"of divers Ceremonies in the Liturgy and Rubrick, and the "preffing other Ceremonies not injoyn'd by Law; the Votes "of the Popish Lords in the Houfe of Peers, which was a ❝hindrance of the Reformation, and a protection of the Ma"lignant Party; the preferring fuch as had adhered to De"linquents, and the difpleasure fhew'd against those who had "been used as Witneffes in the Prosecution of them; the "breaches of the Privileges of Parliament; and the managing "the great Affairs of the Realm in Cabinet Councils by Men "unknown, and not publickly trusted; the preferring Men to "degrees of Honour and Offices, and difplacing others, in "Parliament time, and without the confent of that Council, "and many other particulars; to which they thought these "Remedies most natural, and proper to be applied.

"THAT all Privy Counsellors, and others of truft and im"ployment beyond the Seas, fhould be remov'd from their "Places, and only fuch admitted, as fhould be recommended "to the King by both Houses of Parliament; and that such "Counsellors and Officers, as fhould be so displaced, and not "again recommended, fhould not have accels to the Courts "of the King and Queen: that all Priests, Papists, and ill af"fected Perfons, though profeffing the Proteftant Religion, "should be remov❜d from the Queen's Perfon, and from hav"ing any Office or Imployment under her, and that all her "Servants fhould take fuch an Oath as should be devised by "Parliament; that he, or fhe, would not at any time directly, "or indirectly by Him, or Her felf, or any other, move or "petition, or follicite her Majefty in any matter concern"ing the State and Government of the Kingdom, or con"cerning any favour or immunity to be conferred upon any "Papifts, or for any Honour, Preferment, or Imployment of "any Perfon whatsoever.

"THAT the King would remove from about his own "Perfon, and the Queen's, and from both their Courts, Mr "William Murray, Mr Porter, Mr John Winter, and Mr William Crofts, being all Perfons of evil Fame, and Difaffection to the Publick Peace and Profperity of the Kingdom, and inftruments of Jealoufy and Difcontent between the King "and the Parliament: that the King would not entertain any advice or mediation from the Queen in matters of Reli"gion, or concerning the Government of any of his Domi"nions, or for the placing or difplacing of any great Officers, "Counfellors, Embaffadors, or Agents beyond the Seas, or "any of his Servants attending his Royal Perfon either in his Bed-Chamber, or Privy-Chamber or Privy-Chamber, or attending the "Prince, or any of the Royal Iffue after they shall attain to the Age of five years:

"THAT

"THAT the Queen fhould take a folemn Oath, in the "presence of both Houses of Parliament, that she would not "hereafter give any Council, or ufe any mediation to the "King, concerning the difpofing of any Offices or Places "above mention'd, or at all intermeddle in any Affairs of "State, or Government of the Kingdom: that all Officers "and Counsellors, that fhould be imploy'd in any of the Places "before mention'd, fhould take a folemn Oath, that they "had not made ufe of any power or mediation of the Queen "directly, or indirectly for their Preferment, or in obtain"ing any fuch Place or Imployment: That the Affairs of the "Kingdom fhould not be concluded or tranfacted by the ad"vice of Private Men, or by any unknown or unfworn Coun"fellors, but fuch matters as were fit for the Council, by the "Privy Counsellors only; and fuch as were fit for the Parlia"ment, by the Parliament only:

"THAT no Perfon whatsoever, under the penalty of Trea"fon, fhould prefume to follicite, or further any propofition "for the Marriage of any of the King's Children with any "Prince or Perfon of the Popish Religion; and that no Mar"riage for any of the King's Children fhould be concluded "with any Prince or Perfon whatsoever, without the Con"fent and Advice of both Houses of Parliament: That none "of the King's Children, except the Princess Mary then af"fianced, fhould at any time go beyond the Seas, without the "confent of both Houses of Parliament; and that no Perfon "under penalty of High Treafon fhould affift, or attend any "of his Majefty's Children in any fuch voyage beyond the "Seas, without the like confent of both the Houses of Par❝liament.

"THAT no Mafs, or Popish Service, fhould be faid in the "Courts of the King or Queen, or in the Houfe of any Sub"ject of the Kingdom; and that more Laws fhould be made "against the Papifts; and all the Priests which were con"demn'd, fhould be forthwith executed. That the Votes of "Popish Lords might be taken away; and a Reformation "made of the Church Government, and Liturgy by the Par"liament; and that no penalty fhould be incurr'd for omif"fion of any Ceremony, till the Reformation fhould be per"fect: That all Delinquents fhould be fubject to fuch penal"ties and forfeitures as fhould be agreed on, and impofed by "Bill, in both Houses of Parliament: That fuch as fhould "be declared in Parliament to adhere to any Delinquents, and "had thereupon receiv'd any Preferment from the King, "Thould be remov'd from fuch Preferment; and fuch as "fhould be declared by both Houfes to have been imployed and used against Delinquents, and had thereupon fallen into

"the

"the King's difpleasure, and been put from their Places, fhould "be reftored to their Places, and his Majesty's Favour:

"THAT every Perfon, who, being a Member of the House "of Commons in that Parliament, had been accused of any "Offence again't that House, and, the Accufation depending, "had been called up to the House of Lords in the quality of "a Peer, fhould by Act of Parliament be put out of that "Houfe; and that hereafter no Member of the House of "Commons fhould without their confent be called up to be "a Peer, except in case of Descent: That no Perfon, which "fhould hereafter be made a Peer of the Realm, fhould be "admitted to have his Seat, or Vote in the Houfe of Peers, "without the confent of both Houses of Parliament: That "thofe Members of the House of Commons, who had this "Parliament been called to the House of Peers, except in cafe "of Defcent, fhould be excluded from giving their Votes in "the Houfe of Peers, unless both Houfes of Parliament "fhould affent thereunto: That no Member of either House "of Parliament should be preferred or difplaced, fitting the "Parliament, without the confent of that Houfe, whereof "he was a Member: That fuch of either House as had been "preferred to any Place or Office, during the Parliament, "might be put out of thofe Places :

"THAT the King would declare the Names of those "who advised him to the accufation of the Members, and all "the particulars that enfued upon that accufation; and that "he would make publick Declaration and promife in Parlia"ment never more to receive information from any Man to "the prejudice of any Member of either House, for any thing "done in that Houfe, without discovering the Name of fuch "Person who gave him fuch information.

THESE, and many other particulars of the like nature, were the refults of that Committee at Grocers-Hall; which I infert here, being the proper time of their Birth, that the World may fee, what their Projections were in the Infancy of their vifible power and advantage, though they were not digefted into avow'd propofitions till long after, as the effects of riper divifions, and fuller grown jealoufies. For by that time they had fhaped and framed these Devices, they found the Eyes of the People not fo univerfally fhut as they had been; and that the King's coming to the House of Commons, or the accufing the Members, was not more spoken of than the Tumults, and the driving the King out of London, and not fuffering him to be quiet at Hampton-Court. Then the Lords begun to take new Courage, and though they were fomewhat intoxicated with the fears and jealoufies concerning their Privileges, yet they thought Trefpaffes of that kind ca

pable

pable of reparation, and fo were willing to receive any Overture from the King to that purpose. It was concluded therefore, "The time was not yet ripe to do all at once, till more "Men were engaged, and refolv'd, "With more patience to "win their ground by inches.

THE King continued at Windsor to expect the end, or the iffue of this Tempeft; and finding that they hardly would take notice of his former Meffages, but proceeded in the Highways of Destruction, for he had advertisement of their most fecret Combinations, refolv'd to fend fuch a Meffage to the two Houses, whofe United Reputation was yet too great to struggle with, as might at leaft divide Thofe, who defired the Publick Peace, from the Ministers of Confusion and so on the 20th of January fent this Propofition and Meffage to them The King's Propofition in writing, "For preventing thofe evils, which the manifold and Meffage "Diftractions threaten'd to the Kingdom; that they would to both Hou"with all speed fall into a serious Confideration of all those ses, Jan. 20. "particulars, which they held neceffary, as well for the up"holding and maintaining the King's juft and Regal Autho"rity, and the Settling his Revenue, as for the present and "future Establishment of their Privileges, the free and quiet "enjoying of their Estates, and Fortunes, the Liberties of their "Perfons, the fecurity of the true Religion now professed "in the Church of England, and the Settling of Ceremonies "in fuch a manner as might take away all Juft offence; «which when they thould have digefted, and compofed into "one entire Body, that fo his Majefty and themselves might "be able to make the more clear judgement of them, it fhould "then appear, by what his Majefty would do, how far he "had been from intending, or defigning any of thofe things, "which the too great Fears and Jealoufies of fome Perfons "feem'd to apprehend; and how ready he would be to equal, "and exceed the greatest Examples of the most indulgent "Princes in their Acts of grace and favour to their People; "fo that if all the prefent Distractions, which fo apparently "threaten'd the ruin of the Kingdom, did not, by the blef"fing of Almighty God, end in a happy and bieffed Accom❝modation, his Majefty would then be ready to call Heaven "and Earth, God and Man, to witness, that it had not failed CC on His part.

THIS Meffage was receiv'd by the Lords with great figns of joy, infomuch that they defired the Commons to joyn with them in returning their Thanks to his Majefty for his gracious offers, and to affure him, "That they would forthwith apply Both Houses "themselves to thofe confiderations, he propofed. However Petition the the next day they joyned together in a Petition to the King, King about the accused "That he would, in very few days, fend in his Proofs, and Members.

"proceed

His Majefty's An

fwer.

"proceed against the Members he had Accused of High Trea"fon, or declare them to be Innocent, and himself to be ❝ill advised; to the which he Answer'd, "That he was ready "to proceed against them, but that there might be no new "mistakes in the way, and form of the proceedings, he de"fired, that it might be first refolv'd, whether his Majesty "were bound in refpect of Privileges to proceed against them "by Impeachment in Parliament, or whether he were at li"berty to prefer an Indictment at Common Law in the ufual "way, or whether he had his choice of either; before that "was refolv'd, his Majefty thought it unusual and unfit to dif“ cover what Proof he had against them; but then he would Сс give fuch speedy direction for Profecution, as might put a "determination to the business.

THIS gave them new Offence and Trouble; and if the King's Council had had the Courage to have infifted upon the matter of Law, and the Lords would have given them reasonable countenance, they would have been much puzled to have procured a Resolution that would have ferv'd their purpofes to all parts, and been content to have fufpended their judgement, that fo the King might have suspended his profecution. For if the Judges had been called to deliver their opinions in point of Law, which they ought to have been, they could not have avoided the declaring, that by the known Law, which had been confeffed in all times and ages, no Privilege of Parliament could extend in the cafe of Treafon; but that every Parliament Man was Then in the condition of every other Subject, and to be proceeded against accordingly. In the next place, as they would never have ventured themfelves upon the House of Peers under an Impeachment, and thereby made them their Judges, which indeed was incongruous, every Subject being to be Try'd for his Life per Pares, vel per Legem Terra, to both which the Lords, and the Impeachment, were directly oppofite; fo they would less have trufted an Indictment at Law, and a well chofen fober Jury, who had been bound to follow their Evidence of Fact, and were not Judges of the Law, which was fevere in any Con'fpiracy against the Crown, or the Perfons of King or Queen.

BUT having fhut the doors against any mention of Law, they made no fcruple of refolving, and answering his Majesty, "That they were first to see the Evidence he had to prove "the guilt, before they could give any direction for the man"ner of the Profecution, and Proceeding; which they grounded upon a Maxim, they had but lately established, though never till then heard of; "That no Member of Parliament, "for what Offence foever, could be Arrested, or proceeded "against, but by the confent of that Houfe of which he was "a Mem