And we entreat you to fend up an Officer, to give 6 to the Lord-General Monke an Account of your Acquiefcence with us herein. And if any disaffect⚫ed Perfons fhall hereby take Occafion to make Difturbance of the Peace of the Commonwealth, either in Favour of Charles Stuart, or any other pretended Authority, we defire you to fecure them, till the Pleasure of the Parliament or Council of State be known in that Behalf. You fhall speedily receive Encouragements and Supplies of Monies; and, indeed, it was not the leaft Motive that induced us to this Way of Compofure of Affairs, ⚫ that we might facilitate the raifing of Monies for the Subfiftence of the Army and Navy, which would not otherwife have been done, if at all, but with Effufion of Blood. We have nothing more at this Time, but to affure you that we shall ever • remain,

Jo. BUTLER, Quarter-Mafter-General,

ETHELBERT MORGAN,

1659.

March.

To proceed now again with the Doctor: We fhall Inter-regnum, purposely pass over fome private Conversation between the General and his Chaplain, about Bishops, &c. as well as of fome other Matters, of little or no Conféquence relating to the Church; and purfue, with our Author, the Civil and Military Affairs of the Nation, which were now every where on the Wheels of Motion. The Parliament had conftituted a new Council of State; had taken off the Engagement against the King and Houfe of Lords. This laft, he tells us, was impofed on the Subject foon after the Murder of the King, when the Army had fet up the Remainder of the Houfe of Commons for a Free State. Though, he adds, the Solemn League and Covenant, which was in fome Senfe for Monarchy, but in all against Prelacy, hung ftill on the Walls of the Houfe of Commons, and which, with the Names of the renowned Subfcribers, was left to the Cenfure of the next Parliament.

< The General kept a watchful Eye on his Enemy, the other Army; but, being now in full Martial Power over all, he went on reforming the Colonels and the other Officers, who were found troublesome or difaffected, till he had not left a Zealot or a Preacher amongst them. The Parliament eafed him alfo of much Trouble, by fettling of the Militia: in which, the Doctor tells us, neither Independent, Anabaptift, Fifth-Monarchy-Man, or Quaker, had any Sort of Command; a Cavalier was then become a lefs odious Name. And thus, adds he, were Things carried all over the Nation, and a fair Profpect given of the King's Return, all the ambitious and puritanical Officers of the marching Army being laid afide.

There did not want the Power of Money, alfo, to affift the Caufe, which will always do great Matters with the Common Soldiery, the Parliament having taken Care to continue the 100,000 1. monthly Affeffiment on England and Wales, for fix Months more. By this Means Col. Overton's Gar rifon at Hull, of which he was Governor, were gained from him, and he obliged to give up that

Inter-regnum. ftrong Fortress to the Parliament, which otherwife might have proved very troublesome.

1659.

March.

But ftill, the Doctor acquaints us there was another great Rub to get over; all the Officers in the Army, who kept their Commiffions, had actually figned their Concurrence for introducing the fecluded Members, and owned the Neceffity of it; but yet they would understand their Obedience to the Parliament to extend no further than as they were grounded upon a Free State: For this was the Phrafe Monke and his Officers used in their Letter to the Parlialiament, which intimated a Readiness in them to take Care these should not be loft. But now they were not fatisfied of the good Intentions of the Parliament touching this Government; nor much better of the General's, who had refused the Qffer of the Honour and Manor of Hampton Court, (the only Portion of Crown-Lands yet unfold) poffeffed by Cromwell, when he affumed the Title of Protector: For the old fitting Members had craftily proposed the giving of this to him, and the fecluded could not irly withftand the Motion of rewarding him: But the General, upon his refusing the Donation of these Lands, as a House too great for him, was recompenfed with a Gift of 20,000l. yet this Non-acceptance rendered him ftill more fufpected.

• Now these Officers, when they faw the General had refused these Crown-Lands, and even the Dignity of the Crown itself, when offered by fome who beft understood their own Safety, combined into dangerous Refolutions, and contrived a Paper to be univerfally subscribed, (presenting it to the General for his Subscription in the firft Place) the Purport of which was, To declare that the Government of these Three Nations should be a Commonwealth, without Kingship or any other Single Perfon, by what Name or Title foever dignified or diftinguished: And that this prefent Parliament fhould be required to pafs this into an Act, as a Fundamental Conftitution, not to be fhaken or questioned by future Parliaments; and that the Army ought, upon no other Terms, to maintain their Authority. These Officers

1659.

March.

Officers did affemble very daringly before the Ge- Inter-regnum. neral, Col. Okey being their Prolocutor. This Gentleman was a better Soldier than an Orator; befide that his Life lay at Stake, having fat as Judge upon the King's. He was also a known Stickler for the Commonwealth's Party, and but lately as much a General as Monke himself; neither did he want either a Courage to act, or, poffibly, a Party of the Army to follow him: Wherefore the General did not esteem it prudent to ruffle in Words, though he was refolved not to gratify their Request, by fubfcribing to the Paper: So that Commiffary Clargis (for fo now he was of the Mufters) was put upon undertaking the Debate, for he had the General's good Opinion, as favouring his Defign: And indeed it concerned him to deferve it, both their Interests being bound up in the fame Bottom.

I happened to be prefent at the Debate, which Clargis managed with much Refolution and Dexterity of Words, laying before them their own Danger, in making at that Time fuch an Address to the Parliament, in regard this was the very Parliament, that would not be frighted with their Arms or Impeachments of High Treafon before; much less now, when all fober Men faw the Inconveniency of being govern'd by an Army: Further infinuating, That the General and his Officers were not to prescribe unto them: That the Parliament had an Authority, in which themselves, by their Subfcription, did acquiefce: That they could vote the General, and whom elfe they thought fit, out of their Commands; and, when that was done, pass a Vote for their own Diffolution, without appointing the iffuing out of Writs for the fucceeding Parliament: For if the General, he faid, would break his Promife of not disturbing them, they might very well break theirs for calling another Parliament: And that there would be no Fear of a Civil Government, because there was none to affume it, (unless they would truft Richard Cremwell) the General having refufed it, as fome of themselves well knew, who had made him an Offer of it. Thefe Reasons the General approved of;

and

1659.

Inter-regnum. and added, That he would rather be torn in Pieces by wild Horses, than be fo treacherous to his Coun try's Freedom.

March.

'The Debate was long, and not without fome Heat of Words; but after our Officers had fpent their Fears and Jealoufies of lofing the Good Old Caufe, the General with Gravity and Calmness, admonished them, that it was contrary to the Difcipline of an Army to meddle with Civil Government: That they and he were under the Command of the Parliament, their Superiors: That he did not doubt but the next Parliament could quiet all their Apprehenfions; and that this would not hurt them, for that they were upon the Point of diffolving themselves: Then he feverely commanded his Officers to have no more of these Meetings without his Privacy, foon after removing fome of them from their Commands.

The next Trouble the General found, our Author tells us, was from the Parliament itself; feveral of whofe Members, defirous to keep their Places, were offering at breaking the Articles of their Admiffion, and not to yield to the calling of another Parliament. Mr. Prynne fpoke it openly, That, if the King must come in, it was fafeft for them that he fhould come in by their Votes, who had made the War against his Father.' But, Mr. Prynne being fent for, he was admonished to be quiet; and it was the Bufinefs of fome others, the Doctor fays, to keep their expiring Seffion of Parliament fteady, and clear from intermeddling with Change of Government. They did not, however, part without leaving fome Testimony of their Difloyalty behind them, as," by paffing a Vote for the General to give no Commiffions to any Officer, but to fuch as would make the following Declaration:

1 A. B. do acknowledge and declare, That the War undertaken by both Houses of Parliament, in their defenfive Part, against the Forces raised in the Name of the late King was just and lawful.