Chap. VIII. The HIS T 0 R Y of the PuRITANS. 285 felves that liberty for which they had been fighting: This they had in vain K. Charles!. foll icited from the king, and were next determined to try their intereft ~ with the parliament. The houfes being informed of the king's deGgn to make his efcape The army uf h J'jl J /17." I d d 1 h' {i mte wzth tho out o t e . e q; tgrJt, or ere t Je governor to put away ~s erv~nths, parliament. and confi ne him a clofe pri(oner in the caflle, fo that no perzon m1g t Rulhw. p. be admitted to {peak to him without leave. His majdly having alfo 951, 953, declared, when he rejected the parlia ment's four bills, that nothing which ~62·. could befal him could ever prevail with him to confent to any one act, 45 ";:n46j·, till the condi tions of the whole peace were concluded, they began to defpair of an accommodation. In this juncture the officers of the army fent a meifage to the houfes, aifuring them, that they would live and die with them in fettling the nation either with or without the king, and leave all" tranf.1ctions of ftate for the future to them almJe. However after the fedufion of the eleve n impeached members, and Votes ofnm~ the quartering the arm)' in the neighbourhood of the city, the parlia- addrejfes. rnent either fi·om intereft or fear, had a great regard to the opinion of thofe officers who were members of the hou(e. Upon a motion that no more addreffcs be made to the king from the parliament, nor any meffages received from him, lRETON and CRoMWELL opened themfelves very freely: Ireton f<1id, " fubje{tion to the king was but in lieu of " proteCtion from him, which being denied, we may fettle the king- " dom without him.-Letus then {how our refolution (fays be), and not " defert thofe valiant men 'fho have engnged for us beyond all poffibili- " ty of retreat." Cram-well faid, " That the parliament fhould govern " by their own power, and not teach the people any longer to expeCt: " fafety from an obftinate man, wbofe heart God had hardened- '' The army will defend you againft all oppofition. Teach them not; " by neglecting your's and the kingdom's fafety, in which their own is " involved, to think themfelves betrayed, and left hereafter to the rage " and malice of an irreconcileable enemy, whom they have fubdued . '' for your fake, left defpair teach them to feek their f:1fety by fame " other means than adhering to you ; j [here he put his hand to his " fword] and how deftructive fuch a refolution will be (fays he) I " tremble to think, and leave you to judge!" The queftion being then put, it was carried by a. majority of fifty voices; yea's one hundred fortyone, no's ninety-one. January 17. the lords concurred with the commons in their votes of non-addr~/Jes. To this very time, fays lord .C/a- Vol. III; rmdon, no -man mentioned the king's perfon without duty and refpeCt:. p. 93· But now a new fcene was opened, and fame of the officers at their . meetings at Witzdjor, began to .talk of depofing the king, or profecuting him
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