bring things to fuch result as would give them fatisfaction. Ireland. When the Deputation left, a debate arose as Debate to the neceffity for immediate provifion of the asto supplies which had been voted for Ireland, and as to the best mode of providing fuch fatisfaction for the people as had just been promised to the London petitioners: and again the debate pointed in the old direction, which was that of printing, and circulating through the Queftion country, their Grand Remonftrance. The of printing course taken by the King's advisers, indeed, Remonhad fo far gone in the fame direction, that even ftrance fome royal partizans among the members had been constrained to admit the unlawfulness of the recent attempt to put external preffure on the Houses by means of armed watches and guards. The refult of the present deliberation, therefore, appears to have been a kind of filent or unoppofed understanding, that the printing of the Remonftrance should be confidered as Refolve foon as the bill then depending for the preffing' of foldiers to ferve against the Irish Rebellion fhould have been difpofed of. revived. thereon. But again the ill-advised monarch precipitated this determination. The bill for raifing fuch foldiers by Impreffment was under debate on the morning of Tuesday the 14th of De- Tuesday, cember, when a meffage was unexpectedly 14th Dec. Meffage brought in, to the effect that his Majefty defired from the Commons to attend him in the Lords' King: House. There, in brief intemperate phrase, he adverted to the Impreffment bill which they were then difcuffing; warned them that, in the event of its paffing, he should give his consent difcuffion. to it only with an exprefs faving of his prerorefpecting gative; and fignificantly added, that he was bill under little beholding to "him whoever at this time began this difpute." The Commons immediately returned to their Houfe; voted it, upon the motion of Pym, a breach of all the ancient privileges both of Lords and Commons that his Majefty fhould fo have taken notice of a bill whilst in progress; demanded a conference with the Lords; and, before the day closed, had obtained their full co-operation in drawing up "a declaratory Proteftation" of their privileges and liberties, and "a petitionary Remon"ftrance" against his Majefty's violation of them. Eighteen of the Lords, and double the number of the Commons, went at once with this Proteftation to Whitehall;† and on the Voted breach of privilege. Proteft carried to King. Charge against St. John. Not credible. Curious notices The petitionary Remonftrance further requires that "his Majefty will be pleafed to difcover the parties by whose "information and evil counfel his Majesty was induced to "this breach of privilege, that fo they may receive condign punishment for the fame." In the face of which, Clarendon nevertheless hazards the statement in his Hiftory (ii. 70-1) that the man who had advised this breach of privilege, was, of all men in the world, Mr. Solicitor St. John! As if, fuppofing this were fo, the King, who hated no one fo much, would not thereon have been eager to give him up as his adviser in fo direct an attack upon his own party! From the account of the matter I find in D'Ewes's Journal, I am convinced, on the other hand, that the perfons fufpected were Culpeper and Hyde, and that the claufe requiring the King to surrender the names of his ill advifers was directed fpecially at them. D'Ewes would have had the claufe rejected, on the ground that it was "very poffible that his Majefty received his in"formation and ill counsel from fome third perfon and from "no member of either Houfe;" but Pym ftrongly opposed this, and the claufe was retained. † D'Ewes attended, as one of the Deputation of the Commons, both on the occafion of the prefenting of the Protestation, and on that of receiving the King's Anfwer, and his notices of both are highly curious and interesting. I quote day following the King's churlifh reception of Refolve them, the step was taken from which no further taken. retreating was poffible, and the Remonftrance was committed to the people. from his manufcript Journal. "I departed with divers others from the "to the Court at Whitehall, being one of the select commit- D'Ewes "tee of thirty-fix appointed by the House of Commons to MS. "attend his Majefty there this afternoon at two o'clock, with a felect committee of eighteen of the Lords' Houfe, with "that petitionary Remonftrance. The eighteen Lords were "at Whitehall before us; and having ftaid awhile in the "Privy Chamber, the Earl of Effex, Lord Chamberlain of Deputa"his Majefty's household, came out to us, and told us that tion pre"the King expected our coming to him. Whereupon divers of fent "the Lords, and we of the Houfe of Commons, followed him Proteft. "in through two or three rooms, into a fair inward chamber "where the King was. Dr. Williams, Archbishop of York, "was appointed to read the faid Petition or Remonftrance. "He, paffing from the lower end of the room towards the "King, made three reverences, as most of us alfo did with "him; and then he, coming near the King, kneeled down, "and fhowed his Majefty that he had a Petition or Remon"ftrance from both Houfes to be prefented to him. The King then caufed him to ftand up, and fo he read the faid "Petition. I ftood all the while clofe to him on his left "hand. After he had read it, he kneeled again, and pre- Arbp. "fented it to his Majefty, being fairly engroffed in parchment. Williams "The King spake fo low as I could not hear him; but the "Archbishop of York told me after we were come out that "'he would take some time to advise,' &c. And fo, making "like reverence at our going out as we did at our coming in, we departed." In like manner he defcribes the more striking fcene of receiving the King's Answer. Between the two 66 reads it. occafions the reader will remember, the Commons had not only voted the printing of their Grand Remonftrance, but had iffued it in print; a circumftance which may account for the increased fharpness of the King's manner. "Went to Whitehall," fays D'Ewes, "to receive the King's Answer. "We were admitted into the fame room again (being a fair "chamber within the privy gallery) where we had delivered "the faid Petition. The King, looking about, asked to "whom he should deliver his Anfwer; because he faw not King's "the Lord there from whom he received our Petition. But it answer: "was anfwered his Majefty, that he, being to preach before the "Lords at the Faft on Wednesday next, was now absent on "that occafion. His Majefty demanded further to what other "Lord in his abfence it was to be delivered? It was an D D Twelfth and laft Debate : moves § XXVIII. THE LAST DEBATE. On Wednesday morning, the 15th of December, an unusual number of members were 15th Dec. in attendance at an early hour in the House of Commons, and a fuppreffed excitement showed itself, as of fome undertaking of weight in Purefoy hand as yet not generally known. Then Mr. printing. Purefoy, the member for Warwick, who afterwards fat upon the trial of the King, stood up and faid, that they did now ftand forely in need of money, and he conceived that any propofition for the bringing in of money would be very seasonable and acceptable. "Whereupon," fays D'Ewes, "there enfued a great filence." A great filence. Mr. Purefoy then proceeded, and faid he conceived that there was but one mode of obtaining what they defired in this respect, and that was by imparting to their constituents, and the people generally, fome ground for greater confidence than they could derive from recent and exifting events. He pointed out Argu- that all men's minds were unfettled by the printing: many flanders which had freely gone abroad, ment for read by Nicholas. Anger of the King "fwered, to the chief of the Lords who were prefent. His "It and that if, as a worthy member had faid on a will reformer occafion, it was defirable to recover and cover People to bind to that House the hearts of the people, House. now was the time and the opportunity. In a word, he conceived there were no readier means to bring in money than to cause their Declaration to be printed; that fo they might fatisfy the whole kingdom. At this there were loud cries of agreement; but upon several even of the majority the propofal fell with a furprise, and D'Ewes was one of them. "feems," he says, "that many members were "privy to this intended motion, which I con- D'Ewes Surprise of "fess seemed very strange to me; for they and others. "cried Order it! Order it!" Then the Speaker rofe, and, as if to show that he at any rate had been no party to the preparing of the motion, asked the member who had spoken, what Declaration he meant, for (alluding to the declaration as to breach of privilege voted the preceding day) there were two. This called up Mr. Purefoy again, who faid he Peard meant the Declaration that had been prefented feconds to the King, the great Remonftrance; and he was feconded by Mr. Peard, who had first moved the printing on the memorable night of the 22d November, and who now moved that the Petition accompanying it might also be printed: to which again refponded loud cries of Order it! Order it! Edmund Waller next Waller took the lead in a desperate attempt to proopposes. tract and delay the vote, which in fo much was fuccefsful that it lafted far into the afternoon; but of which, unfortunately, small record remains, for in the midst of it D'Ewes, Purefoy. |