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
all Law and without all President to try depose and bring to Capital punishment the King and to dis-inherit his Posterity c. But at the same time the Officers of the Army had contrived and ordered two Godly Petitions to be presented to them viz For the abolishing Tythes and the Repealing the Act for the Banishment of the Jews And now Oliver and his Privado Officers having brought their Work to this readiness are fasting and praying as hard as they can no doubt for the Success of it tho they put another Face on the matter and said it was for Direction and Counsel And now it was and not before that this great Usurper of the â—onarchy and Liberties of the people began to lay the great Design of steping into the Soveraignty and laying the Foundation of his Tyrannical reign by the Death and Murther of the King For the private Officers both from the King and his Friends and from the Prince himself in this exigent to save the Life of his Father were not small but he that now aimed at all would not be content with a portion of justly acquired greatness and perhaps he was not sufficiently assured of the Mercy of the Prince he had so highly offended as that he could be able to forgive all those great Crimes he was guilty of but that either himself or his Posterity might remember them to his Prejudice since all he was able to do towards his Majesties Restauration was but what in Duty and Conscience he was bound to do But what ever instiâ—ations he had besides those of the Devil he was not to be shaken tho attempted by a Kinsman of his and of his own Name who as reported was sent either from the Prince himself then at the Haguâ— or from the States of Holland with Credential Letters and a Blank sealed with the Kings and Princes Signets and confirmed by the States for Cromwell to write his own Conditions in if he would preserve the Life of the King This found him at his House recluse with his Privadoes at their Prayers as given out but to what God we may easily Imagine The business being urgent and the Kings Martyrdom approaching the Gentleman with some difficulty got to the private Speech of him to whom he very fully laid open the Hainousness of the Fact he was going about and what an Odium it was about to cast on the English Nation abroad and withal let him understand what Terms he had to offer him and that he might now make himself his Family and Posterity for ever happy and Honourable otherwise he would bring such an Ignoimny on the whole Generation that no time would be able to delete Cromwell after his canting way shifted it off from himself and put the Act upon the Army and Parliament declaring he had sought God very much in the Business but as yet had no return of his Fasting and Prayers about it therefore he desired till night to consider of it and promised that he should hear from him before he went to Bed and accordingly about Twelve or One of the Clock the Gentleman expecting his Answer he sent him word That he might return for he and his Officers had been seeking God and that now it was Resolved the King must dye this was but a night or two before the King's Murther On the 20 th day of January 1648. being Saturday these bloody Commissioners met called an high Court of Justice for the Tryal of the King who was brought before them and with much Patience and sometimes smiling he heard their long Charge but denying the Jurisdiction of the Court refused to plead requiring them to shew by what Law or Authority besides their unjust Usurpation or power of the Sword he was brought before them who were his Subjects I shall not trouble the Reader with any farther Relation of this Tryal it being at large so often printed nor with the Names of the Judges and Officers of this pretended Court it being to be had in every Booksellers shop I intending in these Collections only a brief Narrative of these Usurpers Proceedings that the World might behold the true Picture of Arbitrary Government and Tyrannical rule and not an exact Chronicle or History of those times tho I would not omit any Material thing that may give Satisfaction or Delight to the Reader I shall observe that as an ill Omen the Silver head of the King's Staff dropt off as the Charge was reading which the King wondring at and seeing none so Officious as to take it up he stoop'd himself and taking it up put it into his Pocket At his going from the Court looking very austerely about him without moving his Hat he pointed with his Staff to the Sword and said I do not fear that As he went along the Hall some Cry'd out Justice Justice and others God save the King On Sunday Cromwell Bradshaw and the rest of the Commissioners kept a Fast at White-Hall where preached Joshuah Sprigg whose Text was He that sheds-Man's blood by Man shall his Blood be shed Then Mr. Foxley whose Text was Judge not lest you be Judged Lastly Hugh Peters whose Text was I will Bind their Kings in Chains and their Nobles in Fetters of Iron And thus by their wicked application of the word of God they endeavoured to justifie their most Execrable Murther of their Lawful King There was by some who durst to do any thing against these Cruel and powerful men certain Papers scattered about in which were several Queries as Whether a King of three Kingdoms could be Condemned by one Kingdom alone without the Consent or Concurrence of the other Kingdoms Whether a King if try'd ought not to be try'd by his Peers And whether he could be said to have any such in his Kingdom Whether if a King were Tryable he ought not to be tryed in full Parliament of Lords and Commons Whether the 8 th part of the Members of the Commons meeting in the House under the force of the Army the rest being forcibly restrained from sitting can by any Pretext of Law or Justice erect a Court for the Tryal of the King And whether this could be properly called a Court of Justice without the great Seal of England Whether that those men who by several Remonstrances Speeches and Actions have publickly declared themselves Enemies to the King can either in Law or Conscience be his Judges when it is Exception enough for the basest Felon to any Jury-man to hinder him from being his Judge Whether this most illegal and Arbitrary Tryal of the King by an high Court of Justice may not prove a most Dangerous inlet to absolute Tyranny and bloody Butchery and every mans Life be at the Arbitrary will of his Enemies erected into a Court of Conscience without limits or bounds But words are nothing and these paper Arms tho furnished with the highest Reason could not move these obdurate Men who persisted in their bloody Business driven
Hand and into the hands of his own Creatures of the Councel of State altogether ruled by him and therefore it may be wondred at that he did not immediately seize the Crown and set himself in the Throne which he now aspired to But things were not yet ripe and the subtil Fox found such a Levelling party in the Army which he saw must first be Crushed who would never indure it for they were for dividing and sharing all as a Land subdued by them among themselves and for owning no Authority but the Saints who were themselves These begin to rip up the Miscarriages of the Parliament and Cromwell to make them the more Odious puts them upon all Things he believed would make them so to the People and Army One of which was the new Erection of their most Tyrannical Court of Justice for the Tryal of some of the Lords and others whom they had still imprisoned for their Loyalty The first was Duke Hamilton who had invaded England as you have heard with him they at first deal gently hoping to have screw'd out of him the Names of some Eminent men in England that they thought might have invited him in But he either not able or willing in that point to give them Satisfaction and finding the Scots and Argile's party to hate him and to desire his Head he was Condemned tho he pleaded he had Quarter given him by Lambert upon Articles and would have given a hundred Thousand pound to save his Life After him was also tryed and Condemned the Earl of Holland and that most Noble and Heroick Peer the Lord Capel who had escaped out of the Tower but was retaken by means of a perfidious Water-man ever after hated for it He pleaded Articles of surrender but that was denyed him then he pleaded to be tryed at Common-Law put them in mind of Magna Charâ—a Petition of right and of the Fundamental Laws of the Land and that of right he ought to be tryed by his Peers urging them to shew a President of any such Tryal by an Arbitrary Court of Justice as they called it He talk'd to deaf Statues for he was too gallant a Man and too Active and Loyal to be permitted to Live On the 9 th of March these three Lords Duke Hamilton the Earl of Holland and this Noble Lord much lamented were put to Death on a Scaffold in the Pallace-yard in Westminster by severing their Heads from their Bodies It is remarkable that this Lord dyed with much Courage and Christianity being nothing daunted at Death The Earl of Norwich and Sr. John Owen were pardoned by Vote of the House the Earl of Norwich having his Life by the casting Voyce of Lenthal the Speaker only Thus they proceed dipping their hands in Blood growing thereby more Odious to the People and about this time the Scots begin to stir and made a Protest against the Actions of the Parliament of England and on the third of February proclaim the King by the name of Charles the second at Edenborough by Lyon King at Arms. The Scotch Commissioners who had been long here were called home and at their departure they left an Expostulary Declaration putting the Junto in mind of all their Vows and Oaths in maintenance of the Kings Rights and defence of his Person and upbraided them with their shameful Abjuration and Infringment of them by their late horrid Proceedings This paper they Vote Scandalous and Seditious imprison the Messâ—nger who brought it and sending after the Commissioners secure them till the Parliament in Scotland send to justifie the Action and require their Commissioners being imprisoned Contrary to the Law of Nations upon which they were permitted to depart into Scotland and thus Jealousies of a breach began Troublesome John Lilburn an Active Leveller began now to stir delivering a Petition in the Names of many Thousand well affected c. with a Book intituled Englands new Chains discovered in which they find fault with many things done by this Junto and especially the Councel of State and with the erecting an high Court of Justice and altering the Fundamental Laws of the Land for Tryals by Juries Complain of the Excise and of several other things And after this another called a second Part of Englands new Chains which shewed the Hypocrisie and Perfidiousness of the Grandees of the Army and the Councel of State in Cheating all Interests King Parliament People Soldiers City Agitators Levellers c. Upon the back of this comes forth another Book called the Hunting of the Fox which spake against the Army and Councel of State set up by Cromwell and Ireton to erect a new Tyranny worse than the thirty Tyrants at Athens the Star-Chamber the High Commission or house of Lords c. These coming forth one upon the Neck of another shewed the troublesome Spirit that began to ferment in the Army which was now to be Purged as well as the Parliament had been or else Cromwell found he should not be able to work them to his ends And now he had an opportunity offerr'd him for Ireland being in a manner wholly lost excepting Dublin then besieged eleven Regiments were ordered by the Rump to be Transported for its relief by which means Cromwell hoped to purge out this Turgent humour of the Army But some of these bold Petitioners were seized and tryed by a Councel of War of which Barksted was President in which they were Cashiered the Army their Swords ordered to be broken over their Heads and to Ride with their Faces to the Horses Tails with Papers of their Crimes pinned to their Breasts at the head of the Regiments which Sentence was executed accordingly to the great Exasperation of the Army And not long afâ—er several Regiments began to Mutiny and to wear White Colours for distinction in their Hats which might have proved fatal to Cromwell's designs had he not with an undaunted Boldness at that time appearing in Person overawed them and causing two of them to be shot to Death before their Faces But this could not purge out the Humour which 〈◊〉 increasing two more of the Levelling Tribe were 〈◊〉 one of which was named Lockyer a Trooper shot in St. Paul's Church-yard but buried in great State by the 〈◊〉 Faction wearing green and black Ribbons in â—â—â—ir Hats And now the peoples Eyes daily began 〈◊〉 be opened finding what Keepers of Englands Liberties they had got The Regiments ordered to march at Salisbury make an Eruption alledging that this was a Trick to divide the Army and that they were not Mereenaries but took up Arms upon a righteous Principle of Government and therefore would not divide upon which several Regiments revolt and Collonel Scroop's laid aside their Officers and with Colours flying march'd to joyn Harrison's Regiment and Ireton's and Skippon's who had confederated But Fairfax and Cromwell by hasty marches with the whole Army follow them who at Burford in Oxford-shire made up about five Thousand Horse and Foot
King perswaded returns to St. Johnstons where the Committee of Estates being somewhat more Compliant thank Cromwell for that many of the Kings friends were admitted to him This made many dissatisfied Ministers withdraw themselves into the West as Guthery Gelaspy Rutherford and others where they put forth a Remonstrance against the Proceedings of the Assembly in the Admission of Malignants to Power and Employment and with these Ker Stranghan Laird Warreston Sr. John Cheisley Sr. James Stewart and others joyn in Confederacy These Broils made well for Cromwell who found small Opposition He took Ken Prisoner and Edenborow Castle was surrendred to him on the 24 th of December 1650. This very much troubled the Scots for after that Cromwell succeeded so well that he took in all the Forts on this side of Sterling In January the Scots Crown the King at Scoon the accustomed place for the Coronation of the Kings of Scotland which is not far from St. Johnstons with great Pomp and Solemnity In the mean time the Junto in England still sat and Voted Liberty of Conscience to all which was a most distasteful thing to the Presbyterians Also they fell to levying of Souldiers giving the Command to Harrison now made Major General a fâ—fth-Monarchy man most of these men being raised by those sort of men and the other Sectaries with which this Army swarmed and the Presbyterian Interest daily declined every where being called a most horrid Tyranny and worse than the Prelacy They also about this time formally receive Embassadors from Portugal and Spain who for Interest acknowledge their Power All they did besides was the constant Persecution of the Royal Party after their Tyrannical manner Collonel Eusebius Andrews a constant Loyalist and firm to the interest of his King being by Profession a Councellor of Grays-Inn having been underhand Contriving some Insurrection in the behalf of the King was betray'd by some of his Confederates and taken at Gravesend and after sixteen Weeks being Prisoner in the Tower and several times examined he was brought to his Tryal before their bloody High Court of Justice Bradshaw sitting as President Where he admirably pleaded his Cause but the Attorney General Prideaux over-ruled all and told him the Court was not to take notice of his Law Cases but of his Confession and tho he had Acted no Treason yet he had an Affection for Treason and therefore deserved Death An excellent Mark of the Liberty of the Subject under Usurpers And upon this learned distinction the Bloody Court proceeded to Sentence against him that he should be Beheaded Thus the Will of Usurpers is become Law This Heroick Gentleman suffered accordingly on the 22 d. of August 1650 on Tower-Hill where he dyed with much Constancy Magnanimity and Christianity In October following one Benson involved in the same Design with Collonel Andrews was tryed and Condemned by the aforesaid Tyrannical Court and on the 7 th was Executed being Hanged for his Loyalty At the same time was an Insurrection in Northfolk which being suppressed many suffered for the same in several places In March following the Grandees at Wâ—stminster by the same Arbitrary Power after the Turkish Precedent put to Death the Loyal Sr. Henry Hide before the Exchange It was Crime enough that he was a Royalist and Brother to the afterwards Earl of Clarendon then with the King But his pretended Crime was That he had been an Agent from the King after the Death of his Royal Father to the grand Signior He was bred a Merchant and had a repute amongst the Turkish Company and was by them made their Consul at Morea and this Gentleman the King sent to the Port in order to some private concerns and not for the Confiscation of the Merchants Estates as the people were made to believe but he being there the Visiere was privately tampered with who betray'd him and sent him to England a Prisoner in the Ships thence bound for Smiâ—na in one of which he was brought to London and Committed to the Tower convented before the aforesaid Court by whose Power he was Condemned and Beheaded as aforesaid on the 4 th of March 1650. And now their Hands were in all went to Pot that came in their way the April following Captain Brown Bushell was the next Criminal they Murthered for his Loyalty he had long lain under restraint in the Tower and almost starved for want of Sustinance and at last being put into their Bloody Roll of such as were to be Tryed he was called to their Bar and Condemned But his Wife solicited very hard for a Reprieve which at last hey promised her with which joyful News she repaired to her Husband Comforting themselves together till four a Clock in the Afternoon but had no sooner left him with those flattering Hopes but the Warrant came for his present Execution they finding it seems that he was too well beloved by the Seamen and wree in Fear of him and so about six of the Clock at Night they put him to Death on the Ground under the Scaffold on Tower-Hill which he suffered with much Resolution In the mean time Cromwell was very watchful and Diligent and endeavoured all he could tho not with any success to engage the Scots Army which was drawn up at Sterling where the King was with them But the King having a Design to pass into England waved engaging with as much Care as the other flush'd with Victory and Success sought it who was come within sight of the Scotch Army In Lancashire several expected his coming and were ready to rise upon his approach tho disappointed by the Rumps Vigilancy Cromwell for want of Provisions was forced to remove and attempted to get over to Fife side It was about this time that several rude fits of an Ague shook him so shrewdly that there was an equal engagement of Hopes and Fears on the side of either party of his marching into another world Doctor Write and Dr. Bates two eminent Physicians being sent from London to administer Physick to him being brought very low But at last by the help of these Doctors who had the charge of him by the Junto's order he recovered to the sorrow of the Royal Party At last the English under Collonel Overton with about fifteen or sixteen thousand Foot and four Troopâ— of Horse with much difficulty forced their Landing Cromwell drawing up close to the Scots at the same time with all his Forces with an intention to fall upon their Rere if they should attempt to beat them out of Fife Yet the Scots sent four thousand Horse and Foot under Sir John Brown which Cromwell having notice of sent over Lambert and Okey with two Regiments of Horse and Foot and engaging with him defeated him took him with many others prisoners having slain about two thousand of the Scots This gave the English firm footing in Fife and they easily took in several places on that side the Frith And now the King was necessitated to
ship This was the fourth Engagement The maintaining of this War against the potent Dutch gained such Reputation to these English States as they were called that the French by the Advice of Mazereen sent Monsieur Bourdeaux as an Agent from the French King to acknowledge them This Action of the French gave great distaste to all the King of England's Friends but this Peace with England preserved the Cardinal being in some danger from the Princes of France And now to maintain this War the Junto lay a heavy Tax upon the People of 120000 l. a Month. Monk and Dean being come out of Scotland are joyned with Blake and the Fleet equipping with all Expedition which the Dutch States hearing of sent away to Van-Tromp who was at Sea Conducting home three hundred sail of Merchant men with seventy six men of War and Commanded him to Block up the Thames to hinder the English Fleet from coming forth but to their great Amazement the English got their Ships to Sea and joyning those at Ports-mouth made up eighty sail and over against Portland lay half Seas over expecting the Dutch On the 18 th of February they discry'd them and about eight in the Morning the fight began Blake and Dean who were in the Tryumph with twelve Ships more encounter'd the Gross of the Dutch Fleet but was relieved at last by Lawson who performed his part exceeding Well The Ship in which General Monk was being a slow Sailor could not so soon come up to engage as he would have had it but he had a great share in the Fight and lost many men aboard her This Fight lasted three days and the Triumph wherein two of the Generals were received seven hundred Cannon shot in their Hâ—ll The next day being Saturday and the nineteenth of Feb. 1652. assoon as the English could overtake the Dutch they engaged them again in the Afternoon which was fought with much fury Tromp still endeavouring to save his Merchant Men fought retreating putting them before him but spite of his teeth he lost many of them which were picked up by the English with some of his Men of War The third day in the Morning being the twentieth the fight was again renewed and continued very fierce till four in the Afternoon but the Wind being cross to the English Van Tromp got at last to Callais Sands and so tyded it home The Dutch lost in the three days Fight eleven Men of War and thirteen Merchants Ships and had killed about fifteen hundred Men. The English lost but one Ship but had not many less slain than the Enemy This was the fifth Engagement in which the English got much the better About this time they erected their High Court of Justice in Ireland by which many of the Irish suffered among the rest the noted Rebel Sir Phelim Oneal was hanged at Dublin The year 1652 being worn out and the Dutch being by their several losses humbled the King's Party crushed and impoverished now the Tax for the maintenance of the Dutch War coming in and filling the Treasury 120000 pounds every month the State owned by the French and himself caressed privately by Mazareen with whom he had secret intelligence but what was more the arbitrary Junto perfectly hated by the People he thought it now a convenient time to step into the Throne and to usurp the supreme â—ower and Authority and to take the Government into his own hands To this end he holds several Consults with the Officers of the Army and much fasting and praying there was among them an extraordinary Work being to be done Cromwell cajol'd them all Lambert was deceiv'd in his hopes of succeeding Oliver which he had made him to believe he intended Harrison was for pulling these old Representatives out of their Seats to make way for the Rule of the Saints Cromwell knew how to please them all that he might by them work his ends All the Party Harrison could make among the Congregations of Feak Rogers Simson and the rest of that Gang were for Cromwell and all impatient to have the Parliament outed and to help forward there came forth dayly from the Army Petitions Addresses Remonstrances and such like Papers for putting an end to this Parliament But notwithstanding all the specious pretences for the putting an end to this Parliament many of the Officers very well perceived the drift of Cromwell and what all would end in viz. his getting the Monarchy into his own hands which troubled them much and some of them made open protests against it for they that could not endure the Rule of a single person in their Lawful Prince could much less endure to be tyrannized over by the arbitrary power of their equal The chief of them that opposed his design were Collonel Venables Scout-Master-General Downing Major Streater and others Streater went about to give his Reasons to the contrary telling them that Cromwell design'd to set up himself and that it was a betraying of their most glorious Cause for which so much Blood had been spilt but Harrison interrupted him and told him that he was assured the General did not seek himself in it and did it to make way for the Rule of Jesus that he might have the Scepter To whom Streater replyed That unless Christ came very suddenly he would come too late For this opposition Cromwell looks on him as his mortal Enemy and claps him up into the Gate-House The Junto was very sensible of these Actings but knew not which way to prevent them yet they did what they could to make these Officers understand the inconveniences that would happen by a sudden dissolving them and that it would be the only way to preserve the Nation to fill up the House with new elected Members which would please the people and their Acts would be received with greater Authority But the Army answered them they were grown so carnal and corrupt that the people of God could expect no good from them and that they would take care that the supreme Government of the Land should be placed in the hands of such as truly feared God and were of approved integrity These Debates between the Parliament and the Army spun out some time at the Junto went about cunningly to secure themselves by preparing an Act for the filling up their House wherein such speed was made that it was near passing the House Cromwell being nettled resolves to stay no longer and to his Council of Officers he shewed That if they should let the people to chuse new Representatives it was a tempting of God who would save them by the hands of a few as in former times and that five or six godly upright men might do more in one day than the Parliament had done or would do in a hundred Upon this he takes with him Lambert Harrison and about eight more Officers of the Army and on the three and twentieth day of April 1653 he enters the House and there after a short
Speech shewing them some reasons for the necessity of their being dissolved he peremptorily declared them to be dissolved But the Speaker refusing to leave the Chair Cromwell began to huff and fall into a passion telling them they were a company of drunkards whoremasters Hipocrites Knaves and Oppressors and commanded that the Bauble the Mace should be took from them and no more carried before them and Harrison taking the Speaker by the Arm lifted him out of his Chair and having thus turned them out of doors he lock'd them up and set a Guard of Soldiers at them and at all the Avenues that they might not meet again in that place and thus exeunt Tyranni one Devil driving out another to make way at last for their Lawful Prince This done Cromwell returning to his Council of Officers told them of his Exploit and let them know that now they must go hand in hand with them and justifie it by their lives and fortunes they having advised him to it He told them that when he went to the House he did not think to do it but perceiving the Spirit of God so strongly upon him he would no longer consult Flesh and Blood for the Parliament intended to have perpetuated themselves This Action of his tho arbitrary illegal and tyrannical was generally applauded by all sorts of people these Rumpers were grown so very odious by their tyrannick Usurpation And the King's Friends both at home and abroad were not a little joyful to see this Turn and to behold them dethroned and trampled on even in the midst of their Laurels obtained for their Victories over the Dutch Grievous Muttering they kept for this violence done to them by their Servant as they stiled him thinking it none when he did the like to those secluded Members that would not vote with them against the King but as mad as they were they saw no help for it and it was not possible for them to get together tho they would not own themselves dissolved and thus our usurping Junto went out like a Snuff with a Stink smelling very unsavourly in the Nostrils of the whole Nation Thus far have I traced out to you the Lines of the Image of Arbitrary and Tyrannick Usurpation and how ugly and grim a Representation it is you who have seen it truly delineated may judge You have seen this Titular Parliament unjustly seize upon the Government by murthering their King and against all Laws thrust out two of the States of the Land the Lords Spiritual first and then the Lords temporal and having now grasp'd the Government with rapacious hands with the like Injustice and Arbitrariness turn the greater part of their own Members out of Doors and rule by a few bloody and tyrannical Usurpers You have likewise seen after what manner they have swayed the three Nations by their own Arbitrary Wills and Pleasures as so many lawless Tyrants upholding an Army only to cut the Peoples Throats and to over-awe them burthening them with Taxes and oppressing them with a standing Army and free Quarter taking away their lives by an Arbitrary Court of Justice contrary to the known Laws of the Land and robbing and spoiling all men of their Estates that opposed them filling the Jayls thorowout the three Kingdoms with Prisoners The Liberties of the Subject overthrown Magna Charta and all the Laws and Ancient Constitutions of Parliaments trodden under foot and disregarded so as no man could call any thing his own And in fine all the People of England made Slaves by these the Keepers of their Liberties so that it was no wonder that there was a general rejoycing at their fall tho as yet it was but out of the Frying-pan into the Fire having exchanged two hundred Tyrants for one as Lawless Boundless and Arbitrary as they or a Rump for an Oliver I should now proceed to give a further Display of this Arbitrary and Tyrannical Government under the Usurpation of Oliver Cromwell who had pull'd these down only to set up himself but before I enter upon it I think it will not be ungrateful to the Reader and not impertinent to my Design to shew you what a sort of men these were who had thus long usurped by a brief Character of some of the chiefest of them and what benefit they made of their pretended Godliness giving one another Estates out of the Kings Queens Bishops Deans and Chapters and Delinquents Lands And I will begin with Oliver Cromwell the Lucifer of the rest who out-witted them all and ruled by himself with greater Power and more absolute Sway than ever any Monarch of England did He was very well descended of a Knightly Family in the County of Huntington being born in S. John's Parish in the Town of Huntington the twenty fifth of April 1599 being the Son of Mr. Robert Cromwell who was the third Son of Sir Henry Cromwell a Gentleman of great worth honored and beloved in Court and Country whose eldest Son Sir Oliver Cromwell a Gentleman well known for his Loyalty and Uncle to this our Oliver was his God-father and gave him his Name His Mother was thâ—â— Daughter of Sir Richard Steward of Ely They therefore were much mistaken who said he was the Son of a Brewer tho indeed his Mother even in his Father's Life-time did manage a Brew-House by their Servants and after her Husbands death continued the same as an honest means of Livelyhood the Patrimony of a younger Brother being but small He was observed in his Youth to be ambitious willful and head-strong which improved with his years and always and upon all occasions exercised the Impostor under the mask of Hypocrisie However he was bred at School where he got some smattering in the Rudiments of Learning but was so violent and head-strong and so very prone to robbing Orchards and Dove-Houses that he grew the terror of the Country and past his Tutor's Correction It was about that time he dream'd he should be King of England if it were not more than a Dream a suggestion of some evil Spirit for he would often confidently report it in his Youth tho rebuked by his Father for it and flash'd by his Master Dr. Bernard for his constant avouching it And acting in a Play in the School going beyond his Cue he took a Crown and put it on his own Head and as if inspired spake some big words with great authority Thence he was translated to Cambridge where he was more noted for Foot-ball Cudgelling and Wrestling than for his Studies to which he little gave his mind and after his Father's death left the University and returning home fell to all manner of Licentiousness and Debauchery and grew so distastful to his Mother and Neighbourhood that she sent him away to London and enters him into Lincolns-Inn intending to make him a Lawyer but finding this place not agreeable to his humor he stayed not long before he returned back into the Country where he fell to his
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
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
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
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
3 d. July 1649. his Arrears amounting to 25000 l. order'd him and 1000 l. per annum Land to be setled upon him and his Heirs To Collonel Feilder 1300 l. To Scobel their Clark once a poor Clark in Chancery and wrot for 2 d. a sheet a Pension of 500 l. a year and an Employment in the sale of publiâ—k Lands worth 1000 l. a year and 6 s. 8 d Fee for every Order taken forth More given to Bradshaw Somerhill belonging to the Earl of St. Alben's To the Lord Brohill 2000 l. I am afraid I have tyred my Reader in going about to enumerate the many Gifts they order'd one to another but tho I might name much more this may suffice to shew what this Parliament did with the Kingdoms monies to gratifie one another and to share the prey among themselves of the Kingdom who groaned under Taxes and of the Kings Queens Princes and Bishops Lands of Malignants Estates Composition Excise c. The like never was read in History and therefore you may not wonder that these men should be so unwilling to leave their Seats and disband but to sit to advantage themselves if they could By what you have read it plainly appears also what sort of men they were most of them or very many of them of the scum of the people upstarts of mechanical breeding sordid covetous Wretches Hypocrites pretending Religion and making Godliness their gain I have done with them and shall name but one or two more Dr. Dorislaus who was Kill'd in Holland had been formerly a poor School-Master in Holland whence he came to Oxford and read the History-Lecture there in which he then decry'd Monarchy was complained of and forgiven by the King's Benignity He then became Judge-Advocate in the King's Army against the Scots and had the like Employ afterwards against the King under Essex and then under Fairfax gaining well in his employment and by that of drawing up the bloody Charge against the King for which some Cavaliers some say Irish others Scotch-men in revenge of Hamilton's Death kill'd him His Wife and Children had allowances by the Parliament but I cannot here forbear to mention Haselrig's bloody proposition upon his Death who moved That six Gentlemen of the best quality Royalists might be put to Death in Revenge of Dorislaus to deter men from the like attempt hereafter This was a Rumper's Justice and may serve for his Character a blind Zealot furious hot-headed rash unjust and an hypocrite a great Commonwealths-man and an Enemy to Oliver Harison was a Fifth Monarchy-man a great Speaker after his Canting way acted with Cromwell till he saw he set up himself instead of King Jesus and his Saints such as himself then a stiff Opposer of Monarchy and would again have brought in Anarchy and Confusion a man of no extraordinary Parts but resolute and turbulent ever heading a faction and dyed impenitent adhering to his wicked Principles Lambert was a good Soldier had a great designing head Ambitious but outwitted by Cromwell of great Power in the Army and beloved by the factious Sectaries some have thought he was then a Papist for he prov'd one since and carried on the Jesuits designs Fleetwood was a person of a pretended great Devotion but of a secret and violent Ambition and it was thought glad of Richard's fall hoping to succeed but fool'd by Lambert as well as formerly by Cromwell and though General had not the resolution of a man in his place and therefore called the meek Knight Jones was a flattering Sycophant Desborow a sordid Clown Pride an upstart Dray-man Hewson a Valiant Cobler Whaly a Merchant Sir Henry Mildmay an unworthy Turncoat and Rebel The rest much of the same stamp They had their Clergy too of the same Cloth as the Post-Priest Vavasor Powel the Fool Cradock The Incendiary John Goodwin Love Jenkins of both sorts Presbyterians and Independents who served their turns to trumpet forth Sedition to the People and to extoll their Acts for which they shared in the prey But above all the rest was the notorious and blasphemous wretch Pander and Buffoon Hugh Peters and because he was Chaplain in Ordinary to two great Potentates Lucifer and Oliver Cromwell I care not if I give you a little larger account of the man His Father was a Minister of the Church of England living near Foy in Cornwales where his Son Hugh was born and bred up by him at School instructed well in the Principles of the Protestant Religion sent thence to Cambridge and admitted into Jesus College but was soon Expelled the University for his lacivious life He gets to London and there turns Player in Shakespear's Company usually acting the Jester or Fool but weary of that by means of a Gentleman he became acquainted with he got a Free-School with the Stipend of 24 l. a year at the Gentleman's dispose in Essex After some time this Pedant growing familiarly acquainted with a Gentlewoman near who liked his Drolling discourse and used to entertain him being one that had an Estate he so ordered his business that he one night surprised her in Bed and getting in to her had a Comrade that came and surprised them before the strugling Gentlewoman could get forth of his Arms who saluting them Man and Wife caused the trepanned Woman to avoid the shame to consent to marry him After this he takes Holy Orders and was by Doctor Mountaine Bishop of London Ordained Priest and Deacon giving the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy to him which he took And now beginning to Preach he grows popular and was much applauded among the females whom he ever sought to please so that he got to be Lecturer of St. Sepulchres in London and continued there near Twenty years Here he turns Independent and his Wife being dead he lead so beastly and scandalous life that being detected and prosecuted at Law for many Misdemeanors he flyes over to Amsterdam where continuing the like pranks he goes at last to New-England where he Marries another Wife but that not keeping him Chast he began to grow odious amongst the Brethren and the Wars then breaking forth in England he returns and is entertained as a rideing Parson in the Army and at last becomes the Parliaments great Zany Preaching for the Cause and jugling the Women out of their Thimbles and Bodkins by which means he became Oliver's great Privado and with Ireton was admitted of the Cabal in contriving his late Majestie 's Death for which and his other good Services being a Col. under Oliver in his Irish Expedition he had given him 300 l. per annum out of the Lord Worcester's Lands in the Woulds in Worcester-shire and as they say the King's Library at St. James's and was Chaplain in Pay to fix Regiments But at last had a more deserved Reward an Halter being taken in Southwark was at last Executed for his Treasons and dyed like a Sot I shall conclude with him and now proceed to the second
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
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
the one for an Assessment the other for the Militia and past some Acts concerning Ministers Lastly they consult about dissolving themselves to which the Rump party were very unwilling and therefore many of them intended to be absent when that business should be debated because they would not give their consent But the others smelling their design watched a convenient time and issuing out writs in the name of the Keepers of the Liberties c. for a full and free Parliament to convene on the 25th of April following saveing to the House of Lords their Rights notwithstanding the Commons in this Juncture had been necessitated to proceed without them They upon Friday the 16th of March 1659 when the greatest number of the Rumpers were present dissolve themselves by Act. Thus was an undenyable Period put to this Tragical long Parliament by their own Vote tho' it was legally ipso facto dissolved before by the Death of King Charles the 1st whose writs had summoned them together But before they dissolved themselves they settled a new Council of State to govern in the intervall of the Parliaments and abrogated the Oath of Abjuration and the â—ormer Council The chief of these were General George Monk General Mountague Mr. Annesly President the Lord Fairfax Sir William Waller Mr. Hollis Pierpoint Rossiter Saint-Johns Widdrington Sir Anthony Ashly-Cooper and others to the number of thirty in all who behaved themselves with much circumspection setting forth a Proclamation against all disturbers of the Peace either in Action or Speech and tendring an Engagement for peaceable demeanor to be subscribed by such as they suspected which Lambert refusing was committed to the Tower disarming the Phanaticks every where they purged the Army of Schismatical Officers and Soldiers taking care of the Garisons Overton a Fifth-Monarchy-Man was removed out of his Government of Hull and Collonel Charles Fairfax was placed in his Room Collonel Rich made some stir about St. Edmunds-bury but Collonel Rich. Ingoldsby quieted his Soldiers and seised him and thereupon was restored to that Regiment from whose Command the Wallingfordians had put him by when they degraded young Cromwell Thus ended the Arbitrary and Tyranical Usurpation of the Rumpers by the great providence of God and the good Genius of Englands means in raising up the Great and Renowned Monk to be a Saviour to his Nation and to reduce the Monarchy to its legal antient and happy state again and that the torrent of violence and Arbitrary Tyrany that had so variously over-run and spoiled the Land might be lost and sunk into the Earth whence it sprung and the Stream of Government bounded by Laws and ancient Customs might again run in its right Course and ancient Channel from whence it had been diverted And now I should conclude having fully finished my Draught or Picture of Arbitrary and Tyranical Government which I have taken from the Life being the true History and Resemblance of the Monster now so much feared and which no Man that is a lover of the Peace of this Nation and that hath his Sence and Reason can behold with out Horror and Indignation and resolve in himself tâ— suffer much rather than to run the hazard of raising up this Ghost to the raine of three Kingdoms and the Lives and Estates of so many persons as must be devoured for dayly food to maintain the Life of such a Monster the remembrance of which moved by the sight of this very Picture of it is enough to affright I shall therefore only as the last touches to this piece shew you as it were the last struggle or gasp for Life of the overthrown Monster and so finish my Design and that in few words Lambert whether by neglect or Treachery of his Keepers is not known escapes out of the Tower and soon after appears in Arms with a party of his Cashired Officers and Soldiers once more to embroil the Nation but he was proclaimed Traitor and the whole Nation beginning to hope for a setled Peace were unanimously bent to aid the General if need were against him He had chosen Edg-Hill near Keinton in Warwick-shire for the place of his Rendezvouz hopeing it would prove as Ominous to the Royal Interest as it had done before and in all probability there would have been a great Conflâ—ence of all sorts of Sectaries to him in a short space and he was not without hope that if the old Soldiers were sent against him many of them would turn to him but he was eagerly pursued by some parties of Horse and Foot and Collonel Charles Howard had almost overtaken him but it was Collonel Ingoldsby's good hap to light upon him near Daventry in Northampton-shire where Lambert was surprized with a strange Consternation and durst not engage tho he was nothing inferior in numbers to the others which his followers observing some of them went over to his pursuers others slunk away and himself taken by Colonel Ingoldsby the 22d of April 1660. and with Collonel Cobbet Major Creod and Captain Hazâ—erig son to Sir Arthur was sent up to London and two days after passing by Hide-Park he saw 20000 Horse and Foot of the City Regiments and Auxiliaries there Training with divers of the Nobility and Gentry of the Nation trailing Pikes voluntarily among them and the same day he was committed to the Tower This ended â—owards the setling of the Peace of the Nation His Excellency had wrought his Officers to declare they would with him acquiesce in the Resolves of the Parliament appointed to meet the 25th of April 1660. who accordingly met the Lords and Peers in the upper-house taking their places by virtue of their Birth-right who soon according to the whole Nations expectations and Prayers restored his Maâ—esty to his Right his Crown and Dignity the Nobility to their ancient Birthrights and Priviledges the People to their property freedom and liberties and the Laws to their ancient course and boundaries the three Kingdoms rejoycing and a long Peace quietness and tranquillity succeeding which yet is grateful to the memory of all Loyal and good Subjects therefore however of late our old Jealousies and fears are increased by our secret Adversaries yet let all people remember what hath past and by viewing this Picture of the most horrid and devouring Dragon called Arbitrary and Tyrannical Vsurpation let them abhor it and beware of falling under the same power and into the same snare by any specious or colourable Pretence whatsoever and continually pray that the Peace of the Nation may be continued with the Life of his most Gracious Majesty whom the King of Kings preserve both in the Throne and in the Hearts of his people Amen Vpon the late STORME and of the DEATH of his HIGNNESS ensuing the same by Mr. Waller WE must resign Heaven his great Soul do's claime In stormes as loud as His Immortall Fame His dying groanes his last Breath shakes our Isle And trees uncut fall for His Funerall Pile About his
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