5, 1645, enacting, That no member of

either

parliament, that it deferves a very particular remembrance. It did more for Cromwell than he could almost have formed a wifh for; namely, the depriving his enemies of all command, whilft he himself, by a very particular fortune, obtained the higheft power. In a word, it ruined them, and advanced him. After the army under Lord Effex had been in a manner ruined by the King, the general began to lofe much of the esteem and reputation he had till then poffeffed. He was by many looked on with a jealous eye, and they were fearful he and his adherents were difpofed to make terms with the King, which might be prejudicial to many who had engaged with them. In fhort, Effex and his party were accufed by their enemies of neglecting, by vigorous operations, to put an end to the war, and of being inclined too much to his Majesty.— There

were fome, fays Whitlock, who had defigns against Effex, and were defirous to remove him from his • command, because they were jealous, that he was too • much inclined to peace, and favouring of the King and his party. I think, I knew as much of his mind as others did, and always obferved him to wish for peace, yet not upon any difhonourable or unjust terms. He was a lover of monarchy and nobility, which he fufpected fome defigned to deftroy, together with gentry, miniftry and magiftracy, which humour () Meme- then began to boil up; but he refolved to support rials, p. them, and wanted not advice to that end (g).'Ludlow, who was engaged in the oppofition to Effex, will explain fomething more of this matter.-The enemy, contrary to all expectation, appeared again in a body near Newbury, where our army lay, who drew out to oppofe them. Some fmall fkirmishes happened between them, but a general engagement was oppofed in a council of war by fome of the greatest among us: whereupon the King, in the face of our army, twice as numerous as his, had time

either house, during the war, fhould exe

cute

to fend his artillery from Dennington-cafle towards Oxford, without any oppofition, to the aflonishment of all those who wifhed well to the public. But, by this time, it was clearly manifeft, that the nobility had no further quarrel with the King, than 'till they 'could make their terms with him, having, for the 'most part, grounded their diffatisfactions upon fome particular affront, or the prevalency of a faction about him. But though it fhould be granted, that ⚫ their intentions in taking arms were to oblige the King to consent to redrefs the grievances of the nation, yet, if a war of this nature must be determined by treaty, and the King left in the exercife of the royal authority, after the utmost violation of the laws, and 'the greatest calamities brought upon the people, it doth not appear to me what security can be given to them for the future enjoyment of their rights and pri vileges; nor with what prudence wife men can engage with the parliament, who being, by practice at least, liable to be diffolved at pleasure, are thereby rendered ' unable to protect themselves, or fuch as take up arms ' under their authority, if, after infinite hardfhips and hazards of their lives and eftates, they muft fall under the power of a provoked enemy, who, being once reestablished in his former authority, will never want ' means to revenge himfelf upon all thofe, who, in ⚫ defence of the rights and liberties of the nation, ad• venture to refift him in his illegal and arbitrary pro (6) Vol. i. 'ceedings (b).'- -Such were the principles which dif pofed many at that time to wifh for an alteration of men and measures; or, to fpeak more plainly, to put it effectually out of the power of thofe, who wanted not inclination, to conclude a peace with the King, on terms which might leave him in poffeffion of the regal power. But to go on. On the ninth of Dcomber, one thousand fix hundred and forty-four, the house of commons having refolved themfelves into a

• grand

P. 132.

cute or enjoy any military or civil office;

as

grand committee, to confider of the fad condition of the kingdom, by the continuance of the war, there was a general filence for a good space of time; many looking upon one another, to fee who would break • the ice, and speak first in so tender and sharp a point: amongst whom Oliver Cromwell food up, and fpake, briefly, to this effect: That it was now a time to fpeak, or for ever to hold the tongue, the important occafion being no lefs than to fave a nation out of a bleeding, nay, almoft dying, condition, which the long continuance of the war had already brought it into; fo that without a more fpeedy, vigorous, and effectual profecution of the war, cafting off all linger⚫ing proceedings, like foldiers of fortune beyond fea, to fpin out a war, we fhall make the kingdom weary of us, and hate the name of a parliament: for what do the enemy fay? nay, what do many fay, that were friends at the beginning of the parliament? even this, That the members of both houfes have got great ⚫ places and commands, and the fword into their hands; and what by intereft in parliament, and what by power in the army, will perpetually continue themselves in grandeur, and not permit the war fpeedily to end, left their own power fhould determine with it. This I fpeak here to our own faces; it is but what others do utter abroad behind our backs. I am far from reflecting on any; I know the worth of thofe commanders, members of both houfes, who are yet in power; but if I may fpeak my confcience, without reflection upon any, I do conceive, if the army be not put into another method, and the war more vigorously profecuted, the people can bear the war no longer, and will enforce you to a difhonourable peace : but this I would recommend to your prudence, not to infift upon any complaint or overfight of any commander in chief, upon any occafion whatfoever; for, as I must acknowledge myfelf guilty of over

• fights,

as it obliged Effex, Manchester, Denbigh, War

fights, fo I know they can be rarely avoided in mili· tary affairs therefore, waving a trict inquiry into the causes of these things, let us apply ourfelves to the remedy which is most neceffary; and, I hope, we have fuch true English hearts, and zealous affections towards the general weal of our mother country, as no members of either houfe will fcruple to deny themselves, and their own private interefts, for the public good; nor account it to be a difhonour done to to them, whatever the parliament hall refolve upon mentary Hif(i) Parliain this weighty matter (i).What the confequence tory, vol. of this was will appear by the following vote in the xiii. p. 375. journal of the day above mentioned. Refolved, &c.

That, during the time of this war, no member of

either house fhall have, or execute, any office or com⚫ mand, military or civil, granted or conferred by both 6 or either of the houfes of parliament, or any authority derived from both or either of the houfes: and that an ordinance be brought in accordingly.' Mr. Sollicitor [St. John] Mr. Recorder [Glyn] Mr. Crewe, Mr. Pierpoint, Mr. Maynard, Mr. Reynolds, Mr. Ellis, Mr. Lifle, were appointed a committee to bring in an ordinance to the purport of this vote; and likewife for the continuing of fuch officers in their places as are no members of either house, until the houses take further order; and to bring in fuch clauses, as they fhall think fit, for the perfecting of this vote. In the journal of the 11th of December, we find it refolved, &c. That a faft fhall be appointed for this house to obferve on Wednesday next, to humble themselves for their particular and parliamentary fins and failings, whereby they may hope to obtain God's bleffing in a better measure upon their endeavours for the future.' On the next day the lords agreed to the faft, to the day, and to the perfons. Thefe were Mr. Marshal, Mr. Hill, and Mr. Oladiah Sedgwick. On this day also it was ordered by the commons, that the ordinance, for difenabling the members

to

of com

mons.

Warwick, and other chief officers, to lay down

to execute any office, fhould be taken into confideration, and read the fecond time on the next Saturday peremptorily. Accordingly it was then taken into confideration, committed to a committee of the whole houfe, and adjourned to the Thursday following The

faft accordingly was held before both houfes, and the () Vol. iv. preachers, if we believe Lord Clarendon, played their P. 565. parts to admiration (k). On the nineteenth the ordinance paffed the house of commons (after having rejected the national covenant as a test for those who held or executed any office, as they had a claufe before in favour of Lord Effex) and it was ordered to be fent to the lords, for their concurrence; and that all (1)Journals of the houfe the members of the house do go up with this ordinance to the lords (1). From this fhort account of the progrefs of the bill through the house of commons, which I have compiled from the journals of that houfe, appears how abfurdly Lord Clarendon has put into a fpeech, pretended by him to be made by Cromwell, the day after the faft, a defire, that an ordinance might be prepared, by which it might be unlawful, for any member of either houfe of parliament, to hold any office or (m) Vol. iv. command in the army, or any place or employment in P. 567. the ftate (m):' for it plainly appears, that the ordinance was ordered in the ninth of December; that it had been committed to a committee of the whole house the Saturday following, and actually paffed there on the nineteenth of that month, the day after the faft; and, therefore, could not be defired at that time to be brought in by Cromwell. Chronological tables, duly confulted, would have prevented his lordship from falling into many a blunder. But the truth is, his account of the manage ment of this matter in the pulpit and the fenate, seems, for the most part, invention, at which his Lordship had a very happy talent.I have given Cromwell's fpeech above in behalf of this ordinance. I will add to it a fpeech of Mr. Whitlock's, as containing, for the most

party