of the kingdom, which, after long and sharp debates, was carried in the house of commons, and ordered to be printed December 15th, 1641. On the sixth of this month he was appointed of a committee with Mr. Pymme, Mr.

no hopes of settling the distractions of this kingdom, for want of a concurrence with the lords. This remonstrance was somewhat roughly penned, both for the matter and the expressions in it, and met with great oppositions in the house; insomuch as the debate of it lasted from three o'clock in the afternoon, till ten o'clock the next morning; and the sitting up all night caused many through weakness or weariness to leave the house, and Sir B. R. [Sir Benjamin Rudyard I suppose] to compare it to the verdict of a starved jury."

The truth is, this remonstrance contains a concise history of the enormities of Charles's government, the evil counsellors who had, and did guide him, and the mischiefs which they had been meditating against the house itself for their opposition to, and correction of, abuses. "The oppositions, obstructions and other difficulties," says the remonstrance, "wherewith we have been encountred, and which still lye in our way with some strength and much obstinacy, are these: The malignant party whom we have formerly described, to be the actors and promoters of all our misery, they have taken heart again; they have been able to prefer some of their own factors and agents to degrees of honor, to places of trust and employment even during the parliament. They have endeavoured to work in his majesty ill impressions and opinions of our proceedings, as if we had altogether done our own work, and not his, and had obtained from him many things very prejudicial to the crown, both in respect of prerogative and profit."

Lisle, Sir Guy Palmes, lord Falkland, Mr. Strode, Sir John Strangeways, Sir*** Armyn, *** Hide; to present some such course to the house, as may be fit to prevent all

Again-" They have sought, by many subtile practices, to cause jealousies and divisions betwixt us and our brethren of Scotland, by slandering their proceedings and intentions towards us; and by secret endeavours to instigate and incense them and us one against another. They have had such a party of bishops and popish lords in the house of peers as hath caused much opposition and delay in the prosecution of delinquents, hindered the proceedings of divers good bills passed in the commons house, concerning the reformation of sundry great abuses and corruptions both in church and state. They have laboured to seduce and corrupt some of the commons house, to draw them into conspiracies and combinations against the liberty of the parliament: and by their instruments and agents, they have attempted to disaffect and discontent his majesties army, and to engage it for the maintenance of their wicked and trayterous designs, the keeping up of bishops in their votes and functions, and by force to compel the parliament to order, limit and dispose their proceedings in such manner as might best concur with the intentions of this dangerous and potent faction. And when one mischievous design and attempt of theirs to bring on the army against the parliament and the city of London had been discovered and prevented, they presently undertook another of the same damnable nature, with this addition to it, to endeavour to make the Scottish army neutral, whilst the English army, which they had laboured to corrupt and invenome against us by their false and slanderous suggestions, should execute their malice to the subversion of our religion and the dissolution of our government. Thus they have been continually practising to disturb the peace, and plotting the destruction even of all the king's dominions, and have employed their

1

abuses in the election of members to serve in the house : and in particular to take into consideration the information given to the house, concerning the election at Arundel in Sussex* :

emissaries and agents in them all for the promoting of their devilish designs, which the vigilancy of those who were well affected hath still discovered, and defeated before they were ripe for execution in England and Scotland; only in Ireland, which was farther off, they have had time and opportunity to mould and prepare their work, and had brought it to that perfection, that they had possessed themselves of that whole kingdom-if their main enterprise upon the city and castle of Dublin had not been detected and prevented. -And certainly, had not God, in his great mercy unto this land, discovered and confounded their former designs, we had been the prologue to this tragedy in Ireland, and had by this time been made the lamentable spectacle of misery and confusion b."-Lord Clarendon gives a large account of the passing this remonstrance, and among other particulars, the following: "They [the leading men in the house of commons] promised themselves they should easily carry it: so that the day it was to be resumed, they entertain'd the house all the morning with other debates, and towards noon call'd for the remonstrance; and it being urg'd by some, that it was too late to enter upon it, with much difficulty they consented, that it should be enter'd upon next morning at nine of the clock; and every clause should be debated; for they would not have the house resolv'd into a committee, which they believ'd would spend too much time. Oliver Cromwell (who at that time was little taken notice of) ask'd the lord Falkland, why he would have it put off, for that day would quickly have determined it? He answered, there would not have been time enough, for sure it would take some debate. The

► Journals of the House of Commons.

►The Remonstrance, &c. p. 21.

as he was appointed of many others. So that what has been said of his being little known, or taken notice of in the beginning of this par

other replied, A very sorry one: they supposing, by the computation they had made, that very few would oppose it." But he quickly found he was mistaken. For the debates, as appears from the quotation above from Whitlock, being very long, and the house consenting to adjourn, "As they went out of the house, the lord Falkland asked Oliver Cromwell whether there had been a debate? To which he answered, he would take his word another time; and whispered him in the ear, with some asseveration, that if the remonstrance had been rejected, he would have sold all he had the next morning, and never have seen England more; and he knew there were many other honest men of the same resolution. So near was the poor kingdom at that time to its deliverance." This reflection is added by his lordship on account of the small majority by which the remonstrance passed, which he says was by nine voices and no more. It is but a trifle; but those who are very positive, should be exact. The numbers for passing the remonstrance were 159; against it, 148; so it passed by eleven voices. Sir Ralph Hopton read and presented it to his majesty at Hampton-Court, who received him and those who accompanied him from the house well, but desired it might not be published till the house had his answer. But on the 15th of December following it was ordered to be printed by the commons, notwithstanding. The above anecdote indicates the temper and spirit of Cromwell, and clearly shews that he was determined no longer to submit to illegal rule. The remonstrance itself was indeed a very bold thing, and little less than bidding Charles defiance: nor can it much be wondered at. They who put it on foot well knew they were the objects of liament, must be without foundation.-When the civil war broke out, he adhered to the parliament, raised a troop of horse, whom he

his majesty's hatred and aversion. What he had attempted against them was apparent; what he intended, they conjectured, and, perhaps, more than he intended. They had no measures now to keep with him, and he used as little ceremony with them. For soon after followed his going to the house to seize those whom he deemed heads of the opposition; his departure from Whitehall; the disputes about the militia; the erecting his standard at Nottingham; in a word, the civil war. I cannot omit the following passages from Warwick; they shew the temper of the times, and the zeal which on both sides was exerted on this memorable occasion. "Upon the king's return out of Scotland, the city of London's splendid entertainment of him, and the discourses that flew in all parts, of the ample satisfaction the king had given (both which they foresaw, before it was put in execution) made them prepare so foul a remonstrance to give the king his first entertainment amongst them, that a blacker libel could not be framed either against his person or government; and it passed so tumultuously two or three nights before the king came to town, that at three of the clock in the morning, when they voted it, I thought, we had all sat in the valley of the shadow of death; for we, like Joab's and Abner's young men, had catched at each others locks, and sheathed our swords in each others bowels, had not the sagacity and great calmness of Mr. Hampden, by a short speech, prevented it, and led us to defer our angry debate until the next morning *." This passage does honor to Hampden's abilities. Mr. Hume says, "there are many gross falshoods in this remonstrance:" he ought to have pointed them out, instead of inventing reasons, and suggesting them to have been offered for and against it.