The HISTORY of the PuRITANS. VoL. II. Common- wealth ; the executive power lodged in the hands of a council if /late of w~al~h. forty perfons, with full powers to take care of the whole a<Jminifl:ration ~for one year ; new keepers of the great flal were appointed, from whom the judges received their commiflions, with the- name, !j:ile, and title of cujlodes libertatis Angli::e authoritate parliamenti, i. e. keepers qf the liber: ties if Engb.nd by authority if p~rliament. The coin was fi:amped on one ftde with the arms of E1zgland between a laurel and a palm, with this in– fcription , the commonwealth of England; and on the other, a crojs and harp, with this motto, God with us. The oaths of allegiance and fupre– macy were aboli!hed, and a new one appointed, called the ENGAGE– MENT, which was, to be true andJaitlful to the government ejlablijhed, wit~out king or houfe if peers. Such as refufed the oath were declared in– capable of holding any place or office of truft in the commonwealth; but as many of the excluded memters of the houfe-of commons as would take it, refumed their places. • Remarks. Such was the foundation of this new conllitution, which had neither the confent. of the people of E11!Jiand, nor of their repre[entatives in a free– parliament. " And if ever there was an ufurped governmen\, mutilated, '' and founded only in violence (fays Rapin) lt was that of this parliament." But though itwas unfupported by any other power tha-n that of the army,– it was carried on with the moft confummate wifdom, refolution, and fuc– cefs, till the fame military power that fet it up, was permitted by clivi ne providence with equal· violence to pull it down. - · Oppofed by The new commonwealth in its infant ftate, met with oppofition from tbe lew/lers. divers quarters : _ t_he le:vdlers_ in thi arm.y gave ouJ:,. that the people had only changed their yoke, not iliaken it off; and that the RUMP's little finger '(for fo the houf~ of commons was aow 'called), would be heavier than the king's loins. The agitators therefore petitioned the houfe to dif– folve themfelves, that new· reprefentatives might be chofen. The com– mons alarmed at thefe proceedings, ordered their general officers to cn!hier the petitioners, and break their [words over their heads, which was done Whitt. p. accordingly. But when the forces paifed under a general review at Ware, 387, 389. their friends in the army agreed to diftinguifh themfelves by wearing fomething white in their hats; which Cromwe!l having fome intelligence of beforehand, commanded two regiments of horfe who were not in tlie fecret, to furround one of the regiments of foot; and having condemned four of the ringleaders in a council of war, he commanded two of them to be ihot to death by their other two affociates, in figh~ of the whole army; and to break the combination, eleven regiments were ordered for Ireland; upon which great numbers deferted, and marched into Oxfor4Jhire; but gene· ral Fair~'ax and Cromweli having overtaken them at Abingdon, held them J' in
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