upon the Fundamental Law of the Kingdom, and Confti"tution of Parliament.

"FOR what concern'd Religion, Church Government, "and the removing unneceffary Čeremonies, if the Parliament "fhould advise him to call a National Synod, He should con"fider of it, and give them due fatisfaction therein; declar"ing His Refolution, to maintain the Doctrine and Difci"pline eftablifh'd by Law, as well against all invafions of Po

pery as from the irreverence of Schifmaticks and Separa6c tifts; wherewith, of late, this Kingdom, and this City "abounds, to the great difhonour and hazard both of Church and State; for the Suppreffion of whom, his Majefty re"quired Their timely and active Affistance.

To their defire concerning Ireland, He told them, He much doubted, whether it was Seafonable to declare refolutions of that nature, before the events of the War were feen; however, He thanked them for their advice; and conjured them, to ufe all poffible diligence and expedition in advancing the Supplies thither; the Infolence and Cruelty of the Rebels daily increafing.

THE gracioufnels and temper of this Answer, made no impreffion on them; but they proceeded in their usual manner; framing and encouraging, underhand, those whispers, by which the Rebellion in Ireland, might be understood to receive fome extraordinary countenance from the Court of England, the fcandal whereof, They knew, would quickly fall upon the Queen.

AT this time, the diligence and dexterity of the Lord Mayor, caufed an Address to be prepared to his Majesty, from the Court of Aldermen ; which was fent by the two Sheriffs, and two others of that Body; by which, "his Majefty was "humbly defired to Refide at White-Hall: which angred the Governing Party, as much as their kind reception had done. The Petition was graciously receiv'd; all the Aldermen Knighted and the Court, within a day or two, remov'd to White-Hall.

THE Letters out of Ireland were very importunate for Re-Affairs in lief, of Men, Money, and Provifions; the Rebels very much Ireland. increafing and taking Courage, from the flow proceeding here for their Suppreffion: which indeed was not advanced equal to Mens expectations; though the King, upon his first coming to the Houses after his return from Scotland, with great earnestness recommended it to them. Only, the Propofitions made from Scotland, "for the fending ten thoufand Men from "thence, into Ulfter, to be paid by the Parliament, were confented to; whereby fome Soldiers were dispatch'd thither, to defend their own Plantation; and did in truth, at our Charge,

X 3

for Ireland.

Charge, as much Opprefs the English that were There, as the Rebels could have done; and had upon the matter the fole Government of that Province, committed to them, the chief Towns and Garrisons which were kept by English being deliver'd into their Hands. The Lieutenant himself, the Earl of Leicester (who was now grown gacious to the Managers) made not that haft to his Charge fome Men thought neceffary; pretending "that the Rebels had yet some apprehenfions and terrour of His coming thither with great "Forces and Provifions of all kinds; but that if they should "hear He were Landed, with fo fmall a Strength as was

yet raised, and in no better Equipage than he was yet able "to go in, They would take Courage, and would Opprefs cc him, before more Succours could come; by reafon, that "They who yet ftood upon their guard, and publickly fided not with Either (till, by the refiftance and oppofition They "found prepared for them, they might guess who was like to prevail) would then freely declare, and join with the "reft.

THE flow levying of Men, was imputed to the difficulty A of getting Voluntiers; their numbers, who had Commiffion, pared in the House of upon beating Drums, rifing very inconfiderably: and thereCommons for fore, They prepared a Bill for Preffing; which quickly pafs'd Pring men the Commons, and was fent up to the Lords. It cannot be fuppofed, that there could be then a fcarcity of Men, or that it could be hard, within three Months after the Disbanding the Northern Army, to bring together as many Men as they had occafion to use: but their business was to get Power, not Men; and therefore this Stratagem was used, to transfer the Power of Preffing Men from the King to Themselves; and to get the King, that He might be now Able to raise Men for Ireland, to Difable himself from Preffing upon any other occafion. For, in the Preamble of this Bill which they fent up to the Lords (as they had done before the firft Act for Tonnage and Poundage) they declared, "That "the King had in no cafe, or upon any occafion, but the In"vafion from a Forreign Power, Authority to Prefs the Free"born Subject; which could not confist with the Freedom "and Liberty of his perfon.

The Pream

ble of the Bill, as it came from

the Com

THIS doctrine was new to the Lords, and contrary to the ufage and custom of all times; and feem'd to Them a great Diminution of that Regal Power, which was neceffary for the Prefervation of his own Subjects, and Affiftance of his Allies; which in many cafes He was bound to yield. And the Atturney General took the Courage, "to defire the Lords gainst in (as He fhould often have done in other cafes) CC that He Hou might be heard, on the King's behalf, before They con66 fented

mons, exepted (a

the

Tords.

"fented to a Claufe fo Prejudicial to the King's Prerogative. This neceffary ftop was no fooner made, than the Commons laid afide the Confideration of Ireland; order'd their Committee, "to meet no more about that bufinefs; the Levies which were then making of Voluntiers, stood still; and They declared, "that the Lofs of Ireland must be imputed to "the Lords. On the other fide, the Lords too well understood that Logick, to be moved by it; and were rather fenfible of the inconveniencies They had incurr'd, by their former Compliance, than inclined to repeat the fame Error.

In the mean time, Letters came every day from Ireland, paffionately bemoaning Their Condition; and multitudes of Men, Women, and Children, who were defpoil'd of their Eftates, and forced into this Kingdom for want of Bread, spoke more lamentably than the Letters. In this ftrait, they knew not what to do; for whatever discourse they pleafed themselves with, concerning the Lords, it was evident the Fault would lye at their Own doors; befides that, his Majefty might make use of that occafion, to take the whole bufinefs out of Their Hands, and manage it Himself by his Council; which would both leffen Their Reputation and Interest, and indeed defeat much of what They had projected.

pedient.

HEREUPON, Mr Saint-John, the King's Sollicitor (a Man Saint-John that might be trufted in any Company) went privately to his advises the Majefty; and feem'd to Him much troubled," at the Inter- King to of "ruption given by the Commons; and to grant, that the fer an Ex"Preamble was Unreasonable, and ought to be infifted a-1 "gainst by the Lords, on the behalf of his Majesty's Prerogative: However, He told him, fince He thought it impof"fible to rectify the Commons in their understandings, it "would be a great bleffing to his Majefty, if He could offer "an Expedient to remove that Rub, which muft prove fatal "to Ireland in a fhort time; and might grow to fuch a Dif"union between the two Houfes, as might much cloud "the happiness of this Kingdom; and undoubtedly, could not but have a very Popular Influence upon both, when "both Sides would be forwarder to acknowledge his Ma"jefty's great Wisdom and Piety, than they could be now "made to retract any thing that was Erroneous in Them"felves and then "advised him to come to the Houses; and "to express his Princely Zeal for the relief of Ireland; and "taking notice of the Bill for Preffing, depending with the "Lords, and the Difpute raifed, concerning that ancient and "undoubted Prerogative, to avoid further Debate, to offer, "that the Bill fhould pafs with a Salvo fure, both for the "King and People; leiving fuch Debates to a time that might "better bear it.

X 4

WHICH

The King puts it in practice.

The Lords

Breach of co

the King.

WHICH advice his Majefty follow'd; and coming to the House said the very words he had propofed to Him. But now Their bufinefs was done (which truly, I think, no other way could have been compass'd) the divided Lords and Comand (om mons presently Unite themselves, in a Petition to the King; mons declare "acknowledging his Royal Favour and Protection to be a this to be a great Bleffing and Security to Them, for the enjoying and Privilege,in preferving all thofe private and publick Liberties and Pria Fetition to vileges which belong unto them; and whenfoever any of "thofe Liberties or Privileges fhould be invaded, They "were bound, with humility and confidence, to refort to his "Princely Juftice for Redrefs and Satisfaction; because the "Rights and Privileges of Parliament, were the Birth-right "and Inheritance, not only of Themfelves, but of the whole "Kingdom, wherein every one of his Subjects was interess'd: "That amongst the Privileges of Parliament, it was Their c ancient and undoubted Right, that his Majefty ought not to take notice of any matter in Agitation and Debate, in either House of Parliament, but by their information and ແ agreement; and that his Majefty ought not to própound "any Condition, Provifion, or Limitation, to any Bill, or Act, "in Debate or Preparation, in either Houfe of Parliament; or "to declare His confent or diffent, His approbation or diflike, "of the fame, before it be presented to him in due course of "Parliament. They declared, That all thofe Privileges had "been lately broken, to Their great forrow and grief, in that "Speech which his Majefty had made to them; wherein He "took notice of a Bill for Preffing of Soldiers, not yet agreed upon; and offer'd a Salvo Jure, and provifional Claufe, to "be added to it, before it was prefented to him: and there"fore they befought Him, by his Regal Power to Protect them, in Thofe and the Other Privileges of his High "Court of Parliament; and that He would not, for the time to come, break or interrupt them; and that, for the Reparation of them in that their Grievance and Complaint; He would declare and make known the Name of fuch Per"fon, by whofe misinformation, and Evil Counfel, his Ma"jefty was induced to the fame, that he might receive Con"dign Punishment. And this They did defire, and, as his greatest and most faithful Council, did advife his Majefty to perform; as a great advantage to Him, by procuring and confirming a Confidence and Unity betwixt his Majefty and his People, &c.

..

AND having deliver'd this Petition, They no more confider'd Ireland, till this manifeft Breach fhould be repaird; which they refolv'd nothing fhould do, but the Paffing the Bill and therefore, when the King offer'd, by a Meffage fent

by

by the Earl of Effex, "That He would take care, by Com"miffions which He would grant, that ten thousand English «Voluntiers, should be speedily raised for the Service of Ire

land, if the Houfes would declare that They would Pay "them; the Overture was wholely rejected: They neither being willing that fuch a Body of Men fhould be raised by the King's direction (which would probably be more at His devotion than They defired) nor in any other way than They propofed and fo in the end (after other ill Accidents Whereupon, intervening, which will be remember'd in order) He was cerning prefcompell'd to Pafs the Bill concerning Preffing which They fing, Pa'd had prepared.

HOWEVER, for all this, and the better, it may be, for all this; the King, upon his arrival at White-Hall, found both his Houfes of Parliament of a much better Temper than they had been; Many having great indignation, to fee his Majefty fo ill treated by his own Servants, and Thofe, who were most obliged to his Bounty and Magnificence; and likewife to difcern, how much Ambition and Private Intereft, was cover'd under Publick Pretences. They who were in truth Zealous for the Prefervation of the Laws, the Religion, and true Intereft of the Nation, were follicitous to Preferve the King's Honour from any indignity, and his Regal Power from violation; and fo always oppofed Those who intrenched upon either, and who could compafs their ends by no other means than by trampling upon both. So that, in truth, that which was call'd the King's Party, in both Houfes, was made up of Perfons who were Strangers, or without any Obligation, to the Court; of the beft Fortunes, and the best Reputation, in their feveral Countries where they were known; as having always appear'd very Zealous in the maintenance of their juft Rights, and Oppofed, as much as in them lay, all illegal and grievous Impofitions: whilft His own Privy-Council (two or three only excepted) and much the greater number of all his own Servants, either publickly Oppofed, or privately Betray'd Him; and fo much the more virulently abhorr'd all Thofe who now appear'd to carry on His Service, because they prefumed to undertake, at leaft endeavour (for they undertook nothing, nor look'd for any Thanks for their labour) to do that which Themfelves ought to have done; and fo They were upon this difadvantage, that whenever They prefs'd any thing in the Houfe, which feem'd immediately to advance the King's Power and Authority, fome of the King's Council, or his Servants, moft oppofed it, under the notion "of being Pre"judicial to the King's Intereft: whilft they who had used to govern and impole upon the Houfe, made a fhew of be

the Bill con