1659.

January.

Scheme to circumvent him. The Doctor tells us, Inter-regnum, That the General, when he had got no further on his March than Morpeth, difpatched away Sir Jofeph Douglas, with Letters of great Moment, to Sir Charles Coote in Ireland. Thefe Letters, he adds, were of great and dangerous Quality; for Douglas was to negotiate with Coote, that the various Interefts there might be fo managed, as to engage them to confederate quickly into a Declaration for a free Parliament, as the moft proper and effectual Way to redress their Grievances. Douglas fucceeded in ́ his Embaffy, and he had brought the Officers there. to too mature a pitch; for, juft as they were about declaring for a free Parliament, they were alarmed. with the aftonishing News, that Monke had broken down the Gates of London: Whereupon the Confpirators in Ireland expoftulated with Douglas as if he had betrayed them: But the next Packet from England affured them, that Monke had alfo declared for a free Parliament, which fet all right.'

But not to anticipate Matters, and to proceed: Sir Thomas Widdrington, Serjeant Tyrrill, and Serjeant Fountaine were made Commiffioners of the Great Seal, and had it delivered to them by the Hands of the Speaker, with the ufual Ceremony, in the Houfe; which was now very bufy again in granting Commiffions, and regulating the Officers of the Army, till this Day, Jan. 21, when it was ordered,

That it be referred to a Committee to bring in a Declaration, on Monday Morning next, That the Parliament intends forthwith to proceed to the Settlement of the Government; and will uphold a learned and pious Miniftry in the Nation, and their Maintenance by Tythes and the known Laws of the Land That they will proceed to fill up the House as foon as may be; and to fettle the Commonwealth without a King, Single Perfon, or Houfe of Peers, and will promote the Trade of the Nation: That they will referve due Liberty to tender Confciences; and encourage and settle the Univerfities;

16,9. January.

Inter-regnum. verfities: That they will not meddle with the Executive Power of the Law, but only in Cafes of Male-Adminiftration and Appeals; and that Proceedings fhall be according to the Laws: And also, That they will eafe the Burdens of the Nation as much as is confiftent with the preffing Neceffities of the Commonwealth.'

A Declaration of the Parliament.

January 23. Accordingly we find the Declaration was brought in by Lord Chief Juftice St. John, and read, first at large, and after by Parts. The Debate on this took up the whole Day, and very many Additions and Alterations were made to it. In the Afternoon of this Day it was at laft perfected; and, being put to the Queftion, was agreed to be forthwith printed and published. This Declaration is in our Collection of old Pamphlets, and no where else that we know of; from which Authority it claims a Place in thefe Inquiries.

A DECLARATION of the PARLIAMENT affembled at Westminster (a).

HE People of England having been neceffi

tated to take up Arms in the juft Defence • of their Laws and Liberties against the late King, and it having pleased God, after a long War, and 6 many Battles fought in the Field, fo to blefs their Armies, and to bring the War to fuch an Iffue, that, if they were not wanting to themselves, they might reap the Fruit of all the Blood and Treasure • exhausted in that Quarrel, and not only be restored to their Freedom for the prefent, but fecured against all the like Attempts for the future: The Parliament, hereupon, as the Trustees of the People for the accomplishing of thofe Ends, did declare and enact, That the People of England, and of all the Dominions and Territories thereunto belonging, fhould be thenceforth governed as a Com⚫monwealth and Free-State, by the Reprefentatives ⚫ of the People in Parliament, and that without any King,

(a) Printed by John Streater and John Macock, Printers to the Parliament, 1659.

1659.

January.

King, or House of Lords; judging this not only to Inter-regnum ⚫ be the undoubted Right of the People, but that the Office of a King in thefe Nations, or to have the Power thereof in any Single Perfon, as also the House of Lords, was burdenfome and dangerous to the Safety and Liberty of the People: And, by this Means, the Foundations of a public Intereft, being laid in the Place of that which was only private and perfonal, this People might grow up, thro' the Goodness of God, into perfect Freedom, being. • governed in the Supreme Power by their own Re• prefentatives; and, in the Executive Power, by ⚫ their known Laws and Judicatory; the best Mea

fure and Standard of Liberty. Their Navigation ⚫ and Trade encouraged and promoted, which in all

Monarchies is ftinted and reftrained. The true • Proteftant Religion, both at Home and Abroad, owned and countenanced; which, under the former Conftitution, was clogg'd with vain and fuperftitious Ceremonies, and corrupt Opinions, touching Faith and Worship, impofed upon all, without 6 any Regard had to tender Confciences, and the Minifters of the Gofpel, and the Profeffors thereof, with Godliness itself, discountenanced and per-> 6 fecuted.

To this State of Things did the Parliament judge it their Duty to bring this Nation, and the free People thereof; and no Man can reasonably doubt, ⚫ but that, long before this Time, the Parliament, through the fame good and gracious Prefence that • had accompanied their Undertakings, would have accomplished their Intentions in these Things, and fettled the Commonwealth upon the Bafis and Foundation aforefaid, if they had not been so often • interrupted, and thereby prevented hitherto from doing that which always was, and is, the utmost • Defire and Intention of their Hearts.

1

And yet the Parliament cannot but take Notice of the Artifices that are used to mifrepresent their Intentions, and to blemish their Proceedings before. the People, unjustly charging them with a Defign> to perpetuate themfelves now fitting, to fubject the

6

People

People to Arbitrary Power, and to govern them by Force. And as to Matters of Religion on one Hand, that they are Enemies to the Miniftry, their Maintenance by Tythes, to the Univerfities and Learning, and Encouragers of fanatic Princi6 ples; on the other Hand, that the Parliament is too fevere, and of impofing Principles in Matters of Religion, not being ignorant that thofe who, by thofe Means, do industriously labour to difaffect the People to the Parliament, are fuch, who, by fpecious Pretences, would firft put out their Eyes, that they might not fee the Way to their own true Liberty, and then bring them back again into their old Servitude.

'

The Parliament, therefore, to omit nothing in their Power that may undeceive honeft and wellmeaning Men, have thought it neceflary, in this Conjuncture of Time and Affairs, to declare and manifeft (as they do hereby) what their Intentions < are, as to the Government of these Nations, with • fome other Particulars relating thereunto, wherein they are refolved, thro' the Goodness and Affiftance of God, to remain conftant and immoveable. I. That the Parliament will provide forthwith to perfect those Beginnings which are already made for fettling the Government of thefe Nations, and the People thereof, in the Way of a Commonwealth and Free State, without a King, Single Perfon, or House of Lords, in fuch Manner that they may be govern'd from Time to Time by Representatives in Parliament chofen by themfelves, in whom alone the Supreme Authority of thefe Nations doth and ought to refide, and by fuch as they shall appoint and conftitute as Offi6 cers and Minifters under them for the Good of. the People; and that the Parliament will make it their Care to form the Army and Forces of these • Nations in fuch Manner that, whilft it shall be found neceffary for them, or any of them, to be kept up for the Safety of the Commonwealth, they may be wholly fubject and obedient to the Civil • Authority.

II.

1659.

II. There being nothing more effential to the Inter-regnum. Freedom of a State, than that the People should be governed by the Laws, and that Juftice be administered by fuch only as are accountable for • Male-Adminiftration, it is hereby further declared,

That all Proceedings touching the Lives, Liberties, and Estates of all the Free People of this • Commonwealth, fhall be according to the Laws of the Land: And that the Parliament will not meddle with the ordinary Adminiftration, or the • Executive Part of the Law; it being the principal • Care of this, as it hath been of all former Parlia ments, to provide for the Freedom of the People against Arbitrarinefs in Government.

III. And that they will make effectual Provifion for the countenancing of a learned and pious Gospel Miniftry through all the Three Nations, ⚫ and for the encouraging and protecting them in the • Work of their Ministry against Disturbances. And 6 as to their Maintenance; That by Tythes fhall be continued, it being already established by Law, and is in itfelf the moft certain, convenient, and comfortable Way of Maintenance that, in the Judgment of the Parliament, can be fettled; and therefore they do expect and require, that the Judges, Juftices of the Peace, and others whom it concerns, do take Care that the Laws touching the fame be put in effectual Execution: And for a further Increase of Maintenance than hath been anciently fettled upon preaching Minifters, the • Parliament doth declare, That the Augmentations by the Impropriations of the late King, Bifhops, Deans and Chapters, and Delinquents not compounded for, as likewife by Tenths and FirftFruits, fhall be continued and fettled upon the preaching Miniftry, not to be aliened or altered from that Ufe, and diftributed in fuch Manner as they may be applied to fuch Places as ftand in most need, that every Place in the Land may have a preaching Minifter, who may be able to teach the People the good Knowledge of the Lord, and may have a comfortable Livelihood and Encouragement

January.