by General Monk.

A.D. 1659. addressed themselves chiefly to Sir Anthony. Applied to Among others, General Monk, by a letter,* solicited his friendship and interest that no alteration might be made amongst the officers under his command. Sir Anthony, foreseeing the use which might be made of Monk to withstand the power

Council of

state jea

lous of Sir Anthony.

of the army in England, engaged his friends in A.D. 1659. parliament to gratify the general in his request. This conduct gave the council of state a jealousy of Sir Anthony. Mr. Scot, a few days after its establishment, accused him of holding a correspondence with the king and Sir Edward Hyde: but, though he acted with so great zeal, vigour, and success for the restoration, he never treated with the king or his minister; as appears by the letter he wrote afterwards to King Charles the Second, from the Tower.

tions.

The parliament had been restored on the 7th Insurrecof May 1659, and, in the latter end of July, they had intelligence of risings in several counties. Sir George Booth raised a great body in Cheshire; Lord Willoughby of Parham, and Sir Horatio Townshend, did the same in Norfolk; and Sir Anthony had a large party engaged with him, and ready to appear at his summons, in Dorsetshire. But the undertaking being discovered, several persons failing in their engagements, and Lambert having defeated Sir George Booth, Sir Anthony concealed himself, and his friends in Dorsetshire dispersed themselves in time. However, he was soon taken, and brought to a strict examination before the council of state; where he

A.D. 1659. so well defended himself, that they were obliged to release him: and, on September the 14th, 1659, it was resolved by the parliament,* "that this house doth agree with the council of state; and doth declare that Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper is clear from the accusation laid against him, and that there is not any just ground of jealousy or imputation upon him."

Lambert's schemes.

Lambert, after he had defeated Sir George Booth, and the other forces under Sir Thomas Middleton, finding that he had great interest among the troops, was ambitious of advancing himself by their assistance. To effect this, he promoted a petition to the parliament, which was signed by the inferior officers of the army. In this they desired that they might be governed, as all armies used to be, by a general, who might be amongst them, and other officers, according to their qualities, subordinate to him; that Fleetwood might be their general, and Lambert their major-general. The address was intitled, "The humble petition and proposal of the officers of the army under the command of the right honourable the Lord Lambert in the late northern expedition." Lambert knew that he could easily + Parliam. Hist.

*Parliam. Hist. vol. xxi. p. 452.

parliament.

govern Fleetwood, and, when necessary, set him A.D. 1659. aside; by which the army would be at his own disposal. But the parliament was aware of his designs; and, to prevent them, passed a vote, Conduct of "that to have any more general officers in the army than are already settled by the parliament, is useless, chargeable, and dangerous to the commonwealth." Soon after, they resolved to discharge Lambert, Desborough, Berry, and several others; and to appoint Fleetwood, Ludlow, Monk, Haslerigge, Morley, Walton, and Overton, to be commissioners to govern all the forces. This exasperated Lambert and the other officers, who thought themselves entitled to more favour from their late success against Sir George Booth; and having the sword, and consequently the power, in their hands, they looked on every check and opposition to their demands and their interest as an affront to them. On the 13th of October, Prevented from sitting. they filled all the avenues to the house of commons with soldiers, and stopped the speaker and several members. In this manner they prevented the parliament's sitting, relying on the general council of officers "to secure by the sword the liberties of the people and the public peace of

*Parliam. Hist.

A.D. 1659. the kingdom." They established a council, called Committee the Committee of Safety, consisting of twenty

of safety.

three persons, and invested them with more power than had been given to the council of state. They appointed Fleetwood commander-in-chief, and Lambert major-general, of all the forces in England and Scotland. Sir Anthony had too much sagacity to neglect such a crisis." He had lately

47 It will be seen by the note a few pages further on, that the account of Sir Anthony's conduct at this juncture, which is given in the text, is taken from a fragment of his own memoirs. Mr. Locke, in his "Memoirs relating to the Life of Anthony first Earl of Shaftesbury," has a somewhat more detailed notice of the same period: he says, "Having reason to apprehend what tyranny the usurpation of the government by the officers of the army under the title of the Committee of Safety might end in, he thought the first step to settlement was the breaking of them, which could not be done with any pretence of authority but that of the Long Parliament. Meeting therefore secretly with Sir Arthur Haslerigge and some others of the members, they gave commissions in the name of the parliament to be majorgenerals; one, of the forces about London; another, of the west, &c.; and this when they had not one soldier. Nay, he often would tell it laughing, that when he had his commission, his great care was where to hide it. Before this he had secured Portsmouth, for the governor of it, Colonel Metham, being his old acquaintance and friend, he asked him one day, meeting him by chance in Westminster Hall, whether he would put Portsmouth into his hands if he should happen to have occasion for it? Metham promised it should be at his devotion. These transactions, though no part of them were known in particular,