7he HISTORY of the PuRITANS. VoL. II. K. Charles I. was refl:ored to his throne, after all the blood that had been lhed, they ~ fll<mld neither be fafe in their lives or fortunes. On the other hand, if pre;byteria_n. uniformify lho.uld take place by vir.tue of the pre(ent treaty, thm condition would be little mended ; for (fa1d they) if the king bim– felf cannot obtain liberty to have the common-pra;•er read privately in his own family, what mufl: the independents and jeflaries expel'!:? What have we been contending for, if after all the hazards we have mn, presby– tery is to be exalted, and we are to be banilhed our country or driven into corners? Their pro· uedings. While the refentments of the army were thus inflamed, their officers who were high enthtifiqfts, though men of unblemilhed morals, obferved feveral days of fafl:ing and prayer at their head quarters at St. A/ban's, till at length in a kind of defpair, and under the influence of a religious phrenjy, they entered upon the mofl: defperate meafures, refolving to af– fume the sovEREIGN PowER into their own hands ; to bring the king to juflice; to fet afide the covenant; and change the government into a commonwealth. To accomplilh thefe monfl:rous refolutions, which were founded (as they alledged) upon SELF PRESERVATION, though profecut– ed by meafures fubverfive not only of the rights of parliament, but of the fundamental laws of fociety, the officers agreed upon a remo1:J}rance, which \vas prefented to the parliament by fix of their council, Nov. zo. eight days before the expiration of the treaty with .the king, together with a lwer from general Faiifax to the houfe, defiring it might have a prefent reading. Their rnnmThe remonfl:rance fets forth the mifcarriages of the king's government; jlrance. his double and dilatory proceedings in treaties, particularly in that now on foot; and then delires the houfe to return to their votes of non-addreifes; to hy afide that bargaining propolition of compounding with delinquents, and bring them to punifhment ; and among thefe offenders, they propofe " ( r.) That the KING be brought to jufl:ice, as the capita) caufe of all. " (z.) That a day be fet for the prince of Wales and duke of York to " furrender themfelves, or be declared incapable of the government; and " that for the future, no king be admitted but by the free election of the Clarend. p. 236. Rapin, p. 549· 'They feiu the king's pe~fon a 2d. time. " people." · The commons upon reading this remonltrance, were fl:ruck with fur– prize, and being in the utmofl: confl:ernation, deferred the debate for ten days i. e. to the end of the treaty. But the officers being apprehenfive of what might happen in that time, fent colonel Ewer to the !Jle of Wi'ght with a party of horfe to fecure the perfon of the king, and ordered colo– nel Hammond to quit the iiland, and attend the council of officers at their head quarters at Windfor; the king was fecured the very day after the ex– piration of the treaty, and next morni~g [Nov. 30.] conveyd by a party · of
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