in Your Power and as little at Your Service Denzil Holles At St. Mere Eglide in Normandy this 14th of February 1648. S. V. ERRATA PAge 15. line 22. read Cromwel P. 39. l. 22. r. written P. 43. l. 27. r. publick P. 89. l. 7. dele Comma L. 4. r. Many in P. 96. l. 15. f. the r. their P. 100 l. 18. l. as to say P. 161. l. 8. dele not MEMOIRS OF DENZIL Lord HOLLIS 1. THE wisest of Men saw it to be a great Evil that Servants should ride on Horses and Princes walk as Servants on the Earth An Evil now both seen and felt in our unhappy Kingdom The meanest of Men the basest and vilest of the Nation the lowest of the People have got the Power into their Hands trampled upon the Crown baffled and misused the Parliament violated the Laws destroyed or supprest the Nobility and Gentry of the Kingdom oppress'd the Liberties of the People in general broke in sunder all Bands and Tyes of Religion Conscience Duty Loyalty Faith common Honesty and good Manners cast off all fear of God and Man and now lord it over the Persons and Estates of all sorts and ranks of Men from the King on his Throne to the Beggar in his Cottage making their Will their Law their Power their Rule their hairbrain'd giddy phanatical humour and the setting up of a Babel of Confusion the end of all their Actions But how this misery is befallen us the Kingdom brought so low and so unworthily unhappily inconsiderately deliver'd over into such base and ignoble hands the Parliament abused betrayed and now become in show and in name the Instrument of their Tyranny but in truth it self made nothing and if the presence of the right Speaker be so essential to the being and acting of a Parliament and so necessary that Sir Edward Cook says in his Institutes the House cannot sit without him then is there clearly at this present no Parliament but an Assembly of Men acted and moved by the Art and Malice of some few sitting among them by the means of an Army which those few those Vipers of the Parliament that have eaten out the Bowels of their Parent and destroyed her raised that is abused the Parliament making them raise it under colour of necessity for the preservation of the Parliament and Kingdom when in truth it was out of a design to make themselves Masters of both that neither of them might ever enjoy Peace and Liberty more to blast our Hopes nip all the fair Blossoms of Reformation dash in sunder all our preparations and endeavours for the establishing of a happy Peace and so a glorious promising Morning became a Day of darkness a Day of treading down and perplexity this I say will be worth the enquiry and perhaps be no difficult thing to discover and make so plain that he who runs may read 2. Yet I would not be conceived to attribute so much of Wisdom and Foresight to these Men as to believe they had laid this whole Design with the several Circumstances and Steps of proceeding from the beginning which not the Devil himself was so politick and foreknowing as to have done But I am perswaded that they had it in their general Aim and laid it as a foundation for all their Superstructures to do as much mischief as they could make the Disorder as great the Change as universal as was possible and still to improve all opportunities and occasions ex re natâ putting on for more as they prevailed in any thing till at last even beyond what either they could hope or we could fear their Design was brought to this perfection as will appear by the sequel of this Discourse 3. When in the beginning of this Parliament in the Year 1642. after some progress in a Parliamentary way to the relieving of many of our Grievances and reforming many Abuses both in Church and State for which we were not sufficiently thankful it pleased God in his just Judgment for the punishment of our Sins to send a Spirit of Division between the King and the Parliament and things grew to that height as both of them appealed to the Sword to plead their Cause and decide their Quarrel the Members of Parliament who then engaged declared themselves to desire nothing but the settlement of the Kingdom in the honour and greatness of the King and in the happiness and safety of the People And whensoever that could be obtained to lay down the Sword and submit again to the King's Scepter of Peace more willingly than ever they resisted his Force and Power This I am sure was the ultimate end of many I may say of the chiefest of those who at that time appeared upon which principle they first moved and from which they never departed which made them at that time resolve to put their Lives into their hands and offer them a Sacrifice to the welfare and happiness of their Prince and Country I say Prince as well as Country tho he perhaps look'd on them as his greatest Enemies but they consider'd him as their Prince whom Nature Duty the Command of God and the Laws of Men obliged them to reverence and to love as the Head and Father of the People whose greatness consisted in his People's and his People 's in his and therefore neither could be great nor happy one without the other which made those faithful ones put them both in the same Ballance and rather adventure his displeasure by promoting the publick Cause than as they thought his ruin by deserting it 4. Whilst these Men acted in the simplicity of their Hearts there was another Generation of Men which like the frozen Snake that lay in their Bosoms seemed to desire but the same things with them and that the same should have contented them when it was nothing so but they had further Designs to destroy and cut off not a few to make the Land an Aceldama ruin the King and as many of the Nobility and Gentry as they could alter the Government have no order in the Church nor power in the State over them This was the Venom they harbour'd which at first they were not warm enough to put forth But it soon appeared by some evident Symtoms which discovered it to discerning Eyes though many were very long abused For as the Devil can transform himself into an Angel of Light so they pretended Zeal in Religion and to be publick Spirits as if none were so holy and self-denying as they and so insinuated themselves into the good Opinion of Men and being bold and forward got into all Imployments engrossed the whole managing of the War that is the directive part of it not the fighting whilst others who meant plainly and honestly went into their several Countries desirous to see the business soon at an end and either by shewing the Sword to have kept it in on both sides or else if God had otherwise determin'd that some Blood must be drawn
and that therefore he should not advance his Quarters any nearer 153. They afterwards order the eleven Members to come and give their attendance who were presently sent for and some others that had been forc'd by the Army to forbear the House 154. For amongst other enormous proceedings of the Army one was upon pretence that some sat there who had born Arms against the Parliament or abetted the other side they make the House enjoin some Gentlemen to present a state of their Case upon certain Votes then pass'd which put an incapacity upon such as were comprehended in them under a heavy penalty if they forbore not the House of themselves so compelling them either to accuse themselves against all rule of Justice and the very law of Nature undergoing the greatest hazard that could be for if they fail'd in a tittle as very well one might in a thing done three or four years before or that any Knave would come and swear something against him they underwent the penalty or else to deprive themselves of their rights of sitting in the House and so the Town or County which had chosen him lose the service of their Burgess or Knight indeed this was a heinous villany but they are guilty of so many that one drowns another 155. They pass a Vote that the King may be humbly desir'd to come to his own house at Richmond that so the Houses of Parliament and Commissioners of Scotland might have access to him to propose what was necessary for settling the Peace of the Kingdom himself be in a place of safety out of the hands and power of the Army whose fair shews towards him they had cause to suspect to be no other than the kisses of Iudas to betray and ruin both him and the Kingdom and accordingly Messengers were sent to attend him with it but the Army frustrated all those endeavours 156. Some other things were pass'd that day and lest the Parliament should be wanting to it self in doing what was possible for its defence and the Citys in case the Army should not stop upon their Letter the Committee of Safety is reviv'd and order'd as before to join with the Militia and provide for their protection and all but need for Sir Thomas Fairfax and his two Councils of War the Members and the Officers would not vouchsafe to read the Letter but march on Rabshekah like threatning ruin and destruction yet was there no such thought towards them our End being not vim inferre but repellere get such a strength about us as might only defend not offend To that end those Forces which were quarter'd further off in Kent and Surrey as Sir Robert Pye's Company Colonel Graves's and some others were commanded to draw near the City not offering or intending any act of hostility when upon a sudden the Sunday morning the 2 d of August a Party of Horse about two Regiments commanded as I take it by one Desborough a Major fell into Deptford where were some half a score of Sir Robert Pye's Soldiers who had staid behind the rest to discharge the Quarters and most inhumanly and basely butcher'd those poor Men as many as they could light of killing besides any that look'd like a Soldier whom they found upon the way some within a stones cast of the works of Southwark This as it was a most barbarous and bloody Murder which will bring down vengeance upon their heads soon or late that tho they should escape the hand of Justice here the hand of God will certainly overtake them so did it something awaken the City to see their own danger and a little quicken their pace to draw the Ordnance upon their Works and man them something better but in truth not much For I may say they were a people prepar'd for ruin and slavery Gibbs and Fowks principally had bewitch'd them and Agents for the Army who were up and down weaken'd Mens hearts and hands so as nothing was done to any purpose for putting them into a way of safety or possibility of deliverance All were desirous equally of Peace but not all equally afraid of Danger those who fear'd it most were the greatest cause of it and some good well meaning Men of the Assembly Mr. Herbert Palmer and others whom Mr. Marshal had wrought upon and perswaded to come to the Houses first as being Ministers and Ambassadors of Peace to perswade to Peace and then to the Common Council to do the like to them which did but dishearten and discourage those who were apt enough to fear being not so fully ready to resist a power that was coming upon them and did hinder the preparations To say the truth all was done that could be to hinder and little to help Insomuch as at that very time when the Army was marching up for their destruction about 49000 l. which had formerly been order'd to be sent down for the Army 's drawing off further from the City could not be privily convey'd out of Town by Sir Iohn Wollaston and some others in which Mr. Scawen and Mr. Allen Members of the House had a principal hand which was as great a blow to Parliament and City as could be given for it serv'd to keep the Soldiers together and unite them for marching up whereas before there were high discontents amongst them and it weaken'd us even taking away so much of our blood that which at that time we principally stood in need of 157. The Parliament did all that could be desir'd yet still with a resolution to endeavour the ways of preventing extremities Those Commissioners of theirs who were at the Army had in a manner disavowed them for never any thing came from them to the Houses and Mr. Skippon when the City sent to him to come and take the conduct and management of their business a duty they might very well have expected from him he was so far from performing it as he absolutely refus'd except he might have an assurance from the Parliament and from them to return again to the Army if he lik'd not his conditions which was a great ingratitude to those who had deserv'd so well of him and an unworthy complyance with them who had formerly neglected him 158. A Message was resolv'd upon to be sent to the Army to see if they could be stopp'd from coming in that manner to endanger putting all into blood Mr. Swifen and Mr. Ashurst as I remember were nominated the rest I have forgot The like was also prepar'd in the City and more quickly executed upon Tuesday Alderman Gibbs Mr. Noel and some other Aldermen and Common Councilmen were appointed to go with it And they soon return'd not with an Olive branch but with a heavy doom to the honour of the City freedom of the Parliament and safety of the poor eleven Members in the first place and next of all that had engag'd in the defence of the City The Keys of the City if I misremember not must be deliver'd to
be left behind to see all accounts adjusted which had requir'd very good Rhetorick to have made it Justice especially to have appear'd so to the Scotish Soldiers for to have sent them away without Money and then ask the Country-man what the Soldiers had taken when he might say what he thought â— good the Soldier not there to answer for himself and yet his Pay to be thereby determin'd would have been but hard measure But the Rhetorick had been Sir Thomas Fairfax to have gone down with his Army which should have made it just and easie and every thing for this was it they desir'd to bring it to as it was often mov'd and press'd by them 64. At last the well-wishers to Peace with much ado prevail'd in the House and it was carry'd to offer the Scots a gross Sum for all so to part fair and avoid the delay and disputes of an account to which they presently agreed Then the question was what Sum. Here again we had a strong debate For our Incendiaries hung by every twig sticking fast to their Principles to dissatisfie the Scots and break with them if possible upon any point pretending the poverty of the Kingdom and the great Sums the Scots had rais'd and therefore they would give but 100000 l. which they knew was all one with a hundred Shillings as to the satisfying of the Soldiers for marching away In the end after many debates in the House and passages to and again with the Scotch Commissioners the lowest Sum that could be agreed unto by the Commissioners was 400000 l. two in hand and the other two after some time with a protestation of theirs that the Army would not be satisfy'd with less nor inabled to march which was motive enough for these Men to deny it for if they could have wrought the dissatisfaction of the Army so as to have refus'd to go it was where they would have it Whereupon 't was oppos'd by them with all the power they had but in the end the better part that is the moderate Party who were the Peace-makers those that labour'd to keep things even and fair between the two Kingdoms carry'd it And the sum was voted and all things agreed upon tho with difficulty for they fought it out and lost it by Inches then the Scots declar'd they would march out by such a day 65. Yet had our Boutefeus one hope left which was to quarrel at last about the person of the King believing the Scots would certainly have taken his Majesty with them into Scotland This they knew had been ground sufficient and would have engag'd all England against them giving a confirmation to all the jealousies formerly rais'd and occasion'd a thousand more And had certainly more advantag'd the designs of those who thirsted after the destruction of the King first the Scots next and then all such as desir'd Peace within this Kingdom and have made them a smoother way to their damnable Ends the altering of the Government and bringing in a confusion both in Church and State than any thing that could have happen'd And the two Kingdoms had been together in blood the author of the mischief undiscover'd mask'd over with the glorious pretences of zealously vindicating the honesty and interest of England and every breach of Covenant and Treaty in this Cause which made them with so much peremptoriness and incivility and in truth injustice demand that the Scots would deliver up his Majesty who had an equal interest in his Royal Person with the Kindom of England he being equally King of both and an equal interest in the closing and binding up the unhappy differences which were between him and both his Kingdoms they having been engag'd in that Quarrel at the entreaty of England and made up together with an intire Body with England as is before shewed for the prosecution of it Therefore they had no more reason to trust us with the King than we had them and as much were they concern'd in all that related to his Majesty's Person so as they had ground enough to have disputed it and out of that hope was it press'd by the others But the wisdom of the Scotish Nation foresaw the inconveniencies which must have necessarily follow'd had they been positive at that time how they had plaid their Enemies game to their own ruin and even ruin to his Majesty Therefore they made for him the best conditions they could that is for the safety and honour of his Person and to avoid greater mischiefs were necessitated to leave him in England and so march away Which they did in February 1646. 66. Here then the very mouth of Iniquity was stopt Malice it self had nothing to say to give the least blemish to the faithfulness and reality of the Kingdom of Scotland the clearness of their Proceedings their zeal for Peace without self-seeking and self-ends to make advantage of the miseries and misfortunes of England This gave such a reputation to them and to those that appear'd for them that is so far for them as to endeavour the doing of them right and prevent the practices of those who sought all means of doing them wrong and gave such a blow to the other violent Party so broke their power and lessen'd their authority in the Parliament as it made way for obtaining those resolutions which were presently taken for disbanding Sir Thomas Fairfax's Army Till when by the fomenting jealousies against the Scots and against all moderate and well affected persons as if their designs were to betray the Cause deliver over the Honour and Interest and Strength of England into the hands of the Scots they prevail'd so far generally upon the affection of the people and especially upon many well-meaning but not so well discerning persons Members of Parliament as they were able to suppress all good motions tending towards Peace all endeavours of smoothing those rugged ways that their violence had put all things in and to swell up that Independent Army like the Spleen in the Body by the concourse of all ill humours to the ruin and consumption of the Body it self And yet other Forces cashier'd as Major General Massey's Brigade which had done all the Service in the West of which those Drones robb'd the sweet getting the honour and advantage of it to themselves That tho that Army was compos'd for the most part of factious Sectaries except some few gallant Men that were scatter'd here and there amongst them as Colonel Greves Colonel Thomas Sheffield Sir Robert Pye Colonel Herbert Colonel Butler Quarter-Master General Fincher and other Officers of Quality and Gentlemen of the Life-Guard who had formerly serv'd under my Lâ—â—d of Essex and Sir William Waller and in other parts of the Kingdom to whom they did the honour of letting them perform all the Action which that Army had to do and who every one of them afterward left it when it left its obedience to the Parliament and fidelity to the Kingdom and
desire that like fellow Subjects and Brethren the Citizens would follicite the Parliament in their behaf 102. Here they first take upon them openly to intermeddle with the business of the Kingdom contrary to all the former Declarations and Protestations but their words nor yet their vows were ever any rule to know their meaning by as Hammond told the King concerning Cromwel so is it with all those visible Saints have they promis'd vow'd sworn never so much call'd God and Man to witness if the condition of their Catholick Cause so alter that what they have so promis'd and sworn be no longer expedient for them a pretended Enthusiasm a new Light shall give a dispensation and they will do clean contrary yet all out of tenderness of Conscience well they are now in strength and power and will make use of it to turn all upside down 103. The poor Parliament all this while is sitting upon addle Eggs take a great deal of pains like Children to build Castles of Cards a puff from their faithful Army blows it all down It is true that at first upon return of their Commissioners who were sent down to disband and had brought them an account of the scorn put upon them how instead of the Regiments coming to the Rendevous appointed a Command from Sir Thomas Fairfax fetch'd them clear another away how the train of Artillery was seiz'd upon at Oxford the Money which should have disbanded a Regiment taken away by force and the Servants whom they had employ'd beaten and wounded this did with good reason startle them many of the Members express'd a sharp and severe Sense of it the House was taking vigorous and honourable Resolutions tho oppos'd with might and main by all the Independent Party who prevail'd but little being now a known engag'd Faction till Serjeant Major General Skippon stood up a Presbyterian one who had seem'd to dislike those factious ways before his last going down to the Army who was nominated Commander in chief for the Irish Expedition had receiv'd a gift of a thousand Pounds by way of encouragement to go but now was willing enough to stay at home with it he forsooth in a grave way with a doleful Countenance and lamentable Voice makes a long Speech to exhort to moderation and to bear with the Infirmities of a zealous conscientious Army which had done so much good Service Therefore it was his opinion we should humble our selves before God appoint a day of Fasting and do those things which the Army desir'd give them their full Pay alter the Ordinance according as they propos'd and he was perswaded in his Conscience they would then be satisfy'd however they were not to be provok'd for they were a form'd Body which would be upon us before we were aware This knockt us on the head especially his last Argument a demonstration 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so it is they are strong they will fall upon you timorous Men as he knew many of those were he had to deal with could make no reply to it 104. But had he done his duty given warning of those preparations and intentions sooner when he was below with the Army so long and could not choose but discern it the House would not have been so surpris'd would have provided against it in time but now fear took away the use of reason They look'd upon the Army as even at their doors Hannibal ad portas and all of them Children of Anak armed Giants not to be resisted 105. Whereas in truth there was no such cause of fear As they in the Army had more Cause carrying about them so much guilt as I am confident they had as great a share of apprehension But they presum'd upon their Agents among us they knew we had them with us both in Parliament and City who would betray us possess'd with the like evil Spirit as Ahab's Prophets were we should prevail otherwise we were not in so despicable a condition The Parliament had not yet utterly lost their reputation the Image of Authority was not wholly defaced in them they had a stock intire and untoucht of 200000 l. provided for disbanding the Army and service of Ireland multitude of Officers and gallant Soldiers about the Town who had always fought gallantly and obey'd readily had little reason to be in love with the Army which had unhors'd them so it is likely would have engag'd chearfully and done good service The City was high in the opinion of the People for courage and resolution firmness to the Parliament zeal in the Cause hatred of Independency dislike of the Army and a Purse to make all good give Sinews and Strength to that side with which they should close and had particularly presented many Petitions to the House for those very things which they were doing and the Army only came to undo which were in order to a Peace restoring the King settling the Government both in Church and State and giving ease and quietness to the Kingdom so as they were in truth already engag'd with us and waited but a Summons to declare themselves when by this unfortunate Man's interposition at that time to whom chiefly and to his Chaplain Marshal we must attribute all the Evil that has since befallen King and Kingdom all was dasht instead of a generous resistance to the insolencies of perfidious Servants vindicating the honour of the Parliament discharging the trust that lay upon them to preserve a poor People from being ruin'd and inslav'd to a rebellious Army they deliver up themselves and Kingdom to the will of their Enemies prostitute all to the Lust of heady and violent Men suffer Mr. Cromwel to saddle ride switch and spur them at his pleasure 106. For we instantly fell as low as dirt vote the common Soldier his full Pay the Officers a Month more that is in all three Months upon disbanding or engaging for Ireland take all our Ordinances in pieces change and alter them according to their minds and which is worst of all expunge our Declaration against that mutinous Petition cry Peccavimus to save a whipping but all would not do 107. In so much that when our Commissioners were sent down to the Army at Triplo Heath to give an account of our dutiful complyance they would not vouchsafe to hear them but when they offer'd to read the Votes cry out Justice Justice a Note that Cromwel and Ireton had taught them to sing being done by their directions as some of their own Disciples falling our with them have since discover'd which was by Mr. Scawen who was one of those were sent reported back to the House in such a gastly fearful manner only to terrifie us and make us more supple he saying the Army was so strong so unanimous so resolv'd as the poor Presbyterians hearts fell an Inch lower and the Independents made themselves merry with it Then forsooth the Houses must send down Members to abide with the Army as with a
paid Let any of them say so much I desire who ever shall chance to read this to pardon me this folly I do not mean for not taking the Money but seeming to boast of it I must again repeat the Apostle's words I am become a Fool in glorying but they have compel'd me It is true I had paid for a Fine impos'd in the King's Bench which I laid down in ready Money out of my Purse a thousand Marks This in the time of these troubles when my whole Estate was kept from me in the West that for three years or thereabouts I receiv'd thence not one Farthing was reimburs'd to me 137. Now I appeal to the world whether our accusers or we the poor eleven Members so decry'd so oppress'd were the more guilty who they were who had gotten cozen'd oppress'd were indeed the Traitors If he did not say as truly as he did wittily if they had not had more men than matter against us they had been the Traitors themselves which many of their own Disciples have upon the matter confess'd and publish'd saying they were to seek for matter only we were a Beam in their Eyes And their great Apostle Lilburn himself says the great aim was but to pull down those who stood in the way of their preferment 138. Here is our Crime I will ask pardon of God for my failings even in the performance of all these duties where I serv'd my Country best but not of the Parliament from whence I desire no favour Let them put upon me the severest disquisition either concerning those things then charg'd or the great Treason since committed of endeavouring to defend my self the Parliament the City from a rebellious unjust oppressing Army which against all Laws of God and Man came to force us for which I stand voted to be impeach'd of Treason and am outed the House of which I shall treat presently 139. But first I shall shew the Steps to it The Army now did all the Parliament was but a Cypher only cry'd Amen to what the Councils of War had determin'd They make themselves an absolute third Estate have Commissioners residing with them from the Parliament Agents from his Majesty and abuse both sufficiently as solemnly treated with as if no Subjects but a Body subordinate to neither vested with an Independent Authority claiming only from God and their Sword The whole business of the Kingdom is there now agitated and the engagement of the Army is the Standard by which all propositions must be measur'd If any thing be offer'd by the Parliament which they like not it is presently answer'd not to stand with their solemn Engagement Many meetings there were great consultations and debates upon certain proposals for settling of a Peace and securing the Rights and Liberties of the People 140. Notwithstanding this while these things are in agitation after all their affronting baffling forcing the Parliament marching up against it and the City contrary to their orders by which they were not to come nearer than within forty Miles of London they will have them own them for their Army undertake to provide for their maintenance and immediately send down a months Pay yet will not be subject to them in any thing All this is done Mr. Marshal the Minister being a principal Instrument for them who was still going and coming between Westminster and the head Quarters or at the Parliament doors solliciting the Members of both Houses perswading them by all manner of arguments sometimes assurances sometimes terrifyings to agree to those things which the Army desir'd and this not in order to the setting up of Presbytery in which he had formerly been so zealous for the Presbyters were not then Trump and he meant to whine therefore to put out them to take in better Cards for his turn Afterwards they send to repeal the Ordinance for the Militia of London which had been settled upon many and long debates to stand for one whole year and renew the former expir'd Ordinance for establishing the old Committee which was the year before 141. It is but ask and have that is presently done and truly I think it was a design of the Army merely to provoke the City engage them to do something express a dislike perhaps fly out and give them an occasion to offer some violence should they persist or if yield after a little ill favour'dly shewing their teeth then to put such things upon them so yoke them break their strength trample upon their Liberties and Privileges as they should not be able afterwards upon any occasion to raise them disturbance and make opposition to whatever they should set on foot tho never so grievous and displeasing to the whole Kingdom for they thought not themselves secure whilst the City stood unbroken 142. Their Plot took the City was very much mov'd at this sudden Act of the Houses in the altering their Militia without so much as giving them notice to hear what they could say in a point so nearly concerning them They look upon it as an Infringement of their Charter granted and confirm'd to them by so many Kings successively by which they were still to have the power of their own Militia as a shaking of the foundation of all their security for those vast sums of Money they had lent which depended only upon Ordinances and the easie and sudden repealing of this gave them cause to fear they might be serv'd so in the rest 143. Whereupon at their Common Council they agreed upon a Petition to the Houses informing them of the distempers in the City upon the change they had made and beseeching them to reestablish it as it was before which was presented by the Sheriffs some of the Aldermen and of the Members of the Common Council in a fair and submissive way But the Parliament durst do nothing without the leave of their Masters only give them good words and so hop'd to slide over the business Then some young Men Apprentices and others appear'd pressing hard who would not be satisfy'd till it was done which the Houses sticking at the young Men insisting drew a great concourse of people putting things into some heat so as at last they prevail'd and the Militia was again settled according to their desire upon which they went away returning to their homes only some of the younger and more unruly sort remain'd among whom some idle people and perhaps not well affected Soldiers and others and I have heard some of the Independents even belonging to the Army thrust themselves and put the multitude disorderly enough before into great distempers who then would make the Houses do this and the other thing vote the King 's coming to London the calling in of the eleven Members and I know not what else would not suffer the Parliament Men either of the one House or the other to stir till all was voted and pass'd which they desir'd keeping them there till I think nine of the clock
at night when the Common Council hearing of these disorders sent down the Sheriffs of London and some of the Aldermen to appease them which they did This was upon Monday the 26 th of Iuly The Houses adjourn'd themselves the House of Peers to Friday the Commons house to the next day The City had against the next day which was Tuesday taken order to prevent such further inconveniences by unruly people assembling about Westminster which before they could not well do in regard their Militia was unsettled by the alteration that the new Ordinance upon the Armies command had made and I heard sent down a Message to the House of Commons to assure them of it but Mr. Speaker was so hasty to adjourn till the Friday perhaps because the rather he would not receive that Message which had half spoil'd the Plot that he would scarce stay till it was a House and some of the sactious crying to adjourn he did so tho many cry'd out against it who could not be heard 144. By the Friday the two Speakers the Earl of Manchester of the Peers and Mr. Lenthal of the Commons instead of giving their attendance according to their duty upon the Houses with eight Lords and fifty eight Commoners were run down to the Army there enter into an engagement bearing date the 4 th of August to live and die with it upon pretence of a force and violence to the Parliament but in truth by a Conspiracy with the Army design'd and laid principally by Mr. Saint Iohn the Sollicitor as appears by a Letter sent from Rushworth Sir Thomas Fairfax's Secretary to the Speaker with no name in it but the latter part of it written with his own hand advising him not to appear at the House on Friday morning but to take counsel of Mr. Sollicitor who would tell him what was fit to be done assuring him the Army would all lie in the dirt or protect them who were their friends This as I remember was the effect of the Letter yet remaining in one of the Houses which no doubt came from Sir Thomas Fairfax and Mr. Cromwel and the rest of those Governors undertaking so for the Army and shews who was the man that must give the Orders and direct what was to be done by the House and then may well be suppos'd to be the Author of all The ground of this Engagement is made to be a Declaration of the Armies shewing the reasons of their advance towards London as full of falshood as it is of malice against the eleven poor Members and in truth intended only against them who are by it said to be the cause of all that had been done in the City that therefore they were resolv'd to march up to London expecting the well affected people of the City would either put us in safe custody or deliver us up to them stuffing up the whole Declaration with falshoods and lies as well in the narrative part as in the comment upon it they pretend That to carry on our former evil designs and preserve our selves from the hand of Justice we had endeavour'd to cast the Kingdom into a new War and to that end had procur'd an under hand listing of Reformadoes and continu'd a wicked and treasonable Combination which we caus'd several persons to enter into That this could not be done in the time of the old Commissioners for the Militia and therefore the new were made who many of them were very intimate with us which was a just cause for the Army to have them chang'd again That thereupon the tumult was abetted and fomented by us to violate the Parliament and force it into our hands which makes them require that we may be in that manner deliver'd up and declar'd all that was done in the Houses that day or afterwards till those fugitive Members should return again null and void so here the Army takes upon it to declare what Votes shall stand good what not and this is for the honour and freedom of the Parliament that which those worthy Patriots would live and die upon And besides they say they were labouring after the settlement of the Kingdom and had even brought it to perfection the particular proposals ready to be sent to the Parliament for a final conclusion of all our troubles which conclusion of our troubles in truth nothing in the sight of Man could have hinder'd but this cursed practice of violence upon the Parliament which very thing in them was as cursed a High Treason as could be committed a mercenary Army rais'd by the Parliament all of them from the General except what he may have in expectation after his Father's death to the meanest Centinal not able to make a thousand Pounds a year Lands most of the Colonels and Officers mean Tradesmen Brewers Taylors Goldsmiths Shoemakers and the like a notable Dunghil if one would rake into it to find out their several Pedigrees these to rebel against their Masters put conditions upon them upon the King and whole Kingdom make their Will a Rule that all the Interests of King Parliament and Kingdom must be squared by which they are not asham'd to declare here to the world 145. And this pious Declaration do these worthy Lords and Commons receive with much approbation and with much thankfulness to God in the first place and next under him to the ever faithful Army and so became like the Proselites which the Scribes and Pharisees made twofold more the Children of Hell than themselves more criminous and guilty of a greater Treason as having broken a higher Trust being themselves part of the Parliament which they deserted and betray'd a wound given in the more noble and vital parts tearing the Bowels and piercing to the very Heart Whereas the Army were but Servants outward and ministerial parts so to be look'd upon and so punish'd Slaves were crucify'd but Citizens that betray'd were exterminated they and their posterity and the whole City turn'd into mourning sensible of the loss as the Body when depriv'd of a principal Member 146. They should have remembred that even at the time of the pretended force which they would have men believe to have driven them away the House lay under a greater force and themselves were greater Slaves to the lusts of the Army which trampled upon their Necks made them more contemptible than the smallest Court of Guard that had but a Corporal to command it to eat their words their Declarations Orders Ordinances break their Faith betray and destroy all that serv'd them faithfully give thanks for being cudgel'd and abus'd pray and pay and be glad it would be accepted should not every Member have been sensible of such violations and injuries done to the Body But some will say it was as these Men will have it who were like the sinful lusts in the Soul quiet and well pleas'd while the strong man the Devil keeps the house So they were satisfy'd with all that was done because it