December. Inter-regnum. Members were come, and endeavoured to get into the 1659. Houfe, defiring him to acquaint the Speaker and House fo much, (as fome of the Members did alfo) which he promifed, and immediately did, returning to the Door to tell us, That he had done fo, and that the Houfe had thereupon taken up the Debate of that Bufinefs; and the Turnkey prefently took the Key out of the Door, to prevent any further Attempt of going in. Col. Ingoldfby, whilft we were at the firft Door, came in, who was the only fitting Member that we saw, for none came out whilft we were there: Him we defired to acquaint the Houfe with our Attendance, and the Force upon us, which he promised to do, and we believe did. f us. Having attended above an Hour, with more Distance and Strangeness than ever we were used to when we went on Meffages to the Lords House, who usually came many of them out, and difcourfed very familiarly with us; whereas not one of thefe felf-made Lordlings (whether out of Pride, Guilt, or both, let others judge) vouchfafed to come near We grew weary of waiting fo long and fervily upon those, who, in their highest Capacity, are but our Equals, though we had borne it thus far, to acquit ourselves of neglecting no Condefcenfion that might make Way to the Difcharge of the Truft we are in for our Country: And therefore we made Col. Alured acquainted, That we were refolved to ftay no longer, unless the Houfe declared they defired we fhould: Whereupon he went again to the House Door, which, upon his Knock, being opened, he acquainted the Serjeant fo much, willing him to give Notice thereof to the Speaker and Members fitting; which he presently did, and, within a fhort Time after, the Serjeant came out to us, and having made a Preamble, That he had no Direction to come and tell us any thing, he told us of his own Civility, That the Houfe had paffed a Vote in our Bufinefs; which, in Effect, was, the appointing the 5th of January to take the Business of the abfent Members into Confideration; which we looked upon as a difdainful Affront, being prefent, not abfent Members, and and an avowed Confirming and Owning of this for- Inter-regnum, cible Exclufion of us, and fo departed.'-Thus far 1659. Mr. Prynne. December. And now the first Thing we find this Houfe did, The Parlia was to appoint a Committee, confifting of Popham, ment's ProceedThompson, Okey, Alured, and Markham, all Colo-ings. nels, with Sir Anthony Afbley Cooper, and Mr. Scott, to order, direct, and conduct the Forces of the Army, and all other Forces; and to command the fame, for the Safety of the Parliament and this Commonwealth; to fupprefs all Tumults, Infurrections, and Rebellions, and all fuch Forces which fhall oppose, or refift, the Commands of the Parliament; and to obferve fuch Orders and Directions as they fhall receive, from Time to Time, from the Parliament, or the Commiffioners appointed by Authority of Parliament. This Power to continue till further Orders. Orders were alfo given to provide one Month's Pay, forthwith, for the Payment of the Non-Commiffion Officers, and all other Officers, under the Degree of Captains, with the private Soldiery, both Horfe and Foot. The Committee for infpecting the Treasury to advance this Money out of the Treafuries of this Commonwealth.-The Government of the Tower was committed to Sir Anthony AshleyCooper, Weaver, Scott, and Fofias Barners. December 27. The Houfe being informed that the Duties on Excife and Cuftoms would expire in a few Days, they immediately ordered in a new Act for the fame; which being read a first and fecond Time, and committed, was reported back the fame Day, Commiffioners named, read a third Time, paffed, and was ordered to be forthwith printed and published. Ordered, That no Forces fhall he raised, but by Authority of this prefent Parliament: And that all fuch Forces as have been, or fhall be, railed, without Authority of Parliament, be forthwith difbanded. Provided, That this Vote extend not to any of the Forces raifed by General Monke. VOL. XXII. by Ordered, Inter-regnum. 1659. December. Ordered, That all the Regiments of Horfe and Foot, in the Northern Counties, do forthwith repair unto fuch Quarters as fhall be appointed by the Commiffioners for Management of the Army; and obferve fuch Orders and Directions as the Commiffioners, from Time to Time, fhall give forth.' Ordered, That it be referred to a Committee to prepare Letters of Thanks, and Acknowledgement of the Fidelity and good Service of General Monke, Vice-Admiral Law/on, and the Commiffioners at Portsmouth. Mr. Scott, Mr. Weaver, and Col. Martin were to draw up the fame, and the Speaker to fign and feal the faid Letters with the Seal of the Parliament.' Refolved, That Mr. Speaker be defired to write Letters to the feveral Members of this House, forthwith to give their Attendance on that Service." This Vote was very neceffary; when, on a Division this Day about a Commiffioner of the Cuftoms, the Numbers were only 20 to 17. Not a House at this Time. December 28. Col. Ingoldfby gave an Account to the House, of his taking and fecuring Windfor Caftle for the Parliament; which Action the Houfe approved of, and gave Thanks to him and the Forces under him. December 29. The Speaker, by Order of the Houfe, did return hearty Thanks to Sir Arthur Hafilrigge, Col. Walton, and Col. Morley, then prefent in the Houfe; and they were ordered to bring in a Note of what Monies they had disbursed in the fecuring of Portsmouth, to the end that a Course might be taken for the speedy Repayment of them. Next, the House voted their Approbation of what General Monke had done, in placing and difplacing of Officers; and that the faid Officers were thereupon confirmed in their Offices and Places. Another Letter of Thanks was alfo voted to be fent to the General for his Fidelity and faithful Service. The House alfo approved of what was done by fo many of the Council of State, as acted for the Parlia ment 1659. ment during the Time of the late Interruption of Inter-regnum. their Sitting; and gave them the hearty Thanks of the House, for their good and faithful Service done to the Parliament and Commonwealth. 6 Ordered, That the Thanks of this Houfe be given to Vice-Admiral Lawson, and all the Commanders and Officers of the Fleet, for their Fidelity and great good Service done for the Parliament and Commonwealth: And that Mr. Scott and Mr. Sollicitor Reynolds do repair to the Fleet, and prefent these Votes and Letters of Thanks to the ViceAdmiral, Commanders, and Officers there; and to let them know, That the House will take Care for the Payment of their Arrears in due Time.' Other Perfons fhared likewife the Thanks of the House on this Occafion; and, amongst these, their old Speaker, Lenthall, was not forgotten; for he, amongst the reft, had the Thanks of the Houfe beftowed upon him, for his very good Service done to the Commonwealth. In this Shower of Gratitude poured down upon Individuals on all Sides, for affifting this Tail of a Parliament to its warm Seat again, fome one Member, we fuppofe, moved, That God Almighty might not be neglected. Thereupon it was ordered, That a Day fhould be fet a-part and obferved by the Members of this Houfe, in this House, for Fafting and Humiliation; and for acknowledging of God's Mercy with Thankfulness: And for Prayer, for his further Bleffings on the Councils of the Parliament, and Affiftance in carrying on the great Work lying on their Hands.'-Ordered, alfo, That Mr. Burgess of Portsmouth, Mr. Venning, and Mr. Jenkins, be defired to affift in carrying on the Work of that Day. Dec. 30. According to an Order made the Day before, the Houfe began on this to prepare for the electing a new Council of State, confifting of twentyone of their own Members, and ten of fuch as were not of the Houfe. It was done in the ufual Way by Ballot; but the Form and Manner of it took up the C 2 December. Inter-regnum. 1659. December. A new Council the rest of this Day, fo that the Nomination of them was not made till the next. a The Names of the Perfons who had moft Voices, and were Members of this Parliament, were reof State elected. ported; and the Question being put upon each of their Names diftinctly, the following Perfons were allowed to be duly elected : Sir Arthur Hafilrigge, Mr. Herbert Morley, Col. Thompson, Mr. John Dixwell, Mr. John Corbet, The ten Perfons out of the Houfe were, Sir Anthony Afbley Cooper, Vice-Admiral Lawson, Alderman Love, Fofias Barners, The Lord Fairfax, Tyrrill, Robert Roll, Slingsby Bethell. b The Time for the Continuance of this Council of State, to fit and act, was voted to be only from January the Ift, 1659, to the 1ft Day of April, 1660. Inftructions were drawn up and agreed for them to act by, which are not entered in the fournals at Length; but, by the fhort Hints given there of them, we fuppofe this Council had as much Power over the Liberties, Lives, and Fortunes, of their Fellow-Subjects, as ever belonged to the Regality. And, that they might be all true and trufty to the Good Old Caufe, they devised the Form of an Oath, which every one of the Council were to take before a See the Form in the Commons Journals, p. 800. b This laft was a Shake-Cap, for Mr. Carew Raleigh had the fame Number of Voices on the Ballot ; but both their Names being put into a Hat and shaked, the Speaker drew out Mr, Robinson. 3 |