(D) Moderate Intel. ligencer, Dec. 7, 1648. dom of the parliament. Others, on the 6 ་ con fer as act, would but the godly party in the kingdom ⚫ call us thereunto, and think themselves preferved by it. But the people call to us for these things, and we to your excellency, your known worth inviting us hereunto in profecution of which, as an unparalleled inftrument, we fhall live or dye with your excellency, having folemnly promised, in answer to the wonders God hath wrought amongst us, to attempt and attend these two laft expedients through all hazards. We ⚫ cannot fo undervalue our God, and the rich experience we have had in behalf of this nation, as to fee them lie (like achar) under these finful burdens, our colds, heats, nakedness, want, hunger, hardships, difficulties, dangers, cares, fears, out of which our bleffed and ever to be praised God, hath brought us, fuggefting these things unto us, for that flock of flaughter in this kingdom. Sir, we can dye, but not endure to fee our mother England dye before us (/).'From this addrefs is eafily to be collected the fpirit of the army, the principles on which it acted, the authority it affumed, and the hazard of contefting with it. It appears to have looked on itfelf as an independant body, capable of advifing, directing and giving the law to the fenate and people of England. This was the effect of the felfdenying ordinance, which was foreseen by many, and now felt by all. What was alledged in defence of these proceedings of the army, will be found in the following note. I cannot but obferve here to the reader, the fpirit of the English royalifts at this time. The Scots had raised an army in aid of the King, the parliament was garbelled for treating of a peace with him was not this meritorious in the eye of a cavalier? Far from it-at this very time, both Scots and parliament were treated with the utmost virulence and contempt by those very perfons, for whofe mafter they had fubjected themfelves to the greatest inconveniencies. Speaking of the army under Hamilton, and its defeat, a writer of this contrary, have attempted to vindicate it, and apo time has the following expreffions. It was never yet known that the blew bonnet would enter lifts upon the gilded promises of a public faith, or the huxters ⚫ cold hopes of best be trust. And when all this is done; be confident, their hands will be more ready to receive it, than their hearts to earn it. It has ever been • obferved of the peafantry of that nation, that they • could feed better than fight. Plundering was their • only mafter piece: which they could finger with such dexterity, as if they had been nursed and bred up in that trade from their infancy.'And again-' What ⚫elfe could be expected by Calidon, being by chronologifts rendered to be the emblem of difloyalty; a ftran(m) The ger to equity; an harbour for injury; the magazine loyal Sactiof iniquity; the counterfeit of amity (m).With fice prefentrespect to the members of parliament excluded by the ed in the army, they were treated in the like fcurrilous manner by Deaths of the fame party in the following verses. Farewell ye race of Judas that betray'd • The King your royal master; and have lay'd • You were the champions of a wicked cause; Now let their jult and woful cries and tears, Lives and Sir Charles Say Sir George Lifle, p. 27. 38. 12mo. 1648. (n) Mercu rius Prag maticus, Dec. 19, 1648. . V. p. 114. and 240. () Tenure apologize for Cromwell, the author and abet Saying here lies, (and no man doth Jament) tor Lord Clarendon's treatment of thefe gentlemen, as (a) See vol. well as the Scottish nation, is not much more decent (0). -Milton therefore feems to have had reafon for cautioning them To beware an old and perfect enemy, who though he hope by fowing discord to make them his inftruments, yet cannot forbear a minute the open threatning of his defperate revenge upon them, when of Kings they have ferved his purposes (p). A caution howand Magiftrates, in his ever reafonable, yet neglected by thofe concerned, till Works, vol. their old and perfect enemy had opportunity of fati i. p. 357 ating the defperate revenge he had threatned. But to proceed, in all this affair of the exclufion of the members, Cromwell's name appears not. Nay Mr. Ludlow tells us, that lieutenant-general Cromwell the night after the interruption of the house arrived from Scotland and lay at Whitehall, where, and at other places, he declared he had not been acquainted with this defign; yet fince it was done, he was glad of it, and would endeavour to maintain it (q). Others fay," it was done by Cromwell's command (r).' However this be, we need not doubt but Ireton, and the other chief officers concerned, were fully fatisfied they had Cromwell's approbation. They would not have taken fuch a step without it. For though Fairfax was eafy and manageable, Cromwell was very different, nor would he have failed fhewing his refentment against those who fhould have prefumed to have acted oppofite to his will. His declarations on this head are not, I think, much to be regarded. Politicians have a language of their own. They abound with quirks, fubtelties and diftinctions; they explain away and interpret as they imagine will best fuit their circumftances and conveniences. To all this, if we add Cromwell's known diffimulation, we fhall fee little caufe to rely much on them. I will close this note (9) Vol. i. P. 272. (r) See Fla gellum, p. 66. tor of it. Their reafons will be found be- Suffice with obferving that the house of commons having notice of the feizing of their members, with great feeming earneftness applyed to the general for their releafe, and declared it to be their pofitive pleasure that they be forthwith discharged; but no anfwer fatisfactory being returned, they were forced to fubmit, perhaps not unwillingly, to the lofs of them. This was on the feventh of December, when it was Refolved to give hearty thanks to Cromwell for very great and eminently faithful fervices performed by him to this parliament and kingdom, both in this kingdom and the kingdom of Scotland, and Mr. Speaker did accordingly give him the very hearty thanks of this house (s).' (FF) The reafons for purging the houfe of commons, and the apology for Cromwell on that head, are here to be given.] On the 11th of December the fecluded and fecured members published a printed paper, intituled A folemne proteftation of the imprifoned and fecluded members of the commons houfe: against the horrid force and violence of the officers and foldiers of the army, on Wednesday and Thursday laft, the 6th and 7th of December, 1648. In this proteftation They folemnly protest ⚫ and declare to the whole kingdom, that this execrable 'force and open violence upon their perfons, and the whole houfe of commons, by the officers and army under their command, in marching up against their command and placing ftrong armed guards of horse and foot upon them, without, and against their order, was the highest and most deteftable force and breach of priviledge and freedom ever offered to any parlia'ment of England; and that all acts, ordinances, votes and proceedings of the faid houfe made fince the 6th of December aforefaid, or hereafter to be made during their restraint and forcible feclufion from the house, ⚫ and the continuance of the armies force upon it, were no way obligatory, but void and null to all intents and 'pur (3) Journal. (c) Walker's History of Independeney, part ii. Suffice it therefore to fay that the votes of no · more purposes. And that all contrivers of, actors in, and affiftants to this unparalleled force and treasonable armed violence, were open enemies to, and profeffed fubverters of the priviledges, rights and freedom of parliament, and difturbers of the peace and fettlement of the kingdom; and ought to be proceeded against as fuch and that all members of parliament and com'moners of England, by their folemn covenant and duty, under pain of deepeft perjury and eternal infamy, were • obliged unanimonfly to oppofe and endeavour to their ⚫ utmost power to bring them to exemplary and condigne punishment for this tranfcendent offence, tending to the diffolution of the prefent, and fubverfion of all future parliaments, and of the fundamental go•vernment and laws of the land (t).' This bold proteftation being complained of in the house of commons, and the house of lords, produced a joint declaration from them, in which They judged and declared, the faid printed paper to be falfe, fcandalous and feditious, and tending to deftroy the visible fundamental government of the kingdom: and therefore ordered and ordained the faid printed paper to be fuppreffed; and all perfons whatsoever that had had any hand in, or given confent unto the contriving, framing, printing or publishing thereof, were adjudged uncapable to bear any office, or have any place of truft or authority in the kingdom, or to fit as members of either house of parliament. And they farther ordered, that every • member of either houfe that were then abfent, upon his firft coming to fit in that houfe whereof he was a member, for the manifeftation of his innocency, should • difavow and difclaim, his having any hand in, or giving confent unto the contriving, framing, printing or publishing of the faid paper, or the matter therein • contained (u).'-Here are no reasons we fee given to juftify the exclufion.We must feek them elfewhere then, that is, in the writings of the advocates for the |