l.H'F. OF RICHA.R1l llAXTF.R. 83 Early in the following year, the nation was agaiq involved in war. The Scots, in compliance with their new treaty, invaded Enrrland under the banner of the covenant ; the king's old fi·iends 1·isi~g simultaneously, wherever they were numerous enough to show themselves. The army, which had overawed the parliament by being quartered about London, was now drawn off to meet the common enemy; and the Presbyterian party iromediately regained its old ascendency in the city. A new treaty was set on foot with the king, and, though long delayed by the efforts of the minority in parliament, was at last on the point of being concluded and car– ried into execution; when the army, having once more crushed all armed opposition, suddenly marched toLond<m, and all was revers– ed. Military usurpation became the order of the day. A great number of Presbyterians were forcibly expelled from the bouse of commons. The lords, refusing to concur with the acts ofthe low– er house, thus mutilated, were no longer acknowledged as a branch of the legislature. A high court of justice was erected by the com– mons for the trial of" Charles Stuart; king of England;" and by the sentence of that court, after a public trial, the king was beheaded on the lhirtieth of January, 1649. The Rump, for that was the name which the people in derision applied to the remnant of the parliament, consisted chiefly of zeal– ous republicans, and was therefore resolved on the establishment of a commonwealth which might surpass in renown the classic re– publics of antiquity. But, as the republicans were in fact only a minority in the nation, it was felt that the people could not be tn>sted with this favorite project. Therefore the existing members of parliament must still retain the power in their own hands ; though they made many fair promises that, as soon as peace and order should be established, they· would resign their pawer, and give the people an opportunity to elect new rulers. Meanwhile, for the se– curity of the infant commonwealth, all the subjects were called on to profess allegiance to its government. This promise was styled the " engagemet~t," and was thus expressed, " I do promise to be true and faithful to the commonwealth, as it is now established, without a king or house of lords." In Scotland, Charles II. was proclaimed king, and was invited to come over from Holland, where he had found refuge, and to receive his crown, on condition ofhis taking the covenant 0 and submitting to many additional restrictions and engagements. The Rump, see- . ing no immediate danger likely to arise from that quarter, left the Scots to settle their own government in their own way. Cromwell was sent to command in Ireland, where, after a bloody war of nine months, he established, beyond resistance or dispute, the authori– ty of the commonwealth.
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