1659. October.

Inter-regnum. upon hearing these Words, ftood up, and interrupted him, declaring his Abhorrence of that deteftable Action; and telling the Council, That, being now going to his God, he had not Patience to fit there to hear his great Name fo openly blafphemed; and thereupon departed to his Lodgings, and withdrew himfelf from public Employment. Whether this old Man was a Prophet or no we thall not determine, yet it is certain he went to` his God on the laft Day of this very Month; but, whether to receive Reward, or Punishment, is left to the Reader's The Death of Conje&ture. Whitelocke fays, He died of a Quartant Prefident Brad- Ague, which had held him a Year; that he was a Shaw.

ftout Man, and learned in his Profeffion, but no Friend to Monarchy.' 'Tis certain, however, the Quartan Ague was a Friend to Prefident Bradshaw for had he lived fome Months longer, he muft have made his Exit by the Hand of an Executioner.

But, maugre all Obftacles, the Army was refolved to go on and finish their Work; they fufpended from their Command the Officers of it, who had appeared against them. They nominated a Coun cil of Ten, namely, Fleetwood, Lambert, Whitlocke, Vane, Defborough, Harrington, Sydenham, Burys Salway, and Warrefton, to confider of proper Ways to carry on the Affairs of Government. They made, as is faid before, Fleetwood Chief Commander, and Lambert Major-General of the Forces in England and Scotland; which, fays Whitlocke, much difcontented Monke. They appointed Fleetwood, Lambert, Vane, Desborough, Ludlow, and Bury, to be a Committee for nominating Officers of the Army; and, laftly, they kept a Day of Humiliation in Whitehall Chapel.

A Committee of The next Thing they did was to conftitute, what Safety named. they called, A Committee of Safety, confifting of Twenty-three Perfons; and that Letters fhould be fent to every-one of them, to undertake the Truft. Whitlocke has preferved the Form of one of these Letters, fent to himself, which was as follows:

Fer

For our honoured Friend Bulftrode Lord Whitelocke. Inter-regnum. Whitehall, Oct. 27, 1656.

SIR,

UPO
PON Confideration of the prefent Posture

of Affairs of this Commonwealth, the Ge'neral Council of Officers of the Army have thought fit to appoint a Committee of Safety, for the Prefervation of the Peace, and Management of the prefent Government therof; as alfo for the . preparing of a Form of a future Government for thefe Nations, upon the Foundation of a Commonwealth or Free State: And yourself being one * of the Perfons nominated for that Purpose, we do, by their Direction, hereby give you Notice thereof, and defire you to repair-To morrow Morning, at Ten o'Clock, to the Horfe- Chamber in Whitehall, in order to the Service aforefaid. We rest

Your faithful Friends and Servants,

ALLEN, CREED,
ASHFIELD, CLERK,

ZANKEY,

PACKER,

SALMON,

KELSEY, GOUGH

MILLES,

BISCOE,

KING.

1659.

Cctober.

The faid Author makes a great many Apologies for his accepting this Office; and would fain perfuade his Readers, That he had no lucrative Views in taking of it; but the Confequences will fhew the contrary: However, his Reafons feem to give us Tome Light into the fecret Workings of these dark Times, and therefore take them in his own Words:

October 28. The Committee of Safety were to meet, Whitelocke had refolved in his Mind the preTent State of Affairs, that there was no vifible Authority or Power of Government at this Time, but that of the Army; that if fome legal Authority were not agreed upon and fettled, the Army would probably take it into their Hands and govern by the Sword, or fet up fome Form prejudicial to the Rights and Liberties of the People, and for the particular Advantage and Intereft of the Soldiery, more than would be convenient.

A 2

< That

Manke's firft

'That he knowing the Purpofe of Vane and others to be fuch, as to the leffening of the Power of the Laws, and fo to change them, and the Magiftracy, Ministry, and Government of the Nation, as might be of dangerous Confequence to the Peace and Rights of his Country: To prevent which, and to keep Things in a better Order and Form, he might be inftrumental in this Employment. Upon these and the like Grounds, as alfo by the Engagement of divers of the Committee to join with him therein, he was perfuaded to undertake it, and did meet with them at the Place appointed where he was received by them with all Refpect and Civility.'

This Committee of Safety, we are told, confifted, for the most part, of Officers of the Army, and their Creatures, into which our Author fays he enlifted himself for the Public Good: And the firft Thing we find they did, was to publish a Declaration from the Army, with the Grounds and Reasons of their late Proceeding. About this Time, alfo, came a Letter from General Monke, to thofe Officers of the Army, declaring his Diffatisfaction, and of those that were with him, on the late Turn of Affairs. This was the firft Smoke perceived of that Fire, which foon after broke out to fome Purpose. And fince the Form of thefe Letters (for there were three of them) are yet preferved in a Pamphlet of thefe Times (b), in our Collection, we shall give them at Length:

To the Lord FLEETWOO D.

Right Honourable, Edinburgh, O&. 20, 1659. Have fent this Meffenger to your Lordship, to I let you know that we have received Notice, hand to the Eng- that a part of the Army have put Force

Letter from Scot

life Army.

upon

the

Par

(b) Called, A Collection of Letters and Declarations, &c. fent by General Monke, &c. Printed at London, in the Year 1660. This Collection was certainly made and published, foon after the King was reftored, by fome that had a Mind to blacken the General, by expofing his many Declarations to ftand by the Commonwealth. They are published fimply, without any Remarks upon them; but, by putting the moft ftriking. Words and Paffages in them into Italicks, and leaving out the Printer's or Publisher's Name, it must have been done by Defign, and in a Time of Danger.

October.

• Parliament, which they fo lately called together Inter-regnum, ⚫ and owned with the greatest Teftimonies of Obe1659. dience and Repentance for their former Apoftafy from them. I hope your Lordship will not abet an Action of fuch a dangerous and deftructive Confequence: I know that you love the Liberty and Peace of England fo well, that you will use · your best Care that Attempts of this Nature be fuppreffed. I do therefore humbly intreat you, that the Parliament may fpeedily be restored to that Freedom which they enjoyed on the 11th • of this Inftant; otherwife I am refolved, by the • Affiftance of God, with the Army under my Com• mand, to declare for them, and to profecute this • just Cause to the laft Drop of my Blood. I blefs

the Lord that the Officers here are very unani. C mous; and for fuch, whofe Hearts fail them, or ⚫ which will not act according to their Commiffions from the Parliament, I having Authority, as one of the feven Commiffioners appointed by Act of < Parliament, do conftitute fuch as are chearful for this Good old Cause, till the Parliament's Pleasure be further known. And I do plainly affure your Lordship, that I was never better fatisfied in the Juftice of any Engagement than in this, You < cannot but remember, that God hath already • fhewed himself glorious in it, and determined the • Quarrel on this Side, against arbitrary Power of raifing Money, without the People's Confent first had, and the Management of the Militia by any • other than the Parliament. I defire your Lordship not to be deluded by the fpecious Pretences of any • ambitious Perfon whatfoever, and do not bring all the Blood that will be fhed upon your own Head. My Lord, confider how you will answer to the dreadful God for the Ruin of Three Nations, for to • ferve a Luft, or to gratify a Paffion. For my parti⚫cular, I am afhamed of thefe Confufions and Chan6 ges that we have made, that we are now become a Scorn and a Reproach to our very Friends, and defigned to Ruin by all our Neighbours. I take God to witness, that I have no further Ends than the • efta

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eftablishing of Parliamentary Authority, and thofe good Laws which our Ancestors have purchafed 'with fo much Blood, the fettling the Nations in a free Commonwealth, and the Defence of Godliness and godly Men, tho' of different Judgment: And I take myfelf fo far obliged, being in the Parliament's Service, to ftand, tho' alone, in this Quarrel. And I doubt not but your Lordship, having the Fear of God in your Heart, will carefully confider of this Matter; which is all at prefent from Your Excellency's humble Servant,

GEORGE MONKE.

To the Lord LAMBERT.

Right Honourable,

Edinburgh, Oct. 20, 1659:

Aving Notice that a Part of the Army, un, der the Parliament's Command, have, contrary to their Duty, put Force upon them, I have therefore fent this Meffenger to your Lordship, to ⚫intreat you to be an Inftrument of Peace and good Understanding between the Parliament and Army: For, if they fhall continue this Force, I am refolved, with the Affiftance of God, and that Part of the Army under my Command, to ftand by them, and affert their lawful Authority. For, Sir, the Nation of England will not endure any arbitrary Power, neither will any true Englishman in the Army; fo that fuch a Defign will be ruinous and deftructive: Therefore I do earneftly intreat you, that we may not be a Scorn to all the World and a Prey to our Enemies, that the Perliament may be speedily restored to their Freedom, which they enjoyed on the 11th Inftant. Which is all at prefent from

Your Lordship's humble Servant,

GEORGE MONKE.

At the fame Time with the former came alfo a Letter from Monke, directed to Lenthhall, the Speaker of the fecluded Parliament; which we fhall add to

the