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<DATE>2010-07-26</DATE>
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<NAME>Leah Yurasek</NAME>
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<P>AN EXACT RELATION OF THE PROCEEDINGS AND TRANSACTIONS OF THE LATE PARLIAMENT: Their Beginning and Ending.</P>
<P>With a briefe account of their Expence of the time of their Se&s;&s;ion, and of the Acts that were made by them, who were di&s;&s;olved the 12. <HI>Decemb.</HI> 1653.</P>
<P>As likewi&s;e of foure great Votes, <HI>viz.</HI></P>
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>I. For aboli&s;hing the Court of Chancery.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>II. For a new Modell of the Law.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>III. For taking away the power of Patrons to make Pre&s;entations.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>IV. That innocent negative Vote of not agreeing with the Re|port of the Committee for Tithes.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>And an account of &s;ome Rea&s;ons of tho&s;e Votes: With a briefe Apology in way of Vindication of tho&s;e Gentlemen that appeared for the Votes from the great OUT-CRY made again&s;t them.</P>
<P>By <HI>L. D.</HI> a Member of the late PARLIAMENT.</P>
<BIBL><HI>Math. 5.11.</HI></BIBL>
<Q>Ble&s;&s;ed are ye when men revile you, and per&s;ecute you, and &s;peak all manner of evill of you fal&s;ly for my Names &s;ake; rejoyce and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in Heaven.</Q>
<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed for <HI>Livewell Chapman,</HI> at the Crowne in Popes-head Alley. 1654.</P>
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<HEAD>To the Reader.</HEAD>
<P>_HAd not great Bla&s;phemy reproach and &s;corne beene offered every where unto the holy name of God, his truth, his wayes, his &s;ervants, by evill men to the great griefe of many fea|ring God, The following relation and di&s;|cour&s;e had never &s;eene the light: the perticu|lar per&s;ons loaded with great reproach and &s;candall, could in regard of them&s;elves, have beene contented to have borne all patiently with &s;ilence: and left the clearing of their innocency to the mo&s;t righteous God. It is no new thing in the world for good men to bee reproached for well doing, and to have no o|ther reward for endeavoring to do their Countrey &s;ervice, and laboring to take off their heavy oppre&s;&s;ions and grievances, then to be counted evill doers: what is generally reported, is as ea&s;ily beleeved and taken for truth though it be never &s;o fal&s;e: great lightne&s;&s;e and vanity attending per&s;ons as is too too evi|dent. That one part of the Hou&s;e would have de&s;troyed all the Mini&s;try, the good as well as the bad (pa&s;&s;es for currant) when as they were onely again&s;t that old corrupt unequall, burthen|&s;ome and debate making way of their maintenance by Tithes: In which way be&s;ide other things, many a good &s;oule hath onely <HI>20</HI> or <HI>30</HI> l. <HI>per Ann.</HI> to keepe him and his alive; and others of le&s;&s;e de&s;ert have <HI>300</HI> or <HI>400</HI> l. <HI>per Ann.</HI> or more, they thinking &s;ome more equall and le&s;&s;e burthen&s;ome way might be found out and provided; and that their wives and children
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might have had alowance for their &s;ub&s;i&s;tance al&s;o when they were dead: many al&s;o were again&s;t their &s;tanding on that old Po|pi&s;h foot of account as now they do, as a part of the old Hierar|chy, judging it rea&s;on that as Archbi&s;hops and Bi&s;hops, Deans, and Prebends, &amp;c. were removed as Antichri&s;tian; &s;o Par|&s;ons, Vicars, Curats, Rectors, Donatives, and Incumbents, (strangers to the Go&s;pel) &s;hould be taken away al&s;o being of the &s;ame &s;tamp: and that all faithfull Teachers and Preachers of the truth and Go&s;pel, &s;hould by Law &s;tand upon a more Gospel account, and their outward intere&s;t &s;ecured unto them accor|dingly: a &s;hort Bill being by them offered for that purpo&s;e but refu&s;ed; whether this amounteth to the de&s;troying the Godly Mini&s;try, or whether they were their enemies or rather their friends in it, they may plea&s;e to con&s;ider. Reader, if thou thin|ke&s;t that thou art come to Canaan the land of re&s;t, and that there is attayned unto the full end aimed at and intended by Al|mighty God, in an&s;wer of all tho&s;e mighty workes and wonders (neare unto miracles) that hee hath wrought in the&s;e Lands: If thou think&s;t there is already the harve&s;t of all that trea&s;ure &s;pent, and blood &s;pilt in the late Warres, then rejoyce and bee glad: but if thou judge&s;t God intended greater and more high things then yet thou ha&s;t &s;eene, in way of removing wicked|ne&s;&s;e and oppre&s;&s;ion, and advancing ju&s;tice and righteou&s;ne&s;se, then beleeve, and wait and pray; &s;o advi&s;eth hee that is a well wi&s;her to the intere&s;t of the Lord Chri&s;t, the welfare of the Saints, and the pro&s;perity of the common wealth of England.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>L. D.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
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<HEAD>AN EXACT RELATION OF THE PROCEEDINGS and Tran&s;actions of the late Par|liament, their beginning and ending: with a briefe account of the expence of their time while they &s;ate; and the <HI>Acts that were made by them, who were di&s;&s;olved the</HI> 12^t^h <HI>of</HI> December. 1653.</HEAD>
<P>_THe Parliament that &s;ate &s;o long, and had &s;o many changes and alterations, and yet was pre&s;erved and continued: Was a Coun&s;ell that God did highly honour in making of them In&s;truments of very great things, many of them being very good things, as to the freedome and profit of the people; Among&s;t which the Change of the Government from Kingly to that of a Com|mon-wealth, may worthily be mentioned, as not of the lea&s;t, but of the greate&s;t, both to Religions Intere&s;t, and the Civill Benefit of all good men.</P>
<P>But long &s;itting Contracted dulne&s;&s;e, and a kinde of Indi&s;|po&s;ition to goe on any farther to perfect the worke which di|vine providence had carried them on in wonderfully: Many of them minding more the greatning of them&s;elves, rather
<PB N="2" REF="4">
then righting the wronged, and releiving the oppre&s;&s;ed peo|ple, and performing their promi&s;es to them; &s;o not proceed|ing to perfect the worke of Ju&s;tice and freedome &s;o happily begun and carried on by them, as In&s;truments in the hand o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> God. They became low in the hearts and e&s;teem of good peo|ple; and divine providence &s;o ordering of it, (without which nothing cometh to pa&s;&s;e) they were di&s;&s;olved.</P>
<P>And upon an high Account for Godline&s;&s;e, and the Love of the truth, and cau&s;e of God, and Intere&s;t of his people, others were called together out of the Countries and Cities re&s;pec|tively, who a&s;&s;embling at the place and time appointed, after a large Speech made unto them concerning the ground of di&s;|&s;olving the former Coun&s;ell, and calling of this; There was delivered unto them an In&s;trument in Parchment under &s;eale; delivering the whole power of the Nation or Common-wealth into their hands, to take care of, and to governe for their good. It is very ob&s;ervable that of all that were &s;o cho|&s;en and &s;ummoned to appeare for the end afore&s;aid, being one hundred and fortie per&s;ons, there were but two that refu&s;ed the call and worke; &s;o unanimous a Concurrence was there found as to the &s;ervice: Though they knew well their call was not according to ancient formalitie, and the way of the Nation. There &s;eemed to be two Rea&s;ons wherein there was &s;atisfaction: Fir&s;t, that divine providence had ca&s;t it on them, without their &s;eeking in the lea&s;t; Secondly, the nece&s;&s;itie, as the ca&s;e of the Common-wealth &s;tood of having &s;ome to Act and carry on Affaires in way of Government, till there might be an Attayner to a better way of &s;ettlement, by the Choice of the good people of this Nation, which was not to be de|nied to be their ju&s;t right, and dearly purcha&s;ed libertie.</P>
<P>It was great &s;atisfaction and encouragement to &s;ome, that their Names had been pre&s;ented as to that &s;ervice by the Chur|ches, and other Godly per&s;ons: And withall, becau&s;e they were to undergoe the Trouble but one yeare, or little more: And &s;o long they were willing to &s;erve their Country freely, to their be&s;t Abilities, looking for no reward.</P>
<P>The fourth of <HI>July,</HI> 1653. tho&s;e thus A&s;&s;embled and Im|powered, did adjourne them&s;elves from <HI>Whitehall</HI> to the Par|liament-Hou&s;e,
<PB N="3" REF="4">
to meet the next morning at eight of the Clocke, and then to begin with &s;eeking God by prayer: which accordingly they did, and the &s;ervice was performed by the Members among&s;t them&s;elves, eight or ten &s;peaking in prayer to God; and &s;ome briefly from the Word; Much of the pre&s;ence of Chri&s;t, and of his Spirit, appearing that day, to the great gladding of the hearts of many; &s;ome affirming they never injoyed &s;o much of the Spirit and pre&s;ence of Chri&s;t in any of the meetings and exerci&s;es of Religion in all their lives, as they did that day. In the Evening of that day M^r <HI>Francis Rou&s;e</HI> was called to the Chaire, and cho&s;en Speak|er: and then the Hou&s;e was adjourned to the next day: when the Hou&s;e appoynted to pray againe three or foure dayes after; which accordingly was done by the Members; principally by &s;uch as had not don &s;ervice before; when al&s;o the Lord Generall was pre&s;ent; and it was a very Comfortable day. But after the Hou&s;e had &s;pent the fir&s;t day in prayer, and were the next day met againe, after prayer, which was daily performed by one Member or other, as they were found free to performe it; They then proceeded to call over the Hou&s;e; Read and laid up the In&s;trument of their Impowering, cho&s;e a Clerke, and after a Sergeant at Armes, and cho&s;e a Committee to Con&s;ider what Officers and Attendants were nece&s;&s;ary to be taken in; and to Con&s;ider of the Fees and Sa|laries of &s;uch as &s;hould be Imployed; which accordingly was done, and Confirmed by the Hou&s;e: Charge being given to the Committee that care &s;hould be taken that none but &s;uch as feared God &s;hould be Imployed. About this Time there was a great Debate what name they &s;hould give them&s;elves to be cal|led by, in as much as their cal was looked on as extraordinary; Divers Titles were propo&s;ed; but at la&s;t being put to the vote it was carried; <HI>To call them&s;elves by the name of the Parliament of the Common-wealth of England.</HI> The lowne&s;&s;e and innocencie of the Title, having little of earthly glory or boa&s;ting in it, induced &s;ome to give their vote for that; though others were much again&s;t it. The fir&s;t thing that was done was a &s;olemne Declaration to the good people of this Common-wealth, and to all the world of owning them&s;elves a Parliament, and the
<PB N="4" REF="5">
Supream Power of this Nation. Which was drawne up by a Committee, and then read and pa&s;&s;ed in the Hou&s;e; In which &s;pecious things are held forth, of the goodne&s;&s;e of God to the people of the&s;e Nations, with Intimation of what our Inde|vours &s;hould be, for their good: &s;tirring them up earne&s;tly to prayer, and &s;eeking of God: which &s;eemed to be well reli&s;hed by all good people.</P>
<P>Then there was a proceed to choo&s;e the Councell of State, of the number of Thirtie one per&s;ons; which accordingly was done. The Powers and In&s;tructions read and pa&s;&s;ed, It &s;o fell out that the great grievance of Tythes was taken on and debated three or four dayes, but with little &s;ucce&s;&s;e, for where|as all the Hou&s;e for the mo&s;t part were &s;encible that it was a grievance fit to be removed. The difference was, &s;ome would not give way to the remove of it, till &s;ome other thing were provided to be &s;ett in the roome of it: Others would have it removed as a grievance in the fir&s;t place; and then to make provi&s;ion as God &s;hould direct. In the Debate, difference was made betwixt Impropriators, and that which was otherwi&s;e; and all &s;eemed free and willing that Impropriators &s;hould be &s;atisfied the value: And therefore upon the choo&s;ing of a Committee for Tythes; onely that of Incumbants was to be con&s;idered of.</P>
<P>The Hou&s;e after much time &s;pent as afore, waved it till a further time and better lei&s;ure: Then the Hou&s;e was metho|dized into &s;everal Committees, for the better di&s;patch of bu|&s;ine&s;&s;e, &s;o as none might be idle, but all employed in publick &s;ervice; be&s;ide the Councel of State, &s;ix or &s;even Committees were cho&s;en and &s;et to work, <HI>The Committee for the Army, The Committee for Pri&s;ons, and Pri&s;oners, The Committee for Regula|ting the Law, The Committee for Ju&s;tices, and for the poor, The Committee for Publick Debts, The Committee for the Scotch and Iri&s;h Affaires, The Committee for Petitions;</HI> which Committees &s;ate dai|ly, and took great paines, morning and evening, almo&s;t every day in the week, to di&s;patch bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, and make things ready for the Hou&s;e: And many things were fitted and prepared, of which hereafter.</P>
<P>Mr. <HI>Lilburn</HI> about this time Petitioned the Hou&s;e, then his
<PB N="5" REF="5">
Wife Petitioned, after &s;ome of <HI>Buckinghm&s;hire,</HI> and al&s;o <HI>Hert|ford&s;hire;</HI> likewi&s;e &s;ome in and about <HI>London:</HI> La&s;tly, &s;ome that called them&s;elves young men, and Apprentices, who deli|vered a high and peremptory Petition in his behalfe; all w^c^h occa&s;ioned much debate and expence of time: The young mens Petition was voted &s;candalous, and they ordered to be taken into cu&s;tody, and accordingly &s;ix of them were committed, one in a few dayes being &s;ick, the Hou&s;e di&s;charged him; the five Petitioning, having been in cu&s;tody &s;ome dayes, and having been &s;omething &s;tiffe, refu&s;ing to tell their names, in&s;tead of being relea&s;ed, were ordered to be &s;ent to <HI>Bridewell,</HI> there to be kept to hard labour, and accordingly they were &s;ent, and kept there, and after &s;ome time they being &s;ome of them &s;ick, and having Petitioned twice, four of the five were by Order of the Hou&s;e relea&s;ed, the other remaineth Pri&s;oner to this day; the onely high piece of Ju&s;tice the Hou&s;e did all the time of their &s;itting, and wherein there could not be much of honour, for it was but as the <HI>Lyon</HI> trampling on the <HI>Mou&s;e.</HI> This bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of Mr. <HI>Lilburne</HI> receiving and an&s;wering the Petitions before mentioned, concerning him&s;elfe and the Apprentices Petiti|ons for their Liberty, &s;pent very much time, and held many &s;harp debates; &s;ome Members of the Hou&s;e earne&s;tly moving to have had his Tryal &s;u&s;pended, and the Act called in Que&s;ti|on by which he was Bani&s;hed, and made a Felon, that the me|rit of the cau&s;e might be looked into; which they profe&s;&s;ed a|gaine and againe they did not doe it &s;o much in the favour of Mr. <HI>Lilburn,</HI> as in the right of them&s;elves and their po&s;terities, and all <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> men, which they judged highly concerned therein. But other Gentlemen of note being very oppo&s;ite, no|thing came of the whole but expence of time, and lo&s;&s;e of the love &amp; affections of many good people, who&s;e Petitions were denied; his Trial going on, as &s;ome in the Hou&s;e had &s;ugge|&s;ted, &s;o it came to pa&s;&s;e, he was by the Jury acquitted, to the loo&s;ing the love of &s;ome, and to the &s;corne and contempt by others.</P>
<P>By this time many matters were fitted and prepared by the Committees, who made their daily reports. The Councel of State having the preheminence to be fir&s;t heard, divers things
<PB N="6" REF="6">
were offered by them, &s;ome of which had been con&s;idered of by them in the interval of Parliament; many things pa&s;&s;ed and were di&s;patched of what they reported, and which other Com|mittees did likewi&s;e report, which &s;pent not a little time. Bu|&s;ine&s;&s;e came on &s;o fa&s;t from Committees, which did cau&s;e &s;tri|ving which &s;hould be fir&s;t heard, and much time lo&s;t thereby. There were many particular things ordered and di&s;patched by the Hou&s;e, as <HI>The relieving the &s;ufferings of many by fires in &s;e|verall parts of the Nation; &s;ome their grievances redre&s;&s;ed; &s;ome their Petitions and de&s;ires granted; &s;ome had ob&s;tructions in their Purcha&s;es removed by the Hou&s;e.</HI> The bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of providing mo|neys (all other things ever giving way to that) occa&s;ioned expence of much time, and great debate of wayes and means to that end. The Fights at Sea coming to knowledge by Let|ters, the reading of them, the acknowledging Gods goodne&s;&s;e, and prai&s;ing of his holy name, the taking care to provide for the &s;ick and maimed, the relieving the Widowes of &s;uch who&s;e Husbands were &s;laine, the honouring with rewards the Chief|tains and Commanders, with the be&s;towing &s;everal &s;ums of money on the widows and Children of &s;uch Captains as were &s;lain in the Fight, in con&s;ideration of their lo&s;&s;e of &s;uch Hu&s;|bands and Fathers: All which were things ju&s;t and honoura|ble, but not done without expence of time. The di&s;patch of Amba&s;&s;adors to forreign parts, as to <HI>Turkie,</HI> and to <HI>Sweden,</HI> their Letters of Credence, and Commi&s;&s;ions &s;igned and &s;ealed; the receipt of Letters from <HI>Switzerland,</HI> and other free States, the reading of them and returning An&s;wers, may be reckoned into the expence of time. The Councel of State cho&s;en a &s;e|cond time by the Box or Gla&s;&s;e where every one put in his paper of Names, and tho&s;e that had mo&s;t Votes carried it, &s;pent more then one whole day.</P>
<P>To omit very many things, toward the end of the Hou&s;e's &s;itting, the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of the <HI>Exci&s;e</HI> came on, where about three dayes were &s;pent in pa&s;&s;ing the Rates particularly by Vote. The <HI>Old and New Drapery, Hats, Capps,</HI> and <HI>Tobacco-pipes,</HI> were by Vote exempted from the duty of Exci&s;e: The Bill follow|ing in Order of the Rates, was very large of about eighty &s;heets of paper, &s;pent one whole day in the hearing of it read; and
<PB N="7" REF="6">
there appeared &s;o many &s;nares and difficulties in it as to trade, as was judged no way fit to be put on a people that expected freedome as the price of their blood and trea&s;ure, by them &s;pent in the late war: whereupon it was by general con&s;ent waved and laid a&s;ide. There were divers Bils prepared by &s;e|veral Committees, &s;ome of which were read in the Hou&s;e, and others offered to have them read, but other bu&s;ine&s;&s;e hindered, as, <HI>A Bill for con&s;tituting a Committee for Advance of Trade, A Bill for Work-hou&s;es, and providing for the poor.</HI> Divers <HI>Bills for the Re|gulation of the Law, and making of it le&s;&s;e chargeable to the people, and more expeditions.</HI></P>
<P>There were &s;everrll Acts pa&s;&s;ed by the Hou&s;e, in time of their &s;itting, the perticulars here follow. <HI>Viz.</HI></P>
<P N="1">1 An Act for the Committee of the Army, and Trea&s;urers of War.</P>
<P N="2">2 An Act for con&s;tituting Commi&s;&s;ioners for ordering and managing the Admiralty and Navy.</P>
<P N="3">3 An Act for the &s;ettling the Court of Admiralty; much time &s;pent in fixing on Judges.</P>
<P N="4">4 An Act for taking away Fines on Original Writs, which was as &s;ome knowing Gentlemen of worth in the Hou&s;e affir|med, to the &s;aving of the people of this Common-wealth, an hundred and twenty thou&s;and pound <HI>per annum,</HI> only ten or twelve thou&s;and pound thereof coming to the State.</P>
<P N="5">5 An Act touching the &s;everal Receipts of the Revenue and Trea&s;uries of the Common-wealth, and the bringing them in|to one Trea&s;ury.</P>
<P N="6">6 An Act for Marriages, and the regi&s;tring of them; as al|&s;o Births and Burials; much time &s;pent in the debate about Marriages, there being many nicities and difficult ca&s;es rela|ting to that &s;ubject.</P>
<P N="7">7 An Act for the more &s;peedy bringing in of the Arrears of the Exci&s;e, and &s;etling Commi&s;&s;ioners to that end.</P>
<P N="8">8 An Act concerning the Planters of <HI>Tobacco</HI> in <HI>Glouce&s;ter|&s;hire,</HI> and el&s;where.</P>
<P N="9">9 An Act to continue the receipt of the Exci&s;e til the 29 of <HI>December</HI> la&s;t.</P>
<P N="10">10 An Act additional and explanatory for the &s;ale of the
<PB N="8" REF="7">
remaining Fee farm-rents, and fini&s;hing the whole bu&s;ine&s;&s;e.</P>
<P N="11">11 An Act for &s;etling <HI>Ireland,</HI> and making it a part of the Common-wealth; and &s;atisfying the Adventurers and Soul|diers with Lands; which Act being very large and compre|hen&s;ive, took many dayes Debate before it could be pa&s;&s;ed as a Law.</P>
<P N="12">12 An Act for the relief of Creditors and poor Pri&s;oners; the fruit of it hath &s;hewed the worth of it, three hundred poor &s;tarving &s;ouls having been freed thereby, in and about <HI>London:</HI> a Law &s;o ju&s;t and honourable, as <HI>England</HI> hath &s;een few better, which pa&s;&s;ed not without &s;erious debate.</P>
<P N="13">13 An Act for Accounts, and clearing publick Debts, and for the di&s;covery of fraud and concealment of any thing due to the Common-wealth.</P>
<P N="14">14 An Act impowering the Committee of the Army to &s;tate and determine the accounts of all Souldiers and others em|ployed by them, for moneys by them received from the 26 of <HI>March,</HI> 1647. until the 25 of <HI>July,</HI> 1653.</P>
<P N="15">15 An Act for redre&s;&s;e of delayes, and mi&s;chiefs, ari&s;ing by Writs of error, and Writs of fal&s;e judgement in &s;everal ca&s;es.</P>
<P N="16">16 An Act for repealing of a branch of an Act of the late Parliament, intituled, <HI>An Act for &s;ub&s;cribing the Ingagement;</HI> which was much to the ea&s;e and profit of the people, and to the lo&s;&s;e of the Lawyers.</P>
<P N="17">17 An Act for the regulating the making of <HI>Stuffes</HI> in the County of <HI>Norwich</HI> and <HI>Norfolke.</HI></P>
<P N="18">18 An Act for a High Court of Ju&s;tice, co&s;t indeed but one dayes time the reading, debate, and pa&s;&s;ing for a Law, by rea|&s;on of the great ha&s;t &s;ome Gentlemen made, pretending great danger to them&s;elves, and the Common-wealth, &s;o as no rea|&s;ons could prevaile to have it recommitted as &s;ome de&s;ired; or that the Acts for Trea&s;ons might be read, that the Commi&s;|&s;ioners were to proceed upon, as others moved to have them: nor yet that the Bil might be ingro&s;&s;ed, being to be a Law that concerned life, for then it could not have pa&s;&s;ed til the next day, when &s;ome that were perceived that day ab&s;ent, being praying at the <HI>Black Friers,</HI> might be pre&s;ent, and hinder, as it is likely they feared, the pa&s;&s;ing of it; which had they done,
<PB N="9" REF="7">
they had &s;aved much the credit of the Coun&s;el, for to wi&s;e men it &s;eemed a very weak piece, and experience hath (thanks be to God) &s;hewn there was not that &s;udden danger as &s;ome Gentlemen &s;ugge&s;ted, that did not let to &s;ay (in an&s;wer to tho&s;e that would have had it ingro&s;&s;ed again&s;t the next mor|ning) <HI>That they knew not but by that time they might have their Throats cut.</HI></P>
<P N="19">19 An Act for Deoffori&s;tation, and improvement of the Forre&s;ts, and of the Honours, Mannors, Lands, and Tenements within the limits and perambulations of the &s;ame, heretofore belonging to the King, Queen, and Prince: a very large Act, and comprehen&s;ive in the perticulars; wherein the old Far|mers of the <HI>Cu&s;tome-hou&s;e,</HI> that lent the old King money to make War with the <HI>Scots,</HI> were admitted to have their old Debts made Publick Faith to double on, to the &s;um of two hundred &s;eventy &s;ix thou&s;and pounds, to the end to be &s;ure to have money again&s;t the Spring: It was complied with, and &s;ome very eminent and wi&s;e Gentlemen made others believe there was no que&s;tion but the money would be provided ready again&s;t the times, though other Members of le&s;&s;e note, tould the Hou&s;e what they thought, even as it is come to pa&s;&s;e.</P>
<P N="20">20 An Act confirming to the Purcha&s;ers of Sir <HI>John Stowels</HI> Lands, what they had purcha&s;ed of the State.</P>
<P N="21">21 An Act for an A&s;&s;e&s;ment at the rate of one hundred and twenty thou&s;and pound a Month, for &s;ix Moneths, from the twenty-fifth of <HI>December,</HI> One thou&s;and &s;ix hundred fifty and three, to the twenty-fourth of <HI>June</HI> then next en&s;uing, for the maintenance of the Armies and Navy of this Common-wealth, being a very large Act, and that which took up ma|ny dayes in the debate and pa&s;&s;ing of it, there being a de&s;ire if po&s;&s;ible it might have been to have abated &s;omething of that &s;um, and that it might be laid equally: Many Votes pa&s;&s;ed, and very &s;harp debates, by rea&s;on of the great inequality that was evident in the laying of the Tax, &s;ome Countreys bearing beyond their proportion, and &s;ome much le&s;&s;e, which made the burthen more grievous then otherwi&s;e it would be: When after many dayes &s;pent in the modelizing of the Bill, and it came to be pa&s;&s;ed, &s;ome Gentlemen gave their rea&s;ons why
<PB N="10" REF="8">
they could not give their <HI>Yea</HI> to pa&s;&s;e it for a Law, for the un|righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e that was in it (and &s;omething el&s;e) which had been laid forth in the debate. The great unequality be|twixt County and County, City and City, Hundred and Hun|dred, and &s;o of perticular E&s;tates, &s;ome paying but two or three &s;hillings the pound, and others four or five, yea &s;ome ten or twelve &s;hillings for their reall E&s;tate, be&s;ide what they paid for their per&s;onall: In which &s;ome of <HI>London</HI> pa&s;&s;ionate|ly complained of their being over-rated, they paying eight thou&s;and pound a Month, the fifteenth part of the whole A&s;|&s;e&s;ment of the Common-wealth: when as they with great confidence affirmed, that they were not the fortieth part of the Common-wealth in value, as their ca&s;e now was. The Act ingro&s;&s;ed, and the Que&s;tion being put, the <HI>No's</HI> (as to the making it a Law that very day) had they been pro&s;ecuted to the pole, had hazzarded the pa&s;&s;ing of it; It having been ear|ne&s;tly pre&s;&s;ed that it might be amended at the Table, or re|committed to be amended again&s;t the next day.</P>
<P>A Gentleman that fir&s;t moved to have the Hou&s;e give u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> that morning they were Di&s;&s;olved, made this one of his Rea|&s;ons why he could &s;it no longer with his fellows, becau&s;e of their dealing &s;o di&s;-ingenuou&s;ly with the Army; &s;ome other Gentlemen having &s;poken to the &s;ame account; but as to this tho&s;e that gave their <HI>No's</HI> in the Vote again&s;t the then pa&s;&s;ing of the Bill upon the account before, can &s;ay they never were in arms again&s;t the Parliament and Army, nor were ever in <HI>Oxford</HI> or any other Garri&s;on that &s;tood in op|po&s;ition to them. And for their con&s;tant cordial affection to them, they may &s;afely &s;ay without boa&s;ting, they have been but a very little behind them that have been the highe&s;t and be&s;t affected in the Nation, what ever tho&s;e Gentlemen plea&s;e to &s;ay: To indeavour to have the A&s;&s;e&s;ment equally laid and born, tended much to the Armies good rather then hurt, whereby they might continue to injoy the love and affection of the people unto them.</P>
<P N="22">22 An Act for the continuing of the Priviledges and Juri&s;|diction of the County of <HI>Lancaster.</HI></P>
<P N="23"><PB N="11" REF="8">23 An Act touching Idiots and Lunaticks.</P>
<P N="24">24 An Act for inabling Commi&s;&s;ioners of Parliament for compounding with DELINQUENTS, to di&s;po&s;e of two parts of the Lands and E&s;tates of Recu|&s;ants, for the benefit of the Common-wealth. An Act that co&s;t much time in the Debate of it, for that &s;ome Gentle|men fearing it amounted to the Toleration of Popery, did &s;trongly oppo&s;e it, and cau&s;ed it to be &s;o modelized as that it was never like to attain the end aimed at, as &s;ome then declared: Of which experience now can be&s;t declare and &s;peak.</P>
<P N="25">25. A &s;econd Act for the Con&s;tituting Commi&s;&s;ioners for ordering and mannaging of the Affaires of the Admiraltie and Navie.</P>
<P N="26">26. An Act for the better and more effectuall di&s;coverie of Theeves and high-way-men.</P>
<P>There was al&s;o a Bill brought in and Read and Debated for the Uniting of <HI>Scotland</HI> to the Common-wealth of <HI>Eng|land,</HI> as a part of it, with equal priviledges: which &s;pent two or three days Debate in a Grand Committee of the whole Hou&s;e, before it was ordered to be Ingro&s;&s;ed, being a thing of very great weight and concernment, being ingro&s;&s;ed it lay ready on the Table to be read and pa&s;&s;ed. But the <HI>Highlanders</HI> putting the Country into di&s;temper, it was not put to be pa&s;|&s;ed for a Law while the Hou&s;e continued.</P>
<P>By this time it will appeare the Hou&s;e was not altogether Idle, nor at a &s;tand in their worke, &s;o as there was need to have them di&s;&s;olved on that &s;core. Indeed much more might have been done and proceeded in, if there had not been &s;ome|thing that did lett. The two Great Grievances of the Law and Tythes, had &s;uch friends in the Hou&s;e; as that when ei|ther of tho&s;e things came into Debate, the Hou&s;e was as divi|ded into two parts; The one very Indulgent, &s;till pleading and making defence in their behalfe; The other Indeavouring the redre&s;&s;e of them. Great Coun&s;ells agree not in all things pre&s;ently, yet is that no good Ground of their di&s;&s;olution; That the Hou&s;e was not Idle, nor at a &s;tand, nor in an Incapa|citie,
<PB N="12" REF="9">
to doe the worke of the Nation. Though &s;o divided as afore&s;aid, may be&s;ide what appeareth alreadie, be fur|ther taken knowledge of by the&s;e In&s;uing Votes which fol|low.</P>
<P>There were foure great Votes, that pa&s;&s;ed in the time of the &s;itting of the Hou&s;e, w^c^h &s;ome Intere&s;ts were much di&s;plea|&s;ed at, and they pa&s;&s;ed not without great Debate.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, A Vote for the Aboli&s;hing and taking away the Court of Chancery.</P>
<P>Secondly, A Vote for a new Body or Modell of the Law.</P>
<P>Thirdly, A Vote to take away the power of Patrons to make pre&s;entations.</P>
<P>Fourthly, That Innocent Negative Vote of not agreeing with the Report of the Committee for Tythes, Touching what they Reported, as the be&s;t way to eject &s;candalous pro|phane and ignorant Mini&s;ters, &amp;c. Upon which followed pre|&s;ently the di&s;&s;olution of the Hou&s;e.</P>
<P>A little of each of the&s;e, becau&s;e of the great du&s;t that is rai|&s;ed, to the blinding of &s;ome, and inraging of others, again&s;t them that &s;ought not them&s;elves, but the good of the Com|mon-wealth in generall, and no private or particular In|tere&s;ts.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, For the Chancery, It was looked on as a great grie|vance, one of the greate&s;t in the Nation, &s;o many horrible things were affirmed of it by Members of the Hou&s;e, as tho&s;e that were or had a minde to be Advocates for it, had little to &s;ay on the behalfe of it, and &s;o at the end of one dayes De|bate, the que&s;tion being put, it was voted downe.</P>
<P>For Delatories, Chargeablene&s;&s;e, and a facultie of letting Bloud the people in the pur&s;e-veine, even to their utter pe|ri&s;hing and undoing, as by what was &s;poken and affirmed at the Debate. That Court may compare (if not &s;urpa&s;&s;e) any Court in the world; It was Confidently affirmed by knowing Gentlemen of worth; that there were depending in that Court, Twentie three thou&s;and Cau&s;es; That &s;ome of them had been there depending five, &s;ome ten, &s;ome twentie, &s;ome thirtie yeares and more; That there had been
<PB N="13" REF="9">
&s;pent in Cau&s;es many hundred, nay thou&s;ands of pounds, to the ruine, nay utter undoing of many families; That no Ship almo&s;t (to wit, Cau&s;e) that &s;ayled in the Sea of the Law, but fir&s;t or la&s;t putting into that Port, and if they made any con&s;iderable &s;tay there, they &s;uffered &s;o much lo&s;&s;e, as the Remedy was as bad as the Di&s;ea&s;e; That what was Or|dered one day, was Contradicted the next, &s;o as in &s;ome Cau&s;es there had been five hundred Orders, and farre more as &s;ome affirmed. That when the pur&s;es of the Clients be|gan to be emptie, and their &s;pirits a little cooled; then by a Reference to &s;ome Gentlemen in the Countrey, the Cau&s;e &s;o long depending, at &s;o great Charge, came to be ended, &s;o as &s;ome did looke on it as it now is, as a My&s;terie of wickedne&s;&s;e, and a &s;tanding Cheat.</P>
<P>How &s;ad a thing is it that after &s;uch Appearances of God in the Land, &s;uch a Court, in &s;uch a way of practi&s;e, &s;hould be continued, to greaten the Retayners to it, and practi&s;ers in it, by the ruine of others, eating the fatt and &s;weet of other mens labours and e&s;tates. It is to be hoped &s;uch wic|kedne&s;&s;e is not long lived; How did good people rejoyce when they heard of that Vote, and how &s;ad and &s;orrowfull were the Lawyers and Clarkes, for the feare of the lo&s;&s;e of their great <HI>Diana</HI> may be remembred: with their great joy and making Bonfiers, and drinking Sacke when they were delivered from their feares by the di&s;&s;olution of the late Par|liament.</P>
<P>The Committee for the Regulating of the Law, in pur|&s;uance of the Vote, brought in a Bill for the Taking away the &s;aid Court: But for that there was not provi&s;ion made for the future, and for the Cau&s;es then depending, altoge|ther; It was oppo&s;ed by tho&s;e Gentlemen that had no mind it &s;hould be taken away; And &s;o it came to be waved and layd a&s;ide, and the Committee ordered to bring in a Bill that might doe all.</P>
<P>The Members of that Committee, having many of them occa&s;ion to be ab&s;ent in the Countrey, in fetching up and &s;ettling their Families before Winter. Nothing was done
<PB N="14" REF="10">
till toward the Terme, when a Bill was brought in and read in the Hou&s;e; That was looked on by many as the wa&s;hing of the Blackamore, or pruining or lopping evill branches, where three or foure in a little time will come in &s;tead of one cutt off. Upon Debate it came to the Que&s;tion, and was carried in the Negative, and ca&s;t out.</P>
<P>Then &s;hortly after another Bill was brought in and read, which to very many &s;eemed to be a &s;etting up of two Courts, rather then a ca&s;ting downe one, and an e&s;tabli&s;hing of the Chancery, rather then a Taking of it away: Some Gentle|men of great Note of the Long Robe, had a hand in it; That it is likely will never &s;poyle their owne Trade; The Bill by very many, after a long and &s;harpe Debate, was judged &s;hort of the end aimed at, and being put to the Que&s;tion, it pa&s;&s;ed in the Negative, and was al&s;o ca&s;t out; At which &s;ome of tho&s;e Gentlemen afore&s;aid, were very much di&s;|plea&s;ed.</P>
<P>The Term by this time was begun, and the people not ea&s;ed as was hoped it would have been, at which tho&s;e Mem|bers that carried the Vote for putting down that corrupt Court, were &s;orely vexed and troubled, who took little delight to come through the Hall, and to &s;ee the corrupt Trade going on; &s;ome of them moved to have had the Court &s;u&s;pended for three weeks or a month, till &s;omthing might be done in it, but it was not con&s;ented unto, or thought fit, and &s;o the Term and trade of the Law went on, and the Committee went to work again: and by this time &s;ome other Members of that Committee, that were not &s;uch great zealots for the upholding of that Court, were come to Town, &s;o as a Bill was modelized and prepared, which they of the Committee thought would an&s;wer the end, and be to the liking of the Hou&s;e; in which was provided for the ta|king down the Court, and for the di&s;patch of the Cau&s;es depending, and providing for the future in a &s;ummary way, &s;o as any ordinary cau&s;e might be determined and ended for twenty or forty &s;hillings, and in a very &s;hort time, and much &s;trife and going to Law prevented.</P>
<P><PB N="15" REF="10">But the Hou&s;e being full of bu&s;ine&s;s there was no oppor|tunity to tender it, and &s;o they let it alone til a fitter time and more lei&s;ure.</P>
<P>If a Copy of that intended Bill were Printed, it might be judged what their intentions were; for that after it was got in and twice read in the Hou&s;e in one day.</P>
<P>The &s;econd Vote which was for a new body of the Law, pa&s;&s;ed not without a large Debate; the Clerk in drawing up the Que&s;tion, put the word <HI>Body</HI> in &s;tead of <HI>Model,</HI> which &s;ome Members for the pa&s;&s;ing of the Vote before and after, de&s;ired to have had altered: but others, lovers of the Law as now it is, oppo&s;ed the alteration of the word, being very angry at the Vote, and &s;o it went as it was, with &s;ome &s;eem|ing di&s;advantage, by means of the word <HI>Body,</HI> which &s;ome of tho&s;e afore&s;aid being angry, would needs fancy, and ac|cordingly reported, as if it were intended to de&s;troy the Law, and take away the Laws we had been fighting for all this while as our birth-right and inheritance.</P>
<P>And &s;uch a noi&s;e was made about it, that made many be|lieve that the Hou&s;e was modelized of Mon&s;ters, rather then men of rea&s;on and judgment.</P>
<P>There were very &s;ober and moderate Gentlemen, in the ac|count of all men, that concurred heartily in this Vote, &s;uch as upon whom little blemi&s;h will &s;tick.</P>
<P>The Rea&s;ons, or &s;ome of them that were alledged in the Debate, producing this Vote, was the intricacy, uncertainty, and incongruity in many things with the word of God, and right rea&s;on, in the Laws as now they are.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, whereas the Laws ought to be ea&s;ie, plain, and &s;hort, &s;o as they that were to be &s;ubject to them, and have benefit by them, might be <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ble to know and under&s;tand them in &s;ome good mea&s;ure.</P>
<P>They are now &s;o voluminous, and thereby Intricate and uncertaine, darke and concealed, as few are able to come to the knowledge of them. Tho&s;e of the profe&s;&s;ion of the Law differing in very many ca&s;es, what the Law is, and being of &s;everall opinions about this and the other thing: And then how &s;hould others, though highly concerned be able to un|der&s;tand
<PB N="16" REF="11">
them; and their Intere&s;t therein contained. There being &s;o many Law-Bookes of great Bulke, &s;o many old mu&s;tie Records, Reports, and Book-Ca&s;es; As that after the time &s;pent in School-learning, the re&s;t of the Time of the flower of a mans yeares, would be little enough to reade them over, and peru&s;e them.</P>
<P>And be&s;ide, tho&s;e Records and Book-Ca&s;es are very ill Guides or Lights to goe by, for who knoweth the Circum|&s;tances that did attend them, which alters oft times the whole Ca&s;e; who knoweth whither in tho&s;e Ca&s;es, bribery did not make the Judgement, or the powerfullne&s;&s;e of &s;ome great man, or the love or hatred of the Judge, or the Negligence or Corruption of the Advocate. And be&s;ides, in tho&s;e Law-Ca&s;es, &s;ome pre&s;idents are directly Contrary to others; And an Advocate or Coun&s;ell alledgeth one Ca&s;e or Report, and another another: and then the Judge followeth which he plea&s;eth: how Arbitrary is the Law in this Ca&s;e? and at what uncertainty are the great Intere&s;ts and proprieties of men?</P>
<P>Be&s;ide, how various are the Cu&s;toms, which notwith&s;tand|ing pa&s;&s;eth for Law? U&s;ually unknown, but to &s;ome old men of the place, which though it be never &s;o unrighteous and unrea&s;onable, <HI>Time out of minde,</HI> carries it. How bulky and voluminous are the Statute Books? and of &s;o great a price as few are able to buy them, and &s;o large that few can &s;pare time to read them, to know their right, and how they are con|cerned in them; and yet they mu&s;t be judged, and &s;tand or fall by them. And many times &s;ome old mu&s;ty Statute of a hun|dred years old, and more imprinted, is found and made u&s;e of by &s;ome crafty Lawyer, to the undoing of an hone&s;t man that meant no hurt, nor knew any thing at all of the danger. Up|on &s;omething held forth to this effect, the Vote was carried for a New body or model of the Law, and a Com|mittee cho&s;en to that end, who met often, and had the helpe of &s;ome Gentlemen of worth, that have de&s;erved well of their Countrey, being true Patriots: who liked well the thing, as very u&s;efull and de&s;ireable: It being not a de&s;troying of the LAW, or putting it downe,
<PB N="17" REF="11">
as &s;ome &s;candalou&s;ly reported: But a reducing the whol|&s;ome, ju&s;t, and good Laws, into a Body, from them that are u&s;ele&s;s, and out of date; &s;uch as concerned the Bi&s;hops, and holy Church (&s;o called) and were made in favour of Kings, and the lu&s;ts of great men, of which there are very many: the Law of God being eyed, and right Rea&s;on looked unto in all: there being &s;ome of the Laws that are contrary to both: as the putting men to death for Theft, The &s;pa|ring the lives of men for Murther, under the notion and name of Man&s;laughter, a term and di&s;tinction not found in the righteous Law of God: And that unrea&s;onable Law, that if a Waggon or Cart, &amp;c. driven by the owner, or &s;ome other, with never &s;o great care and endeavour, fall, and kill any per&s;on, the owner, though it were his own &s;on or &s;ervant could no way help it, &s;hall loo&s;e his Hor&s;e and Waggon by the prophane and &s;uper&s;titious name of Deo|dand; And the owners of the goods &s;hall loo&s;e them al&s;o upon the &s;ame account, though they were as innocent as <HI>Abel:</HI> other in&s;tances might al&s;o be given.</P>
<P>The way the Committee took in order to their work which mu&s;t needs be elaborate; was by reducing the &s;everall Laws to their proper heads, to which they did belong: and &s;o modelizing or imbodying of them, taking knowledge of the nature of them, and what the Law of God &s;aid in the ca&s;e, and now agreeable to right rea&s;on they were; likewi&s;e how proportionable the puni&s;hment was to the offence or crime; and wherein there &s;eemed any thing either deficient, or exce&s;&s;ive, to offer a &s;upply and remedie, in order to recti|fying the whole: The Committee began with Criminals; Trea&s;on being the highe&s;t, they con&s;idered the kinds: what was meet to be a judged Trea&s;on, in a free Common-wealth; and what was meet to be the puni&s;hment of Grand and Pettie Trea&s;on: Then they proceeded to Murther, the kinds of it, and what was to be &s;o ajudged, and the puni&s;hment thereof. The like they intended concerning Theft, and af|ter to have a&s;ertained and &s;ecured propertie; As al&s;o the ex|cecutive part of the Law: &s;o as a per&s;on &s;hould not need to loo&s;e, or part with one propertie, to &s;ecure and keep another,
<PB N="18" REF="12">
as now it is: Per&s;ons being forced to loo&s;e or part with the propertie of their Cow, to keep the property of their Hor&s;e; and one peice or parcel of Land to pre&s;erve and keep ano|ther. Which Body of Law when modelized, was to be re|ported to the Hou&s;e to be con&s;idered of, and pa&s;&s;ed by them as they &s;hould &s;ee cau&s;e: A work great, and of high and great e&s;teem with many, for the great fruit and benefit that would come by it: By which means the great volumes of Law would come to be reduced into the bigne&s;s of a pocket book, as it is proportionable in <HI>New England</HI> and el&s;ewhere: A thing of &s;o great worth and benefit as <HI>England</HI> is not yet worthy of, nor likely in a &s;hort time to be &s;o ble&s;&s;ed as to injoy. And this being the true End and Endeavour of tho&s;e Members that laboured in that Committee, it is &s;ubmitted to every godly (and rationall) man in the Nation, whether (as is mo&s;t fal&s;ly and wickedly reported, and charged upon per&s;ons acting in &s;o much love to their Countrey) their en|deavours tended to de&s;troying the whole Laws, and pulling them up by the roots.</P>
<P>The third Vote was the taking away of patrons Pre&s;enta|tions, which thing is one of the &s;trong holds of Sathan: At the pa&s;&s;ing of this Vote &s;ome Gentlemen were greatly offended; pretending it was a de&s;troying, and taking away proprietie: The Gentleman that moved fir&s;t to have the Hou&s;e di&s;&s;olved, made this one of his great Rea&s;ons why he could &s;it no lon|ger with his fellows, being very contious, like tho&s;e that &s;tumble at a &s;traw, and yet leap over a block: Tith mint, and Commin, and neglect the great things of the Law: This Vote after a &s;harp Debate was carried in, in which very &s;ober Gen|tlemen concurred, &s;uch as are not blemi&s;hed, as Sectaries, or Levellers: Though they had of this kind o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> propertie them|&s;elves, &s;ome two or three a peece that out of con&s;cience for the better advance of the knowledge of the Go&s;pel, and In|tere&s;t of the Lord Chri&s;t, they were willing to part with their right herein.</P>
<P>The nature of this propriety may be a little minded, be|cau&s;e of the great outcry that is every where made, Oh the Parliament men, many of them are &s;uch as would de&s;troy all property: As if they had none them&s;elves, when as though
<PB N="19" REF="12">
all of them had not very bulkie E&s;tates, yet they had free E&s;tates, and were not of broken Fortunes, or &s;uch as owed great &s;ummes of money, ten thou&s;and pounds and more, and tho&s;e to whom they were &s;o in debt knew not how to get a penny of it, but &s;tood in need of priviledg and protecti|on, as formerly it hath been: The nature of this property looked into, and con&s;idered, will appear to be partly of an earthly, and partly of &s;piritual nature; The&s;e two mixed and twi&s;ted together, make up this right or property: of having power to pre&s;ent a Per&s;on to be Mini&s;ter there. To have the earthly, or civil advantag'd Tithes, and offerings, and Gleab land if there be any; and to have the more religious, or &s;piri|tual right and Intere&s;t, the cure and care of &s;ouls, of all living within that circumference called a Pari&s;h, and to have the right to officiat to God, and man there; And is not this pro|perty worth the &s;tanding for? to be Lord Patron, &s;o as he may open the dore to whom he plea&s;eth; And be &s;ure he let in &s;uch a one as will comply and &s;erve his Intere&s;t, and wink at his vitious cour&s;es, and not vex and di&s;quiet his greatne&s;s by tel|ling him of his faults, as &s;omtime <HI>John Baptist</HI> did <HI>Herod;</HI> or as tho&s;e, which prophanely they call Puritans, and Sectarian Mini&s;ters u&s;e to do.</P>
<P>But &s;eeing to &s;ell this property, were no le&s;s then the &s;in of Simony, what worldly advantage can he make of it: thus, if the Church be full (&s;o they bla&s;phemou&s;ly call it) Chri&s;t being the only fulnes of the Church: And not &s;ome ignorant, prophane, and la&s;ie Prie&s;t: That is a mi&s;erable fulne&s;s, with which &s;ome Churches (&s;o called) are filled; In &s;uch a ca&s;e of fulne&s;s the Lord Patron may &s;ell the rever&s;ion for a con&s;ide|rable &s;um of money, to &s;ome one or other that hath &s;ent his Son to <HI>Oxford,</HI> o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ambridge,</HI> to learn the Art of Logick, and Philo&s;ophie; By which Craft he may know how to get his li|ving another day: And &s;o the old Incumbent dying, this young Arti&s;t cometh to be pre&s;ented one, to enter and take po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, and &s;o to enjoy his portion his Father provided for him: The Gleab, the Tithes, and oblations; Together with the care, and cure of &s;ouls, and right of officiating to God, and man there, for this his Father bought, and purcha&s;ed for
<PB N="20" REF="13">
him, and who &s;hall take it from him. But if the Church be empty, that is, of a Prie&s;t; then all his proprietie amounteth but to a &s;hadow, unle&s;s it be &s;ure to put in one that being be|holding to him, &s;hall be &s;ure to &s;erve him, and to forbear his lu&s;ts; or el&s;e marry his Kin&s;woman, or his Wives Gentlewo|man, or Chambermaid: in con&s;ideration of being pre&s;ented to be &s;etled there: But can this work of darkne&s;s, and root of Iniquity, abide the light, or look in the face, without blu&s;hing the glorious light of the Go&s;pel that now &s;hineth in this our horizon: Is not this property, a relick of the Merchandi&s;e of the great Whore, <HI>Revel:</HI> 18.13. that buyeth, and &s;elleth a|mong&s;t other wares the &s;ouls of men. What a &s;ad account have the mo&s;t of the&s;e proprietors, the&s;e pre&s;enters, and pre|&s;ented to make, for the many thou&s;and &s;ouls, that have peri|&s;hed by their means.</P>
<P>But doth that Gentleman that made this one of his Rea|&s;ons as before, why he could fit no longer with his fellows to do the work of the Common-wealth, think indeed, and is it really his judgment, that a Parliament or Supream Authori|ty, have nothing to do to meddle with propriety; &s;o as it &s;hould be &s;o great an offence, to meddle with the aytie pro|perty of pre&s;entations: Sure upon con&s;ideration he and tho&s;e Gentlemen that were &s;o offended, cannot but think other|wi&s;e. That the Parliament may for a common good meddle with, and take away propriety, of a higher nature then Pre|&s;entations, and of higher, and more nigh concernment: e&s;pe|cially when particular mens propriety is prejudicial to com|mon good, &s;o as the whole is profited by the lo&s;s of particu|lar per&s;ons, he &s;urely was one of them that gave his yea for the pa&s;&s;ing of the Bill for the monethly A&s;&s;e&s;&s;ement, notwith|&s;tanding it medled with propriety, even th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">th part of the yearly Revenue, and Incomb of mo&s;t men, and &s;ure he cannot but think they might do it in order to pa&s;s like good, with|out any de&s;troying propriety; Though many are as unwil|ling to part with it, as tho&s;e Gentlemen can be to part with their propriety of Pre&s;entations.</P>
<P>Was it a de&s;troying propriety in his judgment, for the former Parliament to take into their hands, and to &s;el away
<PB N="21" REF="13">
the Lands of Bi&s;hops, Deans, and Chapters, which they en|joyed as their proprieties, with many rights and priviledges not inferior to Pre&s;entations; which &s;ome of them had ne|ver made forfeit, or of by-acting again&s;t the Parliament.</P>
<P>Was the taking the fifth and twentieth part of Per&s;ons E&s;tates for the good of the whole, a de&s;troying propriety, in|deed &s;ome &s;aid &s;o then, but we know what they were accoun|ted for &s;o &s;aying, no le&s;s then Malignants.</P>
<P>Surely tho&s;e Gentlemen will not &s;o &s;ay of the In&s;trument, or model of new Government, or tho&s;e that made it, as they do of tho&s;e that pa&s;&s;ed that Vote; Notwith&s;tanding it take two hundred thou&s;and pound <HI>per annum,</HI> for the carrying of it on.</P>
<P>The former Parliament they did not reckon that they went beyond their Power, nor that they overthrew proprie|ty, when they pa&s;&s;ed the Act for the draining of the Fens; gi|ving away very much of the Lands, (the chiefe&s;t propriety) of the owner to the undertakers in order to Publick good.</P>
<P>The fourth Vote, whereupon followed the Di&s;&s;olution of the Parliament, was that harmle&s;s Negative of not Comply|ing with the Report of the Committee; Touching what they offered as the be&s;t way to eject ignorant, prophane, and &s;candalous Mini&s;ters; and incouraging them that are good, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> of which two things, and &s;o an end of this di&s;cour&s;e; fir&s;t of the proceed to it, and in the Debate of it; And then that which followed after it til the Hou&s;e was Di&s;&s;olved: The pro|ceed was &s;hortly thus: After the afore&s;aid Vote had pa&s;&s;ed, and &s;ome of the Gentlemen of the Hou&s;e were in readine&s;s to offer the Bill; The Committee for Tithes to countet-work, and keep that off as &s;ome thought, did on Monday morning offer this Repor<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> and many were for the taking of it on; others were again&s;t the medling with it at that time, &s;ome moving to have the Bill taken in concerning Pre&s;entations, &s;ome to fall on things of more pre&s;ent concernment, as the Bill for uniting <HI>Scotland</HI> to <HI>England</HI> Rea&s;ons were offered on every &s;ide, and after one of the clock the Hou&s;e ro&s;e, and no|thing fa&s;tned on: The next morning tho&s;e that were for the Report to be taken in the day before, moved again, and the other not oppo&s;ing, it was taken in, but not without being
<PB N="22" REF="14">
put to the Vote whether the Hou&s;e would take it in, which was carried in the Affirmative, and &s;o the Debate began, and continued day after day, til after one of the clock each day: The Speaker being aged, and not able to &s;it longer: The De|bate was managed day by day with very great &s;eriou&s;ne&s;s, many Arguments and Scriptures being alledged.</P>
<P>The Hou&s;e being evenly poy&s;ed, and great attendance be|ing given by the Members, waiting the time of the Vote; and though any Member might by the Rules of the Hou&s;e have &s;poken every day &s;o long as the Debate continued, yet &s;uch was the mode&s;tie &s;hewed, that hardly any on all the five dayes &s;pake twice; very little of heat or pa&s;&s;ion being &s;hewed all that time, onely one Gentleman or two that were for the Report, &s;eeing them&s;elves and their partie &s;o inga|ged, flue out a little, complaining of the expence of Time, to have given a check to the going on of the Debate: But the Orders of the Hou&s;e being called for, by &s;ome of the other &s;ide to the Speaker, he declared it to be the right of every one to be heard, and that the que&s;tion could not be put &s;o long as any would &s;peak to it; withall tho&s;e Gentlemen were told of their re&s;tle&s;ne&s;s to take on the Debate, and how now they wanted patience to wait the I&s;&s;ue of it: after three or four days a Member that was again&s;t the Report offered an Expedient, but was not accepted: At la&s;t on <HI>Saturday</HI> toward noon the que&s;tion grew neer as did al&s;o the end of the Parliament, &s;ome Members that were again&s;t 1&s;te Report having not &s;poken, and a&s;&s;aying to &s;peak, were per&s;waded to forbear, who onely gathered the I&s;&s;ue and re&s;ult of the whole and left it to the Hou&s;e, which was whether upon the whole this in the report was the be&s;t expedient for that end; which &s;ome on the other &s;ide that w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters"> for the Report perceiving the &s;tre&s;s of the que&s;tion put there, moved that the word <HI>be&s;t</HI> might be put out; but it was not admitted, having been in the Report all the time of the Debate: &s;o about one of the clock the Vote pa&s;&s;ed, and upon dividing the Hou&s;e was carried in the Negative: A Debate of that nature and length in &s;o great a Councell, hardly ever pa&s;&s;ed with &s;uch &s;oberne&s;s and little heat or pa&s;&s;ion: The bu&s;ine&s;s was in <HI>&s;tatu quo,</HI> as to any ones being either
<PB N="23" REF="14">
better or wor&s;e, the report was laid a&s;ide, for that the fir&s;t part of it whereon the other part depended was rejected; to wit, that the be&s;t way to eject ignorant, prophane, and &s;candalous Mini|&s;ters, and to incourage them that are good, was by &s;ending cer|taine Commi&s;&s;ioners impowered to do it: as at full hath been put forth in Print already: There was at the pa&s;&s;ing this Vote 115. Members, whereof 54. were for the affirmative, and 56. for the negative; and two Gentlemen tellers for each &s;ide, and the Speaker, which make up that number.</P>
<P>To go about to tell of the Arguments in&s;i&s;ted on, from the Scrip|tures, and from Experience, and other Rea&s;ons of a prudentiall con|&s;ideration, would be too tedious; that this Vote that hurt no body &s;hould occa&s;ion &s;uch wonderfull di&s;plea&s;ure, and out-cry every where is at lea&s;t wonderfull: If men were asked (as <HI>Micah</HI> was) what aileth them? they would hardly be able to tell, &s;o well as hee did: is it not much, when as godly &s;ober men in di&s;charge of their duty and tru&s;t, for the glory of God, and good of their Countrey, &s;hould leave their habitations, relations and injoyments, &s;pend their time and meanes to &s;erve their Countrey, and be &s;o rewarded with &s;candalous and fal&s;e reports, and to have judgement of high con|demnation pa&s;&s;ed on them upon hear&s;ay, without the lea&s;t &s;hew of proofe? Is it not much that men of learning, Leaders and Teachers of others, that would be e&s;teemed godly Orthodox Divines, Mi|ni&s;ters of Chri&s;t, and Preachers of his Go&s;pel, &s;hould be of &s;uch a &s;pirit and &s;train &s;o unlike Chri&s;t and the Go&s;pel, as to utter &s;uch &s;peeches in Pulpits, and el&s;e-where? that they meaning tho&s;e that complyed not in the afore mentioned Vote, and voted in the other, were the arrante&s;t Rogues and Villaines that ever the earth bare: That their de&s;igne was wor&s;e then the Gunpowder trea&s;on: That they would have de&s;troyed the Magi&s;tracy and the Mini&s;try, the Law and the Go<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> &amp;c. That it were well if one of ten of them were hanged up, and then there would be happy dayes: might not inquiry be made, what is the matter of this their &s;o great rage and di&s;plea&s;ure; who hath hurt them or done them wrong? no que|&s;tion, but they would &s;ay: Oh they would have de&s;troyed all the Mini&s;ters, good a&s;well as bad, and overthrown the Go&s;pel; for &s;o they frequently &s;ay: heynous crimes indeed: but how doth it appeare? onely thus: they were again&s;t tho&s;e grievances of the
<PB N="24" REF="15">
Law, and Tithes, and would have had tho&s;e taken away; and they would not concur with the Report of the Committee in order to the &s;etling of Tithes, that being in the bottome of the Report; &s;o as by the&s;e mens Logick and conclu&s;ion, tho&s;e two great grievances of the Law and Tithes, (which the&s;e &s;o reproched laboured to have ta|ken away) are the Magi&s;tracy and Mini&s;try; the corrupt Law, or corruption of the Law, are the Magi&s;tracy; and Tithes they are the Mini&s;try: yea more, the Go&s;pel al&s;o; but alas, Magi&s;tracy can &s;tand without &s;uch horrible corruptions of Law, and the Mini&s;try with|out Tithes, as it is in other Countries where there is neither of them. But the belly hath no ears, and therefore no more &s;hall be &s;ayd.</P>
<P>The afore mentioned Vote pa&s;&s;ing as it did, tho&s;e Gentlemen that mi&s;&s;ed of their expectations, and were cro&s;&s;ed of having their wils, greatly fearing, as it &s;eemeth, it would goe ill with tho&s;e cor|rupt intere&s;ts of the Lawyers and Clergy, which they indeavoured to &s;upport: they took the Pet and were exceeding wroth divers of them, and that afternoone and the next day (being the Lords day, a day fittter for better imployment) they tooke Coun&s;ell with and among them&s;elves, holding Cabals, and there con&s;ulting the over|throw and di&s;&s;olution of the Hou&s;e, which was as they had decla|red to all the world the &s;upreame Authority or Magi&s;tracy, the Par|liament of the Common-wealth of England: is it not much that Gentlemen pretending &s;o high to wi&s;dom and godline&s;s, for mi&s;&s;ing the having their wills in a Vote carried in the Negative &s;hould bee induced thereby pre&s;ently to take on &s;uch de&s;perate Coun&s;els and re&s;olves, and to draw others into them ignorantly, forgetting as it &s;eemeth what they had &s;olemly declared before God and all the world; to wit, that the Hou&s;e was the Supreame Authority of the Common-wealth of England, which Common-wealth God had highly honoured, and made famous throughout the world; forget|ting al&s;o their &s;everity again&s;t malapart word<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">en in a Petition, becau&s;e it was the &s;upreame Authority: What might &s;uch Coun|&s;els, Re&s;olves and Actings merit by their owne Law? had they no charity in them towards their fellows, becau&s;e cro&s;&s;ed in that poore Vote? had they lo&s;t or laid a&s;ide the feare of God, that they could thus venture to overthrow Magi&s;tracy even the greate&s;t in the Com|mon-wealth, the Parliament and &s;upream Authority, to the indan|gering the whole Cau&s;e? The Members that they were &s;o angry
<PB N="25" REF="15">
with, and have &s;o reproached as being again&s;t Magi&s;tracy and Mi|ni&s;try, becau&s;e that poore negative Vote was carried again&s;t their wills may &s;ay to them as <HI>Jehu</HI> &s;aid to the Rulers of Samaria, 2 <HI>King.</HI> 109 <HI>ye be righteous:</HI> Indeed they voted in the affirmative in tho&s;e former Votes, and in the negative in the&s;e la&s;t Votes concerning Triers: but who con&s;ulted and put in practi&s;e the overthrow and di&s;&s;olution of the Parliament, and Supreame Authority of the Com|mon-wealth of England? having &s;lept upon their Coun&s;els, they are of the &s;ame minde &s;till, and addre&s;s them&s;elves to put it in execu|tion, ri&s;ing early and comming betime to put in practi&s;e their de|&s;igne, which was to di&s;&s;olve and put to an end the Parliament of the Common-wealth of England in their own e&s;teem: and being come, they feared not to begin with prayer to God the &s;earcher of hearts, and then proceed to declare their purpo&s;e and the rea&s;ons of it, lay|ing load upon their fellows in way of blame, that were le&s;&s;e guilty of evill then them&s;elves, uttering words that could not but a&s;toni&s;h any good &s;oule of a dying Parliament; charging their fellowes that were for the removing of the great grievances of the Law and Tithes, that they followed their owne wills; nay, their own lu&s;ts, words not fit to be &s;poken in a free Coun&s;ell, and that might have been more truly &s;aid of them&s;elves: when tho&s;e of the other &s;ide that knew nothing of their de&s;igne offered to &s;peake, telling them it was no time to debate; only one good Patriot of tho&s;e that were zealous for the remove of tho&s;e afore mentioned great grievances, &s;tood up and got audience, &s;peaking again&s;t what they had moved, intimating the good Bils that were in readine&s;s to be brought in for the Peoples good; and prote&s;ting before God, Angels and Men, again&s;t what they had moved; and others of the &s;ame party &s;tand|ing ready to do the like, who called to the Speaker to be heard tho&s;e Gentlemen without hearing their fellows, or admitting the de|bate, or putting the que&s;tion, ro&s;e up out of their places to be gone, and others in &s;implicity followed, as once many did after <HI>Ab&s;olom,</HI> 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 15.11. not knowing any thing at all, but how they per|formed their Tru&s;t the world may judge.</P>
<P>The Speaker forgetting the duty of his place, though hee was earne&s;tly called unto to keep the Chayr, hee left it, and the Serjeant as if he had been of Coun&s;ell, took up the Mace, and carried it be|fore him, though he was &s;poken unto to the contrary, as in like ma|ner
<PB N="26" REF="16">
did the chiefe Clerk: and thus in an irruptions way going out of the Hou&s;e without any Adjournment or Vote, left &s;itting thirty four or thirty five Members in the Hou&s;e; whether tho&s;e that &s;o went away were a greater or a le&s;&s;er number, as is more likely, but is hard to be determined, though it be thought by &s;ome, there were not &s;eventy &s;o early in the Hou&s;e. Tho&s;e that went out of the hou&s;e going toward White-hall, met &s;ome comming to the Hou&s;e, who &s;eeing them goe in that maner, thought they had Adjourned thi|ther, and &s;o went along with them; others they &s;ent for up and down where they could finde them, to come to them to the Hor&s;e Chamber, where they were: Tho&s;e in the Hou&s;e immediatly be|took them&s;elves to con&s;ider what they had to doe, being &s;o de&s;ert|ed of their Fellowes: and telling over their number, they found them&s;elves but thirty four, or thirty five, which could not make a Hou&s;e, forty being the lea&s;t number that might act in a Parliamen|tary way. And as they were going to con&s;ider among them&s;elves, a Colonell and Lievetenant Colonell of the Army, entred the Hou&s;e, and de&s;ired them to depart: the Members de&s;ired them to with|draw, for that they as Members of Parliament, had warrant to bee there, and if they had warrant to put them out, they wi&s;hed them to &s;hew it; but not many words pa&s;&s;ed, but they went backe and opened the doors, and brought in the &s;ouldiers with their Muskets, and &s;o then the Gentlemen ro&s;e and went out; which was done before the other were halfe way at White-hall: and &s;ome &s;o put out of the Hou&s;e, went after to White-hall to &s;ee what they were there doing, and found them in the Hor&s;e Chamber, preparing a writing of &s;urrender of their power back into his hands, from whom they had received it. If they had been his Coun&s;ell, and not Legi&s;lators, or a Parliament, much might have been in it; it was three or fowre lines written in fowr or &s;ix &s;everall papers, that &s;o the Gentlemen might the more ea&s;ily read and &s;ee what it was, which then the Clerk ingro&s;&s;ed in Parchment, and then they &s;igned it, by &s;ub&s;cri|bing their names &s;o many as would. Fir&s;t the Speaker, and then o|ther according to their quality. It may bee wondered at, that &s;o great a power &s;hould be pa&s;&s;ed by &s;o low and little an In&s;trument. Some Gentlemen went three or fowre dayes after, and &s;et their hands to it: they that &s;ub&s;cribed it, did it on &s;everall grounds and rea&s;ons: &s;ome did it knowingly to di&s;&s;olve the Hou&s;e, before di&s;&s;ol|ved
<PB N="27" REF="16">
by the Souldiers, and their di&s;orderly going away, which they had plotted and re&s;olved before: &s;ome becau&s;e &s;ome eminent per|&s;ons of their party did it before them, expecting by that meanes to have been rid of &s;ome of the other party at the lea&s;t, and they to have been continued in power without them, wherein they were deceived, and not a little vexed: &s;ome therein looked no further then at their owne quiet, and to bee rid of a trouble&s;ome imploy|ment: &s;ome that they might not be thought lovers of power and dignity; and &s;ome out of weakne&s;s, and feare of the lo&s;s of &s;ome worldly injoyment, which they have &s;ufficiently repented and been &s;orry for &s;ince.</P>
<P>But how weak an Act, and contrary to their tru&s;t it was for tho&s;e that profe&s;&s;ed them&s;elves to be Legi&s;lators, had made Lawes and levied mony by way of Tax upon the people as the Parliament and Supream Authority of the Common-wealth of England, as cloathed with their power, &s;o ea&s;ily, and without their knowledge or con|&s;ent whom they pretended to repre&s;ent in Parliament, to give up, or give away their power which was none of theirs to give, but at the mo&s;t to u&s;e for their good; to doe it without debate or con&s;ide|ration, in &s;o weighty a ca&s;e; to do it when the Parliament was di&s;|&s;olved by them&s;elves and the Souldiers, and they but in the capacity of &s;ingular per&s;ons; to give it up, as much as in them lay, into the hands of one &s;ingle per&s;on, and that again&s;t a &s;tanding Law then in being, not repealed: was it not in effect to render all the people of England &s;lavs: as would ea&s;ily be granted by their own party, if they had &s;o delivered to <HI>Charles Stuart:</HI> were ever men &s;o weake, ra&s;h, and incon&s;iderate, &s;o out-witted, or carried away with pa&s;&s;ion and &s;pleen again&s;t their fellowes, becau&s;e they indeavoured to remove tho&s;e grievances of Tithes and the Law which the people of this Nation groan exceedingly under? But might not the validity of this act of theirs be queried? if a Jury &s;hould give up their Verdict &s;o, or deliver over their tru&s;t to others, would it be counted valid? but &s;o it was, and &s;o they did: and &s;o an end of that Parliament that &s;ate five months and three dayes as the &s;upream Power of the Com|mon-wealth of England, whom God pre&s;erve.</P>
<P>And &s;o an end of this Relation and Di&s;cour&s;e, with the calling to minde the &s;aying of the P&s;almi&s;t, 11. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 4.7. <HI>If the Founda|tions be de&s;troyed, what can the Righteous doe? The righteous Lord loveth righteou&s;ne&s;s, his countenance doth behold the &V;pright.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
