THE HISTORY OF THE REBELLION and CIVIL WARS IN- ENGLAND, Begun in the Year 1641. With the precedent Paffages, and Actions, that contri- Written by the Right Honourable and EDWARD Earl of CLARENDON, Late Lord High Chancellor of England, Privy Counsellor in Κλήμα ἐς ἀεί. Thucyd. Ne quid Falfi dicere audeat, ne quid Veri non audeat. Cicero. VOLUME I. PART 2. 0 X FOR D, Printed at the THEATER, An, Dom, MDCCVII. Clar. Press. THE Hiftory of the Rebellion, &c. BOOK IV. Ifa. XVII. 12. Wo to the Multitude of many People, which make a Noife like the noife of the Seas; and to the Rushing of Nations, that make a Rufhing like the Rushing of many Waters. W HEN the King came to York, which was The King about the middle of August, he found no came to York in his part of either Army disbanded, for, though journey toOrders had been iffued to that purpose, yet wards Scotthe Money, without which it could not lani. be done, was not yet come to hand; and because fo great a Sum could not be prefently procured, as would fatisfy Both, an Act of Parliament had been pafs'd, for the Satisfaction of the Principal Officers of the King's Army, by which they were promifed Payment, upon the Publick Faith, in November foll wing; till which time they were to refpite it, and be contented that the common Soldiers, and Inferior Officers, fhould be fully Satisfied upon their Disbanding. DURING the time of the King's abode at York, which was not many days, the Earl of Holland, Lord General, made a fuit to him for the making a Baron; which, at that time, might have been worth to bim ten thousand pounds. Whether the King apprehended the making an unfit man, who might differve him in the House of Peers; or whether he refolv’d to contain himfelf from enlarging that number, except upon an extraordinary relation to his Own Service, I know not: but he thought not fit, at that time, to gratify the Earl: by which He took himself to be highly Difobliged (as the Courtiers at that time look'd upon whatsoever was Denied to them, as taken from them) and having receiv'd fome In- ' Vol. I. Part 2. T formation, 2 formation, from Sr Jacob Afbley and Sr John Coniers, of fome idle paffages in the late tampering with the Army to Petition, which had not been before heard of; affoon as the King was gone towards Scotland (though his Majefty hath fince told me, "that he thought he had left him at parting in very "good humour and devotion to His Service) the Earl wrote a Letter to the Earl of Effex, to be communicated in Parliament, "that he found there had been strange attempts made "to Pervert, and Corrupt the Army, but, he doubted not, "he fhould be able to prevent any mifchief: the whole Senfe being fo myfterious, that it was no hard matter, after it was read in the Houses, to perfwade men, that it related to fomewhat they had yet never heard; and being dated on the Sixteenth day of August, which must be the time that the King was there, or newly gone thence (for he took his Journey from London on the Tenth) feem'd to reflect on fomewhat his Majefty fhould have attempted. Hereupon their Old Fears are awaken'd, and New ones infufed into the People; every man taking the liberty of making what interpretation he pleafed of that which no man understood. Order of both THE Papifts were the most Popular Common-place, and the Butt against whom all the Arrows were directed, and fo, upon this new Fright, an Order was made by Both Houses Blouses to Difarm all for Difarming all the Papifts in England: upon which, and the like Orders, though feldom any thing was after done, or no matter of moment, yet it ferv'd to keep up the Fears and Apprehenfions in the People, of Dangers and Defigns, and to difincline them from any Reverence or Affection to the Queen, whom they begun every day more implacably to hate, and confequently to difoblige. And, as upon those, and the like light occafions, They grew to a licence of Language, without the leaft refpect of Perfons, of how Venerable eftimation foever; fo they departed from all Order or Regularity in Debate; or Rules and Meafures in Judging; the chief Rulers amongst them, first defigning what They thought Fit to be done, and the Reft concluding any thing Lawful, that They thought, in order to the doing and compaffing the fame in which neither Laws nor Customs could be admitted to fignify any thing against Their fenfe. I REMEMBER, about that time, in the providing Money for the Disbanding the Armies, upon which they were marvellously follicitous, from the time that the King went towards the North, there arofe a Queftion, "Whether Wil «mot, Ashburnham, and Pollard, fhould receive their Pay due to them upon their feveral Commands, lying under the Charge of the Plot, for bringing up, and Corrupting the "Army; very many Paffionately alledging, "that Such men "ought "ought not to receive their Pay, who had Forfeited their "Truft: Yet there wanted not many who alledg'd, "that "They had the Security of an Act of Parliament for their "Payment, and that in Juftice it could not be detain'd from "them; that, though they lay under the Difpleasure of "the Houfe, they were fo far from a Judgement yet, that' "there was not fo much as a Charge against them, but that "they were at liberty under Bail; and therefore, they could 'not be faid to have Forfeited any thing that was their own. In this debate the Houfe feem'd equally divided, till One, who well knew what he faid, told them "That there could "not beany Reasonable Pretence for Detaining their due, as "well for the Reasons that had been given, as, that they were "abfolutely Pardon'd by the late Act of Oblivion, and Pacification, between the two Kingdoms: the which was no fooner faid, than many of Those who were before inclined to the Gentlemen, changed their opinions, and, without fo much as calling to have the Statute read, declared, "That they "could have no Benefit by that Act of Parliament, becaufe "then, the Same might be as well applied to the Arch-Bithop "of Canterbury. And fo, without further weighing the Law, or the Reafon, it was thought fufficient, not only to exclude them from that Benefit, but to bar them from their Money; left they might be thought to be admitted to it for That reafon, which might prove an advantage to Another, to Whom They had no inclination to bi ult. And no queftion, They had been overfeen in the Penning that Statute; the Words, in their true and genuine fignification and extent, comprehending as well the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury, Thofe who at that time had no contempt of the Security they reaped thereby. as Soon after the King went into Scotland, there being fome motion "to Adjourn the Houfes till after Michaelmas, which feem'd to be generally inclined to, very many of both Houfes being willing to refresh themselves, after fo long abfence from their Homes (the Summer being far fpent, and the Plague increafing; of which fome Members had died; and others were in danger, having been in infected houfes) and conceiving, that there was no more to be done till the return of the King, faving only the procuring Money to finith the Disbanding; went into the Country: and others, who ftaid in the Town, were lefs follicitous to attend the Publick Service; but betook themfelves to thofe exercifes and reficihments which were pleafanter to them: infomuch, as within twenty days after the King's remove, there were not above Twenty Lords, nor much above a Hundred Commoners, in both Houfes. But This was the advantage look'd for; |