having made way for the most horrid and Bloody design that ever was heard of the Motion is made in this usurping House to proceed to the Trâ—al of the King as a Capital Offender When the grand Impostor Cromwell stood up and said That if any man moved this upon Design he should think him the greatest Traytor in the World but since Providence and Necessity had cast them upon it he should pray to God to bless their Councells And so on the 28 th of December 1648. Thomas Scot brought in the Ordinance for the Tryal of the King being read and Committed three several times and all the Commissioners names inserted Consisting of divers Gentlemen and Soldiers This Ordinance being pass'd the Junto they send it up to the Lords House by the Lord Grey of Grooby together with their Vote formerly made Viz. Resolved c. That the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament do declare and adjudge That by the Fundamental Laws of the Realm it is Treason in the King of England for the time to come to levy War against the Parliament and Kingdom of England The house of Lords debate the matter and first the Declaratory Vote against which the Earls of Manchester and Northumberland with others spake and declared There was none nor could be any such Fundamental Law in England whereby the King could be a Traytor by leaving War against his People and that thus to declare Treason by an Ordinance when no law was extant to judge it by was most unreasonable Upon which the Lords cast out this Ordinance and Vote and adjourned themselves for seven days This proceeding of the Lords gave them no small trouble and stirr'd up the wrath of some of the Zealots who threatned to hang a Pad-lock on the Lords door and sending up to search their journal Book they found the Lords had made these two Votes That they do not Concur to the said declaratory Vote And Secondly That they rejected the Ordinance for the Tryal of the King Upon which these men resolving to be rid of the Lords as well as of King they Vote That they should Act without them as well they might according to their own Law That all Authority was sounded in the People and that they being the Representatives of the People all Authority lay in them Some of them were for Impeaching the Lords for favouring the grand Delinquent of the Land as they called the King And now to make all sure on their sides that they may Act legally On the 4 th of January they Vote That the People are under God the Original of all just Power That the Commons of England in Parliament assembled being chosen by and representing the People have the Supreme Power of this Nation That whatsoever is declared or Enacted for Law by the House of Commons assembled in Parliament hath the force of Law This makes clear Work and by this our Arbitrary Usurpers may do what they will and cut off their Kings Head according to their own Position legally what need of Kings Lords Laws Rights Liberties Properties or fundamental Government when the Arbitrary Consciences of such men may serve instead of all and conclude thereby all the People of England tho they declare against it and tho opposed by the King or House of Peers And thus notwithstanding the rejection of the Lords these Commons pass their Ordinance and declaratory Vote by the name of An Act of Parliament of the House of Commons which was never before heard of for the Tryal of Charles Stewart King of England This being objected to Hugh Peters that there was no President or Example for the Tryal of a King by a judicial Court he Prophanely applyed That there was never any President before the Virgin Mary of a Womans conceiving and bringing forth a Child without accompanying with a Man therefore they might walk without President for this was an Age to make Examples and Presidents There was yet one thing that passed these men which they had not foreseen which was That it was a very improper thing to make use of the Kings Seal wherein he is styled King of England c. by the Grace of God to seal a Commission against him for his Tryal They were now in hast and could not stay for a new one which they had not as yet thought on therefore it was concluded the Commissioners should proceed upon the Ordinance without any Commission under Seal and that every Commissioner should set his own Hand and Seal to the Instruments of their Proceedings All things being now in a readiness for the Tryal The King is taken from Hurst Castle and brought to Winchester thence to Farnham thence to Winsor and thence to St. James on the 19 th day of January And they had caused for the greater Solemnity of the Business their Serjeant Dandy who was appointed Serjeant at Arms to the Commissioners for the Tryal of his Majesty to proclaim it openly in Westminster-Hall with his Mace on Horse back with six Trumpets and several Officers attending all bare That the Commissioners were to sit to morrow and that all those who had any thing to say against Charles Stewart King of England might be heard This was done in like manner in Cheap-side and at the Royal Exchange The same day the House Voted their great Seal to be broken and ordered a new one to be made Upon this Mr. Prin sends to the Junto a Memento of their unpresidented Proceedings Complaining of the force and Violence put upon their fellow Members warning them from Acting Consulting or ordaining any Act or Ordinance without Concurrence of their fellow-Members being Arbitrary and against Law and that the secluded Members not only declared against such Proceedings but more especially against this horrid Act of theirs for the Tryal of the King shewing them That by the common Law and by the Statute of 25. Ed. 3. and all other Acts concerning Treason it is high Treason for any man to Compass or Contrive the Death of the King or his eldest Son tho never Executed That they were also bound to the Contrary by their Oath of Allâ—giance from which no Power could absolve them That they had in above an hundred Declarations and Ordinances in the name of the Parliament professed That they never intended the least hurt injury or Violence to the Kings person his Crown Dignity or Posterity with several other things very pressing and full as may be seen at large in the printed Paper but all was in vain for they were resolved on the Business tho they could give no kind of colourable Reason for their Actings This Memento was seconded with a Declaration and Protestation signed the 19 th of January by the said Prin and Clement Walker another of the secluded Members which ran very much after the same Tenure and absolutely Protesting against the Junto's Actings and Proceedings declared against the illegal Act of Erecting an high Court of Justice and usurping a Power against
on by the secret and forcible Machinations of Oliver and his Cabal The second day being Monday the 22 d. of January the Court met again and the Solicitor Cook urged extreamly for judgment against the Prisoner unless he would own the Authority of the Court which the King constantly denyed to do and offered his reasons against them but they would not be heard The 3 d. day being January 23 d. the King was brought again before the Court who had in the Painted Chamber the day before Resolved That the King should not be suffered to argue the Courts Jurisdiction and had ordered That in case he offer'd to dispute the Authority of the Court that the President should let him know that he ought to rest satisfied with this Answer That the Commons of England assembled in Parliament have Constituted this Court whose Power may not nor should be permitted to be disputed by him And that in case he should refuse to answer or acknowledge the Court the Lord President should let him know his Contumacy should be recorded But the King still persisted in the denyal of their Authority upon which the Clark reads Charles Stewart King of England you are accused in the behalf of the Commons of England of divers high Crimes and Treasons which Charge hath been read unto you the Court now requires you to give your positive and final Answer by way of Confession or denial of the Charge But the King told them he could not acknowledge a new Court set up contrary to the Priviledges of the People to alter the fundamental Laws of the Land The 4 th and last day was the 27 th of January 1648. where appeared about fifty six of those Commissioners who sate when judgment was given against the King by their President Bradshaw But the King having moved to be heard before the Lords and Commons in the painted Chamber promising after that to abide the judgement of the Court they withdrew for half an hour and returning they told the King This was but another denial of the Courts jurisdiction and therefore if he had no more to say they would proceed to Judgement Upon this after Bradshaw had made a long Speech endeavouring to justifie their Proceedings on this false point That the People are the supream Power whom the Commons represented he commanded the Clark to read the Sentence which was drawn up in Parchment in these words Whereas the Commons of England in Parliament have appointed them an High Court of Justice for the trying of Charles Stewart King of England before whom he had been three times convented and the first time a Charge of high Treason and other Crimes and Misdemeanors was read in the behalf of the Kingdom of England c. Here the Charge at length was read after which the Clark proceeds which Charge being read unto him as aforesaid He the said Charles Stewart was required to give his Answer but he refused so to do For all which Treasons and Crimes this Court doth adjudge the said Charles Stewart as a Tyrant Traytor Murtherer and a publick Enemy shall be put to Death by the severing his Head from his Body After this wicked Sentence passed by these Miscreants the King was had away to Sr. Robert Cotten's and thence to St. James's the rude Soldiers in his passage by them blowing Tobacco in his Face and one spit on it which he wiped off with his Hand-kerchief without taking notice of it But when he heard some of them to Cry out Justice Justice he said alas Poor Souls for a piece of Money they will do as much for their Commanders On the 29 th a Committee met in the paintâ—d Chamber to consider on the time and place of the Kings death which they ordered to be the next day before his own Palace Gate which was approved of by the Commissioners and a Warrant Signed and Sealed by them directed to Hacker Hunts and Phare and order that Marshal Nye Caryl Salway and Dell should attend on his Majesty and to administer to him spiritual help but the King would not be troubled with them and at his desire Doctor Juxon Bishop of London was admitted to Pray with him in private in his Chamber and to administer to him the Sacrament and his Children permitted to come to see him But John Godwin was also sent to be an over-looker of their Actions In the mean time the Junto Pen a Proclamation which they afterwards caused to be published making it high Treason for any man to proclaim or publish Charles Stewart the Son to be rightful Heir and Successor to the Crown of England after his Fathers death or any other of that Line King of England and that no man under Pain of imprisonment or other Arbitrary punishment which they should think fit to inflict shall Preach Write or speak any thing contrary to the present Proceedings of the supream Authority of this Nation the Commons of England assembled in Parliament The Sunday before the King dyed it is reported that some of the chief of the Army and Parliament tendred the King a paper to sign with promise of Life and some shew of a King the Power being wholly invested on themselves and was Destructive to the Fundamental Laws of the Land to the Religion established to the Liberties and Properties of the People one Proposition whereof was To continue the Power of the Sword to the Army and to have as a standing Force under the same general Officers forty Thousand Horse and Foot they to have the Choice of their own Officers among themselves by a Councel of War and to settle a constant Tax upon the People by way of a Land rate for the payment of the said Army and to be collected and levyed by themselves and a Court martial to be Erected of an exorbitant Extent and Latitude But his Majesty disdaining to read them all flung them aside and told them He should rather become a Sacrifice for his People and dye by their Hands than so to betray their Laws Liberties Lives and Estates the Church and Honour of his Crown and so to make all Slaves to the Arbitrary Will and Tyranny of an Army O Glorious Prince Oh height of Impudence of armed Arbitrariness See yet how they proceed on the 29 th of January the Junto Vote That it be enacted by this present Parliament and by the Authority of the same That in all Courts of Law Justice Equity and in all Writs Grants Patents Commissions Inditements Informations Suits Returns of Writs Fines Recoveries Exemplificationr Recognizances Processes and Proceedings at Law c. Within the Kingdom of England and Ireland and Dominion of Wales c. Instead of the Name Style or Title of King heretofore used should thence forward be used and no other than the Name Style or Title Custodes Libertatis Aâ—glie Authoritate Parliamenti The keepers of the Liberty of England by Authority of Parliament and the date of the Year of our Lord and no
follow his design in marching for England and whilst Cromwell went about to set upon S. Johnston's that he might make himself Master of the Pass at Sterlin which he took after a days siege the King marches for England from Sterlin by the way of Carlile with about sixteen thousand complete This News gave Cromwell an allarm and immediately he dispatches a Messenger with Letters to his Masters in England to inform them of it and to comfort them believing they would entertain no pleasant thoughts thereat giving them an account of his successes and that they should have confidence in God and should improve the best they could what Forces they had in readiness and should raise more and not be afraid for the Enemy was heart-smitten and were in a desperate condition with such like stuff In the mean time he orders Major General Harrison and Collonel Rich who were on the Borders to attend the motion of the King's Army until he were able to come up to them with his Forces The Parliament notwithstanding his canting Leâ—ters began to be jealous of him and spoke big words against him which came to his ears and which he remembred afterwards to their cost In the mean time Lambert with about three thousand Horse and Dragoons is speeded after the King and presently after Cromwell himself follows the same day the King enters England which was on the sixth of August having departed from Sterlin the last of July On his entring into England he was proclaimed as he went and pardon offered to all sorts of persons excepting Cromwell Bradshaw Cook and some others the most immediate Murtherers of his Father At the same time a Party in North-Wales began to rise to joyn with the Earl of Darby but were broken and disappointed The King with his wearied Men on the two and twentieth of August comes to Worcester being beset before and behind by the new raised Forces Cromwell Lambert and Harrison The Militia of London and of several Counties flock to Worcester so that by that time Cromwell was come up to them they had formed an Army of forty thousand men or more The Earl of Darby brought to the King two hundred and fifty foot and sixty Horse and having raised about twelve hundred more in Lancashire and those parts he was engaged by Lilburn and routed and several persons of Quality taken By this time Cromwell had close begirt Worcester and the King's Party beheld themselves in a very bad condition hemm'd in on all sides with numerous Foes and now too late saw their error of not marching directly to London which was dreaded by the Junto and which was earnestly desired and expected by the Londoners who wanted only a fuller security of shewing their inclinations for the King being over-awed and hindered through fear from declaring But God did not see it good that the King should be brought to the Throne by any other hand than that of Peace and by his own Subjects of England intending to shew him a more immediate care of his miraculous providence in his preservation and that he might not be subject to the Presbyterians for their assistance nor beholden to them for his Crown he was resolved to bring him in after a more glorious manner Nothwithstanding the great disadvantages the Scots were in they were resolved with much courage to sell their lives as dear as they could and that the English should not find it an easie purchase The first considerable Engagement was at Upton Bridge on Fleetwood's side who was Lieutenant General of the Army where Lambert with five hundred Horse and Dragoons beat Collonel Massy who endeavoured to maintain it But the fatal day was on the third of September auspicious to Cromwell the last year in his fight at Dunbar It is not my design to draw you the Scheme of the Battel intending only in these Papers to shew more particularly things of another nature this Action has been sufficiently made known therefore I shall only very briefly mention it The Scots to give them their due and the little handful of English that were with them fought bravely and shewed great courage and resolution disputing every Field with their numerous Enemies and coming to the But-end of their Muskets and Push of Pike with them covering the Field where they stood with their Bodies The King in person charged in one of the Sallies from the Town shewing extraordinary Valour Conduct and Courage in which Charge Duke Hamilton Brother to the Duke that was beheaded was shot and died suddenly after of his Wound But towards the Evening the English charging most furiously with Cromwell in the head of them enter'd with the retreating Scots into the Town and possessed themselves of the Fort Royal Then it was the King with the Duke of Buckingham the Earl of Derby and some others and about sixty Horse fled being narrowly miss'd by Cobbet but the Foot falling to plunder the Town which they did with great barbarity kept out the Horse for fear they should share with them which favoured his Majesties Escape who got that night to White-Ladies where he was disguised and all the rest departing several ways he was committed to the fidelity of the Pendrills being in the disguise of a Wood-Cutter with a Bill in his hand and for some time lay hid in the Celebrated Oak in Boscobâ—l Wood thence conveyed to Mr. Whitegrave's at Mosely whence as a Servant to Mrs. Jane Lane he went to Bristol but missing a passage there after many signal Marks of God's Providence in his miraculous Escape at least fifty several persons having been made privy to it he at last with the Lord Wilmâ—t embarked at Brightemsted in Suffex and was carried over by one Tetersell Master of the Vessel who afterwards was a Captain of one of his Majesties Frigats and got safe to Diep in France to the great joy of all his Friends The Scots lost in this Battel about two thousand slain upon the place and in the pursuit and about eight thousand Prisoners very few of the Scots got back to Scotland being known by their Tongue and pick'd up in their return by the Country most of the Nobility and chiefest Commanders were taken and carried Prisoners to London with all their Ensigns many of the chiefest Prisoners of the Nobility were kept in Windsor-Castle till the King's Restoration the Colours were hanged up in Westminster-Hall and several of the common Soldiers sold to Merchants and sent away as Slaves to the Barbadoes and other Plantations Comwell himself in great triumph passes to London being met at Acton by the Speaker and Members of the Junto the Lord Mayor of London and Steel their Recorder who in a flattering Speech applauded his great Atchievments applying to him the words of the Psalmist To bind their kings in chains and their nobles in fetters of iron And now the way to the ambitioned Throne seem'd open few Obstacles remaining except the Junto themselves which he had made so
odious to the people by their bloody tyrannous and arbitrary Actions that he knew it would be very grateful to them to have them dissolv'd Ireton was dead in Ireland who had been a great Assistant to him in promoting him but it was thought he was so true a Common-wealths-man that he would not have suffered Cromwell to have grasped the Scepter and to have set up himself in the place of the Monarch he had pull'd down and since he was now able to act himself without his Councils he was but a Rub out of his way almost all Ireland being subdued and under his subjection Ludlow being Lieutenant General of thâ— Army there and one active in the reducing the Remainder left unfinished by Ireton On the other hand General Monk whom he had left in Scotland with seven thousand men had taken Sterlin Dundee Perth and all the strong Holds in Scotland S. Andrews Aberdeen and all the Castles surrendred upon Summons so that Scotland as well as Ireland was at his devotion and three Kingdoms he hoped to make a prey of and to make them more sure and to unite them into one they enter'd upon the project of having each Kingdom incorporated with England like Wales by causing them to elect their several Members to sit in the English Parliament And now that he might yet make the Junto more odious he puts them on the ordinary Drudgery of taking away the lives of such of the Royal Party as he thought might be any hinderance to his Designs by their arbitrary way of Tryal in their High Court of Injustice or by a Court-Marshal and thus as the saying is he killed two Birds with one Stone rid his Opposers out of the way and made his Instruments odious that he might with the more safety lay them aside when he saw his time The Earl of Derby was the first that felt the bloody severity of these Rulers at Westminster who appointed a Court-Marshal to sit at Chester for his Tryal and several others that were taken at the Battel of Worcester where he was sentenced to be beheaded tho he had surrendred himself upon Articles and promise of his life to one Captain Edge but notwithstanding his plea the arbitrary Court condemn'd him and he was executed at Bolton in Lancashire the fifteenth of October 1651. And by the same Court Sir Timothy Fetherstone-haugh was condemned and for the same crime of Loyalty for endeavouring to bring in Charles Stewart as they called the King and to possess him of his Right the Crown of England who was beheaded at Chester the twenty second day of the same month likewise by the same Court Captain Benbow was condemned and according to their Sentence shot to Death at Shrewsbury And Captain Symkins in another place Many more of note were put into the Tower and reserved for a further Exercise of their Cruelty And now the way to the Crown did not seem very Difficult for Jersy Isie of Man and the Barbadoes yield to their Power and Oliver in the next place bent all his thoughts to turn this â—ump of a Parliament out of Doors having done with them as much Mischief as he well could He looks now very big upon them and had shewn by his behaviour the Resentment he had of their former sawcy Expostulation of his management of the Affairs in Scotland and when he came into the House they all Crouch'd and the fauning Speaker made his Panegyrick with palpable Flattery notwithstanding it was moved in the House by some of his Creatures that this House should be dissolved and Care taken for another to be Chosen but this was a bitter Potion they knew not how to swallow And upon this the Levellers are again set to work and Countenanced who before were so much Cry'd down that they might bait them to a Dissolution and that he might be Lord Paramount in Nomine as well as he was already in Re. But yet there were two Obstacles in his Way The first was the Duke of Gloucester was too near him he was yet a Prisoner in Scarborow Castle him he causes to be removed and sent away into Holland which was done by the order of the Junto to the no small joy of his Friends that he had escaped out of the cruel Claws of these Bears with Life This rub being removed another more Difficult appeared which was the War with Holland and he very Rationally concluded it would be too hard a Task for him to make War both abroad with them and at home with his own Common-wealth which he intended to pull down Considering what a small share he had of the Love of the people and that he was to â—et up himself and Establish his rule and Arbitrary Sway by the Power of the Army only and for this Reason he was forced to let his Journy-men continue their Seats a little longer and wait the Issue of this War This War being foreseen to quiet the Peoples minds they pass an Act of Grace or Oblivion a Pardon for all Hostilities past with an Intention of forgetting all Injuries but upon Condition of taking an Ingagement which they imposed upon the People wherein they promise and Ingage To be true and Faithful to the Common-wealth of England as then Established without King or House of Lords But out of this Act The Lord Goring and his Sons Sr. John Webster The executors of the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury and the Murtherers of Dorislaus and Ascham were excepted Still several Addresses Petitions Declarations and Desires came from divers Counties and Places to the Parliament for the putting a Period to their sitting and for providing for future Representatives which Perplext them and were very distastful seeing them so pressing and after many put offs and Reasons for their Continuance they were forced to comply and resolved that the longest Day of their Sitting should be the 5 th of November in the Year 1654. two years too long as Cromwell thought for he intended their Reign should be shorter but his Projects being not yet Ripe he awaited his oportunity About the latter end of this year they made an Act to banish John Lilburn who was very troublesome to them and whom it seems Oliver was much afraid of Knowing him to be an Enemy to his Ambitious Proceedings and very popular It was provided by this Act that if he returned without leave from the State he should suffer as a Felon Preparations for War being made on both sides the States of Holland seeing the English make an Act so Prejudicial to their Trade and to prepare to maintain it against them being somewhat fearful of the Event sent over their Embassadors Myn Heeren Cate Vander-Peer Sharp and Newport who found our English States very high and made such demands that the Dutch could not yield to and so in the beginning of the year 1652 they get their Fleets to Sea well Man'd and Equipped Marten Harpers Vantrump being the Admiral for the Dutch Popham being Dead Dean
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
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
Rocks Nor the People into the like Rebellion in seeking to avoid Arbitrary Government or some Shadows of it bring it upon themselves totally to the subverting the Monarchy and the Fundamental Laws of the Land To the intent then that they may see the difference between the happy Reign of lawful Kings and usurping Tyrants we have Collected the illegal Acts and bloody Persecutions of those Usurpers of Arbitrary Government the Rump and Oliver that by the matter of Fact the People may be convinced and deterred from thinking of Rebelling against their lawful Prince since 't is the only way to bring in Arbitrary Government whose most horrid Picture is display'd in the following History Arbitrary Government displayed to the Life in the illegal Transactions of the late Times IF we mount up the Hill of Time present and thence take a view on either hand lyes Time past and Time future or to come the latter is continually hidden in a Cloud and we are not able to take any Prospect of it unless by Divine or Prophetick illumination which tho certain is rare yet a wise man by looking back on Time past and Comparing the certain Effects resulting from several Causes may give a shrewd Guess of what is to come and thus from Experience he will pronounce that Fears and Jealousies betwixt a Prince and his people being wrought to the height will produce on the one hand Severity on the other Rebellion If the Prince gets the better of the People after they have run into actual disobedience it is not to be expected he should whilst he Lives slacken the Reins of his Power but by keeping them under extend it to the utmost of the line If the people thrive in their Rebellion the certain sequel is Usurpation Tyrannick and Arbitrary Government as hath been seen in several Ages and recounted in several Histories which we shall not mention our Design being to confine our Discourse to our own late Affairs and Transactions from the first setting up of the Rump in the place of Monarchy to the Restauration of our present Monarch whom God grant long to Reign If we look down from this Hill of Time presents thorow the Optick of History on Time past we behold the first Ages as in Landskip only not in a due Proportion being much lessened in Relation the middle Ages are more clearly viewed and lye open to discovery and are more largely Displayed in History but again the more near or next to the Mountain of Time present are also covered in a certain obscurity and as it were over-shadowed by the Mount of Time present that Truth is traced with a faint touch and usually things are not so clearly seen as at a longer distance But since every day renders the Prospect more clear We hope in this our short Relation of the late Usurpers and of their Tyrannick and Arbitrary Government to shew to the People a most lucid Picture of that dreaded Monster which they do and may most justly fear Arbitrary Government Fears and Jealousies fomented and heightned we may say begot it and Rebellion brought it forth for it was the foul Issue of our bloody Civil Wars It is not my task to write the Transactions between the late King and his Parliaments nor to draw forth a Scheme of that most unnatural War which robb'd England of it's Peace and devoured so many brave and valiant Subjects this hath been sufficiently and fully by several Pens already performed But I shall begin the rise of my Historical Collections from the time of the Exclusion of the greater part of the Members of the house of Commons called the long Parliament and when the Tail or Rump as they are called of the said Commons against all Law and Right usurped the Regal Authority of the Nation and placing it upon themselves Exercised a Tyrannick and Arbitrary Government with any shadow of legal Authority for altho it is not to be doubted that the bloody War commenced by the long Parliament against their sovereign Lord and King was illegal and unjust yet I say by that Bill passed by his late Majesty together with the Bill of attainder against the Earl of Strafford on the 8 th of May 1641. for the continuance of that Parliament and that it should not be Prorogued or Adjourned but by act of Parliament and on the 10 th of the same Month had the Royal assent gave them I say some Colour or shadow of Authority and extreamly inbroiled the Kings affairs The advisers to the passing of this Act are not certainly known some attribute it to the Lord Say others to the designing Marquess Hamilton who brag'd of it in Scotland as his Act but whoever they were it prov'd most pernicious to the King and seem'd to Authorise the Rebellion by his own Act. But before we enter upon the Actions of these Usurpers we shall only make mention of some preliminary Acts of illegal Arbitrariness of this Parliament before their Votes of Non-Addresses to the King and their sceluding their fellow Members and of their growing up to that perfection of Evil in taking upon them the Administration of the Government and of that unparallel'd-Murther of a great Monarch their soveraign Lord and King The first was under the Notion of maintaining the Protestant Religion their entring into a solemn Protestation or Association among themselves and also imposing it on the Consciences of all others who should bear any Office either in Church or State Secondly their raising men arming them and forming an Army and so running on into actual Rebellion against their Head and continuing that most Bloody War with so much Heat and Animosity hearkhing to no Treaties c. Next their flinging the Bishops out of the House and imprisoning twelve of them for asserting their Right only by a Protestation And which was absolutely against the Priviledges granted to them by Magna Charta and a lopping off one of the Estates of the Realm Then their putting a difference between the Kings person and his politick Capacity raising War against him in his own Name for as yet the Keepers of the Liberties of England were not thought of but the Style ran in the name of the King and Parliament making the King to fight against himself and to War with himself Next their illegal imprisoning their fellow Subjects and disseizing many of their free Holds for their Loyalty to their Prince and for not lending them Money to carry on their Rebellion and also putting to Death the Hothams all contrary to Magna Charta and the Liberty of the subject and full of Arbitrariness Next their endeavouring to perswade the People that the Soveraignty law wholly and radically in them and so effectually in the Parliament on House of Commons for they now began to be esteemed only the Parliament Then by their Endeavouring â—o take the power of the Sword out of their Soveraigns â—and and to put it into their own thereby to make him a King
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
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 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
other and instead of Juratores pro Domino Rege shall be used Juratores pro republica and so Contra pacem dignitatem Coronam nostram should be turned into Contra pacem publicam All judges Justices Ministers and Officers to take Notice thereof and that whatever should be done Contrary to this Act hence forward should be declared null and void in Law the Death of the King or any usage Law Custom c to the Contrary The King after his Sentence was lodg'd in White-Hall and the little time they gave him to prepare himself he was disturb'd with the noise of his rude Guards filling all the Rooms with the smoak of their Tobacco a thing extreamly offensive to him and they Rung in his Ears the clincking of Pots and such like Noises and not only so but he lay so near the place where he was to Dye that he could hear every stroke of the Hammers of those Workmen that were erecting the Scaffold and working all night all which Barbarity was to mortifie him but that would not bring him to their Bent On Munday he was removed to St. James's whence he came the next day on Foot thorow the Park to suffer his Martyrdom And now on the 30 th of January 1648. was Acted the most unheard of Tragedy that ever was Committed and not to be parallel'd in History in any Countrey A King convented and Tryed openly in a Court of unlawful Judicatory as a Capital Criminal by the meanest of his Subjects under pretence of Law and then publickly Executed on a Scaffold in the face of the Sun and the People before his own Palace by the hand of the common Hangman as it hath since appeared is so strange a thing that it will be the Admiration of succeeding Ages as well as it hath been of our own and I think a most notable Display of Arbitrary Usurpation For tho we have had some of our Kings murthered in our Land yet there was some modesty shewed in their Assassination in that it was done Privately and Acted by great Persons laying claim to or Ambitioning the Crown nay they were so Cautious as in the Murthers of Edward the second and Richard the second First to depose them and to take away their Crowns or making them to resign them by their own Acts becoming thereby private men accounting them else Sacred to be murthered but thus I say to be publickly put to Death under the Colour of Law and Justice and to justifie such â— bloody Perpetration to the World as a legal Act being so palpable against all Laws both Divine and Humane was a thing never to be found in any Age or in any story I shall say no more of it his Majesties Speech and all the fatal Transactions of that Tragedy being Printed at large only I shall take notice that this Royal Martyr with much Constancy Courage and Resolution lai'd his Head on the Block and suffered under the Ax in refusing to acknowledge the Authority of these bloody Usurpers to be legal and because he would not betray the Liberties Lives and Properties of his people to an unjust and usurping Tyrannical Government Even whilst he was on the Scaffold he was pittied by some of his Persecutors the Officers of the Army which Cromwell perceiving he begun to play with them his usual jugling Tricks and made them believe that he would consult with them concerning the saving of the Kings Life Seeming to pitty him himself and blaming him for being Obstinate in not adhering to their Propositions feigning a Reluctancy for his Death and therefore told them He should be very glad if it might be effected with the safety of the Kingdom tho what was done was by the Authority of the Parliament yet he feared the Odium might be cast on them but says he before we proceed in this weighty Matter let us seek God to which they agreed and Oliver began a long-winded Prayer which lasted so long till News was brought them that the King was Executed which several not suspecting were surprized and amazed but Cromwell holding up his Hands told them he now saw clearly that it was not the will of God that the King should live and therefore he was afraid they had done ill to tempt God to desire it This was the end of his Majesty Charles the First and now all the world believed as most legally they might that this Parliament was dissolved of Course by the Death of the King by what Authority now can they pretend to sit and Act Even by the same unjust Power of the Sword whereby they had committed so many illegal Acts contrary to the Fundamental Laws of the Land as now in continuing themselves a Parliament was against the most ancient Constitutions of Parliaments But they lay hold of the Act of 17. Car. 1. for the Continuance of this Parliament In which these words Were And be it declared and Enacted by the King our Soveraign Lord with the assent of the Lords and Commons in this present Parliament assembled and by the Authority of the same that this present Parliament now assembled shall not be dissolved unless by Act of Parliament to be passed for that Purpose Therefore they declared and believe that they are still a Parliament and are not Dissolved by the Kings Death because not dissolved by an Act of Parliament But it was answered that it was and ever hath been the undoubted Prerogative of the King to Call and Dissolve Parliaments and that an Act for their Perpetuation was a taking way one of the chiefest Flowers in the imperial Crown of England which the King could not grant and give away tho with consent of both Houses But this Act was palpably against the King's inclination being as it were forced to it by some Heady violent and turbulent Men. But that a Perpetuation or Extention of it beyond the Kings Death was never then thought of is most plain by the Preamble of the said Act where it is expressed That by reason of great Sums of Money of necessity to be advanced for the speedy relief of his Majesties Army and People in the northern parts of the Realm and that Credit might be had for the raising such Monies and to take away the Fears and Jealousies of any that should lend such Monies upon their Credit that this Parliament should not be Prorogued or Dissolved before Justice be done on Delinquents and publick Grievaâ—ces redressed it was Enacted c That they should not be Dissolved but by an Act of Parliament so that by the very end and Scope of this Act there could not be thought to be any Perpetuation of this Parliament or that they should not be Dissolved by the Kings death For else certainly they would have inserted the like special Clause as That this Parliament shall not be Dissolved by his Majesties death but only by Act of Parliament But that the Parliament was Dissolved Ipso facto by the Kings death being called
by his Writ to confer with him as his Parliament Arduis negotâ—is or about urgent Affairs was Resolued 1 Hen. 4. Rot. Parl. n. 14.14 Hen. 4. Cook 4 th Institut p. 46. c. For it is not natural to suppose and impossible That the Lords and Commons should be a Parliament and make Acts and Laws without the King as for a Body to move and Act without an Head and therefore had there been any such thing intended to have been Enacted it was void because impossible for the Kings Royal assent could not be had after his Death and there is no Clause in the Act that obliges his Successor to Consent which clearly shews they never had any such intention at the making of this Act. And therefore on the death of the King all Commissions both of the Judges and others cease and all Proceedings determined tho the King is said to sit in the Court of the Kings-Bench in his politick Capacity which indeed never dyes so as to cause an Interregnum but other wayes as to the Continuance of Commissions Writs c. which must be renewed Consider also that if these men after the Death of the King could be a Parliament they must be so either by the Common Law and Custom of Parliaments which is clearly against them or by this Statute which as little Countenances them for they would then be another thing distinct from the Parliament which was summoned in the Kings Life for the Country had no Power to elect their Representatives but by the King 's Writ and therefore could receive no more Power from them than the Tenour of the Kings Writ granted which determining with the Kings Life their Representative-Power was also determined and by Consequence they could be no longer a Parliament If it could be thought they could be yet so by that Act then it follows That a Parliament by their Act might create another Parliament to exist after themselves were dissolved which is most absur'd and alters the Root and Foundation of all the Liberties of the Subject for they become no longer their Representatives but a Parliament by their own Act and it will never be thought that the people intended to entrust them with their Authority to change the Government and deprive them of their Fundamental Priviledges The Parliament cannot De jure do any thing against natural Equity quia jura naturae sunt immutabilia And also by the judgement of a Parliament this could not be being against the Law and Custom of Parliament for Ro. Parl. 42. E. 3. no 7. it is declared by the Lords and Commons in full Parliament upon demand made of them in the behalf of the King That they could not assent to any thing in Parliament that tended to the Disherision of the King and his Crown to which they were Sworn Now this Act of the 17 th of Caroli Primi is expresly against the Kings Successors Prerogative to call his own Parliament and therefore they could not make such an Act to the Disherision of his King and Crown A Parliament may be three ways Dissolved by the Declaration of the Kings pleasure or for want of entring their Continuances or by the Kings death whereby the Kings Writ which gives them their Authority is determined These words That this Parliament shall not be Dissolved unless by Act of Parliament is a general Negative which cannot extend to all Causes of Dissolution but have a respect only to that most usually hapning the Pleasure of the King till the pretended Grievances of the time were satisfied Now in all Times the judges have excepted particular Cases out of the general Negative or Affirmative Words of Statutes By the Star of Magna Charta C. 11. 'T is enacted That Common pleas shall not follow or be sued in the Kings-Bench which is a general Negative yet it is holden to be clear in Law That the King is not within these general Words and may sue in his Bench or any other Court at his Pleasure The Statute of Winchester is a general Statute That the Hundred c. shall make Satisfaction for all Robberies and Fellonies within the Hundred yet it is Resolved That the Hundreds shall make no Satisfaction for the Robberies of an House because the House was the owners Castle and he might have defended himself and preserved his Goods Besides this Clause in the said Act That all and every thing done or to be done for the Proroguing or Dissolving of this present Parliament contrary to this present Act shall be utterly voyd and of none Effect By which it appears That the cause of Dissolution which they intended to prevent was something that should consist in Action by the words Thing or Things done or to be done which words can only be applicable to an Actual dissolution by the Kings pleasure And the King's death is not a thing done but a Cessation of his personal being and of the Dependants thereupon And is not an Action but a Termination or Period So that it is most Clear these men could no longer by any the least Colour of Law or Reason pretend to sit and Act as a Parliament But alas What are Arguments to them who had usurp'd the Throne and Power of their Soveraign and had the vain and idle Hopes to keep it And to the strengthening themselves with all the Arbitrary and Tyrannical ways imaginable they proceed First they issue out their spurious Act before mentioned against proclaiming the King tho by the Law of the Land instantly upon the King's decease the imperial Crown of the Kingdom of England was by his inherent Birthright and by an undoubted Succession and Descent Actually vested in our now Soveraign eldest Son to the murthered King and next Heir of the Blood to his Royal Father and that before any Ceremony of Coronation as by Stat. of 1. Jacobi Ch. 1. And that all Peers of the Realm Majors Sheriffs and other chief Officers in all the Cities and Corporations of England are oblig'd by their places and Allegiance to proclaim him under pain of High Treason and forfeiting their City and Corporation Charters And notwithstanding the Junto's Prohibition there were several Proclamations printed and scatter'd about the City which proclaimed and asserted the Right of the Prince as next Heir to the Crown and by Birthright to be the lawful King of Great Britain c. Dated the 1 st of February Then also in like manner was privately scatter'd about another Paper in which were four Propositions briefly declaring That the House of Commons had no Power of themselves alone and without the Concurrance of the King and House of Lords to make any Act of Parliament Ordinance or to impose any Tax Oath Forfeiture or Capital Punishment on any Secondly That the few Members now sitting were no Court of Justice in themselves and could Erect no such Court for the Tryal of any person nor had Power to hear and determine any Civil or Criminal Causes and that
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—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
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
in the Morning with fifteen hundred of their best Horse under the Command of Montgomery and Stranghan and charged so furiously that they had almost Pierced the whole Army but in their return Okey met with them and forced them back to their Camp with as much Speed having lost an hundred men in the Action Whilst these things were doing in Scotland the Junto are Active at home in suppressing all Persons from appearing for the Scots Interest with all the Rigor imaginable and Doctor Levens a Doctor of the Civil Law being taken dispersing some Commissions from the King was tryed by their Court marshal Condemned to be hanged and Executed accordingly on the 13 th of July over against the Royal Exchange in London And further to shew their inveterate Spite to the Royal Family they cause the last Kings Statues to be broken to Pieces and caused to be written under the Nick where one stood in the Royal Exchange Exit Tyrannus Regum ultimus Anno Libertatis Angliae restitutae primo Annoque Domini 1648. Now also was discovered a design of a rising to be in Lancashire for the King in which were several of the Presbyterian Ministers in London and others upon which Mr. Cook of Grays-Inn Mr. Gibbons Mr. Potter Doctor Drake Jenkins and Love Presbyterian Ministers were taken and for which they were try'd by their murthering High Court of Justice and about the Latter end of July Gibbons Potter and that Incendiary Love were Executed wherein 't is remarkable that the Justice of God should so overtake this Person so as to bring him to the Block for he was beheaded who by his preaching against the late King broke off the Treaty at Uxbridge and was the occasion of bringing that Royal Martyr to suffer under the Ax. But whilst they were shedding Blood at London by their High Court of Justice Cromwell was letting it forth in Scotland with the Sword for on the 3 d. of September was the famous Battel of Dunbar which gain'd him so much Honour and established his greatness in the Army tho his Conduct in bringing his Army to those Streights they were in being forced by despair to fight did appear very ill on his side for Cromwell's Army very much wanting Provisions were so far advanced that they could not well return without Hazard and I suppose he engaged himself the more boldly for that he understood the differences in the Scotch Army between the Rigid Kirk Party and the other more moderate for the King hoping by his frequent Letters and Declarations of his pious Intentions towards the Presbyterians to bring most of them over to him or at least to make such division amongst them that he hoped to obtain an easie Victory Cromwell had advanced within a Mile and an half of Edenborow took a small Garrison and Man'd it with English but being still pressed with want of Provisions he draws off to Penkland Hills and thence to Dunbar thinking that way to ship his men for England the Fleet attending but the Scots perceiving the Advantage and that he was in a strait follow him close and were now in a manner sure of a Victory The Scots being about twenty four Thousand men and double the number of the English who were weary and Faint had they stayed and not put them into Despair no doubt they had obtained their Desires but fearing they should escape them they followed them within a Mile of Dunbar and drew up upon the Hills at the Foot of which lay Cromwell who now saw the streights into which he had brought himself having only a Neck of Land to encamp on whose breadth was not a Mile and an half the Sea being on both sides so that they were got into a perfect Pound and the Scots having possest all the Hills he was in some Amazement ship his men he could not without certain Loss Next morning the Scots drew down to the Foot of the Hills but there was a great Ditch between the Armies but at a Village called Copperspeith between Dunbar and Berwick there was a Passage over the Hills which it seems was strangely neglected by the Scots too sure of the Victory but Cromwell taking hold on the Advantage having with his field Pieces secured the Ditch sent away a good Party of Horse and Foot to possess it This gave the Scots an Alarm and now they saw their Error and that of necessity they must let the English pass home or fight them The Kirk Ministers being in the Councel of War were extreamly against letting Agag go as they called Cromwell for that God had given him into their Hands contrary to the Opinion of the more knowing Commanders But upon this there was a fierce Dispute at this Pass which the English with much Valour obtained and possessed themselves of The Canon on both sides playing against the Bodies the Battel began the English word was The Lord with us the Scotâ— was The Covenant The Scots first Charge put the Englisâ— Horse into a little Confusion but being stoutly secondeâ— by the Foot they Charg'd the Scots so home that they put them to the Rout which put their Foot into such Confusion and Disorder that the English gained a fulâ— and easie Victory following the pursuit for eight Miles and slew and took Prisoners of them as many or more than they were themselves there being four Thousand slain and nine Thousand taken Prisoners with all their Bag and Baggage ten Thousand Armes and all their Ammunition and with the loss of not above three hundred English The Colours and the Purse and great Seal of Scotland there taken were sent up to London where was no small rejoycing among the Rumpers for this Victory And the Colours ordered to be hung up in Westminster-Hall Some of the Scotch Ministers engaging were slain in this fight Cromwell it is said in his great Necessity and straits before the fight prayed to God and promised him That if he would be pleased at thiâ— time to deliver him he would in return of the Favour as soon as he came into England take away Tythes A pretty Vow to commit Sacriledge to obtain Mercy Upon this Loss Cromwell pursues his Victory and possesses himself of Leith and Edenborow which the Scots had quitted the King being retired to St. Johnstons where were assembled their Committee of States The Kirk Party began to lay their mis-fortunes upon the King and said God had disowned them for bringing him into Scotland And shewed so much insolence and ill behaviour to him that he was no longer able to brook it and therefore one morning taking Horse as if he had been going to Hunting he went privately towards the North but the Scots fearing lest he should joyn with the High-Landers and being somewhat humbled by Cromwell they sent after him Major General Montgomery to intreat him to return but with such a force as it was thought would perform it by Compulsion if he would not do it by Intreaty But the
following But in the mean time Rear-Admiral Stainer with six other Ships of the English Fleet met with the Spanish Fleet near Cadiz returning from the West Indies with Plate where he sunk several of them with great treasure and took others which he brought away with two Millions of pieces of Eight which amounts to 400000 pounds Sterling There were several Noble men and Dons of Spain taken Prisoners whom Cromwell treated handsomely and after a little while generously sent them home without Ransom And now on the 17 th of September 1656 the appointed time for the Meeting of the Parliament those who were Elected met and chose for their Speaker Sir Thomas Widdrington The Major-Generals had a great hand in chusing this Parliament who by their Arbitrary Power and Authority caused whom they pleased to be chosen and it was thought it was one of Cromwell's policies to Constitute them for that end wanting a Parliament that might give him money And also by their most tyrannical sway they had rendred themselves so odious to the Royalists that they desired rather any other Government should be than these Bashaw's and it was indeed thought to be one of Cromwell's policies in their Constitution that their tyranny might cause his Iron yoke alone to sit more easie about their necks for he gave them up to the Parliament who abolish'd them His design of making himself King and of wearing the Imperial Crown and of becoming a legal Monarch and of transmitting it to his posterity now plainly was manifested though God did not see it good to let the Iniquity of the Nation run on so far as to disinherit the right line having in his Wisedom resolved to continue it to the posterity of Chaâ—les the Martyr for though Cromwell knew he had more Power and greater Dominion and was more absolute than any King of England yet the glorious Title of King and the wearing of a Crown was the desire of his ambitious soul not that it could add more to his Power but he imagined that by that means he should be accounted more legal for that the Crown takes away all attaint and that perhaps he might be able to transmit it to his posterity and make it hereditary in his own line He knew his tyrannick Usurpation was against all the Laws of the Land and that he could hold what he had got no longer than the Army pleased to stick to him who like an head-strong beast was grown so skittish he had much adoe to master it but by setling the Crown on his own head he thought to reduce every thing to its old channel the race of the Stuarts only changed for that of Cromwells and for this end he now began all he could to court the Nobility and Gentry of the Royal Party after he had sufficiently humbled and crush'd them and made them poor all to sweeten them against his assuming the Crown having got as he hop'd a Parliament for his purpose for none were admitted into this Parliament after their Elections but such as the Council allowed of and many persons that Oliver durst not trust were in this Parliament and that he thought not fit to sit till some Laws were first made for the strengthning his Authority and carrying on of his design There was therefore a Recognition of his Highness Government by a single person placed ready with a Guard of Red-coats to be signed before any of the Members went into the House and such as refused to sign it were dismissed and not suffered to sit by which means near 200 at the first were excluded those that sat taking no notice of this most horrid force And now let those who so much stand up for Law and Justice and cry out upon Arbitrary Rule tell me if ever a greater could be acted upon the Liberties of the People in denying them their freedoms in the sitting of their Representatives in Parliament and if any of the most Arbitrary Kings of England ever did or durst attempt the like But what might not and what did not this Tyrant and Usurper doe At first this Parliament went on very smoothly and to the content of their Protectorian Master the first thing was they made a Vote declaring his War with Spain to be just and honourable with a resolution of assisting him in it Then as a Grand step for him to Mount the Throne they make an Act for the renouncing the title of â—harles Stuart and the whole line of King James unto the Crown of England Scotland and Ireland seconded with another for the securing his Highness Person and the continuance of the Nations peace which was bound up in it And this last Act was made by reason of a Plot then discovered against his Person by one Syndercomb or rather a Contrivance of his Secretary Thurlo's to further his designs This Syndercomb was a Leveller or Fifth-Monarchy-man and disbanded by Monk in Scotland who being a resolute fellow and disgusted was drawn in by two of Thurlo's Creatures one Cecil and Toop of Cromwell's Life-guard who pretending a Male-contentedness easily drew him in to a design of Murthering the Tyrant there being about that time a book printed and published with the name Allen to it a disbanded Leveller called Killing no Murther which with notable Arguments proved the Lawfulness of Killing Cromwell as an Usurper and Tyrant which book almost scared him out of his wits and made him ever after afraid of every strange face that came near him and made him betake himself to these artifices to affright assassinates by his severity Syndercomb being thus trepann'd and drawn in by his Instruments had prepared a Blunderbuss and had placed it to shoot him in his Coach going to Hampton-Court and if that failed he was to have fired White-Hall by placing a Basket of combustible matter in the Chapel with a train all which is discovered Syndercomb and his Companions seized the Life-guard men confess the Plot and are pardoned Syndercomb is tryed for it at the upper Bench-bar as they then called it and convicted by the Witness of his fellow Conspirators he was Condemn'd to be Hang'd Drawn and Quarter'd at Tyhurn but before his Execution he was found dead and poysoned in the Tower by himself as the Inquest of the Coroner found it though by others suspected to be a fineness of Thurlo's however as a felo de se he was drawn at an Horses tail to Tower-hill and there put into the ground under the Scaffold and a Stake driven thorow his Body This occasioned the Act to be hastned for his Highness preservation and a thanksgiving Voted for this great delivery the Parliament attending him at White-Hall in the Banqueting-house where a Congratulatory Oration upon this occasion was made to him The next day the time being very convenient Alderman Pack started a motion that for the better and more sure settlement of the Nation the Protector might be desired to assume the stile and title of King as the most
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
and perceiving them might not in the same age at least run into the like nor pull the like fatal consequences upon their heads as Usurpation and Arbitrary Rule and Tyranny either in many or in one which God avert and send peace and tranquility in our dayes But yet the Memory of this Man is adored by many to this day and he is the Idol of some who will yet speak great things of him though without reason and putting our decay of trade upon the present ill management of affairs when indeed it is but the consequence of our Civil Wars and the great expence of Money drained away from the Royalists the vast sums raised on the people by Taxes Assessments and Excise which coming into the Soldiers pockets they set it going into motion which with the vast sums raised on the sale of the Kings Queens Princes Bishops and Delinquents Lands made a flood of money for the present and nothing of want then appeared which was the effect rather of the Tyrant's rapacity than good management for when this glut began to fall again into the private sinks of rich men who lived by the use of money and others who had any great sums fallen to their shares fearing the iniquities of the times and knowing no man could promise himself to be long master of his own especially money where the Will of the Tyrant was Law and whom to disoblige was fatal they remitted vast sums for their security into the bank in Holland making them rich by trading with our money whilst we sat contented with 3 l. per cent for to be secure so that our trade fell and in some time after a scarcity of money appeared which such who only look on the present time and considered not truly the reason attributed to the ill management of the present Governour or of those who sat at the Helm And therefore we may say that the low ebb of Trade in our time had its beginning in Oliver's time And we may likewise consider that in his short Usurpation which was but four years and nine months there was shewn so much Tyranny Oppression and Injustice as excepting the time of the Rumps sitting was not to be parallell'd in any of the Kings since the Conquest Besides in his latter dayes when his fears began to render him cruel he valued neither honesty or honour when they stood in the way of his Ambition and therefore to me 't is a wonder for what it was they admired this Man and must be caused either by partiality or ignorance As for his Politicks his Peace with France and his War with Spain was certainly against the Interest of England in lessning the latter and making the former too great for Christendom and loosing the ballance which England ought carefully to keep between those two Monarchs And then his impolitick Peace with the Dutch on so easie terms when brought with great expence of English Blood and Treasure to that extremity that England mought have had what terms they would so that the whole world thought him infatuated in losing so great an opportunity of doing good to this Nation Then there is nothing more certain that all the Persecution that hath since hapned in France of that King's Protestant Subjects was the effects of his joyning in a League with France at that time by which means that King humbled Spain and made way for his Conquests in Flanders since atchieved and inabled him to subdue all Factions at home which were then arising and brought him into a condition to need none of them being grown since the scourge and terrour of Christendom His shamefull defeat at Hispaniola with the loss of 1500 Merchants Ships to the Spaniard in that War as was made appear to Richard's Parliament and in his spending such vast sums of money and yet leaving a vast debt upon the Kingdom as appeared by the Accounts brought into Richard's Assembly may stand in ballance against his Victories and shew that he was not always successfull and that he had not managed his affairs with that frugality and wisedom as some have thought he did when as by his own accounts it appeared notwithstanding the great incomes he had and the many Parliamentary supplies he had contracted a debt of no less than 1900000 l. As for his Tyranny and Oppression 't is needless to mention it that may be seen throughout this History Yet I cannot but instance here that injustice of his to John Lilburn who had been tryed for his Life by the Long Parliament and acquitted and by them discharged yet because Oliver knew him a dangerous man and one that might give him a trouble caused him to be tryed a second time and though then also cleared by the Law yet according to his own Arbitrary Will against Law and with all injustice and cruelty imaginable kept him close Prisoner so long that he was almost consumed by sickness that he turned him out only to dye Again What greater injustice could there be than that shown to Mr. Cony who being a Prisoner at Cromwell's Suit and being brought to the King 's or upper Bench-bar as they call'd it by an Habeas Corpus causes his Counsel to be violently taken from the Bar and sent to the Tower for no other reason than the Pleading his Clients Cause such an Act of violence as cannot be parallell'd in all the History of England Yet this blessed man is admired As for his ingratitude that appeared to Sir Henry Vain who above all persons in the world was the cause of his advancement and had long espoused his Interest yet he studied to destroy him both in his Life and Estate because he would not adhere to his perjury and falseness And because Vain opposed him he imprison'd him and would have proceeded farther against him In Richard's Assembly upon the complaint of several Prisoners kept close in the Tower many being sent away most inhumanely and sold for Slaves beyond Seas the Lieutenant being sent for and demanded by what Authority he had kept those in his custody so long Prisoners he produced a Paper written all with Oliver's own hand in which were these words Sir I pray you seize such and such persons and all others whom you shall judge dangerous men doe it quickly and you shall have a Warrant for it after you have done Upon which Richard's Assembly Voted this Commitment of the Complainants to be illegal unjust and Tyrannical as no doubt it was This was a spice of his Justice whereby any man was rendred obnoxious not only to himself but to the malice or spleen of his Lieutenant though he were never so innocent And at this rate he might take up and imprison whom he pleased and no man was in safety and that by the chief Governour 's Warrant who by Law can Commit no man by his own Warrant And this too without any cause shewn why or wherefore And the same men Voted that those banish'd or sent away were unjustly
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
consent All things seem succeed to very fortunatly to them and Lockchart Governour of Dunkirk submits to them to whom they send over Peirson Ashfeild and Packer Colonels To Ireland they send their Commissioners Steelones Thomljnson and Goodwin and for the command of the Armie Colonel Ludlow with the title of Lieutenant General Embassadors from the United Provinces come over to congratulate them and to offer their amity as also from many other places were coming so that they now began to think themselvs sure They had a mind to new model Monk's armie in Scotland and were provideing to doe it which Monk had timely notice of by his Agents in London which made him write to the Parliament in which he told them that he thought himself fit to be credited in the qualifications of his own Officers whom he assured them were honest and stout men and for whose fidelity he would be ingaged This letter troubled them being the first rub they had met with yet they hoped to get over it for they were now more eagre to have creatures of their own stamp in that Armie and think with good words to pacifie Monk letting him know as to his own Regiment they would make no alteration But Monk was not satisfied with this but sent up some Officers to solicite at London in behalf of themselvs and the rest Then the Junto made an Order that such Officers as were in Ireland and Scotland because they could not receive their Commissions of the Parliament should receive them from the hand of certain Commissioners named for the civil Government of both Kingdoms But those for Scotland were not yet named and Monk still continued his old Officers In the mean time Somerset House was exposed to sail at the yearly value of 233 l. the gross value of materials at 5545. st 1 s 3 d. to he had not under 13 years purchace And now that they may seem Kind to poor dick who began to fear an Arrest for the mourning took up for this fathers funeral they give him a protection from all Arrests for 6 months and take into consideration how that debt might be paid without charge to themselves And now these Tyrants who held their fellow subjects in slavery had some inck'ling of a Cavalier-plot which made them very jealous of every body so that few could meet upon any occasion but they were disturbed and some of them clapt up for Conspirators In July they put out their Act of Indemnity but none were to have the benefit of this mock Act but such who being above 16 years of age subscribed an Engagement against a single Person Kingship and House of Peers And all Cavaliers as would not take it were to be banish'd out of England and if afterwards seen there to be proceeded against as Traytors and 10 l. reward to the discoverer of such person or persons And now the poor Royalists were in a worse condition than ever after all their losses sequestrations decimations and plund'rings they must either go against their consciences or leave the land The Harvest was great and the labourers few and in August the weather being sultry hot many of the Junto were retired into the Country so that they could hardly make an House upon which they make a strict Order that all rotten members attend the House and that none depart without leave of the House And now they order a Fast and day of Humiliation and to shew that they were the same bloody mâ—n they were formerly they proclame J. mordant Esq with several others Traytors and order the Lady Howard Sr E. Byron and Mr. Sumner to be brought to a tryal for treasonable designs They seize upon persons horses and armes throughout London increase and double their Guards stop passengers the Council of State sitting night and day and all the Militia in the City and throughout England were ordered to be drawn up for their security for they were in a great consternation about a plot and began to court the people in their canting way by their preachers one of which said The Lord stir up the Hearts of his people and fill them with unanimity and courage at this evil time against the common Enemie Charles Stewart and that desperate Crew of ravenous and unreasonable men who should they get in to satisfie the rable of his followers would enslave you and with your goods maintain forraigners and the pomp and pride of a luxurious Court and an absolute Tyranny And it was not without cause that these persons were put into such afear for there was a general riseing to have been thorowout England of all parties against these Rumpers for the Presbyterians and discarded Protectâ—rians began now to see their slavery and to tack about seing a necessity of joyning with the Royalists and some of the greatest amongst them sue for the Kings pardon and obtain it and hereupon they cement with the Cavaliers and the famous plot or St. George Booth's riseing was then formed the King lying privatly at Calais ready to have come over on the first geting together of any considerable body But the design was too Early prevented by being some way discovered to Scâ—t and some others and by an intercepted letter of the Lady Mary Howards who was clapt up with others about it Mâ—ssy is taken in Gloucester shire but being carried behind a Trooper by a party of Horse in the night he took his time and with a sudden jerk flung the trooper before him and himself into a precipice whereby he escaped being better acquainted with the ways than they were The Rumpers had got some knowledg of the design and with their diligence had prevented it in many Counties Yet Sir George Booth rose in Chesheir with a considerable partie with Sir Tho. Middleton Ma or General Randulph Egerton and others they surprise Chester Liverpool Chiâ—k Castle and some other places declaring only for a free Parliament so that they had gotten together about 3000 men but few well armed presently the Rump proclame them Rebells and Traytors and Lambert comes against them with 3 Regimâ—nts of Horse as many of Fort and one of Dragoons besides a Train of Artillery Some of these should have joined Sir George Booth had they seen that they had been in a capacity of doing any good and of proceeding unanimously in their design but in stead thereof there fel out unseasonable contests between the old and the new Cavaliers and the private animosities of the Gentry hind'red much every one that brought but 30 men would be a Captain or take it very ill so that by their unseasonable punctillio's the publique int'rest received damage and besides it was no small daunting to them finding that the design of Riseing was quasht in all other Counties nor could they reduce the Castle of Chester which Colonel Croxton held out against them But so soon as Lambert came up with his forces the raw men that made up the body of the force of Sir
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
least obnoxions of them endeavoured to save themselvs and to be instrumental in his Majesties Restauration among whom were Sir Anthony Ashly Cooper St John Ingoldsly Morley and others But the Oath was this I doe hereby swear That I doe renounce the pretended title of Charles Stewart and the whole line of King James and of every other person as a single person pretending or which shall pretend to the Crown or Government of these nations of England Scotland and Ireland or any of them and the dominious and territories belonging to them or any of them And that I will by the grace and assistance of almighty God be true faithfull and constant to the Parliament and Common Wealth and will oppose the bringing in or setting up any single person or House of Lords and every of them in this Common Wealth A third part at least of their Council of State refused this Oath saying it was a snare and a confining of Providence and so were not permitted to sit The secluded Members would not yet give over their Right of sitting and tho they knew and had declared that the Parliament was legally dissolved by the Death of the late King yet they upon the resitting of the Rumpers require admission whereupon it was again resolved that they did stand duely discharged from their sitting as members of that Parliament and that writs should be immediatly issâ—ed out for the electing of new members in their places Thus they are still provideing to perpetuate themselves And then falling to their old trade of divideing the spoyle and to let them see how much they were offended they order the Estates of Sr Georg Booth a secluded member and all his adherents to be forthwith sould General Monk who kept a correspondence in Ireland received the news that his friends had surprized Dublin Castle and that most of all Ireland had declared for him and the Parliament to sit again but he was surprized at the actual siting again of the Rump having other designs in his head than their restauration and therefore thinks it now high time to march tho' in the midst of winter and great snow yet on the 2 of January he begins to set forward resolving for London In the mean time the Junto knowing that both City and Country were highly exasperated who would not be satisfied with any thing but the restorâ—ing the old members or a free Parliament and having also had experience of the Armies stubbornness and aptness to mutiny therefore to provide for their own Safety which was very dear to them they make Morley Lieutenant of the Tower and ordered a letter of thanks to be sent to General Monk which was accordingly done and which the General received being upon this march and caused it to be read to his souldiers at the head of their Regiments whilst they stood up to the knees in snow This letter was but cold comfort and they feared lest it should have hind'red their march for the souldiers long'd to be at London and the Messenger told Monk that Lambert's forces were dispers'd and all things quiet yet the General would not understand him but continued his march Southwards for he said he would see them setled and take care no more force should be put upon them and by a messenger of his own sent them a letter much to the same purpose with a return of thanks for the honour they did him and of professions of fidelity to them and that they being in an unsetled condition he thought it best to see them setled c. with several other things which he recommended to them both as to the soulderie and the people The General had left Major General Morgan behind in Scotland with sufficient force to keep that nation in quiet who were now in great expectation of the issue of Monks march into England All the way as he march'd he was highly caressed by the Gentry and addressed by the Counties for a free Parliament to whom he was very reserv'd tho' civil so that many scruples and doubts a rose concerning him some suspecting him a Royalist others a Rumper and others believing he intended to set up himself in Olivers place The Citty likewise sent their Swordbearer to complement him and to offer him their service and then by 3 Commissioners requesting the same thing the readmission of the secluded members without any previous Oath or a free Parliament either of which they knew would bring in the King tho' they durst not yet speak out Monk observ'd all and tho' inwardly glad he knew one error might spoyle all therefore he still kept his mind to himself and answer'd them that he would see the Parliament freed from all force and the House filled and good provision made for future Parliaments But the Rumpers who had also received the like declarations from the Country doubting what those caresses might produce sent two of their subtlest members Scot and Luke Robinson in shew to wait upon Monk but in effect to watch and observe him and to give them an account of all his actions for their Jealousie of him dayly increased The General came to St. Albans upon the 28 th of January and there made an hault sending from thence a letter to the Junto which he had framed before-hand as Nottingam in which he desired to have his quarters assigned him according to the list he had sent ready drawn in his letter and that thoses forces that were now there might draw forth and march to severall Quarters far enough a sunder as he had also by his list inclosed appoynted or desired telling them he did it upon mature consideration of the present posture of their affairs that those places he had assigned to them who were to march out might be secured for them he having intelligence of their distemper'd condition and that he presumed with submission that it would not be for their service that those souldiers then in London lately in Rebellion against them should mingle with those of his approved faithfull Regiments till they should by their new Officers put over them be reduced to a more assured obedience to them Colonel Merley's and Colonel Fagg's Regiments were excepted he having an assurance of them This letter was sent by Colonel Lydeot who was allyed to the Speaker This letter caused a violent dispute which lasted from 8 in the morning till 12 at noon the result of which was That the Parliament did agree with the distributions of the souldiers according to the Lists and that the Souldiers be forth with distributed accordingly The General was not a little glad to hear of this for by this he did his business and it was of great consequence as to his design in thus getting the sole possession of London and Westminster into his power Fleetwoods armie marched out of London having a months pay assigned them but this did not satisfie nor keep them from grumbling and some of them mutined at Somerste-house but at last were
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