back by Captain Lewson of Coll. Goffs Regiment However Mr Pryn continued there and disputed highly with the Juncto of the priviledge which he and the rest of the secluded Members had to sit which only a little disturbed and made them who were loath to hear right disputed adjourn till the afternoon when Mr Pryn attempting again to enter was impeded by a Troop of Horse and two Companies of Foot which were there ready to guard this piece of a Parliament against those whom they pretended were intruders And thus this Parliament sate in quiet among themselves and to the end they might be no further disturbed voted That all persons heretofore Members of that Parliament which had not sate in this Parliament since the year 1648 nor had subscribed the Engagement in the Roll of Engagement of this House should not sit in the House till further order of the Parliament They likewise published a Declaration wherein after a large and specious Preamble they declared That they were resolved through the gracious assistance of God to apply themselves to the faithfull discharge of the trust imposed in them and to endeavour the settlement of this Commonwealth upon such a foundation as may assert establish and secure the properties and liberties of the people in reference to all both as men and as Christians and that without a single Person Kingship or House of Peers and that they should vigorously endeavour the carrying on of Reformation so much desired and so often declared for to the end there might be a godly and faithfull Magistracy and Ministry upheld and maintained in these Nations to the glory and praise of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the reviving and making glad the hearts of the upright in the Land By such fair pretences did they begin to gull the people And immediately because they could not have time as yet to appoint a Counsell of State the usuall dependant of a Parliament since 1648 they for the present erect a Committee of Safety consisting of Fleetwood Haslerig Vane Ludlow Sydenham Salway John Jones Lambert Desbrough Berry and Scot. In imitation of this was that Committee of Safety I suppose erected afterwards by the Army But the Counsell of State being shortly after nominated whatever power they had was void though 't is true most of the forementioned were members of it The Great Seal of England made by the Protectors is likewise by them broken and the old Seal used by the Parliament in 1651 voted to be the Seal of the House and no other Easter Terme is also by them adjourned to the great discontent of many persons who had then suits depending against many Members especially against Vane and Haslerig This Parliament now thinking themselves fixt in their authority begin to bustle strongly but especially they take care to please the Army who had made them a Parliament which they do by passing Votes That effectuall care be taken for satisfying their arrears and paying them their pay in due order for the future At this Parliaments reentrance into the Supream Government of these Nations there happened a sad accident in the Town and Corporation of Southwould or Soulbay in the County of Suffolk where neer 230 dwelling-Houses were wholly consumed with fire all which was but a spark to the fire might have been kindled in this State had they continued in power The Army likewise at this time put up a Remonstratory Petition to this Parliament wherein they desired severall things as they pretended towards the settlement of the Nation to which the Parliament gave them these contentive answers for they durst indeed do no otherwise 1. That the liberty of the persons and property of the Estates of the free people of these Nations should be preserved inviolable according to Law under the Government of a free State or Commonwealth without a single Person Kingship or House of Peers 2. That there should be a just and due regulation of the Law 3. That all persons who professed one God in Trinity and acknowledged the Scriptures should have liberty of conscience provided it extended not to Popery or Prelacy 4. That a godly and faithfull Gospell-Preaching-Ministry should be encouraged 5. That all Vniversities and Schools of learning should be countenanced and reformed 6. That none but men of approved godliness and whose interests suited with the Good Old Cause should be admitted to employments in State 7. That an Act should be made for confirmation of the sales of all Kings Queens Princes Archbishops Bishops Deans and Chapters Lands Thus they endeavour to please the Army by complying with their desires Yet notwithstanding the fickle establishment of this House the States of Holland court them by their Ambassadour who on the 24th of May had audience in the House but perhaps those States might have more reason to do so then others these being the men who first began that War with them which almost totally ruined them And now on the 25th of May Richard Cromwell Esq late Lord Protector of these three Nations makes a free resignation of that Government to the Parliament which the Army had before taken away without his leave or consent His resignation or rather submission ran thus I have perused the Declaration and Resolve you were pleased to deliver me the other Night and for your information touching what is mentioned in the said Resolve I have caused a true state of my Debts to be transcribed and annexed to this Paper which will shew what they are and how they were contracted As to that part of the Resolve whereby the Committee are to inform themselves how far I do acquiesce in the Government of this Common-wealth as it is declared by this Parliament I trust my past carriage hitherto hath manifested my acquiescence in the will and good pleasure of God and that I love and value the peace of this Commonwealth much above my own concernments and I desire that by this a measure of my future deportment may be taken which by the assistance of God shall be such as shall bear the same witness having I hope in some degree learned rather to reverence and submit to the hand of God then be unquiet under it And as to the late providences that have fallen out amongst us however in respect to the particular engagements that lay upon me I could not be active in making a change in the Government of these Nations yet through the goodness of God I can freely acquiesce in it being made and do hold my self obliged as with other men I expect protection from the present Government so to demean my self with all peaceableness under it and to procure to the uttermost of my power that all in whom I have interest do the same Thus he who was lately Protector of these three Nations craved protection from his Quondam Subjects and thus easily did he resign those three Kingdomes which his Father had got with so much hazard of his body if not of his soul
Justice may be executed in the Land Thirdly I recommend to you the Protestant cause abroad which seems at this time to be in some danger having great and powerfull enemies and very few friends and I hope and believe that the old English zeal to that Cause is still among us Lastly my Lords and you Gentlemen of the House of Commons That you will in all your debates maintain and conserve love and unity among your selves that therein you may be the pattern of the Nation who have sent you up in peace and with their prayers that the spirit of wisdome and peace may be among you and this shall also be my prayer for you and to this let us all add our utmost endeavours for the making this a happy Parliament This was the Protectors so much applauded Speech to his Parliament which finisheed the Lord Fines began and after having enumerated the deceased Protectors great endeavours c. for the peace of the Nation and his Highnesses following his steps in the calling of this present Parliament for the three Nations joyntly he recommended more effectually to them the wars abroad and the probabilities of homebred disturbances desiring their provision to maintain the one and care to prevent the other the Parliament having every one taken the Oath formerly taken by Olivers Parliament not to alter the Government were returned to their House and the Protector to Whitehall The House of Commons being returned to their House spent muce time about the rectifying of their Elections and expelling severall Members out of the House but causing others to be elected in their steads under pretence of being Malignants and having born Arms against the Parliament in behalf of their lawfull Soveraign and not only expelling them but disabling them from being elected or chosen as Members of future Parliaments so though this Parliament was esteemed one of the freest that had been called since 1641 yet it was not free indeed The House having as far as they could rectified their Members and Elections proceed to the calling to an account of all those who had been entrusted with the Customes Excize Taxes or other Revenue of the Common-wealth and to consider of the present state of the Revenues and some ways to pay the arrears of the Army Navy c. and other Nationall Debts but this business being put off by delays never came to any effect They likewise proceed to the drawing up of a Bill for it never came to be either Act or Ordinance which should be intituled An Act of Recognition of his Highness right and Title to be Protector and Chief Magistrate of the Commonwealth of England Scotland and Ireland and the Dominions and Territories thereunto belonging Many demurs were there in this debate and severall praevious Votes to be passed before this Bill could be committed as whether the Parliament should consist of two Houses and whether this House should transact with the Persons sitting in the other House as a House of Parliament This business took up a great deal of time the Protectorians stood stifly for it and the Commonwealths-men as stong against it alledging that to treat with those men as a House of Lords was to enslave themselves more deeply then ever they had been before That they should now by it clearly evince to the world their folly perjury and villany that whilest they had taken their Oaths to be true and faithfull to govern without a House composed of the Peers of the Nation they should now both break their Oath and subject themselves to such as were scarce Peers to the Commons That if they did but consider the Creator of this House of Peers as they were called they could not but foresee the necessary thraldome they must run themselves into these being all such as were made sure to his interest and were so many sure Votes for whatever arbitrary actions he might undertake and if it were thought unlawfull for the Bishops to sit in the House of Lords because they were accounted so many sure voices for the King how much more might these be excepted against who were certainly so many sure voices for the Protectorall interest being all created by it Yet notwithstanding these Arguments the Vote was at length carried on the Protectorian side and Resolved That the House of Commons would transact with the Persons then sitting in the other House as a House of Parliament during the present Parliament but with this Proviso that it was not intended thereby to exclude such Peers as have been faithfull to the Parliament from their priviledge of being duly summoned to be Members of that House Whilest the Parliament are thus pursuing their Votes to settle the Protector in England the French and Spaniard are endeavouring to conclude a Peace betwixt themselves and to leave the English in the lurch which howsoever it then and ever since went vigorously on yet are not the Conditions spoken of performed on either side to the full-consummating of it During the Sessions of this Parliament on the 24th of February Mr George Strangways formerly a Major in the Kings Army was pressed to death in the Press-yard in Newgate for refusing to plead to his Indictment for having caused his Brother-in-Law one Mr Fussell an Attorney of Dortsetshire to be shot in the head as he sate writing in his Chamber-window of which he died The magnanimity nobleness and pe nitence of Major Strangways at his death deserves this memory This Parliament took into consideration the Cases of divers Persons who had been imprisoned in the time of the late deceased Protector Maj. Gen. Overton is sent for out of the Isle of Jersey and released The Duke of Buckingham is likewise released out of Windsor-Castle upon the Lord Fairfax his giving 20000lb security that he shall demean himself peaceably for the future and not joyn with abet or have any correspondence with the enemies of the Lord-Protector or the Common wealth Severall other Persons of Quality were likewise by them released out of the Tower Maj. Gen. Brown likewise who had by the long Parliament in 1649 been disabled from bearing any Offices in the City is by them restored and made capable of all Offices priviledges and precedencies there and the long Parliaments Vote of the 4th of December 1649 made in his prejudice vacated The Quakers to promote their Turbulencies on the 16th of April sent a Paper into the House sealed and directed on the outside For the Speaker of the Commons assembled in Parliament these are for him to read to the Commons The inside contained a Declaration entituled A Declaration to the Commons assembled in Parliament Delivered the sixth day of the second Moneth called April 1659 to the then Speaker of the said House This Declaration contained many ignominious scandals thrown by those Fanatiques both upon the Magistracy and Ministry for which the Parliament express their Resentment to the Declarers requiring them to repair to their respective habitations apply themselves to
AN EXACT HISTORY of the several Changes of GOVERNMENT IN England From the horrid Murther of King CHARLES I. to the happy Restauration of King CHARLES II. WITH The Renowned Actions OF General MONCK Being the second Part of Florus Anglicus by J.D. Gent. London Printed for Simon Miller at the Starre in St Paul's Church-yard 1660. ENGLAND'S CONFUSION During its Interregnum A General View of the various Governments in England since the Murther of Charles the first 1. England Govern'd by Oligarchy from 1648. to 1653. 2. Under Oliver Protector the grand Tyrant from 1653. to 1658. 3. Under Richard not above seven Moneths 4. Under Fleetwood Lambert Vane Haselrig and the Rump of the Long Parliament Lastly The Actions of Renowned General Monck the chiefest Instrument under God of restoring his Sacred Majesty Charles the second to his Crown and Kingdoms TO THE READER Reader I Doe here present thee with a true though unparallel'd History of all the several Revolutions of Government in England for the space of twelve years since the Martyrdom of our Gracious Sovereigne Charles the First of ever blessed memory execrably murthered to make way for the Usurpation of ambitious Cromwell who after some time took the Office of Supreame Magistrate upon himself and kept it during his Life by Tyranny and Oppression when summoned by Death he bequeathed it to his Eldest Sonne Richard who either by cowardize or folly permitted himselfe to be supplanted by his neer Relations When in stead of one Vsurper England groan'd under an Athenian tyranny and from that to worse till at last such a horrid dismal blackness had overcast the whole Kingdom the Sword being drawn at one blow to cut off Magistracy and Ministry that it had been utterly destroyed had not Almighty God raised up that great and ever to be Renowned to all posterity General Monck the chief Instrument appointed by the Great God for the redemption of poor England from bloody and violent men by restoring a Free-Parliament the undoubted birthright of every English man and hath likewise as in duty bound by Gods blessing setled us under the Lawfull and happy Government of our dread Sovereign Lord King Charles the second whom God hath so miraculously preserved from the jaws of his blood-thirsty enemies and reserved him to this present time that England might once again enjoy her primitive beauty and lustre and have her Kings as at the first and her Counsellours as at the beginning Since then we are through all these miseries revolutions and changes by Divine Providence restored to a settlement Let it be the care of every English man as it is my hearty wish that we fall no more into those snares which formerly entrapped us but unanimously resolve our selves into a constant Duty and Allegiance to our Sovereigne Lord the King For thus and thus only can we flourish J. D. Courteous Reader These Books following are printed for Simon Miller and Sold by him at the Starre in St. Paul's Church-yard Small Folio DOctor Lightfoot his Harmony on the New Testament which will shortly be re-printed with large Additions The civil Wars of Spain in the Reigne of Charls the fifth Emperor of Germany and King of that Nation wherin our late unhappy differences are paralleled in many particulars A general History of Scotland from the year 767 to the death of K James c. By David Hume of Godscroft The History of this Iron Age. Mr Paul Baine on the Ephesians Eighteen Books of the Secrets of Art and Nature by John Wecker D. in Phys The Queen of Arragon a Play In fol. In Quarto large Jo. Barklay his Argenis Translated by Sir Robert le Grise Knight by his Late Majesties special Command Quarto Small An Eperimental Treatise of Surgery by Felix Wortz Abraham's Faith or the good Old Religion c. By John Nicholson Minister of the Gospel The Anatomy of Mortality By George Stroad Three Treatises 1 The Conversion of Nineveh touching Prayer and Fasting 2. Gods Trumpet sounding to Repentance 3. Sovereigne preservatives against distrustful thoughts and cares By Will. Attersoll Minister of Gods Word at Iefield in Sussex Aynsworth on the Cantic Paul Baine his Diocesans Trial. Gralle against Appolinius A Treatise of Civil policy c. By Samuel Rutherford Professor of Divinity of St Andrews in Scotland Politick and Military Observations of Civil and Military Government containing the Birth Encrease Decay of Monarchies the carriage of Princes and Magistrates Mr Pinchin his Meritorious price of mans Redemption cleared Astrology Theologized shewing what nature and influence the Starres and Planets have over men and how the same may be diverted and avoided Wells his Souls Progress Christ tempted the Devils Conquered Being a plain Exposition on the fourth Chapter of St Matthews Gospel By John Gumbleden Min. of the Gos The Saints Society D. Stoughtons thirteen choice Sermons with his Body of Divinity The Reasons of the dissenting Brethren concerning the Presbyterian Government together with the answer of the Assembly of Divines Camdens Remains The Harmonious Consent and Confession of Faith c. The Argument and Confession of Faith of all the congregational Churches of England agreed upon at the Savoy 1659. The Description of the Universal Quadrant c. By Tho Stirrup Mathem The whole Art of drawing painting limning and etching collected out of the choisest Italian and Germane Authours by Alex Brown Practitioner Large Octavo A Treatise of the Divine Promises By Edw. Leigh Esq Florus Angliens with the Lively Effigies of all the Kings and Queens since the conquest cut in brasse The Reconciler of the Bible wherein above two thousand seeming contradictions are fully and plainly Reconciled Evidences for Heaven containing Infallible signs and real demonstrations for Assurance of Salvation published by Edm. Calamy The Life and Reign of King Charls from his Birth to his Death by Lambert Wood. The Night-search the second part by H. Mill. A view of the Jewish Religion with their Rites Customs and Ceremonies Usefull Instructions for these Evil times held forth in 22. Sermons by Nich. Lockyer Provost of Eaton Colledge The Nullity of Church-Censures or Excommunication not of Divine Institution but a meer humane Invention Written by the famous Tho. Erastus and never before Englished Small Octavo Ed. Waterhouse Esq His Discourse of Piety and Charity Panacea or the Universal Medicine being a Discourse of the Admirable Nature and Virtues of Tobacco By Dr. Everard and Others A view and Defence of the Reformation of the Church of England very usefull in these times Mr. Pet. du Moulin his Antidote against Popery published on purpose to prevent the Delusions of the Priests and Jesuites who are now very busie among us Herberts Devotions or a Companion for a Christian containing Meditations and prayers usefull upon all occasions Extranem Vapulam or the Observator releved from the violent but vain assault of Haman Lestrange Esq and the back-blows of D. Bernard an Irish Dean by P. Hoylin D.D. Ovid de Pento in
which duely considered we had reason to hope should have given a stop to all Proceedings against his Majesties Person But they understood that after many of the Members of the House of Commons have been imprisoned and secluded and also without and against the Consent of the House of Peers by a single Act of this Parliament alone power being given to certain Persons of their own Number of the Army and some others to proceed against his Majesties Person in order whereunto he was brought upon Saturday last in the afternoon before this new Extraordinary Court. Wherefore they do in the Name of the Parliament of Scotland for their vindication from false aspersions and calumnies declare That though they are not satisfied with his Majesties Concessions at Newport in the Isle of Wight especially in the matters of Religion and are resolved not to crave his Majestes restitution to this Government before satisfaction be given by him to this Kingdome yet they do all unanimously with one voice not one Member excepted disclaim the least knowledge of or accession to the late Proceedings of the Army against his Majesty and sincerely profess that it will be a great grief unto their hearts and lie heavy upon their spirits if they shall see the trusting of his Majesties Person to the Honourable Houses of the Parliament of England to be made use of to his ruine so far contrary to the declared intentions of the Kingdome of Scotland and solemn professions of the Kingdome of England and to the end it may be manifest to the world how much they abominate and detest so horrid a design against his Majesties Person they do in the Name of the Parliament and Kingdome of Scotland Declare their dissent from the said Proceedings and the taking away of his Majesties Life and protest that as they are altogether free from the same so they may be free from all the evils miseries confusions and calamities that may follow thereupon to these distracted Kingdomes In thus much is contracted the large Letter of the Scottish Parliament to which the Parliament in short answer That as to the alteration of the fundamentall Laws of the Land and allowing liberty of Conscience in Religion if Scotland had not the same power of liberty as they did not go about to confine them so they would not be limited to them but leaving them to act in relation to theirs as they shall see cause resolve to maintain their own Liberties as God should enable them In relation to the putting the King to death they had done it upon serious consideration of the miseries both they and the Nation had suffered by the Misgovernment and Tyranny of that man of sin as they termed him that they doubted not but God would prosper them in it That if Scotland would not now with them assert its Liberties but espouse that quarrell they would reap no other advantage by it but a lasting Warre and the miseries that attend it or the intailing of a perpetuall slavery under a Tyrant and his Issue to them and their posterity These jarrings at length produced a bloudy Warre betwixt the two Nations to the devastation and almost utter ruine of Scotland as the sequell of the Story will show The Parliament Order the Army to march Northward The Parliament now more fully ordered that no Member whatsoever who had absented himself from sitting in the House since the 31. of December 1648. should be re-admitted into the House but should be utterly secluded and barred from sitting except such as had been imployed in the service of the Parliament They then consider of wayes for raising of Money to serve their Occasions and in order thereto appoint a Committee to consider of the Revenues of the late King Queen Prince Bishops c. and how they may be improved to their greatest advantage Collonel Popham Collonel Dean and Collonel Blake who are to go with the Fleet are ordered to go down immediately and nine pound a day appointed for their maintenance The Lord Warwicks Commission of Admirall of the Seas and Warden of the Cinque Ports being null'd and that power put into the Hands of the Councell of State who have devolved it upon those three aforementioned In the mean time those who stand out in the two Cityes of Dublin and London-Derry for this Parliament earnestly entreat relief before that Ormond Inchiqueen and Owen-Roe who were very near Compositions should joyn which would go near to ruine all They therefore desire that eight thousand men formerly promised them might come over which would either hinder the malevolous Conjunction threatned or be a good Barricado against them however they promise to hold out as long as possibly they can The Earl of Lothian Sr John Chesley and Mr Glendonning who came as Commissioners from the Parliament of Scotland to this of England not having received any satisfaction in relation to their Instructions or the Desires of the Parliament of Scotland being somewhat angry but loath to express their Choller by word of mouth after their departure from London send back a Letter by a servant to the Parliament in the Name of the Parliament of Scotland enumerating all their Declarations the breach of all their Covenants Oaths and Protestations for contiruance of the late Government and how much they had gone contrary to all of them in what they had now done to King Lords c. desiring them to do their first work which if they did not as they that then they would wash their hands of all the misery that was like to ensue This so netled our Parliament that they immediately imprison the Messenger and besides the giving secret Order for the securing the Subscribers they put forth a Declaration against the Paper arguing it to contain much scandalous and reproachfull matter against the just Laws and Government of this Nation to the high dishonour thereof That it was a design in the contrivers and subscribers of it to raise Sedition and lay the grounds of a new and bloudy Warre They therefore Declare that all Persons whatsoever residing in England or Ireland or Scotland that shall adhere to the said Subscribers in pursuance of the Grounds by them laid in the said Paper are Rebels and Traitors to the Commonwealth of England and shall be proceeded against as Rebels and Traitors They likewise Order that a Letter be sent with a Copy of that Paper to the Parliament of Scotland to know if they will own or justifie it The Parliament are so necessitated for Moneys that they are resolved to let no way slip for the raising of it the ancient Standard in the Palace-yard shall not scape but a Committee is ordered to examine what it might be worth in case it were sold for publique use The Parliament in consideration of Sr George Ascues eminent services at Sea order him to be Admirall of the Irish Seas and Modell the Expences of the Navy as low as they can possibly whereby a great part
ears with those vast supplies which Middleton was to bring out of the Netherlands At length Middleton arrives and amongst other things brings a Commission for himself to be Commander in Chief and Monroe Lieutenant Generall But Glencarne looks upon this as a very high affront that he should take the pains to raise an Army and others be appointed to command over it that he was a Souldier and equally fit to command with the best and therefore could not comport this affront done to his honour Middleton endeavours to reconcile these differences but in vain Clencarne disdaining to condescend lower then to be Lieutenant Generall which neither Middleton nor Monroe would yeeld to whereupon Glencarne challengeth his adversary to a single Duell where Fortune favouring him he wounds and disarms Monroe and presently after with neer 506 Gentlemen deserts Middleton and makes his composition with the Governour of Dunbarton However Middleton prosecutes his designes as well as he can Generall Monk is sent against him with Commission to be Generall of the Forces in Scotland he hearing of these dissentions delayes marching towards them till he see the event which happening as before he advances towards Middleton engages him at Loughgerry Routs him and forces this stubborn Generall to fly back again into Holland And here I cannot omit a passage which may sufficiently vindicate the Kings Majesty of Scotland from those aspersions of Popery laid against him After the Kings departure out of France into Germany the young Duke of Glocester was placed by the Queen-Mother in a Jesuites Colledge to be instructed in the Roman Catholick Religion which his Brother the King hearing of sent speedy order to have him brought to him which being obeyed as he was departing Paris with the Marquess of Ormond the Queen desired only that he would stay and take a dinner in the Colledge before he went to which he answered That though she were his Mother yet he ought rather to give obedience to his Brother who was his King This deniall so angred the Queen that she permitted him not to take leave of her and after when the King sent a Letter to excuse the business she in fvry burnt it which circumstances may sufficiently evidence that the King is still truly Protestant In the mean time our new Lord Protector according to his Oath taken in the Instrument for Government summons his Parliament on the 3d of September 1654 which being assembled the day before their Sessions the Protector meets them in the Painted Chamber where he only desires them to accompany him to hear a Sermon in Westminster Abby and that afterwards he would impart his sense to them About nine of the Clock his Highness went from Whitehall to the Abby attended by his ordinary Guard and some of his Counsell bare the Lords Commissioners of the Great Seal and of the Treasury following in their Coaches he going likewise in his Coach accompanied by Lambert and his Sonne Henry here they staid whilest Dr Goodwin finished his Sermon after which retiring into the Painted Chamber he was followed by the Parliament to whom he made a formall Speech much to this effect That that Parliament was such a Congregation of wise prudent and discreet persons that England had scarce seen the like and that it would have been very necessary and worthy such an Assembly to give a relation of the series of Gods Providences all along to these very times but that being very well known to them he should at present omit it and proceed to the declaring how the Erection of this present Power was a suitable providence with the rest by shewing them what a condition these Nations were in at its erection every mans heart was then against another every mans interest divided against anothers and almost every thing grown arbitrary That there was grown up a generall contempt of God and Christ the grace of God turned into wantonness and his Spirit made a cloak for all wickedness and profaness nay the axe was even laid to the root of the Ministry and swarms of Jesuites were continually wafted over hither to consume and destroy the welfare of England That the Nation was likewise then engaged in a deep warre with Portugall Holland and France so that the whole Nation was in a heap of confusion but that this Government was calculated for the peoples interest let malignant spirits say what they would and that with humbleness toward God and modesty towards them he would recount somewhat in behalf of this Government For first it had endeavoured to reform the Law it had put into the seat of Justice men of known integrity and ability it had setled a way for probation of Ministers to preach the Gospell and besides all this it had called a Free Parliament blessed be God they that day saw a Free Parliament As for the Warres a Peace was with Sweden Denmark the Durch and Portugall and one was likewise neer concluding with France That these things were but entrances and doors of hope but now he made no question to enable them to lay the top stone of this work he recommended to them this Maxime That Peace though it be made is not to be trusted further then it consists with interest That the great work now lay upon this Parliament was that the Government of Ireland might be setled in termes of Honour That they would avoid confusions lest forreign States should take advantage by them That as for himself he did not speak like one that would be a Lord over them but as one that would be a fellow-Servant to them in this great affair So to conclude he desired them to repair to their House and use their liberty in choosing a Speaker The Protectors speech finished the Members immediately repair to their House and there choose William Lenthall Esquire Master of the Rolls to be their Speaker which done they begin upon the Instrument for Government The Question is in the first place proposed Whether the Legislative power shoald be in a single person and a Parliament The Protectorians endeavour by all means possible to perswade that it should be no Question but be carried absolutely in the affirmative This is as strongly opposed by the greater part of the House and amongst the rest a Member who had all along strongly opposed Monarchy as incongruous to his interest stood up and told them That they could not but discern the snares that were laid to entrap the priviledges of the people for his own part he declared that as God had made him instrument all in cutting down Tyranny in one person so now he could not endure to see the Nations liberties shackled by another whose right to the Government could be measured out no other wayes then by the length of his Sword which was only that which emboldened him to command his Commanders Many speeches were made confirming what he had said and in direct opposition to a single person These debates and divisions upon the