Chap. X. The HISTORYof the PURITANS. 755 againft all laws, orders, votes, refolutions, and determinations, as in K. Charles I. as themfeives null, and of none effeE1, which in their abfence, fince the 1641) " 27th of this month of December, 1641. have already paffed ; as like- " wife againft all fuch as (hall hereafter país in that moil honourable " houfe, during the time of this their forced and violent abfence from the " laid moll honourable houfe; not denying but if their abfenting of " themfelves were wilful andvoluntary, that moil honourable houfe might " proceed in all the premifes, their abfence, or this proteftation, notwith- " ftanding. Andhumbly befeeching your molt excellent majefly to corn- " mand the clerk of that houfe ofpeers, to enter this their petitionand pro- " teftation among their records, And they will ever pray God to biefs, &c. john Eborac. Tho. Durefine, Ro. Gov. Lich. lof. Norwich, yo. ,elfaph, Gul. Bath and Wells, George Hereford, Rob. Oxon. Mat. Ely, Godfrey Gloucefler, Jo. Peterborough, Morice Landaf; This proteflation was prefented to the king by archbifhop Williams, who undertook to juftify the lawfulnefs of it; but his majefly declining to Cl n, appear in fo nice an affair, delivered it into the hands of the lord keeper Littleton, who by his majefty's command, read it in the houfe of lords the next morning. After fome debate the lords defired a conference with Rulhwo the commons, when the keeper in the name of the houfe of peers de- , 467= dared, that the proteflation ofthe bifhops containedmatters ofhigh and dan- gerous confequence, extending to the intrenchingupon thefundamental privi- leges and beingofparliaments, and therefore the lords thought fit to commu- nicate it to the commons. The proteflation being communicated to the houleThey, of commons, they refolved within half anhour, to accule the twelvepeacbed. bifhops of high treafon, for endeavouring tofubvert thefundamental lazes and being of parliaments, and Pent up their impeachment by Mr. Glyn, . who having delivered it at the bar of the houfe of lords, the ufher of the black rod was ordered to go immediately in fearch of the bifhops, and bring them to the houfe; the bifhops appearing the fame evening [De- Fuller, B. cember 3o.] were fequeflered from parliament, ten of them being Pent to Xi, P. 188. the Tower, the bifhops of Durham and Norwich, by reafon of their great age, and the fervice they had done the church of God, by their writings and preaching, being committed to the cuftody of the 5 D z black
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