644 The HISTORY of the PURITANS. Chap. VII. K. Charles I. If we may believe his lordfhip's chara&er of the leading members of ') both houfes, even of thofe who were molt attive in the war again(t the king, we (hall find even they were true churchmen according to law ; and that they had no deflgns againft epifcopacy, nor any inclinations to prefbytery, or thefeparation. Character of The earl of EssEx was captain general and commander in chief of the eading the parliament army, and fo great was his réputation, that his very name mong the commanded thoufands into their fervice. It had been impoffible for peers. the parliament to have railed an army, in lord Clarendon's opinion, if Ea rl of the earl of EJex had not contented to be their general ; and r. yet this Clarendon, " nobleman; lays he, was not indevoted to thefunction of bi/hop , but was Vol.I.p.182, " as much devoted as any man to the book of common- prayer, and obliged 185, X89, `r all hisfervants to be pr f nt with him at it ; his houfhold chaplain being 211, " always a conformable man, and a goodfcholar." voi.lI. p. The earl of BEDFORD was general of the horfe under the earl of 211, 212, Ejx, but he hadno dfre that thereJhouldbe any alteration in the govern - 214, 4ó2, " ment of the church; he had always lived towards my lord of Canter- j97' oe. " bury himfelf, with all ref eft and reverence he frequently vifited EarláfBed- }' p ; q y ford. " and dined with him, fubfcribed liberally to the repairing of St. Paul's, and feconded all pious undertakings." Lord Kim- Lord KIMBOLTON afterwards earl of Manchßer, was a man of great bobos. generofrty and good breeding ; and no man was more in the confidence of the difcontented party, or more trufted ; he was commander of part of the parliament forces, and rather complied with the changesof the times than otherwife ; he had a confiderable (hare in the reftoration of king Charles the fecond, and was in high favour with him till his death. Earl or The earl of WARWICK was admiral of the parliament fleet ; he was Warwick. the perfon who feized on the king's (hips, and employed them againft him during the whole courfe of the war; he was looked upon as the greateft patron of the puritans, and yet this nobleman (lays lord Claren- don) never difcovered any averfon to epifcopacy, but much prfejed the contrary. , In truth (lays the noble hiftorian) when the bill was brought into the houfe to deprive the bithops of their votes in parliament, there were only at that time taken notice of in the houle of peers, the lords SAY and BROOK, as pofitive enemies to the whole fabrick of the church, Character ofand to defire a difrolution of the government. the leading Amongft the leading members in the houle of commons, we may members in reckon WILLIAM LENTIIAL, Efq; their fpeaker, who was of no ill thehoaje of reputationforhis afetlion to the government both of church and(late (lays commons. Of Mr. his lordlhip); and declared on his death -bed after the reftoration, that Lenthal the he had always efteemed epifcopal government to he the heft ern_ fpeaker.
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