The HISTORY o~" the PuRITANs. V JI './ OL, , Oliver marriages, in order to prevent illegitimacy, and vexatious law-fuits in fuProtellor. . B h Cl f h" . f j" I . 1653 . tu 1 re tanhes. r udt t he a ~o. t tsf chonvent~on wer~ o . ttt e figntficance, for ~"'--" w Jen t ey wun t e auJHS o t e natwn too mtncate, and the feveral part~::s too fl:ubborn t? yield t~ their. ordinan'ces, they wifely re!igned, and furrendered back thetr {overetgnty mto the fame hands that gave it them after they had fat five months and twelve days. ' 0. CramThe general and his qfficers fin ding themfelves reinvefl:ed with the fuwell declared . ' · b J th £ · d J' · " b pteme autnonty, y w 1at ey anc1e a more par tamentary deleo-aoon protc(.;tor ry a .:. . .· , . b . ' council of of- took upon th,m to fl:tJke out a new form of government, a ltttle tendmojicers. towards monarchy, contained in a large infl:rument of forty two article~ .dhbjirall_of entitled the governmmt qf tbe commonwealth of Enaland Scotland and t e new mI . h . o ' > firument of Ire and. It appomts t e government to be m a iingle perfon ;-that the government, fingle perfon be the general 0. CROMWELL, whofefl:tle and title fhould be bis highnefs, lord proteflor of the commonwealth if England, Scotland, and Ireland, and qf the dominions thereunto belonging-that the lord proteCtor fhould have a council, confi!ting of no more than twenty-one perfons, Newmodel of nor lefs than thirteen, to affifl: him in the adminiftration-A parliament aparliament. was to be chofen out of the three kingdoms every three years at longeft, and not to be diifolved without their confent in le(s than five months. It was to con fill: of four hundred members for England and Wales; thirty for Scotland, and thirty for Ireland ; whereof fixty were to make a houfe. The counties of England and Wales were to choofe two hundred thirty nine; the other eleCtions to be difl:ributed among the chief cities and mar-. ket towns, without regard to ancient cufiom. The county of Doifet was to choofe eleven members, Cornwal eight, Becffordjbire five; the feveral ridings of Yorlifbire fourteen ; Middlejex four; the city of London fix; W dfmil?fler two; the whole number of cities and boroughs which had pri– vilege of eleCtion were one hundred and ten, and the number of reprefen– tatives to be chofen by them one hundred and fixty--lf the proteCtor refufed to iifue out writs, the commillloners of the great feal, or the hig_h fheriff of the county, was to do it under pain of treafon-ncne to have votes but fuch as were worth two hundred pounds.-This regulation being wifely proportioned met with univcrG1l approbation. Lord Clarendon fays, it was fit to be more warrantably made, and in a better time-all the great officers of fia te, as chancellor, trea(urer, &c. if they . became vacant in time of parliament, to be fupplied with their approbation; and in the in– tervals with the approbation of the council-fuch bills as were offered to the proteCtor by the parliament, if not figned in t'i'i·enty days, were to be laws without him, if not contrary to this inllrument-In the prefent criiis, the proteCtor and his council might publifh ordinances which !hould have force till the firfl: feffions of parliament~ the protector was to have power to make war and peace, to confer titles of honour, to pardon all crimes except
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