and straightly enjoining him not to let his charge go to London.' This the King had been desirous to do ever since his going to Holmby, as is shown by the pamphlet The King's Majesty's Propositions (E. 377, 16). SIR, Cromwell and Hewson to Col. Whalley [Berkhampstead] June 25, 1647. Having received yesterday's vote2 from the House, which puts the Commissioners into the same capacity that they were at Holdenby, we hold you free of all further charge, save to look to your guards that his Majesty make no escape, and therein you must be careful and more now than ever. Dr. Hammond and the other of his Majesty's Chaplains 3 (so much desired) went through this town this morning, coming towards you; perhaps the Commissioners will put you upon it to keep them from the King so [see?] you are exact only in faithfulness to your trust and that during that only, for now you can be as civil as some others that pretend to be more. Let such distrustful carriages be provided for by those gentlemen who perhaps will incur some difficulty in the way wherein you have been faulted. 4 We commend ourselves kindly unto you and rest, OLIVER CROMWELL. JOHN HEWSON. Prithee be very careful of the King's securing, and although you have had some opportunity of putting all upon others that's unacceptable, yet be never a whit more remiss in your diligence.* 1 See Fairfax's letter; Clarke Papers, i. 138. 2 Lords Journals, ix. 290, 292. Commons Journals, v. 222. 3 Dr. Henry Hammond (uncle of Colonel Robert), one of the King's favourite chaplains, was a canon of Christ Church, Oxford. The other chaplain was Dr. Gilbert Sheldon, afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury. They were both ejected by the Visitors in 1648 and imprisoned. Col. Evelyn, Governor of Wallingford, was ordered to take charge of them, but although a puritan, he declared that he could not receive them as prisoners, but only as friends. 'Cromwell's language is not very clear, but his meaning plainly is, that whatever the Commissioners may say, the chaplains are to be allowed access to the King. * Clarke Papers, i. 140. 24 The Debate in the "Council of War" at Reading, July 16 THE Agitators having demanded an immediate march on London, a debate took place on July 16, in which Cromwell took a leading part. There is a long report of it among the Clarke MSS., from which the following is taken. Cromwell's speeches are here given just as in the Clarke report, with only so much of the substance of the others as is needed to link them together. LIEUT.-GEN. CROMWELL moved for a Committee, many things then not being fit for debate; and the Council of War to be adjourned till the afternoon. COMMISSARY-GENERAL IRETON demurred to any delay, and urged the consideration at once of the point whether the army should march to London or no; on which MAJOR TULIDAH declared that all the proposals would be of no effect without a march to London. LIEUT.-GEN. CROMWELL: "Marching up to London is a single proposal, yet it does not drop from Jupiter, as that it should be presently received and debated without considering our reasons. For I hope this [temper] will ever be in the Agitators-I would be very sorry to flatter them-I hope they will be willing that nothing should be done but with the best reason and with the best and most unanimous concurrence. Though we have this desire backed with such reasons, certainly it was not intended [to say] we had no reason to weigh those Reasons; for I think we shall be left to weigh these Reasons. All this paper is filled with Reasons; the dissatisfaction in particulars; the disadvantages of removal from London; the advantages of marching towards London. You are ripe for a conclusion and get a conclusion; but let this be offered to the General and Council of War." COL. RAINBOROWE prayed for a little time, in order to come prepared with other reasons. IRETON urged that the great point was not to get power into one man's hands more than another, but to settle the liberties of the kingdom, and to show what the army would do with the power when they got it. LIEUT.-GEN. CROMWELL: "I desire we may withdraw and consider. Discourses of this nature will, I see, put power into the hands of any 2 that cannot tell how to use it, of those that are like to use it ill. I wish 1So called, but it was rather a Council of the Army. 3 For "any" we should probably read "many." The allusion, Mr. Firth believes, is to the London Militia Commissioners. it with all my heart in better hands, and I shall be glad to contribute to get it into better hands. If any man or company of men will say that we do seek ourselves in doing this, much good may it do him with his thoughts. It shall not put me out of my way. The meeting at six o'clock. It is not to put an end to this business of meeting,' but I must consult with myself before I consent to such a thing, but really to do such a thing [I must consult] before I do it. And whereas the Commissary does offer that these things were desired before satisfaction be given to the public settlement, there may be a conveniency of bringing in that to the Council of War next sitting, if it be ready and thought fit to be brought in. If these other things be in preparation we may bring them in that we may not be to seek for a Council of War if we had our business ready." 3 CAPTAIN CLARKE believed that they all sought the good of the kingdom and had no intention of beginning a fresh war. MR. ALLEN urged that they should not stand idle while they discussed matters, but ought at once to take the power out of the hands of those who might destroy the kingdom. IRETON reiterated his argument that not quarrelling with others but the satisfaction of the kingdom was the main point, and after two or three other speeches, the Council adjourned. Afternoon The LIEUT.-GEN. CROMWELL: "If you remember, there are in your paper five particulars that you insist upon. Two of them are things new, that is to say, things that yet have not been at all offered to the Parliament or their commissioners, that is the second and the fourth. second, which concerns the Militia of the city, and the fourth which concerns the release of those prisoners that you have named in your paper, and those that are imprisoned in the several parts of the kingdom, of whom likewise you desire a consideration might be had now the judges are riding their circuits. To the first [we give you] this account: that upon your former paper delivered and upon the weight and necessity of the thing, there has 6 1 Query marching? 2i.e., marching on London. 3 Ireton. i.e., that new things are being brought up before the main point (satisfaction to the kingdom) is decided. 52nd. That the Militia of the City of London be returned into the hands "of those in whom it lately was," etc. 4th. That all prisoners illegally committed be set at liberty and reparation given them-Lilburn, Musgrave and others named. The Representation is printed in the Clarke Papers, i. 170. 6 The paper on the London Militia presented on July 6. been a very serious care taken by the General, he having, as I told you to-day, referred the preparing of somewhat for the Parliament concerning that to Col. Lambert and myself; and an account of that has been given to the General at our meeting in the inner room; and if it please you, that which has been in preparation may be read together with the Reasons of it. That paper that now it is desired may be read to you is part of it an answer to a former paper that was sent to the Commissioners concerning the excluding of the Reformadoes out of the lines of communication, and the purging of the House of Commons, and the discharging or sending away into Ireland the men that had deserted the army. The General did order a paper to that purpose to be sent to the Commissioners; and that paper that now is to be read to you of a reply to the Commissioners; and there is an addition of this business concerning the Militia, with the Reasons to enforce the desire of it." The Papers Read1 LIEUT.-GEN. CROMWELL: "Care taken of all them only two, which are concerning the suspending of the eleven members and the discharging of prisoners. I am commanded by the General to let you know in what state affairs stand between us and the Parliament and into what way all things are put. Tis very true that you urge in your papers, concerning that effect that an advancing towards London may have, and of some supposed inconveniences that our drawing back thus far may bring upon us; but I shall speak to that presently. Our businesses they are put into this way, and the state of our business is this: We are now endeavouring as the main of our work to make a preparation of somewhat that may tend to a general settlement of the peace of the kingdom and of the rights of the subject, that Justice and Righteousness may peaceably flow out upon us. That's the main of our business. These things are but preparatory things to that that is the main; and you remember very well that this, that is the main work of all, was brought to some ripeness. The way that our business is in is this: for the redressing of all these things it [is] a treaty, a treaty with Commissioners 1 Book of Army Declarations, p. 77, paper entitled An Answer to the Commissioners of the Army, etc. 2 This is the first particular, that the eleven members impeached by the army "be forthwith sequestered and disenabled from sitting in the House.' sent from the Parliament down hither, to the end that an happy issue may be put to all these matters that so much concern the good of the kingdom, and therein our good is so that they must be finished in the way of a treaty. The truth of it is, you are all very reasonably sensible, that if those things were not removed that we think may lose us the fruit of a treaty, and the fruit of all our labours, it's in vain to go on with a treaty, and it's dangerous to be deluded by a treaty. And therefore I am confident of it, that lest this inconveniency should come to us, lest there should come a second war, lest we should be deluded by a long treaty, your zeal hath been stirred up to express in your paper that there is a necessity of a speedy marching towards London to accomplish all these things. Truly I think that possibly that may be that that we shall be necessitated to do. Possibly it may be so; but yet I think it will be for our honour and our honesty to do what we can to accomplish this work in the way of a treaty. And if I were able to give you all those reasons that lie in the case I think it would satisfy any rational man here. For certainly that is the most desirable way, and the other a way of necessity, and not to be done but in way of necessity. And truly, instead of all reasons, let this serve; that whatsoever we get by a treaty, whatsoever comes to be settled upon us in that way, it will be firm and durable, it will be conveyed over to posterity, as that that will be the greatest honour to us that ever poor creatures had, that we may obtain such things as these are which we are now about. And it will have this in it too, that whatsoever is granted in that way, it will have firmness in it. We shall avoid that great objection that will lie against us, that we have got things of the Parliament by force, and we know what it is to have that stain lie upon us. Things, though never so good, obtained in that way, it will exceedingly weaken the things, both to ourselves and to all posterity; and therefore I say, upon that consideration, I wish we may be well advised what to do. I speak not this that I should persuade you to go about to cozen one another; it was not in the General's, nor any of our hearts. [You demand] that we that are Commissioners should be very positive and peremptory to have these things immediately granted, I believe, within the compass of that time which your papers mention, within so many days. And for the other two things that they take no care of, that is the members impeached [and the prisoners] these are two additional[s] which will be likewise taken care of to be considered and |