520 'Tht HIS T 0 R Y oj the PuRITANS. VoL-. JI. Inter· influenced, than cities and counties ; but it was ill judged to break R~~~~~· in upo~ the ~lltrumet!t of government,. by which he held his pr·o– ~ t~Ctodhtp. 1 he parhament met accordmg to appointment, but did Wallmgford little bufinefs, the lower houfe not beino- willing to own the upper. The H~llife party. d' 'd d · d b.c n· · . army wa~ tvt e mto two gran ,a~..Llons; the Wallmgford-Houfo party, wbtch was for a commonwealth; and the prdbyterian, which with the majority of the parliament, was for the protector. The lf!'al– livlgford- Houje party, of which Fleetwood and Dejboroughwere the head, invtted Dr. Owen and Dr. Manton to their confultations. Dr. Owen went te prayer before they entered on bufinefs, but Dr. Manton being late before he came, heard a loud voice from within, faying, he mufl down, and he jha/1 down. Manton knew the voice to be Dr. O·u:en's, and underfl:ood him ·to mean the depofing of Richard, and therefore would not go in. But the writer of Or. Owen's life di(credits this fiery; though in my opinion, '(is very probable, for the doctor inclined to a republican government: He fided with the army, and drew up their addrefs agJinfl: 0/iver's being king: upon which he declined in the protector's favour, and as foon as Richard became chancellor of Oxford, he turned him out of the vice– chancellodhip. The cabinet council at Wallingford-Houfe having gained over feveral to their party, prevailed with Richard to confent to their ereCt– ing a general council of officers, though he could not but know they de– figned his ruin, being all republicans ; and therefore inftead of fupport– ing the protector, they prefented a remonil:rance, complaining of the ad– vancement of dif~lffected perfons, and that the good old caufi was ridiculed. Richard fenliblc of his fatal milhke, by the advice of lord • Broghil, diifolved the council, and then the parliament voted that they iliould ineet no more; but the officers bid him defiance, and like a com– pJny of fovereign dictators armed with power, fent the protector a perem– ptory meifage t0 diifolve the parliament, telling him that it was impofii– ble for him to keep both the parliament and army at his devotion, but that he might choofe which he would prefer; if he diifolved the parli,l– ment he might depend upon the army, but if he refufed, they would quickly pull him out of Whitehall. Upon this the timorous gentleman being at a plunge, and deil:itute of his fa,ther's courage, fubmitted to part with the only men who could fupport him. Richard deAfter the diifolution of the parliament, Richard became a cypher in p.Jed ~Y the the government ; lord Broghil, afterwards earl of Orrery, advifed him to army. the !all: to fupport the parliament and declare againfl: the coun:il of .officers ; and if he had allowed the captain of his guard at the lame t1~e to have fecured Fleetwood and Dejborough, as be undertook to do, wlth the hazard of his life, he might have been eftabli!hed ; but the poor– fpirited protector told him, that he was afraid if blood; upon which the captain, lord Ho7.vard, made his peace with the king. The officers at Wal~
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=