666 7he HISTORY of the PuRITANs. VoL. II. Ch~:1:~ II. I' Accorbdin 1 g tdo thh~fefl~eafl:d.s ofRagrleembentb~lhbill wW·a~l'k~repared for the par1668. lament y or c .1e ')~ ICe a e ; ~t 1 ?P 1 ms, an hondt open- ~ hearted man , havmg difclofed the affair to b1lhop Ward, in hopes of his 'I'hey are ailifl:ance, alarmed the bilho_ps, who infl:ead of promotiflg the deGgn, rofoedby the confulted meafures to defeat lt; for as foon as the parliament met, notice J~~net p. was taken that there were rumours without doors, of an act to be offered 260, ' for comprehenjion and indulgence, upon which a vote was paffed, that no man jhould bring ji1ch an aC! into the houfe. And to crulh the non-con– formifts more effectually, archbilhop She/don writ a circular letter to the bifhops of his province, dated June 8, to fend him a particular account of the conventicles in their feveral diocefes, and of the numbers that fre– quented them ; and whether they thought they might be eqjilyJupprdfed by the civil magijlrate. When he was provided wi th this information, he went to the king, and obtained a proclamation to put the laws in execu– tion againfl: the non ·conformifl:s, and particularly againfl: the preachers, according to the fl:atute of 17th king Charles II. which forbids their in– habiting corporations• .And .the perThns the perfecution was renewed ; and the parliament fl:ill bent on fecutton rer • · • d · · · b b h · f h vived. Jeverltles, appomte a committee to enqUire Into t e e av10ur o t e non.conformifl:s, who reported to the houfe, that divers conventicles, and other feditious meetings, were held in their very neighbourhood, in de– fiance of the laws, and to the danger of the peace of the kingdom. Burnet, p. General Monk who was near his end, and funk almoft into cont~mpt, 98. was employed to difperfe them, and received the thanks of the houfe for his zeal in that important fervice, wherein he was fure to meet Gazcttce, with no oppofition. They alfo returned his majefl:y thanks for his proMNumbB. 415· clamation for fuppreiling conventicles, ddiring him to take the fame r. axter r h fi B h' h . . f h d'"' and others care wr t e uture. · y t IS means t. e pnvate meetmgs o t e nrenimprifoneJ, ters, which had been held by connivance, were broke up again. Mr. Life. Baxter was committed to Clerken'l!Jell prifon, for preachiflg to his neigh– :;~t III. p. hours in his own houfe at AC!on, and for refufing the O~ford oath; but upon demanding an habeas corpus, his mittimus was declared invalid for want of naming the witneffes. The jufl:ices would have mended their mittimus and fent him to Newgate, but Mr. Baxter being releafcd, wifely kept out of the way. Mr. Taverner of Uxbridge was fentenced to Newgate, for teaching a few children at Breniford. Mr. Button late univerfity orator, was fent to prifon for teaching two knights fons in his "' bl own houfe; and multitudes in many counties had the like ufage, fuffering "vat agreea e • • 1i to the king's 1mpnfonment for IX months. inclinations: But this was contrary to the king's inclinations, who was only for play– lb. P· 37• ing the diffenters againfl: the parliament for a fum of money; when the 87. houfe
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=