designs The Marquess therefore shewing a dislike to those their sinister dealings departed from the Assembly at Glasgow Whereupon the Covenanters protested against all that he had said and done there as his Majesties Commissioner And at the same instant the Lord Areskyn and three other mean persons came and beg'd to be admitted into their blessed Covenant Which offer though of purpose contrived was made so good use of by the Moderator that he desired it might be admired as God's approbation and Sealing of their proceedings And it being put to the question whether they should adhere to their Protestation and continue the Assembly notwithstanding the King's Commissioners departure it was voted by most affirmatively Secondly whether the Assembly though dissolv'd by his Majesties Commissioner was competent judge against the Bishops and whether they would go on in their Tryal it passed also affirmatively nemine contradicente And now no sooner was the Marquess thus departed having caused his Majesties Proclamation to be publish'd by Heraulds at the Market-Cross in Glasgow for dissolving the Assembly but that Mr. Archibald Iohnston the then Clerk to the Assembly made a scandalous Protestation against it After which all things were transacted by some few pack'd Committees of the most fierce Covenanters which sate till the thirtieth of December following Which Committees amongst other of their Acts declared six general Assemblies to be Null and void whereof two were then in force by several Acts of Parliament and divers Acts of the other four confirm'd by Parliament They condemned likewise all the Arminian Tenets as they call'd them without defining what those Tenets were They also deprived all the Arch-Bishops and Bishops of that Realm excommunicating many of them without examining any one witness to prove no nor offering to produce any to testify ought against them And next declared Episcopal Government to be inconsistent with the Laws of that Church and Kingdom abolishing it for ever though it then stood confirm'd by many Acts both of Parliament and Assemblies They also depriv'd divers Ministers for Arminianisme without ever questioning them for what Tenets or opinions they held Moreover towards the end of their Assembly they divided themselves into several Committees which after their rising should see all their Acts put in execution And at the conclusion of all the Moderator gave God thanks for their good success congratulating the Nobility for their great pains giving thanks also to the Earl of Argyle for his Presence and Council Which Earl in a long Speech then excused his late declaring himself yet protesting that he was always set that way though he delay'd to profess it so long as he found his close carriage might advantage their Cause but now he must openly adjoyn himself to their Society or prove a Knave as he said Hereupon the Marquess his Majesties Commissioner resolving to ask the King's leave to return for England came first to Edenborough where he found strong Guards put upon the Castle and the people much abused by false Reports viz. that his Majesty had made good nothing at all which was contained in his Declaration at Edenborough upon the two and twentieth of September last whereupon he caused a Proclamation to be published in his Majesties name at the Market-cross there containing the sum of his whole proceedings at Glasgow Which being encountered with a blustering and undutiful Protestation in the name of the general Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland and published at the same time and place he return'd into England Then the Faction proceeded to levy Soldiers impose Taxes and requiring obedience to their Acts menac'd the Refusers raised divers Fortifications in that Kingdom block'd up his Majesties Castles and Forts and took the Castle of Edenborough procuring their Preachers seditiously to teach the People that there was a Necessity of bearing Arms against his Majesty under pain of Perjury and Damnation and caused such an infamous Ballad to be sung up and down against the Bishops as that in hatred of them the people called a Dog with black and white spots a Bishop as he went in the Streets Moreover they procured divers Libels to be scattered in England for justification of their rebellious courses and defamation of Ecclesiastical Government inciting his Majesties Subjects in this Realm to attemt the like Rebellion here refusing to admit such to the Communion who had not subscribed their Covenant and preaching that the Non-subscribers were Atheists Nay one of them in his Sermon exhorted the people never to give over till they had the King in their power and then he should see what good Subjects they were Others preach'd that the Service-Book was fram'd at fome These and many other groundless scandals and falshoods to amuse the People they published in their Pulpits which they call'd the Chairs of truth And to hasten on the Peoples Insurrection endeavoured to perswade them that his Majesty intended an Invasion of that Kingdom and to make it a Province as also to despoil them of their Laws and Liberties and to give them new Laws as if they were a conquer'd Nation And having thus prepared the People and fitted themselves with all Provisions for war they put themselves in Armes and march'd to the Frontiers of England pretending they came as Petitioners The King therefore discerning the danger raised a gallant Army whereof he made Thomas Earl of Arundel his General and on the seven and twentieth of March set forwards towards Scotland having with him the flower of his English-Nobility and Gentry whose cheerfulness then to serve him was very great Yet was the Earl of Essex at that time his Lieutenant-General and the Earl of Holland General of the Horse so much was his Majesty then mistaken in their affections to him who did afterwards sufficiently discover themselves And advancing with his Army encamp'd four miles West from Barwick What correspondence was then held betwixt the Scots and divers of the great ones then in his Majesties Camp considering also who were of his Bed-chamber may easily be guest by the consequences Certain it is that divers of them grew cool in the business so that after the Scots had by a formal Petition expressed that they falling down at his Majesties feet did most humbly supplicate him to appoint some of the Kingdom of England to hear by some of them their humble desires his Majesty assented thereunto and after several meetings thereupon and their demands presented in writing professed that it was their greif that his Majesty had been provoked to wrath against them his most humble and loving Subjects and that it should be their delight upon his gracious assurance of the preservation of their Religion and Laws to give example to all others of all civil and temporal obedience which could be required of loyal Subjects To which his Majesty answered that if their desires were only the enjoying of their Religion and Liberties according to
that though the Committee which were sent to bring in the Scots went but lately thither yet the Brethren there having had former advertisements how great a necessity here was of them to the end their Friends should not faint hasted over a Declaration hither whereby they signified that whereas the Kingdom of England had a long time suffered by the Popish and malignant Counsels about his Majesty and that the miseries in England were but preparations to theirs they therefore did resolve to assist the Parliament of England And high time it was for their forces in most parts going by the worst it put them upon new contrivances every day So that Sir William Waller was fain to come again to the House and take the Covenant a second time to encourage some that had not taken it before And though the Committee which met at Merchant-Taylor's-Hall for raising the people of the land as one man did give direction to the Aldermen and their Deputies in every Ward with the Ministers Common-Council-men and others to promote the work as being the last Refuge of the people for so they express'd and no vain bait or allurement yet saw they so little fruit of this great endeavour that they were constrain'd to effect that by their power which they could not do by perswasion and therefore ordered the raising of two thousand men in Norfolk Suffolk and Cambridgshire every man to have a months pay in his pocket And for a speedy supply of more they passed two Ordinances One that the Committee for the Militia of London with the Deputy-Lieutenant's and Committees of Parliament in every County throughout the Kingdom should have power to raise levy and impress such numbers of Souldiers as should be appointed by both Houses of Parliament The other for pressing no less than twenty thousand men with so many Gunners Trumpets and Chirurgeons as should be thought fit for the six associated Counties of Norfolk Suffolk Essex Cambridg Hertford and Huntington with the City of Norwich and Isle of Ely to be rais'd within the said Counties for the service of the Kingdom and Parliament And notwithstanding all this being in a declining condition by reason that their moneys were spent their men wore out and no small discontents amongst themselves in order to some recruit they made an explanation of their old Ordinance for Sequestration of Delinquents with certain enlargements wherein is set forth who were to be reputed Delinquents over and besides such as were described in the former Ordinance with power to examine upon Oath for discovery as also Rewards to Discoverers And likewise passed another Ordinance relating to a former for the speedy raising of a body of Horse for the Preservation Peace and Safety of the Kingdom to resist the Insolencies and outrages committed by the Souldiers of the King's Army those being the words thereof By which they farther ordained that Tenants should pay the Assesments out of their Landlords estates and defalk them out of their Rents But that which they then chiefly look'd on being the assistance of the Scots whereon they principally depended as their last refuge to keep up the hearts of their then drooping party they made it their business therefore to cry up loudly the aid of these their dear Brethren For which respect it will not I suppose be impertinent to make here a short digression in shewing by what means they were dealt with in order to this their second Invasion CHAP. XVI AFter the English Committee was arriv'd in Scotland and had made large promises to the Brethren of an advantagious journey viz. the lands of the Church by the extirpation of Episcopacy the Scots well resenting so beneficial an offer did set forth a Proclamation whereby pretending the King's Person their Religion and Priviledges of Parliament to be in no small danger for preservation of these they required that all persons in that Realm of what sort quality or degree soever between sixteen and sixty years of age should forthwith fit themselves with fourty days Victual Amunition Arms and all other warlike Provision under penalty of confiscation of their whole Estates and to be punished as Enemies to Religion King and Kingdoms And having set forth a plausible Declaration shewing the reasons of such their intended assistance to the Parliament of England against the Papists and Prelatical party as they therein express'd they passed an Act in their convention of Estates for putting that Kingdom into a Posture of Defence naming therein the principal Colonels and Officers for that purpose To accomplish likewise their cheif design of enjoying the Church-Lands they fram'd a new Oath called the solemn League and Covenant Which was forthwith sent over into England and read in the House of Commons at Westminster thence to be transmitted to the Assembly of Divines for their approbation and being by them approved was remitted to the House of Commons And that the grand Contrivers at Westminster might the more ingratiate themselves with those their Brethren of Scotland they passed an Ordinance for demolishing all Monuments of Superstition and Idolatry as they intituled it In which was particularized the removal of all Communion-Tables from the East end of the Chancels in every Church as also for taking away the Rails which defended them levying the Chancels where the East part was higher with removing of Tapers Candlesticks and Basins For the speedy raising of more Moneys they likewise passed another Ordinance for fourteen thousand pounds to furnish one or more Magazines of Arms and Amunition and for raising of Horse c. Which sum was to be levied within the Hamlets of the Tower City of Westminster Burrough of Southwark and other places of Middlesex and Surrey within the lines of Communication Hitherto it was only pretended that those new Regiments of Voluntiers rais'd by the Ordinance of April the xiith for the better security of the City of London should not go out of the Lines of Communication But as Mr. Pym in his Epistle to Sir Iohn Hotham concerning Excise wrote that they must be used to it by little and little so now they began to shew them what they must trust to and passed another Ordinance to enable the Committee for the Militia of London to command forth one or more Regiments of the Trained-Bands or Auxiliaries within the Liberties of London and Westminster to go forth under the command of Sir William Waller and upon occasion to be assistant to the Lord General And herein I cannot but observe an excellent expression made to the House of Commons by Mr. Oliver St. Iohn sometime his Majesties Sollicitor General but then a dear Member and special Contriver in this great work in answer to Mr. Iohn Pym who seemed to stand strict for observing the Ordinance of April the xiith alleaged that though those men by that Ordinance raised only for the defence of the City were not to
York as also by fourty three Dukes Marquesses Earls Vicounts and Barons of the House of Peers and cxviii members of the House of Commons there present many others by reason of distance of place sickness and imployments elsewhere in his Majesties service and for want of timely notice of that Proclamation of Summons not being then come thither But the effect which this their Letter produced was in the first place to be cryed throughout the Streets of London in scorn as the Petition of the Prince and Duke of York for peace and a meer frivolous answer or Paper in form of a Letter directed to the Earl of Forth then General of the King's forces wherein was inclosed a printed paper called a National Covenant of the Kingdoms of England and Scotland and two other Papers the one called a Declaration of both the Kingdoms and the other a Declaration of the Kingdom of Scotland In that their General 's Letter it was pretended that because there was no address to the two Houses of Parliament nor acknowledgment of them it could not be communicated to them whereas it was notoriously known that he did so far impart it as that a Committee of theirs advised and fram'd the answer Besides it plainly appears by the penning thereof that they all concurr'd in the Resolution therein mention'd whereby 't is clear enough that this was but an excuse or shift to avoid any Treaty And what could that printed Covenant and two Declarations inclosed signifie but to shew that before they would admit of a Treaty all the Lords and Commons assembled at Oxford must join in that Covenant with them for the absolute extirpation of Church-government here without nay tho against the King's consent submit the Lives Liberties and Estates of themselves and all others who according to their allegiance had assisted his Majesty to the mercy of those members then sitting at Westminster as also to admit of and justifie that invasion of the Scots according to the plain sense of their Declaration But notwithstanding all this the Lords and Commons at Oxford continuing still sollicitous for an happy peace for avoiding delay or cavil about Names or Titles or descants upon words humbly besought his Majesty to send Messengers with Instructions to desire a Treaty for peace Whereunto he readily assenting two persons were by him nominated and a Letter written to the Earl of Essex for their safe conduct Which Letter had in substance this Answer viz. that if they would first agree that those Lords and Commons sitting a Westminster were the Parliament and the King 's only Council that those Gentlemen should have a safe conduct This being therefore taken into consideration it was thought fit to desire his Majesty to write his royal Letters to the Earl of Essex himself and therein to inclose a Letter superscribed To the Lords and Commons of Parliament assembled at Westminster Which his Majesty accordingly did and thereby desired that a convenient number of fit persons might be appointed and authorized to meet with all convenient speed at such a place as they should nominate with an equal number of fit persons appointed and authorized by him to treat of the ways and means for setling the present distractions of the Kingdom and procuring a happy peace In answer whereunto they insisted that themselves thus sitting at Westminster were the Parliament convened according to the Fundamental Laws of the Kingdom and that those loyal persons members of the Parliament who were come to his Majesty at Oxford according to his royal Proclamation had deserted their Trust and levyed war against the Parliament and in sum did intimate that what they should do herein must be with the concurrent advice of the Commissioners for the Kingdom of Scotland according to their late solemn League and Covenant calling his Majesties earnest endeavours for Peace but Professions and their own feigned pretences most real intentions letting fall by way of menace that his Majesty could not be the least and last sufferer Hitherto as a consequence of this second Invasion by the Scots I have given a brief touch of his Majesties farther incessant endeavours for obtaining a happy peace with these violent spirited men by an amicable Treaty Which taking no effect by reason they then saw such a likelihood through the aid and assistance of those their dear Brethren to carry all powerfully before them I shall look back a little and take notice not only how their heavy oppressions upon the people by many farther grievous Impositions were carried on but how they proceeded in their advancing the Scepter of Iesus Christ in this Realm for so they called their Presbyterian Discipline Wherein I observe that within six days next after this their Invasion the Members at Westminster passed an Ordinance for regulating the Vniversity of Cambridge by Edward Earl of Manchester then their Chancellour that is to say for turning out all loyal persons from their Headships and Fellowships in any of the Colleges there and for removing scandalous Ministers id est all orthodox men throughout the several associated Counties of Essex Norfolk Suffolk Hertford Cambridge Huntington and Lincoln That the Welch also might be the sooner brought under the yoke they soon after made another Ordinance whereby they impower'd Sir Thomas Middleton Knight to take Subscriptions for raising of Forces in the six Counties of North-wales and give the public faith for such moneys as should be raised to that purpose CHAP. XVIII HAving thus taken notice of the Transactions in their Parliament at Westminster I come now according to my designed method to the Militarie-business of this year 1643. In which I find that the King having gained ground in the North and West his farther success in sundry parts was not unsutable thereto for Sir Hugh Cholmley of Whitby in Yorkshire who at first had been a most confiding man thought it now time to declare for the King So likewise did Captain Brown-Bushell Governour of Scarborough Castle in that County who then delivered it up for his Majestie And within few days after their great Northern Champion Ferdinando Lord Fairfax was routed by the Earls of Newcastle and Cumberland at Bramham-moore in that County which great defeat so startled the Members at Westminster that they forthwith solicited the ayd of their Brethren the Scots In the neck of this also Prince Rupert upon a sharp encounter near Bermicham a seditious and populous Town in Warwick shire with a strong party of the Rebels commanded by Colonel Greaves worsted them with the loss of the Loyal William Earl of Denbigh who there received his deaths wound Soon after that also another party of them commanded by Iohn son and heir to the famous Sir Iohn Hotham their trusty Governour of Hull was routed near Ancaster in Lincolnshire And Litchfield close which they had got after the unsuccessfull attempt thereof by the Lord Brooke was without much adoe
Scotland much revived their drooping Spirits for winter being over they fram'd an Ordinance that Sir William Brereton in Cheshire should have authority to take Subscriptions for raising more forces in that County and soon after imposed a new Excise upon Allom Coperas Monmouth-caps Hats of all sorts Hops Saffron Starch all manner of Silks and Stuffs and on several other commodities made or growing in England not formerly charged And having by their many and great grievous Taxes thus largely provided for welcoming in the Scots those their dear Brethren advanced Southwards and with the Earl of Manchester laid siege to the City of York The loss of all the North being by this means thus in great peril and Prince Rupert coming with the chief of all His Majesties forces to the relief thereof he was encountred with the greatest strength that the English Rebels then had the joynt forces under the command of Ferdinando Lord Fairfax and the Earl of Manchester with the whole Scottish Army commanded by Leslley which drew off from their siege of York whereupon in a bloudy Battle fought at Marston-moore about four miles from that City though at first he utterly routed the Scots and the Earl of Manchester yet following the chase too far presuming the day his own through the onely conduct of Cromwell then Lieutenant General to Manchester with a fresh body of Horse the rest of the royal Army after a valiant and â—harp dispute being much over-powered was totally shattered and vanquisht So that he was constrain'd to quit the field and march Southwards with what Horse he had left exposing York hopeless of relief to the power of the Enemy which by reason thereof was delivered up to Cromwell within few days after But of this fatal Action the King then far remote knowing nothing at present His royal Heart incessantly minding the preservation of his people from further spoil by the wars sent to the Members at Westminster desiring as formerly that they would appoint such and so many persons as they should think fit sufficiently authorized by them to attend him upon safe-conduct given and there to conclude how all things in question might be fully setled Which gracious Message though not then regarded so much were they elated with that their success at Marston-moore yet after that grand defeat of their old General the Earl of Essex in Cornwal which hapned on the first of September next following His Majesty then reminding them of that his Message from Evesham they did vouchsafe within two months following to send him certain propositions but such as did still apparently manifest their confidence to carry on the work by power through the ayd of the Scots with whom they had entred into so firm a combination for assistance by their solemn League and Covenant For by these propositions amongst others they had the boldness to make these following Demands viz. that the King should swear to sign that Instrument called the solemn League and Covenant adding according to the example of His Royal Father of happy memory for so they had the face to say though Mr. Nye had exprest that it was such an Oath as for matter persons and other circumstances was never in any age before And not onely so but that an Act of Parliament might be passed for to injoyne the taking of it by all His Majesties Subjects within His three Kingdomes Next that a Bill should be passed for the utter abolishing of Episcopacy without which Goverment it is well known that no National Church ever was since the Apostles times And that their Ordinance for the calling and sitting of their Assembly of Divines should be confirm'd by Act of Parliament Also that an Act should be passed for confirming their Treaty for bringing in the Scots-Army into England and for establishing that their disloyal Declaration made by themselves and the Scots bearing date 30. Ian. 1643. whereby Prince Rupert and Prince Maurice His Majesties Nephews Iames Earl of Derby William Marquess of Newcastle Iohn Earl of Bristol with divers other of his Nobility the Archbishop of Canterbury and Bishop of Ely then their prisoners with a multitude of other worthy persons both of this Kingdome and of Scotland were excepted as to life and their estates doom'd to pay publick Debts Likewise that a great number more whose names are there exprest together with all those Loyal Members of Parliament which attended his Majesty at Oxford should be removed from His Majesties Councils and never to come within the Verge of the Court but by their permission Then that all Judges Serjeants Councellors Attorneys Doctors Advocates and Proctors in the Law-common or Civil who had adhered to the King should be made uncapable of any practice publick or private and all Clergy-men whatsoever who had also adhered to the King to be incapable of any preferment or imployment in the Church or Common-wealth Moreover that the Forces by Sea and Land for the Kingdomes of England and Scotland should be setled by Act of Parliament in Commissioners nominated by both their Houses of Parliament and that the education and marriage of the King's children as also the making Peace or War with any forreign Princes should be with the advice and consent or Parliament Furthermore that by Act of Parliament the Deputy or chief Governour of Ireland be nominated by both Houses of Parliament and in the Intervals of Parliament by Commissioners to continue during the pleasure of both Houses And that the Lord Chancellour Lord Keeper Lord Treasurer Commissioners of the great Seal or Treasury Lord Warden of the Cinque-ports Chancellour of the Exchequer and Dutchy Secretaries of State Judges of both Benches and Barons of the Exchequer for the Kingdomes of England and Ireland should be nominated by both Houses of Parliament to continue quamdiu se benè gesserint and in the Intervals of Parliament by the before-mention'd Commissioners The like for the Kingdome of Scotland adding the Justice-general and in such manner as the Estates in Parliament there should think fit Divers other Propositions also they then sent no less unreasonable than these which for brevities sake I omit So that in short the summe of all was no less than that His Majesty should condescend to the utter destruction and overthrow of the Religion by Law established in the Church of England which he had sworn to maintain and whereunto all the reverend Clergy of the Realm had likewise subscribed sacrifice the Lives and Estates of divers of his most faithful subjects to the avarice and ambition of these men subject all those loyal persons learned in the Laws Common and Civil to their malice Give up the power of the Sword totally into the hands of his greatest Enemies therewith not onely to oppress his good subjects at home but according to their own pleasure to molest and annoy his Friends and Allies abroad and prostitute the Education of his dear
cleared and those difficulties explained to him which he then conceived to be destructive to his just regal power in case he should give a full consent to those Propositions as they then stood Engaging himself to give his chearful assent to all such Bills as should be really to the good and peace of his people and to prefer the happiness of this Kingdome before his own particular And as a farther means to work a confidence in them of his own sincerity in these things he offered again to trust them with his own person conjuring them as they were Christians and Subjects and as they were men who desired to leave a good name behind them so to receive and make use of that his Answer that all issues of bloud might be stopped and those unhappy distractions peaceably setled But as his former gracious and frequent offers so this could not then find any acceptance at all with them by reason that it tended to the composure of those lamentable distractions which tended to the utter ruine of the King and Realm their aims at first and continued resolutions still being to share the spoyl which by their strength and power they had most unjustly got Nay in stead of any kindness or comfort which he might rationally expect from their many and most solemn promises and protestations they perpetually tormented his pious Soul with incessant importunities to take their hypocritical Covenant and sent for several of their most rigid Preachers to terrify him with their Kirk-censures upon his refusal thereof In which sad and disconsolate condition I shall for a while leave him and take a short view of the transactions betwixt the Members sitting at Westminster and those at Edenborough with their respective Commissioners The principal work being now done here in England by the help of the Scots the Grandees here as well as others began to be weary of their dear Brethren and for the sooner riddance of them passed a Vote that a Message should be sent to the Scottish Army that in regard they were not usefull in this Kingdome for the present and that the payment thereof would be a great burthen thereto they should with all convenient speed return into their Country But the Scots never intending to be loosers by their journey hither knowing full well how to make the best use of those advantages they then had gave their dear Brethren very good words telling them in their answer to the demands made in pursuance of that Vote that their earnest desires were the setling of Religion and Church Government which as it was the principal ground of their engagement in this Cause so would the perfecting of it be their chiefest joy and Glory of both Kingdomes it being the constant resolution of that Kingdome against all opposition to strengthen and cherish the Brotherly kindness between the Kingdomes and Peace setled with Truth and those things performed by the Honourable Houses which by Treaty they were obliged unto to recall their Army with as great alacrity as they were ready to send the same into England for the assistance of their Brethren And in another Letter speaking of the Arrears due to their Army they had these words This Kingdome lyeth under the burthen of great and vast expence in raising and entertaining of Armies and hath with the lives of many precious men set their own Houses on fire to quench the flame of yours And seeing by the seasonable assistance afforded by this Kingdome to you and by the late successes wherewith God hath blessed your Armies you are in a great measure freed of your troubles and are in a far better capacity to pay the moneys due to our Armies in England and Ireland than you were at any time since the beginning of these Wars we demand of the honourable houses to make payment of the summs of money duly owing to this Kingdome ¶ The state of things standing thus made the Game now to be play'd betwixt these great Masters not a little difficult to each the chief business of the then predominant party at Westminster being to gain the person of the King into their own hands and in case he should not upon the matter totally quit his Regal power to them by taking their Covenant and assenting to those their destructive propositions before-mentioned then to keep him close prisoner and exercise the same power without him And the design of the Scots not onely to use the like Regal-power in Scotland but to get a large sum of mony to boot considering that having the King in their hands the Grandees there were able to make their own terms on the behalf of themselves as to Riches and Honours There was therefore no means unessayed by each for accomplishing their respective ends But the Arguments and debates about this business continuing no less than six months before all things were fully agree'd I shall reserve my observations upon them till then and in the mean time take notice of what else did occur that is most remarkable in order to the carrying on their main work and divide the same into two parts the one touching their attempts upon the King in relation to the Covenant and Propositions the other towards the advancement of the Scepter of Iesus Christ for by that title they called their Presbyterean Doctrine and Discipline As to the first About the beginning of September Iames Duke Hamilton Lindsey Earl of Craford the Earl of Cassiles and some others from the Estates of Scotland came to Newcastle to the King and there earnestly solicited him to take the Covenant and sign the Propositions To second which motion there was a petition presented to His Majesty from the general Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland for Reformation of Religion according to the Covenant and uniformity of Church government denouncing God's anger upon him and the hazard to lose the Hearts of his good subjects in case he assented not thereto Soon after which Mr. Andrew Cant Mr. Robert Blayre and Mr. Iames Douglass came thither also to press him to the same purpose To torment him likewise yet more one of these violent men I mean a rigid Presbyterean-preacher besides many rude and uncivil expressions in his Sermon there before the King called for the 52. Psalm to be sung by the congregation which beginneth thus Why do'st thou Tyrant boast abroad thy wicked works to praise Whereupon His Majesty instantly stood up and called for the 56. Psalm beginning thus Have mercy Lord on me I pray for men would me devour Which the people readily sung waving the other Nay the fierceness of these Scottish-presbyters against His Sacred Majesty was such as that upon certain Proposals made to those of them who were Commissioners from the general Assembly viz. If the King shall come into Scotland and that the Kingdome of England shall exclude him of the Government there for his leaving them without granting the Propositions Whether or not
it would be lawful to that Kingdome to assist him for the recovery of the Government he not granting the Propositions concerning Religion and the Covenant and not giving a satisfactory answer to the remanent Propositions Their Answer The Quaere presupposeth the King's coming into this Kingdome which case for the reasons expressed in our late warning we humbly conceive should not be put into the Question and therefore desire your Lordships to go about all means for the present preventing of it as a matter of most dangerous consequence to Religion this Kirk and Kingdome and to the King himself and his posterity But if the Question be stated simply without supposing such a case in these termes If the King be excluded from Government in England for not granting the propositions concerning Religion and the Covenant and for not giving a satisfactory Answer to the remanent propositions whether in that case it be lawfull for this Kingdome to assist him for the Recovery of the Government Or if it be not lawfull being put to it we cannot but answere in regard of the Engagement of this Kingdome by Covenant and Treaty Negative 1. Resolv'd upon the Question That the Kingdome of Scotland shall be governed as it hath been these five years last past all means being used that the King may take the Covenant and pass the Propositions 2. Resolv'd that the taking of the Scottish Covenant and passing some of the Propositions doth not give warrant to assist him against England 3. Resolv'd that upon bare taking the National Covenant we may not receive him 4. Resolv'd that the Clause in the Covenant for defence of the King's Person is to be understood in defence and safety of the Kingdomes 5. Resolv'd that the King shall not execute any power in the Kingdome of Scotland untill such time as he hath granted the Propositions concerning Religion and the Covenant and given satisfactory answer to both Kingdomes in the rest of the Propositions presented to him by both Kingdomes at Newcastle 6. Resolv'd that if His Majestie refuse to pass the Propositions he shall be disposed of according to the Covenant and Treaty 7. Resolv'd that the union be friendly kept between the Kingdomes according to the Covenant and Treaty By what hath last been instanc'd t is easy enough to be discern'd that bargain so long in driving on was by this time concluded in reference to the person of the King I mean the certain price for which the Scots did sell him which prompted them so eagerly and frequently to press his taking their Covenant and consent to those destructive Propositions which they well knew he could never do without apparent hazard to his Soul and that he had manifestly confuted the Arguments of Mr. Alexander Henderson whom they brought to convince him therein I shall therefore need to say no more of that matter then to set down the Quaeres which His Majestie delivered to the Commissioners of Scotland upon their last importuning him thereto when they threatned to deliver him up to the Parliament of England as they then called those Members at Westminster in case of his refusal It is a receiv'd opinion by many that Engagements Acts or Promises of a restrained person are neither valid nor obligatory How true or false this is I will not now dispute but I am sure if I be not free I am not fit to answer any of your Propositions wherefore you should first resolve me in what state I stand as in relation to freedome before I can give you any other Answer The Reason of this my Question the Governour can best resolve you But if you object the loss of time and urgency of it certainly in one respect it presses none so much as my self which makes me also think it necessary that I be not to seek what to do when this Garrison shall be surrendred up to demand of you in case I go into Scotland if I shall be there with Honour Freedome and Safety or How being ready to give you a farther and more particular Answer so soon as you shall have resolv'd these two Quaeres Whereunto they give this insignificant Answer 1. To the first in what state you stand as in relation to Freedome the Parliaments of both Kingdomes have given such orders and directions as they have thought fittest for the safety of your Majesty and the Kingdomes to the General and Governour 2. To your second Quaere of your going into Scotland we shall humbly desire that we may not be put to give an Answer but if your Majesty shall either deny or delay your assent to the Propositions we are in that case to represent to your Majesty the resolutions of the Parliament of England ¶ Having now done with their attempts upon His Majesty in reference to the Covenant and Propositions I come to their farther Progress for the establishing of Presbytery Wherein I am to look back a little About the latter end of August a Bill for Ordination of Ministers being the third time read in the House of Commons at Westminster and thence transmitted to the Lords not long after they received a Petition from the County of Lancaster subscribed by twelve thousand hands for setling of the Classes in those parts with the names of such as they had made choyse of and presented to the House for ordering thereof Nor were the Assembly of Divines sitting at Westminster less active who having fram'd a new Confession of Faith were hard at work in adding quotations of Scripture in the Margent of their Copies for justification thereof And that this blessed Presbytereal Government might be the more secure from danger the Houses at Westminster passed an Ordinance not onely for abolishing the name title and dignity of Arch-Bishops Bishops c. but nominated Trustees in whom their Lands should be setled Likewise for the fitter moulding this new Confession of Faith Copies thereof purposely printed were delivered to each Member of both Houses at Westminster to the end they might consider of the same and advise the better therein But notwithstanding all this holy Reformation there were some who had not onely the Conscience to adhere unto the Liturgy establisht by Law in the Church of England in their publick service of God but the Courage to prosecute those by Indictment which neglected the reading thereof in their Parish-Churches In so much as upon notice of this high presumption from Buckinghamshire an Ordinance was forthwith voted to be brought in for repealing the Statute which enjoyn'd it At which time the House also ordered that all Malignant Ministers for so were the Orthodox called should be disabled from Preaching and an Ordinance to be brought in for that purpose And though by an Order of the House of Commons Mr. Sydrach Sympson one of their Assembly of Divines and an eminent stickler for the Cause was for some opinions and expressions savouring of Independencie to have been
each differing from other in divers material points but all centring in opposition to Presbyterie which strange opinions no less absurd than various were so inconsistent with the zealous Disciplinarians who termed them Heretical and Blasphemous that they spared for no pains in endeavouring to suppress them As to the Tenets and practices of these Independent Libertines let this one instance serve for a Tast one Mr. Gregory of Colonel Rich his Regiment preaching at a Widows house near Northampton told his Auditors that he thought he was obliged to unfold the Scripture as it was revealed to him Likewise that he hoped to see the Shop-windows open on the Lord's day Also that the Psalms were no Scripture and that the Parson of that Parish was a Minister of Antichrist But notwithstanding this apparent danger to the Disciplinarians from this blessed brood of their own hatching some confidence they yet had of putting a stop to their farther growth to that end therefore as to their former notable pranks they frequently did by a special Ordinance they caused a day to be set a part for humbling themselves and seeking of God as they term'd it by fasting and prayer the preamble whereof I have thought fit here to insert We the Lords and Commons assembled in the Parliament of England having entred into a solemn Covenant to endeavour sincerely really and constantly the Reformation of Religion in Doctrine Discipline and Worship and the extirpation of Popery Superstition Heresie Schism Prophaneness and whatsoever shall be found contrary to sound Doctrine and the power of Godlyness And having found the presence of God wonderfully assisting us in this Cause especially since our Engagement in pursuance of the said Covenant have thought fit lest we partake in other mens sins and thereby be in danger to receive of their plagues to set forth this our deep sense of the great dishonour of God and perillous Condition that this Kingdome is in through the abominable Blasphemies and damnable Heresies vented and spread abroad therein tending to the subversion of the Faith contempt of the Ministry and Ordinance of Iesus Christ. And as we are resolved to imploy and improve the utmost of our power that nothing be said or done against the Truth but for the Truth So we desire that both our selves and the whole Kingdome may be deeply humbled before the Lord for that great reproach and contempt which hath been cast upon his name and saving Truths and for that swift destruction which we may justly fear will fall upon the immortal Souls of such who are or may be drawn away by giving heed to seducing Spirits In the hearty and tender compassion whereof we the said Lords and Commons do order and ordain that Wednesday being the tenth day of March next be set apart for a day of publick Humiliation c. And to back this their Godly Exercise forasmuch as their solemn League and Covenant had effected such great matters otherwise the House of Peers soon after voted an Ordinance to be brought in for disabling every person whatsoever from bearing any office Civil or Military that should refuse to take the Covenant But that which they deemed above all not onely to get a hand over this many-headed-Monster Independencie but to establish to themselves a lasting dominion over the persons and Estates of all other people was to gain the King's person into their power concerning whom they had been trucking with the Scots for the space of six months at the least his Majestie being all that while at Newcastle upon Tine and their Army quartered in the Adjacent Counties not without some Heart-burnings towards those their dear Brethren for keeping him so long and continuing their Army in this Realm at so vast a charge and intollerable a burthen to those Northern parts having had no use thereof at all after the render of Newark Nor did this deteiner pass without some quick disputes betwixt them the Grandees here affirming and insisting stiffly upon it that the Kingdome of Scotland had no right of joynt exercise of interest in disposing the person of the King in the Kingdome of England urging likewise that forasmuch as he had deserted his Parliament and People entred into and continued in a bloudy and dangerous war against them had not granted those Propositions which by both Kingdomes were sent unto him as a means of a safe and well-grounded peace he was not therefore at present in a condition to exercise the duties of his place or be left to go or reside where and when himself pleased Farther objecting that the Commissioners of Scotland at a conference with theirs had declared that it would be prejudicial to both Kingdomes for the King to go into Scotland But after much dispute the Scots in brief told them that their Army by the Oath of Allegiance their Committee of Estates by their Commission and their Officers by their Military Oath ought to defend the King from harms and prejudices Often affirming that the King came to their Army for shelter and defence Adding that it was the Law and common practise of all Nations not to deliver the meanest subject fled to them though for the greatest crimes and that if the meanest were not to be delivered how would the world abroad condemn them for so base and dishonourable an act the King having cast himself into their hands They likewise said if it be considered that the Scottish Army was invited and called into this Kingdome by both Houses of Parliament in a Treaty for prosecuting the ends of a solemn League and Covenant whereof one Article is to preserve and defend his Majestie 's person there can remain no doubt concerning this exercise of that Right and Interest in this Kingdome And therefore said it seemed very strange that when upon invitation they were come into England as for other ends so to defend his Majestie 's person their being in England should be made use of as an Argument why they should deliver up the person of the King to be disposed of as both Houses should think fit Whereunto the English Commissioners replyed that the Scotch-Army came in hither as Auxiliaries under pay and therefore they ought not to capitulate herein at all And that whereas the Scots did so much urge their Obligation by the Covenant to preserve and defend the King's person and Authority they told them that they left out the principal Clause which was relative viz. in the preservation and defence of the true Religion and Liberties of the Kingdomes without which the other part ought never to be mention'd But the plain truth is that all this fencing with Arguments came at last to a meer Money-business For whereas the Grandees at Westminster by stipulation with the Scots for their Expedition into England had promised to pay them after the rate of thirty thousand pounds per mensem so long as they should have occasion to make use of their
authority before consideration should be had thereupon in a Treaty might afterwards hazard the security it self 3. That these Bills did not onely contain the devesting himself of all Sovereignty and that without possibility of recovering it either to Himself or his Successors except by Repeal of them but also making his Concessions guilty of the greatest Pressures that could be upon his Subjects as in other particulars so by giving an arbitrary and unlimited Power to the two Houses for ever to raise and levy Forces for land or sea service of what persons without distinction of quality and to what numbers they should please and likewise for levying money for their Pay So that these their Proposals being thus destructive to Himself and his Successors he in that his Answer declared That neither the desire of being freed from that tedious and irksome condition of life he had so long suffered nor the apprehension of what might befall him in case they would not afford him a personal Treaty should make him change his resolution of not consenting to any Act till the whole Peace were concluded still earnestly pressing for a personal Treaty with them It being now visible enough that Independency grew up every day more and more the Brethren of Scotland became so sensible thereof that the Assembly of Divines of that Kirk wrote to those sitting at Westminster passionately desiring them to adhere unto the Covenant and constantly to endeavour the extirpation of Heresie and Schism in the Church of England And to second that came another Letter to the Members of both Houses sitting at Westminster from the Scotish-Commissioners wherein was inclosed a large Declaration in which are these Expressions There be some things which properly concern the Kingdom of England their Rights Laws and Liberties But there be other matters which in their own nature as being common to both or by Covenant or Treaty concern both Kingdoms wherein unless we should forget our duty to God to the King's Majesty to our native Kingdom and to this Nation our common Concernment and Interest cannot be denyed For as Scotland was invited and engaged in this War upon grounds and reasons of common Interest so we trust it will not be offensive that in making Peace we claim from the Houses an improvement of the very same principles and a performance of the Treaties they have made with us that the same measure of conjunction of Interest be given to us which was had of us and promised unto us wherein the very Law of Nations and the Rules of common Equity doth plead for us Yet in the application of this Rule we shall not stretch our selves beyond our lines the express condition of our Solemn League and Covenant the duty of our Allegeance and the Treaties and Declarations between the Kingdoms which are so many strong Obligations as all who have Honour or Conscience must acknowledge should be inviolably observed Having laid this as a most just and solid ground of our proceedings we shall speak of the best and most probable means to procure a good agreement with the King for setling Religion and a lasting peace and next to the Propositions which are to be the foundation of the peace and safety of both Kingdoms And it is still our opinion and judgment that the most equal fairest and just way to obtain a well-grounded Peace is by a personal Treaty with the King and that his Majesty for that end be invited to come to London with Honour Freedom and Safety And as it is far from our thoughts and intentions in expressing our differences upon the Propositions to provoke or give offence so we trust that our freedom in discharge of the trust committed to us proceeding from our Zeal to Religion Loyalty to the King and Love to Peace shall receive a candid interpretation from the honourable Houses and that they will in their Wisedoms not slight the desires of a Kingdom who in the time of England's greatest danger esteemed no hazard too hard for their assistance and are now seeking nothing but the performance of the mutual Obligations Declarations and Treaties between the two Kingdomes and to prevent the danger which may ensue upon the violation and breach of so solemn Engagements The Houses of Parliament have frequently professed that the cheif end of their wars was the Reformation and Establishment of Religion according to the Covenant and they have often promised and declared to the King and to all the world not without deep attestations of the name of God that no trouble or success should ever make them wrong or diminish the power of the Crown which were the chief motives and arguments that induced Scotland to engage with them in this war Let therefore that be given to God which is God's and to Caesar that which is Caesar's whereby it may be evident that you are not unmindfull of the solemn Vows you made to God in the time of distress for Reformation of Religion and it may also really appear that the advantages and power which success hath put into your hands hath not lessened your loyalty to the King And according to our many professions and near relations let us really and cordially cherish and strengthen the union between the two Kingdomes under His Majesty by all pledges of reciprocal kindness that so Religion and Righteousness may flourish and both Kingdomes languishing under the heavy pressures and calamities of an unnatural war may live in peace and plenty As we cannot agree to this way of sending those four Bills to His Majesty for his assent before any Treaty upon the rest of the Propositions so we are extremely unsatisfied with the matter of those new Propositions lately communicated unto us for the reasons expressed in our answer unto them which we do herewith deliver unto your Lordships to be presented to both Houses of Parliament And we do desire that they would take the whole business into their farther consideration and that there be a personal Treaty with His Majesty here at London upon such Propositions as shall be agreed upon with advice and consent of both Kingdomes according to the Treaty This in general was their Declaration but the particular desires which they exhibited were these viz. that the honourable Houses would establish the solemn League and Covenant and that His Majesty be desired to give his royal assent for confirming the same by Act of Parliament That the setling of Reformation and an uniformity in Religion in the Kingdomes of England and Ireland be inserted in the new Propositions And in particular that the Confession the Directory for worship form of Church-Government and Catechisme agreed upon by the Assembly of Divines be established That effectual course be taken by Act of Parliament for the suppressing of Blasphemy Heresy and Schisme and all scandalous Doctrines and practises as are contrary to the light of Nature or to the known principles of Christianity or the power of Godliness or which may
the Nobility and Gentry civilly and intimating that it would be their wisdom rather to enlarge than contract any whit of their Interest And farther told them that the fewer qualifications they did put upon succeeding Parliaments it would be the better Desiring them to be tender in imposing new Oaths for he had heard of the Oath of Abjuration alledging that there was more reason to repent of those already taken than to take farther new ones And so warning them to beware of Cavaliers and Fanaticks commending Scotland to their care and assuring them of Ireland concluded with some intimation of his thoughts for a Free-State Having thus taken his leave of the House he withdrew to his place in the Council of State Where the first thing he found under consideration was that the Citizens of London being grown somwhat unruly had stifly resolved to own no power but of a Full and Free Parliament encouraged thereto by sundry Petitions to that purpose which they had seen from several Counties refusing to pay Taxes but by consent of such a Parliament Which put the Rumpers upon this desperate exigent viz. either to reduce them to obedience by a strong hand or themselves to be reputed but the shadow of Authority In order whereunto they commanded General Monke to march thither with his Forces and to compel them to pay the Assesments Whereupon he advanced with speed to Guild-Hall and there made his demand of what the Parliament had required Which much dashing the hopes that the Citizens had otherwise of him they modestly answered that in Magna Charta confirmed by the Petition of Right and ratified by that present Parliament the day before their forcible Dissolution they were to pay no Taxes but by their consent in Parliament which at that present they had not Yet to avoid the giving him any just offence desired farther time to consider thereof Which though the General readily granted yet he wrote to the House for their farther direction Whereupon answer was forthwith returned that he should in the first place imprison Colonel Bromefield Alderman Bludworth Lieutenant Colonel Iackson Major Cox Colonel Vincent c. some of which number had attended him from the City but a little before And secondly that he should remove their Chains dig up their Posts and break down their Gates Which harsh and rough service did at first not a little startle him considering it was done partly to make tryal of his patient obedience to them and partly to occasion a certain enmity betwixt him and the City and then to cast him off by diminishing his power as he very well discerned But foreseeing the event he submitted thereto which was to enrage the Citizens throughly against the Rump and that upon the expiring of his Commission the next day after his power would be diminished by the conjunction of six others with him in equal Command Which being made known by him to his Officers who lookt for a better reward for their service concluding that the Rump would shortly lay them aside also and perpetuate their own sitting Having likewise made so sure an experiment of the Cities temper which he then knew was positive for their Liberties and Rights and concluding thereupon that he might safely put his confidence in them after private discourse had with some of the chief Citizens he first wrote his Letters to the Rumpers wishing them at last to put a period to their siting and make some certain provision for future Parliaments And thereupon marching with his Forces into the City immediately declared for a Full and Free Parliament Which raised the hearts of all people so much that they expressed their great joy by Bells Bonefires and all other testimonies of joy imaginable And having waited a while for a return to his Letter and receiving no manner of Answer thereunto he procured a Conference with some of the old Secluded Members Finding also that the settlement proposed by the Rumpers was too weak and slender to repair the breaches in Government he resolved to withdraw all force from the House and to admit those to sit there whose tempers were more moderate and therefore sending for the Secluded Members to meet him at white-hall he represented unto them what he then thought best to be done viz. The meeting of a Full and Free Parliament saying that the House should be open unto them and wishing them all happy success therein Which old Members being by this means met together again they began where they broke off in Decemb. 1648. ratisfying that Vote then made viz. That the Concessions of the late King were a sufficient ground to proceed on for setling the Peace of the Kingdom Whereupon most men took courage in hope of an happy deliverance from that miserable slavery they had so long endured and in the next place Voted Monke to be Lord General of all the Forces in England Scotland and Ireland By virtue whereof he soon with much prudence disarmed the Fanaticks the Parliament in the mean time taking seasonable care to secure the Peace of the Nation by two wholsom Acts the one for the Militia whereby Gentlemen of worth and quality had opportunity to put themselves in Arms The other by raising mony for the support of such Forces as might be necessarily imployed for the Publick safety And in order to an happy Establishing of the Government upon the old Foundation did ordain that Writs should issue out for the meeting of a Full and Free Parliament upon the 25. of April then next following In the mean time constituting a Council of State of moderate men and so at last put a period to that old and unhappy Convention But notwithstanding all this the danger was not totally over for the Council of State discerning no little averseness in some Officers of the Army and some other turbulent Spirits to this hopeful settlement and thereupon requiring an Engagement from them of their peaceable demeanor were necessitated to imprison some of the most obstinate refusers amongst which Lambert was one and not the least who finding the Fanaticks most eager for another push got out of Prison and Headed that Party Which through the great vigilancy of the General being seasonably routed near Daventre in Northamptonshire the chief of them were committed to several Prisons The Parliament therefore meeting upon the 25. of April Sir Iohn Greenvile presented to both Houses a Declaration from the King then at Breda with certain Letters bearing date April 4. Which with great joy being openly Read they presently Voted His Majesties speedy return to His people the whole Navy also soon after submitting to His obedience So that within very few days following he was solemnly Proclaimed in the Cities of London and Westminster and his Arms set up in all publick places those formerly erected for the Common-Wealth and Oliver being pulled down and defaced And upon May 25.
with the best speed for Mercy but could not break out being hurried along the Storm with the giddy Multitude Publick motion depends on the Conduct of Fortune private on our carriage We must beware of running down steep Hills with weighty Bodies they once in motion suo feruntur pondere Stops are not then voluntary But Leicester at that instant with the King and out of the storm might have escaped if his Courage and Hope had not made him more resolute by misfortune so that he could neither forsake his followers nor his Ambition Thus making adversity the Exercise of his Virtue he came and fell Let us now in the next place observe what ready Instruments the Londoners then were to promote that Rebellion of the Barons with their just recompence for so doing And next the Miserable Actors in that Bloudy Tragedy Mathew of Westminster a credible Historian of that time tells us that after the King encompassed with Forces of his Enemies in the Tower of London was constrain'd to yield unto those Ordinances which were made at Oxford by the Rebellious Barons The Queen being very much troubled endeavoured to pass from the Tower to Windsore-Castle where the Prince then lay with considerable Forces was Interrupted by the Londoners Reproach't with their Opprobrious Clamours and basely driven back with Stones and Dirt which they threw at her from London-Bridge And the same Year the King returning with his Army from Dover-Castle which the Barons held against him might have Surprized Montfort in Southwarke which doubtless had prevented that deluge of Bloud that afterwards was spilt but that the Londoners with all their Power came out to his aid and rescued him And having thus link'â— himself with the Rebellious Barons the same Author will inform you what were the Fruits of all their specious Pretences for putting themselves in Arms against their Soveraign Violationes Ecclesiarum depredationes macerationes personarum Ecclesiasticarum Christianorum Iudoeorum coedes incendia sine delectu conditionis aut sexus oetatis aut ordinis the Violation of Churches Robbing and Killing all manner of Persons Christians and Iews Fire and Sword without any distinction of Sex Age or Order Nay so violently Zealous were they for the Cause that in the Battel of Lewes these Londoners desired that they might undergo the first shock of the Fight and the hazard thereof And though it was the King's Unhappiness to lose the day at that time Yet got those Citizens nothing thereby For the Valiant Prince Edward charging them with extraordinary courage put them to the Rout and pursued their Rear divers Miles But the next Year following the Scene being chang'd by the happy overthrow of all those Barons in the Battail of Evesham the King by the Advise of his Parliament held at Winchester seized the Liberties of these Rebellious Citizens and Committed the chiefest of them to Prison whose Redemption afterwards raised him no small Sum of Money and to awe them the more demolished their Bulwarks and fortified the Tower of London against them En quo discordia Cives preduxit miscros Now for Montfort Earl of Leicester the principal Actor in this great Rebellion his Haughtiness was such after the Battail of Lewes that having the King and Prince his Prisoners he not only seized all their Castles into his own hands but disdaining Clare Earl of Gloucester by whose Assistance he become thus powerful he disposed of the whole Kingdom according as he listed his Sons also Committing many intolerable Outrages So that Clare whose discontents inclined him to return to his Duty consulting with the Lord Mortimer how to pull down the pride of that insolent Rebel contrived a means for the Prince's Inlargement Which succeeding accordingly by his clear escape from Dereford to Wigmore-Castle gave that Life to the rest of the Loyal Party that with incredible celerity they raised a Gallant Army wherewith after he had Surprized the Earl of Oxford and many other of the most eminent Rebels with no less than thirteen Banners at Renelworth he encountred Montfort himself and his whole Army the next day near Cvesham aud giving them Battel suddainly put a Period to their Usurped Authority In which fight that great Rebel with his Eldest Son Henry being slain his Head Hands and Feet were cut off by the fury of the Souldiers And though his Body through the Charity of others was Buryed in the Abby the Common People out of high Indignation towards him who had been the Chief Instrument of Mischief to the whole Realm dig'd it up and carried it to a more remote place esteeming it unworthy of Christian Burial by Reason it had been so much infected with the Leprosy of Rebellion Neither did the judgment for his Iniquities terminate here but pursued his two other Sons Guy and Simon who being escap't out of Prison got into France and there endeavouring to bring in Forrein Forces ended their Days in Misery As for his Complices most of them perished in that Battail at Evesham And the rest excepting one were taken Prisoners and disherited But afterwards through the King 's Special Favour restored to their Lands upon several Fines according to the Measure of their Offences CHAP. XLVII THE Holy League in France is so exact a Pattern of ours in England as we have just reason enough to conceive that the Contrivers of this Rebellion did borrow the Plott from thence All the main parts and many of the Material Circumstances being the same in both Only the Scene is changed and the Actors divers The full Story of that League would require a Volume having been written at large by several Authors of note in sundry Languages viz. By Thuanus in Latine by D'aubigny and others in French But by none better than Caterino D'avila in Italian in that unparallell'd History of the Civil-Wars of France Out of whose relation especially I shall present to the Reader a brief view of so much as concerns our present purpose without filling the Margin with Attestations from other Authors where they concur with him Aud but rarely making use of them by way of Supplement In the draught of this Parallel I shall endeavour to observe the same method as in the former First laying down the Original of that League Then the manner by which the Faction grew to that heigth of greatness as they quite overtop'd and almost trampled upon the Crown What use they made of this Usurped Power quite contrary to their Pretences And lastly how they fell from their vast hopes and failed of their Ambitious ends As also by the way take notice of some such eminent Persons and Circumstances as may seem to have the neerest Resemblance with these of our times What hath been already observ'd of the main design of our Covenanters viz. That it was long a working under ground before it appeared in its true shape of
having form'd sundry congregations as at Francfort Strasburg Geneva and other places they devised such new models of Discipline but all of them more or less favouring of those Tenets as upon their return after the death of that Queen not a few both of the Clergy and Laity were unhappily tainted therewith And at length through the countenance of some chief Ministers of State who then seemed to favour them for certain private respects became dangerous Enemies not only to the Doctrine and Discipline of this Church but to the very temporal Government of the Realm as by their heterodox opinions which they boldly promoted and spread under the specious Title and name of the Gospel will evidently appear of which I have here thought fit out of their own Books and Writings to give a Taste Lay men may teach to get Faith Lay men may preach to Congregations to exercise their abilities Every member of the Church hath power to examine the manner of administring the Sacrament That to have a Liturgy or form of prayer is to have another Gospel Some Protestants are of opinion that Ordinances cannot be performed but by a Prelate or at least by Ministers only without whose Imposition of Hands it were no Ordination as if it did confer such an order whereas the prime and proper conferring of this Order is by Christ himself inwardly calling and gifting a man for the work of the Ministry To the people belongeth the laying on of Hands as a token of their approbation and confirmation of him that is chosen Arch-Bishops and Bishops are superfluous members of the Body of Christ. They are unlawful false and bastardly Governours of the Church they are the ordinances of the Devil yea they are petty-Popes petty-Antichrists Bishops of the Devil and incarnate Devils If the Hierarchy be not removed and the Scepter of Christ's Kingdom namely his own Discipline advanced there can be no healing of the sore If the Parliament do not abrogate the government of Bishops they shall betray God the Truth and the whole Kingdom Though the Parliament be for Bishops yet all the Godly and Religious will be against them If the Brethren cannot obtain their wills by Suit nor Dispute the multitude and people must work the feat Reformation of Religion belongs to the Commonalty Christian Sovereigns ought not to be called Heads under Christ of the particular invisible Churches within their dominion They ought not to meddle with the making of Laws Orders and Ceremonies for the Church The people may well enough be without Kings for there was none till Cain's days These therefore being their Principles that their continued Practises have been sutable thereto is not unknown to many viz. to subject all Princes and Governours to their own Rule and Authority and in ordine ad Spiritualia to determine in temporal matters Hence I shall proceed a little farther and out of their own Writings make manifest what a noise they have made that their Discipline founded on these Principles might be firmly setled The establishing the Presbytery saith T. Cartwright is the full placing of Christ in his Kingdom The Presbyterian Discipline is the Scepter of Christ swaying his own House according to his hearts desire the Soul the Cheif Commander in the Camp Royal. Huic Disciplinae omnes orbis Principes Monarchas fasces suas submittere parere necesse est There is a necessity that all Princes and Monarchs should submit their Scepters and obey this Discipline This Discipline ought to be set up and all Princes ought to submit themselves under the yoke of it Yea what Prince King or Emperor shall disanul the same he is to be reputed God's Enemy and to be held unworthy to reign above the people This Discipline is no small part of the Gospel it is the substance of it This Discipline is the Gospel of the kingdom of God They that reject this Discipline refuse to have Christ reign over them and deny him in effect to be their King or their Lord. This Discipline is the eternal Council of God If any refuse to have the Lord Jesus set up as Lord i. e. to submit to this Discipline let him be Anathema Maranatha Aut hoc aut nihil is their Ensign They who hinder Discipline bring the Estate at length to an extreamly desperate point None but Enemies to Christ are Enemies to this Government Strike neither at great nor small but at those troublers of Israel Smite that Hazael in the fifth rib Yea if Father or Mother stand in the way away with them Down with the colours of the Dragon Advance the standard of Christ. Those mine Enemies who would not that I should reign over them bring hither and slay them before me Strike the Basilic vein Nothing but this will cure the Pleurisy of our State And Gibson threatned King Iames that as Ieroboam he should be rooted out and conclude his race if he maintained Bishops Which dangerous positions being thus maintained by this sort of men occasioned Mr. Perkins an eminent Divine of those times thus to express There is in England saith he a Schismatical and indiscreet Company that would seem to cry out for Discipline Their whole talk is of it and yet they neither know it nor will be reformed by it They are full of pride thinking themselves to be full when they are empty to have all knowledg when they are ignorant and had need to be catechised The poison of aspes is under their Lips They refuse not to speak evil of the blessed servants of God And as the German Sectaries upon the Principles before mention'd did act in those parts so did the Scots upon those Documents they had received chiesly from Iohn Knox who told his Countrymen in print that the Nobility and Commonalty ought to reform Religion and in that case might remove from Honours and punish such as God hath commanded of what estate condition or honour what soever Hereupon taking an Oath of confederacy and Subscription under hands to some agreement for a Reformation much strength was added thereunto by the Sacrilegious hoping thereby to swallow up the Church-Revenues Next without the authority of Sovereignty or knowledg of it those Confederates prescribed orders for Reformation of Religion to be observed and practised throughout the whole Kingdom Then preach'd against the Queen-Regent and Parliament and wrote to the Bishops and Clergy that except they did desist from dealing against them they would with all force and power execute just vengeance and punishment upon them likewise begin the same war which God commanded Israel to execute against the Cananites And lastly arriving at the highest pitch of Rebellion they deposed their Queen By that which hath been said it is no less apparent what those Disciplinarians in Queen Elizabeth's days did also aim at had their
Power been answerable to their Wills Whereof she was not ignorant as may appear by her Speech at the dissolving that Parliament an 1585 the 27 th of her reign wherein taking notice of them she pronounc'd them dangerous to Kingly rule every man according to his own censure making a doom of the validity and privity of his Princes Government with a common veil and cover of God's word Whereunto I shall add what Serjeant Puckering being Speaker of the House of Commons in the Parliament held the next ensuing year viz. 28. Eliz. did by that Queen's direction then express And specially you are commanded by her Majesty saith he to take heed that none ear be given or time afforded to the wearysome solicitations of those that commonly be called Puritans wherewithall the late Parliaments have been exceedingly importuned Which sort of men whilst in the giddiness of their Spirits they labour and strive to advance a new Eldership they do nothing else but disturb the good people of the Church and Common-wealth which is as well grounded for the body of Religion it self and as well guided for the Discipline as any Realm that professeth the Truth And the same thing is already made good to the World by many the Writings of Godly and Learned men neither answered nor answerable by any of these new fangled Resiners And as the present case standeth it may be doubted whether they or the Jesuits do offer more danger or be more speedily to be repressed For albeit the Jesuits do impoyson the hearts of her Majesty's Subjects under a pretext of Conscience to withdraw them from the obedience due to her Majesty yet do they the same but closely and only in privy corners But these men do both publish in their printed Books and teach in all their Conventicles sundry opinions not only dangerous to the well setled Estate and policy of this Realm by putting a pyke between the Clergy and the Laity but also much derogatory to her sacred Majesty and her Crown as well by the diminution of her antient and lawful Revenues and by denying her Highnesses Prerogative and Supremacy as by offering peril to her Majesty's safety in her own Kingdom In all which things howsoever in many other points they pretend to be at war with the Popish-Jesuits yet by this Separation of themselves from the unity of their fellow-Subjects and by abasing the sacred Authority and Majesty of their Prince they do but joyn and concur with the Jusuits in opening the door and preparing the way to the Spanish Invasion that is threatned against the Realm And shall conclude with what is most judiciously observed by the worthy Author of the History of the sometime Famous and Reverend Hooker's life So that these very men saith he speaking of the Puritans in that Queen's time that began with tender and meek Petitions proceeded to Admonitions then to satyrical Remonstrances and at last having numbred who was not and who was for their Cause they got a supposed certainty of so great a party that they durst threaten first the Bishops then the Queen and Parliament To all which they were secretly encouraged by the Earl of Leicester then in great favour with her Majesty and the reputed Cherisher and Patron-General of these pretenders to tenderness of conscience his design being by their means to bring such an odium upon the Bishops as to prooure an alienation of their Lands and a large portion of them for himself Which avaritious desire had so blinded his reason that his ambition and greedy hopes had almost put him into a present possession of Lambeth House That Queen therefore had not only a vigilant Eye upon them but a strict hand as these seditious Pamphleters Vdall Barrow Greenwood Studley Billots Bowdler Copping Thacker Penri and others deservedly felt But upon the coming in of King Iames they began to raise unto themselves better hopes of countenance and favour being so confident of his Indulgence that within few weeks after his entrance here they took the boldness to present him with a Petition against the Government and Liturgy establish'd in the Church of England Whereupon his Majesty who well knew the temper of that Sect though he was abundantly satisfyed with what he found here setled did with great prudence by his Royal Proclamation appoint an Assembly of divers select Divines such as could best represent the desires of these dissenting men as others to meet at Hampton-Court upon the twelfth of Ianuary following where Dr. Reynolds and Dr. Sparkes of Oxford and Mr. Knewstubs and Mr. Chaderton of Cambridge appear'd on their behalfs and freely hearing whatsoever could be objected by the weak Brethren as they were then modesty stiled he clearly discern'd that all the Exceptions which they made were no other than frivolous scruples of indiscreet men and so convinced every one of them thereupon that they went away amply satisfyed promising thenceforth not only full obedience to the Government and Liturgy but Dr. Sparkes wrote a Book to perswade all others thereunto Nevertheless notwithstanding this the Mystery of Iniquity work'd on still in the Hearts of other busy-headed Disciplinarians many of which though they received Ordination from the Bishops Subscribed took Oaths and outwardly seemed to conform stuck not underhand to use all the arts and devices of cunning Impostors to bring the people by degrees into an utter dislike of the Ecclesiastical Government the better to sit them for some desperate Rebellion whensoever there should be any fair opportunity To which end their practise was in their officiating ever to omit some portions of the Liturgy and to read the remainder with but little reverence all whereby they might by degrees beget an opinion in their auditory that the service of God did consist meerly in the Sermon and those long-winded prayers immediately preceding and following it which be expresly opposite to a special Canon establish'd by Act of Parliament in 1. Iac. Which Prayers if they be worthy of that name they are not asham'd to say are uttered by the immediate direction of Gods Holy Spirit though therein they have oftimes not only taken the liberty to deprave the Goverment in Church and State by divers subâ—l expressions but made such a seeming shew of Zeal therein by altering their Countenances and changing their Voices into an affected tone using therein many absurd and unmannerly expressions that one of their own Fraternity after he became farther reformed by an Independentlight could not forbear but cryed out against them in a certain Book intituled The Clergy in their Colours printed at London an 1651. pag. 33. l. 17. in these words I cannot let pass one observation and that is the strange posture these men put themselves into when they begin their Prayers before their Sermons Whether the Fools and Knaves in Stage-plays took their pattern from these men or these from them I cannot determine c. What wrye Mouths Squint
civil Government I now descend to those their Arts and Devices whereof by the help and influence of a most subtile corrupt and schismatical party in Parliament they made use in order to the raising this late nefarious Rebellion the consequence whereof viz. the extirpating of Monarchy here was in their design long before however it may be thought by some that Necessity and Despair put them upon that blod Exigent after they had gone farther than they thought they could by any outward reconciliation or pardon be safe for if need were sufficient and undoubted testimony might yet be produced who did hear a principal Actor in this late woful Tragedy about a twelve-month after the barbarous murther of King Charles the First express these words I bless God that I have now lived to see the ruine of Monarchy and that I haue been instrumental in it for I do here acknowledge that it hath been in my design ever since I was at Geneva which is now thirty eight years Of these the first and indeed most fatal Artifices was the reducing his Majesty to Necessities to the end he might be inforc'd to betake himself unto such extraordinary means for supply as would certainly attract the odium of his Subjects For accomplishing whereof that war wherein King Iames became engaged on the behalf of his daughter and her children for recovery of the Palatinate gave them a seasonable opportunity the Story whereof I shall briefly here set down Upon the death of the Emperour Matthias 8. Aug. An. 1619. 17 Iac. Ferdinand his Brother adopted by Matthias in his life time was elected Emperour and crowned 19 Septemb. following Which Election the Bohemians disclaiming they chose for their King Frederick Count Palatine of the Rhine Who thereupon by his Letters to King Iames whose daughter he had marryed acquaints him therewith craving his advice as to his reception thereof Howbeit before King Iames his answer could come to his hand which was utterly dissuasory he had accepted their choice Whereof King Iames hearing in no little perplexity disavow'd the act and would never stile him by that Title That this unhappy business prov'd most destructive to the Count Palatine will immediately appear For the Emperor Ferdinand became so highly irritated thereat that he soon after publish'd a Proscription against him proclaim'd him guilty of High Treason and declared his resolution to prosecute him as a public Enemy of the Empire and accordingly sent Marquess Spinola with numerous Forces to invade the Palatinate as also Buquoy and D. Balthasar into Bohemia who with a powerful Army gave him Battail near to the City of Prague upon the eighth of November An. 1620 utterly routed the Bohemians and forc'd that new King with his Queen to flee the Country The Report whereof arriving soon after in England caused King Iames to advise with the Lords of his Council upon the 13 th of Ianuary following for recovery and protection of the Palatinate it being the antient Inheritance of his Son in Law and his Children Whereupon thirty thousand Pounds was forthwith sent to the Princes of the Union for their assistance therein and in order to farther help a Parliament call'd to sit at Westminster upon the 30 th of the same month of Ianuary At which Convention the King acquainting the two Houses with what had happened farther represented unto them that he had already treated a Peace in this business but Perswasions without power being as he said of little effect he told them that he thought it fit to provide an Army against the Summer following and desired them therefore to think upon his Necessities Which Parliament having sate about four months and done little in this matter the King considering of a Recess for a time in regard of the season that might cause Infection represented to them by the Lord Treasurer his purpose to adjourn them Whereat the Commons growing displeased they desired the Lords to joyn with them in petitioning against it the King therefore taking much exception thereupon judging it derogatory to his Prerogative it being in his sole power to call and adjourn and dissolve Parliaments they thereupon for satisfaction of his Majesty publish'd a Declaration wherein they signified unto him that in case his endeavours by a Treaty could not effect the restitution of the Palatinate upon signification of his pleasure in Parliament they should be ready to the utmost of their powers both with their lives and fortunes to assist him so as by the Divine help of Almighty God he might be able to do that with his Sword which by a peaceable course could not be effected After this the Parliament was adjourn'd from the fourth of Iune until the twentieth of November at which time of meeting again the King being absent for lack of health the Lord Keeper told them that unless they took farther resolutions and were expeditious the Army in the Palatinate would fall to the ground The Lord Treasurer also acquainting them how empty the King's Coffers were and that his Majesty had assisted the Palatine and Princes of the Union with great Sums which had so exhausted his Treasure that he was much in debt Also that notwithstanding the King had declared for War he pursued Peace and resolv'd therefore to close with Spain hoping by that Alliance to heal the breach Which Speech of the Lord Treasurer tending to Peace so startled the House of Commons wherein the Puritan was predominant that they soon after drew up a Remonstrance to his Majesty wherein representing Religion to be in danger by the growth of Popery they incited him to take his Sword into his Hand for the aid of those of our Religion in forreign parts and that the bent of this War might be against that Prince whose Armies and Treasures had maintained the War in the Palatinate Signifying that they had given him one Subsidy for the present Relief of the Palatinate But in this Remonstrance there being also divers things which the King esteem'd to tend unto his high dishonour and to trench upon his Prerogative-royal he forbad them farther to entermeddle concerning his Government and deep affairs of State and particularly with the match of his Son with a Daughter of Spain Certain it is that the Parliament made little hast in the offering of that for which they were chiefly called together viz. the giving to the King considerable aid for relief of the Palatinate in so much as the Lord Digby then took occasion to put the Peers in mind thereof and that it was to that end they were summon'd thither reporting the present distress of that Country and danger thereto by the Duke of Bavaria as also that the Army of Count Mansfeild which came in for defence thereof if not speedily supplyed was like to desert that service But instead of hasting such Relief Christmass approching and the King upon the
nineteenth of December giving a Commission for their Adjournment till the eighth of February following the house of Commons made a Protestation wherein they declared for sundry Priviledges of which his Majesty in a Speech at the Council-Table upon the thirtieth of that month took notice that it was unduly gained late at night when not a third part of the House was present and penned in such ambiguous and general words as might serve for future times to invade most of the Rights and Prerogatives annexed to the Imperial Crown And discerning that some Parliament men who had a great influence upon the House rather hinder'd that good progress which he expected they would have made towards the recovery of the Palatinate then further'd the giving of money in order thereto did by unanimous consent of his whole Council dissolve that Parliament by Proclamation upon the sixth of Ianuary following And seeing his hopes of raising moneys by Parliament to be thus frustrate they first endeavoured the restitution of the Palatinate by all good means of Treaty both with the Emperour and King of Spain Which not succeeding he caused Letters to be written by the Lords of the Council to the Justices of the Courts at Westminster and likewise to the Sheriffs of the several Counties and Justices of Peace throughout England as also to the Mayors and Bayliffs of Towns-Corporate to raise moneys by a Benevolent contribution for recovery thereof by force yet still pursued the Spanish match in hope to gain it thereby But after many subtile delays made by the Spaniard that match being not like to take effect His Majesty sent the Lord Kensington into France to try whether a match might there speed which was well accepted Whereupon the King call'd another Parliament which began 19 Febr. 1623. At which time he acquainted them with the ill success of that dilatory Treaty in order to the match with Spain and desired their advice on the behalf of his Son the Count-Palatine and his Children In answer to which they signified that the said Treaty both for the Marriage and the Palatinate could not longer be continued with the honour of his Majesty the safety of his People welfare of his Children and Posterity and assurance of his antient Allies and Confederates Whereunto the King replyed that he should be loath without necessity to imbroil himself in war And manifesting to them his wants for the support of a war desired their advice offering that in case he took a resolution by such their advice to enter into a war they themselves by their own Deputies should have the disposal of the moneys Hereupon the Parliament tendred three Subsidies and three Fifteens to break off both the Treaties viz. that of the match with Spain and that concerning the Palatinate desiring his Majesty that he would be confidently assured they would never fail in a Parliamentary-way to assist him in so royal a design But the King esteeming that too little demanded five Subsidies and two Fifteeens for every Subsidy towards the support of that war and one Subsidy and two Fifteens yearly till his debts were pay'd Nevertheless told them that he would be content to quit that demand for his own debts in case they gave six Subsidies and twelve Fifteens for the war declaring his resolution to dissolve the Treaties whereupon Bonefires were made in London and the Bells rang for joy And farther told them that he did assure himself they would make good what they had said and that what they had advised him unto they would assist him in with their Wisdom and Council as also with Forces if need required Shortly after which Count Mansfeild arriving in England twelve thousand Foot with two hundred Horse were raised to go under his Command for recovery of the Palatinate and in August following the match with France was concluded But this hopeful Army under Count Mansfeild consisting of twelve Regiments was by tedious stay on Ship-board so infected with the Pestilence that scarce a third part thereof came safe to Land a third part likewise mouldring away so that the design came to nothing And upon the seven and twentieth of March following King Iames departed this life Unto whom King Charles the first succeeded who resolving to pursue the recovery of the Palatinate upon the grounds of those great promises so made by the Parliament to his Father did in the beginning of May next ensuing issue out Warrants for the levying of Souldiers to be imploy'd in that Expedition whereof eight thousand to rendezvouz at Plymouth one thousand at Hull to be transported into the Netherlands for the service of the United Provinces and two thousand returned thence for his Majesties present service And having marryed a Daughter of France who arrived at London upon the sixteenth of Iune he began his Parliament at Westminster within two days following Where in his Speech to both Houses he put them in mind how they had engaged his Father in the war for the Palatinate earnestly pressing their speedy assistance And the Lord Keeper added that the principal cause of calling that Parliament besides the beholding his Subjects faces was to mind them of the great Engagement for the recovery of the Palatinate imposed on his Majesty by the King his Father and by themselves who thereupon brake off the two Treaties with Spain as also to let them understand that the Subsidies granted by the preceding Parliament with much more of the King 's own Revenue were already spent in the following Treaties and Alliances upon the Armies sent into the Low-Countries and in repairing of the Forts with the Fortifying of Ireland all which did meet in one center the Palatinate whereof the Account was ready Hereupon the Houses presenting the King with two Subsidies the Lord Conway then one of the Secretaries of State signified his Majesties gracious acceptance thereof yet told them that the necessity of the present affairs were not therein satisfied and therefore required their farther Councils Reminding them that the late King was provoked beyond his nature to undertake a war for recovery of his Childrens antient Patrimony the charges whereof did appear by computation to amount unto seven hundred thousand Pounds a year viz. in supporting the Netherlands in preventing the Emperour's design of concluding with the Princes of Germany for utter excluding the Palsgrave and levying an Army under Count Mansfeild Farther representing to them that the Kings of Denmark and Sweden and Princes of Germany had levyed another That France Savoy and Venice joyn'd together for a war of diversion and that to uphold the Netherlands the charges of Mansfeild's and Denmark's Army must yet continue But the Plague increasing sore in London occasion'd some delay in their Proceedings by an Adjournment to Oxford at which place they met the first of August following Where on the fourth of that month his Majesty in a
of England having not only been invaded by the Dutch but their bold usupation therein openly justifyed by certain public Writings the King with the advice of his Council-learned did about the same time issue out certain Writs directed as well to all the Inland Counties as to the respective Port-Towns according to the example of his Royal Progenitors to set out a certain number of Ships furnish'd with Mariners Amunition Victual and all other necessaries for defence of the Realm By which means he did not only assert and recover that dominion on the Sea which really belong'd to this Kingdom but much improved Trade and Commerce whereby the generality of his Subjects were not a little enrich'd But this just and rational practise some of the malevolent Members of his former Parliaments and others of that stamp under pretence of standing up for the Rights and Properties of the Subjects did stubbornly oppose though his Majesty had the clear and unanimous opinion of all the grave and learned Judges of his Courts in Westminster-Hall under their hands to justify those his Proceedings Nevertheless waving any arbitrary power he freely gave leave that the Case should be solemnly debated in the Exchequer-Chamber Which being publikly done after divers solid Arguments thereon no less then ten of those twelve Judges fully declared their opinion for the Legality thereof Sr. George Crook and Sr. Richard Hulton only dissenting though they had formerly subscribed thereto This as to the Civil Liberties and what as hath been before observed of the great noise made every where touching the fear of Popery was it whereof not only the factious people here took great advantage but those of that leven in Scotland who thereupon began to set on foot a contrivance whereby they might have the colour of Religion* to help on their work Whereunto the rise they took was a pretended apprehension that the Liturgy sent to them in an 1637 was a meer Popish Service-book and purposely design'd to introduce the Romish worship into both Kingdoms From the ground of which seeming jealousies they fell foul upon the Bishops under colour that they were the framers thereof and the chief Instruments for obtruding it upon them To clear them therefore of this most impious scandal I shall here breifly represent to the world what that so much defam'd Liturgy was and on what occasion it was sent into that Realm King Iames after he came to enjoy the Crown of England well observing the Decency and Uniformity of God's worship here and the Deformity thereof in his own native Kingdom where no set or public form of Prayer was used but oftimes seditious expressions girding at Sovereignty and Authority and stuft with false Reports upon his Progress into Scotland an 1616 an Assembly being then held at Aberdene he proposed to that Convention a public Liturgy to be used in that Realm Which pious motion being then and there well approved of a Liturgy was accordingly framed and in all points properly fitted for that Kirk and after his return into England convey'd to him where it was viewed by some of his Scottish Subjects yet not sent thither whilst that King lived Being thus composed his Son and Successor K. Charles after a review thereof finding it in substance the same with the English Liturgy which his Majesty in point of prudence declin'd to recommend unto them lest they might cavil thereat under colour that it would be look'd upon as a badge of Dependency upon the Church of England then sent it to the Lords of the Privy-Council of that Realm by their advice to be publicly read without the least suspition of any dislike thereof in regard it did so little differ from the English Liturgy wherewith his Scottish Subjects of all sorts were well acquainted by reason of their frequent resort to his Majesties own Chappel and many other Churches in this Realm where it was constantly used as also in his Royal Chappel at Haly-Rood-House whereunto the Nobility Bishops Judges Gentry and people of all degrees did usually come Cathedrals of Scotland and University of St. Andrews and not only so but commended in the Sermons of some of their after principal Covenanters especially Mr. Rollock But Rebellion being the close and underhand design of these great Pretenders to Godliness whereby in case they did prosper they might swallow up the Possessions of the Crown and Church with the Estates of all his Majesties loyal Subjects the contrivance was so laid that the Common people should be possess'd with an opinion that the King having married a Popish Queen did resolve to introduce the Romish Religion first into Scotland and afterwards into the rest of his dominions and to that end first to settle this Liturgy there it being privately whispered that it was the very Mass translated into their Language Which so far incensed the vulgar that upon the reading thereof in the great Church at Edenborough upon the 23 d of Iuly the same year 1637 they made such a tumult as that the Dean who read it and many other persons of note had much adoe to escape thence with their lives Which uproar was so barbarous that the day following the Lords of the Council there set forth a Proclamation* in dislike thereof And the Magistrates of Edenborough to make up the Pageant sent Letters into England to the Archbishop of Canterbury desiring him to recommend to the King's Majesty their zeal and forwardness for setling the peaceable practise thereof Neither would any man of note then seem to own that Tumult but attributed it to the Rogues and base multitude except the zealous Kirkmen who cryed it up in their Pulpits and magnifyed them for the most heroical Sparks that ever God inspired and raised up in this last age of the world and for their happy Mouths and Hands which God was pleas'd to honour that day with the beginning of their new Blessed Reformation and occasioning their celestial Covenant as they call'd it that their memorial should be eternal and all succeeding generations should call them blessed After this about the end of Harvest began a tumultuous conflux of the Nobility Gentry Ministers and others at Edenborough from all parts of the Kingdom howbeit as yet the principal persons in authority there seemed to stand right enough in their loyalty so that his Majesty the less feared the ensuing mischeifs the more to prevent any suspition thereof set forth three Proclamations First that nothing should be treated of at the Council-Table there about Church-business till they saw the times and meeting of his Majesties Subjects more quiet and peaceable The Second for removing the Session or Term from Edenborough to Lithgow for fear of present danger The third for burning a seditious Book dispersed in derogation of the Ecclesiastical Government in England But these Proclamations were for little else then shew the Tumults increasing so that the next day
the Ecclesiastical and Civil Laws of his Kingdom of Scotland he did not only agree to the same but should always protect them to the utmost of his power they yielding him in the mean time such civil and temporal obedience as could be justly required of loyal Subjects Upon this Petition therefore Articles of Pacification were concluded on at Barwick whereby his Majesty was contented not only to confirm whatsoever his Commissioner had promised in his name but that all Ecclesiastical matters should be determined by the Assemblies of the Kirk Likewise matters Civil by the Parliament and other inferior Judicatories establish'd by Law Moreover that for setling the distractions of that Kingdom he was willing to grant a free general Assembly to be kept at Edenborough the sixth of August ensuing and after that a Parliament the twentieth of August for ratifying what should be concluded in the Assembly being graciously pleased to declare that upon disbanding of their Forces dissolving all their pretended Tables restoring his Forts Castles and Amunition c. To his good Subjects their Liberties Lands Goods c. detained since the late pretended general Assembly he would recall his Fleet retire his Land-forces and make restitution to them of their Ships and Goods arrested c. Which Agreement was entertained by them with so much outward acceptance that by the Subscriptions of the chiefest of them it was promised they would ever in all things carry themselves like humble loyal and obedient Subjects But instead of performance of their parts at the very publishing the Articles in their Camp a Protestation was made dishonourable to his Majesties Government to the further encouraging of the People in their disobedient and mutinous ways And at the same time they delivered into the hands of some of the English Nobility and spread among others a scandalous Paper intituled Some conditions of his Majesties Treaty with his Subjects of Scotland wherein were contained such untruths and seditious positions and so contrary to what was concluded in the Articles of Pacification that howsoever they pretended a desire of peace yet they intended nothing less and instead of disbanding their Forces within forty eight hours after publication of those Articles they kept great parts of them together and held in pay almost all their Officers continuing their unlawful meetings and conventicles to the great vexation and trouble of all such his Majesties good Subjects as did not adhere to their rebellious Covenant and Act of the pretended Assembly at Glasgow keeping up all their Fortifications Yea such was the fury of the People animated by that Protestation with divers scandalous Papers and seditious Sermons that they deterred his Majesties good Subjects from going to their dwellings threatning them with loss of their lives if they repaired to their own Houses labouring also to pervert them in the choice of the Commissioners for the general Assembly appointed by anticipating their voices in making them swear to and subscribe the approbation of the same Assembly at Glasgow and Acts thereof deterring others from repairing thereto So that by these new disorders the peace and quiet of his Subjects was greatly disturbed great Insolencies being offer'd to the Earl of Kinnowl his Majesties high Treasurer as also to Sir Iames Hamilton Justice-general and other his Majesties Councellors and good Subjects so that the King sorbore to come to Edenborough such of his Loyal Subjects as attended his Person and adhered to him being branded by them with the vile aspersion of Traitors to God and their Country and threatned to be proceeded against with censures accordingly And lastly shaking off all respect due to sacred Majesty protested that all members of the Colleges of Iustice and Leiges were not to attend the Session and that all Acts Decrees and Sentences therein past against any of them should be null void and ineffectual contrary to the King 's express Warrant for the down-sitting thereof and the heavy damage of his good Subjects who were thereby frustrated of Justice And having laid these insolent and seditious foundations for a Parliament it could not be expected but that the structure must be full of confusion as indeed it proved their Actions and demands favouring of nothing but undutifulness and disloyalty for they stuck not to deny to his Majesty the most essential and inherent Prerogatives of his Crown striving by all means to change and alter the constitutions of the Parliament and frame of Government Likewise to restrain his power in point of coinage custody of Castles grants of Honour and Commissions-Justiciary or Lieutenancy And his Majesty by his Commission having allow'd them the liberty of convening and meeting until a certain day for distributing of their pretended charges amongst such as should willingly condescend thereunto they did not only without Warrant continue their Conventicles and Tables since that Commission expired contrary to the positive Laws of that Kingdom the Act of Pacification and their own acknowledgment in petitioning for the aforesaid Commission but urged that all those his good Subjects who adhered to him in defence of his Royal authority against their rebellious commotions should be made equal if not more liable to the defraying of their pretended charges Which might imply his Majesties countenance and justification of all their Rebellions and Treasons The King therefore discerning their persistance in such unsufferable demands return'd to England signifying to the Earl of Traquier his Commissioner that it did evidently appear unto him that their aim was not now for Religion as they always pretended but rather the alteration of the Government of that Kingdom and withall the total overthrow of Royal authority commanding his said Commissioner to prorogate the parliament till the second of Iune next following Notwithstanding which Prorogation they continued their sitting at Edenborough and sent their Deputies over into this Kingdom to make Remonstrance of their doing without knowledg of his Commissioner Whereupon his Majesties Commissioner came over and acquainting him with those Insolencies also by his command relating them at his Council-board the King there proposed to the consideration of the Lords then present whether it were not more sit to reduce them to their duty by force than give way to their demands so much prejudicial to his Honour and safety Which being unanimously voted in the affirmative his Majesty resolved to call a Parliament soon after In which Interim the Scots lost no time but making fair pretences by their Remonstrance protested against this Act of Prorogation and declared that the same was contrary to the Constitutions and practise of all precedent Parliaments contrary to the liberties of that Kingdom and repugnant to the Articles of the late Pacification and that it was ineffectual and of no force to hinder their proceedings professing that it was never their intention to deny his Majesty any part of that civil and temporal obedience which is due
now plainly see Eleven of those sixteen English Lords which were chosen on his Majesties part being afterwards Actors or Assisters in the late war against him The first demand there made by the Scots Commissioners being no less then forty thousand pounds a month for maintenanne of their Army during the Treaty Which tho not directly granted was so far yielded to as that the Assessment impos'd by them upon the Countie of Northumberland Bishopric of Durham and Town of Newcastle should stand good for the raising of Eight hundred and fifty pounds a day allowance for the space of two months to begin upon the sixteenth of that instant October And that there should be a cessation of Arms the Scots Army to be confin'd on the North part the River Tese and the English to the South thereof CHAP. VII WHich footing thus gotten by the Scots in the North gave no small encouragement to their well-wishers in the South especially in London who in contemplation also of the ensuing Parliament which by his Majesty was summon'd to meet upon the third of November following were not a little animated in divers bold Enterprizes for scandalous papers and Libels were frequently thrown in the streets against the Bishops Yea so bold were the multitude grown by the example of the Scots in an 1637 and through the incitation of many Citizens and others of note who would not then shew themselves that on the 22th of October a rabble of no less than Two thousand Brownists and the like Sectaries entred St. Paul's Cathedral where the high Commission Court then sat tore down all the Benches and cried out No Bishop No High Commission To the consideration of which Parliament begun on the third of November accordingly did the King represent the safety and security of this Realm earnestly desiring that care might be speedily taken for riddance of the Scots which had thus invaded the North and to satisfy their just Grievances promised his hearty concurrence desiring that his Army might not be suffer'd to disband for want of pay before the Rebels for so he then call'd the Scots were put out And that they would lay aside all suspicions to the end it might become a happy Parliament resolving to cast himself wholly upon the love and affection of his English Subjects But the house of Commons consisting of the same or persons worse affected then those in April before the prevalent party purging the House of divers persons whom they concieved would not comply with their destructive enterprises for such they either finding fault with their Elections or making them criminals as to some public Grievances though others of a deeper guilt were not touch'd whose offences might make them obnoxious to their power or obsequious to their designs went slowly on with what his Majesty had proposed to them for the busy-party who were the great Actors in the ensuing Tragedy then fell to contrivance about the accomplishment of their long desired work To which purpose the Treaty at Rippon was soon after remov'd to Westminster to the end that there they might have the Scots Commissioners at hand and the power of the Londoners to assist them for it had been impossible without the conjunction and help of the Prevalent and factious party in that City ever to have accomplish'd the ruine of the establish'd Government and destruction of the King as they afterwards did In order whereunto the first step they made was the entertaining Petitions of Grievances from all parts of the Realm which made such a noise as if the Subjects of England had suffered under the greatest slavery and oppression that had ever been heard of and being devised and framed by themselves were receiv'd with such great acceptance as that the People began to shew no small expressions of Joy in their new Reformers Who to win them the more besides the Impeachment of the Earl of Strafford which was within two days following whom they had made sufficiently odious by representing him to be one of the greatest causes of their oppressions and an especial Enemy to Parliaments expell'd divers Projectors and Monopolists out of the House of Commons impeach'd the Archbishop of Canterbury the Bishop of Ely and Lord Keeper Finch for Treason against the State having in order thereto by libellous Pamphlets and Pictures rendred them hateful to the People Damn'd that hideous Grievance of Ship-money by vote Pass'd a Bill for a Triennial Parliament as also impeach'd Justice Berkley of High Treason for his activeness in the business of Ship-money And to try how safely they might adventure to strike at the establish'd Government of the Church which might make the easier way for ruine of the State they brought Pryn Burton and Bastwick in triumph to London who had been censured in the Star-Chamber for Libels against the Hierarchy countenancing a Petition exhibited to them by Alderman Penington against Episcopacy and Church-Discipline Yet that there might be no doubt of their zeal and dutiful affection to the King they sent a Message to his Majesty to desire leave that they might advance and settle his Revenue offering to make him the richest King in Christendom And having thus gain'd a strong confidence with the people what blessed Patriots they were like to be that they might also seem as zealous for God's cause they exhibited a Remonstrance in the name of both Houses to his Majesty grounded upon divers Petitions which they had subtilly procured from all parts of the Realm of the increase of Popery Also that the danger thereof might the more amaze the world they then began to open their Cabinet of Plots and Conspiracies four of the House of Commons imparting to the Lords a a discovery of an horrid design by many thousands of Papists in England Ireland and Wales Moreover because of the great complaint of Innovation in Religion increase of Popery and growth of Superstition they appointed Commissioners for removing Rails from about all Communion-Tables throughout the Realm Likewise to the end that the Bishops might the better attend their Spiritual functions they voted that none of them should have voice in Parliament nor meddle in temporal affairs And to assure the Scots whose Army they as yet thought not fit to part with till their work was brought to more maturity they gave them three hundred thousand pounds towards a supply of their losses and Necessities Which signal favour got them the stile of Brethren and thanks from the Scotish-Commissioners who seem'd so tender of our good that they desired the Treaty might be accelerated and the Kingdom eased of the burthen of the two Armies by their returning home The next thing wherewith they went in hand was the Trial of the Earl of Strafford for 't was resolv'd he must be cut off being a person of such integrity to the King and known abilities To which purpose
that place and the Magazine there by his Majesties authority Nay so diligent were they now to lose no time that they procured the Essex-men to deliver a Petition to them setting forth their fears and jealousies with desire that the Tower of London might be committed to safe hands the Arms of the Trained Bands trusted with approved persons and the Priviledge of Parliament asserted Likewise another from Colchester against Bishops and for liberty of Conscience desiring that Church-discipline might be established according to the word of God and their Town better fortified And well knowing how fair a countenance these Petitions thus framed by themselves carried to further their designs they caused more from Devon Somersetshire Middlesex and Hartfordshire for putting the Kingdom into a posture of Defence and the Forts into safe hands excluding Bishops Popish Lords c. As also another from the City of London signifying their inability to lend an hundred thousand pounds desired by the Houses for the service of Ireland by reason that the Cinque Ports were not put into safe hands the Kingdom not put into a posture of Defence the Lieutenant of the Tower not removed Priviledges of Parliament not vindicated Delinquents not punished and the Bishops and Popish Lords not put out of the House of Peers Whereupon it being the same day voted that the Cinque-Ports should be secured and the Tower of London put into such hands as the Parliament might confide in the very next day they brought down the Apprentices and Seamen with the like Petition for putting the whole Kingdom into a Posture And being now resolv'd as by their votes and the drift of these Petitions is manifest to hasten the Militia totally into their own power to the end they might the more plausibly effect their design therein they exhibited to his Majesty a Petition desiring that the Tower of London with the other principal Forts and whole Militia of the Kingdom might be put into the hands of such persons as should be by them recommended suggesting withall that without this sure ground of safety and confidence which he should hereby raise unto them they could not be enabled to discharge their duties in the considering of those important things proposed to them by him in his Message of the 20th of Ianuary Nor be so freed from fears and jealousies as with chearfulness to proceed laying a sure foundation of Honour Greatness and Glory to him and his Royal Posterity and of Happiness and prosperity to his Subjects throughout all his Dominions The chief colour and pretence given out to the people for this Posture of Defence being this that without the power thereof in their own hands to maintain the good Laws enacted there was no expectation but that they would be made fruitless to them by the prevalency of evil Counsellors and a malignant Party Whereunto his Majesty answered that though the nomination of those to whom the custody of the Forts and Castles were to be committed was an inseparable flower of his Crown yet that he would leave them to the Justice of his Parliament if through mis-information he had conferr'd such trust upon any undeserving person And that when any particular course for ordering the Militia should be digested by his Parliament and proposed to him he would return such an answer as should be agreeable to his honour and the safety of his people conjuring them not to be transported with Jealousies To this indeed they replyed that they acknowledged it as a principal and inseparable flower of his Crown to dispose the command of the Forts and Castles of the Kingdom and that by Law the Militia was subject to no command but his authority and what is lawfully derived from him But within two days following a Petition being brought into the House from Suffolk calling upon them to put the kingdom into a Posture and another from many thousands of poor Tradesmen in London as they stiled it urging the like alledging a great decay of Trade whereby they wanted Bread and that they believed not any cause thereof to be in the House of Commons but by reason of the Bishops and Popish Lords voting in the House of Peers it was earnestly moved at a Conference by Mr. Hollies that the Lords would no longer delay but now joyn with them to petition his Majesty that the Kingdom might be put into a Posture By which device the Lords who refused to joyn with them in their Petition of the six and twentieth of Ianuary were now so brought about that they did it And to the end they might not want more popular countenance for their grand work which was now in such forwardness they got more Petitions from several parts for putting the Kingdom into a Posture One from the women about London another from Northamptonshire a third from Kent which was brought by five or six thousand that rode through the City in ranks to the Parliament-House Whereby they gave the Lords thanks for concurring with the Commons in the Bill against the Bishop's votes and putting the Kingdom into a Posture of Defence desiring them to go on with the Commons in a thorough Reformation in Religion and to remove evil Councellors The like had they from the Counties of York Oxford and Lincoln So that having laid such a foundation by ensnaring the people with their own Petitions they made an order to enable some of the Aldermen and Common-Council of London with Serjeant Major Skippon to regulate the Militia of the City voting new Lords-Lieutenants throughout the several Counties of England and Wales And to blow up the people into a perfect Rebellion they appointed weekly Lectures to be generally set up which was accordingly perform'd by the most seditious and turbulent Spirits that could be found procuring more Petitions by multitudes of people from sundry parts setting forth great grievances and desiring that the factious party for so they call'd the most loyal of the Nobility might be expell'd the House of Peers Also that the Divine Worship of God might be no longer prophaned and that they might be better furnished with Arms to oppose forreign power Such also came from Wales Ipswich Warwickshire and Sussex the Sheriff of that County and at least fifteen hundred on Horseback accompanying him therewith And least the pretended great dangers for prevention whereof all this stir was made should be forgot a Letter from Lancashire was produced discovering dangerous Plots by the Papists in that County viz. the finding of ten Barrels of powder to make Balls of Wild-fire wherewith to burn divers chief Towns in this Realm Whereupon another Petition was dispatcht to his Majesty then at Dover for ordering the Militia Whereby they desired such a speedy Answer as might raise in them a confidence to use their own words that they should not be exposed to the practises of those
Laws and Liberty of the Subject to establish Popery and to set up an arbitrary Government for prevention whereof both Houses and the whole Realm should enter into a solemn Covenant never to lay down Arms so long as the Popish-party for so they called the King's forces were on foot and Papists and Delinquents protected from the Justice of the Parliament but to assist the Forces rais'd by authority of the two Houses of Parliament against the Forces rais'd by the King Which solemn Oath and Covenant thus drawn up was then taken by both Houses and within ten days following throughout all the Parishes of London And because the poor Country-people might throughout England be all caught upon one day they passed an Order of both Houses that a Public Thanksgiving should be made throughout the whole Kingdom on Thursday the thirteenth of Iuly following for the discovery of the late Plot at which time this Oath and Covenant should be tendred to every man in the several Parishes Also to secure the Pulpit-men the more cordially to them and to make them the more active in stirring up the people upon all occasions they made an Ordinance for calling an Assembly of Divines in order to the setting up of the Presbyterian Government Which Assembly was to consist of ten of the House of Lords and twenty of the House of Commons whose names are therein express'd and the rest Ministers all of the Presbyterian gang excepting three or four whom though for the more credit of that Convention they nominated there was little reason to expect any of their company The Preamble of which Ordinance runs thus Whereas amongst the infinite blessings of Almighty God upon this Nation none is or can be more dear unto us then the purity of our Religion And for that as yet many things remain in the Liturgy Discipline and Government of the Church which do necessarily require a farther and more perfect Reformation than as yet hath been attained And whereas it hath been declared and resolved by the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament that the present Church-government by Arch-Bishops Bishops their Chancellours Commissaries Deans Deans and Chapters Arch-Deacons and other Eccleastical Officers depending upon the Hierarchy is justly offensive and burthensome to the Kingdom a great impediment to Reformation and growth of Religion and very prejudicial to the State and Government of this Kingdom and that therefore they are resolved that the same shall be taken away and that such a Government shall be setled in the Church as may be most agreeable to God's holy word and most apt to procure and preserve the peace of the Church at home and neerer agreement with the Church of Scotland and other reformed Churches abroad c. be it ordained c. 'T was no marvail indeed that they at Westminster bestir'd themselves so hard for by this time the success of his Majesties Armies was such that he had by God's blessing regained the greatest part of the North and West parts of this Realm and did daily so increase in strength that to uphold their Cause they bethought themselves of calling in their Brethren the Scots for aid Wherefore having prepared a Declaration to discover another dangerous Plot to extirpate the Protestant Religion in England Ireland and Scotland they agreed that some of their Members viz. the Lork Grey of Wark Sir William Ayrmia and Mr. Darley should go into Scotland to desire help from thence and prepare Instructions for them with Letters of Credence with promise that they should have allowance for the charge of such forces as they should send and that the debts they already owed them should be paid out of the lands of the Papists and Prelatical party in Northumberland Cumberland and Bishoprick of Durham Which Commissioners did accordingly set forwards upon the xxith of Iuly But about this time the Earl of Essex their General made complaint to them by Letters for want of Horse Arms c. and proposed to them a Treaty for peace Whereunto answer was soon made by the resolution of their House of Commons who debated the same that by their late Vow and Covenant they had bound themselves never to lay down Arms so long as the Papists for so they call'd the King's forces which were then in Arms against them should have protection from the Justice of the Parliament sending him word that they would recruit his Troops according to his desire And to complement their Western General Sir William Waller whose heartiness to the Cause suted so well with theirs they ordered five thousand pounds to be sent down to him and given as a Largess to his Souldiers the more to encourage them in that service But the certain charge of their Rebellious Armies did so vastly increase as was truly foretold by Mr. Green Chairman to their Committee for the Navy upon the sixth of December before viz. that the maintenance of the Lord General 's Army would for the ensuing year amount to above a million of Money that of the Navy having been two hundred and forty thousand pounds for the year passed and that without delay they must of necessity settle a round and constant Tax for maintenance thereof they therefore passed an Ordinance for Excise or new Impost upon Wine Beer Ale Cider Perry Raisins Figs Currans Sugar Spices wrought and raw Silks Furrs Hats Laces Lether Linnen of all sorts Thread Wier c. and for sweetning its relish with the people gave it out that part of its income should pay Debts for which the Public faith was engaged Moreover to raise men as well as money their Western-Army being then destroy'd at Round-way-down the Citizens had a meeting at Grocer's Hall where they made new Subscriptions to set up Sir William Waller again For the better furthering whereof there were new Petitions framed from London Westminster and Southwark and presented to the House of Commons that all the Kingdom might rise as one man against the Common Enemy and that the Parliament would give power to a Committee to list so many of the Petitioners as were willing to go out in their own persons as also to take the Subscriptions of others for the raising a considerable Body of Horse and Foot and that the like course might be taken throughout the Kingdom by a confiding Committee In pursuance whereof both Houses made an Ordinance for raising seven thousand Horse in London Middlesex and the Counties adjacent to be commanded by the Lord Kymbolton afterwards Earl of Manchester and of Eleven hundred Horse in the Counties of Bedford Buckingham Northampton and Hertford to be commanded by Sir Iohn Norwich In Norfolk and Suffolk Eleven hundred by Sir Miles Hobart in Surrey Sussex Southampton and Berkshire fourteen hundred by Colonel Richard Norton And all these thus to be rais'd to resist the Insolencies of the King's Army Certain it is
go out of the line of Communication yet now that they were rais'd they meaning the Parliament might dispose of them whether they pleased without asking their consents And whereas the first Ordinance for Excise was but only for maintenance of the Army and paiment of Debts due by the Common-wealth they passed another wherein was a consideration added for securing of Trade which occasioned the enlargement thereof upon such Commodities as had not been formerly tax'd besides an alteration of the rates Which Commodities were Strong-waters Medicinal-Drugs Haberdashers-ware Vpholsters ware Salt Sallets Sope all sorts of Woollen-cloth Paper Skins and Glasses Having also thus taught the new Auxiliaries the force of an Ordinance of Parliament they passed another for the pressing of five thousand men in the Cities of London and Westminster with the Counties adjacent to go under the command of Sir William Waller And to hasten on the march of their Brethren the Scots to their aid and assistance the Members of the House of Commons with great formality and no less seeming devotion entred into that unhappy Combination called the solemn League and Covenant so fram'd in Scotland in St. Margarets-Church at Westminster Which under the specious veil of Reformation was that fatal Engine whereby not only the Hierarchy in the Church was by them soon after destroyed and the patrimony thereof with the Lands and Revenues of the Crown swallow'd up by those pretenders to Godliness but the sacred Person of the King most inhumanly murthered and this ancient and long flourishing Monarchy so far as 't was in their power wholly subverted and destroy'd as to the whole world is most notorious In the Preamble whereunto they had the confidence to say that this their League and Covenant was according to the commendable practise of these Kingdoms and the Example of God's people in other Nations Whereas there is not only no mention of any such things by our Historiographers nor in the History of any other Realm that I have ever seen excepting that of the Holy League in France whereof I shall take farther notice ere I finish this work but Mr. Philip Nye one of their mighty Champions for the Cause and an especial assertor of this Covenant hath expresly affirmed in print that it is such an Oath as for matter persons and other circumstances the like hath not been in any age or Oath we read of in sacred or humane stories And it is also observable that whereas in the Preamble they farther affirm that they did it to preserve themselves and their Religion which must needs be intended the known Religion publickly profess'd and by Law establish'd in the Church of England from ruine and destruction they immediatly vow to reform Religion here in England according to the pattern of the Kirk of Scotland and to extirpate Episcopacy and all Ecclesiastical Offices depending thereon Notwithstanding they knew full well First that the King was by his Coronation Oath sworn to maintain and defend the Bishops and the Churches under their charge Secondly that all the Clergy of England had testified their approbation of Episcopal Government by personal Subscriptions thereto and thirdly that by a solemn Protestation made and framed by themselves in that very Parliament and recommended by them to be taken by all the people of England they had oblig'd themselves neither for hope nor fear or other respect to relinquish the true Protestant Religion express'd in the Doctrine of the Church of England But all this Pageantry in their thus taking of that solemn League and Covenant could not allay the loud clamours of the people occasion'd by the great pressures and daily exactions under which they miserably groaned the Members therefore were constrain'd to betake themselves to another way for the easing them at least in shew and this was by an Ordinance for selling the King's Queen's and Princes revenues and the arrearages thereof as also to another for felling and cutting down Woods within sixty miles of London in all Forests Chases and Parks belonging to the King or Queen or any Arch-bishop Bishop Dean and Chapter c. Papist Delinquent Malignant c. to be disposed of for supply of the City of London Which seeming favour was for no other purpose than that they might afterwards bring the greater load upon them as they did ere long For within few days upon a jugling Report made to the House of a Pope's Bull translated into English with a Declaration upon it which was pretended to be newly sent into England for the more effectual prosecuting of the Catholic war here a Committee of the House of Commons and of the Assembly of Divines came to a Common-Hall in London to consult with the Citizens for the speedy raising of an hundred thousand pounds for the advance of the Scottish Army to be lent for that service and repay'd when moneys were procured from forreign parts upon the public faith of both Kingdoms And to obtain more men as well as money there issued out another Order that the Committee for the Militia or London should have power to appoint six Regiments of their Trained-Bands and one of their Auxiliaries as also one Regiment of Horse and Dragoons to march out with their Commanders and joyn with the Earl of Essex's Forces Likewise an Ordinance for the pressing of five thousand Souldiers more to be sent to the Islands of Ieresey and Garnsey under the command of the Earl of Warwick those Trained-Bands being appointed to meet in St. Iames Fields and from thence to march unto such place as the Earl of Essex or his Officers should appoint and in default thereof their Shops to be shut up themselves depriv'd of Trade and liable to expulsion out of the lines of Communication And about the same time they passed another Ordinance for assessing the Twenty fifth part upon all Members of Parliament who then were either in the King's Army or otherwise absent their estates to be let in case of not paiment And having lately sped so well upon credit of the public faith they adventured again upon the same security recommending to the Counties of Norfolk Suffolk Essex and Lincoln with the City of Norwich the aid of the Lord Fairfax in Men Money Plate Horse and Amunition passing an Ordinance for repaiment of what should be lent for the speedy bringing in of the Scots to their assistance and securing it in the mean time by the before-mention'd public faith But the reputation of the public faith was now grown so low that moneys came not in either quick enough or in such large sums as were expected it being left arbitrary to the Creditors what they would lend another Ordinance therefore was passed for raising the full sum of sixty six thousand six hundred sixty six pounds thirteen shillings four pence within the Cities of London and Westminster with the Counties of Hertford Bedferd Middlesex Essex Suffolk
Children with their disposal in Marriage to the vile affections and humours of this hypocritical Generation ¶ That their confidence likewise in carrying all before them with power and force through the aid of the Scots might the more appear I shall now represent unto you Presbytery Triumphant for a while For within six days after they had sent these insolent propositions to the King they voted down the reverend Liturgy by Law establish'd in the Church of England And for a farther encouragement to those their dear brethren on whose assistance they did so much relie which emboldened them to make those high demands they passed an Ordinance for raising the Sum of sixty six thousand six hundred sixty six pounds thirteen shillings and four pence for their supply by way of Loane from such persons as should not voluntarily or proportionably lend according to their estates Which Loane was to be paid out of the Sequestrations of Delinquents But to make the more specious ostentation to the world that all their Actions wholly tended to the Glory of God the publick good and nothing to their own private interests they farther voted that no member of either House should during that war enjoy or execute any office or command military or civil which had been granted or conferred on them by either House or by any Authority derived from either House and that an Ordinance should be drawn up accordingly Next they passed an Ordinance for the utter abolishing the Pious Liturgy commonly called the Book of Common Prayer complied by divers reverend Divines of which some died Martyrs and for the establishing a Directory as they call'd it for the worship of God in the room thereof whereby every conceited person was left at liberty unto his own frothy fancy in framing certain Prayers whereunto the Congregation were to say Amen a thing so absurd and destructive to the true and real service of God as that there needs no observations upon it And the day following to glorify their doings the more they adorn'd their House of Commons with that whole suit of Hangings which were placed in the Quire of the Collegiate Church at Westminster and some other taken out of the King's wardrobe And having proceeded against the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury whose memory as a stout Champion for the Church of England against her fierce assaylants the Romanists on the one side and Schismaticks on the other and for his many other great and pious works much beseeming a person of that place will be precious to succeeding ages by arraigning him before themselves upon articles of high Treason as they call'd them wherein they charg'd him with labouring to overthrow the Fundamental Laws and Government of this Kingdome subverting the Religion establish'd to set up Papistry and Superstition they did by an Ordinance passed the very same day with that for abolishing the Book of Common Prayer condemn him to suffer death as a Traytor for the quicker dispatch whereof they brought down the Lords to sit with the Commons and afterwards beheaded him on Tower-hill After which they admitted of a Treaty with certain Commissioners nominated by the King upon those Propositions so sent by them as hath been observed Which Treaty being by them limited to twenty days began at Uxbridge on Thursday the 30th of Ianuary To take notice here of the particular passages in this treaty considering that they are so exactly set forth in print will not be needfull The truth is that though these Grandees at Westminster did then make shew to incline unto a happy composure of all things by that amicable expedient to the end that by this plausible pretence they might the more captivate the people they really intended nothing less as may appear not onely by those unjust and insolent demands whereupon they did so stifly insist which amounted to the uter subversion of the Religion by Law establisht getting the power of the sword into their own hands and carrying on the war in Ireland according to their depraved wills and pleasures but by that seditious and impudent Sermon preach'd in Uxbridge Church upon the first day of that Treaty it being the Market-day there by Mr. Christopher Love after executed by themselves on Tower-Hill who besides many passages therein scandalous to the King's person and derogatory to his Honour stirring up the People against the Treaty and sharply incensing them against his Majesties Commissioners said that they came with Hearts full of bloud and that there was as great a distance betwixt that Treaty and peace as betwixt Heaven and Hell For which malicious expression though complaint was made and Justice demanded no redress could be had Besides when the King's Commissioners desired to treat with them concerning his Majesties speedy return to Westminster they utterly refused so to do though they had ever given it out to the world that the sole reason for raising their Armies was to bring the King to his Parliament CHAP. XIX AS to the military passages of this year the chief on the Kings part were these Longford house in Com. Salop. was rendred by the Rebels to Prince Rupert As also Longe-castle in the same County Likewise Stopport in Cheshire Lathom house in Lancashire being besieged by Sir Thomas Fairfax was relieved by Prince Rupert whereupon Leverpoole and Bolton both in that County were soon taken by him Borstall-house in Oxfordshire taken by Colonell Gage Colonell Shuttleworth defeated at Blackburn in Lancashire by Prince Rupert Sir William Waller with his forces routed at Cropredy-bridge in Oxfordshire the Earls of Northampton and Cleveland being both in that action And York after nine weeks siege by the Scots the Lord Fairfax and Earl of Manchester assisting them reliev'd by Prince Rupert In the next month Lestithiel in Cornwall being then taken by the King the Earl of Essex forfook his Foot and fled in a Cock-boat from Foy to Plymouth with the Lord Roberts the foot then under the command of Major general Skippon delivering up their Arms Ammunition and Artillery and engaging themselves thenceforth never to bear Arms against the King Basing house also being again besieged by the Rebells was reliev'd by Colonel Gage The Earl of Northampton likewise rais'd the siege of Banbury-Castle which had continued from the 19th of Iuly And the next month following the King raised the siege of Donington-Castle in Berkshire as also that of Basing But as to further success on the King's part within the compass of this year 1644. I do not find any thing of note saving the defeat given to Colonel Rosseter near Melton Moubray in Leicestershire by Sir Marmaduke Langdale in his passage from Oxford towards Pontfract And his relief of Pontfract-Castle then besieged by the Lord Fairfax ¶ I now come to the Actions on the Rebels part in this year 1644. wherein they had
they should by the power of Conquest utterly destroy him that they disdained to vouchsafe him any answer at all thereto CHAP. XXI THE torrent of Rebellion thus violently bearing all down before it what Garrisons remained were necessitated soon after also to submit viz. the port Town of Barnstaple in Devonshire upon the seventh of April and the Fort there some few days after Ruthin-castle also in Flintshire then yielded to Colonel Mitton Corfe castle in Dorset shire about the same time being given up The City of Exeter likewise Sir Iohn Berkley Knight afterwards Lord Berkley of Stratton being at that time Governour thereof who delivered it upon honourable Articles wherein amongst others the most loyal Sir Iohn Stowel Knight of the Bath was included though afterwards dishonourably and barbarously used Soon after which Saint Michael'smount in Cornwall was taken by Colonel Hamond Dunster castle also in Somerset shire and Woodstock house near Dxford then also submitting All the West therefore being thus cleared except Pendennis castle there could be no less expected than a siege of Oxford His Majesty therefore considering that having used all means possible by his frequent gracious Messages wherein he had offered unto them all they had before desired and that he expected nothing but what themselves since the beginning of those unhappy wars had offered to procure a personal Treaty with them for a safe and well grounded peace And having in stead of a dutiful and peaceable return to those his Messages received no Answer at all or such as argued nothing would satisfy them but the ruine not onely of himself his posterity and friends but even of Monarchy it self Considering likewise that his field-forces were shattered and reduc'd to nothing his Garrisons almost all lost or besieged and that a strong Army under the command of Sir Thomas Fairfax their then General was advancing towards Oxford there to besiege him together with the Duke of York All the great Officers of State and many other of his most eminent and faithfull Subjects In this his most sad and unhappy condition revolving whether he had better cast himself upon the English-Army or the City of London or rather his native Subjects the Scots who had at that time besieg'd Newarke upon Trent with a great and numerous Army Having received very good assurance as he then believ'd that himself and all that did adhere to him should be safe in their Persons Honour and Consciences in the Scotch Army And that they the Scots would really and effectually joyn with him and such other as would come in unto him and joyn with them for his preservation and would imploy their Armies and Forces to assist him to the procuring of an happy and well-grounded peace for the good of his said Majesty and his Kingdomes in the recovery of his just rights Necessity being then his Councellour he adventured upon their fidelity who first began his troubles trusting that God might make them a means honourably to compose them and thereupon went out of Oxford disguised in the night time with two persons onely accompanying him viz. Mr. Iohn Ashburnham one of the Grooms of his royal Bedchamber and one Mr Hudson a Divine his Guide From Oxford they first rode to Henley upon Thames Thence to Brainford Thence near to London and so to Harrow on the Hill there being then a general muster of the City forces in Hide Park where he was expected the Earl of Essex being at that time in the Field and his Majestie almost perswaded to adventure himself into their hands But relying wholly on the Scots who had promised so fair as before is observed he waved those thoughts and rode to St. Albans so to Harborough in Leicestershire where he expected the French Agent who had so treated with the Scots on his behalf as I have already observed with some Horse to meet him and conduct him to Southwell the then Head quarters of the Scottish-Army But missing him there he thence passed to Stanford on the edge of Lincolnshire and so to Downham in Norfolk whence Mr. Hudson was sent to the Agent and upon his return went directly to Southwel where he arrived the 5 th of May and put himself into the hands of Alexander Lesley their General resolving to use his best endeavours by their assistance and with the conjunction of those forces in Scotland under the Marquess of Montrose and such of his well affected Subjects of England as would rise for him to procure if it might be an honourable and speedy peace with those who had hitherto refused to give ear to any good means tending thereto Being thus gone siege was immediately laid to Oxford by General Fairfax soon after which several other places of strength were surrendred by the King 's special direction viz. Newark the eleventh of May which had been besieg'd by Poyntz and Rosseter the Scots assisting from December before The Castle of Banbury likewise after a siege of ten weeks by Colonel Whalley And on the thirteenth of May the Scots having not patience to attend the voluntary surrenders of any more places of strength began their march towards Newcastle in Northumberland taking the King along with them Where being arrived and quartering their Army thereabouts they instantly pressed his Majestie to send Orders to the Marquess of Ormund in Ireland and all other the Governours of his Garisons in England to give up all the Towns and Castles then remaining to such as should be appointed to receive them for the Houses of Parliament Telling him that otherwise they neither could nor durst continue him in their protection To which necessity his Majestie was constrain'd to submit but nothing was by them more earnestly insisted on than that the Marquess of Montross should lay down Arms who with a small strength at first had acted in Scotland to admiration for besides many victories of less note he had twice beaten the Marquess of Argyle out of the Field follow'd him home and wasted his Country with Fire and Sword and vanquisht Bayley one of their best Souldiers made himself also Master of the Castle of Edenborough releasing divers of his Friends who had been seized on and imprisoned there when he first took up Arms. But instead of those Aids which he hoped for he was unexpectedly set upon by David Lesley who was sent from the Scottish Army in England with six thousand Horse to oppose the farther progress of this most valiant persons fortune However he began to make head again and was in a way of fair success when he receiv'd the Kings command to disband viz. 31 May 1647. To which he readily conforming took Ship and put himself into a voluntary Exile After which time of this their perfidious dealing with the King 't is observable that they never prospered But I proceed briefly to point out the times of surrender of the rest of his
Majesties Garrisons In the same month of May Dudley castle in Staffordshire was delivered up to Sir William Brereton by Colonel Leveson and soon after Carnarvon Town and Castle to Major General Mitton and Major General Langhorn the Lord Byron being then Governour there Likewise Ludlow in Shropshire to Sir William Brereton and Borstall house near Oxford Oxford it self also soon followed Sir Thomas Glemham being then Governour As also Farringdon in Berkshire Sir George L'isle being Governour Next Lichfield close in Staffordshire Then the City of Worcester besieg'd by Colonel Whalley and Colonel Raynsborough Colonel Washington being Governour Also Wallingford castle Colonel Blague being Governour Gotherich Castle likewise in Hereford shire and Pendennis-castle in Cornwall whereof Iohn Arrundel of Trerise was Governour Conway Castle in Flintshire being storm'd by Major General Mitton In the next month after a long siege by General Fairfax Sir Trevor Williams and Colonel Langhorn Ragland castle in Monmouth shire was yielded to them And soon after the Isles and Castle of Scilly were given up As also the Castles of Denbigh and Holt Whereupon Generall Fairfax advanced triumphantly towards London And on the first of February next following the Scots having effectually received the whole Sum of two hundred thousand pounds for which they sold the King they marcht over Twede into Scotland His Majestie having thus cast himself upon the loyalty of those touching whose large professions and protestations to him I have already taken notice let us now behold the blessed Fruits of Presbytery by the subsequent Practises of these Zelots which doth amply make good what King Iames long since declared of that Sect viz. that no deserts could oblige nor Oaths or Promises bind them For notwithstanding those their solemn Oaths and Protestations they most perfidiously acted contrary to them hastning thereby that farther ruin which soon afterwards befel the Church of England and at length terminated in the wofull murther of their native Sovereign as is notoriously known to the World carrying on all this under the colour and veile of their Solemn League and Covenant In order whereunto the first thing observable is a plausible Letter directed to the Committee of Estates at that time residing with the Scotch Army wherein they tell them that their earnest desire being to keep a right understanding between the two Kigndomes did move them to acquaint them with that strange providence wherewith they were then surprised together with their carriage and desires thereupon and to endeavour to improve his Majesties being there to the best advantage for promoting the work of Vniformity for setling of Religion and Righteousness and attaining of Peace according to the League and Covenant and Treaty c. affirming that they had a Witness from Heaven and that there was nothing more in their desires than in all their resolutions and proceedings to adhere to the Covenant and Treaty ¶ What hopes this specious Letter might give his Majestie for promoting his earnest endeavours for such an happy peace as he desired is hard to say considering what relation it had to the Solemn League and Covenant but his former assurances in order to his coming to them as I have already observed being such as they were he became so confident thereupon as that shortly after he sent unto the two Houses at Westminster his xi th Message whereby because they had made so great a noyse of setling Religion That together with the Militia and the War of Ireland being the chief things insisted on in their former Propositions he recomended to them the advice therein of those Divines in both Kingdomes whom they had assembled at Westminster And for the Militia offred that he would be content to settle it as they themselves proposed in the Treaty at Uxbridge viz. that all persons who should be trusted therewith might be named by the two Houses of Parliament for the space of seven years and after that time to be regulated as should be agreed on by his Majestie and his two Houses of Parliament And touching Ireland that he would do whatsoever was possible for him to give full satisfaction to them And that if those his free offers would not serve then he desired that al such of their Propositions as were then by them agree'd on might be speedily sent to him he being resolved to comply with them in every thing that might conduce to the happiness of his subjects and removing all unhappy differences which had produced so many sad effects Farther offring that all his forces should be forthwith disbanded and Oxford with the remainder of his other Garrisons rendred into their hands upon honourable conditions and dismantled But to this gracious Message as to his former they turn'd a deaf ear there being then another Game to be play'd which was the getting of the King's person out of the Hands of the Scots suspecting as they had cause that those their dear Brethren would make no little advantage thereof Notwithstanding the Votes at Westminster that he should be disposed of as they should desire and direct Concerning which Votes at Westminster and debates of both Houses thereupon it will not be amiss here to take notice how they alledg'd that the Scottish Army in England was theirs id est under their pay Also that the King ought to be near to his Parliament whereby they might have recourse to him and obtain such things as should be most necessary for the Kingdomes Likewise that by Covenant they were sworn to preserve the Rights and Priviledges of Parliament but to detein the King from his Parliament was altogether inconsistent with the Covenant Of which Votes the Scots seem'd to take little notice but in stead thereof and for diversion amused the Members at Westminster with several Letters which they caused to be written to them one from the general assembly of the Kingdome of Scotland wherein they told them that their success against the Enemy id est the King's Forces did lay a strong obligation upon them to improve the power put into their Hands for the advancement of the Kingdome of Christ and bringing forth the head-stone of his House And therefore did earnestly intreat and beseech them in the Bowels of Christ to give unto him the glory due to his name by a timeous establishment of all his Ordinances in full integrity and power according to the Covenant c. Saying that the Searcher of Hearts knew how they desired to keep their Covenant c. concluding with their desires to the Parliament to endeavour all the ends of the Covenant The other to the Assembly of Divines sitting at Westminster wherein they expressed their Thanks for their constant endeavours and labours in the work of setting up the Ordinances of Christ desiring that they would go on in the sedulous promoting of that blessed work The third was to the Lord Mayor
was it will not be amiss to consider that Letter written by the Commissioners of Scotland unto the two Houses at Westminster dated the sixth of November then past in reference to the King together with that Answer of the Commissioners of the general Assembly of the Kirk unto certain Proposals made to them anno 1646. touching the King's coming into that Realm upon his exclusion from the Government in England in case of his leaving them without taking the Covenant he being then at Newcastle in custody of the dear Brethren of that Realm Being thus got away from Hampton Court he arrived in the Isle of Wiht upon the thirteenth of November whence incessantly desiring a safe and well-grounded Peace to these Kingdoms he soon sent another Message to the Members at Westminster wherein to shorten that Work he expressed his mind to this effect viz. That conceiving himself to be at much more freedom and security than formerly he thought it necessary to offer such Grounds to the two Houses for that purpose which upon due examination of all Interests might best conduce thereto And therefore as to the abolishing of Arch-Bishops Bishops c. he could not consent to it as he was a Christian and a King first being satisfied in his Iudgment that this Order was placed in the Church by the Apostles themselves and that ever since that time it had continued in all Christian Churches throughout the World till this last Century of years And in this Church in all times of Change and Reformation it had been upheld by the wisedom of his Ancestors as the great Preserver of Doctrine Discipline and Order in the Service of God Next as a King at his Coronation that he had not onely taken a solemn Oath but that himself and his predecessors in their confirmation of the great Charter had inseperably woven the Right of the Church into the Liberties of the rest of the Subjects Nevertheless was willing that it should be provided that the particular Bishops might perform the several Duties of their Callings both by their personal Residence and frequent Preaching in their Diocese as also that they should exercise no Act of Iurisdiction or Ordination without the consent of the Presbyters and to limit their powers that they might not be grievous to tender Consciences Moreover that he could not consent to the Alienation of the Church-lands it being a Sin of the highest Sacrilege conceiving it also to be a prejudice to the publick good many of his Subjects having the benefit of renewing Leases at much easier rates than if those Possessions were in the hands of private men besides the discouragement that it would be to all Learning and Industry when such eminent Rewards shall be taken away yet considering the great distemper concerning Church-Discipline and that the Presbyterean-Government was then in practice to eschew confusion as much as might be and for satisfaction of the two Houses of Parliament was content that the said Government should be legally permitted to stand in the same condition it then was for three years Provided that himself and those of his Iudgement or any other who could not in Conscience submit thereto might not be obliged to comply therewith but have free practice of their own profession And that a free Consultation and Debate might be had with their Divines at Westminster twenty of his Majestie 's nomination being added to them whereby it might be determined by his said Majesty and the two Houses how the Church-Government after that time should be setled or sooner if differences might be agreed as should be most agreeable to the Word of God with full Liberty to all those who should differ upon consciencious grounds from that settlement Provided that it might not be understood to tolerate those of the Popish-profession nor to exempt those from the penalty of the Laws or tolerate Atheism or Blasphemy 2. As to the Militia though it was undoubtedly the inherent right of the Crown yet to evidence his desire to secure the performance of such Agreement as should be made in order to a Peace his Majesty was content that during his whole reign it should be disposed of by his two Houses of Parliament 3. As to the Arrears of the Army that he should concur in any thing that might be done without violation of his Conscience and Honour 4. As to the Disposal of the great Offices of State and Naming of Privy-Councillers he offered the disposing of them for the whole time of his reign by the two Houses of Parliament 5. For the Court of Wards and Liveries that it should be taken away so as a full recompence might be setled on his Majesty his Heirs and Successors in perpetuity 6. That he would consent to the making of all Oaths Declarations and Proclamations against both or either House of Parliament null and void So likewise of all Indictments and other proceedings against any person for adhering unto them And that he would pass a general Act of Oblivion 7. That for Ireland he would give satisfaction to them 8. That as to such Acts and Grants passed under his great Seal since the 22th of May 1642. and confirming such as had been passed under that made by the two Houses he would give satisfaction in what might reasonably be desired 9. That for confirmation of all these and whatsoever else might be proposed by the two Houses and also of what he should propose on his own part he did earnestly desire a personal Treaty at London with Honour Freedom and Safety 10. And that the Proposals of the Army concerning the Succession of Parliaments and their due Elections should be taken into consideration 11. So likewise that as to what concern'd the Kingdom of Scotland he would apply himself to give all reasonable satisfaction After the sending of this Message by his Majesty the next thing observable that hapned was a Petition through the influence of the Presbytereans presented to the two Houses at Westminster by the Common-Council of the City of London acknowledging the Parliament for by that Title they then call'd those Members sitting at Westminster to be the Supream Power in this Kingdom and inter alia praying that the Covenant might be duly observed No wonder then that his Majestie 's gracious Message of November the xvjth was so little regarded as that he had no Answer at all thereto upon the sixth of December following he therefore put them in mind of it still pressing for a personal Treaty Whereunto insted of an Answer they sent him four Bills to be assented unto by him as preparatory to a Treaty These were those four Dethroning Bills which if passed into Acts as they required might have saved the labour of a Treaty Unto which for Answer his Majesty made these most prudent and rational Observations 1. That the Commissioners of Scotiand had openly protested against them 2. To allow of that great Seal made by them without his
Esq Thomas Boone Esq * Augustine Garland Esq Augustine Skinner Esq * Iohn Dixwell Esq * Colonel George Fleetwood * Simon Maine Esq * Colonel Iames Temple * Colonel Peter Temple * Daniel Blagrave Esq Sir Petter Temple Bar. * Colonel Thomas Wayte Iohn Brown Esq Iohn Lawry Esq * Iohn Bradshaw Serjeant at Law named President Councillers-Assistants to this Court and to draw up the Charge against the King * Doctor Isaac Dorislaw * Mr. Williams Steele * Mr. Aske * Mr. Cooke Sollicitor * Serjeant Dandy Serjeant at Armes * Mr. Phelps Clerks to the Court * Mr. Broughton Messengers and Door-keepers Mr. Walford Mr. Radley Mr. Paine Mr. Powell Mr. Hull Mr. King the Cryer And that these their Sanguinary proceedings might carry the more shew of Authority upon the Third day following they sent their Serjeant at Armes with his Mace accompanyed by six Trumpets on Horse-back into Westminster-Hall great Guards of Souldiers waiting in the Palace-yards Where in the midst of the Hall after the Trumpets had sounded he made solemn Proclamation on Horse-back that if any man had ought to alledge against Charles Start they should repaire the day following at Two of the Clock After-noon into the Painted Chamber where the Committees to receive the same were to Sit. The like Proclamation he made at the Exchange and other places in London The same day also they Voted that Writs should no longer run in the King's Name and the making of a new Great Seal with the Armes of England and Ireland viz. the Cross and Harpe on the one side and this Circumscription viz. The Great Seal of England On the other side the Figure of the Parliament and the Circumscription In the first year of Freedom by Gods Blessing restored 1648. According to which Proclamation so made in Westminster-Hall the next day following those High Court of Justice-men sate formally in the Painted Chamber to receive Informations from such whom they had then prepared to come in for that purpose For which time for the space of Nine days the Grandees had frequent Meetings to frame and settle the special order and form for executing of that their accursed design And having in the Interim erected a Bloody Theater at the upper end of Westminster-Hall which they call'd The High Court of Iustice they removed His Majesty from Windâ—â—â—â— to St. Iames's near Westmiâ—ster and upon Saturday Ianuary the Twentieth made their entrance in State into Westminster-Hall Bradshaw the President having a Sword and Mace carryed before him and for his Guard Twenty Souldiers with Partizans under the Command of Colonel Fox the Tinker Where after this Prodigious Monster Bradshaw with the rest of that Bloody-pack in all to the number of Seventy two the rest then declining to shew their Faces in so Horrid an Enterprize though most of them afterwards avowed the same were set and that Hellish Act read whereby they were constituted the King's Judges His Majesty was brought to the Bar by Colonel Hacker Guarded with a Company of Halberdeers In whose passage it is not unworthy of note that Hugh Peters one of their wicked Preachers did set on divers of the Souldiers to cry out Iustice Iustice against him and that one of them did then Spit in the King's Face Which being done that insolent Bradshaw stood up and most impudently told the King calling him Charles Stuart that the Commons of England Assembled in Parliament being sensible of the great Calamities brought upon this Nation and of the Innocent Blood shed which was referred to him as the Author according to that duty which they did owe to God the Nation and themselves and according to that Power and Fundamental Trust reposed in them by the People had Constituted that High Court of Iustice before which he was then brought and that he was to hear his Charge upon which the Court would proceed Then Cook their Sollicitor went on and said that he did accuse Charles Stuart there present of High Treason and Misdemeanors and did in the Name of the Commons of England desire that the Charge might be read against him Whereupon they caused their most false and Infamous Charge to be read Which importing that he being admitted King of England and trusted with a limited Power for the good and benefit of the People had Trayterously and Maliciously levyed War against that present Parliament and the People therein represented and caused and procured many Thousands of the Free People of this Nation to be slain Concluding that he did therefore impeach him as a Tyrant Traytor Murtherer and a publick and implacable Enemy to the Common-wealth of England Praying that he might be put to answer the premisses and that such Proceedings Examinations Tryals Sentence and Iudgment might be thereupon had as should be agreeable to Iustice. I shall not stay here to give instance of the particular expressions then made by His Majesty unto those Blood-thirsty men Which were with the greatest Wisdom Gravity and Christian Courage imaginable considering that they already are by some Historians and others so exactly publisht to the World He absolutely denying and renouncing that their usurped Jurisdiction and Authority thus to convent him and stoutly refusing to submit to their power In which he most undauntedly persisted every time he was brought before them with incomparable magnanimity of Spirit On the Second day of their Sitting they held a Fast at White-Hall And on the Third day the Scots Commissioners delivered in certain Papers to them with a Declaration from the Parliament of Scotland importing a dislike of those their Proceedings against His Majesty but nothing regarded After which to the end that these Barbarous Regicides might the better consult touching the manner of his Execution and to perform it with the greater Ignominy they respited his Sentence of Death for Four or Five days But then having fully determined thereon upon Saturday the Twenty Seventh of Ianuary they caused Him to be brought before them again Where after a most insolent Speech made by the same Bradshaw the President His Sentence of Death was read there being then present no less than Seventy two of those His Bloody Murtherers called Judges who stood up and avowed the same the Names of which I have noted with an Asterism in the preceding Catalogue Which being done a Publick Declaration was appointed to be drawn against the Proclaiming of Prince Charles after the removal of his Father out of this Life denouncing it to be High Treason for any one so to do Likewise that no person upon Pain of Imprisonment and such other punishments as should be thought fit might speak or divulge any thing contrary to those their proceedings And upon the Morrow being Sunday some of the Grandees came and tendred to him a Paper Book with promise of Life and some shadow of Regality in case he would Subscribe it which contained many particulars destructive to the Religion establisht to the
To the which Story as to the improbability of it I reply that 't is very well known the King was in that open Freedom at Hampton-Court all the time he remained there that divers of his old and Faithful Servants were not only permitted to attend on His Royal Person in their respective places but many others had the Liberty of Free access to him So that it is not at all likely that any Letter from the Queen should come to him at that time by other hands than those who were of known trust Besides what could he expect from the Scots which might conduce to the Restoring him to any part of his Regal Authority without submitting to their solemn League and Covenant which they full well knew he could never be prevail'd with to do Next that he had no great reason to conside much in Duke Hamilton's fair intentions towards him in case he should have vanquisht those men And lastly that it had been no Prudence to depend upon the strength of their Armes considering that the Events of War are uncertain especially having so much reason to hope and believe that Cromwell and his Party who had such an influence upon those Members which then Sate in their Parliament as on the Army would accomplish what he had so solemnly promised considering also in all Humane reason it would conduce to his own proper Interest Thus much as to the Improbability of any Truth herein But now to the Impossibility thereof Let it be considered that the Scots could not foresee any danger towards His Majesty till after he left Hampton-Court which was upon the Eleventh of November 1647. Nor then till the Month of December next following that they saw the Fur Dethroning Bills which through the influence of Cromwell and his Party were sent to him and the Vote on the Third of Ianuary ensuing of No more Addresses Shortly after which he was made close Prisoner by Colonel Hamond Which destructive Bills and malevolent Votes was that which in truth alarm'd the Scots as it did the English in divers Parts who discerning His Majesty in this miserable condition made several attempts in order to his rescue though without success as hath been already observed who thereupon and not till then did constitute a Committee of Danger at 〈◊〉 which was previous to any preparation for Raising an Army and necessitated them to consider what was without delay to be done in this great exigent foreseeing well that the Tyranny of these Antimonarchists would in the end overwhelm them there as well as the English here Whereupon they resolv'd to Raise an Army in order thereto Besides most apparent it is that the King was so ignorant of any Preparations made by the Scots to that purpose that until the Month of Iuly 1648. when it was told him that Duke Hamilton was entred England with an Army he was so strangely surprized with the News that he suddenly said Then he is undone To pass by this base Fiction therefore meerly devised to give some colour for the perfidiousness of Cromwell I descend to the next device they had to countenance their wicked Actions which was to detract from his deserved Fame in another kind For discerning soon after his Death those most Divine Meditations made publick by the Press and Intituled Icon Basilike which in his deplorable and disconsolate soliâ—udes he had Pathetically put in Writing whereby his Great Prudence Patience and Piety in those his woful Sufferings would be made openly conspicuous to the World and not being able to suppress them as they did earnestly endeavour to do they made it their work to blast them by their false and Impudent Reports that they were none of his own but composed by some Royallist to gain a Reputation to his Memory which they studyed by all malicious projects and practises to suppress and to that purpose encouraged a needy Pedagogue preferring him to the Office of Secretary to write that Scandalous Book called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being a bitter invective against those his Divine Meditations But to manifest that these were no borrowed wares but by the Good and Gracious assistance of Almighty God were totally of his own composure in the midst of his most sad afflictions besides the unlikely-hood that any such expressions could flow from an Heart not opprest and grieved with such a weight of sorrow as his was I shall make it evident from the Testimony of very credible persons yet living that he had begun the Penning of them long before he went from 〈◊〉 to the Scots For the Manuscript it self written with his own Hand being found in his Cabinet which was taken at â—â—vesby Fight was restored to him after he was brought to Hampton-Court by the hand of Major Huntington through the favour of General Fairfax of whom he obtained it And that whilst he was in the Isle of Wight it was there seen frequently by Mr. Thomas Herbert who then waited on His Majesty in his Bed-chamber as also by Mr. William Lever a Page of the the back Staires the Title then prefixt to it being Suspiria Regalia who not only read several parts thereof but saw the King divers times writing farther on it Which Mr. Herbert being that Learned Person who hath publisht his Observations upon his Travels in Asia hath since the Kings most happy Restauration been honoured with the Title of Baronet in Testimony of the Gracious sense His Majesty hath of his dutiful demeanour and perfect sidelity in those Perillous times to his dear Father of Blessed Memory Add hereunto the Testimony of Mr. Richard Royston a Bookseller at the Angel in 〈◊〉 who having in those Rebellious times adventured to Print divers of His late Majesties Declarations Speeches and Messages about the beginning of October 1648. the King being then in the Isle of 〈◊〉 was sent to by His Majesty to prepare all things ready for the Printing some Papers which he purposed shortly after to convey to him Which was this very Copy brought to him on the Twenty Third of December next following by one Mr. Edward Symmons a Reverend Divine who received it from Dr. Bryan Duppa then Bishop of Salisbury and afterwards of Winchester In the Printing whereof Mr. Royston made such speed that it was finished before that dismal Thirtieth of January that His Majesties Life was so taken away as before is observed What I have here instanced to wipe off this soul stain which the malice of wicked men have cast upon the Memory of His late Majesty will be sufficient I am sure to satisfie all such who through those most venomous Insinuations have been doubtful herein and enough to stop the mouths of those vile Detractors which are any way favoures of that execrable Murther of their Lawful Soveraign Whose last Legacies of what he had left the night before his Suffering and afterwards delivered by the hands of Mr. Herbert were as followeth viz. To the Prince our now Gracious King his Bible
in the Margin whereof he had with his own hand Written many Annotations To the Duke of York his large Ring-Sun-Dial of Silver which His Majesty much valued it having been invented and made by Mounsieur De la mine an able Mathematician and who in a little Printed Book hath shewed its excellent use for resolving many Questions in Arithmetick and other rare operations in the Mathematicks to be wrought by it To the Princess Elizabeth his Daughter the Sermons of the most Learned Dr. Andrews sometimes Bishop of Winchester and Arch-bishop Laud's Book against Fisher the Jesuit which he said would ground her against Popery with Mr. Hooker's Ecclesiastical Policy As also a Paper to be Printed in which he asserted Regal Government to have a Divine Right with Proofs out of sundry Authors Civil and Sacred To his Son the Duke of â—aucester King Iames his works and Dr. Hamond's Practical Catechism To the Earl of Lindsey Cassandra To the Dutchess of Richmund his Gold Watch And to Mr. Herbert himselfe the Silver Clock which usually hung by his Bed-side Hereunto it will not seem impertinent I presume to add a Catalogue of the other Books which His Majesty had with him in this His disconsolate condition they being these Dr. Hamond's other Works Villalpandus upon Ezekiel c. Sands his Paraphrase upon King David's Psalmes Herbert's Divine Poems Godfrey of Bulloign Written in Italian by Torquato Tasso and Translated into English Heroick Verse by Mr. Fairfax a Poem which His Majesty much commended as he did Ariosto by Sir Iohn Harrington a Facetious Poet Spenser's Fairy Queen and the like for alleviating his Spirits after serious Studies Nor can I here omit to tell that this excellent Prince with his own hand Translated that Learned Discourse written in Latin by Dr. Saunderson afterwards Bishop of Lincolâ—e de Iuramentis which he caused Mr. Herbert and Mr. Harington to compare with the Original who found it most accurately done Those particulars are such whereof those who have publisht much of his Life and Reign have not taken notice To give a Character of his Eminent virtues I shall not need it being already so well done by Dr. Pireinchief in the short History which he hath publisht of his Life but shall take notice that his delight in Learning was such that he understood Greek Latin French Spanish and Italian Authors in their Original Languages which Three last he spake perfectly no man being better read in Histories of all sorts being able also to Discourse in most Arts and Sciences In one of his Books he wrote this Distich of Claudian Rebus in adversis facile est contemnere vitam Fortiter ille facit qui miser esse potest And out of another Poet against the Levellers and Antimonar chists then predominant Fallitur egregio quisquis sub principe credit Servitium Nunquam libertas gratior extat Quà m sub Rege pio Whereunto I shall add that after Mr. Herbert had much sollicited those who were then in Power that His Royal Corps might be Buryed in King Henry the Seventh's Chapel at Westminster near to the Grave of King Iames which they refused alledging the danger of much concourse to that place out of a superstitious respect they thereupon granted a Warrant to him bearing Date the Sixth of February for the Interring thereof at Windsor Hence it was that Mr. Herbert having often heard His Majesty speak with Great Honour of King Edward the Fourth from whom he was descended he resolved to Bury the Corps in that Vault under the Monument of that King which is betwixt the High Altar and the North Isle and gave order for the opening thereof accordingly but the Duke of Richmond Marquess of Hertsord Earl of Southampton and Earl of Lindsey coming to Windsor to perform their last duty of His Memory in seeing His Royal Corps decently Interred and walking up the Quire where they found by knocking on the Pavement an hollow found they caused the place to be opened it being near to the Seats and opposite to the Eleventh Stall on the Sovereign's side in which were Two Coffins one very large of King Henry the Eighth the other of Queen Iane his Third Wife both covered with Velvet whereupon they concluded to deposit it there It was therefore brought down accordingly out of the King's Lodgings in the upper Ward of the Castle into the Court the Air being then Serene but which is observable before they came to the Door of the Chapel there hapned Snow to fall which covered the Hearse of Black Velvet in which it was carryed that it was all White It being brought to the Grave the Reverend Dr. Iuxon Bishop of London who had been permitted to wait on His Majesty in the time of His Preparation for Death and on the Scaffold was there ready to have performed the Office of Burial as it is prescribed in the Publick Liturgy of the Church but the Governor of the Castle Colonel Whitchcot would not suffer it CHAP. XXXIII HAVING thus finished what I thought proper to be said in reference to His Late Majesty King Charles the First thus destroy'd by these great Pretenders to Godliness as hath been observed I shall now go on with the remainder of this Story until I come to the most happy and Miraculous Restoration of our present Sovereign King Charles the Second whom God long preserve and continually defend from the Infernal Plots and subtile Machinations of this dangerous Brood of Cruel men Proclamation being therefore made in London and afterwards throughout all England forbidding to Proclaim Prince Charles the Members remaining in the House of Commons passed an Act for thenceforth their Edicts were so called that such as had assented to the Vote of December the Fifth viz. that the King's concessions were a ground for the House to proceed to a settlement should not be re-admitted to Sit as Members As also that such as were then in the House and Voted in the Negative should first enter their dissent to the said Vote And that such as were absent should declare their disapproval before they Sate Soon after this they passed an Act for the setting up of another High Court of Justice for the Tryal of Duke Hamilton the Earl of Holand the Earl of Norwich Lord Capel and Sir Iohn Owen Which Court upon the Fifth of February met in the Painted-Chamber and Elected their President It being then also debated in the House of Commons whether they should continue the House of Lords as a Court of Judicatory or Consultatory only And the day following it being put to the Question both were carryed in the Negative and farther Voted that the House of Peers in Parliament was Useless and Dangerous and ought to be abolished and that an Act should be brought in for that purpose as also that the Peers should not be exempted from Arrests but did admit that they should be capable of being Knights and Burgesses in
Parliament in case they were elected ¶ The next thing of Note that hapned was the Proclaiming of Prince Charles at Edenborough in Scotland to be King of Great Britain France and Ireland his Royal Father being thus destroy'd But 't is to be noted that this Proclamation ran thus Whom all the Subjects of his Kingdom are bound humbly to obey maintain and defend according to the National Covenant betwixt the Two Kingdoms with their Lives and Goods against all deadly And that before he should be admitted to the exercise of His Royal Power he was to give satisfaction to that Kingdom in those things that concern'd the security of Religion the Union betwixt the Kingdoms and the Good and Peace of that Kingdom according to the National Covenant and the Solemn League and Covenant And for Establishing the Dominion of these Bloody Regicides at Weâ—tminâ—â—er the Members there Sitting went on Vigorously First Voting the absolute abolition of the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy Next in devising and appointing A new Stamp for Coyne And by Erecting a Council of State consisting of Thirty Persons viz. the Earles of Densigh Mulgrave Pembroke Salisbury Lord Grey of Warke Lord General Fairfax Lord Grey of Groby Lord L'isle Son to the Earl of Leicester Lord Chief Justice Rolls Lord Chief Justice St. Iohn Lord Chief Baron Wylde Lord President Bradshaw Lord General Cromwell Major General Skippon Sir Gilbert Pickering Sir William Masham Sir Arthur Haselrig Sir Iames Harrington Sir Henry Vane Jun. Sir Iohn Davers Sir William Armyn Sir Henry Mildmay Sir William Constable Alderman Penington Alderman Wilson Bulstrode Whitlock Esq Henry Martin Esq Colonel Ludlow Anthony Stepeley Esq William Heveningham Esq Robert Wallop Esq Iohn Hutchinson Esq Dennis Bond Esq Alexander Popham Esq Valentine Walton Esq Thomas Scot Esq William Purefey Esq Iohn Iones Esq But the Lord Grey of Warke waving that employment Mr. Iohn L'isle of Hantshire Cornelius Holand and Luke Robinson were added to this Number who were called the Committee of Estates appointed by Parliament ¶ It is not unworthy of Observation that as the Scots and this unhappy Long Parliament at the beginning of their desperate Practises against the King did declare that their whole Proceedings then were according to the Fundamental Laws So these wicked Regicides after their Bloody Murther of the King in answer to an Embassy from the Dutch expressed that these their Proceedings against the King were consistent with the Fundamental Laws of this Nation of England which were best known to themselves Nor was the project for their new Church-Discipline less notable as may seem by this following Petition and Advice which was presented to the General of their Army and the Council of War by many Christians as they call'd themselves dispersed abroad throughout the County of Norfolk and City of Norwich in these words That your Petitioners acknowledge themselves unspeakably engaged to the God of Heaven and Earth for his great Mercy to us in giving you Hearts to offer your selves so willingly among the People in the late Great undertaking of the Nation against the Enemies of the Peace thereof and Blessing your Faithful endeavours with such Glorious and wonderful successes whereby as the Lord hath put great Honour upon you Crowning your Valour with Victory and making you the War-like Glory of the World so hath be no less put great Obligations upon you all to exalt him that hath exalted you and to lift up his Glory in the World where he hath given you a name so Great and Glorious c. Therefore our dayly Prayers shall be for your selves and your Noble Army that you may never stumble at the stumbling-stone nor take the honour to your selves that is due to Christ nor be Instrumental for setting up of a meer Natural and Worldly Government like that of Heathen Rome Athens c. To which end we humbly pray that your selves would enter into Serious and Grave consideration and debate the Particulars in the Papers here humbly offered to you and also present them to the Honourably Parliament that they may be improved so far as shall be found agreeable to the will and word of God Which done we doubt not but God shall have much Glory the Godly Party shall be comforted Natural men enjoying their Estates will be at rest also and much satisfied and this Common-wealth will be exalted to be both an Habitation of Iustice and Mountain of Holiness even such a People as God shall Bless An humble Advice concerning the Government of the Kingdom according to the former Platform or Model 1. That you would stir up Godly Ministers and People throughout the Kingdom to Associate or incorporate into Church-Societies and grant them your special Favour Provision and Protection so shall you be Saints Nursing Fathers 2. That you would please to satisfie the Godly-dissenting Brethren both of Presbytery and Independency by such ways and means as your Wisdoms shall think fit how both their Interests may meet herein that so they may concur with one heart in the work 3. That Sister-Churches over-see such Incorporations and Imbodyings that only such as be of approved Godliness may have the Right-hand of Fellowship given to them 4. That such Churches where more of them are thus Collected and imbodyed in any Division Circuit Province c. may choose and send out some Delegates Members and Officers to Meet in one Sessions Lesser-Parliament Presbytery or Assembly for ordering of all such affaires as there occur according to the word if appertaining alone to that division 5. That all such Churches and the Members thereof have voices in Elections of such as are to sit in General Assemblies or Church-Parliaments so often as occasion is and those Elected to Sit there as Christ's Officers and the Churches Representatives and to determine all things by the word as that Law which God will exalt alone and make honourable 6. That you take special care to send out and encourage Godly Preachers that may go into the rest of the Kingdom to Preach the Gospel that so when others are converted and the Son of God makes them Free they may enjoy the former Freedom with the rest of the Saints And in father order to the utter abolishing of Kingly Government they appointed all those Antick and most Venerable Regalia conserved in the Treasury at Westminster and chiefly made use of at the Magnificent Coronations of the Kings of the Realm and solemn Proceedings to Parliament And also the costly Hangings precious Jewels with other of the Kings Goods and rich Furniture for his several Princely Palaces to be sold. And within few days following caused the Heads of Iames Duke of Hamilton Henry Earl of Holand with that truly Noble Arthur Lord Capel to be cut off Touching whose actings against them having already made some brief mention I shall only take notice of their dealing with Duke Hamilton a little before his Execution which was that in order to his discovery
Vicaridges Donatives and all other Ecclesiastical livings and of all Impropriations and Gleabe-lands then under Sequestration out of which to allow an yearly maintenance for such as should be approved of for the work of the Ministry this act being called An Act for the better propagating and Preaching the Gospel in Wales For it was to extend no farther at present their Resolutions being to go on as they found their success in this Hereupon all the Church-doors in that part of the Realm being soon shut up they imploy'd three or four most Impudent Schismatical Knaves viz. Ienkin Iones Vavasor Powel and David Gam to range about in those Parts as Itinerants there to Preach to the People when where and what they pleased in order to the more firm establishment of their own Tyrannical Dominion The next work was to make sale of the Fee-farm-Rents of the Crown to which end they passed an act Also for the farther enslaving and terrifying of the People they passed another for the establishing an High Court of Iustice by which act Commissioners were named to hear and determine of all Crimes and Offences contrary to the Articles therein contained And having built Three Famous new Pinnaces the better to spread forth and perpetuate the Memorial of some of their Grandees upon the lanching of them which the States went to see they named one of them the Faithful Speaker another the succesful Fairfax and the Third the Bold President and soon after for the surer obliterating of Monarchy they Voted that the Kings Armes in all places should be pull'd down and defaced CHAP. XXXIV ABOUT this time the Scots in whose power it once was to have restored the late King to his Royal Throne had they been really sensible of that whereof in their many Declarations they so boasted seeing the Clouds thicken apace from England which threatned the like Slavery to them as their Presbyterian Brethren here did then suffer under the power of the Independant Saints resolving to adventure an after-Game for the recovery of their power dispatcht the Lord Libertoun into the Netherlands unto the young King Charles the Second by the colour of whose Title they knew full well that an Army might easily be Raised But withall making advantage of his then distressed condition instigated and animated by the Presbyterians here they required that he should take the Covenant and likewise submit to their Directory and Catechism promising that in so doing they would admit him to the Throne of that Realm endeavour the recovery of his Rights and assist him in bringing the Murtherers of his Father to condign punishment Towards the accomplishment of which work the Presbyterians here were also by compact to have acted as opportunity might best serve Unto which dishonourable terms he being over-perswaded by some greater Polititians than St. Paul who prohibited the doing Evil that Good might come thereof against his own judgment was drawn to assent and to adventure His Royal Person into Scotland for carrying on that work Whereupon the Scots having by the help of their Preachers soon Rais'd a powerful Host and for that reason called the Kirk-Army as a preamble to that Slavery which they intended to the King welcom'd him thither with that most inhumane and infamous Murther of the best of His Subjects I mean the most Loyal and truly noble Marquess of Montross whom the unhappy event of War had made their Prisoner The danger of which Army so Rais'd in Scotland being discerned here it was Voted at Westminster that General Fairfax should forthwith March into that Kingdom and quell the Brethren But he being either toucht in conscience with the solemn League and Covenant which had formerly so firmly knit these Brethren in iniquity together or rather over-awed by some of the Godly Party here declined that Service laying down his Commission Whereupon that Superlative Saint Cromwel being constituted General having taken off the Heads of Mr. Love one of the fiercest of the Presbyterian Pulpit-men and Gybons another active man for the Cause the more to strike a terror into the rest of the Presbyterians here Marcht into Scotland with no less than sixteen thousand Horse and Foot Where notwithstanding he had at first some hopeful effects of his Expedition he became at length reduced to such desperate extremities that he would gladly have retreated for the preservation of himself In this seeming lost condition therefore when those proud Presbyterians of that Realm had in conceit swallow'd him up Almighty God made him the apparent and signal scourge of that disloyal and most perfidious people by the utter overthrow of their great and powerful Army at Dunbar their word then being for Kirk and Covenant As Trophies of which wonderful Victory the colours then taken were soon after hung up in Westminster-Hall It will not I think be amiss before I proceed farther to observe fome particulars which passed by Letters betwixt General Cromwel and the Governour of Edenborough-Castle within a few days after this great Victory at Dunbar the Governour objecting First that the English had not adhered to their first Principles nor had been true to the ends of the Covenant And Secondly that men of Civil imployments had usurped the calling and imployment of the Ministry to the scandal of the Reformed Kirks To the first of these objections therefore Cromwel demands of them whether their bearing witness to themselves of their adhering to their first Principles and ingenuity in presecuting the ends of the Covenant justifies them so to have done because they themselves say so Adding that they must have patience to have the truth of their Doctrines and Sayings tryed by the Touch-stone of the word of God and that there be a Liberty and duty of Tryal there is also a Liberty of Iudgment for them that may and ought to trye Which if so then they must give others leave to say and think that they can appeal to equal Iudges who they are that have been the truest fulfillers of the most real and equitable ends of the Covenant But if those Gentlemen quoth Oliver who do assume to themselves to be the infallible Expositors of the Covenant as they do too much to their Auditories of the Scriptures account a different sense and Iudgment from their own to be a breach of the Covenant and Heresie no marvel quoth he that they judge of others so authoritatively and severely but we quoth he have not so learned Christ. And to the second answered thus Are you troubled that Christ is Preached Is Preaching so inclusive in your Function Doth it scandalize the Reformed Kirks and Scotland in particular Is it against the Covenant Away with the Covenant if it be so I thought the Covenant and these could have been willing that any should speak good of the name of Christ If not 't is no Covenant of God's approving nor the Kirk you mention so much the Spouse of Christ.
day of March instant be presented chosen or appointed to any Benefice formerly called Benefice with Cure of Souls or to Preach any publick setled Lecture in England or Wales shall before he be admitted c. be Iudged and Approved by the Persons hereafter named to be a Person for the Grace of God in him his Holy and unblameable Conversation as also for his knowledge and utterance able and fit to Preach the Gospel viz. Francis Rous Esq Dr. Thomas Goodwyn Dr. Iohn Owen Mr. Thankful Owen Dr. Arrowsmith Dr. Tuckney Dr. Horton Mr. Joseph Caryll Mr. Philip Nye Mr. William Carter Mr. Sidrak Simpson Mr. William Greenhill Mr. William Strong Mr. Thomas Manton Mr. Samuel Slater Mr. William Couper Mr. Stephen Marshall Mr. Iohn Tombes Mr. Walter Cradok Mr. Samuel Faircloath Mr. Hugh Peters Mr. Peter Sterrey Mr. Samuel Bamford Mr. Thomas Valentine of Chaford Mr. Henry Iesse Mr. Obediah Sedgwick Mr. Nicholas Lockyer Mr. Daniel Dike Mr. Iames Russel Mr. Nathaniel Campfield Robert Tichburne Alderman of London Mark Hildesley Thomas Wood. John Sadler William Goff Thomas St. Nicholas William Packer Edward Crescet Esq or any five or more of them Having now ended this year 1653. as to the Principal Transsactions at Home I must look back a little and take notice of our farther Military contests with the Dutch wherein I find that on the second of Iune upon another sharp Fight in Yarmouth rode they much worsted those Hogen-mogens so likewife on the last day of Iuly wherein Van Trump their famous Admiral was slain But both parties at length growing weary of this chargeable and destructive War before the end of this year a Peace was concluded betwixt them though not ratified till April ensuing Which Peace with the Dutch and the slavish condition whereunto this Monster Cromwell had brought the People of these Nations made him not only much Idolized here by all his Party but somewhat feared abroad For certain it is that most of the Princes of Europe made application to him amongst which the French King was the first his Embassador making this Speech to him in the Banquetting-house at White-Hall Your most serene Highness hath received already some principal assurances of the King my Master and of his desire to establish a perfect Correspondency between his Dominions and England His Majesty gives unto your Highness this day some publick Demonstration of the same and sending his Excellency for his Service in the quality of Embassador to your Highness doth plainly shew that the esteem which his Majesty makes of your Highness and the Interest of his People have more power in his Councils than many Considerations that would be of great concernment to a Prince less affected with the one and the other This proceeding grounded upon such sound principles and so different from that which is only guided by Ambition renders the Friendship of the King my Master as much considerable for its firmness as for the Utility it may produce and for that reason it is such eminent esteem and sought after by all the greatest Princes and Powers of the Earth But his Majesty doth Communicate none to any with so much Ioy and Chearfulness as unto those whose vertuous deeds and extraordinary Merits render them more eminently Famous than the greatness of their Dominions His Majesty doth acknowledge all these advantages wholly to reside in your Highness and that Divine Providence after so many Troubles and Calamities could not deal more favourably with these three Nations nor cause them to forget their past Misery with more content and satisfaction than by submitting them to so just a Government And whereas it is not enough for the compleating of their happiness to make them enjoy Peace at Home since it depends no less on a good correspondency with Neighbour-Nations abroad the King my Master doth not doubt but to find also the same disposition in your Highness which his Majesty doth express in those Letters which his Excellencie hath Order to present unto your Highness After so many Dispositions exprest by his Majesty and your Highness towards the accommodation of the two Nations there is cause to believe that their wishes will be soon Accomplisht As for me I have none greater than to be able to serve the King my Master with the good liking and satisfaction of your Highness and that the happiness I have to tender unto your Highness the first assurances of his Majesties esteem may give me occasion to deserve by my respects the honour of your Gracious Affection Being therefore thus puft up he soon after passed an Act of Grace and Pardon to all Persons of the Scottish Nation excepting Iames late Duke Hamilton William late Duke Hamilton Iohn Earl of Crawford-Lindsey Iames Earl of Calender and many more therein specially named As also another Act for making Scotland one Common-wealth with England Whereby it was likewise Ordained that thirty Persons of that Nation should serve in Parliament here for Scotland And that the People of that Nation should be discharged of their Allegiance to any Issue of the late King Also that Kingship and Parliamentary-Authority should be there abolished and the Arms of Scotland viz. St. Andrew's Cross should thenceforth be borne with the Arms of this Common-wealth All which being done he removed his Lodgings which were before at the Cockpit into those of the late King in his Royal Pallace at White-Hall About this time it was that Colonel Venables having been imploy'd by Cromwell to attempt some of the chief Plantations made by the Spanyard in the West-Indies Landing his Men in Hispaniola and expecting with little trouble to have taken S. Domingo he received a shameful defeat But the next Month he had better success in those Forreign parts For the Spaniards in Iamaco timorously flying before them when they Landed there an easie acquisition was made by the English of that large Island which hath since proved a very prosperous and beneficial Plantation But to return Cromwell by this time being grown very great to make himself the more formidable to all his late Majesties good Subjects then called Royalists by establishing his Dominion upon more Innocent blood having by the wicked practises of his Emissaries trayn'd in some Persons purpose of endeavouring their own and the Peoples freedome from his Tyrannous Power he caused another bloody Theater to be erected in Westminster-Hall calling it an high-Court of Iustice where Mr. Iohn Gerard and Mr. Wowell two Gentlemen of great Loyalty received Sentence of Death and were accordingly Sacrificed as a peace-Offering to this Moloch For the better maintenance likewise and encouragement of Preaching-Ministers and for uniting and severing of Parishes he made another Act which begins thus Whereas many Parishes in this Nation are without the constant and Powerful Preaching of the Gospel through want of competent maintenance c. Also another for Souldiers which had serv'd the Common-wealth in
to posterity he should sooner be willing to be rolled to his Grave in blood and buryed with Infamy than to give consent to the throwing it away And therefore that he had caused a stop to their entrance into the House till such time as they should subscribe a Recognition thereof and did submit thereto And that if things were not satisfied as were then reasonably demanded he for his part should do that which becom'd him seeking his Council from God The truth is that which principally emboldened him to be thus peremptory with them was the strength of the Souldiery which were generally of his side and which the adverse party knew full well So that of the whole number of those Members though there was not above sixty that did at first subscribe the Recognition yet the greatest part of the rest after private consultations together being well aware that by taking their best advantages upon all occasions within the House they might do him more mischief than they could any way to otherwise came in by degrees and formally signed the same But as those who were his chief Confidents did strive all they could to carry on affairs for his peculiar Interest according to the frame of that Government whereby he was so advanced to that place and Title sure it is that the rest by those rubs and obstructions which they cast in his way did make all their endeavours totally fruitless So that after well near five Months expectance and nothing at all done he was necessitated to dissolve that his first and once hopeful Parliament I should here have concluded this years Transactions but that I cannot omit to relate a very pregnant Instance how timely our now gracious Soveraign King Charles the second did adhere to the Protestant Religion professed in the Church of England even in those days when there was so little hopes to see it ever restored the Rebels in this Realm being then so prosperous that the greatest Potentates courted their alliance but even then so fervent was his Majesties zeal thereto that by his great and effectual care he prevented the perverting of his Brother the Duke of Gloucester to that of the Church of Rome In the relation of which there are so many considerable circumstances whereof very little publick notice hath been taken that contrary to the designed brevity of this History I shall give a full account of the same partly taken from a Relation Printed at London in an 1655 and partly from the certain information of persons of undoubted credit yet living who were present at the transacting thereof His Majesty understanding that there was a firm League very far advanced betwixt the French King and Oliver Cromwell withdrew himself this year into Germany out of France where till then he had ever resided since his happy and miraculous escape from Worâ—ester and designing to take the Duke of Gloucester with him was prevailed with by the Queen his Mother to leave him with her at Paris upon promise she would not permit any force to be put upon him to change his Religion but that he should be attended by those Protestant-Servants himself had placed about him and have free liberty to resort to the publick Service of the Church of England at the King's Chappel in Sir Richard Brown's House then his Majesties Resident at Paris But about the beginning of November in this year the Duke under pretence of weaning himself from the company of some young French Gallants who being in the same Accademie were grown into a more familiar conversation with him than was thought convenient was removed to Abbot Mountague's House at his Abby near Potoiso And after a few days Mr. Lovel his Tutor going to Paris for one day only on business designedly contrived as was suspected by Abbot Mountagu during his absence was most vehemently pressed by the Abbot to turn Roman-Catholick with all the motives spiritual or temporal he thought might prevail upon him having at that time no Protestant near him to advise with but Mr. Griffin of his Bed-Chamber a young Gentleman since dead but his Fame for his servent zeal to the Protestant Religion and faithful service to his Master yet living who deported himself with greater prudence than could with reason have been expected for one of so tender years assisted only by so young a second for both their ages did but some few years exceed thirty replying to their Arguments with great ingenuity evidencing no little zeal for his Religion For he told the Abbot he admired how he durst make this attempt upon him knowing how the Queen his Mother had engaged to the King his Brother that no change in his Religion should be endeavoured Also that for his own part he was resoly'd not to incur the Kings displeasure by neglecting the observance of his command which was not to listen to any Argument for change of his Religion Likewise that as to the specious proposals of making him a Cardinal and promising to advance him to be King of England he did with indignation and contempt deride and reject them complaining withal how disingeniously he was dealt with to be thus assaulted in the absence of his Tutor whom the King had placed over him and who he doubted not could easily refute all their Arguments which in truth at his return to Ponroise he did so fully that it was thought convenient to remove the Duke back thence to Paris where he was permitted to resort to the Kings Chappel and enjoy the free exercise of his Religion though not long For after some little time the Queen his Mother did own the attempt made on him to have been done with her approbation and declared she could not but labour to have her Son shew'd the right way to Heaven and though she had promised he should not be forced by her yet to have that way proposed to him she thought requisite And that he might the easier be prevail'd upon his Protestant Tutor was put from him and he himself hurryed out of Paris in such hast that he might be deprived of the Assistance and Advice of any Protestant that he could not though he earnestly beg'd it prevail to stay till he might get some warmer Cloaths and convey'd to Mr. Crofts afterwards Lord Croft's his House but under the direction of Abbut Mountagu none of his Servants but young Mr. Gryffin being permitted to attend him The News whereof did deeply afflict all the loyal-Protestant Exiles then in Paris but no man was more passionately concern'd than that Eminent sufferer for his loyalty to the Royal Family and Zeal to the Protestant Religion the late Lord Hatton Who as soon as he understood how violently this young Prince was Persecuted for his Religion he consulted with that famous Confesfor for the Church of England Dr. Iohn Cosens late Bishop of Durham but at that time Dean of Peterborough and Chaplain to his Majesty then residing in Paris and drew up what Arguments and
while upheld by some few and much art used for perpetuating his Dominion first by procure Congratulations from all the Souldiery in England Scotland and Ireland Secondly from all the Independent Congregational-Assemblies Thirdly from the most eminent of the London Ministers as also from the French Dutch and Italian Churches and lastly from most of the Counties Cities and chief Towns in England all of them engaging to live and dye with this youngster In many of which solemn Congratulatory Addresses being highly magnified for his Wisdom nobleness of mind and lovely Composition of Body his Father Oliver was compared to Moses Zerubabel Ioshua Gideon Elijah to the Chariots and Horsemen of Israel to David Solomon and Hezekiah Likewise to Constantine the Great and to whomsoever else that either the Sacred Scripture or any other History had celebrated for their Piety and Goodness Insomuch as it was then by most men thought that this their late framed Government might be durable enough against the disturbance of any opposers But so active and earnest were the Fanaticks against it that they spared not their utmost industry for the supplanting thereof And discerning Fleetwood then General of the Army to be very much a friend unto all of their party unto him they made addresses for furtherance of their design speciously suggesting that the Office of Protector being at the disposal of Cromwel was to him alone intended though Richard had been Proclaimed by some few of the Council And to the end that the Souldiers might likewise incline to their side they put them on to require the auditing of their Arrears two pence a week having been withheld of their pay and not only so but to insist upon greater priviledges as Souldiers than they had enjoyed in Olivers time viz. that no Souldier should be displaced without consent of the Council of War no nor questioned for Murther Robbery or any other Offence otherwise than by the Law-Military whereby they were sure to have no little favour Likewise that it should be in the power of the Army upon all occasions to make choice of their General of all which they had first disputes with this Richard and afterwards by their Remonstrances did insist upon boldly These perrillous attempts being therefore discerned by his Highness he forthwith summoned a Parliament according to the tenor of the old Instrument which Parliament was for its greater honour to consist of two Houses thereby not doubting but to scatter these dangerous clouds and met accordingly at Westminster upon the seventh of Ianuary But consulting together instead of complying with his Highnesses designs they fell to questioning the Authority of the Other House Nor did they at all brook the Irish and Scotch sent thither as Representatives from each of those Realms Nevertheless after divers tedious and warm disputes they were at length content to transact with those who Sate in that Other House not excluding such Peers who had been faithful to the Parliament from their priviledges of being summoned as Members thereof and that they would receive any Message from them but by some of those who were Members of their own House And to the end they might by degrees bring themselves into power they attempted the asserting of their Interest in the Militia by a salvo in their Vote relating to the Fleet. Moreover to captivate the people with specious shews of alleviating their burthens they made divers formal Speeches for the taking away of all Excise as also of Tonnage and Poundage after the next three years Likewise to make shew how tender they were of the peoples Liberties they did not only set at large Colonel Overion and others which had been committed to Prison by Oliver without payment of Fees but questioned the Lieutenant of the Tower for detaining those persons there Appointing also a Committee of Inspection for Publick Accompts Which Committee Reported the Yearly incomes of England Scotland and Ireland to be eighteen hundred sixty eight thousand seven hundred and seventeen pounds and the Issues to be no less than two Millions two hundred and one thousand five hundred and forty pounds By which they saw that three hundred thirty two thousand eight hundred twenty three pounds of Debt incurred Yearly upon them by the ill management of that great Revenue which was treble to what any King of England ever enjoyed And further saw that to maintain the Conquest of Scotland they were at the Yearly charge of one hundred sixty three thousand six hundred and nineteen pounds more than the Revenue of that Kingdom did then yield unto them Other particulars they then had likewise in hand all tending to the publick benefit of the Nation forbearing to give mony beneficial Offices or rewards as formerly had been usual amongst themselves by which means the world might by degrees be wrought into a dislike of being Governed by that Military power which for so long time had Ruled the Roast and to restore the general sway of the Realm to themselves as the Representative of the People in whom according to the Presbyterian Maxim the whole Sovereign Power virtually was Which design so destructive to the Sword-mens Interest did not only disturb their minds but by doubts and jealousies at length divided their strength into Parties and Factions some of them holding their Councils at Wallingford House with the General others at White-hall with the Protector and his Confidents But in this Fraction those of Wallingford House being much the more numerous drew up a bold Representation both to the Protector and the House which so startled his Highness that he forthwith stood upon his Guard and so allarmed the House of Commons that they thereupon Voted That during the Sitting of the Parliament there should be no General Council or meeting of the Officers of the Army without direction leave and Authority of the Lord Protector and both Houses of Parliament And that no person should have and continue any Command or Trust in any of the Armies or Navies of England Scotland or Ireland or any the Dominions and Territories thereto belonging who should refuse to subscribe that he would not disturb or interrupt the free meeting in Parliament or their freedom in their Debates or Councils And to sweeten the Common-Souldiers lest they should joyn with their Officers in turning them out of Doors as they had formerly done added that they would presently take into consideration how to satisfie the Arrears of the Army with present pay and likewise to prepare and Act of Indempnity for them A great Task indeed had that Parliament then upon their Hands viz. the pleasing of the people which could no otherwise be than by alleviating their heavy burthens and satisfying the Souldiery by feeding them with mony whereon they fell seriously to consider But whilst they were intentive on these necessary works the Animosities of the Army Officers grew higher and higher against each other strict Guards being kept by
not sate therein since the year 1648. and had not subscribed the Engagement in the Roll of that House should not sit there till farther Order by the Parliament And by a general Vote declared That all such as were to be imployed in any place of Trust or Power in the Common-Wealth should be able for the discharge of such Trust and that they should be persons fearing God and who had given testimony to all the people of God of their faithfulness to that Common-Wealth according to the Declaration of Parliament of May the 7 th proceeding also in the Election of these whose names are here added for a Council of State Sir Arthur Haselrigg Sir Henry Vane Colonel Ludlow Colonel Iohn Iones Colonel Sydenham Thomas Scott Major Saloway General Fleetwood Sir Iames Harrington Colonel Walton Mr. Henry Nevil Mr. Thomas Chaloner Mr. Downes Bulstrod Whitlock Herbert Mortley Mr. Sidney Colonel Thompson Colonel Dixwel Mr. Reynolds Oliver St. Iohn Mr. Wallop All these being Members of the Old Long Parliament Unto which were added Iohn Bradshaw Colonel Lambert Colonel Desborow Fairfax Colonel Berry Sir Anthony Ashley Couper Sir Horatio Tounsend Sir Robert Honywood Sir Archibald Iohnston Iosias Berners As to the Actings of these old Members it is not a little observable that first they ordered the sale of all such Houses and Lands of the late King the Queen the Prince with Bishops Deans and Chapters or other then unsold and that they should forthwith be exposed to sale Also that such persons on whom any Title of Honour had been conferred by the said King should pay those forfeitures for the same as had been by their Acts and Ordinances in that case provided and bring in their Patents Amongst which Houses intended for Sale Somerset-House in the Strand was one the materials whereof to be pulled down and sold were valued at 5545 l. 1 s. 3 d. And now having some compassion on their late Lord Protector Richard Cromwel so outed of his Sovereignty as before is observed they Voted him an exemption from Arrests for six months Likewise the more to ingratiate themselves with the people they passed an Act of Indempnity but without benefit to any who should boggle at subscribing to a new Engagement against the Government by the single Person Kingship or House of Peers seizing upon divers persons in and about London and upon Horses and Arms pretending Trayterous designs against them by the Royalists the Preachers in their Pulpits crying out in this manner viz. The Lord stir up the hearts of his people to Prayer and sincere Humiliation and fill them with Unanimity and Courage in this evil time and make the people to see whatever fair pretences may be made use of by the Common Enemy to get power into their Hands yet should they prevail no man that hath been of a party against them heretofore yea no man that hath been a meer Neuter but must expect that his private Estate as well as the Publick Liberty shall become a prey to a desperate crew of Ravenous and Unreasonable men Certain it is that throughout the whole Realm the people were weary of their Oppressions and saw that notwithstanding these shiftings of the Dominion from one hand to another they were no whit eased of their Taxes and Burthens and therefore not only the Royalists but most of the Presbyterians being then out of play to rid themselves of that lingring slavery did privately engage to rise and accordingly began so to do in Cheshire putting themselves under the command of Sir George Boothe Baronet a person of a fair Estate in those parts Which so alarm'd the old Iuncto sitting at Westminster commonly called the Rump they being the fag-end or Tail of the Long Parliament as that they speedily sent down into those parts what Forces could soon be got together under the command of Major General Lambert publishing a Proclamation against them and their adherents as Rebels and Traytors Sir George in the mean time causing a Declaration to be Printed and spread abroad Whereby manifesting to the world that this Iuncto at Westminster had violated all Laws of God and men did profess that the defence of the Laws and Liberties was the chief thing he and those with him aimed at which would never be setled by those Self-Seekers at Westminster and therefore desired a new and Free Parliament But this good design was soon blasted for Lambert encountring them near to North-Wiche so over-powered them with numbers and more experienced Souldiers that he utterly routed and dispersed all their strength Which success so far elated this active General that he then thought of nothing more than his own personal advancement And to the end that he might the more endear the Souldiers to himself not only magnified their merits by Letters to the Parliament but when he had a thousand pounds sent to buy him a Jewel in token of their high esteem of that service he forthwith distributed it amongst his Common Souldiers And in farther order to that his design under colour of seizing all Arms thereabouts he subtilly got them into his own hands All which was no whit dissatisfactory to the Rumpers who then did not at all dream of Lamberts design and therefore having received Letters out of Scotland which gave them much assurance of General Monks reality they laid their Insurrection in Cheshire wholly to the Royallists charge and forthwith resolved upon an Oath for abjuring the Kings Title the formality whereof I have here added I. A. B. do hereby declare that I renounce the pretended Title of Charles Stuart and the whole Line of the late King James and of every other Person as a single Person pretending to the Government of these Nations of England Scotland and Ireland and the Dominions and Territories thereto belonging And that I will by the Grace and Assistance of Almighty God be true faithful and constant to this Common-Wealth against any King single Person and House of Peers and every of them and hereunto I subscribe my name And to shew how Zealous their Clergy were generally therein I shall only give instance of a precious pack of those in Leicestershire which personally came out of that County to the Parliament and presented to them a Paper Intituled The humble Representation of divers well-affected Ministers of the Gospel in the County of Leicester whose names are hereunto subscribed Which was so well accepted of that they being called in one of them as the mouth of the rest addressing himself to the Speaker said That being all Ministers of the Gospel in the County of Leicester faithful servants to the Parliament and imbarqued in the same bottom with themselves that some of them marched along with their Forces to suppress the late Rebellion of Sir George Boothe and others and that they well knowing how much it concerned them with all the true Godly of the Land to strengthen the Parliaments
yield the Government of the whole Countrey of Burgundy with the nomination of all under-Governours there and that to pass to his Son after him To the young Duke of Guise the Inheritance of Champaine St. Desir and Rocroy for Security of his Person with Thirty Thousand Crowns a Year of Ecclesiastical Revenue for one of his Brothers To the Duke of Nevers the Government of Lyons To the Duke D'Aumarle Saint-Esprit du Rae for his security To make his Brother General of the Foot with Twenty Thousand Franks a Year To the Duke of Elleboef the Government of Poictiers To these and others divers large pensions and preferments so desirous was he to purchace his Peace at any rate Which Propositions were not much unlike his Majesties Instructions to his Commissioners for the Treaty at Uxbridge and wrought as little with the Leaguers But this Paper of the King 's wrought nothing at all the Duke of Mayne meeting with the Legate refusing peremptorily to hearken to any Agreement pretending that he could not accept of any Conditions without calling all the Estates of the League and all the Princes of his Family together to have their Consent Which he said indeed because he thought himself by much Superior in force to the King and because both the King of Spain and the Duke of Savoy had promised to assist him with Men and Money The News of the Truce which the King had made with the King of Navarr no sooner arrived at Paris but 't is incredible what Malice they thereupon conceiv'd against him and all his Followers what exorbitant Demonstrations they made of it even by their publick Ordinances prohibiting any Prayers to be used for him in the Service of the Church as had been ever done for all the Kings of France which the Catholick Church many times and Piety allows particularly on Good-Friday even to Hereticks Idolaters and Infidels Nor is it possible to account the innumerable quantity of Libels Declarations and Pamphlets Printed and Published against him beyond all bounds of Reason and Modesty To conclude the noise of Arms did soon drown that of their Libels and Seditious Sermons And many Battails were Fought in which the King had the better and came Victorious before that proud City of Paris But in the Seige of it he was basely Murthered by Iaques Clement a Dominican Fryer 1. Aug. 1589. After this Untimely Death of that King Henry the 3 d. the Crown of France with its Troubles descended upon the King of Navarr Henry the 4 th Who being acknowledged by the Catholick Nobility in the Camp they swore Allegiance to him he mutually promising to maintain and defend the Catholick Roman-Religion to the utmost of his Power and not to endeavour any alteration in it And likewise to maintain the Priviledges of Parliament the three Estates of France in their wonted Power Priviledges Immunities Prerogatives c. without any prejudice or innovation whatsoever But all this had little Operation on the Leaguers they persisting in their wonted Obstinacy and Rebellion though he omitted not any means to win them to peace and reconcilement For first he sent unto them that Villeroy might come to Treat with him but was refused Then he imploy'd a private Gentleman to Paris to whom the Duke of Maine would not give Audience but appointed that he should deliver his Message to Villeroy Which was that the King had expresly commanded him to assure the Duke of his Majesties good Inclinations to peace as also to represent unto him how necessary it was for the publick good what great account he made of the Dukes person how much he desired to make him his Friend and to have him near at hand that he might afford him an honourable share in his favour sutable to his Condition Likewise that the Duke might then lay aside the vain hopes of seeing the King abandoned by his Subjects considering in what a good condition he did at that time stand Desiring therefore that he would propose some Conditions his Majesty being ready to gratify him in any thing he might This hath somewhat of his Majesties Letter to the Earl of Essex at Lestithiel Whereunto the Sum of the Answer which the Duke gave Commission to be made was in this somewhat more civil than that of the Earl of Essex that he had no private Quarrel with the King whom for his own part he did highly Honour and Reverence but his Religion and his Conscience would not suffer him to enter any Treaty with him For if quoth he my Deceased Brethren took up Armes in the Kings Life time upon a suspition of danger Now that the Necessity is more urgent and the danger present I cannot lay down those Armes which I have taken up without sinning against the Memory of my Deceased Brethren Essex might have urged his Father and my own Conscience and that Solemn Oath which I took the Covenant forsooth That I engaged my Faith and Consecrated my Life to the publick Cause when I accepted the Charge of Lieutenant General of the State and that I could not resolve upon any thing without the publick Convention of all of my Party Some there were who urged this Duke of Mayne to usurp the Title of King of France but others on better grounds dissuaded him The King therefore in these great Distresses Summon'd a general Convnention of the Estates to meet in October at Tours the chief City of his Party But his Army mouldring away and he with those left him not above six Thousand Foot and fourteen Hundred Horse retired to Diepe and there fortifyed Whereupon the Duke of Mayne pursued and put the King in danger but lost the Opportunity of a Victory and at the Battail of Arches was forc't to retreat with loss though his Forces were Superior by much to the Kings Which success in that Battail upon the addition of four Thousand English and a Thousand Scotts then sent to Diepe by Queen Elizabeth so encourag'd the King that he presently Marcht towards Paris and came before it upon the last of October 1589. Which unexpected Approach stroke no small Terror into the Multitude especially the Ladies seeing him come on such a suddain ready to assail that proud City and at a time when they were perswaded he would have had enough to do to defend himself Also that in regard of the weakness of his Forces he would either by that time have been subdued or driven out of the Realm For the Duke of Mayne when he went against the King at Diepe by way of ostentation of his Forces before the People writ to Paris that within a few Days he would either bring the King Prisoner or force him to flye into England with shame enough And now the City not well provided and out of hopes of relief their Mindes were full of Fears and Vexation But upon the Duke of Mayne's Approach the King rose from before Paris having first
by the disdain which he had conceived against the Inconstancy and Impertinency of the Citizens of Paris and the want of Money to pay his Souldiers was troubled much But above all the Subtilty and surliness of the Spaniard vexed him most who having caused Seignior de la Mot the Governour of Gravelin to come out of Flanders with their Forces to the confines of the Kingdom refused to let him advance one Foot further or to issue any Moneys for the maintenence of the War unless the Catholick King was first declared Protector of the Crown of France with Authority to dispose of the Principal Dignities as well Ecclesiastical as secular which they called marks of Justice whereby he desired to have Dominion and Superiority over the League Which demands seemed so Exorbitant unto him so prejudicial to the Crown and so dishonest that he could not endure to think of them himself Nor did he believe that any one Man of the Confederates from the Parisians downwards would ever condescend to Decree them Knowing that this were to put the Bridle into the King of Spaine's hands to let him carry all things to such ends as he pleased himself Nor did the Brethren of Scotland sell their Assistance at a much cheaper rate as is plainly to be seen by their Treaty of the 29th of November 1643. For their advance into England and their second demands for their managery of the Government of Ireland But on the other side his Fears of being abandoned and left alone his distrust of the Kings Sincerity in his Promises and the Antient grudge he bore to him but especially his hopes of getting the Crown for himself would not suffer him to hearken to those overtures made by the Marquess of Belin whom he sent back to his Imprisonment with some Ambiguous and General Expressions and cut off the Negotiation for any Accord So still the King seeks but the Faction declines all occasions of Peace For the People of Paris were so far Transported with Zeal to the Cause by reason of the continual denunciations from the Pulpits that there could be no Peace or accommodation made unless they would damn their own Souls that they were resolved to endure any thing rather than to hearken to an Accommodation Insomuch as many who had inconsiderately slipt a Word or two out of their Mouths saying that Accommodation was better than starving and rather Peace than a Siege were in the Rage and Fury of the People either publickly Condemn'd and Executed or without more ado thrown into the River as damn'd Miscreants Enemies of the Catholick Religion and infected with the Poyson of Heresy It is not unworthy Observation what Artifices the Heads of that Rebellion used to abuse the People During the Seige of Paris both the Duke of Mayne without and other Lords within the City imploying all their Art and Industry in giving out Reports and spreading News sometimes of a strong Power from Flanders coming to raise the Seige sometimes of great Provisions of Victual for Relief of the City sometimes of some Accident in favour of their Party Letters and Messengers coming in every day with a Mixture of true and False Reports together Which being Published in their Pulpits and divulged amongst their Guards served to feed the People for a few days And when there were certain Commissioners sent from Paris to treat with the King about an Acommodation Notwithstanding his Majesties Answer was returned in Writing with much sweetness of Language and proffer of all security and possible satisfaction upon return to their Obedience with Letters to the same effect to the Duke of Nemure and others exhorting them to Peace and assuring them that they should receive more from his Grace than they could desire Yet upon return of the Commissioners the Duke of Nemure and other great Persons dissaffected to Peace would not permit the true Copy of the Kings Answer to be Published to the People but caused Reports to be given out that the King would not have any Peace but upon condition of an absolute Submission and that the Duke of Mayne and other Lords of the League should not be included in the Pardon The King of Spaine therefore upon the Duke of Parma's Advice finding how much those of the League relyed upon his ayd and the necessity thereof endeavoured to prolong the War That by the weariness and weakness of the French he might at length compass those ends upon them which he saw it was impossible for him at first to obtain The Duke of Parma himself also to win the more upon the People when he came into France with his Army in assistance of the Leaguers considering that the name of a Spaniard was there odious strayn'd himself with all possible earnestness of Mind for to order his Army as that his Souldiers should not commit any Outrage or Oppression nor give any occasion of offence to the French The War thus Prolonged and the charge thereof grown heavy occasioned much repining in the People against the Duke of Mayne notwithstanding all his Faithful Services and Paines taken for the League against whom none complained more than the Cittizens of Paris who Accused the Duke of misgovernance of an over greediness to keep all things in his own Power and too much profuseness of other Mens Means With them Concurred the Ministers of Spain who liked not to see such a Supream Power in the hands of the Duke of whose Affection to their Designs they had no good Opinion Besides these discontents Brissonius Primier President of the Parliament at Paris who had been at first a principal Instrument for the League when he perceived as his Friends said that the ends of the Grandees were not so sincere for the publick good as he at first had conceived of them or as his Enemies reported being corrupted by large proffers made unto him on behalf of the King by some who were Prisoners in the City or as it was generally believ'd out of the Levity and Inconstancy of his nature began to favour the King's Party who taking heart unto them by means of his Protection making a considerable Body began to Plot how to bring the City to revolt and to reduce it to the Kings Obedience One of which Revolters who had been a chief Fomenter of the League being discovered for holding Intelligence and Plotting for the King was by the instigation of the Sixteen hurried to Prison But whilst they made slow proceeding to his Tryal he escaped which so vexed the Sixteen as that supposing the Judges had a hand therein they furiously raysed the People in Arms and upon the XV th of November beset all the Passes to the Palace of Justice seized upon three of the Judges Brisson Archier and Terdiu hauled them to Prison and there without any Legal Process Strangled them the same day Hang'd up their Bodies upon the Gallows next Morning and like Mad Men ran
B. Ib. p. 403. D. The second Parliament of K. Charles I. dissolved 15. Junii An. 1626. 2 Car. 1. Ib. p. 419. B. C A Loan of money required by the K. Ship-money required Privy Seals Ib. p. 420. A Benevolence proposed Ib. p. 422. An. 1626. Short View of the Life of K. â— Charles impr Lond. 1658. p. 46. An. 1627. Rushw. Coll. p. 428. E. p. 429. 27 Junii Ib. F. * 8 Nov. Ib. p. 469. Life of King Charles by Dr. Perenchef impr Lond. 1676. An. 1627. 3 Car. I. Rushw. Coll. p. 480. C. The third Parliament of K. Charles I. 17 Martii Ib. p. 481. D. Ib. p. 531. B. 26 Junii 1628. Ib. p. 644. B. Ib. D. Short View of the Life of K. Charles p. 26. Rushw. Coll. p. 647. C. Ib. p. 651. C. Ib. p. 656. C. An. 1628. * Febr. Ib. p. 670. F. Short view of the life of K. Charles p. 53. The third Parliament of King Charles the first dissolved 2. Martii Rushw. Coll. p. 672. A. Planting Schismatical Lecturers * Hist. of the Presbyterians by Dr. Heylin p. 11. 12. * Hist. of the life and death of Archbish. Laud. p. 9. Buying in impropriate Tythes for their support * Ib. p. 211. 212. Ib. p. 311 312. The absurdity and ill effects of them Their practising of military Discipline His Majesties Declaration printed at London An. 1639. p. 6. Ib. p. 7. Ib. p. 9. An. 1633. An. 1634. The Inland parts charg'd with Ships for defence of the Realm A usual mask for evil designs Hist. of Arch-Bishop Laud's life c. p. 92. 93. Multitudo ubi religione capta est potius vatibus quam Ducibus suis paret Curtius lib. 4. An. 1637. The Service-book sent into Scotland King Charles his large Declaration p. 16. Ib. p. 17. Ib. p. 18. 19. Ib. p. 19. Ib. p. 22. Ib. p. 23 24 25. 23 Julii 1637. Tumults at Edenborough by reason of the Service-book * Ib. p. 26 27. Ib. p. 31. 17. Oct. 1637. 1638. Ib. p. 35. 18. Oct. Ib. p. 37. Ib. p. 41. Ib. p. 47. * 19. Febr. 1638. Ib. p. 40. Tables of Advice erected The first Covenant by the Scots His Majesties Declaration Ib. p. 40. * Dated at Windsor 20 May 1638. The Marq. of Hamilton sent into Scotland to appease the people there Ib. p. 85. 86. Ib. p. 88. Ib. p. 96. 28. Junii Ib. p. 110. 111. 22 Sept. Ib. p. 137. Ib. p. 147. Ib. p. 156. 24 Sept. Ib. p. 188 189. Ib. p. 195. * 13. Oct. Ib. p. 197. Ib. p. 208. Ib. p. 210. Ib. p. 226. An. 1534. 25. H. 8. Holinsh p. 936. 937. Ib. p. 228. Ib. p. 229. 230. Ib. p. 224. 28. Oct. Ib. p. 248. Ib. p. 264. Ib. p. 281 282 283. Ib. p. 287. 27 Nov. Ib. p. 290. 29. Nov. The Assembly at Glasgow dissolved Ib. p. 294. Ib. p. 317. Episcopal Government abolish'd in Scotland Ib. p. 319. Ib. p. 366. * 18 Dec. Ib. p. 375. Ib. p. 402. Ib. p. 404. The Scots put themselves in Arms. The King raised an Army whereof he made the Earl of Arundel General 27 Martii 1639. * 28 Maii at the Birks The King's Declaration since the Pacification in the Camp near Barwick p. 3. 4. Ib. p. 17. * 17 Junii Articles of Pacification with the Scots * 20 Junii Ib. p. 17. Ib. p. 19. Ib. p. 20 * 2 Julii * 20 Julii Ib. p. 30. August Novemb. * Earl of Dumfermelyn Lord Lowdon * 5 Dec. Ib. p. 41. 18. Dec. Scots raise more forces Jan. 1639. Act. 34. Ib. p. 57. * The King's Declaration printed at Lond. 1639. Ib. p. 8. * Sir Henry Vane junior * Preface to the Memoires of the lives of James and William D. of Hamilton Impr. Lond. 1677. 1640. An. 1640. 13 Apr. The Short Parliament call'd The Short Parliament dissolved 5 Maii. 9 Maii. * 11 Maii. 11 Julii Ad. 38. * 17. Aug. The first Invasion of the Scots * 18 Aug. * 28 Aug. A grand Council of the Peers at York 24 Sept. 9. Oct. Treaty at Rippon The long Parliament began 3. No. Will. Lenthal of Lincolns Inn being Speaker * 9 Nov. * 11 Nov. The Earl of Strafford impeach'd of Treason * 13 Nov. * 18 Dec. * 19 Dec. * 21 Dec. * 14 Jan. * 5 Febr. * 11 Febr. * 28 Nov. * 11 Dec. * 15 Dec. * 16 Dec. * 29 Jan. * 10 Febr. * 11 Febr. 1641. * 10. Martii * 2. Febr. * 16. Martii Tryal of the E. of Strafford * 22. Martii * 23. Martii An. 1641. * 3. Apr. * 5. Apr. * 7. Apr. * 19. Apr. * 12. Maii * 3 Maii Pretended Plots and Conspiracies * 5 Maii. * 7 Maii. * 10 Maii. * 12 Maii. * 13 Maii. * 14 Maii. * 17 Maii. * 17 Junii * 24 Julii * 16 Aug. Posture of Defence Bill for perpetuating the Parliament * 7 Maii. * 9 Junii * Lord Say sworn Master of the Wards 17 Maii. Earl of Leicester made Deputy of Ireland 19 Maii Earl of Essex made Lord Chamberlain 29 Julii Oliver St. John made Sollicitor General The King went into Scotland * 2 Aug. * Will. Strode * 12 Aug. The grand Remonstrance * 19 Oct. * 20 Oct. * 31 Oct. Alderman Penington and others made a Committee for setting up Preaching Ministers 19 Dec. A. 1640. * Dr. Downing * Exact Col. p. 543. * 23 Oct. The Rebellion in Ireland * 22 Junii * 3 Julii * Sir William Parsons one of the Lords â—ustices in that Kingdom and Sir Adam Loftus Vice-Treasurer there persons experimentally known to have much adhered to and furthered the designs of these Rebellious contrivers in England that an Army of a thousand Scots was to arrive in Ireland to force the Catholicks to change their Religion and that Ireland could never do well without a Rebellion to the end the remnant of the Natives might be extirpated wagers being laid at the general Assizes by divers of them that within one year no Catholick should be left in Ireland * See his Majesties Answer to the two Papers concerning Ireland printed with the full and perfect Narrative of the Treaty at Uxbridge p. 212. * See the full Relation of the Treaty at Uxbridge p. 133. 136. * Impr. Londan 1658. p. 86. * 25 Oct. * 30 Oct. * 12 Nov. * 14 Nov. * 15 Nov. * 20 Nov. * Exact Coll. p. 1. * 22 Nâ— * 25 Nov. The King returned from Scotland * 26 Nov. * 27 Nov. * 29 Nov. 30 Nov. 1 Dec. * Exact Coll. p. 22. * 11 Dec. * 15 Dec. * Exact Coll. p. 532. * 19 Dec. * 26 Dec. * 27 Dec. * 28 Dec. * 29 Dec. * Exact Coll. p. 533. * 31 Dec. * 31 Dec. 1 Jan. 4 Jan. See the Articles against them Exact Coll. p. 34. * 7 Jan. * 8 Jan. The King with the Queen Prince and D. of York
p. 500. z Compare with this the Propositions to his Majesties Commissioners at Vxbridge concerning the War of Ireland Full Relation c. p. 95. a See the like demands by the Members at Westminster Exact Coll. p. 259. 465. b Ib. p. 502. c Ib. p. 503. d Ib. p. 508. e Compare with this the Expression of the Members at Westminster in their Petition to his Majesty 26. Martij 1642. Exact Coll. p. 123. f Ib. p. 118. g Compare with this the Protestation framed at Westminster 3 Maij. 1641. b Ibid. p. 523. i D'Aubignie Tom. 2. lib. 3. cap. 3. col 828. k Davilaeâ— 548. l Ib. p. 566. m Annal. Eliz. in An. 1589. p. 557. n Davilae p. 561. o Ib. p. 562. p Compare with this his Majesties Answer to the two Papers concerning Ireland Full Relation c. p. 215. Was not his Majesties Statua abused both at the Old Exchange in London and at Wincheâ—ster q Ib. p. 563. r Ib. p. 564. s Ib. p. 565. t Ib. p. 567. u Exact Coll. p. 503. x Davilae p. 568. y Ib. p. 569. z Was not the like done by our Men against his Majesty for Assenting to the Cessation in Ireland a Ib. p. 591. b Ib. p. 593. e Ib. p. 596 d Ib. p. 597. 599. e Ib. p. 601. f Ib. p. 603. g Ib. p. 606. 609. h Ib. p. 612. i Ib. p. 613. k Ib. p. 627. l Ib. p. 6â—8 m Ib. p. 629. n Ib. p. 6â—0 o Ib. p. 662. 663. p Ib. p. 669. q Ib. p. 676. r Ibid. p. 733. Such hath been the Pollicy of the Scots with us Anno. 1. 591. s Ib. p. 679. t Ib. p. 701. u Ib. 742. x Ib. p. 702. y Brigard Ib. p. 742. z Ib. p. 740. a Ib. p. 726. b Ib. p. 733. c Ib. p. 740. d Ib. p. 747. e Ib. p. 761. f Ib. p. 792. 851. g Ib. p. 724. b Ib. p. 811. 821. Thus did Cromwell here i Ib. p. 862. k Ib. p. 865. l Ib. p. 837. m Ib. p. 161. 866. n Ib. p. 867. o Ib. p. 868. p Ib. p. 879. q Ib. p. 845. r Ib. p. 743. s Ib. p. 901. t See their Solemn Leagus and Covenant u See the full Relation of the Treaty at Vxbridge p. 209. x Ib. p. 206. y D'avila p. 943. z Piere Mathew Lib. 2. Narrat 1. Sect. 4. a Du Tillet p. 242. b Davila p. 994. c Duplex Hist. p. 27. d K. Henry the 4th e K. Lewis the 13th Davila p. 629. f Du Tellet p. 263. g Davila p. 936. b Cokes Instit part 3. p. 35. i Numb 16. 31 32. 27. 3. k Reg. 11. 36. l Esther 6. 2 3. m Sam. 2. 18. 9. 14. n Ib. 17. 23. o Reg. 2 21. 26 27. p Sam. 2 16. 5 6. Et Reg. 1 2. 8. 4. 6. q Reg. b 16. 9. 18. r Act. Apost 5. 36 37. s Prov. 24. 21. THE INDEX A. ANabaptists of Germany their Tenets and Progress Page 2. Calvins Character of them 8. Dangerous to Church and State 9. Luthers Request to the Duke of Saxony in favour of them 4. Afterwards exhorts all Men to destroy them 6. St. Antholin 's Church in London made the grand Nursery of seditious Preachers 37. Articles of Pacification with the Scots 55. Articles of the Treaty at Edenburgh for bringing in the Scots Army 131. between General Monk and the Committee of Safety 480. Articles called The Agreement of the People 260. Articles assented to by the King at the Treaty at Uxbridge 291. Assembly at Glasgow dissolved 52. The Impious Saving of one of the Assembly of Divines 225. Apprentices of London force the House of Commons 248. Army marcheth towards London 251. B. BArons War in the time of King Henry the 3d parallel'd with that of King Charles the First 592. A Benevolence proposed for raising Money 32. Bishops voted to have no Voice in Parliament 68. Booth Sir George his Insurrection 470. Brook Lord slain 117. Buckingham Duke his Expedition to the Isle of Rhee 33. murdered by Felton 34. C. CAnterbury and other Cathedrals defaced 557. Carew Sir Alex. his ominous words 198. is beheaded ibid. Carnarvan Earl slain 187. Charles I. King pawns his Lands to the City of London 33. is denied entrance into Hull 91. his Messages to the Parliament for Peace 102 103 134 237 268. his Protestation at the Head of his Army 104. goes from Oxford to the Scots Army 209. is sold by the Scots 232. is brought from Newcastle to Holdenby 234. his Answer to the four dethroning Bills 271. last Scene of his Life 361. rejects the Proposals made to him on the Sunday before his death 372. is murdered 373. his Legacies to his Children and others 382. his Burial 383. Charles II. King his Care when in Exile to preserve the Duke of Glocester in the Protestant Religion 429. marches from Scotland to Worcester 400. proclaimed King at London 488. Cheapside Cross pull'd down 560. Church Livings plurality of them allowed by the Presbyterians 225. Colchester Men petition the Parliament against Bishops c. 85. Common Prayer abolished 193. Commissions of Array 97. Common-Council-men turned out 79. First Covenant by the Scots 46. Conference at Hampton-Court 14. Cromwel Oliver his Extraction and Education 458. his persidious dealing with the King 261. his pretended Revelation 366. his Speech in Parliament ibid. Preaches at White-hall 391. made General of the Army 397. his Answer to a Letter from the Governour of the Castle of Edenburgh 397. turns the Rump Parliament out of doors 405. made Lord Protector 414. The manner of his riding to Grocers-hall in State 418. calls a Parliament 423. The manner of his proceeding to Parliament ibid. his Speech at the opening the Parliament 424 426. dissolves his first Parliament 429. Second Parliament called 450. dissolved 455. his Death 457. Cromwel Richard calls a Parliament 462. is set aside and the Ramp Parliament restored 465. D DEclaration of the City of London 250. Declaration of the Scots Commissioners 258 271. Declaration of the Scots for a publick Fast. 246. of the Committee of Safety 482. Denbigh Earl slain 185. Directory established 193. E. EPiscopal Government abolished in Scotland 52. in England 122. Earl of Essex made Lientenant-General of the Kings Army going against the Scots 54. made Lord Chamberlain 71. made General of the Parliament Forces 98. Essex-Men petition to the Parliament in behalf of the King 282. Excise first began 120 123 127 132. F. FAlkland Lucius Visc. slain 187. Frederick Count Palatine of the Rhine elected King of Bohemia 20. French Ambassador's Speech to Cromwel 421. French Holy League parallel'd with the Rebellion in England 600. G. GLoucester Duke the attempts made upon him by the Queen Mother at Paris to turn to the Romish Religion 429. Grenvil Sir Bevil slain 186. Gurney Lord Major of London is deposed by the Rebels 101. H. MArquess of Hamilton sent into Scotland to appease
the People there 46. his Declaration 284. is beheaded 388. Haselring Sir Arthur his Motion in Parliament 465. Hampden Collonel slain 186. Hewson kills some of the Londoners 482. Conference at Hampton-Court 14. Hewit Dr. John beheaded 456. Mr. Hookers Books corrupted by the Presbyterians 38. Hotham Sir John denies the King entrance into Hull 91. He and his Son beheaded 99. Hypocrisie its Fruits 1. I. JAmes King enters into a War for the recovery of the Palatinate 20. his Death 24. Jesuites Tenets 16. Independency its Original 227. Their Tenets 281. 409. Instrument of Government read to Cromwel at his inauguration 414. K. KIneton Battel 108 109. Kentish Men petition the Parliament in behalf of the King 282. L. LAmbert routed at Daventry 487. Lambeth-house beset 62. Laud Arch-bishop beheaded 194. Holy League and Covenant 119. 121. Solemn League and covenant 128. Schismatical Lecturers planted in London and Corporate Towns 36. Buying in Impropriate Tyths for their support ibid. The absurdity and ill effects of their Doctrine 38. 95. 392. 469. 565. Leicester's Earl may to get the Bishops Lands 14. made Deputy of Ireland 71. Representation of the Ministers of Leicester-shire 471. A Loan required by King Charles I. 31. Londoners their forwardness to promote the Rebellion 99. 119. 123. 234. 286. 584. are dejected upon the approach of Fairfax 's Army 252. Iustice Long committed to the Tower 79. Certain seditious Expressions in Mr. Love 's Sermon at Uxbridge 576. M. BAttel at Marston-Moor 189. Five Members of Parliament demanded by the King 81. General Monk advances towards England 481. his Speech to the Rump Parliament 485. voted Lord General 487. his Descent and variable Fortune 488 Secluded Members re-admitted 487. N. NAmes of the secluded Members 363. of those that subscribed a Protestation against a Treaty with the King at the Isle of Wight 365. of the Persons present at the Treaty 289. of the High Court of Iustice for Trial of the King 367. of the Members who assented not to the Bill of Attainder against the Earl of Strafford 583. of Cromwels Council of State 406. of his House of Lords 455. of the Rumpers 467. of the secluded Members ibid. of the Rumper's Council of State 468. of the Committee of Safety 477. Navesby Fight 200. Newbery first Battle 187. second Battle 197. O. OAth for adjuring the King 471. taken by Members of Parliament 485. Order for raising an Army by the Parliament 98. Ordinance for the Militia 89. Ordinance for calling an Assembly of Divines 121. The Self-denying Ordinance 193. 197. Ordinance for Sale of Bishops Lands 225. Ordinance for Trial of the King 366. P. FIrst Parliament of King Charles I. 2◠dissolved 27. Second Parliament called ibid. dissolved 31. Third Parliament called 34. dissolved 35. The short Parliament called and dissolved 61. Long Parliament began 66. dissolved 487. Bill for perpetuating the Parliament 70. Their Declaration concerning the Five Members 83. Their insolent Propositions to the King after their Victory at Marston-Moore 191. Invite the Scots to their assistance 112. Their Oppressions of the People 112. 114. 124. 127. 129. 130. 131. 391. 474. House of Peers abolished 385. 389. Peters Hugh his Revelation 365. Petition of the County of Norfolk 386. of Grievances 66. for putting the Kingdom into a posture of Defence 85. for putting the Militia into the Hands of the Parliament 86. of the poor Tradesmen in London 87. Petitions for a free Parliament suppressed 482. Popish Priest slain on the Parliament side at Edge-hill Fight 564. Presbyterian Tenets 17. 400. Arts and Devices to raise Rebellion 19. Their actings against the Protestant Religion 554. against the Laws of the Land and Liberty of the Subject 577. Their Doctrine and Practise 565. Their violating the Priviledges of Parliament 582. Their averseness to Peace 588. Their practise for reducing the King to necessities 20. 238. Their Protestations and Declarations 206. Presbytery triumphant 193. 203. Plots and Conspiracies pretended by them 69. 76. 81. 90. 121. 129. Whether the Presbyterian or Independant were the chief Actors in the Murder of the King 375. Proposals of the Parliament for bringing in Money and Plate 95 96. Propositions sent to the King at New-Castle 217. Prides Purge 363. Privy Seals 27. 32. Puckering Speaker of the Commons his Speech against the Puritans 13. Puritans their Principles 10. and Discipline 11. petition King James against the Liturgy of the Church of England 14. R. THe Recognition subscribed 429. The Grand Remonstrance 71. presented to the King 78. Captain Rolfe employed by the Parliament to poison the King 285. Rumper's Declaration 466. are excluded by Lambert 477. are re-admitted 483. S. SAlmatius his Opinion touching the Murder of King Charles 377. Scots put themselves in Arms. 54. raise more Forces 58. Their first Invasion 62. Their second Invasion 189. 132. Their third Invasion 380. Their Letter to the Major c. of the City of London 214. Their Answer to the English Commissioners about delivering up the King 230. Their Letter and Declaration to the two Houses of Parliament 258. 271. Great Seal of England altered 370. Service Book sent into Scotland 42. 58. Sheriffs of London refuse to publish His Majesties Proclamation 72. Ship-money required 32. Inland Parts charged therewith 42. Sir Henry Slingsby beheaded 456. Spencer Earl of Northampton slain 118. Earl of Strafford impeached of Treason 67. his Trial and Death 68. Star-Chamber Court suppressed 70. Earl of Sunderland slain 187. T. TReaty in the Isle of Wight 689. Treaty at Rippon 65. removed to Westminster 66. Tumults at Edenburgh by reason of the Service-Book 44. in St. Pauls Cathedral 65. at Westminster 78 79 82. justified by the Parliament 90. V. VAne Sir Henry being sent into Scotland incites them to Rebellion 60. his sinister dealing with the King 61. Virgin of Hereford-shire her Revelation 367. Uxbridge Treaty 194. 291. 737. Votes of no more Addresses to the King 275. W. WAlsingham a favourer of the Sectaries 9. Walton upon Thames the Sermon of a Soldier there 390. Weever an Independent his Motion in the House of Commons 283. Winchester Cathedral defaced Worchester Cathedral defaced 558. Y. YOrk Grand Council of the Peers there 64 A CATALOGUE OF BOOKS Printed at the Theater in Oxford With several others And sold in London by Moses Pitt at the Angel against the Great North-door of St. Pauls-Church 1681. IN FOLIO BIble for Churches with Chronology and an Index The English Atlas Vol 1st containing the description of the North Pole as also Muscovy Poland Sweden and Denmark The second Vol. of the Atlas containing Germany The third Vol. containing the 17 Provinces both in the Press 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 five Pandectae Canonum S. S. Apostolorum Conciliorum ab Ecclesiâ Graecâ receptorum nec non canonicarum S. S. Patrum Epistolarum una cum Scholiis antiquorum singulis annexis Scriptis aliis huc spectantibus quorum plurima è Bibliothecae Bodleianae aliarumque MSS. codicibus nunc primum edita
having prepared Westminster Hall with Scaffolds they began his trial upon the two and twentieth of March where they charg'd him with subverting the Fundamental Laws of England and Ireland with threatning to root the Scotch Nation out of Ireland with procuring his Majesty to dissolve the last Parliament as also with betraying Newcastle and the King's Army to the Scots And after many days labour to prove him guilty of Treason by the Law and failing thereof they brought in a special Bill to attaint him wherein they took care to insert a special Clause that it should not be drawn into President thereby to secure themselves from a return of that Injustice upon any of them which they acted on him Which Bill was twice read and voted in one day What course they took with those that concur'd not with them in passing thereof and other their practises I shall briefly mention when I come to their apparent violation of the Privileges of Parliament How multitudes out of the City were brought down to the Parliament-House to cry for Justice Also with what difficulty his Majesty passed that Bill though importun'd by the Earl's own Letter out of hope his death might have satisfied those blood-thirsty men I spare to mention but on the twelfth of May they cut off his Head on Tower Hill Which strange and unjust way of proceeding driven on by those who stood least affected to the Doctrine and Discipline of our Church caused many to fear that which afterwards came to pass Left therefore the People whom under the most specious pretences they were to captivate should have the least suspicion of hazard to the Service of God as it stood here establish'd they cunningly insinuated to the world that by means of a Jesuitical Party the Protestant Religion was in no small danger and therefore as zealous Champions for the same framed a formal Protestation for its sure defence as it then stood establish'd in the Church of England both in Doctrine and Discipline which for farther satisfaction they caused to be solemnly taken by every Member of Parliament and not only so but by a special Order made it public by the Press and sent it to several Counties of this Realm But their grand work being to get the Militia into their power by which means whatever else they had a mind to might be accomplish'd as an Introduction thereunto divers strange Plots and Conspiracies were talk'd of Which Plots not only stood them in stead to amuse and put fears into the people who by a most implicit faith did then believe that all they acted was for their good but to countenance those many unreasonable demands they made from his Majesty so that under the shadow of them they might go through with any thing And therefore it will not be amiss to view by what degrees they themselves with these devices proceeded towards the obtaining those their desired ends The first of these that they broach'd was a conspiracy by divers in the House of Commons to bring in a French Army unto which the Irish and English should be joyned Whereupon a vote was passed that new Fortifications should be rais'd at Portsmouth and the Cinqueports and order taken that one Lord and two of the Commons viz. the Lord Kymbolton Sir Walter Earle and Sir Philip Stapleton should be forthwith dispatch'd thither About the same time also they sent some of their Members to Lambeth House to search for Amunition and Arms as also about the Parliament-House for fear of any Plot. Which pretended fear was much countenanced by a Letter directed to the Lady Shelley and produced by Mr. Pym discovering a design to destroy Then was there a Report in the House of what a Jesuit should say of some great design against this Kingdom As also of a Letter from Calais of many Frenchmen coming for England and of another Jesuits speech of firing the Parliament-House Again of French intended to land here And within a short space after Mr. Nathaniel Fienes made report to the Houses that a Plot to seize the Tower was newly discovered as also to send over the Irish Army and for delivery of Portsmouth to the French and Papists for assistance wherein the Bishops were to raise a thousand Horse And shortly after Mr. Henry Percie Mr. Iermyn Sir Iohn Sucklyn and Mr. Davenant were voted guilty of another Plot to bring up the Army and force the Parliament which wrought to purpose by putting terrible Fears and Iealousies into the People And to make up all a Letter from the Earl of Holland was read of new practises against the State Whereupon at a conference of both Houses a select Committee was appointed to advise of putting the Kingdom into a Posture of Defence Which being done the next artifice they used was to perpetuate the Parliament to the end that the name of that might the more plausibly carry them through in this grand work To effect this therefore they pretended that the great Sums of Money which the Scots were to have could not suddenly be rais'd and that being to be borrow'd for their present riddance Lenders would hardly be found unless they saw a certain way to secure their moneys which the danger of dissolving this Parliament would hazard Whereupon they brought in a Bill to prevent the adjourning or dissolving there of without the consent of both Houses And to carry on the people with all assurance of their future happiness and freedom from oppression by Courts of Arbitrary Jurisdiction they voted and sent up certain Bills for suppressing the Courts of High Commission and Star-Chamber and regulating the Council Table as also for bounding the Forests preventing vexatious proceedings concerning Knighthood and regulating the Clerk of the Market besides that of Tonnage and Poundage All which his Majesty out of his abundant goodness expecting that these unparallel'd Acts of grace would have oblig'd them in a stronger bond of dutiful Allegiance was pleased to pass before his going into Scotland And as a witness to the candor of his intentions admitted divers Lords then most popular but since great Actors in this woful Tragedy to be of his Privy-Council conferring on three of them great Offices of Honour Trust and Benefit And now supposing that he had given them as great a measure of content as their hearts could desire he took his journey into Scotland on the tenth of August there to establish the peace of that Realm in setling whatsoever should be thought meet for the happiness thereof About which time the Armies were disbanded that had been so long delay'd though the continuance of them was no less charge than 80000 l. a month their work before being not brought forward enough Some of the leading-members in plain terms declaring that yet they could not spare them the sons of Zerviah
more than they can and leave the Triumph and Conquest of Souls to the Wisdom of God who only forms and Reforms the Hearts of Men as he pleasech and gives the signal to many wandring Souls to bring them into the way of Salvation it being not possible for Men to impose a necessity upon that which God hath left at Liberty the Conscience which should be as free in a State as Thought Where going on he shews by the continued Practice of former times that such Princes as were well advised never killed their Subjects to Convert them nor wasted their Dominions by War to inform their Consciences by the Sword knowing that Religion is an Act of Union and Concord and must be planted by Instruction whereas Wars are all for Division and Destruction And those who in these later times have mingled Heaven and Earth together to compell the Consciences of their Subjects to an Unity in Religion have at last been fayn to give over and let them alone and to reject the advise of those unskilful Physitians who prescribe nothing but Antimony and Letting Bloud for all Diseases Then he proves that the accord made with the Protestants was both just necessary and profitable The whole Discourse is not unworthy the consideration of our times but I shall not trouble the Reader with Transcribing farther Having now dispatch't the Holy-League and made good I hope so much as I undertook that it was for the most part parallel to this of ours One thing only I have not insisted on not knowing whether it be convenient to particularize in it namely the strange Disasters and Unfortunate ends which befell many Eminent Persons of that League Like to which our own Story hath afforded us some Examples already and Posterity may be able to observe more To say nothing of any that were Kill'd in those Wars on either Party nor much of the Tragical ends of many of that Family who were the first Authors and constant Upholders of that League it cannot be forgot that the Duke of Guise and his Brother the Cardinal were both of them suddainly taken away by Trechery when their hopes were at highest And the Duke of Nemure their Brother by the Mother Betray'd by one whom he most trusted Dyed in Despair in the declining of the League Likewise That one of the Duke of Guise his Sons a Person of special note for his Valour was some Years after the Peace miserably torn in peices by a Canon at Arles which burst when he gave Fire to it Shooting at a Mark. The chief of the Duke of Lorreynes Family who thought to have gained the Kingdom of France to his Son from the Father that Son lost all his own Dukedom to the Son The Duke of Merceur who aimed to have had Brittany at least for his share Dyed of the Plague in a Forrein Countrey left no Heir Male so that his whole Estate came to the Duke of Vendosine with his Daughter much against her Will. The Count of St. Paul who had been advanced by the Duke of Mayne to the Title of Mareschal of France was in the time of the League Stab'd by the young Duke of Guise as he came forth of the Church at Remes Villiers the Admiral was basely Kill'd by a Spanish-Souldier in cold Bloud and his Finger cut off by another for his Ring Brisson the Primier President of the Parliament at Paris who had been first most Violent against the King upon suspicion of complying afterwards was with some others Strangled by the Tumultuous Citizens of Paris And the Lord Gomeron Governour of Han in Picardy who sold that place to the Spaniard was Beheaded before the Walls of the same Town a Reward not much Inferior to that of the two Hothums I take no pleasure in reckoning up many of these Instances He that will seek may find more in France and he that will observe I do not wish but fear it in time may discover as many in England One Observation more I shall Intreat the Reader to carry home with him and then I have done with the Holy-League It hath already been shew'd at full that when the Leaguers first took up Armes and bound themselves by Oathes against their King the pretended grounds of the one and the Subject of the other were nothing but the Defence of the true Religion the Laws and Liberties and Property of the Subject with many fair Promises to make the King a Glorious King Where I cannot chuse but observe how the Hand of God by a strange Providence turned all their Vows into Prophecies and their Promises into Predictions by fulfilling them all though in far different sence from what they intended By setling the True Religion they meant the Roman but God fulfilled it of the Protestant And those Armes which they Vowed to the Ruine God Converted to the Advancement of it the Protestants of that Kingdom having upon that occasion obtain'd and ever since enjoyed greater Immunities and a more free and setled course of the Profession of their Religion than ever they had before As to the Laws the Fundamental Laws of France to speak with the French-Man the Salique-Laws touching the Succession of the Crown and Prerogative of the King which they intended to alter they did in the event confirm And as Henry the third was Advanced to a State of Glory by the cruel Hands of Iaques Clement an Instrument of the League and Henry the fourth by Ravilliac one Trained up in the same Principles So was King Charles the first by his bloudy Murtherers here But as it fell out consider what a purchase the Glorious Nobility the Gallant Gentry the Rich Citizens and the Secure Farmer had when by siding with the Leaguers they Exchanged their Loyalty and present Peace which they enjoyed under the King's Protection for the aiery hopes of a greater Liberty and if not bettering at least securing their Estates Did not the long continuance of those Wars so inure the Souldiers to a Military course of Life and the People to Patience under Contributions and Impositions that the former could never since be won to lay the Sword out of his Hands nor the latter get the Yoke shaken off their Shoulders Only the Scene is somewhat altered for whereas before their own Countrey was the Stage of the War they have now removed it to their Neighbours And the Crown of France by reason of their many Victories and Successes is now become justly formidable to a great part of Europe whereby the promise of the Leaguers is fully verified the King is made Glorious but how far they so intended is easy to imagine And how the Liberty of the Subject in general is enhaunted and their Property Establisht by these Glorious Atchievements of the King when their Yearly Taxes for support of his Wars amount almost if not altogether to the value of their Lands let the French if they have any cause make their boast And
the People of England may now see how by tracing them too far in the forbidden Paths of a conceited Liberty they not long since fell into the known Slavery of the French-Pesant A Misery which some of them felt but a little when for fear of it they first Petitioned to be put into a Posture of Defence but justly brought upon themselves by those undue Courses which they took to prevent it God in his Wisdom thinking it fit to punish this Nation by a real Slavery unto some of their own Fellow Subjects for fancying to themselves an imaginary under their Lawful Sovereign as a ground to justify their Rebellion when there was no cause for it Wherfore I shall now Conclude with the Words of Sr. Edward Coke at the end of this Chapter concerning Treason It appeareth in the Holy Scriptures saith he that Traytors never prospered what good soever they pretended but were most severely and exemplarily punished As Corah Dathan and Abiram by Miracle dirupta est terra sub pedibus eorum aperiens os suum devoravit illos Athalia the Daughter of Amri interfecta est gladio Bagatha and Thara against Assuerus appensus est uterque eorum in patibuto Absolon against David suspensus in arbore and Joab infixit tres lanceas in corde ejus Ahithophel with Absolon against David Suspendio interijt he Hang'd himself Abiathar the Trayterous High-Priest against Solomon Abiathar sacerdoti dixit Rex Et quidem vir mortises sed hodie non interficiam c. Ejecit ergo Solomon Abiathar ut non esset Sacerdos Shimei against David gladio interfectus Zimri against Ela who burnt himself Theudas qui occisus est circiter CCCC qui credebant ei dispersi sunt redacti ad nihilum and Iudas Galilaeus ipse perijt omnes quotquot consenserunt ei dispersi sunt Peruse over all our Books Records and Histories saith he and you shall find a Principle in Law a Rule in Reason and a Tryal in Experience that Treason doth ever produce Fatal and Final Destruction to the Offender and never attained to the desired end two incidents inseparable thereunto and therefore let all Men abandon it as the most Poysonous Bayt of the Devil and follow the Precept in Holy Scripture Fear God Honour the King and have no Company with the Seditious FINIS * See a view of the Government and public Worship of God in the Churches beyond Sea by Dr. Durell impr Lond. 1662. * Guy de Bres contre Perreur des Anabaptists p. 5. Ib. p. 118 119 120. Ib. p. 177. Ib. p. 27. Ib. p. 65 66. Ib. p. 71. Ib. p. 124. Ib. p. 748. Ib. p. 122. Ib. p. 40. Ib. p. 6. Ib. p. 420. Ib. p. 27. Ib. p. 6. An. 1525. Sleidans Comment lib. 5. f. 55. a. b. Ib. f. 56. b. Ib. 59. b. Ib. f. 63. a. Ib. f. 64. b. 65. a. Sleidans Com. f. 57. Thus did the Rebels here in England at the last Battel of Newbery 27. Oct. 1644. An. 1535. Sleidan ut supra lib. 1. f. 131. b. * Agmen tonsile a rotunde detonsis capitibus * Calvin's Comment on the Psalms f. 330. Psal. 71. verse 14. * Calvin advers Anabap. Art 2. Calvin Epist. p. 67. * Dudley Earl of Leicester and Secretary Walsingham The principles of the Puritans R. A. Conf. of Brow p. 113. Corda Angl. prop. 16. Barrow Disc. p. 236. Barrow Ref. p. 244. Christ on his Throne f. 67. Prelacy misery f. 7. Ha'y' any work c. p. 14. 15. 20. 21. Also Mart. Marprel in his Epistle to the terrible priests Sion's plea. 155. Supplic an 29. Eliz. p. 25 Bancroft f. 50. Unlawfulness of unlimited Prelacy f. 12. Bancroft f. 169. Knox to the Commonalty f. 49. 50. T. Cartw. lib. 2. p. 48. Ib. lib. 1. p. 192. Covenanters Inform. for Defensive Arg. 3. Lib. 1. p. 3. Sion's plea. Travers de Discipl Eccl. p. 142. Exhort to Engl. p. 91 92. T. Cartw. lib. 1. p. 6. 48. Knox Exhort p. 35. 43. T. Cartw. p. 220. Epist. before the Supplic 2. Eliz. Christ on his Throne f. 76. Sion's plea. f. 340. 244. Ib. f. 240. Title page to Sion's plea. Sion's plea f. 262. Bancroft's Surv. f. 28. Treatise of applying Gods word to the conscience p. ult Knox app 28. 30. A. D. 1557. A. D. 1558. Knox Hist. p. 217 218. Ib. p. 275 276. Ib. p. 372. 378. Stow's Annal. Holingsh. Chr. p. 1396. * Mr. Isaac Walton Copping and Thacker hang'd at St. Edmunsbury an 1583 for publishing Pamphlets written by Browne against the Book of Common-Prayer Penri hang'd an 1593 for his libellous Book called Mart. Marprelate A. D. 1603. Conference at Hampton Court * Canon 55. * Colonel John Frye a member of the then Parliament Bellarm. de Concil lib. 2. cap. 19. Bellarm. de Cleric lib. 3. p. 6. Philopat 2. p. 109. Bellarm. lib. 3. de Pont. cap. 7. Mariana lib. 2. de Reg. cap. 6. p. 59. Gilby lib. de Obedientia p. 25. 105. Buchanan de jure Regni apud Scotos p. 61. Barrow refut p. 169. Knox App. f. 30. Goodman p. 185. Knox to Engl. Scotl. p. 78. Goodman p. 190. Goodman p. 144. 145. Ibid. 43. 57. 72. Knox Hist. p. 343. Goodman p. 111. in obedience Ib. p. 185. Buchan de jure Regni c. p. 50. 56. Ib. p. 57. Engl. compl against the Canons Goodman p. 99. Buchanan ut supra Knox Hist. f. 78. Goodman p. 110. * Col. Purefoy one of their Council of State Their Practice for reducing the King to Necessities An. 1619. 17. Jac. * Rushw. Hist. Coll. impr Lond. 1659. p. 11. F. * Ib. p. 12. * E. F. An. 1620. 18. Jac. * Ib. p. 14. * Ib. p. 15. E. * Ib. p. 17. A. An. 1620. * Ib. E. A Parliament called 30 Jan. 18 Jac. An. 1621â— 19. Jac. Ib. p. 35. Ib. p. 36. Ib. p. 39. D Ib. p. 40. A. B. Ib. C. â— Dec. Ib. 43. E. Ib. 52. E. 19. Dec. Ib. p. 53. * Dec. 30. Parliament dissolved 6. Jan. Ib. p. 56. Ib. p. 61. Ib. p. 114. An. 1623. 21. Jac. Another Parliament called Ib. p. 115. Ib. p. 128. B. Ib. 129. D. Ib. 131. A. Ib. 135. C. Ib. 136. A. Ib. 137. A. Ib. 138. B. Ib. 139. A. Ib. p. 156. D. An. 1624. 22. Jac. Ib. 158. E. An. 1625. Ib. p. 159. C. The Death of King James Ib. p. 172. B. The first Parliament of King Charles the first 18. Junii Ib. p. 174. Ib. p. 175. C. 176. C. Ib. p. 178. A. Ib. p. 178. E Ib. p. 181. A. Ib. p. 182. A. Ib. p. 183. F. Ib. p. 194. B. Ib. E. Ib. p. 195. A. Parliament dissolved Ib. E. Moneys borrowed by Privy Seal The second Parliament of King Charles the First 6. Februarii Ib. p. 218. E. Ib. p. 220. A. Ib. p. 229. A. Ib. p. 230. B. An. 1625. 9 Junii Ib. p. 402.