the putting and voting of one, two, three, or four questions there, that made the judgment of the House. "That, "Sir," continued the precise Sir Simonds, "is to be pro"nounced by yourself, our Speaker, to whom we direct "our speeches; and then, and not till then, is the judg"ment of this House past." He added that, if they could not agree which of the two questions should be past first, for his part he should be content to have them. past together.

The result is thus succinctly recorded by the same veracious and conscientious witness. "Others spake "after me, and the contention which question should be "first put was again set on foot, till at last it was resolved, by question, that the matter touching Mr. Palmer's "going to the Tower should be first determined; and "thereupon the Speaker did first put this question-As

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many as are of opinion that Mr. Palmer should be sent "to the Tower, there to remain during the pleasure of "the house, let them say Aye. Upon which followed a "great affirmative; and, the question being put negatively, "there were many Noes: whereupon there followed a "division of the house, and the Speaker appointed Sir "Thomas Barrington and Sir John Clotworthy tellers for "the Ayes, of which I was one, and we went out and were in number 169; the tellers appointed for the Noes "who stayed in the house, being the Lord Falkland and "Mr. Strangways," (the member for Bridport), "and the "number of them was 128. Then the Speaker put the

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second question, namely-As many as are of opinion "that Mr. Palmer shall be expelled from being a member "of this house during this parliament, let them say Aye. Upon which followed a lesser affirmative than formerly; "and upon the negative, a greater number of Noes. The "house was again divided, and the same tellers appointed "both for the Ayes and Noes as before. I was an Aye, "and the Ayes went out again, and were in number 131. "The Noes that continued in the house were 163. "so Mr. Palmer escaped expulsion out of the House,

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"which his offence had deserved in a high measure. We appointed to meet to-morrow morning by ten of the clock, and so the House rose between six and seven of "the clock at night."

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On the next day, Friday the 26th of November, Palmer "in his barrister's gown" appeared at the Bar to receive sentence; and, kneeling there, was informed by Mr. Speaker that the judgment awarded to his offence was committal to the Tower during the pleasure of the House. To the Tower he was committed accordingly, and there remained until Wednesday the 8th of December, on the morning of which day "the humble petition of Geoffrey "Palmer was read, wherein he did acknowledge his "offence and the justice of the House, and his sorrow "that he had fallen into its displeasure:" upon which an order passed for the discharge of Mr. Palmer from his imprisonment in the Tower.

As to this submission of his friend, Clarendon is wholly silent; and, in so far as the sin of suppression may be less than of deliberate falsification, the circumstance should perhaps be mentioned to his praise. He also unconsciously renders tribute to the sagacity and steadiness of purpose with which the leaders had pursued and obtained their object in these long and passionate debates, when he says that having compassed their main end, they found the sense of the House more at their devotion from that time, and admits that the minority grew so cast down and dejected, that the leading men ever after met no equal opposition within its walls (ii. 61, 62). But in every other point of these later, as of the earlier proceedings, every single sentence he utters is a misstatement. He says there was not the least doubt that there never had been any precedent for calling a member to account for words spoken except at the moment of their utterance: whereas D'Ewes's precedents have been seen. He says, that, after two hours' debate, additional delays and bitterness were only spared by Palmer's own voluntary offer that to save the House farther

trouble he might answer and withdraw: whereas the answer was only given upon compulsion, after a formal division had left no alternative. He says that the real secret of the hostility displayed to Palmer, and the reason why the angry men pressed with all their power that he might be expelled the House, was that they had borne him a long grudge for the civility he showed as one of the managers in the prosecution of the Earl of Strafford, in that he had not used the same reproachful language which the others had done: whereas the men most eager to protect Palmer were notoriously those who, like Culpeper, Falkland, and even Hyde himself, had shown least mercy or forbearance to Strafford. Finally, he says,'

that in the close of the day when the division was taken against Palmer, and on the rising of the House, an order was obtained, without much opposition, for the printing of the Remonstrance: whereas two days were occupied by the Palmer debate, and not even an attempt was made during either to smuggle in any order for the printing. When it was done, it was done openly, but the time for it was even yet not come.

Saturday, the 27th of November, was the day named for reception of the report of the Committee appointed to draw the Petition to the King; designed, in accordance with Pym's suggestion, to accompany the Remonstrance. It was ushered in by threatening omens. Charles was

1 I give the entire passage, taking it up from where the passage previously quoted (ante, p. 119) ends. As he there mentions, he had appealed to the House whether there was any precedent of the like: "and there "is no doubt," he continues, "there "never had been; and it was very "irregular. But they were "positively resolved to be diverted; "and, after two hours debate, he him"self desired, 'that to save the house "farther trouble, he might answer "and withdraw' - which he did. . When it drew towards night, after "many hours debate, it was ordered

too

"that he should be committed to "the Tower; the angry men press"ing with all their power, that he "might be expelled the house : "having borne him a long grudge, "for the civility he showed in "the prosecution of the Earl of "Strafford; that is, that he had not "used the same reproachful language "which the others had done... And "in the close of that day, and the rising of the House, without much "opposition, they obtained an order "for the printing their Remonstrance." -Hist. ii. 48-9.

now arrived from Scotland; had been received with magnificent entertainment in the city, on the previous Thursday; had returned afterwards to Whitehall in such elation and excitement as rarely was witnessed in him; between that evening and the following day, when he proceeded to Hampton Court, had given Nicholas the seals which were held by Windebank, had deprived old Vane of his secretaryship and treasurer's staff, had seen privately Culpeper, Falkland, and "Ned Hyde," had directed a proclamation to be issued for more implicit obedience to the laws established for the exercise of religion, and had given order for the immediate dismissal of those trainbands employed upon guard at the two houses, which, as we have seen, upon the receipt of Hampden's dispatch out of Scotland announcing the plots against the leaders of the covenant, had been ordered up for their protection, and since had guarded them by night and day.' He had also taken the resolution, though the act was deferred for yet a few days, to remove Col. Balfour from the command of the Tower and to appoint Col. Lunsford in his place. The temper of the House at such report as had reached them of these incidents was not slow in revealing itself.

Prayers had just been said when Hampden rose in his place; made a statement as to a Buckinghamshire papist, one Adam Courtney, suspected of connivance in the plot now proved against the King's officers to bring

1 The order had been given by the King on Thursday evening. Early on Friday morning Pym reported to the House that, whereas, heretofore, a guard had been set, at the desire of the Commons, in respect of the multitude of soldiers, and other loose persons, infesting the precincts of Westminster, and was afterwards continued by both Houses, and the Lord Chamberlain [Essex], who had a commission to be Lord General on this side Trent, took a care concerning the same; but now, upon his Majesty's

up the Army to overawe the Parliament; and, producing the minute pieces and fragments of certain letters which Courtney had torn up on his arrest, desired that they should be deciphered by the army committee then sitting, by whom also the delinquent could be brought up from Aylesbury gaol and examined. After him rose Mr. Oliver Cromwell to call attention to a gross slander against the House of which he held the proofs in his hand, and by which it seemed that "one whom he "named not lest he should withdraw himself" had given out that the principal members had been alarmed on seeing the intended City entertainment to his Majesty announced, and had sent privately to the said City to induce them not to entertain him. After Cromwell, Strode presented himself, to move that some course might be taken for putting the kingdom in a posture of defence, in which he was seconded by Sir Thomas Barrington and Sir Walter Earle; and upon the suggestion of the same active member, a committee of seven was named to draw up the whole proof of the first design to bring up the Army to overawe the House, and to prepare for introduction at the next sitting a bill for the “future commanding of the Arms and the Trained "Bands of the kingdom." The member for Beeralston also moved that reasons should at once be presented to his Majesty for the continuance of the Guard over both houses,' and that these should be drawn by the same

1 This was on Saturday; and on the morning of the following Tuesday, the 30th of November, Pym presented those reasons in a remarkable report which shows how thoroughly existing dangers were appreciated, and how much was already suspected of the King's most cherished design.

It adverted to the great number of disorderly, suspicious, and desperate persons, especially of the Irish nation, lurking in obscure alleys and victualling houses in the suburbs and other places near London

and Westminster. It described the jealousy conceived upon discovery of the design in Scotland, for the surprising of the persons of divers of the nobility, members of the parliament there, which had been spoken of here, some few days before it broke out, not without some whispering intimation that the like was intended against divers persons of both houses: which had found the more credit, by reason of the former attempt of bringing up the army, to disturb and enforce this parliament. It en