ferve in the house: and in particular to take into confideration the information given to the house, concerning the election at Arundel in Suffex*: as he was appointed of many of the houfe others, of commons, . * Journals and the city of London had been discovered and prevented, they presently undertook another of the fame. damnable nature, with this addition to it, to endeavour to make the Scottish army neutral, whilst the Englih army, which they had laboured to corrupt and invenome against us by their falfe and flanderous fuggeltions, fhould execute their malice to the fubverfion of our religion and the diffolution of our government. Thus they have been continually practifing to difturb the peace, and plotting the deftruction even of all the 'King's dominions, and have employed their emiffaries and agents in them all for the promoting of their devilish defigns, which the vigilancy of those who were well affected hath ftill difcovered, and defeated before they were ripe for execution in England and Scotland; only in Ireland, which was farther off, they have had time and opportunity to mould and prepare 'their work, and had brought it to that perfection, that they had poffeffed themselves of that whole kingdom-if their main enterprife upon the city and castle of. 'Dublin had not been detected and prevented.- -And ' certainly, had not God, in his great mercy unto this land, difcovered and confounded their former defigns, we had been the prologue to this tragedy in Ireland, and had by this time been made the lamentable fpec- (i) The Retacle of mifery and confufion ().'-Lord Clarenden monftrance, gives a large account of the paffing this remonftrance, and among other particulars, the following: [the leading men in the house of commons] promised themselves they fhould eafily carry it: fo that the day it was to be refumed, they entertain'd the house all the morning with other debates, and towards noon call'd for the remonftrance; and it being urg'd by 6 They fome, &c. p. 21. others. So that what has been faid of his being little known, or taken notice of in the beginning of this parliament, must be with out fome, that it was too late to enter upon it, with much difficulty they confented, that it should be enter'd • upon next morning at nine of the clock; and every ⚫ clause should be debated; for they would not have the • house refolv'd into a committee, which they believ'd would spend too much time. Oliver Cromwell (who at that time was little taken notice of) afk'd the Lord Falkland, why he would have it put off, for that day would quickly have determined it? He anfwered, there would not have been time enough, for fure it would • take fome debate. The other replied, A very forry • one: they fuppofing, by the computation they had made, that very few would oppofe it.' But he quickly found he was mistaken. For the debates, as appears from the quotation above from Whitlock, being very long, and the house confenting to adjourn, As they 6 went out of the houfe, the Lord Falkland afked Oliver Cromwell whether there had been a debate? To which he answered, he would take his word another time; and whispered him in the ear, with fome affeveration, that if the remonstrance had been rejected, he would have fold all he had the next morning, and never have feen England more; and he knew there were many other honeft men of the fame refolution. So near was the poor kingdom at that time to its deli(4) Vol. ii. verance (k).' This reflection is added by his lordship on account of the fmall majority by which the remonftrance paffed, which he fays was by nine voices and no more. It is but a trifle; but thofe who are very po(Journal fitive, fhould be exact. The numbers for paffing the remonftrance were 159; against it, 148 (); fo it pafs'd by eleven voices. Sir Ralph Hopton read and prefented it to his Majefty at Hampton-Court, who received him and those who accompanied him from the house well, but delired it might not be publifhed till the house had P. 312. 22 Nov. 1641. out foundation.-When the civil war broke out, he adhered to the parliament, raised a troop his answer. But on the 15th of December following it was order'd to be printed by the commons, notwithftanding. The above anecdote indicates the temper and fpirit of Cromwell, and clearly fhews that he was determined no longer to fubmit to illegal rule The remonftrance itself was indeed a very bold thing, and little less than bidding Charles defiance: nor can it much be wonder'd at. They who put it on foot well knew they were the objects of his Majefty's hatred and averfion. What he had attempted against them was apparent; what he intended, they conjectured, and, perhaps, more than he intended. They had no measures now to keep with him, and he us'd as little ceremony with them. For foon after followed his going to the house to seize those whom he deem'd heads of the oppofition; his departure from Whitehall; the difputes about the militia; the erecting his ftandard at Nottingham; in a word, the civil war. I cannot omit the following paffages from Warwick; they fhew the temper of the times, and the zeal which on both fides was exerted on this memorable occafion. Upon the King's • return out of Scotland, the city of London's fplendid ' entertainment of him, and the difcourfes that flew in all parts, of the ample fatisfaction the King had given C (both which they forefaw, before it was put in execution) made them prepare fo foul a remonftrance to 'give the King his first entertainment amongst them, that a blacker libel could not be framed either against his perfon or government; and it paffed fo tumultuoufly two or three nights before the King came to town, that at three of the clock in the morning, when they voted it, I thought, we had all fat in the valley of the fhadow of death; for we, like Joab's and Abner's young men, had catched at each others locks, and fheathed our fwords in each others bowels, had not the fagacity and great calmnefs of Mr. Hamp• den, I (m) Memoirs, p. 201. troop of horse, whom he chofe and (q) disciplined in fuch manner as rendered them terrible den, by a fhort fpeech prevented it, and led us to defer our angry debate until the next morning (m). This paffage does honor to Hampden's abilities. Mr. Hume fays, there are many grofs falfhoods in this reof Great Bri-monftrance ()' he ought to have pointed them out, tain, vol. i. inftead of inventing reafons, and fuggefting them to have been offered for and against it. (x) Hiftory F. 306. (Q) He raised a troop of horse, whom he chofe and difciplined in fuch a manner as rendered them terrible to their enemies, &c.] Cromwell adhered to the parliament out of principle and inclination. When therefore they found themselves in danger, and that a war was unavoidable, they put themfelves in the beit pofture of defence, and gave commiffions to fuch members as well as others, as feemed moft hearty in the caufe. The Earl of Effex, the Earl of Bedford, the Earl of Stamford, Lord Willoughby of Parham, the Earl of Denbigh, Lord St. John, with others of the nobility accepted commiffions, and fet themfelves with zeal to levy forces to fupport their caufe. Hampden and Holles refufed not to bear arms, but raised regiments, placed themselves at their head, and encountered the enemy in the field. As did Sir Philip Stapylton and many others of that brave body. To thefe joined themselves fome young gentlemen of rank and fortune, from a fenfe of duty and fidelity to their country. Mr. Ludlow, who was undoubtedly an honeft man, delivers his own fenfe of it at that time in the following manner. I thought it my duty, upon confideration of my age and vigorous conftitution, as an Englishman, and an invitation to that purpose from my father, to enter into the fervice of my country, in the army commanded by the Earl of Effex, under the authority of the parliament. I thought the juftice of that caufe I had engaged in to be fo evident, that I could not imagine it to be attended with much difficulty. For though I fuppofed that many of the clergy, who bad • been . terrible to their enemies, and advanced his own reputation. None perhaps were ever more been the principal authors of our miferies, together with fome of the courtiers, and fuch as abfolutely depended on the King for their fubfiftence, as also some foreigners would adhere to him; yet I could not think that many of the people, who had been long oppreffed with heavy burdens, and now with great difficulty had obtained a parliament, composed of such persons as were willing to run all hazards to procure a lafting • fettlement for the nation, would be either fuch enemies to themselves, or fo ungrateful to those they had trufted, as not to ftand by them to the utmost of their power at leaft (though fome might not have fo much • resolution and courage as to venture all with them, yet) that they would not be so treacherous and unworthy, to ftrengthen the hands of the enemy against those who had the laws of God, nature and reason, as well as thofe of the land, of their fide. Soon after my engagement in this caufe, I met with Mr. Richard Fiennes, fon to the Lord Say, and Mr. Charles Fleetwood, fon to Sir Miles Fleetwood, then a member of the house of commons; with whom confulting, it was refolved by us to affemble as many young gentlemen of the inns of court, of which we then were, and others, as should be found disposed to this fervice, in order to be inftructed together in the use of arms, to render ourselves fit and capable of acting in cafe there fhould be occafion to make use of us. To this • end we procured a perfon experienced in military affairs to inftruct us in the ufe of arms; and for fome time we frequently met to exercife at the ArtilleryGround in London. And being informed that the par⚫liament had refolved to raise a life guard for the Earl of Effex, to confift of an hundred gentlemen, under the command of Sir Philip Stapelton a member of parliament, most of our company entered themfelves therein, and made up the greatest part of the faid 'guard; |