apparently in fome dudgeon at the want of confidence in him difplayed by the leaders, left the House for fome time. Then the putting of the Refolution having been fought off prolonged until daylight began to decline, the coming to even- on of dark was made the excufe for a further ing.

Debate

attempt to prevent its being put at all.

So dark it became, that the Clerk could no longer fee to read; but, on a propofal for Candles bringing in candles, Sir Nicholas Slanning, called for. the member for Penryn, made urgent repre

Sir

Slanning

sentation of the propriety of adjourning the debate, reminded the House of the scene which had been witnessed when this question was before difcuffed in the night, and threw out warnings of fome fimilar danger now. Against any poffible recurrence of that danger, Nicholas the majority was on this occafion thoroughly oppofes. guarded; but, if it had not been fo, few were better entitled than Slanning to give the warning. Himself one of those who early and eagerly exposed and loft their lives in the war, he was alfo ever at the head of the young and ardent fpirits of the House of Commons, with whom it was matter of chivalry to refent every encroachment on the power and pretenfions of the fovereign; and Clarendon (in one of those charming character An eager pieces of his History which will furvive to Royalift. keep it ftill the most delightful reading in the

world, long after the conviction of its untrustworthiness and bad faith shall have entered into every mind) has celebrated his youth, his fmall but handsome perfon, his lovely countenance, his admirable parts, and his courage

"fo clear and keen."* He failed for the Forces prefent, however, to turn the Houfe from divifion: their purpose, though not till he had forced on a divifion.

66

* See Hiftory, iv. 150, and 612-13. Slanning was one of Great men the little men ; “and it was an age," fays Clarendon, “in of little "which there were many great and wonderful men of that size. “size” (Life, i. 62), among the men of learning as well as of action. One of the leaft men in the kingdom he celebrates as one of the greatest scholars of Europe, in the perfon of the ever to be remembered Mr. Hales of Eton-"who "would often fay that he would renounce the religion of the Hales of "Church of England to-morrow, if it obliged him to believe Eton. 66 that any other Chriftians fhould be damned; and that 66 nobody would conclude another man to be damned, who "did not wifh him fo;-than whom no man was more "ftrict and severe to himself, yet to other men fo charitable as to their opinions, that he thought that men not erring were more in fault for their carriage towards men who "erred, than the men themselves were ;-and who thought "that pride and paffion, more than confcience, were the "caufe of all feparation from each other's communion; and frequently faid, that that only kept the world from agreeing 66 upon fuch a liturgy as might then bring them into One "communion" (Life, i. 60-1). Chillingworth was another Chillingof the very little men. Sidney Godolphin, alfo belonging to worth. the fame diminutive clafs, amazed the tall and well-formed Mr. Hyde by prefenting fo large an understanding and fo unrestrained a fancy in fo extremely fmall a body as he poffeffed: Sidney the smallest indeed of all, as it would feem, for Falkland Godolufed merrily to say that he thought what charmed him most phin. to be fo much in Godolphin's company was the fenfe of finding himself there "the properer man." But the prince of the little men was Falkland himself. Obferve with what exquifite art Clarendon puts forward his disadvantages of perfon fimply to make more lovable the attractions of his mind. "His ftature was low, and fmaller than moft men ; Falkland. "his motion not graceful; and his afpect fo far from inviting, "that it had fomewhat in it of fimplicity; and his voice the "worst of the three, and fo untuned, that instead of reconciling, it offended the ear, fo that nobody would have 66 expected mufic from that tongue and fure no man was "lefs beholden to nature for its recommendation into the "world. But then no man fooner or more disappointed this "general and customary prejudice. That little perfon and Picture by "Imall ftature was quickly found to contain a great heart, a Claren66 courage so keen, and a nature so fearless, that no composi- don:

on queftion for candles.

Candles

D'Ewes returned to his feat juft as they were about to divide on the question for candles, and by the very found, he says, the Ayes declared themselves to be far more than the Noes; but the Noes perfifted in dividing, and "fitting ftill" in the House with Sir Robert Hatton and Mr. John Ruffell (who had fucceeded Lord William on the old Earl's death, 152 to 53. as Pym's colleague in the representation of brought. Tavistock) for tellers, proved to be only 53 in number, whereas the Ayes who went out, with Denzil Hollis and Sir John Clotworthy as tellers, were 152. Upon this, candles were brought; and again the debate went on, not lefs warmly than before. For more than two hours longer, fays D'Ewes, it was argued with Divifion great vehemence pro and con; until at last the for print- queftion was put for the printing. Then

ing.

went forth the Yeas, in number 135, with Denzil Hollis and Sir Walter Earle for tellers; the tellers for the Noes, who stayed in the House, being Sir John Culpeper and Mr. John Afhburnham, the member for Haftings, and 135 to 83. their numbers 83. Amid confiderable excite

Carried:

Life i.

43-4.

"tion of the strongest limbs, and most harmonious and pro"portioned prefence and ftrength, ever more difpofed any man to the greatest enterprise, it being his greatest weakness "to be too folicitous for fuch adventures; and that untuned

tongue and voice easily discovered itself to be supplied and "governed by a mind and understanding fo excellent, that "the wit and weight of all he faid carried another kind of "luftre and admiration in it, and even another kind of ac"" ceptation from the perfons prefent, than any ornament of "delivery could reafonably promise itself, or is usually "attended with; and his difpofition and nature was fo gentle " and obliging, fo much delighted in courtesy, kindness, and generofity, that all mankind could not but admire and love

claim to

ment, the order was then given for immediate Printing printing of the Remonftrance concerning the ordered. ftate of the kingdom; the Grand Remonftrance, as thereafter it came to be called, to diftinguish it from the many other fimilar State Papers of lefs importance, and lefs interest for the people, which were issued during the war. Even now, however, it required all the temper and control of the leaders to avoid a mutiny. The claim to proteft was, at this Slanning point, once more revived; and Sir Nicholas revives Slanning, heading the protesters, did his beft proteft. to bring his own warning true. Some fixty members having joined him, they formally demanded that their proteftation might be entered by order of the Houfe; but the growing excitement was happily allayed by the art with which Pym, in appearing to yield to that proposal, in reality yielded nothing. The demand was turned into an order for an Storm adjournment "to take into confideration the allayed by Pym. "matter touching proteftations in this House;" and, the following Friday having been fixed for the purpose of such confideration, the House rofe at seven o'clock.

to closed the fall debate on the Grand Remonftrance, which then found its way, after a fucceffion of scenes and struggles as worthy of remembrance, though not until now remembered, as any in our hiftory, to the audience for whom it was defigned. Neither Hampden nor Pym spoke further, when the day for dif- Monday, cuffion of the right of protesting came.* They 20th Dec.

* The Friday originally fixed was changed to the following Monday, when the three principal speakers were Hyde,

right to proteft.

Holborne.

Debate on left it to the King's ex-fecretary, old Sir Henry Vane, to point out how irreconcileable any such right would be with the precedents, the ufages, and the proceedings of the Commons' House. They liftened without replying to a long speech from Hyde, who, admitting there was no precedent for the claim, yet urged that neither was there a precedent for the printing of a Declaration, and that, a precedent in a cafe unprecedented being nothing to the purpose, they Ominous must act according to reafon. They liftened, remark by ftill unmoved, to the fignificant allufion of Mr. Holborne, who, putting the cafe of an order having paffed the Houfe which might carry grave confequences, enlarged upon the hard pofition of those who, having no right to proteft, would be involved in fuch confequences, "and perhaps lofe their heads in the crowd. "when there was nothing to show who was "innocent." Their part in the affair was done, their weapon thrown, and none of those contingent or poffible events had any alarms for them. They called upon the Speaker to put the Refolution, that in no circumstances fhould a proteftation be defired in that House, or admitted if defired; and they voted and carried it.

Refolu

tion

against Hyde's party.

Right to

proteft rejected.

XXIX. IMPOSSIBILITY OF COMPROMISE.

THE incident too furely fhadowed forth in that allufion of Holborne, the blow which fo

Holborne, and Vane, and it was finally "refolved upon the "queftion, That in no cafe a Proteftation ought to be "defired by any member of this Houfe, or admitted by this "House, being desired."