all speed disbanded, and that the City may make yearly Election of their own Militia; and so ends this year.

In Ireland all things had gone to wrack for these last four years; but now the Parliament send over Colonel Monk with about 2000 horse and foot, who had some success against the Irish; but the Parliament resolving to prosecute the war vigorously, send over 8400 foot besides officers, with 3000 horse, and 1200 dragoons; all which were taken out of General Fairfax's army, which caused much animosity between the army and parliament, and though men might reasonably have expected that the 23d year of his Majesty's Reign should have begun with a sunshine of settlement, so desireable after such storms of war, yet such hopes were blasted by these dissentions; the army being offended with the Parliament for disbanding them, and being encouraged by pretended petitions from several Counties to the General, not to disband till the peace of the Kingdom were fully settled; they drew up a petition which was presented to Parliament by Lt. Gen. Hammond and others, desiring provision for pardon and indemnity; their arrears to be paid; that the foot soldiers may not be prest out of the Kingdom, nor horsemen serve on foot, that the widows and children of such as were slain in their service might be provided for, and that they may receive pay to discharge their quarters, and not burthen the Country till the army be disbanded. This offended the Parliament, who declared their high dislike of it, and voted, that such as continued in this way of acting should be proceeded against as enemies of the state.

Some petitions from Essex and other places are presented to the Parliament, inveighing against the proceedings of the army; which much vexes the soldiers, who sharply apologize for themselves, and utterly refuse the service of Ireland till satisfaction were given to their desires; the difference was likely to have grown wider, but to close the breach, Commissioners are chosen on both sides to procure a right understanding; but the army judged that it would be to their advan tage if they could get the King into their hands, and therefore June the 3d 1647, Cornet Joyce was sent to Holmby with 500 horse, who brought away the King from thence with the Parliaments Commissioners, who would by no means leave him, promising him, that he should have no violence offered to his person; that his trunks and papers should not be rifled nor tumbled; that he should be attended with such servants against whom there could be no just exception, and that nothing should be imposed on him contrary to his conscience; and so he was conveyed to Childersly, and thence by his own desire to New-market, this the General certifies in a letter to the Parliament, affirming it to be done

without his consent, and that the reason alledged by the actors was, because certain persons had designed to take away his Majesty, thereby to gather strength to make a new war, which they were able and ready to prove.

And now the army to the great terror of the Parliament march toward London, and came to St. Albans, notwithstanding a message from both Houses not to come within 25 miles of the City; which the General excuses, saying, that the army was come thither before they received the Parliament's desire; and here he obtains a month's pay; the Parliament vote, that the General be required to deliver the person of the King to the former Commissioners, who were to bring him to Richmond, that proposition of peace might be speedily presented to his Majesty, and that Colonel Rossiter and his Regiment might guard his person; to this the army would not consent, and therefore sent up their Representation, with these proposals, as the only effectual means to procure a stable settlement; that the houses may be speedily purged of such as out not to sit there; that such who abused the Parliament and army, and endanger the Kingdom, may speedily be disabled from doing the like or worse, that some determinate time may be set to this and future Parliaments, according to the intent of the Act for Triennial Parliaments, that provision may be made they may not be adjourned nor prorogued without their own consent, during such a certain time, and then to determine themselves; that the freedom of the people (to prevent Grievances) by petitioning the Parliament, may be vindicated. That the exorbitant power of country committees may be taken away; that the Kingdom may be satisfied in the Parliaments accounts for the vast sums received, and also in divers other things wherein the Common-wealth hath been abused; that after delinquents have passed their compositions, an act of oblivion may be passed.

The Parliament being divided into two parties, the independents countenanced the army, and the Presbyterians the City in high manner against the army; of whom they would fain have rid themselves, by sending a great part of them into Ireland, and disbanding all the rest; to prevent which, they had in readines an impeachment against 11 of them; for retarding the relief of Ireland; for acting many things against the laws and liberties of the people, and for obstructing the Courts of Justice, all which was offered to be proved against them; there names were Denzil Hollis, Esq. Sir Phillip Stapleton, Sir William Lewis, Sir John Clothworthy, Sir William Waller, Sir John Maynard, Major General Massey, Mr. Glynn Recorder of London, Colonel Walter Long, Colonel Edward Harley, and Anthony

Nichols, Esq. and with this charge they delivered in a paper, desiring the accused Members to be forthwith suspended from sitting in the house; this was judged a great intrenchment upon Parliament; but the army persisted, the 11 Member first forebore the House, and afterward obtained leave to travel for six months; yet to give some satisfaction to the Parliament, the army removed further off from London, having the King continually near them, who had a great desire to see his children, which he obtained by a letter from Fairfax to the Parliament. The 11 Members being gone, the army-part in the House of Commons began to prevail, for a vote was passed for taking the London Militia out of the hands of the city, and transferring it to others better affected to the army; and it was made treason to procure Subscriptions to petitions, upon which great multitudes of apprentices, and others flocked to Westminster in a mutinous manner, clamouring at the Parliament doors, and requiring that vote should be repealed before the Members should pass out of the House, and forcing the Speaker back into the Chair, constrained him and them to sit till they extorted this vote from them; that the King should come to London, and the City have their Militia restored to them; and then the Parliament adjourned for four days.

The General, for the ease of the country, was removed to Bedford, hearing of this, marches up towards London, and sends before him a letter to the Lord Mayor and Aldermen, wherein he signifies his resentment of the late outrage, and requires justice to be done to the offenders; in his way at Hounslow he his met with by the Speakers of both Houses, and such of the Members as sided with the army, who complained of the affront and injurious violence offered them, and there they consult together how to get the City without blood; in the mean time the contrary party meet in Parliament, and chuse new Speakers, the 11 Members being again admitted, and the first thing done is, the confirming the last extorted votes, and to put the City in a posture of defence, ordering soldiers to be enlisted, and Major General Massey, Colonel Poyns, and Sir W. Waller to have the command of them, and the citizens published a declaration against the army, yet matters were not so clearly carried, but upon Fairfax's approach, many dissentions arose in their counsels; and at Guildhall they fell from words to blows, divers being wounded and some slain, and lastly the Court of Aldermen conclude to write to the General, excusing_themselves, and charging the fault on some particular persons; Fairfax sends a brigade under Rainsborough and Hewson over Kingston-bridge to Southwark, who take in the great fort on the

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highway to Lambeth; the Common Council speed away many messages for pacification, which the General with the consent of the Members of Parliament then present, granted upon condition, that they should desert the Parliament then sitting, and the 11 impeached members, and to deliver up the Tower and their other forts, which they were glad to submit to; presently a declaration was published for making void all acts passed by the Members at Westminster, since July the 26th last past.

August the 6th 1647, General Fairfax marched in triumph to Westminster, and re-established the disturbed members of Parliament receiving their public thanks for vindicating them from the injurious usage as they complained of the citizens, and the next day he marched through the City with his whole army, being twenty thousand horse and foot to the Tower, and a month's pay was given to the army as a gratuity for their good service in suppressing the late insurrection, but the Excise was thought fit to be continued; the General had his headquarters at Kingston, and the King was settled at Hampton Court with his children about him, whither the Earl of Ormond repaired to him, having by his command quitted his Government in Ireland to the Parliament's Commissioners; inquiry being now made into the actors and fomentators of the late transactions, they were proceeded against at the discretion of the Judges; Mr. Glynn was turned out of his Recordership, Sir John Maynard was impeached of treason, Hollis, Waller, Clothworthy, Massey, Long and Nicholls were summoned to attend the House. October 16th. Sir John Gayer, Lord Mayor, and four Aldermen, Culham Bunch, Langham and Adams were accused and committed to the Tower, and the Earls of Lincoln, Suffolk and Middlesex, with the Lord Berkly, Maynard, Hunsden and Willoughby of Parban were committed to the Black Rod; but care was now taken to pull down the pride of the City, for both Houses order the casting down of all works about it and the dividing the Militia, impowering the City of Westminster, the Borough of Southwark, and the Hamlets about the Tower, each to have its distinct Militia of itself.

The army being much behind in arrears, petition the Parliament, who upon consideration, order them some money at the present, and then drew up propositions for peace to be sent to the King at Hampton Court, the same in substance as those offered at Newcastle, and had the like effect, the business of Episcopacy being always the main objection, which the Parliament were resolved to abolish, and the King preferring the satisfaction of his conscience before all other respects, would rather lose all than consent thereto; and in his answer of Sept.

the 9th seemed rather to incline to the army than Parliament, which giving them great occasion of distast, is thought to have contributed much to his prejudice. About this time the Parliament vote six thousand foot, and two thousand four hundred horse, and dragoons, to be sent into Ireland, and seven thousand two hundred horse, and a thousand dragoons to be kept as a standing army in England, soon after the officers to provide for themselves, elected out of every regiment a certain number of soldiers to meet and consult, by the name of Agitators; who together draw up a large letter to Fairfax, full of compliments, desiring, that he would take some course to settle the Nation in peace, and to secure those who had fought against the King, from standing in any need of asking him pardon of receiving indemnity from him; that Parliaments may be determined to certain periods of time, and that care be taken for the due election of Members for the future, and for the payment of the army's arrears, that they may not be burthensome to the country; to whom Sir Thomas answers, that he had a good opinion of the honesty of their intentions, and referred their desires to the general council of officers.

The Scots commissioners send a letter, November 6, 1647, to the Speaker of the House of Commons, and require that the King may be admitted to a personal treaty, or at least that he should not be carried from Hampton Court violently, as he was from Holmby House, but that commissioners of both Parliaments may freely pass to and from him, to treat for the settlement of the kingdoms. This put the Parliament upon preparing new propositions. During which time the King is informed, that his person was in some hazard by the agitators, who were contriving some design to take away his life; whereupon he consults with Sir John Berkly, Mr. Ashburnham, and Colonel William Legg how to prevent the danger, and among them it is resolved to escape to the Isle of Jersey, to which end a ship is prepared to take him in about Southampton, and horses are lodged near Hampton Ferry; and thus November 11, withdrawing himself, as usual, before evening prayer, he with his three forementioned confidents escaped to his horses by the way of Paradise, a place so called in the garden, and rode away, leaving behind him a letter to the Parliament, which was afterward delivered them, wherein he promised to break through this cloud of retirement, and shew himself to be really a father of his country, if he might be heard with freedom, honour, and safety; but the King coming to the seashore, found himself disappointed of the ship; whereupon it was concluded, that the King and Colonel Legg should go to the Countess Dowager of Southampton's house at Teds