The HIS T 0 R Y if the PuRITANS. VoL II. Internotwith(l-anding what had happened the day before, When the news of Regnum h' 'j' . li d I h h 16 . • t ts reconct tatwn was prea t 1roug t e town, the parliament were ~ firuck with f01·prize; but ·there was a perfeCt triumph among the people, the bells rung, bonfires were made, and numbers of rumps thrown into– them, in contempt of the parliammt. He rljlores the Jecluded members of J648. The general being now fupported by the citizens, proceeded to reflore the fecluded members _of 1648, who were of the ·prefbyterian party; for this purpofe be appowted a conference between them and fome of the fitting members, which mifcarried, becaufe the fitting members could not undertake that the parliament would fiand to their agreement. Upon which Monk refolved to re!lore them immediately by force, Jell the par– liament and their army fhould come to an accommodation, and dii1odge him from the city. Accordingly he fummoned the feduded members to Whitehall Feb. 2 I, and having acquainted them with his defign, exhort– ed them to take care of the true interefi of the nation, and told them, K. Ch. p. " that the citizens of London wet e for a commonwealth, the old founda63· '' tions of monarchy being fo broken that it could not be refiored but up– " on the ruins of the people, who bad engaged for the parliament; for " if the king fhould return (lays he) he will govern by arbitrary will " and power. Befides, if the government of the fiate be monarchial, '' the church mufl: follow, and prelacy be brought in, which I know " the nation cannot bear, and have fworn againll; and therefore a mo– " derate, not a rigid prdbyterian government, with liberty of confcience, " will be the moil: acceptable way to the churches fettlement." He then 0bliged them to fubfcribe the following articles, " I. To fettle the armies. " fo as to preferve the peace. 2. To provide for their fupport, and pay. " their arrears. 3· To confiitute a council of fiate for Scotland and. " Ireland. And 4· To call a new parliament and diifolve the prefent." And fo difmiffed them with a firong party of guards to fee them take their places in the houfe. This fpeech is very difl:ant from what is pre– tended the general had in view, and feems to have been drawn up by, {ome of the moderate preibyterians, with whom he kept a clofe cor– refpondence. And though he did not turn the members out of the boufe as Cronm:e/1 did, yet his difcharging the parliament guards, and· pldcing a ilrong body of his own horfe at the door, without leave of the· parliamen t, gave them fufficiently to underfiand,. what would be the conProuedings if parlia– ment. l&aJ?in. fequence of their making oppofition. The houfe thus enlarged became entirely preibyterian. They ratified, their vote of December 1648, (viz.) That the king's conceilions at the !fie qf Wigbt were a fufficient ground for peace -- They annulled the mgagement of I 649• --'f.hey put the militia into new hands, with. this limitation~ that none .fhould be employed in that trufl but ~llho would fttft.
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