ein elivered, by way of debate, in either house; or our intention was to express a general dise of any questions, that should be raised, pecially at this time, concerning our prerogae and the liberty of the subject; such as this being but a preamble, which might be left it, without prejudice to the claim, and could t be approved by us, without concluding our ht.-As to the last demand, That we should clare the persons that gave us information; is no great wonder that we should get inforation of the contents of the bill, since they ere published in print before we spoke of Yet, though we should have got notice herwise, it is a thing much beneath us to me any that should give us information or unsel; it being that which we do not impose on any person of honour.-Our conclusion That we had not the least thought of break; the privileges of parliament; but shall, by r royal authority, ever protect and uphold em; and we expect, that you will be as carenot to trench upon our just prerogative, as will not infringe your just liberties and pri-bers of the other house waiting in the Painted eges and then there will be little disagrecent, hereafter, between us in that point." This being read to the house, the lords orred, "That a transcript of the king's Answer ould be sent down to the commons, and that should be taken into consideration, by themIves, on the 23d.” day, returned for answer. "1. For the certainty which their lordships desire of sending 10,000 English into Ireland, the commons say, It is not the course of parliament, nor hath been practised for one house to capitulate with the other: that their actions are free; as without conditions, so without capitulation; and the house of commons desire it may be so no more. 2. The commons think they have given sufficient certainty already, having formerly voted the sending over 10,000 English, and transmitted the same to their lordships; therefore they think it not necessary to vote it again: but do desire their lordships would vote the sending of 10,000 Scots over, by itself, without any relation to the English, and that speedily, the safety of Ireland depending upon it; for they conceive the 10,000 English cannot go until the Press Act passes." : Farther Proceedings towards suppressing the After the hearing of this, the lords went into a debate of the matter, and came to this Resolution, "That 10,000 English and 10,000 Scots shall be sent into Ireland;" and some mem Chamber for an Answer, the lords sent to acIquaint them with this vote. It was likewise ordered by the lords, "That the committee for keeping a good correspondency between both houses, should meet on Friday, to take into consideration this last message from the commons." Proceedings on the Dismissal of the Lieutenant of the Tower.] Dec. 23. This day, another circumstance occurred, which occasioned a fresh rupture between the two houses. The house of commons represented to the lords, That they had received information that sir Wm. Balfour, knt. lieutenant of the Tower of London, approved for his fidelity, was put out of his place, and one colonel Lunsford put in; a man very unfit to be trusted with a post of that importance.-To back this, the commons sent up a Petition from divers common-councilmen and others of the city, giving a very bad character of the said colonel, and of which they instanced some circumstances: That he was a man of decayed and desperate fortune; an outlaw; and one suspected to be not right in his religion, since, in the time he was an officer in the king's army in the North, he did not go to church, though desired: therefore they requested the lords to join with them in a Petition to the king, to remove him, and put sir John Conyers in his room. After a long debate, next day, on this affair, the question was put, Whether that house should join with the commons in the matter of this Petition? It was resolved in the negative; and ordered that they should be acquainted therewith.-The reason of the lords refusing to join in this Petition, was, That they took the placing or displacing of the king's officers to be a branch of his prerogative; and therefore they would not meddle with it. The commons, on this refusal, passed the following vote: Resolved, nem. con. "That this house holds colonel Lunsford unfit to be, or continue, lieutenant of the Tower, as being a person whom the commons of England cannot confide in." Another conference was also held upon this subject, which was thus reported by the ford keeper, "That the cominons greatly desired, that both houses might have joined together in an humble Petition to his majesty, for removing colonel Lunsford from being lieutenant of the Tower. That they say, they find ill consequences already by his being in that, otice; for merchants have already withdrawn their bullion out of the mint; and strangers, who have ships lately come with great store of bullion, do forbear to bring it into the mint, because he is lieutenant of the Tower; and, by this means, money will be scarce to come by, which will be prejudicial and obstructive to the pressing affairs of Ireland. The commons took it much to heart, that their lordships did not join with them to petition his majesty hereupon they have made a Declaration for themselves, and desire that the same may be entered into the Journal-Book of this house, as they have done the like in their house;" which was read in these words: : "We the knights, citizens, and burgesses of the commons house of parliament, being very sensible of the great and imminent danger of the kingdom, through the designs of the Papists, and other persons disaffected to the public peace; and finding, by frequent and imminent symptoms, that the same groweth very near to maturity, amongst which we reckon this not to be the least, That the Tower, being a place of such importance to the safety of the city and the whole kingdom, should be put into the hands of a man so unworthy, and of so dangerous a disposition, as, by divers testimonies, colonel Lunsford is affirmed to be; which caused us yesterday, upon the Petition of the city of London, to desire your lordships to join with us in an humble suit to his majesty, that a place of that great consequence uight not be disposed in such a manner as to hazard the safety, peace, and content of the city and of the whole kingdom; and, perceiving that your lordships have refused to join with us in so important and necessary a request, do hereby declare, before God and the whole kingdom, That, from the beginning of this parliament, we have done our uttermost to preserve the state from ruin; and having, through God's blessing, prevailed so far, that the design of the Irish army of Papists; the other designs of bringing up the English army, several times attempted a former plot of possessing the Tower, without which treason could not be so mischievous to the state, were all prevented; although strongly bent to the destruction of religion, the parliament and the commonwealth: we do now find ourselves encountered with as great difficulty as ever, the Papists rebellion in Ireland giving such encouragement to the malignant party here, and they likewise receiving such advantage, by the delays and interruptions which we have received in the house of peers, as we conceive by the great number of Bishops and Papists notoriously disaffected to the common good: and do therefore hold ourselves bourd in conscience to declare and protest, That we are innocent of the blood which is like to be spilt, and of the confusions which may ove whelm this state, if this person be continued in his charge; and do intend to resort to his majesty, in an humble Petition, that he will be pleased to afford us his royal protection, that the kingdom and ourselves may be preserve! from this wicked and dangerous design; and that he will grant such commissions and instruc tions as may enable us to defend his royal person, and his loyal subjects, from the crucity and rage of the Papists, who have long plotted and endeavoured to bring in a bloody change of religion, to the apparent ruin of the whe kingdom; and if any of your lordships have the same apprehensions that we have, we hope they will likewise take some course b make the same known to his majesty ; als will further do what appertains to person honour and fidelity for the common good." After the reading of this paper it was move, by some lords, to adjourn the debate of the matter till the 27th; others proposed it migt be debated presently. And the question being put, Whether the debate upon this report | shall be put off until the 27th or not? It was resolved in the attirmative. Whereupon the following Protest was entered in their Jour nals: 66 In respect the conference brought up, and reported from the house of commons, doth, as it is thereby declared, concern the instant good and safety of the king and kingdoms; we de protest against the deferring of the debate thereof until Monday, to the end to discharge ourselves of any ill consequence that may bappen. (Signed) Northumberland, lord adu ral; Essex, lord chamberlain; Perubroke, Bedford, Warwick, Bolingbroke, Newport, Say and Sele, Suffolk, Carlisle, Holland, Clark, Stamford, Wharton, St. John, Spencer, North, Kymbolton, Brook, Grey de Werke, Roberts, Howard de Escrick." Complaint concerning a Report of some Mexbers being in a Plot for seizing the Queen. Dec. 27. This day another affair was started in the house of lords. Information was givea to that house, that some members of bott houses have had false rumours reported of them: That during the time the king was las in Scotland, it was told the queen, That, at a meeting at Kensington, (where the carl of Essex, the earl of Newport, the lord Say and Sele, the lord Mandeville, the lord Wharton, members of this house; and the lord Dungar van, Mr. N. Fiennes, sir John Clotworthy, and Mr. John Pym, members of the house c commons, were present) upon a discourse of Plots that should be done in this kingdom or in Scotland, the earl of Newport should say, "l there be such a Plot, yet here are his wife and children;" meaning that the persons of the queen and of her children should be seized upon. Upon this the earl of Newport stood up, and gave the house this account, That, hearing formation and report tend not only to the great of such an information which had been pre- scandal of the members of both houses of parsented to the queen, he went with some other liament before named, but express an endealords and waited on her majesty; and, with your to stir up jealousies, and work a division, many protestations, assured her, That never between your majesty and your parliament. any such words were spoken, nor the least It is therefore the humble and instant desire thought thereof conceived of any such fact; of the lords and commons in this parliament, with which the queen seemed to rest satisfied: That your majesty will be pleased to declare but, upon Friday last, his majesty asked him, who was the reporter, or reporters, of those Whether he heard any debate at Kensington, words pretended to be spoken at Kensington about seizing upon the Queen and her Children;' | by the carl of Newport; and that your mawhich his lordship denying, his majesty repliedjesty will be likewise pleased to move her maagain, That he was sorry for his lordship's illjesty to discover who acquainted her therewith: memory. The house considering this information to be of consequence; and, because several members of the commons were concerned in it, resolved to have a conference with that house about it, that so they might search into this business, and that the bottom of it might be found out, and the reporter of this false rumour brought to condign punishment: and the abp. of York, the lord admiral, earl of Bris1, carl of Holland, Ford Roberts, and lord Savil, were ordered to draw up heads for that conference. The Petition of both Houses thereupon.] Dec 23. Mr. Glynn presented, from the committee appointed to mect with a committee of lords, for the drawing of a Petition to be presented unto his majesty, concerning a scandal laid upon some members of both houses, a Petition, in hæc verba; which was agreed «To the KING's most Excellent Majesty, The humble PE111ON of the LORDS and COMMONS in this present Parliament assembled. h and this, as your greatest and most faithful council, they advise your majesty to perform ; the exigency of the affairs of both kingdoms being such as necessarily require a sudden remedy; which cannot expect any possibility of success, without a right understanding between your majesty and the parliament; the only way of effecting whereof is, by the present discovery and removal of ill counsels and false informers; which, to our great grief, we have, by experience, found to be too frequent and active in these dangerous times." The King's Answer.] This Petition having been presented to the king, his majesty returned the following Answer: "My lords and gentlemen; It is true that I have heard rumours of some propositions that should have been made at Kensington, for the seizing of the persons of my wife and children. And, in things of so high a nature, it may be hath no belief nor persuasion of the thing; so fit for any prince to inquire, even where he I have asked Newport some questions concerning that business, but far from that way of expressing a belief of the thing, which New"Whereas, during the time of your majesty's port hath had the boldness and confidence to last being in Scotland, the queen's majesty re-affirm; which I could easily make appear, but ceived information, That, at a meeting in Ken-I think it beneath me to contest with any parsington, where the c. of Essex, the e. of New- ticular person. But let this suffice, that I port, the lord Say and Sele, the lord Mande- assure you, I neither did nor do give credit to ille, the lord Wharton, members of the lords' any such rumour. As for telling the name of ouse; the lord Dungarvon, Mr. N. Fiennes, him who informed me, I do stick to the Ansir John Clotworthy, and Mr. John Pym, mem- swer which I gave to your last Petition upon bers of the house of commons, were all pre- the like particular." sent, when a discourse of some Plots, that should be done in this kingdom, or in Scotland, the earl of Newport should say, If there be such a Plot, yet here are his wife and children; insinuating the same to signify, that the persons of her majesty, and her children, should be seized upon. And whereas your majesty, upon Friday last, was pleased to demand of the earl of Newport, Whether his lordship heard any debate at Kensington, about seizing upon the Queen and her Children;' which when his lordship had denied, with many and deep asseverations, your majesty replied again, That he was to tell your majesty no more than you knew already;' and therefore should consider well what he should answer: and his lordship denying it the second time, your majesty, parting from him, replied, You were sorry for his ill memory;' seeming thereby to give credit to that information. Which in 6 The Riots and Tumults about both Houses increase.] Multitudes of people being this day assembled, in all the places leading to both houses of parliament, the general cry of whom was No Bishops! No Bishops;' an affray ensued, in which some gentlemen, of the opposite party, drew their swords, and wounded some of the mob: hereupon the lords sent to desire a conference with the other house on these heads; 1. To desire the commons to join with them in a Declaration, to be printed. and published, of their dislike of the assembling of the people in such companies, and disorders about the houses of parliament.* 2. Likewise * Lord Clarendon says, "That upon the. receipt of this message in the house of commons, some members urged, That they must not discourage their friends, this being a time, they must make use of all friends;' Mr. Pym to desire his majesty, That the houses of parliament may have a Guard; and that the commons would give an Answer with such speed as the necessity of the occasion required.—This day, also, it was resolved by the lords, "That this parliament is a free parliament at this pre sent." Dec. 29. The lords ordered the sheriffs of London and Middlesex, and some of the justices of peace for Westminster, to attend their house, and give reasons why they had neglected to prevent the coming of the concourse of people to that place; and why they have neglected to observe the king's writ, for suppressing and preventing of tumults and riots. They answered, That the justices of the peace opened the writ, and granted out warrants to the constables, who sent guards to the houses of par- | liament; and, upon this, they were questioned by the commons, and the Guards dismissed.' Hercupon the Judges were ordered to withdraw, to consider what was fit to be done; who returned for Answer, That the best way to suppress tumults, was to put in execution the statute of 13 Heury 4. c. 7. This not being thought sufficient, they were again asked, What | was the usual practice, in other courts, to prevent tumults and routs? The Judges said, That it was usual in their courts, at assizes, to prevent such disorders, for the sheriff of the county to attend all the while, with a competent number of men.' Upon which the lords ordered, That the under sheriff of Middlesex, and two of the justices of peace for Westminster, should hereafter attend this house, die in diem, and receive directions from them for the suppressing of such tumults.' all our debates and arguments) if we remove not therewith all such impediments here at home, as do hinder our speedy proceeding, not only in that business, but in the settling of the peace and quiet of this kingdom, all our endeavours in the suppressing the rebels in Ireland will little avail. Mr. Speaker, under favour of this hon, assembly, I intend to give you a touch of such lets which do much hinder us, as I concive, in expediting the great affairs of church and state, and our proceedings against incendiaries and delinquents in the same. We have daily, you know, Mr. Speaker, received Petitions from the citizens of London, some of them having been delivered by good hands, and men of good worth and quality; which we have willingly taken, and I doubt not but we shall, in due time, give them good satisfaction in answering of them. Likewise we have received petitions from abrupt and disorderly persons, without any matter that may deserve our consideration; but are fitter to be rejected, as I, under favour, conceive. But, that which I intend to intimate to you, as the greatest stop to our proceedings, is the riotous and tu multuous assembly of vain and idle persons; who presume to begirt our house, not only in an irregular manner to prefer their petitions, but, with open clamour, would prescribe us what laws to enact, and what not; what persons to prosecute, and who not. These tumultuous persons take up a great deal of our precious time in answering and appeasing them; when, as I conceive, other business, more nearly condecerning the welfare and security of his sacred majesty and his kingdoms, lies even as it were gasping, and ready to perish for want of our timely assistance.-Mr. Speaker, our patience, I persuade myself, is one of the greatest causes that animates and encourages these illegal outrages; and if some rebukes were ministered from the house to them, they would not, surely, be so audacious. It is true, that their trading is decayed, and it is hard for many of them to subsist with their families, occasioned by our slow proceedings against delinquents; the reason whereof they are incapable of judging, neither, as I conceive, should they be made acquainted with, otherwise than to understand that their unseasonable and unfitting repair to this house is one principal cause thereof. Therefore, sir, I conceive, the best and speediest means for suppressing of these Tumults will be, to have a strict guard kept about the house, with a command not only, by persuasion, to avert their resort hither, but to shoot at them, if they obstinately refuse to be per suaded; and likewise that, in the city of London and suburbs, diligent search may be made for Papists and Recusants, by some trusty officers appointed by the house for that purpose, who shall apprehend them, if they find them armed with any weapons, and bring them be fore a committee for examination, appointed for that purpose: for, Mr. Speaker, Papists, as well as others, resort hither from several places, as I am informed; which these tumultuous Mr. Smith's Speech on the Riots, &c. In a debate of the house of commons this day, on these riotous proceedings, we meet with a speech of one Mr. Smith, in these words: Mr. Speaker; The business we have now in agitation (concerning the Irish affairs, and the Treaty with the Scots commissioners for their timely assistance of aid, being to be determined this day) is of great consequence and weight; even of such importance, that I have not read of greater. When the greatest troubles were in that kingdom, in queen Elizabeth's reign, of good memory, these troubles, being comparatively similized with them, are of far greater danger and I would to God we might so agree with the lords, that a speedy concur rence might be had with the Scots, towards the relief of Ireland. Yet, notwithstanding, Mr. Speaker, the greatness of this rebellion, and most outrageous cruelties committed daily by the rebels, hazarding nearly the loss of that kingdom, without speedy help, (which takes up himself saying, God forbid the house of commons should proceed in any way to dishearten people to obtain their just desires in such a way." *From the original edition printed by Abel Roper, 1641. persons pretend is one great cause of their meeting here; and when they perceive that Papists and Recusants are prosecuted according to the laws of this kingdom, in that case chacted, they will have less cause to trouble us. This is my humble motion.-And truly, sir, if I may speak my mind herein, I persuade myself, that unless the laws be put in execution, and that with severity and speed, against some of the greatest Recusants, to make them examplary to the rest, neither this city, nor other places of this kingdom, can be secure from their devilish practices and plots; and that our too favourable proceeding against them, if so continued, may cause our too late repentance, if any of their perverse and wicked stratagems should take effect, which God forbid. And I heartily wish that such course may be taken, by the blessing of the Almighty on our endeavours, that all the inhabitants of his majesty's kingdoms, that are true Christians and loyal subjects, may for ever lye down in peace and rise in safety, to which I shall always say, Amen.' Bp. Hall's Speech in Defence of the Church and Clergy. We find also a speech made by bishop Hall, about this time, in the house of lords, but the day is not mentioned. This speech is the last made in that house by one of lus order. :- My Lords; I have long held my peace, and meant to have done so still; but now, like to Crasus's mute son, I must break silence: I humbly beseech your lordships to give me leave to take this too just occasion to move your lordships to take into your deep and serious consideration, the wotul and lamentable condition of the poor Church of England, your dear mother. My lords, this was not wont to be her style: we have heretofore talked of the famous and flourishing church of England; but now your lordships must give me leave to say, that the poor church of England humbly prostrates herself at your lordships feet, (next after bis sacred majesty) and humbly graves your compassion and present aid. My lords, it is a foul and dangerous insolence this, which is now complained of to you; but it is but one of a hundred of those which have been of late done to this church and government. The church of England, as your lordships cannot chuse but know, hath been, and is miserably infested on both sides; with Papists on the one side, and Schismaticks on the other. The Psalmist hath, of old, distinguished the eneinies of it into wild boars out of the wood, and little foxes out of the boroughs; the one whereof goes about to root up the very foundation of religion; the other, to crop the branches, and blossoms, and clusters thereof; both of them conspire the utter ruin and devastation of it: As for the former of them, I do perceive a great deal of good zeal for the remedy and suppression of them; and I do heartily congratulate it, and bless God for it, and beseech him From the Edition of his Works before quoted, to prosper it in those hands who shall undertake and prosecute it; but for the other, give me leave to say, I do not find many that are sensible of the danger of it, which yet, in my apprehension, is very great and apparentAlas! my lords, I beseech you to consider what it is that there should be in London, and the suburbs and liberties, no fewer than fourscore congregations of several sectaries, as I have been too credibly informed, instructed by guides fit for them, coblers, taylors, felt-makers, and such like trash, which all are taught to spit in the face of their mother, the church of England, and to defy and revile her government: From hence have issued those dangerous assaults of our church and governors; from hence that inundation of base and scurrilous libels and pamphlets, wherewith we have been of late over-borne, in which Papists and Prelates, like oxen in a yoke, are still matched together. Oh, my lords! I beseech you that you will be sensible of this great indignity: do but look upon these reverend persons: do not your lordships see here sitting upon these benches, those that have spent their time, their strength, their bodies, and lives, in preaching down, in writing down, Popery? And which would be ready, if occasion offered, to sacrifice all their old blood that remains, to the maintenance of that Truth of God, which they have taught and written; and shall we be thus despitefully ranged with them, whom we do thus professedly oppose? But alas! this is but one of those many scandalous aspersions, and intolerable affronts, that are daily cast upon us.-Now, whither should we, in this case, have recourse for a needful and seasonable redress? The arm of the Church is, alas! now short and sinewless; it is the interposing of your authority that must rescue us: you are the eldest sons of your dear mother the Church, and therefore most fit and most able to vindicate her wrongs: You are Amici Sponsæ; give me leave, therefore, in the bowels of Christ, humbly to beseech your lordships to be tenderly sensible of these woful and dangerous conditions of the times; and if the government of the church of England be unlawful and unfit, abandon and disclain it; but, if otherwise, uphold and maintain it: otherwise, if these lawless outrages be yet suffered to gather head, who knows where they will end?-My lords, it these men may, with impunity and freedom, thus bear down ecclesiastical authority, it is to be feared they will not rest there, but will be ready to affront civil power too. Your lordships know, that the Jack Straws, and Cades, and Wat Tylers of former times, did not more cry down learning than nobility; and those of your lordships that have read the history of the anabaptistical tumults at Munster, will need no other item; let it be enough to say, that many of these sectaries are of the same profession.-Shortly, therefore, let me humbly move your lordships to take these dangers and miseries of this poor church deeply to heart, and upon this occasion to give order for the speedy redressing of these horrible insolencies, and for |