Worcester's Mannor at Hartlerow Sir Arthur Haslerig had the Bishop of Durham's House Park and Mannor of Aukeland and 6500 l. in money given him Lord Gray of Grooby had the Queens mannor House Park and Lands at Hâ—ldenby Sir Will. Constable restored to Lands sold to Sir Marmaduke Langly worth 25000 l. Sir Will. Purefoy had given him 1500 l. Wal. Long 5000 l. given him Michael Oldsworth keeper of Windsor Park and had a share out of Sir Will. Compton's Office worth 3000 l. a year divided betwixt him and his Lord. Tho. Scot a Brewers Clark had Lambeth House Mr. Ashurst 1000 l. given him besides every Member of the House which was when full 516 Persons by their own order allow'd themselves 4 l. per. week a man which amounts to 110000 l. per annum They gave to Collonel Hâ—mond Governour of the Isle of Wight for his Table 20 l. a week a 1000 l. in money and 500 l. a year Land Collonel Mitton 5000 l. in mony Cornelius Hâ—lland a poor Boy and waited on Sir Hen. Vain when Comptrouler of the Princes House Made Commissioner for the Revenue of the King Queen and Prince Farmer of the Kings feeding Grounds in Buckinghamshire worth 2000 l. per annum at 200 l. per annum Rent Possessor of Somerset-house Keeper of Richmond House Commissioner for the Garrisons of White-Hall and the Mews an Office in the Mint which enabled him to give 5000 l. with his Daughter this was one of the Kings Judges Sir Hen. Vain Senior had the Bishop of Durham's mannor and Park at Evenwood and had given him 5000 l. and was Chair-man of the Kings Queens and Princes Revenue Sir Hâ—n Vain Junior a subtil Cunning pated Man a fifth Monarchy-man he was made Treasurer of the Navy worth 6000 l. a year Sir Tho. Trenchard given him 1200 l. He marries his Daughter to a Malignant gives security for the Payment of the portion being 1200 l. gets his Son in Law sequestred discovers the Debt and haâ—h it given him for his Fidelity to the State A new way to pay Portions Will. Bingham Governour of Pool had 1000 l. given him To Collonel Joh. Sydenham 1000 l. Joh. Glyn Recorder of London was Clark of the Polls worth 1000 l. per annum and afterwards Lord Chief Justice Joh. Bell an Apothecary beng intrusted with money was sued and said he could not answer without breach of Parliament Sir Walter Earl Collonel of Horse and Lieutenant of the Ordnance worth in times of Peace 1000 l. per annum in War 5000 l. per annum Alderman Atkins Treasurer at War Gregory Clemens a Merchant and one of the Kings Judges John Rowles had given him one thousand five hundred pound out of Sir John Worsenham's Estate Edward Ash a Woollen-Dâ—â—per Treasurer for the providing of Cloaths for the Irish Souldiers Sir John Danvers by a Parliamentary proceeding overthrew his Brothers Will and got the Estate worth 30000 l. Hen. Herbert given him 3000 l. and the Plunder of Ragland Castle To Fenwick 500 l. Gilbert Millingâ—on 1000 l. and Chair-mâ—n to the Committee of plundred Ministers To the two Darbys 5000 l. Robert Cecil Son to the Earl of Salisbury Collonel of Horse Serjeant Wild a Judge a 1000 l. given him after the Hanging of Captain Burley out of the Privy Purse and it is said he had 1000 l. more after the aquital of Mr. Rolf who was accused for an intention of murthering the late King Of the City several Aldermen Common-Councel and others who had great Benefits by this Parliament some of whom were of it John Warner Lord Major was one of the Treasurers of War and Treasurer of the receit of all Monies due upon the Ordinance of 3 d. August 1643. Treasurer of the loan money Purchased the Arch-Bishop of York's best House Castle and Mannot of Caywoood Sir John Wooleston Alderman Treasurer of War Treasurer for Plate Treasurer for loan Money Say-Master of the Mint Trustee of the sail of Bishops Lands Purchased the Bishop of London's Land at High-Gate Alderman Gibbs got seven or eight thousand pounds by melting the Plate and Bodkins at Guild-Hall one of the Treasurers for 20000 l. to pay the Scots a Trustee for Bishops Lands and Treasurer for Rents and Monies raised by them Alderman Fowks a Commissioner for the Customs refused to account upon Oath because of a tender Conscience Treasurer for the payment of Wagoners a Trustee for Bishops Lands and Controuler of their Accounts had first 200 pound per annum and after by their Additional Ordinance 300 per annum more standing Fee Alderman Pennington was Lieutenant of the Tower being intrusted with 6000 pound discovers it to the Parliament beggs it and had it granted Alderman Pack Commissioner for the Customs Treasurer at War and bought the Bishop of Lincoln's House and Mannor at Bugden Alderman Andrews Treasurer at War and Commissioner for the Customs Alderman Avery Commissioner for the Customs Treasurer for Sequestrations and Trustee for the sale of Bishops Lands Alderman Culham Commissioner of the Excise worth 1200 pound per annum Alderman Foot the same Alderman Edmonds the same Owen Roe Lieutenant Collonel and keeper of the Magazeen for stores Alderman Dothwick Treasurer at War With many more too long to be named They allowed for their Military Officers a Collonel of Foot 30 s. day a Lieutenant Collonel 15 s. a Major 9 s. a Captain 15 s. A Collonel of Horse 30 s. a day for himself and for six Horses 21 s. a day a Lieutenant Collonel 15 s. a day for himself and for six Horses 21 s. a Captain of Horse 24 s. a day and for six Horses 21 s. a day A Collonel Lieutenant Collonel and Major received their Captains pay beâ—â—des So that it was no wonder so many of the Parliament men got Commands in the Army It was thought that there was near twenty Millions shared in Lands Revenues Incomes and money amongst them To Bradshaw their President of their High Court of Justice the Kings House and Parks at Eltham was given and to Bultrode Withlock Greenwich Barksted Lieutenant of the Tower a poor Goldsmith bought at two or three years purchase as much Bishops Lands as cost 10000 l. Mr. Boon who they say had been a Tapster a Member of the House had given him 6000 l. To Harry Martin 3000 l. To Blackstone's Wife and Children 3000 l. out of the Earl of Nâ—w-Castle and Lord Withâ—rington's Estates and 500 l. to his brother Upon the General out of the Lands of the Duke of Buckingham's Estate and his Brothers the Lord Francis Villers 4000 l. per annum Clarendon Park bestow'd on the Earl of Pembroke 4868 l. to the Lord Lisle To Bradshaw more 2000 l. Land per annum and 1000 l. in money Cook for Acting the part of Attorny General against the late King had bestowed on him St. Crosses Hospital The new Park in Surry bestowed on the Citty that they might not want Venison Collonel Martin's account brought into the House
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
was interwoven with the Laws and was most necessary to be assumed For that the Title ought to be accommodated to the Laws not the Laws to it as they must if he continued the name of Protector That new titles were ever suspected and that the name of Protector had still been unfortunate to the Kingdom and to themselves That it being given him by the Soldiers it smelt too much of Conquest That the Roman Empire never thrived so well but was alwâ—ys full of confusion under the titles of Consuls Dictators or Prince of the Senate as it did under the title of Kings untill Caesar came to settle the Empire they also lay'd before him the reasons for the changing the Title of Lord to King of Ireland in the time of King Henry the 8 th for the better and more regular Government of the Nation But their main Argument was drawn from the Statutes of 9 Edw. 5. and 3 H. 7. by which all persons were indemnified that took up Arms for the King in being and would be a great security to himself and the people to have it thus setled upon him by Act of Parliament But for all this for the Reasons aforesaid his fears surmounted his Ambition he at last gave them a peremptory Refusal telling them that it was against his Conscience and that he could not offend so many Godly men and Officers of the Army who had declared against the title and office of King but he desired that the Title of Protector and the Government by a single person might be confirmed by consent of this Parliament Upon this his refusal which was cryed up as a great Vertue and sign of his Humility the Parliament confirm him in his former title and dignity and an explanatory part to the Petition and Advice was prepared in respect of the Protector 's Oath his Counsels Members of the House of Commons and of the other House as they called it instead of the House of Lords which were to sit and to consist of 60 odd Lords of Cromwell's making The chief heads of the Petition and Advice were 1. That he should exercise the Office of Chief Magistrate under the Title of Protector of England Scotland and Ireland and to govern according to the Petition and Advice and that in his life-life-time he should appoint his Successor 2. That a Parliament should be called every three years at farthest and that it should consist of two Houses 3. That the Members of Parliament legally chosen should not be secluded the House but by consent of the House notwithstanding this he did not re-admit the secluded Members of this House which he had cast out 4. Shewed certain qualifications for the Members to be chosen 5. The power of the other House was declared 6. That no Law should be altered repealed or made but by Act of Parliament 7. That the constant yearly Revenue of the Army and Navy be setled and that to be a Million of Pounds Sterling and 300000 l. more for the support of the Government besides other Temporary supplies as the House of Commons should see necessary and fit 8. That the Protector 's Council should not exceed the number of 21 nor to be under 9 and 7 of them to be a Quorum 9. That the chief Officers of State to be chosen or approved by the Parliament 10. That his Highness should incourage a Godly Ministry 11. That the Protestant Religion should be professed and that he should cause a Confession of Faith to be made and that none should be permitted to reproach it or revile it by words or writings With some other matters of less importance With this the aforementioned Acts with an Act for Assessment of 60000 l. a month for three months Another Money Act for 50000 l. for England 6000 l. for Scotland and 9000 l. for Ireland with some others concerning Trade were presented to Cromwell to Sign by the Parliament To whom returning them many thanks he said That he perceived that among those many Acts they had made that they had taken great care to provide for the just and necessary support of the Common-wealth by those Bills for Levying of Money and understanding that it had been formerly the practice of the chief Governours to acknowledge with thanks to the Commons their care and regard to the Publick therefore he very heartily thank'd them and acknowledged their kindness therein And after he had signed these Bills and the Petition and Advice and Articles therein He told them That he had undertaken one of the greatest burthens that ever was laid upon the back of any humane creature and therefore he asked their help and prayers to God that he might have the divine Assistance for the discharging of this great trust And that for his part nothing should have induced him to have taken upon him this unsupportable burthen to flesh and blood but that he had seen in the Parliament a great care of those things that might make clearly for the Liberty of the Nations and for the Interest of such as feared God And if that the people were not thank full to them for their great care it would fall as a sin upon their heads With much more of the same nature This being done they prepare for the Solemnity of his Inauguration or Investure anew for though he was before solemnly inaugurated into the Protectorate as you have heard according to the Instrument yet it was thought fit that it should be done again for the greater confirmation of the business because the Articles of this Petition and Advice were different from the former Instrument For now there was to be another House and whereas before his Council was to name his Successor he had now power to doe it himself so that he was an absolute Monarch and might leave the Succession to his Son if he pleased A Committee being appointed for this purpose on the 26 th of June 1657 before a great assembly of people and with much more Ceremony than before he was installed in Westminster-Hall under a great Canopy of State in great pomp and much magnificence too long for me here to relate the Great Seal being carried by the Lord Commissioner Fiennes and the Sword by the Earl of Warwick The City Sword by the Lord Mayor Tichbourn all bare-headed The Dutch and French Ambassadors being also present The Speaker of the House of Commons presenting him with a Robe of Purple Velvet a Bible a Sword and a Sceptre making a Speech to him in presenting them Telling him that the Purple Robe was an Emblem of Magistracy and imported Righteousness and Justice The Bible containing the Holy Scriptures was Christ Veiled and Revealed and contained both Precepts and Examples for good Government The Sceptre not unlike a Staff was to shew he was to be the Staff of the poor and weak of ancient use for that the Scripture says The Sceptre should not depart from Judah and that Kings and Princes were called by Homer
of Clouts or in Show or a meer Duke of Venice Then their own Declaration printed and published shewed how well Arbitrariness thrived when they owned That their Votes were not to be questioned either by King or People That no Precedents could bound their proceedings That the Soveraign Power resides in the two Horses That the King hath no negative Voyce That a levying War against the personal Commands of the King tho he were present is not a levying War against the King but that a levying War against his Laws and Authority is levying War against the King which was levying War against them That Treason could not be committed against the person of the King otherwise then he was intrusted That they had power to judge of his Actions and whether he discharged his trust or not and that they were only judges of the Law Their Arbitrary putting to death of Yeomans and Boucher at Bristol and others at London for endeavouring to shew their Royalty to their King and Acting against them and their illegal Authority Voting and making a new Seal and breaking all the Kings old Seals Privy Signets of the King's bench Exchequer Court of Wards Admiralty c. Beheading of several persons by a Court martial against Law and Equity Putting Arch-Bishop Laud to Death after four years Imprisonment Their taking the Scotch solemn League and Covenant for the Extirpation of Episcopacy and the alteration of Religion â—sâ—â—blished by Law contrâ—ry to Law and according to their own illegal and Arbitrary proceedings With many more Acts of the same nature which plainly declared to all the World how far they had deviated from their first more plausible Pretexts But all this while I say by the Kings great Concession in yielding to pass that Act which wrought him so much Mischief they seemed to have a shadow of Power from the King and acted as an House tho contrary to the King the Laws of the Land the Liberty of the Subject and against Equity Conscience and Religion But now after the King had been delivered up to them from the Scots and that they had subdued all his Forces and Garrisons Ragland Castle in Wales being the last that held out for his Majesty then they shewed their power more manifestly and that their Intentions were to usurp the Regal Authority altogether having thus far tasted the sweetness of it and thrived in their Rebellion On the 4 th of June 1647. a Party of Horse under Cornet Joyce seized the King at Holdenby where he was under restraint by the Parliaments order and Carried him away to the Army and thence by them brought to Hampton Court about the middle of August where both the Parliament and Army make to him their several unjust Proposals after the insolent manner of Victors which the King could in no ways grant being contrary to his Conscience his Crown and Dignity At the same time the Independant Officers of the Army kept their chief Cabals at Putnâ—y where it was proposed among them That it was not safe for them nor the Kingdom to grant any Power to the King That it was not for them to set up a Power which God had determined to pull down That the power of Kings was grown a burthen to the Nation and that the reason of all their Distractions in their Counsels was from their Compliance to save that man of Bood and to uphold the Tyranny which God by their many Successes had declared against Where also Major General Harrison made a speech pressing them to the taking off the King Who having notice of these wicked Agitators Actions makes his escape from Hampton Court leaving a Letter behind him intending to get over to the Islâ— of Jersey but being in the Isle of Wight he put himself under the Protection of Collonel Hammond a Parliament man and Governour there who sending â—otice thereof to the Parliament they Vote That he should be continued in the Castle of Cowes That no Malignants shall stay in the Island That no Delinquent or Forreigner should be permitted to come to him without the Parliaments leave That five Thousand pounds should be advanced for his Accommodation and That tâ—eâ— would consider who should attend his Person In the mean time the Independent party of the Army cause a Mutiny which tho quelled by the Industry of Cromwel and his Son-in-Law Ireton yet it caused them to alter their Councels and to joyn with them against the Parliament and all accommodation whatsoever with the King The King sends a Letter to the Parliament from the Isle of Wight dated November 18. 1647. superscribed to the Speaker of the House of Lords to be communicated to the House of Commons In which he granted for Peace-sake the setling of Presâ—ytery for three years And the Militia in the hands of the Parliament during his Reign with a Proviso by Patent that then it should return again to his Successors And also that they should have the Choice of his Privy Councellors and desired earnestly to have with them a personal treaty in London After a long debate upon this Letter the Commissioners of Scotland also pâ—â—ssing them to comply with the Kings just desires on the 26 th of November they concluded That four Previous Acts should be drawn up and sent to the King to which if he would sign they Voted That they then would admit of a personal Treaty with him These unreasonable Proposals drawn into form of Acts were these First an Act for raising settling and maintaining Forces by Sea and Land c. In which they fully and wholly divested the King of the Militia his 〈◊〉 and Successors for ever and gave an unlimitted power to the two houses to raise what Forces they please for Land or Sea and of what persons they please and what Money they please to maintain them The second was that all Declarations Oaths Proclamations against the Parliament might be recalled or against all or any that adhered to them The third an Act that those Peers that were made after the great Seal was carried away from the Parliament might be made uncapable of sitting in the house of Peers And lastly That Power may be given to the two Houses to adjourn themselves as they think fit By these you may easily perceive to what height they were come of all unreasonableness These were presented to the King at Carisbrook Castle in the Isle of Wight on the 24 th of December 1647 by the Earl of Denby the Lord Mountague Lisle Goodwin Bunkley and Kemp Commissioners from both Houses of Parliament The King it may well be thought having no desire to dethrone himself and enslave his Subjects refused the Bills and desired to Treat personally sending them his reasons in Writing Whereupon Sr. Tho. wroth moves the House That the King who had Acted like a Mad man should be secured in some inland Castle with sure Guards That Articles of Impeachment should be drawn up against him That he should be wholly lay'd by
James's in woman apparel and landed safe at Dort in Holland and about the same time several Petitions came to the Parliament and especially one from the County of Essex which supplicate That the Army might be paid off and Disbanded and the King admitted to a personal Treaty Surry and the City of London followed with the like and the Affections of the People began to appear and were ready to fly to Arms. The Kentish men being up ten Thousand strong were routed by General Fairfax the Earl of Norwich who headed them with five hundred men crossed over the Thames into Essex and Sr. Charles Lucas joyning him with 200 thousand men they possessed themselves of Cholchester which became the seat of War and endured a famous Siege Also at the same time a part of the Navy revolted to the Prince who having attempted to help his Father in vain was forced to retire into Holland with his Fleet. Then the Earl of Holland the Earl of Peterborough and others Head a fresh Insurrection at Kingston upon Thames where they were routed the Earl of Holland taken and the Lord Francis Villers the Duke of Buckingham's Brother slain Affairs standing in this Posture the Scots are much displeased tho they had many fair Offers made them by the Parliament Concerning the Payment of money yet due to them and on the 24 th day of July they passed an Ordinance to establish the Presbyterian Government in England and Ireland under Classical Provincial and Parochial Assemblies to please them yet all would not do for they Voted in Scotland a War with England and published a Declaration wherein they propose That the King may come to London or to some of his Houses near with safety That those who had Carried him away might make Satisfaction or be punished for it That the Army under the Lord Fairfax might be disbanded That Presbytery be setled and Sectaries punished That all members of the House might be restored Upon this Berwick was surprised Forces came out of Ireland and many rise in the North for the King Carlisle is seized and their Forces increased under Sr. Marmaduke Langdale Sr. Thomas Glenham Sr. Philip Musgrave and others to the number of three Thousand Horse and foot Sr. Marmaduke Langdale is made their General And on the 13 th of July the Scots enter with an Army into England under Duke Hamilton with whom Langdale joyns and beats Lambert at Appleby Several places declared for the King and all things seemed in an hopeful way when Cromwell having quieted wales marches with his Army to Preston in Lancathire to give a stop to Hamilton who was about twenty Thousand strong with the English Lambert joyns with Cromwell and make up a Body of about twelve Thousand on the 17 th of August both Armies Face one another and the battel being begun on the English side after two hours dispute the Scots gave ground and were most fiercely pursued by the English and Totally routed multitudes of them being taken but Hamilton escaped to Nantwich with three Thousand horse where the Countrey being up in Armes seized upon most of them and at last Hamilton himself was taken at uloxeter by the Lord Gray of Grooby the Scots Ensigm Cornets and Colours then taken were afterwards hung up in Westminster Hall Sr. Marmaduke Langdale was also taken and Cromwell improving his Victory marches towards Monroe who was coming with a reserve of six Thousand Scots but upon Hamilton's overthrow had order to return into Scotland which they did but the Anti-Hamiltonian party in Scotland under Argile which were the stricter sort of Presbyters invited Cromwell into Scotland which the laying hold on to smooth his way he put forth a Declaration severely prohibiting any Souldier under pain of Death to take either Money Horses Goods Victuals or any other thing or any ways to abuse the People He put such a terror among the Scots that they all presently submitted and agreed to disband their Armies and to render up to him Berwick and Carlile which were in their Hands That a Parliament should be called in Scotland for the setling Religion and composing their differences and also that none that had been in the last Ingagements against England should be chosen of this new Parliament or into their general Assembly Thus having setled Scotland to his mind he returns into England Upon his Victory against Hamilton Colchester being driven to the utmost extremity was surrendred and the two valiant Gentlemen contrary to Faith given Sr. Charles Lucas and Sr. George Lisle shot to Death and the Earl of Norwich Lord Capel and others sent Prisoners to London While these things were in doing there had been some Attempts made towards the private murthering of the King which was made known to the Parliament who took some Examinations thereupon but nothing to any purpose done in it he being now look'd upon as a Tyrant and suffered openly to be so called daily with many other most opprobrious Speeches both against his person and Government which the Parliament took no notice of but had made an Order in April before That any three of their Committe-men at Darby House should have Power to Imprison and sequester all such as shall actually adhere to any that shall raise or endeavour to raise my Tumults or Insurrections or shall so much as speak or publish any thing reproachful of the Parliament or their proceedings so that you see they had tyed up mens Tongues from speaking against themselves without the least restraint of reviling their King and for every light Word a free born Subject of England was made an offender and lyable to be ruined at the Pleasure of three Arbitrary men of their Committee absolutely against that known Maxim of our Law Nemo imprisonetur aut disseisâ—tur nisi per legale judicium parium suorum No man shall be imprisoned or disseised of his Property but by the lawful judgment of his Peers that is by a jury of twelve men But what signified Magna Charta Petition of Right the Ancient Laws of the Land to these Men who had trampled the Imperial Crown under their feet and usurp'd more than ever rightful Monarch or the most Arbitrary of our Kings ever Claim'd And had raised upon the People for the maintainance of this unnatural War and towards the enslaving of themselves about three Millions of pounds sterling Per annum which was six times more than ever the most rapacious of our Kings had raised on the People besides the vast Incomes of the Kings revenue Sequestrations and Compositions About the third of August the Prince now our Soveraign sent Letters to the City Expressing his good affection to Peace and to the whole City and his Endeavours to vindicate his fathers Liberty and just Prerogative and Rights and to restore to the People their Laws Liberties and Property to free them from Bondage and to ease them of the Burthen of Excise and Taxes to settle Religion and to reduce all things
into their proper Channel This Letter was accompanied with others and a Declaration to the same purpose all which were Communicated to the Parliament But there in Requital it was vehemently urged by some That the Prince might be declared a Traitor and a â—ebel but others stood up and gave several Reasons too long here to rehearse to the Contrary and so it passed over at this time On the 7 th of August an ordinance passed for erecting a new Militia in every County and particularly for the County of Wilts Commissioners being named who had power to raise what men they pleased to Arm them and to fine defaulters ten pound a Man and twenty dayes Imprisonment and to levy four hundred pound a Week upon that one County besides the ordinary Taxes and free Quarter O brave Liberty and Freedom Whilst the Army were employed in reducing the Scots and Royal party Petitions were continually sent from several Counties to the Parliament all tending to â—he same effect the disbanding the Army easing the people of their Burthens and a personal Treaty with â—he King The City of London Petitions also for the â—ame and to have their imprisoned Citizens released â—hich were chiefly Aldermen Langham and Bunce and their Recorder â—lin The Lords had it seems not â—â—â—curred readily with the Commons in some of 〈◊〉 Votes upon which it was moved in the House to taâ—â— away the Lords negative Voyce So early Arbitrary began to shew it self in the highest degree nothing now seeming too great for the Commons For a câ—rtain lawyer undertook to make good That the House of Commons being the Representative of all the People had power to Act without the Lords for the safety of the People in case the Lords deserted their Trust Here was a ground lay'd for a future subverting the Foundation of all Parliaments and how well they improved this Doctrine we shall see hereafter The Lords and Commons had lay'd by the King and now the Commons were for laying aside the Lords and the next thing to be expected will be to see the Army and their Grandees to lay aside the Commons and to rule alone by themselves usurping both the Kings Soveraign and Governing power the Parliaments Legislative power and the Judges Indicative power and so Establish their Oligarchy or else it may be expected that one more powerful than the rest should usurp all the Power into his own hand and become a most absolute and Arbitrary Tyrant as it hapned to come to pass I cannot pass over another excellent mark of strange Arbitrariness against all Law and Right Moral as well as Civil in their sequestring the Estate of one Wall a Delinquent as they called him after his Death and taking it from his Wife and Children gave it to one of their Creatures who sued for the same tho it was argued against their unjust Proceedings That in the case of the highest Treasons and of Felony no man was Condemned after his Death because he was not then in being to Answer for himself and there could be no proceeding in Law against Non Ens Nay if a Fellon tho alive will stand mute he shall not forfeit his Lands because he wants Answer tho he loses his Life for Contempt of the Law Yet the Godly party prevailed and they bestowed the Sequestration of the said 〈◊〉 Lands tho dead on another with a Proviso that 〈◊〉 â—hould not be drawn into Example Cromwell gives the Parliament by a Letter to their Speaker an account of his Victories with Admonitions to them not to hate God's people who were as the Apple of his Eye and for whom Kings were to be reproved That they should fulfil the end of their Magistracy that all that would live quietly and Peaceably might have Countenance from them and that they who were implacable might be speedily destroyed out of the Land And to prepare the way for their Destruction they ordered That an Ordinance be Penned and brought into the House of Commons to try all such by Martial Law in the City of London as shall be found to Plot Design or Contrive any thing to endanger the Parliament or City Here again you may see all the Common Laws of the Land laid aside and Martial Law made use of in the Head City of the Land Which was then no Garrison and by order of these Parliamentarians and Assertors of the peoples Liberties Rights and Priviledges But however the Army being at a distance from the City subduing the Kings Friends and the Parliaments Foes the Independent Party in the House of Commons were not so prevalent but that the other Party took Courage and appearing began to come more of themselves encouraged by several Petitions out of the Countrey for a Treaty with the King upon which they became inclinable and begun to set themselves to that Pious work tho hindred all that could be by the Clamours Speeches and Behaviour of the Independants And thereupon the Earl of Middlesex Sir John Hippesly and Mr. Bulkley were sent to the King to let him know their Resolutions who returned related the Kings ready Compliance thereto as a thing he much desired upon which they Vote That the Votes of Non-Addresses should be repealed That the King might send for such Persons as were necessary for him in the Treaty That he should be in a state of Freedom That five Lords and ten Commoners be chosen Commissioners to Treat with the King at Newport in the Isle of Wight These Votes were sent to the King and Commissioners chosen for the Lords the Earls of Northumberland Salisbury Pembroke Middlesex and the Lord Say for the Commons were Lord Wainman Mr. Peirpoint Sr. Henry Vain the younger Sr. Harbottle Grimston Sr. Jo. Pots Mr. Brown Mr. Crew Mr. Bulkly Mr. Hellis and Mr. Glyn. Their Propositions were not much easier than their former to which the King gave very Satisfactory Answers conceding to many things for Peace sake against his Prerogative the greatest Difficulty being the business of Episcopacy which the King was unwilling should be wholly abolished And now it was very likely that the King and Parliament had agreed and a full peace had insued but in the mean time many Officers of the Army held their Cabals at Windsor where they were Contriving the Destruction of the King and the Dissolution of the Parliament which Cabals they also continued at London and other places under the name of Agitators in behalf of the Army These were framing a Government among themselves and drew up a Remonstrance shewing That they were the Body of the People of England That their Interest was the publick Interest of the People That the People were the only Competent Judges of their own safety That the supream Magistrates were the People Armed with supream Authority and with the Sword These persons concluded among themselves that some should be chosen out of the Army to represent the whole Body These not to exercise the Legislative power but only to draw
up the Foundation of a Government which the people were to consent to which consent or Agreement of the People should be above Law That in the Agreement a day should be set for the Dissolution of the Parliament and this to be drawn up in a Remonstrance from the Army This was incouraged by Major general Harrison who urgged there could be no safety for them nor the Nation but by the cutting off the Kings Head and the thorowly purging at least if not the Dissolving the Parliament Upon this the Army now wholly at Cromwell's Devotion sends up a Petition to the Commons for Justice to be done on the King as a Capital Offender That the Prince of Wales and Duke of York be Summon'd by a Day and if they come not in to be declared incapable of the Succession and Government and if they come in to be proceeded against for Satisfaction That the Revenues of the Crown be sequestred That publick Justice might be done against the Actors in the late Wars against the Parliament That they may be paid their Arrears and the Country eased of free Quarters and lastly that a Period be put to this Parliament and care taken for the Electing of future Parliaments and that no King be admitted for the future The Army Entring the City The Rump dreggs of y e house of Commons Sitting after y e Army had turnd y e good members out Oliver seeking God whilâ— the King is murthered by his order Bradshaw the Taylor and y e Hangman keeper of the Libertyes of England This force being put upon the House and new moulded driving away all that were not for their turn besides many others for fear absented themselves the rest who afterwards obtained the name of Rump or Rumpers being the Relicks of a greater Body met again and submitting to the Power of the Army to please them Vote That no Message be received from the King on pain of Treason That the General should take Care of his Person and that a Charge of High Treason should be drawn up against him Having now fully concluded to destroy him Thus have we briefly drawn to your View the first Lineaments of an Arbitrary Government and Tyrannical Usurpation in very short Draughts shewing however the ways and means whereby these Men or Junto of Usurpers came by their Power and Authority overthrowing the very Foundation of our Ancient and most glorious Monarchy under the Notion of Liberty and setting up a Tyrannical Democracy or rather Oligarchy under the Regiment of a few selected Fellows who called themselves the Parliament and the Representatives of the Nation and in whom they pretend all Right of Power and Magistracy was to be placed The very shadow of all legal Power was now gone and this unparallel'd force put upon the Parliament in excluding the Major part of their Members by the Arbitrary will of Oliver Cromwel and his Mâ—â—midons contrary to all Law and Right took from them the very Name of a Parliament But they care not for that they shadow their impious Acts under that venerable Denomination and having now as they thought got into the Kingly throne by the power of the Army and the Sword imagined they should keep it when all this while not having the Command of the Army but being ridden by the general Officers thereof who designed as soon as they had done their work to pay them their Wages by dismissing them were but as the Cats foot made use of by the Monkey for the raking the Chesnut out of the Fire the benefit of which they intended to take themselves and this was the Murthering of their lawful Soverain whom they had deposed which was the next main Design driven on by the Independent Army and their Dromidaries this Junto of Men. We have seen these Men grown up into full Strength of Arbitrariness and got into the Throne of their Soveraign we will now proceed to Trace them by their Steps in the Exercise of this their Tyrannical Usurpation which we shall find to be according to the same unlawful Progress and to be of the same bloody Complexion for it is a certain Maxim That what Power is got by unlawful means must be kept by the same unlawful ways notwithstanding the specious pretences of Liberty and setling the Kingdom This Junto of Men being met and Voted as we have declared That no more Address should be made to the King nor any Message received from him they take Care in the next place having got into the Saddle to keep it and to make the World believe they had a right to it if they could for now an Ordinance was drawn up that the Lords and Commons of England do declare That by the Fundamental Laws of the Land it is Treason in the King of England to levy War against the Parliament This preparative in making the King a Transgressor and in placing the Supream Power in the People whose Representatives they were was in Order to their Design of Murthering the King This being sent up to the Lords who denyed to consent to it the Commons grow very angry and finding the Lords to be yet an Obstacle to their bloody Intentions they Vote That all Members of Committees should Act in any Ordinance by them made without the Lords Concurrance the People having by God the full power Originally in themselves and therefore what ever they enact is Law which passed Nemine Contradicente The Army still continuing their Guards upon the House keeping out any of those Members were not of their Party and imprisoning them they had much â—doe to make an House and sometimes it was Noon 〈◊〉 they could get forty men together without which iâ— could not be an House so very Scrupulous were these grand Hypocrites to keep up a Face of Authority in these minute Circumstances who in the great Fundamentals had broke in two all Bonds Obligations Oaths and Laws The Army now the Lords of all Garrison Black-Fryars and St. Paul's turning the house of God into a Stable and defiling it with Dung robbing divers Halls which they call'd borrowing of several sums of Money by their Saint-like Prerogative accounting the rest Egyptians In the mean time the secluded Members still imprisoned put forth a Declaration against this most horrid violence of the Army done to their Persons and to the Fundamental Laws of the Land the Rights of the People and the priviledges of Parliament this was dated 11 th December 1648. This being complained of to the House both Lords and Commons put forth a Declaration against it wherein they declare That the Declaration put forth by those Members of the House of Commons Excluded the House in which was these Words viz That all Acts Ordinances Votes and Proceedings of the House of Commons made since the 6 th of December or hereafter to be made duering the restraint and forcible Seclusion from the House and the Continuance of the Armies force upon it are no way Obligatory but
having made way for the most horrid and Bloody design that ever was heard of the Motion is made in this usurping House to proceed to the Trâ—al of the King as a Capital Offender When the grand Impostor Cromwell stood up and said That if any man moved this upon Design he should think him the greatest Traytor in the World but since Providence and Necessity had cast them upon it he should pray to God to bless their Councells And so on the 28 th of December 1648. Thomas Scot brought in the Ordinance for the Tryal of the King being read and Committed three several times and all the Commissioners names inserted Consisting of divers Gentlemen and Soldiers This Ordinance being pass'd the Junto they send it up to the Lords House by the Lord Grey of Grooby together with their Vote formerly made Viz. Resolved c. That the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament do declare and adjudge That by the Fundamental Laws of the Realm it is Treason in the King of England for the time to come to levy War against the Parliament and Kingdom of England The house of Lords debate the matter and first the Declaratory Vote against which the Earls of Manchester and Northumberland with others spake and declared There was none nor could be any such Fundamental Law in England whereby the King could be a Traytor by leaving War against his People and that thus to declare Treason by an Ordinance when no law was extant to judge it by was most unreasonable Upon which the Lords cast out this Ordinance and Vote and adjourned themselves for seven days This proceeding of the Lords gave them no small trouble and stirr'd up the wrath of some of the Zealots who threatned to hang a Pad-lock on the Lords door and sending up to search their journal Book they found the Lords had made these two Votes That they do not Concur to the said declaratory Vote And Secondly That they rejected the Ordinance for the Tryal of the King Upon which these men resolving to be rid of the Lords as well as of King they Vote That they should Act without them as well they might according to their own Law That all Authority was sounded in the People and that they being the Representatives of the People all Authority lay in them Some of them were for Impeaching the Lords for favouring the grand Delinquent of the Land as they called the King And now to make all sure on their sides that they may Act legally On the 4 th of January they Vote That the People are under God the Original of all just Power That the Commons of England in Parliament assembled being chosen by and representing the People have the Supreme Power of this Nation That whatsoever is declared or Enacted for Law by the House of Commons assembled in Parliament hath the force of Law This makes clear Work and by this our Arbitrary Usurpers may do what they will and cut off their Kings Head according to their own Position legally what need of Kings Lords Laws Rights Liberties Properties or fundamental Government when the Arbitrary Consciences of such men may serve instead of all and conclude thereby all the People of England tho they declare against it and tho opposed by the King or House of Peers And thus notwithstanding the rejection of the Lords these Commons pass their Ordinance and declaratory Vote by the name of An Act of Parliament of the House of Commons which was never before heard of for the Tryal of Charles Stewart King of England This being objected to Hugh Peters that there was no President or Example for the Tryal of a King by a judicial Court he Prophanely applyed That there was never any President before the Virgin Mary of a Womans conceiving and bringing forth a Child without accompanying with a Man therefore they might walk without President for this was an Age to make Examples and Presidents There was yet one thing that passed these men which they had not foreseen which was That it was a very improper thing to make use of the Kings Seal wherein he is styled King of England c. by the Grace of God to seal a Commission against him for his Tryal They were now in hast and could not stay for a new one which they had not as yet thought on therefore it was concluded the Commissioners should proceed upon the Ordinance without any Commission under Seal and that every Commissioner should set his own Hand and Seal to the Instruments of their Proceedings All things being now in a readiness for the Tryal The King is taken from Hurst Castle and brought to Winchester thence to Farnham thence to Winsor and thence to St. James on the 19 th day of January And they had caused for the greater Solemnity of the Business their Serjeant Dandy who was appointed Serjeant at Arms to the Commissioners for the Tryal of his Majesty to proclaim it openly in Westminster-Hall with his Mace on Horse back with six Trumpets and several Officers attending all bare That the Commissioners were to sit to morrow and that all those who had any thing to say against Charles Stewart King of England might be heard This was done in like manner in Cheap-side and at the Royal Exchange The same day the House Voted their great Seal to be broken and ordered a new one to be made Upon this Mr. Prin sends to the Junto a Memento of their unpresidented Proceedings Complaining of the force and Violence put upon their fellow Members warning them from Acting Consulting or ordaining any Act or Ordinance without Concurrence of their fellow-Members being Arbitrary and against Law and that the secluded Members not only declared against such Proceedings but more especially against this horrid Act of theirs for the Tryal of the King shewing them That by the common Law and by the Statute of 25. Ed. 3. and all other Acts concerning Treason it is high Treason for any man to Compass or Contrive the Death of the King or his eldest Son tho never Executed That they were also bound to the Contrary by their Oath of Allâ—giance from which no Power could absolve them That they had in above an hundred Declarations and Ordinances in the name of the Parliament professed That they never intended the least hurt injury or Violence to the Kings person his Crown Dignity or Posterity with several other things very pressing and full as may be seen at large in the printed Paper but all was in vain for they were resolved on the Business tho they could give no kind of colourable Reason for their Actings This Memento was seconded with a Declaration and Protestation signed the 19 th of January by the said Prin and Clement Walker another of the secluded Members which ran very much after the same Tenure and absolutely Protesting against the Junto's Actings and Proceedings declared against the illegal Act of Erecting an high Court of Justice and usurping a Power against
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
with whom Cromwell by private Messengers held them in hand of a Treaty putting them in hopes of reconciling the Business without blows which made them neglectful till Fairfax and Cromwell fell upon them in their Quarters unsuspected their Horses being most at Grass at twelve a Clock of the night routed them and took about four hundred Prisoners of which only three were shot to Death the rest pardoned by Cromwell's Intercession to ingratiate himself with the Army One Thomson and two more dyed very Resolutely This business being over the General and Cromwell come to Oxford where they are feasted and made Doctors of the Civil Law And now the Army were fain to submit and accepted their Lots for going to Ireland which were these following Ireton's Scroop's Horton's and Lambert's Regiments of Horse Collonel Abot's of Dragoons And of Foot Collonel Eure's Cook 's Hewson's and Dean's to which were added three new ones Cromwell's Venable's and Phayer's Cromwell was made Commander in Chief with the Title of Lord Governour of Ireland and Fairfax was left at home to attend the Junto In the mean time the Keepers of the peoples Liberties were as fast as they could taking away the Lives of several Persons in several places whose Loyalty and Consciences had engaged them for their King as Lievtenant Collonel Moris and Cornet Blackborn who â—uffered at York the former having been Governour of Pomfret and one Beamount a Minister was hanged at Pomfret by Sentence of a Court Marshal Major Monday was shot to Death at Leicister Poyer a brave Gentleman in Covent-garden for the Welch Insurrection Sr. John Stowell and Judge Jenkins were arraigned at the Kings-Bench Bar as Traytors against the Government for their Loyalty to their King but they would not own the Courts jurisdiction yet they were not yet Sentenced but their Estates seized and Judge Jenkins kept long a Prisoner And that the people might the better see their Freedom and Liberty this Rump lay upon them a standing Tax of ninety thousand pound a Month for the maintenance of the Army these were the Persons who made such a stir about Ship-money The Lord Major of London Reynoldson is fined two thousand Pound for refusing to proclaim their Act for abolishing Kingly Government Then upon a report from the Councel of State they order The Kings's and Queens Lands to be sold Thirty thousand Pound to be taken out of it for the use of the Fleet and the rest to be distributed amongst the most considerable among them for Satisfaction of Losses sustained Thus they had killed and were now taking possession and several of the Kings Houses and Mannors were bestowed amongst them And besides this they had twenty thousand Pound a month out of the Fee-Farm Rents Now that the World might perceive what Liberty should be granted to the people they Order That no Minister in his Pulpit should meddle with State affairs and this in others was Oppression and tying up mens Consciencâ—â— But for all that new Lights as they called them increased and about this time one that was a Soldier came to Walton upon the Thames in Surry and in the Church-yard having a Candle and Lanthorn with him met the Minister and People coming out of the Church and told them he had a Vision and five new Lights were shewed him which they were to receive from him under pain of Damnation The first was That the Sabbath was abolished The second That Tythes were abolished Third That Ministers were abolish'd as Antichristian Fourth That Magistrates were abolish'd as useless and Fifthly That the Bible was abolish'd for Christ was come in the Spirit and Glory and so drawing a little Bible out of his Pocket he set it on Fire before them The War with Holland being now about to break forth the Earl of Warwick's former Commission is made voy'd and three Generals of the Fleet were made who were Popham Blake and Dean Before Cromwel's going to Ireland a Fast was kept at White-Hall where among the Militant Preachers Oliver stood up and in his Prayer he desired God to take off from him the Government of this mighty people of England as being too heavy for his shoulders to bear About this time also a third Book of John Lilburn's came sorth Called The Picture of thâ— Councel of State wherein he fully set forth all the illegal Arbitrary Violent and Tyrannical Proceedings of that Councel Lilburn Overton Walwin Prince and others had been before Clapt into the Tower intending to try them for their Lives Lilburn was ordered to be brought to the Kings-Bench Bar upon his Habeas Corpus but Cromwell sent to the Lieutenant of the Tower that he should not be brought who was obey'd not the Judges By which may be seen of what force the Laws were with them Then some thousands well affected Women petition the House in behalf of Lilburn but the Junto answered them He should be tryed by the Law for his Book called Englands new Chains discovered and they bid to go home and wash their Dishes Who reply'd they had neither Dishes nor Meat left This John Lilburn was tryed by a special Commission of Oyer and Terminer in October 1649. where he so notably pleaded his Cause shewed the illegality of the Parliaments Proceedings and so punctually cited all the Statutes and Laws of the Land in the behalf of the Liberties of the Subjects and so bafled the Judges the Attorney general Prideaux and their Councel that they could not Effect what they desired the taking away his Life upon an Inditement of High Treason put in against him but was found Not Guilty by his Jury to the great disappointment of his Enemies Their chief business now was to give one another Estates out of the Delinquents Lands as they called the Loyal Party whom they now sequester and made an Order That no Malignant or such as had been in Arms against them should come within twenty miles of London or go five miles from their own habitations Bishops and Deans and Chapters Lands sold and disposed to one another at easie Rates some got for three years Purchase for none but themselves would buy them About this time they send their Embassadors Oliver St. Johns and Walter Strictland into Holland for Satisfaction for Doctor Dorislaus who drew up the Charge against the King his being Assassinated in Holland by some Cavalier's but they were there affronted and forced to return Re infecta in great Discontent which exasperated our new States against the Dutch Ascham another of their Creatures was murthered also in Spain And tho the Dutch sent afterwards their Agent Myn heer Joachim with Complements and excuses our Junto could forget it and by it took an occasion to forgo their Friendship and prohibited their Fishing upon the English Coasts and the importing of any forrain Commmodities except in English bottoms or such as were of the Countrey whence the Commodities came This brought on the ensuing War commenced the next year between these two
in great Pomp. William Lenthal the Speaker of this House of Commons had at one time given him by this House six thousand pounds for his good services besides as Speaker he got two thousand pounds per annum and as Master of the Rolls three thousand pounds per annum more besides Sales of Offices And then he was for some time Chamberlain of Chester Chancellor of the Dutchy of Lancaster worth to him one thousand two hundred and thirty pounds per annum and one of the Commissioners of the Great Seal worth fifteen hundred pounds per annum Buestrode Whitlock Commissioner of the Great Seal worth to him fifteen hundred pounds per annum and had two thousand pounds given him out of Mr. Minn's Estate Edmond Prideaux once a Commissioner of the great Seal worth to him fifteen hundred pounds a year Then by order of the Junto afterwards he was permitted to practise within the Bar as the King's Council worth to him five hundred pounds per annum was also Post-Master General worth to him a hundred pounds ever Wednesday night and his Supper the Earl of Warwick had the benefit of foreign Letters which was worth to him five thousand pounds per annum Oliver S. Johns Solicitor to the King afterwards made Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas and was one of their Embassadors to Holland he had the passing of all Pardons upon Commissions worth to him forty thousand pounds he was called The Dark-Lanthorn-Man a knowing Man in the Laws and had the wit to keep out of danger being against the putting the King to death but a great Privado of Oliver's to whom he preferred his man Thurlo who was his Secretary when he went Ambassador and became afterwards Oliver's Secretaty of State he died at Utrecht in Holland since the King came in being favourably looked upon by his Majesty and honored for his parts Roger Hill a Barrester of the Temple of no Practice and little Estate till this Parliament had from the House the Bishop of Winchester's Mannor of Taunton-Dean worth twelve hundred pounds a year after the lives were out Humphry Sulway had given him the King's Remembrancer's Place worth two hundred pounds per annum Francis Rous was made Provost of Eaton worth six hundred pounds per annum and had a Colledge Lease worth six hundred pounds per annum more John Lilse a Barrester of the Temple was made Master of S. Crosses a place for a Divine worth eight hundred pounds per annum and afterwards one of the Commissioners of the Great Seal He was one of the King's Judges and stabb'd beyond Seas since his Majesties Restoration Sir William Allison an Alderman of York made Clerk of the Hamper worth a thousand pounds per annum and given to him Crab-Castle worth six hundred pounds per annum more belonging to the Archbishop of York Thomas Hoyle another Alderman of York was made Treasurer-Remembrancer in the Exchequer worth twelve hundred pounds per annum Tho. Pury first a Weaver in Glocester then a Country Solicitor had given him three thousand pounds and a place in the petty-Bag Office worth four hundred pounds per annum Tho. Purey the younger Son to the former was made Receiver of the King's Rents in Glocester and Wilts and ClerK of the Peace of Glocestershire worth two hundred pounds per annum and Captain of Foot and Horse who at the beginning of the Parliament was a Servant to an Attorney of Staple-Inn William Ellis made Steward of Stepney worth two hundred pounds per annum Miles Corbet at the bâ—ginning of the Parliament much in debt made one of the Registers of the Chancery worth seven hundred pounds per annum besides Chair-man for Scandalous Ministers worth a thousand pounds per annum one of the King's Judges and afterwards advanced to be a Judge in Ireland executed at Tyburn since the King came in John Goodwin made a Register of Chancery worth seven hundred pounds per annum Sir Tho. Widdrington a Commissioner of the Great Seal worth fifteen hundred pounds per annum Edward Bish made Garter-Herald in the place of Sir Ed. Walker worth six hundred pounds per annum Walter Strickland Agent in Holland for the two Houses of Parliament worth to him five thousand pounds Nicholas Love made one of the six Clerks of the Chancery worth two thousand pounds per annum Sir Gilbert Gerard was Pay-master to the Army had three pence per pound allowance worth sixty thousand pounds and Chancellor of the Dutchy worth five hundred pounds per annum John Selden had given him five thousand pounds John Bond Son of Dennis Bond made Master of Trinity-Hall in Cambridge Sir Benjamin Rudiard given him five thousand pounds Lucas Hodges made Customer of Bristol Sir John Hipsly given him two thousand pounds in money and made Keeper of three of the King's Parks Maribone Hampton and Bushy Parks Sir Tho. Walsingham had the Honor of Elsham To Benjamin Valentine given five Thousand pounds To Sir Henry Heyman 5000 l. Denzil Hollis 5000 l. Nat. Bacon 3000 l. John Stevens out of the Lord Astley's Composition 1000 l. Henry Smith made one of the six Clerks worth 2000 l. per annum Robert Reynolds given him 2000 l. besides Abbington-Hall and Lands worth 400 l. per annum Sir John Clotworthy was made Treasurer for Ireland John Ash given him out of Mr. Coventry's Composition 4000 l. out of Sir Edward Moseley's 1000 l. out of Mr. Phillips's 1200 l. out of Sir John Stowells 8000 l. and Chair-man at Goldssmiths-Hall John Lenthal Son to the Speaker made one of the six Clarks worth 2000 l. per annum Francis Allin once a Gold-smith made Customer for London Giles Green Chair-man for the Navy Francis Peirpoint had the Lands of the Arch-Bishop of York lying in Nottinghamshire William Peirpoint had 7000 l. given him and the Earl of Kingston's personal Estate worth 40000 l. John Palmer made Master of All-Souls in Oxford in Dr. Sheldon's place a Divine John Blackstone a Shop-keeper in New-Castle returned a Burgess and had 3000 l. given him out of one Gentlemans estate and out of others as much as made up 12000 l. a Colemeters place worth 200 l. per annum and the Bishop of Durham's Castle at Durham and Lands to great value Tho. Ceyley long a Prisoner for Debt made Recorder of Bridgwater To Mr. Scawen given 2000 l. Isaack Penington once Lord Major of London had 7000 l. given him and purchased good store of Bishops Lands Samuel Vassell 1000 l. given him Sir Will. Brereton had the Arch-Bishops Lands and House at Croydon Ed. Harvey a Silk man made a Collonel and had the Bishop of London's House and Mannor of Fulham Rich. Sulway a Grocer made a Collonel Joh. Ven a Collonel Governor of Windsor had 4000 l given him Phillip Skippon Serjeant Major General of the Army Major General of London and Governour of Bristol had 1000 l. per annum Lands of Inheritance given him Tho. Westrow had the Bishop of
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
made up 300 but they fell again upon the same disputes notwithstanding the Recognition A little before their sitting down Oliver publishes several Ordinances of his own which bearing date before past as Authentick Laws and Ordinances by the Instrument one was for the payment of monies into the Treasury raised for the propagation of the Gospel in Wales Another for the turning forth of Scandalous Ministers that is such as had used the Common Prayer and had good Livings Another for making Souldiers free of Corporations Another for surveying the King's Lands and for doubling upon Deans and Chapters This was to let the Parliament see that he took the Actâ— made by himself by power of his Instrument as good and authentick as theirs Mark here whether the most arbitrary of our Kings ever assumed such a power and yet these are days of freedom and liberty Lambert was very busie in this Convention endeavouring tooth and nail to have the Instrument confirmed by them for that the Protectorship being made elective he himself stood most fair to be the next Candidate but finding they would not drive but began to be as unruly as Cromwell's German Horses that flung him out of the Coach-box he threatned them that he would call 4 or 5 Parliaments one after another but it should be done following Oliver's menacing steps to the Junto There were some Common-wealth Officers in the Army that had designed to have seised on Lambert but Col. Pride betray'd them who was privy to the business and Cromwell seeing he could doe no good with his Parliament assoon as ever the 5 months were out dissolves them and then he takes from these who had conspired against Lambert their Commissions and seises on several others Commonwealths men and Royalists among whom was Major Wildman who was drawing up a Declaration to shew the lawfulness of taking up Arms against Cromwell and of the Royalists there were Sir John Packington Sir John Littleton and others which he imprisoned for a new Conspiracy as he said against his Life and Sir Tho. Harris was taken having a design of surprising of Shrewsbury Penruddoâ—k and Grove at Salisbury and in several other places as at Hexam Moor in Northumberland and in Yorkshire where Sir Henry Slingsby was taken all their designs being beforehand betray'd to Oliver and many Prisons in the West were filled with the common sort of people from which and from the Tower and other places many of them were sent away to Foreign Plantations and sold for Slaves and many forceably carried away in Pen's Expedition to be knockt on the head by the Moors Thus he endeavoured to secure himself by a bloudy and arbitrary way of proceeding as all Tyrants are forced to doe Having thus supprest this Insurrection which he knew of beforehand and was prepared for several of the chief that were taken were brought to their trials the chief of which were Mr. Penruddock who was a Captain and Mr. Grove another Captain 16 more were executed of which 9 at Excester Both Penruddock and Grove when taken surrendred themselves to Vnton Crook upon promise of having their lives but what signifies such Promises with such Persons who never kept their Faith these were brave and active Loyalists and therefore must not escape out of the bloudy Paws of the Usurper They were both condemned at the Assizes at Excester being indicted for Treason against the Usurper and endeavouring the bringing in of their lawfull King Charles Steuart and on the 16 th of May 1655 were both beheaded in that City Mr. Penruddock at his execution spoke very boldly and with much zeal against the iniquities of the Times and told them among other things that Treason was in that Age become an Individuum Vagum like the wind in the Gospel that bloweth where it listeth And Treason was then what the Ruler pleased to make so and lighted upon whom he would have it And by this said he you may see what a condition you are in when you have no Law to protect you no Rule to walk by with many other bold Truths which made them suppress his Speech and forbid it to be published that they might conceil as much as they could their illegal and arbitrary Proceedings For indeed one of the Jury that found him guilty being demanded afterwards for what reason they brought in their Verdict guilty against Mr. Penruddock and Grove Answered That they had resolved to hang them before they saw them A pious Resolution His Judges were Lisle Glin Roles and Nichols who denyed to give him their advice in point of Law because they said they were Parties and if so as indeed they were it was contrary to all Law for a Judge being a party to sit upon the Bench. But these were lawless Times Some others suffered at Chard in Somersetshire one beheaded at Salisbury and 3 hang'd and thus this Insurrection was quash'd But not long after he crowded the Tower with many Persons of note Prisoners upon suspicion of having an hand in this Plot or Treason as he called it and among the rest were the Earl of Lindsey The Lords Willowby of Parham Newport Maynard Faulkland Lucas Petres Sir Frederick Cornwallis Sir Jeoffery Palmer Sir Rich. Wingfield and others too long to relate but these were never brought to any tryal but it was thought convenient to secure them though nothing appeared against them Cromwell now the Dominus fac totum beholding himself mounted in the Throne of the Monarchy makes Leagues and War and Peace abroad as he pleased and as we have said having made an impolitick Peace with France losing thereby the ballance he had in his hand and giving too much to that Growing Monarch he designs a very unjust War without any provocation against Spain having a thirst after that King's Gold and Treasure at St. Domingo in the West Indies But this design was kept very secret and a great Fleet was equipped to the wonder of his neighbours yet that he might not lose his wonted exercise of Hypocrisie he gives out that it is for the propagation of the Protestant Religion though besides the insatiate hunger of Gold he might have some politick Reasons to move him to this dishonest breach which might be by this means a getting rid of a great many of the troublesome Sectaries in the Army whom he found still pecking against his power and endeavouring to alienate the minds of the Soldiers from him But now he shewed his Art in draining them for this expedition whereby he might sit the quieter at home Venables was made Commander in chief of the Land-forces and Pen of the Sea being made General and on the 27 th of December set saâ—l from Portsmouth with about 10000 Men on the 28 th of January following they put into Barbadoes and on the 30 th of March sailed for Hispaniola where they Landed their Men without opposition but whether it were the imprudence and ill management of the Generals or that God resolved to
consent All things seem succeed to very fortunatly to them and Lockchart Governour of Dunkirk submits to them to whom they send over Peirson Ashfeild and Packer Colonels To Ireland they send their Commissioners Steelones Thomljnson and Goodwin and for the command of the Armie Colonel Ludlow with the title of Lieutenant General Embassadors from the United Provinces come over to congratulate them and to offer their amity as also from many other places were coming so that they now began to think themselvs sure They had a mind to new model Monk's armie in Scotland and were provideing to doe it which Monk had timely notice of by his Agents in London which made him write to the Parliament in which he told them that he thought himself fit to be credited in the qualifications of his own Officers whom he assured them were honest and stout men and for whose fidelity he would be ingaged This letter troubled them being the first rub they had met with yet they hoped to get over it for they were now more eagre to have creatures of their own stamp in that Armie and think with good words to pacifie Monk letting him know as to his own Regiment they would make no alteration But Monk was not satisfied with this but sent up some Officers to solicite at London in behalf of themselvs and the rest Then the Junto made an Order that such Officers as were in Ireland and Scotland because they could not receive their Commissions of the Parliament should receive them from the hand of certain Commissioners named for the civil Government of both Kingdoms But those for Scotland were not yet named and Monk still continued his old Officers In the mean time Somerset House was exposed to sail at the yearly value of 233 l. the gross value of materials at 5545. st 1 s 3 d. to he had not under 13 years purchace And now that they may seem Kind to poor dick who began to fear an Arrest for the mourning took up for this fathers funeral they give him a protection from all Arrests for 6 months and take into consideration how that debt might be paid without charge to themselves And now these Tyrants who held their fellow subjects in slavery had some inck'ling of a Cavalier-plot which made them very jealous of every body so that few could meet upon any occasion but they were disturbed and some of them clapt up for Conspirators In July they put out their Act of Indemnity but none were to have the benefit of this mock Act but such who being above 16 years of age subscribed an Engagement against a single Person Kingship and House of Peers And all Cavaliers as would not take it were to be banish'd out of England and if afterwards seen there to be proceeded against as Traytors and 10 l. reward to the discoverer of such person or persons And now the poor Royalists were in a worse condition than ever after all their losses sequestrations decimations and plund'rings they must either go against their consciences or leave the land The Harvest was great and the labourers few and in August the weather being sultry hot many of the Junto were retired into the Country so that they could hardly make an House upon which they make a strict Order that all rotten members attend the House and that none depart without leave of the House And now they order a Fast and day of Humiliation and to shew that they were the same bloody mâ—n they were formerly they proclame J. mordant Esq with several others Traytors and order the Lady Howard Sr E. Byron and Mr. Sumner to be brought to a tryal for treasonable designs They seize upon persons horses and armes throughout London increase and double their Guards stop passengers the Council of State sitting night and day and all the Militia in the City and throughout England were ordered to be drawn up for their security for they were in a great consternation about a plot and began to court the people in their canting way by their preachers one of which said The Lord stir up the Hearts of his people and fill them with unanimity and courage at this evil time against the common Enemie Charles Stewart and that desperate Crew of ravenous and unreasonable men who should they get in to satisfie the rable of his followers would enslave you and with your goods maintain forraigners and the pomp and pride of a luxurious Court and an absolute Tyranny And it was not without cause that these persons were put into such afear for there was a general riseing to have been thorowout England of all parties against these Rumpers for the Presbyterians and discarded Protectâ—rians began now to see their slavery and to tack about seing a necessity of joyning with the Royalists and some of the greatest amongst them sue for the Kings pardon and obtain it and hereupon they cement with the Cavaliers and the famous plot or St. George Booth's riseing was then formed the King lying privatly at Calais ready to have come over on the first geting together of any considerable body But the design was too Early prevented by being some way discovered to Scâ—t and some others and by an intercepted letter of the Lady Mary Howards who was clapt up with others about it Mâ—ssy is taken in Gloucester shire but being carried behind a Trooper by a party of Horse in the night he took his time and with a sudden jerk flung the trooper before him and himself into a precipice whereby he escaped being better acquainted with the ways than they were The Rumpers had got some knowledg of the design and with their diligence had prevented it in many Counties Yet Sir George Booth rose in Chesheir with a considerable partie with Sir Tho. Middleton Ma or General Randulph Egerton and others they surprise Chester Liverpool Chiâ—k Castle and some other places declaring only for a free Parliament so that they had gotten together about 3000 men but few well armed presently the Rump proclame them Rebells and Traytors and Lambert comes against them with 3 Regimâ—nts of Horse as many of Fort and one of Dragoons besides a Train of Artillery Some of these should have joined Sir George Booth had they seen that they had been in a capacity of doing any good and of proceeding unanimously in their design but in stead thereof there fel out unseasonable contests between the old and the new Cavaliers and the private animosities of the Gentry hind'red much every one that brought but 30 men would be a Captain or take it very ill so that by their unseasonable punctillio's the publique int'rest received damage and besides it was no small daunting to them finding that the design of Riseing was quasht in all other Counties nor could they reduce the Castle of Chester which Colonel Croxton held out against them But so soon as Lambert came up with his forces the raw men that made up the body of the force of Sir
being thus encouraged by his actions nine of the old Council of State get privatly together viz Scot Morley Reignalds Wollop Nevill Hazlerig Walton Cooper and Berners who send a letter to Monk assuring him that his service was highly acknowledged by them in asserting their Liberties and also was extreamly well resented by all the sober and uninterested persons in the nation that love a Common Wealth assureing him they would adhere to him and stand and fall with him and that they would assist him with all their might for the removeing of the force was put upon them by the English Armie thIt they might sit in freedom praiseing his wisdom and conduct and the like This was no small incouragement to the Officers in Scotland for they might rationally conclude that their party was increased in England or else that they would not have so openly acted This before-mentioned Council of State framed a Commission wherein they constituted General Monk absolute Commander in Cheif of the Armies in England and Scotland dated 24 of November sealed with their seal and given to Clarges to send by a safe messenger to Monk And now General Monk upon Lamberts advance into Northumberland ordered a considerable part of his forces towards Berwick and then caused an Assembly of the Nobles and Gentry to convene at Edenburg to whom he made these proposals That he having a call from God and man to march into England they would therefore during his absence preserve and secure the peace of that Nation That they would supply him with some mony for his undertakeing which he engaged upon his honor should be to their satisfaction and that if any troubles should arise they would assist him in the suppressing thereof That they would advance and raise what mony they could for his entreprise before hand To these they returned answer by their chair-man the Earl of Glencarn that they were not in a condition to engage for preserving the peace of the Country in his absence because they wanted Armes Yet they would endeavour it with all faithfullness That they thought it not prudent to engage themselves in a war which if unsuccessfull would be their ruin or if prosperous they knew not what advantage should thereby accrew to them But to shew their good opinion of his fair intendment they were content to levy monies and to advance a year's Tax before-hand Hereupon the General impowred the Lords and Gentry to arme themselves and some of them he privately satisfied with his design and thankfully accepted the year's Tax But yet to win time he holds a second Treaty with Lambert's Commissioners at Newcastle upon Tine where he still insisted with a seeming zealousness upon the readmission of the Rumpers And this produced its wished effects For whilst Lambert trifles away his time unprofitably Monk posts himself at Cold-stream a notable pass upon the Tweed where he kept his head Quarters and being winter where Lambert could not without danger come to disturb him And on the other side Hazlerig Morly and Walton get into Portsmouth where they prevail with the Governour Col. Nathaniel Whetham and the Garison with the Town to declare for he Junto against the Safety men and Armie Officers and no Contribution could be gotten from the Country who armed themselvs with the late Act of the Rumpers before their exclusion by Lambert and the Counties every where bodly meet to draw Remonstrances but especially the City was so highly incensed that the Lord Mayor Allen was hardly able to restrain them from flying to armes which so perplexed him that not knowing whom to please and fearing bad effects if he should displease either he went to Wallingford House to represent the postures of affairs to the Gang to try if he could persuade them to reason But he was affronted all along as he past in his coach in the streets by the Common people who called him a deserter and told him he was not like Sir William Walworth in the time of King Richard the second which was a notable evidence of the inclination of the Generality In the mean time that we may see and be astonished at the impudence of these men or monsters called the Safety men they had ordered a Committee whom we nominated before as mad as themselves to sit at White-Hall to find out a new Government whose wits being not so accute as their swords were quickly confounded in the building of thir Babel Sometimes they would have a Senate and another time they were for Consâ—rvators which should be much like the Rumping Custodes to keep the Liberties from the people But at last to please the Nation this Mounthain brought forth its Mouse a Vote viz That a convention which they stiled a Parliament qualified according to their humors and elected by persons so qualified should be called and appoynted to sit in or before February next But in the first place 7 fundamental principles are agreed upon by the Walâ—ingssordians which must needs be as unalterable as the Laws of the Medes and Persians These are 1 That no Kingship shall be exercised in these Nations 2 That no single Person shall exercise the Office of Cheif Magistrate here 3 That an Armie be continued maintained and conducted so as it may secure that is imprison the peace of these Nations and by no means be disbanded nor the conduct thereof altered but by the consent of such Conservators as should be appoynted 4 That no imposition may be upon the consciences of any but the Cavaliers 5 That there be no House of Peers 6 That the legislative and executive power be distinct and not in the same hands 7 That the Assemblies of Parliament shall be elected by the people of this Common Wealth duly qualified But these Gimcraks would not satisfie at all But the Treaty still being in hand they were lulled into a security and began after the old manner of the Rumpers to share among themselvs the Cheifest Offices and places of Trust and proffit and to his end Fleetwood Desborow Sydenham Saloway Holland Clerk and Blakwell or any two of them are appointed Commissioners of the Treasurie and to manage the publique revenue with power as large as they could wish or desire But being disturbed with the peoples drawing up of several Petitions and getting Subscriptions issue forth a Proclamation against all such petitioning and call their petitions undue and dangerous papers and prohibit all persons to subscribe any such papers and if offered to suppress them and to cause all persons so endeavouring to get subscriptions to be apprehended upon account of being enemies and disturbers of the peace Thus you see these very men who had set examples of this nature so frequently by geting Subscriptions to Petitions and Remonstrances to the Autority then in Being could not endure it now it twarted their humors and interest and what in themselvs they indulg'd and pleaded for as their right they will abhor and will punish in others Mind therefore
the Justice of these men But this Prohibition of theirs did but the more enrage the people and the Londoners especially the Apprentices were in an uproar and readye to mutine whereupon Hewosn the one ey'd cobler hath order with his Regiment of foot and some horse to march into the City where he â—â—lld a Cobler and one or two more and wounded several so that the Citizens shut up their shops yet rather madded than daunted thereat there were continuall bickerings between them and the souldiers neither could Desborows canting speech at Guild-Hall work upon them but that sometimes multitudes would flock together and affront the souldiers and tho' they were often dispersed yet they would gather head again And now the Common-Council in which at that time were many stout and honest men began to give ear to the Apprentices petitioning for a free Parliament being thereunto encouraged by an offer of 3000 valiant Seamen to aid them from Vice Admiral Lawson who in this juncture was come up the Thames and had surprized all the Forts and Blockhouses in the way Vaine and Salmon were sent to confer with him but nothing would prevail with him unless the Wallingfordians would readmit the Rumpers to sit again And besides all this Hazelrig Morley and Walton at Portsmouth had so wrought upon those Regiments which were sent against them that they all came over to their side The Safety men and Officers at White-Hall perceiving themselvs to be generally hated and slighted and wanting mony to pay their souldiers and uphold their interest being withall beset on every hand with enemies both City and Country being ready to rise upon them found a necessity of submiting to the Rumpers for fear lest while the two Currs strove for the bone of Goverment the Royal Lyon should come in and destroy them both they finding the pulse of the whole nation tyred with the various fits of arbitrary sway beating towards the return of the King and to their old and equal way of Government and the late reconciliation between France and Spain in which his Majesty was very instrumental seeming to presage some danger to them the Cheif of them then go to the Speaker Lenthal and cry peccavimus where tender-hearted Fleetwood meekly weeping gave a full testimony of his sorrow for his reiterated defection saying That the Lord had blasted their Councells and spit in their Faces 't is his own rhetoric and therefore desires him and the rest of the members to return to the exercise of their Trust for the Government of the Nation And the same day the souldiery being drawn up in Lincolns-Inn-feilds owned the Junto again for the supream authority now they saw thy could keep it no longer themselves The Speaker went presently to the Tower of London the care of which Government whereof he committed to Sir Antony Ashly-Cooper Mr. Weaver and Mr. Berners and two dayes after being the 26th of December this never dying Rump resumed their old places and thus ended the Government of the Armie which lasted only from the 13th of October to the 26th of December following And now almost tyred with relateing tho breifly the several sorts of Arbitrary and tyranical usurpations we are come to the last Act of our Tragedy or Trage-comedy since it ends happily and after the tryall of so many ways of Government almost to the ruin of the Nation they return to the good old way of Monarchy as the onely just equal and legal way of Government for these Nations and for the ease and free-dom of the people But let us pursue our story and see the last struggle gasp for life of this Monster or Dragon of a Common Wealth ruleing by their Arbitrary wills back'd by the power of the sword of a standing Armie who like the Turks Janizarie Keept both the people and their Masters in awe tho hey knew the one was not able to stand the other Soon after this revived Junto to their great joy had met Hazelrig Morley and Walton came to their Companions being attended from Portsmouth by those forces that were led by Desborow to reduce them who being then deserted by them hasted back to London and from thence to St. Albans whence he wrote an humble letter to his restored Masters craveing pardon and telling them that he had procured his own Regiment which was at that time quarter'd there to return to their Obedience From S. Albans Desborow went into Yorksheir to Lambert who was now in a declineing condition General Monk finding things goe to his mind in England now broke of the treaty he had yet continued at York and had planted his armie very advantageously along the River Tweed on the Scotch side in such a prudent manner that in a few hours he could have all his Forces together and lay so well posted that the enemie could not make their way to him without extraordinary disadvantage and if Lambert should have attempted to have got to him by the way of Carlile he would by that means have gained several days march before him towards London being also well assured the Country would come in a pace to him Lambert was about 13000 strong and far superior to General Monk in numbers especially in Horse which made that famous and experienced commander decline engageing The Rumpers as soon as got together order Popham Thomson Scot Okey Ashly-Cooper Alured and Markham or any 3 of them to be Commissioners to Order Direct and Conduct the forces of the armie these write to Lambert to disperse his forces but they were doeing that themselvs before and the Irish Brigade that came over to his assistance under Redman and Bret submitted to the Junto a pardon being sent to Lambert and for all others that should submit to them by the 9 th of the same month by the example of the Irish Regiments divers other Regiments also forsook Lambert who headed by the Lords Fairfax and Faulconbridg lately came to them seized York for the Junto Lambert upon this marches from the borders Southward his souldiers forsakeing him so fast that by such time as he came to North-Allerton he had not above 50 Horse remaining where upon both he and they concluded to lay hold on the offer of pardon and so dispersed which being done those at York likwise departed to their respective Quarters Windsor castle also was surrendred to them by the means of Col. Ingoldsâ—y all things thus prospering they fall upon the Oath of Abjuration or Renunciation of the whole line of King James which they had been hammering at before but now nominateing a Concil of State they order that none of them should Act till they had taken this oath which was now formed more strict than ever and it was also proposed that all the members of the House should take it but this was strongly opposed by many for that secretly divers of them had sought their pardons of the King and seeing that he would inevitably come in the wisest
fain to follow their fel-lows The Junto would have given the General a 1000. pounds a year out of Sir George Booths estate but he refused it and then they grant him St James's park dureing their pleasure General Monck Marching into London Monck his Soldiers pulling down the Citty Gates posts and chaines A free Parlyament Voted the King to be sent for The K 2 Dukes Riding in through London attended c. Arbitrary Government abolished The name of those joyned in the Commission with General Monk were Hazelrig Merley Walton and Alured 3 of which were to be a Quorum and when it was moved by Monk's friends that he might be always of the Quorum it was carried in the Negative which so exasperated the General that having tryed his Officers he secretly ordered all the Armie to be drawn up and having prepared a Letter signed by himself and the Cheifest Officers of his Armie in which they Complain of the Junto's Countenanceing Lambert and Vain and permitted Ludlow to sit with them tho accused by Sir C. Coot of high Treason they conclude that by Friday next they should issue out writs for the filling up the House when filled should rise at their appoynted time to give way to a free Parliament The Letter they sent to the Junto sitting and immediatly march into London to shake hands with the City on the 11 of February the Armie is drawn up into Finsbury feilds and the General being invited to dinner by the Lord Major who at first was very shie not knowing how to believe what some of Monks friends had told him of the General 's Letter to the Junto and of his resolving to declare for a free Parliament but before they parted the General himself gave him and the rest of the Citizens such satisfaction of his Integrity that overjoy'd they caused the souldiers to be feasted and Quarters in the City to be provided for them the Bells in all the Churches to ring and at night Bonfires to be made in every street declareing for a free Parliament In the mean time the Junto read the Generals and his Officers Letter which caused a very great disorder in the House however they thought it best to dissemble and secretly resolve to ruine Him if they can tho' openly they Vote him the thanks of the House and send away Scot and Robinson to give it him and to let him know they were about qualifications for members to be Chosen for the filling up their House But when they heard of what was done in the City the Rumpers gnashed at it and angry they were that they could not take revenge on the subscribers of the late Remonstrances for a free Parliament whose Estates they earnestly longed to be dealing with And now in the nick of Time comes a Declaration from Ireland where they had secured Sir Hardress Waller a Rumper which was of the same nature with those of the English Counties but more bold and resolute speaking their Minds freely the Lord Broughill being one of the Cheif promotors of it His Excellency having waited some days for an answer to his Letter and receiving none but what Scot and Robinson brought him who durst not stay in the City for fear of being stoned and finding nothing done in reference to the filling the House he set himself about considering some way to dissolve the Junto without force or violence In this juncture many of the secluded Members were in and about the City Some of whom addressed themselves to the General who procured a Conference between ten of them and ten of the Junto where the one party challenged admission as Members of the House unjustly forced from it before the others refused it unless they would confirm all that was done since by them or at least ingage as they had done against a single person and House of Lords but when they could not agree about these poynts Monk who was present both times for they had two meetings clearly discerning more of self-interested wilfulness than any Reason in what the Rumpers urged a day or two after sent for the Secluded and demanded if they were of the same mind and resolved not to engage against a single person to which they answering affirmatively and professing to be immoveable therein he got above fourscore of them together to Whitehall where recommending the care of Religion and the State to them and telling them how suteable Physick a full and free Parliament would be for the crazed body of this Natton he told them the House was open to them and prayed for their good success and so on the 21th of February they went and took their places in the House which was managed so secretly that the Junto knew nothing of their comming till they appeared which so surprised them that they could not tell whether they had best sit still or leave their places The moderate among them stayed but the grand sticklers for a Common Wealth knowing now they should be out-Voted and that they should be able to do no good or rather further mischeif quitted the House Whilst these things were transacting the Junto had endeavoured all ways possibly to have gotten Monk out of the City that they might have had him in their power inviteing him to fit in the Council of State and had sent Colonel Alured to persuade him but he was too wise to trust them for he had secret intelligence of their intentions of sending him to the Tower or of serving him worse for they foresaw their own ruine he excused himself by his care of secureing the City by his presence who were full of disturbance and ready to mutinee But now the secluded Members having gotten in eleven years after they had been kept out being double the number of the former sitters out-Voted them still so as there was no interruption They had long been standers by and had seen more than the Gamesters and now they mean to improve their animadversions and experience to the doeing of a great deal in a little time They fall to work presently where they were abruptly forced to break off December 1648 confirming their Vote made then by another now That the Concessions of his Late Maiesty were a sufficient Ground to proceed on for setling the peace of the Kingdom Hereby Vacateing all that had been done contrary thereunto dureing their Recess Brave Monk is by them constituted Captain General of all the forces in England Scotland and Ireland and He with General Mountague made Admirals at Sea Sir William Waller is made Leiutenant General of the land forces Colonel Edward Rossiter General of the Horse and Vice Admiral Lawson Continued in his Command Severel Gentlemen committed by the Rumpers order were then released and among others Sir George Booth who took his place in the House and the City Gates Portcullisses Posts and Chains were ordered to be repaired at the publique charge Then they provided to secure the Nation by two seasonable Acts