"they already bragged, to come over, and make This the "Seat of the War.

66

"THAT the not putting the Forts into fuch hands, in "whom the Parliament might Confide, the not fettling the "Kingdom in a posture of Defence, the not removing the "prefent Lieutenant of the Tower, and putting fuch a Person "into that place, as might be well approved by the Parlia ment, could not but overthrow Trading more and more, "and make Monies yet more fcarce in the City and Kingdom. "That the misunderstanding between the King and Parlia"ment, the not vindicating the Privileges thereof, the charg"ing fome Members of Treafon to the deterring of others "from difcharging their Duties, and to the deftroying the very Being of Parliaments, did exceedingly fill the minds of "Men well affected to the Publick, with many fears and dif couragements; and fo difable them from yielding that "chearful affiftance, which they would be glad to afford. "That by this means, there was fuch a decay of Trading, "and fuch scarcity of Money, neither of which could be "cured, till the former evils were removed, as it was like, in "very fhort time, to cast innumerable multitudes of Poor Ar"tificers into fuch a depth of Poverty and Extremity, as "might enforce them upon fome dangerous and defperate Ar"tempts, not fit to be Expreffed, much less to be Justified; "which they left to the House speedily to confider, and prevent. Thefe evils, under which they did exceedingly la"bour and languifh, they faid, did fpring from the imploying "of ill affected perfons in places of Truft and Honour in the "State, and near to the perfon of the King; and that they were still continued by means of the Votes of Bishops, and "Popish Lords, in the House of Peers. And fo having faith"fully reprefented, they faid, the true reasons, which really « enforced them to return that Anfwer, they craved leave to "protest before God and the High Court of Parliament, that

cઃ

any further miseries befel their dear Brethren in Ireland, "or if any mischief fhould break in upon this Kingdom, to "the endangering or disturbing the peace thereof, it ought not to be imputed to Them, but only to fuch, who fhould "endeavour to hinder the effectual and speedy cure of those "evils before recited, which did fo much difable and difcourage "them from doing that which the House had defired of "them.

Counties con

AT the fame time, were presented other Petitions, fub- Petitions scribed by many thousand hands, and in the names of the likewife Knights, Gentlemen, and Freeholders, and other Inhabitants, from feveral of the Counties of Middlefex, Effex, and Hertford; all which cerning the severally inveighed against the Malignant Party, which ren- Militia. Cc 2

der'd

der'd the good endeavours of the House of Commons fruitlefs; "Defired that the Votes of the Bifhops, and Popish "Lords, might be taken out of the House of Peers; that they "might be put into a posture of defence, and the Forts, and "Caftles of the Kingdom, into fuch hands as the Parliament "might Confide in; that fo Ireland might be relieved, and "this Kingdom made happy. One of them adding, that the "Malignant Party of Prelates and Papists, and their adherents, ce were inconfiftent with the happy fuccefs of the Parliament. Thefe Petitions, and the Answer of the Common Council of London, were thought ample materials for a Conference with the Lords, who might be thereby remember'd of their Duty; Mr Fym de- and to that purpose Mr Pym delivered them at a Conference, livers the and after they were read, told them, "That their Lordships Petitions to might in thofe Petitions hear the Voice, or rather the Cry the Lords at of all England; and that they were not to wonder if the uraConference. «gency, the Extremity of the condition we were all in, did

"produce fome earnestness and vehemency of expreffion more "than ordinary; the agony, terrour, and perplexity, in which "the Kingdom laboured, was univerfal, all parts were affect"ed with it; and therefore in thofe Petitions they might ob"ferve the Groans and miserable Cómplaints of all. After a long discourse of the great and notorious dangers the Kingdom was in, by Invafions threaten'd from abroad, and Infurrections from within, he told them, "The Obstructions, that had "brought them into that Diftemper, were principally the ob"ftruction of Reformation in matters of Religion; and that "there was never Church or State afflicted with more grie"vances of That kind, than we had been; and that though "they were partly eased and diminished by the wifdom of "the Parliament, yet many still remained; and as long as the "Bishops, and the corrupt part of the Clergy, continued in "their power, there would be little hope of freedom, either "from the fenfe of those that continued, or the fear of those "which were removed. And of That obftruction, he faid, "he muft clear the Commons, who were in no part guilty "of it. Some good Bills they had already paffed, and others "were in preparation, and might have been paffed before "that time, if they had not found fuch ill fuccefs in the other "House: whatsoever mischief that obftruction fhould pro"duce, They were free from it; they might have their part of "the Mifery, they could have none in the Guilt or Disho

nour.

He told them "There was great obftruction in Trade, "which brought food and nourishment to the Kingdom; and "then having inlarged himself with enumeration of the no"table benefits the Kingdom received by the fulness of Trade,

"he

"he said, he must proteft, the House of Commons had given "no cause to that obftruction: They had cafed Trade of many Burthens, and heavy Taxes, and had freed it from many hard restraints by Patents and Monopolies; they had "fought to put the Merchants into fecurity and confidence "in refpect of the Tower of London, that fo they might be "invited to bring in their Bullion to the Mint, as heretofore "they had done, they were no way guilty of the Troubles, "the Fears, and Publick dangers, which made Men withdraw "their Stocks, and keep their Money by them, to be ready "for fuch fuddain exigents, as, in thofe great distractions, "they had too great cause to expect.

"THERE was an obftruction, he faid, in the relief of "Ireland, but he muft declare the Commons were altogether "innocent of any neglect therein; they had agreed to the Le"vies of Men and Money, and, from time to time, done all for "the furtherance thereof, though in the midst of many diftra"ctions and diverfions; but the want of Commiffions for "Levying Men, that was the Bill about Preffing, and divers "other impediments, had been the causes of that obstru"¿tion. Nay, he faid, he did not only find impediments to "themselves, but incouragement to the Rebels; for many of "the chief Commanders now in the head of the Rebels, after "both Houses had stopped the Ports against all Irish Papifts, "had been fuffer'd to Pafs, by his Majesty's immediate War❝rants, much to the difcouragement of the Lords Justices and "Council there, which were procured by fome evil inftru"ments too near his Royal Perfon, and, they believ'd with"out his knowledge and intention.

HE faid, "There was an obstruction in providing for the "defence of the Kingdom, that they might be inabled to "refift a Forreign Enemy, and to fupprefs all civil Infurre"ctions: what endeavour they had used to remove them, but "hitherto without that Succefs and Concurrence which they "expected, and where their stop had been, and upon what grounds they might proclaim their own Innocency and Faith"fulness in that particular, they defired no other Witnesses "but their Lordships.

HE told them, "The evil influences, which had caufed "that Diftemper, where the evil Councils about the King, "the great Power, that a Factious and Intereffed Party had "in Parliament by the continuance of the Votes of the Bishops, "and Popifhs Lords, in their Lordship's Houfe, and the ta"king in of others out of the House of Commons, and other"wife to encrease their strength, the fomenting a Malignant "Party throughout the Kingdom, the Jealoufies between the "King, and his Parliament. And after many bitter and Se

Cc 3

ditious

ditious expreffions of the Court, and of all thofe who were not of his mind, he concluded, "That he had nothing to pro"pose to their Lordships by way of requeft or defire from "the House of Commons; he doubted not, but their Judge"ments would tell them what was to be done; their Con"fciences, their Honours, their Interests, would call upon "them for the doing of it. The Commons would be glad "to have their help and concurrence in faving the Kingdom; "but if their Lordships fhould fail, it fhould not difcourage "them in doing their Duty; and whether the Kingdom "be loft, or faved, they fhould be forry, that the story of "this prefent Parliament fhould tell Pofterity, that, in fo great danger and extremity, the House of Commons should "be inforced to fave the Kingdom alone, and that the House "of Peers fhould have no part in the Honour of the prefer"vation of it, they having fo great an intereft in the good "fuccefs of thofe endeavours, in refpect of their great Estates, "and high degrees of Nobility.

ASSOON as this Conference was ended, the Speaker of the Houfe of Commons was appointed to give Mr Pym folemn. Thanks for his fo well performing that fervice, and to His Speech require him to deliver his Speech in writing in to the House, Printed by that it might be Printed; which was done accordingly, to the Order. end that the People might understand, befides thofe reproaches upon the King, how negligent the House of Peers were of their welfare and fecurity.

THE fame day and hour after that Conference, a great number of people, in the name of the Inhabitants of the County of Hertford, prefented a Petition to the Houfe of Peers; in which, amongst other particulars, "They complain'd of the "delay of putting the Kingdom into a pofture of War for "their better defence, and the want of complyance by that "Honourable House with the House of Commons, in enter"taining those many good Motions, and Paffing thofe necef

Сс

fary Bills prefented to them from that House for the Com"mon Good. And therefore they defired them, for the bet"ter removing of all the caufes and fprings of their Fears "and Troubles, that the evil Counsellors, and others hinder"ing the Publick Good, might be taken from his Majefty, "and the Voting of the Bifhops and Popish Lords, to be re"mov'd out of that Honourable House: And that the Peti

tioners, who would be ever ready to hazard their Lives and "Eftates for the defence of the King and Parliament, the Pri"vileges of the fame, and in fpecial thofe noble Lords and "Gentlemen in both Houses, whofe endeavours were for "the Publick Good, might have liberty to Protest against all "thofe, as Enemies to the Kingdom, who refused to joyn

<< with

"with those Honourable Lords and the Houfe of Commons, "for the putting the Kingdom into a way of Safety, under "the Command of fuch Perfons, as the Parliament fhould "appoint. But neither this, nor any of the other proceedings were refented by the House of Peers, though their Privileges were not only invaded, but the very Freedom and Liberty of Parliament abfolutely taken away and destroyed thereby.

WHEN the House of Commons found that none of these extraordinary ways would throughly Subdue the House of Lords, but that, though they had very sturdy Champions there, the Major part, albeit the Bithops, and all the Recu fant Lords were driven from thence, ftill opposed them, whereby neither the Bill for the taking away the Bishops Votes, nor about Preffing, could pafs, and that they perempto rily. ftill refused to joyn in the business of the Militia; they found a new way, as unpracticed and as unnatural as any of the former, whereby they would be fure to have an influence upon the Houfe of Peers. It is an old Custom, and Privilege of that .Houfe, that upon any folemn Debate, whofoever is not fatisfied with the conclufion and judgement of the Houfe, may demand leave to enter his Proteftation, which must be granted. The Original of this was in Jealous Times, when Men defired, for avoiding the ill confequence of any Act there, that their Diffents might appear; and was very feldom practiced, but when they conceiv'd Religion, or the Crown, trenched upon; infomuch as you fhall not find, in the Journals of many Parliaments, one Proteftation enter'd; and when there was any, there was no more in the Records, than, after the Refolution of the House is enter'd, "That fuch a Lord defired that his Proteftation or Diffent might "be enter'd, and oftentimes when feveral have diffented from the general Opinion, not above one or two have enter'd their Proteftation. But fince this Parliament, as they alter'd this Custom from cafes of high Concernment to the most trivial Debates, the Minor part ordinarily entering their Prote ftation, to the end that their Opinions might be taken notice of, and who were oppofite to them, whereby the Good and Bad Lords were known and publifhed; fo they alter'd the form, and instead of fhort general Entries, caufed the matter of Debate to be fumm'd up, and thereupon their Protefta tion, "That they were not to be anfwerable for any Inconve "niences or Mischiefs, that fhould befal the Common-wealth "by reafon of this or that Refolution. So that from an Act for the particular Indemnity of the Perfon, that made it, it grew fometimes to be a reproaching and arraigning the fenfe of the House by any Factious number that difagreed. Then

Cc4

because