we were amaz'd For their good service done some time before This recompence they had then for their lore Besides in sixteen hundred forty six Just twice as much the Parliament did fix And give unto them ' cause they should deliver The King unto them the like I think was never Thus was the King by our dear Brother sold For no less mony than before was told Likewise an hundred thousand pound scarce less Was raisd the Irish Rebells to suppress And after that above three thousand pound Was raisd for Souldiers which was quickly found And listed were to fight against the King What think you now was 't not a goodly thing The fifty subsidies were raisd beside Pole mony also which men did deride And other Sums of money freely given Tot set out Ships for Coals they were so risen Then did they order every one to bring His Plate to Guild-Hall to the very Ring Bodkin and Thimble brought to maintain the cause All which was done and that with great applause And those that would this order not obey The twentieth part of his Estate must pay Such was the greedy Appetite of those Who seem'd our Friends but I think were our Foes Besides all these yet see how great vast sums From every Hall and Corporation comes And other places which if I should name 'T would add no glory to them nor good fame Then was there not a far more worse device Laid on our Backs a thing call'd the Excise For we Excise did pay for meat and drink And all things else that they upon could think Besides at Brainford when there was a fight We sent the Souldiers with such great delight Cart-loads of victuals with great store of Cloaths With Shirts Shoos Hats and many a pair of Hose And mony too by some was freely given By those who thought thereby for to gain Heaven All which was done as they said with intent To bring the King unto his Parliament And make him glorious and a happy King This was the cry though they meant no such thing Likewise in sixteen hundrrd forty three The Parliament did order there should be The worth in mony of a good meals meat For every one that was i' th house did eat For half a year together it was paid Oh was not this a very gallant traid Likewise in sixteen
AN EPITOMY OF English HISTORY WHEREIN ARBITRARY GOVERNMENT Is Display'd to the Life In the illegal Transactions of the late Times under the Tyrannick Usurpation of OLIVER CROMWELL BEING A Paralell to the Four years Reign of the late KING JAMES Whose Government was Popery Slavery AND Arbitrary Power But now happily delivered by the instrumental means of King William Queen Mary Illustrated with Copper Plates By THO. MAY Esq a late Member of Parliament The Third Edition Printed for N. Boddington at the Golden Ball in Duck lane 1690. The Common wealth ruleing with a standing Army The Fruits of a Common wealth THE INTRODUCTION OF late since the Spirit of Discontent hath possessed a great part of this Nation nothing more hath been discoursed of and feared next to that of the Alteration of the Protestant Religion than Arbitrary Government which I suppose is the Rule of any Person or Persons by their own Will and Authority without being tyed to the Rules Methods and Directions of the Laws of the Land and a Converting of this most glorious Monarchy into Tyranny The fear and Jealousie of this Government hath been exceedingly of late fomented among the discontented People by the sly Arts of those who are and ever will be Enemies to the Religion Peace and Tranquility of this Nation and no doubt but the Machivilian Jesuite and the Zealous Papist have been the cause of all the imbroils of England hoping by that Gate to bring in their own Religion and Arbitrary Government The thing so much feared by the People of England And truely in this Casâ— they are not to be blamed Religion and Liberty being the two chiefest and most valuable Jewels belonging to the Crown of Life And when they cast abroad their Eyes and behold the Arbitrary Despotical and Tyrannical reign of the Princes of other Countries they may well be desirous of Conserving their own happy Government in the Monarchy of this Nation which is so equally divided betwixt King and People That the one cannot do injury or wrong to the other unless the one become Arbitrary and the other Rebellious The Constitution of the Government of England is so sound as it is not 〈◊〉 be shaken or altered with every small Occasion for it must be absolute Tyranny on the one Hand or absolute Rebellion of the other that must break it to Pieces and bring in the so much feared Arbitrary Government And therefore it is against the Interest both of King and People to intrench upon one the other the one to invade the Prerogative of the King the other the Priviledges of the People For so equally bangs the Ballance between them that as it is the Envy and admiration of all other Nations so is it the Happiness and strength of our own for the one side cannot Preponderate or weigh down the other without breaking the just and equal Constitution of our Government If therefore the Kings of this happy Nation should at any time thorow the Evil advice of their Councellors go about to invade the peoples Liberties and to think or hope to bring in Arbitrary Government it would not be so easie a thing to effect it since the mutual Bonds and Obligations between the King and People are already so strong as it is almost impossible to attain to that end whilst the three Estates of the Land have a being and without whom no alteration can be made The people therefore need not be in those Fears and Agonies on every the least Occasion of the evil Ministration of some of the chief Officers of State of their Kings Intentions of bringing in of Arbitrary Government for no doubt the Kings of England are as great and Imperial Monarchs holding their Crowns of God only and so account themselves as any other Monarch whatsoever Nor can we see how a lawful Monarch can any ways better himself or become more great by such unlawful Arbitrariness who by the Laws of the Land and the Love of his People wants neither Power nor Money the only things a Tyrant can pretend to It is therefore the Cunning Arts of the Enemies to Englands peace who so needlesly seek to buâ— it into the Ears of the People that their King intends to bring in Arbitrary Government upon every Occasion given by any of his Ministers of State in the management of those Affairs they cannot see into the Bottom But since the greatest Ministers are Accountable for their male-Administration to Parliaments there is and can be no such Fear I say of ever attaining that end so long as Parliaments have a being and without which our happy Monarchy cannot subsist totally But many cry out against Arbitrary Government and know not what it is not being sufficiently sensible of their living under and being ruled and governed by a legal Monarch Tho some Faults and Miscarriages may be sound or appear in his Ministers for the King himself can do no wrong since he Acts nothing of himself but by Ministers who are all Responsible for their Actions Yet the People are not to be blamed for their abhorrency of Arbitrary or Tyrannick Government which always attends Usurpation since it is not so many years that they have felt the burthen thereof and if we look back into all the Actions of the most Arbitrary and Tyrannick the lawful Kings of this Nation we shall find the Arbitrary Government attending Usurpers in the little time of their Usurpation to be more horrâ—d and dreadful and brought on this Nation more Misery Blood and Persecution than any of them nay all of them together I cannot think therefore that any are serious who cry out on the Phanaticks as indeavouring or desiring a Common-wealth for I do think there are none of them so really mad as to desire any such thing that would bring on them the dreaded Arbitrary Government they so much Fear since they found it by so late Experience to be no remedy to their Evils and cured their Fears and Jealousies with a Plaister of Poyson And this also I look upon to beâ—a Stratagem of the same Enemies on the other side to Create a Jealousie in the Head of the Prince and his Ministers and to make them Construe every Action of the People tending to that end which may be and no doubt is as far from their thinking as it is from that of the other in bringing in of Arbitrary Government Since the Fears and Jealousies of either side are alike much heightned by the indeavours of several sorts of evil Persons and by some well meaning People by being too severe in uncomely and bitter Expressions and thorow the Toleration of the many Licentious and Scandalous Papers which daily fly abroad the Author of these true Collections of the Miserie 's this Nation suffered under the Arbitrary Government of Tyrannic Usurpers Exposes it to the Abhorrency of the Nation that they might behold it in a Glass and that the Governours of our Common-wealth may not run upon the same
James's in woman apparel and landed safe at Dort in Holland and about the same time several Petitions came to the Parliament and especially one from the County of Essex which supplicate That the Army might be paid off and Disbanded and the King admitted to a personal Treaty Surry and the City of London followed with the like and the Affections of the People began to appear and were ready to fly to Arms. The Kentish men being up ten Thousand strong were routed by General Fairfax the Earl of Norwich who headed them with five hundred men crossed over the Thames into Essex and Sr. Charles Lucas joyning him with 200 thousand men they possessed themselves of Cholchester which became the seat of War and endured a famous Siege Also at the same time a part of the Navy revolted to the Prince who having attempted to help his Father in vain was forced to retire into Holland with his Fleet. Then the Earl of Holland the Earl of Peterborough and others Head a fresh Insurrection at Kingston upon Thames where they were routed the Earl of Holland taken and the Lord Francis Villers the Duke of Buckingham's Brother slain Affairs standing in this Posture the Scots are much displeased tho they had many fair Offers made them by the Parliament Concerning the Payment of money yet due to them and on the 24 th day of July they passed an Ordinance to establish the Presbyterian Government in England and Ireland under Classical Provincial and Parochial Assemblies to please them yet all would not do for they Voted in Scotland a War with England and published a Declaration wherein they propose That the King may come to London or to some of his Houses near with safety That those who had Carried him away might make Satisfaction or be punished for it That the Army under the Lord Fairfax might be disbanded That Presbytery be setled and Sectaries punished That all members of the House might be restored Upon this Berwick was surprised Forces came out of Ireland and many rise in the North for the King Carlisle is seized and their Forces increased under Sr. Marmaduke Langdale Sr. Thomas Glenham Sr. Philip Musgrave and others to the number of three Thousand Horse and foot Sr. Marmaduke Langdale is made their General And on the 13 th of July the Scots enter with an Army into England under Duke Hamilton with whom Langdale joyns and beats Lambert at Appleby Several places declared for the King and all things seemed in an hopeful way when Cromwell having quieted wales marches with his Army to Preston in Lancathire to give a stop to Hamilton who was about twenty Thousand strong with the English Lambert joyns with Cromwell and make up a Body of about twelve Thousand on the 17 th of August both Armies Face one another and the battel being begun on the English side after two hours dispute the Scots gave ground and were most fiercely pursued by the English and Totally routed multitudes of them being taken but Hamilton escaped to Nantwich with three Thousand horse where the Countrey being up in Armes seized upon most of them and at last Hamilton himself was taken at uloxeter by the Lord Gray of Grooby the Scots Ensigm Cornets and Colours then taken were afterwards hung up in Westminster Hall Sr. Marmaduke Langdale was also taken and Cromwell improving his Victory marches towards Monroe who was coming with a reserve of six Thousand Scots but upon Hamilton's overthrow had order to return into Scotland which they did but the Anti-Hamiltonian party in Scotland under Argile which were the stricter sort of Presbyters invited Cromwell into Scotland which the laying hold on to smooth his way he put forth a Declaration severely prohibiting any Souldier under pain of Death to take either Money Horses Goods Victuals or any other thing or any ways to abuse the People He put such a terror among the Scots that they all presently submitted and agreed to disband their Armies and to render up to him Berwick and Carlile which were in their Hands That a Parliament should be called in Scotland for the setling Religion and composing their differences and also that none that had been in the last Ingagements against England should be chosen of this new Parliament or into their general Assembly Thus having setled Scotland to his mind he returns into England Upon his Victory against Hamilton Colchester being driven to the utmost extremity was surrendred and the two valiant Gentlemen contrary to Faith given Sr. Charles Lucas and Sr. George Lisle shot to Death and the Earl of Norwich Lord Capel and others sent Prisoners to London While these things were in doing there had been some Attempts made towards the private murthering of the King which was made known to the Parliament who took some Examinations thereupon but nothing to any purpose done in it he being now look'd upon as a Tyrant and suffered openly to be so called daily with many other most opprobrious Speeches both against his person and Government which the Parliament took no notice of but had made an Order in April before That any three of their Committe-men at Darby House should have Power to Imprison and sequester all such as shall actually adhere to any that shall raise or endeavour to raise my Tumults or Insurrections or shall so much as speak or publish any thing reproachful of the Parliament or their proceedings so that you see they had tyed up mens Tongues from speaking against themselves without the least restraint of reviling their King and for every light Word a free born Subject of England was made an offender and lyable to be ruined at the Pleasure of three Arbitrary men of their Committee absolutely against that known Maxim of our Law Nemo imprisonetur aut disseisâ—tur nisi per legale judicium parium suorum No man shall be imprisoned or disseised of his Property but by the lawful judgment of his Peers that is by a jury of twelve men But what signified Magna Charta Petition of Right the Ancient Laws of the Land to these Men who had trampled the Imperial Crown under their feet and usurp'd more than ever rightful Monarch or the most Arbitrary of our Kings ever Claim'd And had raised upon the People for the maintainance of this unnatural War and towards the enslaving of themselves about three Millions of pounds sterling Per annum which was six times more than ever the most rapacious of our Kings had raised on the People besides the vast Incomes of the Kings revenue Sequestrations and Compositions About the third of August the Prince now our Soveraign sent Letters to the City Expressing his good affection to Peace and to the whole City and his Endeavours to vindicate his fathers Liberty and just Prerogative and Rights and to restore to the People their Laws Liberties and Property to free them from Bondage and to ease them of the Burthen of Excise and Taxes to settle Religion and to reduce all things
Eliz. and the 1. Jacob against Sectaries An Act of general Pardon and Oblivion to all Persons except such as should be nominated therein An Act for relief of poor Prisoners An Act to secure the Souldiers their Arrears Then they were Considering of some orders which the Councel of State were to put in Execution and which the said Councel desired of them after their recess 1. That they might appoint Commissioners in every County to make an Estimate of all Tyths 2. That the Councel of State may consider of setling future Parliaments and the constant time of Calling Sitting and Ending after this Parliament shall Dissolve themselves 3. That they shall consider an Act for regulating Proceedings at Law and to prevent tediousness of Suits 4. That they should consider what Laws are fit to be repealed Thus they were Cutting out one another Work In the mean time Oliver Cromwell with a brave Army lands at Dublin the whole Kingdom being reduced under the Kings obedience most of the Irish coming in except the Ulster Irish under Owen Roe Oneal being prevailed with by the Popes Nuncio Contrary to his promise not to come in and under-hand there was a Confederacy driven between our new Republicans and this Nuncio but on what Conditions was kept Private for their Assistance of reducing that Kingdom under their obedience tho this being laid in their Dish they impudently deny'd it afterwards Some of the Propositions were That all Laws and Penalties against the Popish Religion should be taken off by Act of Parliament and that Act to extend to them and their Heirs for ever That an Act of Oblivion should be pass'd to extend to all of his Party for all things done since the beginning of the year 1641 So that the horrid Massacre of the Protestants should have been forgotten That Owen Oneal should have a competent Command in the Army That they should enjoy their Lands now in Possession and that rightly they might claim from their Ancestors That all Acts of State that incapacitated them to be taken off That Oneal should in regard of his Merit and good Service to the Parliament in joyning with them have all the Estate of his Ancestors or some Estate equivalent to it in the Counties of Tyrone Ardmagh or London-Derry And that his Army should be provided for c. So that the sweetness of ruling and getting Ireland into their hands as well as England made them thus treat with the Popes Nuncio and a most notorius Rebel and Papist to joyn with them But they who had Confederated with the Devil might well joyn with his Holiness to subdue the Cavaliers and yet at the same time these men cryed out upon the Duke of Ormond for joyning with the Irish for the reducing that Kingdom to the obedience of the King And some of Cromwell's own Soldiers hearing of this Confederacy abominating it deserted him which made him to certifie to his Journey-men in London and caused them to null their Debenters for all their Service which were stated before the Expedition And this Agreement with Oneal went so far that the said Oneal assisted Sr. Charles Coot in raising the Siege of London-Derry as may appear by his Letters to the Parliament says the Author of the History of Independency However they fell to pieces afterwards but this is enough to shew by what Principles they Acted and how much they valued Religion when Gain and Dominion stood in Competition Oliver is successful in Ireland at the taking of Tredagh a strong place twenty miles North of Dublin in which were the Flower of the Irish Army where he put to the Sword all persons whatsoever without Distinction of Age or Sex and lasted for three days he slew about three thousand of their best and stoutest men with their Governour Sr. Arthur Aston Sr. Edmund Varny Collonel Warren Collonel Dun Finglus Tempest and others who all fell by his Eury which so affrighted the rest that he no sooner appeared before a place but it was surrendred to him The next place was Wexford a considerable Town by the Sea South West of Dublin which was betray'd to him and where he after a barbarous manner put to the Sword two Thousand more and among the rest two hundred of the chiefest Women of the place fled to the Market-Cross for shelter and there put to the Sword by his Command tho several of his own Soldiers who had before given them Quarter refused to obey his Bloody Commands After which he took Ross Carick Kilkenny Clonmel and other places Munster Thus with extraordinary diligence and great Slaughter in less than a year that he staid there he subdued the greatest part of Ireland and kill'd and exterminated most part of the Irish leaving his Son-in-Law Ireton to complete the Conquest as Governour or his Lieutenant who there died of the Plague before he had quite finish'd his work In the mean time the King being in Jersey received a Letter from the Scots by Mr. Windram with several Conditions the chief of which was the acknowledging them a Parliament and particularly the two last Sessions of that Assembly and then they would treat with him at Breda concerning his coming to Scotland owning him for their King But those about his Majesty having no good Opinion of the Scots were fearful of having him to put himself into their Hands but to trust to Montross whom with a Commission he had senâ— before into Scotland his valiant Service being most remarkable there for the King his Father and they now hoped from him the like success However the King dispatch'd away Windram with a Letter to the Scotch Parliament wherein he concedes to have them to send Commissioners to him to treat at Breda which they did and on the 16 th of March they met where the Agreement was made and it was concluded That they should enjoy the Presbytery throughout the Kingdom the King himself and Family not expected but bound him to the Covenant Directory and Catechisms which the King his Affairs in Ireland being desperate and his hopes in England as little many Noble-men and Gentlemen flying thence from the bloody Tyranny of the States he was forced with great Reluctancy to Consent and then on their parts they Covenant That his Majesty should be admitted to the Throne of Scotland That his Rights should by Parliament be recovered out of the Hands of Usurpers and That they would assist to bring to Condign Punishment the Murtherers of his Father and to restore him to his Kingdom of England But in the interim of this Treaty the gallant and renowned Montross being landed in the Islands of Orkney with a few German Soldiers accompanied with the Lord Trendraught Sr. John Urry Henry Graham Collonel Johnson George Drummond of Ballack and other Persons his Friends and Confederates he begun with great Resolution and Courage to levy men notwithstanding several Losses of Arms at Sea and disappointments of Men and Monies which he had exspected from other
places Having raised what men he could in the Orcades he left some men to keep the Island and transported the rest to Cathness in the uttermost North-west part of Scotland where he hoped to have met some men whom he expected Pluscardy should have raised but the Parliament of Scotland having notice of his Landing was so vigilant by their Correspondence and Friends in those Parts that the High-Landers could not rise as was expected and immediately they sent an Army of seven Thousand Foot and thirty Troops of Horse to oppose Montross David Lesly commanded the Horse and Major General Holburn the Foot These making great speed struck a dread into the Breasts of many who were the Kings friends and would have appeared had a little longer time been given them Straham who led the Van finding Montrosses party surprised at their unexpected approach made use of the Advantage and fell in upon them and the unseasoned Orkney men soon yielded themselves and in a short time the Germans tho they made some resistance thus the Earl lost the day more through the Panick fear of his Soldiers than want of Courage and Conduct in himself who was certainly one of the most skilful and valiant Leaders of his Age. There escaped not above an hundred and most of his Officers were either taken or slain He got away himself quitting his Horse Belt Coat and Star in an ordinary High-Landers habit but it was impossible for him to get clear away the Country being every way beset and such strict search after him and rewards promised to those who could take him yet for three or four days keeping in the Woods with one Companion only till almost starv'd he kept out of their Clutches till aâ— last he fell into the Hands of the Laird of Aston who formerly had adhered to the Marquess hoping that he would have Concealed him But fear being more Prevalent than ancient Friendship he set a Guard upon him and delivered him up to Lesly who in triumph carried him to Edenborow where this noble Marquess was treated with the most horrid Barbarity that ever was heard of and at last hanged on a Gibbet thirty foot high his head Cut off and set on the Talbooth at Edenborow and his four Quarters sent to be set up at Sterling Glascow St. Johns Town and Aberdeen four of the notedest Cities in Scotland Together with him were executed tho not with so much disgrace Sr. John Urry Collonel Spotswood Laird of Darcy with some others of note who came with the Marquess into Scotland This was the end of that most noble Peer murthered by the Kirk or Presbyterian Party on the twenty first of May 1650 even when they were treating with â—heir King which indignity his Majesty was fain to put up tho he could not but shew his Resentment for that faithful Servants Barbarous usage at their Hands writing to them particularly about it to whom they returned their Excuses letting him know they did it for the Service of his Majesty inviting him into Scotland and protesting to assist him with their Lives and Fortunes to establish him in his Throne The King prepares for his Voyage and nothwithstanding Popham one of the Junto's Admirals was at Sea with a Fleet hoping to intercept him he got safe into Scotland and Landed in the north Parts at Spey from whence he went to Edenborow where he was received with great Acclamations and again on the â—5 of July solemnly proclaimed at Edenborow but it was not long before the ill Nature of the Presbyterians began to appear and they began to exercise their Kirk Authority and all Malignants as they called the Kings best Friends prohibited to come at him they lessen his Family and are angry that Aberdeen had presented him with five hundred Pound and lest others should do the like They order That what Money or Plate any intended to bestow upon the King should be brought into the publick Treasury But they form an Army as fast as they can of which the King was to be Generalissimo and the Earl of Levin Lieutenant General Holborn Major General and Lesly Lieutenant General of the Horse and Mountgomery Major General In the mean time the Junto begin to look about them ill news comes apace from the North Quarter of a threatning Storm and they make ready to meet it but the Presbyterian Ministers had been tampering with Fairfax and had represented this War with Scotland so illegal being against the Church that he being a Presbyterian made many Excuses pleading Sickness and Wounds and desiring to be Excused from commanding the Army that was to fight against their Brethren for now the Presbyterians not out of any Love to the King but to themselves hoping to set up their own Church-Government as they saw it was like to be in Scotland Confederate privately together and intend to joyn with the Scots All these things are made known to Cromwell in Ireland who now thought it high time to play his Part in England things still working for his Advancement and therefore sending to the Junto for leave to come over he prepares to be gone but Occasion pressing he stays not for the return of Letters but full of his great Aâ—chievments in Ireland he leaves it and Lands at Bristow whence he Posts to London where he is met Complemented and Caressed by the Members of the Junto and the Creatures of his Councils and presently Fairfax still refusing the command of the Army Cromwell is by order of the Rump made General and Fairfax laid aside And now with all Expedition he â—orms his Army and draws his Forces together preâ—ares for Scotland and about the latter end of June marches to Berwick whence he sends canting Letters to the Scots who fearing their people should be gull'd with his fair Words proclaim it Treason to hold Correspondence with the English The English Army was about sixteen Thousand men Compleat with which Cromwell marches into Scotland most of the Scots having left the Borders and waisted the Country so that the English Army found small resistance but much want of Provisions yet they had a Fleet who waited their Motions at Sea and Coasted it along to supply them The Scotch Army in the mean time lay encamped betwixt Edenborow and Leith being six thousand Horse and Dragoons and fifteen thousand Foot Cromwell advances within sight of the Scots whom he found strongly incamped on the Hills but on the 25 th of July he attempts one of the Hills with a small Party and beat off the Scots but a party of the Scots Horse fell in upon their Rear so furiously that they began to be in disorder till repulsed by Lambers and Whaly who had the Rere Guard in which Action Lambert had his Horse shot under him and himself run thorow the Arm with a Lance and taken Prisoner but rescued by one Lieutenant Emson After this the English advance towards Muscleborough where the Scots set upon them betwixt three and four
part of my draught of Arbitrary Government under the Power and Tyranny of that noâ—orious Usurper Oliver I shall now proceed to the second Act of this Tragical Usurpation and expose to your view the Tyrannick Usurpation of Oliver Cromwell who now as General of the Armies of England Scotland and Ireland had the full and sole Authority Power and Government of the Three Nations in his hands Yet this would not serve his turn he must have some splendid Title and Royal Ensigns to shew he reigned not by the Power of the Sword which would render him odious to the People though in effect it was the same thing But there is much in State and Ceremony especially where lawful right is not to give a lustre and the name of King with the Ornament of a Crown is the thing ambitioned or some thing like it is to be had if the other could not be obtained But this is not yet to be reach'd he must proceed methodically and like the Tyrant Richard the Third intreated much to accept of what he greatly desired The first thing Oliver does after he had thrust the Rump-Parliament out of doors was to put forth a Declaration of the Reasons for Dissolving the Long Parliament who had designed to perpetuate themselves desiring all good people to seek God for him that he might not doe any thing to dishonour his Name and that they should peaceably follow their Vocations as when the Parliament was sitting and that all Judges Sheriffs Justices of the Peace Mayors Bayliffs and other Civil Officers and Publick Ministers whatsoever should proceed in their Offices and Places and that the Writs should run in the same stile as before of the Keepers of the Liberty of England And then out of his Chief Officers of the Army and his Confidents he Creates a Council of State who were to manage all affairs till a Parliament could be called Thus the Laws and Liberties of the People and the whole Civil State and Government of England depended upon the Sword and the Arbitrary Will and Pleasure of a General and some few of his Military Officers These men to ingratiate themselves with the people lessen the Monthly Tax from 120000 l. to 90000 l. a Month and to keep fair with the Presbyterian who yet kept up their form of Church-worship and the most of one publick perswasion they prohibited all disturbances in the Church which was then frequent and the Phanaticks Licentiousness in the Army which swarmed with Anabaptists Ranters Quakers Seekers and other strange new Lights and who were set a madding after the possession of the remaining Revenue of Church-Lands Tythes Glebe Impropriations often addressing to that purpose as no remains of Dagon might be left Oliver at this time also was Courted by the French Ambassador Burdoe in the behalf of his Master lest he should favour his Rebels and which he gave him assurance he would not doe and though solicited on the other side he would not favour Enemies to Monarchy â—â—ready looking upon himself to be a Monarch The Dutch thought now to take the advantage of these Divisions in England and very early got their Fleet to Sea but no great Commotion following thereupon at home they had leasure to look after their Sea-affairs and getting forth the Fleet under Blake Monk and Dean on the second of June 1653 they meet the Dutch on the Coasts of Flanders Commanded by Van Tromp in chief and under him the two Eversons de Wit and Ruytier all stout expert and able Sea-men Pen was Vice-Admiral of our Fleet and Lawson Rear-Admiral The Dutch had One hundred and four Men of War Twelve Galliots and Nine Fire-Ships the English had One hundred Ships of all sorts Monk and Dean were in one Ship the Fight begun about Eleven of the Clock at Noon and the first Broad-side from the Enemy carried away General Dean being shot in two by a Cannon Bullet close by Monk's side who flinging a Cloak over his body bid the Soldiers to mind their business and unconcerned apply'd himself to the Battel continued with much fury on both sides as long as they had light The next morning Monk finding himself near the Dutch they again furiously engaged each other and Monk pressed so hard upon them that he sunk six of their best Ships and two others were blown up and eleven Ships taken and One thousand three hundred and fifty Prisoners and had not the Dutch got upon the Flats near Calais and Dunkirk where our great Ships could not come at them most of their Fleet had been ruined or taken The English had not one Ship lost or disabled and excepting General Dean but one Captain lost and about One hundred and fifty Men and few hurt General Blake came not in till towards the end of the Fight with Eighteen fresh Ships This was the sixth Engagement with the Dutch in this Wâ—â— The English Fleet â—â—e before the Texel and the Vly and now let the Dutch see they were Conquerors which so humbled them that they sent away a Vessel with a white Flag for England with a Messenger to prepare way for two Ambassadors to Treat of Peace however that they might make it on easier terms they prepare with all speed they can to recruit their Fleet and on the Twenty-ninth of July following in the morning the English discry them again with One hundred and twenty five Sail of Ships divided into four Squadrons under Tromp Everson Ruyteâ— and Wit Wittens The English Fleet consisted of Onâ— hundred and six Ships under the Command of Monk in chief for Blake was sick Pen Vice-Admiral and Lawson Rear-Admiral the Battel began by six in the morning and continued till night parted them and the next morning again both fell to it with that bloody fury that they made the most cruel Fight that ever was Orders being given neither to give nor take quarter Everson's Ship was sunk and he taken and the famous Van Tromp shot with a Musket-bullet and slain on the poop of his Ship whereby his men were so daunted that hoisting out all the Sail they could they made away to the Texel The English bought this Victory dear having lost Four hundred Men and Eight Captains and Seven hundred wounded with Five Commanders yet lost but one Ship On the Dutch side was lost besides their Admiral Tromp Thirty-three Ships or more out of which the English saved swiming in the Sea Twelve hundred Men and Five Captains Monk returning victorious with their Prisoners to Solebay where he stayed not long e're he returned to ply upon the Dutch Coasts and to disturb their Trade and to let them see the English were their Conquerors This was the seventh and last Engagement in this â—ar For now the Dutch having enough of iâ— made a Peace with Cromwell which he migâ—â— have had almost upon any terms had he not been so greedy of setting himself up in the Throne beginning also to grow jealous of the great Actions of
Sceptre-bearers That the Sword was not only a Military but a Civil Sword a Sword rather of defence than of offence to defend himself and his people Upon which he would presume to write this Motto Ego sum Domini Protectoris ad protegendum Populum Meum I am the Lord Protectors to protect my People This being ended he gave the Protector his Oath on the Bible and Mr. Manton made a Prayer wherein he recommended the Protector the Parliament the Army and Government to God which done the Trumpets sounded and the Heraulds proclaimed him Protector of England Scotland and Ireland and the Dominions thereunto belonging After which he returned in great State the Lord Sherrard and the Lord Roberts his eldest Son carrying his Train The Pageantry being finished the House having done like good Boys have leave to play for returning to their House they adjourn themselves to the 20 th of January following Being thus setled in his Dignity he began to live more splendidly and like a King having a very full Court and after a Monarchical Manner all his Officers of State Steel was made Chief Baron and Lambert Warden of the Cinque-Ports but that would not satisfie him for he was not a little disgusted that Cromwell had power given him to nominate his Successor and he now plainly perceived his Intentions of setling the Succession in his Children for which he now resolves if he can to ruine him with the Army But Cromwell is vigilant and had on the 19 th of April at a certain house in Shoreditch taken several of the Champions of the Fifth-Monarchy men among whom was one Venner a Preaching Wine-Cooper Ashton Gowler Hopkins and Gray their Scribe these were to have risen and with them was taken a considerable quantity of Arms and their Standard with a Lyon-Couchant Guiles in a Field Argent with this Motto Who shall rouse him The late Vice-Admiral Lawson and Major Danvers were secured As also Major Wildman who was taken at Marlborow drawing up a Declaration against him and clapt up in order to his Tryal And hearing of private Subscriptions to Petitions and Addresses to the Parliament carrying on in the Army against Kingship he peremptorily sent to them to desist upon their peril and so over-aw'd and dasht them that they durst not go on with their attempt There was no body now very considerable of their own party that could give him any disturbance but Lambert and to secure himself against him he followed the example Lambert had set him before in securing himself against the Rump Parliament and caused all the Army by his Privado's Regiment after Regiment to subscribe Addresses Congratulating his legal Authority and declaring their readiness to stand by him with their Lives and Fortunes This year on the 20 th of April 1657 that great action of General Blake was performed against the Spaniards at Santa Cruze in the Island of Tenarif where he burnt their whole West-India Ships being 16 in number notwithstanding they were barracado'd in the Haven and defended by a Castle well fortified and 7 Forts and got forth of their Haven without any loss for which considerable service the Protectâ—r and Parliament ordered him a Jewel of 500 l. and gratuities to the other Officers and Soldiers But this Valiant and Renowned Seaman did not long out-live this his memorable exploit dying at Sea as he was entring the sound of Plymouth Never any Seaman performed so many Actions redounding to the Glory of the English Nation as he did and it was his only misfortune that he serv'd not a lawfull Prince And now the 20 th of January being come at which time the Parliament was to re-assemble they met accordingly but they now were quite another thing than what they were before for according to the Clause in the Petition and Advice That the persons legally Chosen should not be secluded but by the consent of the House those Members that Cromwell had before kept out by force were now re-admitted though against his mind who presently gave him a disturbance Then according to their new Model there was the other House for as yet they did not dare to call it a House of Lords which consisted of his chiefest Favourites of the Army-Officers and others and many pick'd out of the House of Commons some of them being of the excluded Commonwealths-men whom he hoped to draw to his party by this obligation about half a score likewise of the old Nobility were nominated thinking to draw them in but they refused to come The Houses being thus altered in their Constitution quickly let Cromwell see he was deceived in his hopes for Hazelrig and others disdaining his proffer'd Baronage took their seats in the Commons House where they thought they should doe more good and by which means the Commonwealths-men grew so high that the other House was not taken notice of but fell to questioning all their fellows had done during their Seclusion and had the Messages of the other House in contempt and derision And now the Humble Petition and Advice was like to be overthrown The news of their proceedings so inraged the mind of Oliver seeing his great Hopes of being King so suddenly dasht that contrary to the advice of his Council he goes to them and for haste takes an Hackney-Coach and entring into the other House and standing under a Canopy of State he sends for the Commons to come to him who being come with much eagerness made them a long Speech which being remarkable I shall recite some few heads That the Lord was his witness his desires of carrying on the affairs of the Nation were for the ends of Mercy Truth Righteousness and Peace which he desired might be improved That there was not a Man or Woman treading upon English Ground could say that he sought the place of Protector but he thought the Nations happy therein But that he was Petitioned thereunto by them who had the Legislative Power to take up a burthen too heavy for any creature therefore did look they should make it good to him That he could say in the presence of God before whom they were all but poor creeping Ants upon the Earth he had rather have kept sheep than undertook such a place of Government as that was That he had told them he would not undertake it unless he might have men that should go between him and the House of Commons to prevent tumultuary spirits which was granted and he had named another House and that it was not Titles or Lords that they valued but a Christian and English Interest who would be a ballance to them and themselves and of their own rank and quality whilst they loved England and Religion That he thought he had been doing his duty and that they would be satisfied but if they were too high and too low they would not be satisfied That God knew he had taken an Oath upon condition expressed in the Government and thought he had been upon a sure
and against all Law so sent away for the Law says no English man ought to be banished by less authority than by Act of Parliament and ordered forthwith the Prisoners to be set free without Fees or Charges and had they sat longer had undoubtedly punished the Lieutenant too Then after publick faith given and the party restored to Common Privileges he caused that most horrid Order of Decimation to be put in execution on the poor Cavaliers by his Janizaries which was by the ensuing Parliament damned as an unjust and wicâ—â—â— breach of Faith This however is the great the just the brave victorious pious and most renowned Oliver who as I have said is yet by some remembred even to a kind of Idolatry but I shall leave him having long since received his deserved reward and conclude with the rapture of Sterry who Preaching his Funeral Sermon had these blasphemous expressions of him As sure says he as this is the Bible which he held in his hand the blessed spirit of Oliver Cromwell is with Christ at the right hand of the Father and if he be there what may not his family expect from him for if he were so usefull and helpfull and so much good influenced from him to them when he was in a Mortal State how much more influence will they have from him now in heaven The Father Son and Spirit through him bestowing Gifts and Graces upon them I shall now proceed to the second Scene of this single Usurpation and Tyranny which brought his Son short-liv'd Dick upon the Stage Oliver being thus dead on the 3 d. of September about three of the Clock in the afternoon he was opened and embalmed but he stunk so filthily though wrapt in Cearcloths and Lead with Aromatick Spices that they were fain to bury him privately but a Coffin was carried to Somerset-house where after some days with his Effigies made for that purpose he seem'd to lye in great state pomp and magnificence to which sight crouds of people daily pressed The out-rooms all hung with black with Scutcheons hanging on the Walls but the room where the Effigies lay was hung with black Velvet and the Ceiling of the same having a large Canopy of the same deeply fringed the Effigies being Robed in Purple Velvet laced with Gold-Lace and furred with Ermins with strings and tassels of Gold In its right hand a Sceptre in its left a Globe on his head a Velvet Cap furred with Ermins and behind his head placed high on a Chair of Tissued Gold was set an Imperial â—â—wn Eight Silver Candlesticks of about five foot high stood about his Bed of State with large white Waxtapers burning of three foot long all invironed with Rails and Ballisters covered with Velvet within which stood men in Mourning bare-headed which was continued for many weeks and then the Effigies was removed into another room and vested as before set up in a standing posture with the Crown upon his head which it seems he now obtained though he could not wear it while alive Thus they continued this Pageantry to the 23 d of November following when his Funeral was made and he carried in great pomp to Westminster with more cost and state than ever was bestow'd on any King of England costing they say 26000 l. or more and at last was interred among the Kings and Queens of England where he lay till the 30 th of January 1660 when he had a Resurrection to another Exaltation at Tyburn where he was a second time interr'd under the Gallows according to his demerits with his great Counsellors Ireton and Bradshaw But we will leave the dead and relate in bâ—ief the Transactions of the living Oliver being gone the Privy Council met and a search was made in the Protector 's Cabinet for a Paper safely lay'd up wherein he had nominated Fleetwood for his Successor but it was not to be found therefore they send to him and Desborow to know if they did acquiesce in the Declaration of the late Protector which made his Son Richard Cromwell Protector To which Fleetwood sent word that he cordially acquiesced in that Declaration of the late Protector 's concerning his Son's Succession though any other Paper should be found in which he had been formerly nominated his Successor This done the Council wait upon Richard to Condole with him for his Father's Death and to Congratulate him as Protector Then Skippon and Strickland were sent to the City to acquaint them with what was done and the next day they caused a Proclamation to be made subscribed by â—hiverton Lord Mayor the Council of State and several Officers of the Army at White-Hall Charing-Cross Fleetstreet and several places in London Proclaiming Richard Cromwell Protector of the Commonwealth of England c. After which the City-Sword by the Lord Mayor and the Seal by Fiennes were resigned to him and his Oath was given him by Fiennes one of the Commissioners of the Great Seal in which he Swore to maintain the Protestant Religion in its purity and to govern the three Nations according to the best of his power and skill according to the Laws After which he dispatches Messengers to Ireland to inform his brother Harry Deputy there and to General Monk in Scotland to inform them and to know how they stood affected to his Advancement And presently he receives Addresses from most of the Counties in England contrived and made at White-Hall and Protestations from the Armies in England Scotland and Ireland to live and dye with him Also Addresses from the Independant Churches as Goodwins Nyes and the rest of them many giving Adoration to this rising false light forgetting the true Sun yet in Eclipse beyond Sea and the fawning Poets Waller and Dryden among the rest praised to the Skies in their Elegies the dead Tyrant Richard was proclaimed both at Dublin and at Edenborough and all things ran smooth on his side But however General Monk liked not the Tyrannical sway of the Army in England but so early began to form the happy project of his Majestie 's Restauration without which he well perceived these Kingdoms would not be in any setled posture but be still subject to any Usurper or Usurpers the Army should set up but this was a great work and time not yet ripened for it he kept the secret in his own breast and intended to take opportunity by the forelock complying for the present as others did but in the mean time with great diligence he reformed his Army and purg'd it from those ill humours as he knew would soon bring it to destruction but this also he did wisely and cautiously and by degrees for fear of causing too early jealousies of his design Richard seeing the many Addresses made to him from the People and Army and the caresses and flatteries of great ones being a man of no great reach thought all had been real and now began to form to himself an Imagination of setling himself in his
Usurpation and to look somewhat shy on those of the Royal-Party he had before caressed and done kindness for shewing more state and greatness than formerly and growing more reserved to his familiars But moneys growing scarce his Council advises him forthwith to call a Parliament and accordingly Summons are issued out for this Convention to meet at Westminster on the 27 th of January Elections being made after the usual manner tho some would have opposed it and by sending Writs to the several Boroughs they thought they should get a Parliament to their minds but were deceived Ireland and Scotland also sent each 30 according to the Model of Government and for the upper House the chiefest Officers of the Army were pitch'd upon but many of them were of such base extraction that the Commons could hardly be brought to own them Richard began to have some jealousie of the Army and finding many of his Council too great favourers of them and of their power he began to cast about to have brought in others of his friends to ballance them but he found such opposition that he could not bring it about On the other side the Army and Sectarian Officers began to be afraid of the ensuing Parliament and therefore some of them advised him to follow his Father's steps who was accustomed at such a time to cause the chiefest Officers of the Army to come up to London and to be assistant to him on such occasions This startled Richard being as much afraid of the Army as they were of this approaching Convention yet wanting his Father's courage and resolution he sent for many of the Army to Town from their Commands where they had the opportunity of Caballing and laying designs for his destruction Besides Lambert by the favour of Fleetwood was got again into Command and had a Regiment given him and was as much in the favour of the Sectaries as ever Richard was as yet General when Desborow and others would have perswaded him that the Army being discontented and ready to mutiny the best way for him would be to settle it on some known Officer amongst them and nominated Fleetwood but Richard it seems was not so very a fool as to divest himself of that Command but told them that by his Father's example he would keep that for a security both to them and to himself without which he could not protect them and that the Parliament which was suddenly to meet would give them satisfaction as to their Grievances to whom he should remit them And now at the time prefixed the Parliament meet consisting of two Houses the other House beginning now to be called the upper House for the Commons was chosen Mr. Chute a Lawyer as their Speaker who sickning Long Recorder of London was chosen pro tempore in his stead and for the upper House Nathaniel Fiennes Lord Keeper of the Great Seal was their Speaker The first fortnight was taken up about the Recognition with which they were awhile intangled but at last they Vote and it was Resolved on Monday 14 th of February That it be part of this Bill to Recognize and declare his Highness Richard Lord Protector and chief Magistrate of the Commonwealth of England Scotland and Ireland and the Dominions and Territories thereunto belonging Resolved That before this Bill be Committed the House do declare such additional Clauses to be part of this Bill as may bound the power of the chief Magistrate and fully secure the Rights and Privileges of Parliament and the Liberties and Rights of the People and that neither this or any other previous Vote that is or shall be passed in order to this Bill shall be of force and binding to the people till the whole Bill be passed This done a Committee of Inspections is setled to take a view of the Accounts and the Revenue of the Common-wealth of which Mr. Scowen was Chair-man The Commonwealths-men who were considerable in this Convention cunningly put in many Debates to gain time which they did though the Protectorian party were the major and so could effect little yet they had hopes of the infection of the Army which they knew by means of their Emissaries spread much for at Wallingford-house Fleetwood Desborow and Lambert with several others held their Consults for the dispossessing of Richard and Fleetwood was courted to take the Protectorship upon him Richard had notice given him of their proceedings and some of his friends advised him to cut them off and profer'd to do it if he would be Resolute and stick to them but Richard was timerous and fearfull and had not courage enough to give them such a Commission and so lost his opportunity of setling himself In the mean time the King had sent a Commission to Arthur Anslow now Earl of Anglesie to John Mordant Brother to the Earl of Peterborow Sir John Greenvill Sir Tho. Peyton and William Leg giving them power as his Commissioners to treat with any of his Subjects of England excepting the Regicides and to offer them his pardon if they would now joyn together for his Restauration and also to assure them of Rewards and Recompence for any service done for the future towards the bringing in of his said Majesty and that whatever those his Commissioners should promise in his name he would ratifie and confirm This was dated at Brussells 11 March 1659. By this means and by the wary management of these Gentlemen the King's designs began to thrive better than formerly being still betray'd by Thurlo's Agents So that now there were several Interests at work and bringing several designs to the Anvil The King 's for his just Rights and Restauration Richard's for the setling himself in his unjust Usurpation The Commonwealths-men to regain their lost Dominion and Tyranny and the Army to keep their Rule and the people in slavery and to set up a Governour of their own and that might be only ruled by their Power These have all their several close Cabals and all strenuously busie one against another Upon a report made by Secretary Thurlo concerning the State of the War betwixt Sweden and Denmark the Parliament send General Mountague with a considerable Fleet into the Sound but so straiten'd in Commission that he did little good The Military-Council of Officers were very high and favoured much by the upper House which much distasted the Commons and made them Vote That during the sitting of the Parliament there should be no general Meeting or Council of Officers of the Army without direction leave and authority of the Protector and both Houses of Parliament Richard upon this by advice sends for the Council of Officers and dismisses them And the Commons proceed to a farther Vote Resolved That no person should have or continue Command in any of the Armies in England Scotland or Ireland c. that should refuse to subscribe That he will not disturb or interrupt the free meeting in Parliament of any of the Members of either House
Command of the Army which he aimed at for a further advance of himself by his party he caused the Rump Parliament to be proposed again to a great Consultation of the Officers of the Army meeting at St. James's where they were seeking God for a Government with Dr. Owen and other Independant Ministers amongst them which affected them very much But this alarum'd Fleetwood and his party who found the Army mutinous and troublesome and not to be governed now by their Commands and the few days they reigned the Government lying like an heavy burthen upon their shoulders they were forced to comply and follow the stream and in order thereto the Protectorian Colonels as Ingoldsby Howard Falconbridg Bridg Whaly Goff Norton Smith and others were put out and Commonwealths-men or Rumpers put in their stead And thus fully ended the Usurpation and Tyranny of the Cromwells And now we may say we are come to the third Act of Tyranical Usurpation and the many-Headed Monster the Rump-Parliament arises again and shews it self after havâ—ing been so many years defunct For the souldiers as I have said not knowing what to do send now for their old drudges to sit again whom they had formerly pull'd out by the Ears with so much Infamy and ill language and after several private Conferences among the Chief of either side and articles proposed for the securing the Armie for the Rump would sit upon any terms a declaration of the Armie came forth invitâ—ing this Rump to return to the exercise of their charge and trust telling them in many canting terms of the dangers and deliverances God had brought them through and perceiving now with Grief that the good spirit among them did dayly decline so as the good old cause became a reproach and now calling to mind that the long Parliament consisting of those members who continued siting till the 20 th of April 1653. were eminent asserters of that cause and had a special presence of God with them and were signally blessed in their work they iudged it their duty to invite the said Members to the discharge of their trust for the setling and secureing the peace of the common wealth promissing to be aiding and assisting to them c. And now all the Members in Town the Jailes being search'd for some of them who lay there for debt get together on the 7 th of May in the Painted chamber at Westminster accompanied with their old Speaker Lenthal to the number of about 42 who for haste haveing the Chancery Mace carried before them stole into their house before expected not a little glad to have gotten into their old nest after so many years exclusion The names of these famous men were Lenthal their Speaker Lord Monson Harry Martin Lisle Whitlock Chaleuoâ—r Wise Alderman Atkins Penington Scot Holland Vain Prideaux Sr. James Harrington Ludlow Oldsworth Hazlerig Jones Pâ—refoy White Harry Nevil Say Bennet Blagrave Brewster Serjant Wild Goodwin Letchmore Skinnâ—r Downs Dove 〈◊〉 Leuthal Saloway the Grocer Corbet Wallon Millington the Church-snuffers Gold Sydenham Bingham Aire Smith one of the 6 clarks Ingoldsby and Fleetwood These Rumpers being thus reestablished and addressed by sundry Addressers from the Counties which afterwards stood them in as much stead as those which were made before to Richard Cromwell did him They cause the Officers of the Armie to resigne their old Commissions and to receive new ones from them which they thought no small tye but Callerates met with Menalcidas as afterwards it proved Some of the old Members who had been secluded in 1648. required to be admitted with the rest hopeing that their presence might prevent much mischeif tho' they had little or no expectation of doing much good by reason the Armies backing the other party The names of the secluded Members that now sought for admittance were Mr. Anslow Sr. George Booth Mr. James Herbert Mr. Prynn Mr. Montague Sr. John Eveling Mr. John Herbert Mr. Gawen Mr. Eveling Mr. Clive Mr. Kniqgtley Mr. Hungerford Mr. Harley and Mr. Peck But these could not be admitted into the house but were stopped in the Lobby onely Mr. Prynn and Hungerford getting in and beginning to dispute with them upon the point made them adiourn and loose a days time after which attempting the like they found a Troop of Horse and two Companies of red-Coats the Keepers of the liberties of England to keep them out so that they were forced to return seing there was no good to be done with these persons who began to follow their old stepts of trampling the priviledges of Parliament under foot the ancient Laws and Constitutions of the land and the Liberties and Rights of the people For they forthwith ordered That such persons heretofore Members of this Parliament as have not sat in this Parlâ—ament since the year 1648 and have not subscribed the Engagement in the Rol of Engagement of this House shall not sit in this House till further order of Parliament They had the first day of their sitting put forth a Declaration among many other things declareing They would apply themselves faithfully to the discharge of their trust and to the setlement the Common Wealth as might establish the Property and Liberties of the people without a single person Kingship or House of Peers and vigourously carry on a Reformation that there may be a godly and faithful Magistracy and Ministry in the Nation to the praise of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the reviveing and makeing glad the Hearts of the upright in the Land See the holy Cant and what good words they use having not forgot their old Trade of cutting the peoples Throats with good words nor their old way of helping one another for on the 29th of May they order That all such as shall be employed in any place of Trust or Power in the Common-wealth be able for the discharge of such Trust and that they be persons fearing God and that have given Testimony to all the people of God their faithfulness to this Common-wealth according to the Declaration of the 7 th of May. Here are the Godly now setting up themselves again in their old Throne of the Good Old Cause that had been so abominably distastful to the whole Nation And forthwith this Godly Party as they nominated themselves begin apace to thrust one another into all Offices of the State and for that end they appoint a Council of State into whose hands they put the dispose of all places of most Profit and Trust yea of the Command of the wealth of the Kingdom These Godly ones of the House were the Godly Sir Arthur Hazlerig the pious Sir Henry Vain the Holy Man Ludloâ— Jones Sydenham Salaway Fleetwood and the Chaste Mr. Scot with Walton Nevil Harrington Chaloner Downs Whitlock Morley Sydney Thomson Dixwel Reynolds Oliver St. Johns Wallop and without the House were the like Godly Men Bradshaw Lambert Desborow Fairfax Berry Sir Anthony Ashly-Cooper Sir Horatio Townsend Sir Robert Honywood Sir Archibald
George Booth being also ill armed were soon defeated at Northwich August 19 Captain Edward Morgan was slain upon the place Egertâ—n fled but was pursued and taken Sir Tho Middleton got over sea Sir George Booth escaped as far as Newport Pannell where he was taken in disguise and soon after committed close pris'ner to the Tower of London for committing Treason in learying war against the common Wealth and Sir Hen. Vane and Sir Arth. Hazlerig sent to him to take his examination Lambert retakes all places that they had taken in and by an order of Parliament disarmes the Counties They send him 1000 pounds for a gratuity which he having other aims distributes among his souldiers Then they give order for a day of Tanks giving for their suceess-and presently prepare a new Oath of Abjuration not thinking the Engagement sufficient to be inforced upon the nation wherein they are to abjure the whole line of King James and tell the people they will now set themselvs to doe something extraordinary towards the setlement of the Government But Mony the Diana of the Ephesians and the Idol of the filthy Rumpers is that they want and therefore now impose a new tax upon the people of 200000 pounds a month confirm the Excise fine those that failed to supply their anew molded Militia with 〈…〉 under color of a sanctimonious care of the poor they make an inspection into the râ—venue of all Hospitals prohibiting the Masters and Governors of them to renew any Leases General Monk upon the riseing of Sir George Booth was in a readyness to have marched but was provented by their being so suddenly suppressed the Rump had some jealousie of it but he had caried his design so closely and discovered it to so few that nothing could be made appear against him He was not a little troubled at these disasters and finding the Junto busie in displaceing those he most trusted at Col. Daniel Governor of St. Johnstong and many others fearing he should at last be outed by them of his command and hopeless of doing good as he intended he sends up a letter to the Parliament for a dismission from his command This letter was by his friends in London who had intimation thereof suppressed for some time and his friends in the House so ordered it that when it was delivered to the Speaker the reading of it was deferred for ten days till a packet came from Scotland to contradict it tho' Vaine and others who hand an incling of it called often to have this letter read which they suspected But the Speaker being persuaded to it by his friends under the color that if it were read and that they should take him at his word it would cause a general defection in the Scotch armie among whom the famous Monk was so wel beloved and might ruine their affairs he being also true to their interests tho' discontented at the displaceing his Officers This prevailed with the Speaker wholy to suppress that Letter and so the buisness passed over the Junto being extream busie about many matters In the mean time Lambert and his Armie being aflote upon their late success are provideing other employment for the Rumpers Quos Deus perdeie vult deâ—ent The whole Nation had long wish'd for the ruine of â—otâ— and now their own dissentions will make way for it Lambert whom Cromwell had laid aside for his ambition had his heart still full of the same He keeps a moâ—k Faâ—â— with his Officers an infallible token that some granâ— design was hatching he had still a mind to the Protectorship and in reference to that he and his complices remonstrate the necessity of the Armies being gâ—verned by general Officers as it was before the Speaker had made himself General and requested or petitioned that Fleetwood whom Lambert doubted not to serve as Cromwell had done Fairfax might be made Lord General and that himself might be Leiutenant General and Desberow Major General of the Horse and Monk Major General of the Foot till he might have a good opportunity of laying him a side This Remonstrance being drawn up into form and signed was sent up to London to the general Councel of Officers whether Lambert was privatly gon and by some of them the Junto came to hear of it who were startl'd at it how ever they dissemble with the Officers and order Ashfeild Cobbet and Duckenfeild to attend the House with the petition which they did After the reading of which they adjourned till next morning when assumeing the debate they vote That to have any mere Generall Officers in the Armie than are already setled by the Parliament is needless chargeable and dangerous to the Common Wealth and that Fleetwood should acquaint them with this Resolve This was ill ressented by the Armie and tho' for the present they seemed to acâ—uiesce because their design was not fully ripe and helped the Junto in a friendly manner to devour a Thanksgiving dinner at the Cittys cost and charges which was then govern'd by Ireton and Tichbourn and their gang yet it was not long before they presented a new Address to the same purpose on the 5 th of October by Desborow and many Officers attending him To this the Rumpers very gravely answer checking them for not submitting to their judgment formerly declared 〈◊〉 â—hat case but knowing that the armie Officers would not be so satisfied and expecting no less than another interruption they passed an Act against raising of monys on the people without their consent in Parliament declareing all such persons as should assess levie collect gather or receive contrary to this Act to be guilty of high treason and withall vacateing and disannulling all Orders Ordinances and Acts made by any pretended authority since Oliver turn'd them out of doors in 1653 unless allowed and confirmed by them And now having given such a killing blow to the souldiery and made the breach irreconcileable they-voted that the Commissions of Lambert Desborow Berry Kelsey Ashfeild Cobbet Pucker Barrow and Creed all Colonels excepting the last who was a Major to be voyd and constitute 7 Commissionners to govern the Armie Viz. Lieutenant General Charles Fleetword Lieutenant General Edmond Ludlow General George Monk Sir Arthur Hazelrig Col. Val. Walton Col. Herbert Morley and Col. Rob. Overton any 3 or more of them to of the Quorum They were incouraged to this by a privat message they had received from General Monk who had constant intelligence of all that hap'ned and of which he wisely made his advantages which was that if the Parliament would be resolute in asserting their own authority against the Armie he would assist them in it and if required thereto he would march into England in their defence This made them very brisk and now beleiving there might be some opposition made by the Armie they cause Morly's and Mossel's Regiments to be drawn up into the Palace yard for a Guard to the Parliament It was now high time for
Lambert to look about him and not being idle thought it best to play his part while he had power and therefore he on the 13 of October with the other discharged Officers drew a part of the Armie into Kings street and possess themselvs of all the avenues to the House and the Speaker Lenthal going thither at his usual time in his coach was stop'd and after some expostulations was forced to return And thus their sitting was prevented Both parties of the souldiers kept their stations most part of the day and every minute it was expected they would have engaged whilst the amazed inhabitants dreaded the issue But Lambert having effected what he intended procured an Order from the Council of State then sitting at Whitehall for all to draw off to their quarters which was accordingly done and so this periculous adventure of a second time unnesting these Rumpers was finished Thus you see some more bold touches of Arbitrariness Usurpation and Tyranny in this second though short Reign of these Rumpers who sate only from the 7th of May to the 13th of October in which time they discovered themselves to be the same Covetous and Rapacious Tyrants they were before in all their Actions and had they time would have appeared to have been as bloody for they were preparing to bring the late Delinquents as they called those ingaged in Sir George Booths Rising to a Tryal and they had got Lists of most of the persons Nobility and Gentry throughout England that were engaged in it whose Estates were to be confiscated and sold and out of whose Estaâ—es they promised to satisfie the Soldiers and to gratifie themselves which was always the chief thing aimed at but being thus interrupted as you have heard they in haste marched off the Stage And now again the Kingdom is without any kind of Civil-Government for the Usurpation was divolved on a few Oâ—ficers who whilst they Reigned Ruled by the boundless Arbitrary Power of the Sword which confused Authority that lasted not long we may call the fourth Act of this our Tragical Usurpation upon the free-born Englishmen Yet still under the notion of Liberty The next day after the turning forth of the Rumpers divers of the Chief Officers of the Army meet at White-Hall where the Soldiers soon grow Friends only Collonel Morley was turned out of Commission for standing so stifly against the Walling fordians and now for the management of the Government and the Affairs of the Common-wealth reduced to an Anarchy they chose ten persons till further Order which were Fleetwood Lambert Desborow Whitlock Sir Henry Vain Sir James Harington Major Salway Berry Sydenham and Archibald Johnston a Scotchman known commonly by the Title of the Laird Warriston The Officers now Lords Parramount meet the same day at Wallingford-House where they give to themselves what they could not obtain from the Juncto by their Addresses a General to their own mind Fleetwood whom they nominate Commander in Chief and Order Lambert to be next and Desborow Commissary General of the Horse and that all the other Officers in the Army should be constituted by Sir Henry Vain Fleetwood Desborow Ludlow and Berry and took care for the drawing up Articles of War for the good Government and Discipline of the Army Barrow they dispatch into Ireland with Reasons for what they had done and Cobbet on the like Errand was sent to Scotland where he was committed to Custody For noble General Monk whose Study to repare his Countries Breaches was as great as Lambert's to oppress it only waited for a fit opportunity and judged this to be a most convenient time to bestir himself in so honourable a Cause and whom the Officers of the Army in England had neglected to put into their Council of State believing he would as he had hitherto still submit to the Change of the Government and by his stopping of the Packets they had not heard as yet how he had forbid the getting of Subscriptions in his Army as they had done in England and Ireland Though his Design then was the bringing in the King and the restoring the three oppressed and enslaved Nations from the Arbitrary Rule of Tyrannical Usurpers of the scum of the people and also from the power of the Sword and Arbitrary Sway of the Army yet he was very close in all his Carriage and few were acquainted with the thoughts of his Heart but taking this opportunity to oppose the strongest Power the Army he seems averse to their doings and appears wholly concerned for the Rump or Parliament so called and therefore that their Emissary might not corrupt or do any hurt among his Soldiers he secures him and by Letters signifies his dislike of the Armies proceedings in England tells them of their violation of Faith to the Parliament and declared his Resolution of endeavouring to restore them to their Powers this arrived to them on the 28th of October in the Evening which put them to much Confusion Fleetwood Desborow and Lambert meet about it and about midnight send for Clarges to expostulate with him about it who was wary and could say little to it however they order him with one Col. Talbot to repare presently to Monk that they might prevail with him for a Treaty to prevent effusion of blood of which Clarges was glad being desirous to get out of their power fearing a worse treatment In the mean time the Council of Officers meet at Whitehall in order to Setlement as they called it and of frameing a Government that should be lasting and against all attempts whatsoever but having found most of the Gentry of England to be one way or other involved for the King's Int'rest they were projecting to seize all their Estates and to divide them among their own Party and so to put the riches of the nation into the hands of persons irreconcileable to Monarchy and then to have set up Harrington's model of a Common Wealth or ruled themselvs by the sword or thought of some other way they knew not what This advise if followed had been very fatal and might have laid such a foundation of slavery never to have been subverted But God had otherwise designed on the 16 of the same month October the Wallingfâ—rdians choose a Committee of Safety as they termed it consisting of 23 persons who were Fleetwood Lambert Desborow Whitlock lately made keeper of their great Seal Steel Chanceller of Ireland Sir Hen. Vain Ludlow Sydenham Salaway Strickland Berry Lawrence Sir Jo. Harrington the Laird Warreston Alderman Ireton Fichbourn Col. Hewson Cleark Bennet Lilburn Thomson Cornelius Holland and Henry Brandriff These without any President in any Age or History were impowred by the armie Officers to call Delinquents to account and to bring them to Justice to give Indemnity to all that had acted for the Common Wealth since the year 1649. to oppose and suppress all Insurrections to treat with forreign States and Princes To raise the Militia in the several Counties
to dispose of all places of Trust and to make Sales and Compositions of all Delinquents Lands and to execute all the powers of the late Council of State that is to do what they please Surely never any free Nation was so abused and imposed upon by a company of false pretenders to Sanctity The news of General Monks actions in the North allarm'd them at their first siting for he had casheired all those Officers in his Armie who would not joyn with him and imprisoned some of them and had seized Berwick and several others strong Holds and was likely to march into England which put them to their wits ends knowing how highly the people were incensed against them and about the same time as a presage of their dying power Brad shaw who had passed the trayterous Sentence upon the King departed this life the last day of this month to receive sentence himself from the King of Kings However this Committee with a new name put forth a Declaration in with they null and make voyd the pretended Orders Acts and Declarations of the late Junto made on the 10th of that instant October and on the Teusday and Wensday following and likewise all Acts Orders and Proceedings thereupon in as full and ample manner as if they had never been See now what may not these people do when they can null and make void the Acts of that power themselvs adored set up and submitted to not long before calling them Saints Godly Upright and Religious men persons fearing God and seeking the good of the Nation yet now vacate their Acts that were displeasing to them or restrained their power Yet the same men declare a liberty to all the freeborn men of the Nation whom they had thus enslaved and with the next breath promise to maintain a painfull Gospel-preaching Ministry to be incouraged by some other way less troublesome than that of Tithes Then they declare against a single person Kingship and House of Peers and that the Common Wealth shall not be governed in a Military way but by the Civil Government of the Committee of Safety who shal prepare such a Form of Government as shall best suit with a free State or Common Wealth then end with a long cant of godly and scriptural expressions of their sincerity and uprightness to Cajole the godly Party and to make them think well of their Saint like Actions This done in order to Government in the begining of November the Safety men nominate Fleetwood Lambert Vane Ludlow Desborow Hewson Holland Salaway and Tichburn to be a Committee to prepare a form of Governenmt in the way of a free State or Common Wealth and Whaly Goff Carill and Barker are dispatched to General Monk to seduce him to joyn with them and to do as they intended to tyrannize over a free born people and arbitrarily to murder them for the avoiding of effusion of blood and the Officers at London wrote to his Officers to the same purpose remonstrateing with much zeal how necessary brotherly Union was to uphold their Domination General Monk who had good Intelligence from England seeing the Northern forces were in a posture to resist him and Lambert comeing down to them with more Regiments out of the South thought it his best way to win time by procrastinations and therefore desires a Treaty which was readily accepted of by those in England and upon this he sends up as Commissioners Col. Wilks Leiut Col. Clobery and Major Knight to tranfact with the like number of Officers at London These had power only to treat but not to come to full agreement without orders but they exceeded their Commission By the way meeting Lambert at York they gave him so full satisfaction in hopes of concluding all things amicably by this Treaty that he advanced no farther northwards The Commissioners on both sides meet at London and Wilks not following his directions went beyond his Commission and being overforward to end the Treaty concluded upon certain Articles very distructive to Monks designs They were breifly these 1. That the pretended title of Charles Stewart or any other clameing from that family should be utterly renounced 2. That the Government of these Nations should be a free State or Common Wealth and not be a single Person King of House of Lords 3. That the Ministry should be mainteined and encouraged 4. That the Universities should be reformed and countenanced 5. That the Officers and souldiers and other persons on either side should be indemnified for things past and all unkindness between them buried in perpetual oblivion 6. That the Officers which were made pris'ners in Scotland should be forthwith set at liberty 7. That the Armies be presently dispersed into quarters 9. And a Committee of 19 whereof to make the Quorum should meet about qualifications for suceeding Parliaments 9. That the proportion of mony out of the Assessments of England formerly appointed for the supply of the forces in Scotland be duly paid The ratification of which Articles by Monk's Commissioners strangely amazed the City who had had private assurances from the General of other things and made them not to believe some later letters sent them to continue their Hopes but flung them away at fictitions and caused the messenger to be imprisoned Monk was also as much perplex'd when he had the news of it and when his Commissioners returned imprisoned Wilks for going beyond his Commission and by advice from his Officers demurred to one clause in the 6 Article which was That all the Officers displaced by General Monk might be in a capacity of being restored to their commands and all those put in by him in their places to be removed by which means he should ruine and disarm himself And therefore The treaty was not wholy disaprov'd of but wisely Monk desired that two more might be added to the former Commissioners to meet with the like number of theirs to put a more absolute period to their differences for that there were certain poynts to be treated on not yet agreed to and others wanted explanation This letter subscribed by Monk and many of his Chief Officers and sent to London put Fleetwood Lambert and the rest to much confusion seing Monk thus refuse to ratifie the Treaty and thereupon many expostulatory Letters passed between them which gained time the thing Monk intended he having sent letters and messengers into Ireland from whom he had favourable returns which encouraged him to proceed And this also put new life into the City who now began to revive their Hopes He also had privatly letters from the Lord Fairsax and other persons of quality in England of their resolutions of standing by him tho' upon all this he still kept himself reserv'd and very few knew his intenâ—ions which made many of his friends very doubtfull of him but by this artifice and closeness he effected his business and got into the opinion of the Rumpers whose quarrel only he seemed to espouse And
being thus encouraged by his actions nine of the old Council of State get privatly together viz Scot Morley Reignalds Wollop Nevill Hazlerig Walton Cooper and Berners who send a letter to Monk assuring him that his service was highly acknowledged by them in asserting their Liberties and also was extreamly well resented by all the sober and uninterested persons in the nation that love a Common Wealth assureing him they would adhere to him and stand and fall with him and that they would assist him with all their might for the removeing of the force was put upon them by the English Armie thIt they might sit in freedom praiseing his wisdom and conduct and the like This was no small incouragement to the Officers in Scotland for they might rationally conclude that their party was increased in England or else that they would not have so openly acted This before-mentioned Council of State framed a Commission wherein they constituted General Monk absolute Commander in Cheif of the Armies in England and Scotland dated 24 of November sealed with their seal and given to Clarges to send by a safe messenger to Monk And now General Monk upon Lamberts advance into Northumberland ordered a considerable part of his forces towards Berwick and then caused an Assembly of the Nobles and Gentry to convene at Edenburg to whom he made these proposals That he having a call from God and man to march into England they would therefore during his absence preserve and secure the peace of that Nation That they would supply him with some mony for his undertakeing which he engaged upon his honor should be to their satisfaction and that if any troubles should arise they would assist him in the suppressing thereof That they would advance and raise what mony they could for his entreprise before hand To these they returned answer by their chair-man the Earl of Glencarn that they were not in a condition to engage for preserving the peace of the Country in his absence because they wanted Armes Yet they would endeavour it with all faithfullness That they thought it not prudent to engage themselves in a war which if unsuccessfull would be their ruin or if prosperous they knew not what advantage should thereby accrew to them But to shew their good opinion of his fair intendment they were content to levy monies and to advance a year's Tax before-hand Hereupon the General impowred the Lords and Gentry to arme themselves and some of them he privately satisfied with his design and thankfully accepted the year's Tax But yet to win time he holds a second Treaty with Lambert's Commissioners at Newcastle upon Tine where he still insisted with a seeming zealousness upon the readmission of the Rumpers And this produced its wished effects For whilst Lambert trifles away his time unprofitably Monk posts himself at Cold-stream a notable pass upon the Tweed where he kept his head Quarters and being winter where Lambert could not without danger come to disturb him And on the other side Hazlerig Morly and Walton get into Portsmouth where they prevail with the Governour Col. Nathaniel Whetham and the Garison with the Town to declare for he Junto against the Safety men and Armie Officers and no Contribution could be gotten from the Country who armed themselvs with the late Act of the Rumpers before their exclusion by Lambert and the Counties every where bodly meet to draw Remonstrances but especially the City was so highly incensed that the Lord Mayor Allen was hardly able to restrain them from flying to armes which so perplexed him that not knowing whom to please and fearing bad effects if he should displease either he went to Wallingford House to represent the postures of affairs to the Gang to try if he could persuade them to reason But he was affronted all along as he past in his coach in the streets by the Common people who called him a deserter and told him he was not like Sir William Walworth in the time of King Richard the second which was a notable evidence of the inclination of the Generality In the mean time that we may see and be astonished at the impudence of these men or monsters called the Safety men they had ordered a Committee whom we nominated before as mad as themselves to sit at White-Hall to find out a new Government whose wits being not so accute as their swords were quickly confounded in the building of thir Babel Sometimes they would have a Senate and another time they were for Consâ—rvators which should be much like the Rumping Custodes to keep the Liberties from the people But at last to please the Nation this Mounthain brought forth its Mouse a Vote viz That a convention which they stiled a Parliament qualified according to their humors and elected by persons so qualified should be called and appoynted to sit in or before February next But in the first place 7 fundamental principles are agreed upon by the Walâ—ingssordians which must needs be as unalterable as the Laws of the Medes and Persians These are 1 That no Kingship shall be exercised in these Nations 2 That no single Person shall exercise the Office of Cheif Magistrate here 3 That an Armie be continued maintained and conducted so as it may secure that is imprison the peace of these Nations and by no means be disbanded nor the conduct thereof altered but by the consent of such Conservators as should be appoynted 4 That no imposition may be upon the consciences of any but the Cavaliers 5 That there be no House of Peers 6 That the legislative and executive power be distinct and not in the same hands 7 That the Assemblies of Parliament shall be elected by the people of this Common Wealth duly qualified But these Gimcraks would not satisfie at all But the Treaty still being in hand they were lulled into a security and began after the old manner of the Rumpers to share among themselvs the Cheifest Offices and places of Trust and proffit and to his end Fleetwood Desborow Sydenham Saloway Holland Clerk and Blakwell or any two of them are appointed Commissioners of the Treasurie and to manage the publique revenue with power as large as they could wish or desire But being disturbed with the peoples drawing up of several Petitions and getting Subscriptions issue forth a Proclamation against all such petitioning and call their petitions undue and dangerous papers and prohibit all persons to subscribe any such papers and if offered to suppress them and to cause all persons so endeavouring to get subscriptions to be apprehended upon account of being enemies and disturbers of the peace Thus you see these very men who had set examples of this nature so frequently by geting Subscriptions to Petitions and Remonstrances to the Autority then in Being could not endure it now it twarted their humors and interest and what in themselvs they indulg'd and pleaded for as their right they will abhor and will punish in others Mind therefore
fain to follow their fel-lows The Junto would have given the General a 1000. pounds a year out of Sir George Booths estate but he refused it and then they grant him St James's park dureing their pleasure General Monck Marching into London Monck his Soldiers pulling down the Citty Gates posts and chaines A free Parlyament Voted the King to be sent for The K 2 Dukes Riding in through London attended c. Arbitrary Government abolished The name of those joyned in the Commission with General Monk were Hazelrig Merley Walton and Alured 3 of which were to be a Quorum and when it was moved by Monk's friends that he might be always of the Quorum it was carried in the Negative which so exasperated the General that having tryed his Officers he secretly ordered all the Armie to be drawn up and having prepared a Letter signed by himself and the Cheifest Officers of his Armie in which they Complain of the Junto's Countenanceing Lambert and Vain and permitted Ludlow to sit with them tho accused by Sir C. Coot of high Treason they conclude that by Friday next they should issue out writs for the filling up the House when filled should rise at their appoynted time to give way to a free Parliament The Letter they sent to the Junto sitting and immediatly march into London to shake hands with the City on the 11 of February the Armie is drawn up into Finsbury feilds and the General being invited to dinner by the Lord Major who at first was very shie not knowing how to believe what some of Monks friends had told him of the General 's Letter to the Junto and of his resolving to declare for a free Parliament but before they parted the General himself gave him and the rest of the Citizens such satisfaction of his Integrity that overjoy'd they caused the souldiers to be feasted and Quarters in the City to be provided for them the Bells in all the Churches to ring and at night Bonfires to be made in every street declareing for a free Parliament In the mean time the Junto read the Generals and his Officers Letter which caused a very great disorder in the House however they thought it best to dissemble and secretly resolve to ruine Him if they can tho' openly they Vote him the thanks of the House and send away Scot and Robinson to give it him and to let him know they were about qualifications for members to be Chosen for the filling up their House But when they heard of what was done in the City the Rumpers gnashed at it and angry they were that they could not take revenge on the subscribers of the late Remonstrances for a free Parliament whose Estates they earnestly longed to be dealing with And now in the nick of Time comes a Declaration from Ireland where they had secured Sir Hardress Waller a Rumper which was of the same nature with those of the English Counties but more bold and resolute speaking their Minds freely the Lord Broughill being one of the Cheif promotors of it His Excellency having waited some days for an answer to his Letter and receiving none but what Scot and Robinson brought him who durst not stay in the City for fear of being stoned and finding nothing done in reference to the filling the House he set himself about considering some way to dissolve the Junto without force or violence In this juncture many of the secluded Members were in and about the City Some of whom addressed themselves to the General who procured a Conference between ten of them and ten of the Junto where the one party challenged admission as Members of the House unjustly forced from it before the others refused it unless they would confirm all that was done since by them or at least ingage as they had done against a single person and House of Lords but when they could not agree about these poynts Monk who was present both times for they had two meetings clearly discerning more of self-interested wilfulness than any Reason in what the Rumpers urged a day or two after sent for the Secluded and demanded if they were of the same mind and resolved not to engage against a single person to which they answering affirmatively and professing to be immoveable therein he got above fourscore of them together to Whitehall where recommending the care of Religion and the State to them and telling them how suteable Physick a full and free Parliament would be for the crazed body of this Natton he told them the House was open to them and prayed for their good success and so on the 21th of February they went and took their places in the House which was managed so secretly that the Junto knew nothing of their comming till they appeared which so surprised them that they could not tell whether they had best sit still or leave their places The moderate among them stayed but the grand sticklers for a Common Wealth knowing now they should be out-Voted and that they should be able to do no good or rather further mischeif quitted the House Whilst these things were transacting the Junto had endeavoured all ways possibly to have gotten Monk out of the City that they might have had him in their power inviteing him to fit in the Council of State and had sent Colonel Alured to persuade him but he was too wise to trust them for he had secret intelligence of their intentions of sending him to the Tower or of serving him worse for they foresaw their own ruine he excused himself by his care of secureing the City by his presence who were full of disturbance and ready to mutinee But now the secluded Members having gotten in eleven years after they had been kept out being double the number of the former sitters out-Voted them still so as there was no interruption They had long been standers by and had seen more than the Gamesters and now they mean to improve their animadversions and experience to the doeing of a great deal in a little time They fall to work presently where they were abruptly forced to break off December 1648 confirming their Vote made then by another now That the Concessions of his Late Maiesty were a sufficient Ground to proceed on for setling the peace of the Kingdom Hereby Vacateing all that had been done contrary thereunto dureing their Recess Brave Monk is by them constituted Captain General of all the forces in England Scotland and Ireland and He with General Mountague made Admirals at Sea Sir William Waller is made Leiutenant General of the land forces Colonel Edward Rossiter General of the Horse and Vice Admiral Lawson Continued in his Command Severel Gentlemen committed by the Rumpers order were then released and among others Sir George Booth who took his place in the House and the City Gates Portcullisses Posts and Chains were ordered to be repaired at the publique charge Then they provided to secure the Nation by two seasonable Acts
the one for an Assessment the other for the Militia and past some Acts concerning Ministers Lastly they consult about dissolving themselves to which the Rump party were very unwilling and therefore many of them intended to be absent when that business should be debated because they would not give their consent But the others smelling their design watched a convenient time and issuing out writs in the name of the Keepers of the Liberties c. for a full and free Parliament to convene on the 25th of April following saveing to the House of Lords their Rights notwithstanding the Commons in this Juncture had been necessitated to proceed without them They upon Friday the 16th of March 1659 when the greatest number of the Rumpers were present dissolve themselves by Act. Thus was an undenyable Period put to this Tragical long Parliament by their own Vote tho' it was legally ipso facto dissolved before by the Death of King Charles the 1st whose writs had summoned them together But before they dissolved themselves they settled a new Council of State to govern in the intervall of the Parliaments and abrogated the Oath of Abjuration and the â—ormer Council The chief of these were General George Monk General Mountague Mr. Annesly President the Lord Fairfax Sir William Waller Mr. Hollis Pierpoint Rossiter Saint-Johns Widdrington Sir Anthony Ashly-Cooper and others to the number of thirty in all who behaved themselves with much circumspection setting forth a Proclamation against all disturbers of the Peace either in Action or Speech and tendring an Engagement for peaceable demeanor to be subscribed by such as they suspected which Lambert refusing was committed to the Tower disarming the Phanaticks every where they purged the Army of Schismatical Officers and Soldiers taking care of the Garisons Overton a Fifth-Monarchy-Man was removed out of his Government of Hull and Collonel Charles Fairfax was placed in his Room Collonel Rich made some stir about St. Edmunds-bury but Collonel Rich. Ingoldsby quieted his Soldiers and seised him and thereupon was restored to that Regiment from whose Command the Wallingfordians had put him by when they degraded young Cromwell Thus ended the Arbitrary and Tyranical Usurpation of the Rumpers by the great providence of God and the good Genius of Englands means in raising up the Great and Renowned Monk to be a Saviour to his Nation and to reduce the Monarchy to its legal antient and happy state again and that the torrent of violence and Arbitrary Tyrany that had so variously over-run and spoiled the Land might be lost and sunk into the Earth whence it sprung and the Stream of Government bounded by Laws and ancient Customs might again run in its right Course and ancient Channel from whence it had been diverted And now I should conclude having fully finished my Draught or Picture of Arbitrary and Tyranical Government which I have taken from the Life being the true History and Resemblance of the Monster now so much feared and which no Man that is a lover of the Peace of this Nation and that hath his Sence and Reason can behold with out Horror and Indignation and resolve in himself tâ— suffer much rather than to run the hazard of raising up this Ghost to the raine of three Kingdoms and the Lives and Estates of so many persons as must be devoured for dayly food to maintain the Life of such a Monster the remembrance of which moved by the sight of this very Picture of it is enough to affright I shall therefore only as the last touches to this piece shew you as it were the last struggle or gasp for Life of the overthrown Monster and so finish my Design and that in few words Lambert whether by neglect or Treachery of his Keepers is not known escapes out of the Tower and soon after appears in Arms with a party of his Cashired Officers and Soldiers once more to embroil the Nation but he was proclaimed Traitor and the whole Nation beginning to hope for a setled Peace were unanimously bent to aid the General if need were against him He had chosen Edg-Hill near Keinton in Warwick-shire for the place of his Rendezvouz hopeing it would prove as Ominous to the Royal Interest as it had done before and in all probability there would have been a great Conflâ—ence of all sorts of Sectaries to him in a short space and he was not without hope that if the old Soldiers were sent against him many of them would turn to him but he was eagerly pursued by some parties of Horse and Foot and Collonel Charles Howard had almost overtaken him but it was Collonel Ingoldsby's good hap to light upon him near Daventry in Northampton-shire where Lambert was surprized with a strange Consternation and durst not engage tho he was nothing inferior in numbers to the others which his followers observing some of them went over to his pursuers others slunk away and himself taken by Colonel Ingoldsby the 22d of April 1660. and with Collonel Cobbet Major Creod and Captain Hazâ—erig son to Sir Arthur was sent up to London and two days after passing by Hide-Park he saw 20000 Horse and Foot of the City Regiments and Auxiliaries there Training with divers of the Nobility and Gentry of the Nation trailing Pikes voluntarily among them and the same day he was committed to the Tower This ended â—owards the setling of the Peace of the Nation His Excellency had wrought his Officers to declare they would with him acquiesce in the Resolves of the Parliament appointed to meet the 25th of April 1660. who accordingly met the Lords and Peers in the upper-house taking their places by virtue of their Birth-right who soon according to the whole Nations expectations and Prayers restored his Maâ—esty to his Right his Crown and Dignity the Nobility to their ancient Birthrights and Priviledges the People to their property freedom and liberties and the Laws to their ancient course and boundaries the three Kingdoms rejoycing and a long Peace quietness and tranquillity succeeding which yet is grateful to the memory of all Loyal and good Subjects therefore however of late our old Jealousies and fears are increased by our secret Adversaries yet let all people remember what hath past and by viewing this Picture of the most horrid and devouring Dragon called Arbitrary and Tyrannical Vsurpation let them abhor it and beware of falling under the same power and into the same snare by any specious or colourable Pretence whatsoever and continually pray that the Peace of the Nation may be continued with the Life of his most Gracious Majesty whom the King of Kings preserve both in the Throne and in the Hearts of his people Amen Vpon the late STORME and of the DEATH of his HIGNNESS ensuing the same by Mr. Waller WE must resign Heaven his great Soul do's claime In stormes as loud as His Immortall Fame His dying groanes his last Breath shakes our Isle And trees uncut fall for His Funerall Pile About his