severe to many, who at the same time continue their guilt, and undervalue his compassion; that there hath not been a week since that time, in which there hath not been combinations and conspiracies formed against his person, and against the peace of the kingdom, which before this time would have taken effect, if God had not put it into the hearts of some who were trusted in the councils, to discover the design, time enough for prevention. And upon all these alarms, and the interception of were killed before, another refusing quarter was first knocked down, and then shot with a musket. The rest being demanded why they did not ask quarter before, answered They durst not for fear their own fellows should have shot them.' In this Insurrection 20 of the king's men were slain, and as many of the rebels. Those taken were Venner himself, Hodgkins, Gowler, Allen, Pym, Ashton, Prichard, Fall, Hopkins, Wells, and about as many more, not much worth the naming; who blasphemously alledged, 'That if they were deceived or mis-led, it was God that deceived them.'-These, to the number of 20, were soon after arraigned at the Old Bailey for treason and murder; which being fully proved, with all the forementioned particulars, they were all found guilty, except Hopkins and Wells, against whom the evidence was not fall, and against one Patshul only a single witness: wherefore they were acquitted by their jury. When sentence was pronounced against them, and the lord chief justice Foster seriously charged Venner with the blood of his unhappy accomplices, he impudently replied, It was not he, but Jesus that led them.' Three of them confessed their crime, and craved mercy, but the rest continued obstinate. Being sentenced to be hanged, drawn, and quartered, Venner and Hodgkins were on the 19th of Jan. executed over-against their MeetingHouse in Coleman-street. The former spoke little but in vindication of himself and his fact, and something of his opinion, with an assurance That the time was at hand when other judgment would be;' highly reflecting upon the present government. Hodgkins raved and cursed in the manner of praying, calling down vengeance from Heaven upon the king, the judges, and the city of London; nor would he desist, till the executioner put an enquire what the king did upon this unheard-of provocation, what vengeance he took upon those whose professed and avowed principle was not to distinguish between him and another man, nay, to kill him sooner than any other man, you will find, as was said of Cæsar, that libentius vitam victor jam daret, quam victi acciperent;' that his mercy hath been no less obstinate than their malice and wickedness; that few persons have suffered; and that he hath restrained the law from being desperate men quickly routed, and so marched on to Bishops-gate, where they passed without opposition, and from thence to Cripple-gate, where they came into the city again, and so to Alders-gate. Here threatening the constable, who was weakly attended, they were let out again. Then they declared themselves for King Jesus, and thus proceeded to BeechLane, where they killed a Headborough that | opposed them, and so hastened to Cane-Wood, between Highgate and Hampstead, where they reposed themselves for that night.-The noise | of this strange Insurrection caused the General to send a party of horse and foot the next day, who drove them out of the wood, and took some of them prisoners, who were committed to the Gate-House. The rest having rallied again, on Wednesday morning returned to London, with assurance by Venner their leader, That no weapon formed against them should prosper: therefore they might look upon the example of Gideon: it was the same thing to God, whether he saved by a few or a multitude.' Their first appearance was in Threadneedle-street, behind the Exchange, where they beat back a party sent by the guard there. But, upon the advance of more forces, they retreated to Bishops-gatestreet; where after a sharp encounter, two of each side being slain, they gradually slipt away and disappeared. A while after, like the gathering of clouds, they were seen again at College-Hill and Maiden-Lane, where they designed to sacrifice the lord-mayor. But missing of him, they crossed Cheapside, and passed into Wood-street. Here began a cruel fight, wherein they shewed skill as well as great valour; and having ruffled some trained-bands, and repelled the horse-guards that came to assist them, they did not give way till Venner was knocked down and severely wounded, and Tuffney and Cragg, two of their fiercest preach-end to all his extravagancies. Two days after ers and combatants, were slain. Whereupon the greatest part of them retreated to Cripplegate, firing in good order in their rear upon the ained-bands, who were in close pursuit of them. Col. Cox, who commanded, lodged ten of them in an ale-house near the postern, which house they obstinately maintained. The house being surrounded, some of the soldiers untiled the next house, and shot in upon them, being in the upper room, who still refused quarter: at the same time another party of musketeers got up the stairs, broke down' the door, and entered their garrison. Six of them nine more were executed in five several places of the city, without being quartered, as the two first were. All persisted, like the Regicides, in justifying their crimes, except one young man, who shewed great signs of repentance. Thus ended a Rebellion of a very strange nature, which was begun and carried on with such infernal rage, that if their numbers had been equal to their spirits, they would have overturned the city, and the nation, and the world, which in their imagination they had divided among themselves." P. 784. such letters as would in all other countries have produced the rack for further discoveries, and under the late government in this would have erected high courts of justice for their punishment, he hath left the offenders to the judges of the law, and those judges to the precise forms and ordinary rules of the law. My Lords and Gentlemen; If the new licence and corruption of this time hath exceeded the wickedness of former ages, that the old laws have not enough provided for the punishment of wickedness they could not foresee or imagine; it will become your wisdoms to provide new Remedies for new diseases, and to secure the precious person of our dear sovereign from the first approaches of villany, and the peace of the kingdom from the first overtures of sedition. If you will not provide laws to do it, the king will not do any thing extraordinary, even towards his own preservation. You see the rule by which he hath walked; and as he hath made good his promise to you, so, I doubt not, you will make good his prophecy, and that he shall receive thanks for what he hath done since he was last here.-He hath told you now what he hath done; that he is resolved to marry, and resolved whom to marry which, I believe, is the most grateful news that the whole kingdom hath longed for, or could receive, from the first day of his landing here. And when they shall know the great deliberation he hath used before that resolution, and the circumstances in resolving it, they will surely have cause to confess, that never king, in the disposal of himself in marriage, took so great care for the good and felicity of his people.-Within a very short time after his landing in this kingdom, he was moved by the ambassador of Portugal, to renew a Treaty lately made between that crown and the Usurper; a treaty in very many respects the most advantageous to this nation that ever was entered into with any prince or people; a treaty by which, at this time, that crown is paying the penalty (which the Usurper exacted from it) for the most noble and heroic act of honour and friendship, performed by that king to our master, that ever was performed by any prince towards another prince in distress. And yet the king was nothing forward to ratify this Treaty; though it is very true, every Article in it but one was entirely for the benefit of this nation, for the extraordinary advancement of Trade, for the good of Religion, and for the honour of the crown: yet there was one, one single Article, that must oblige the king, as it did the Usurper, to supply Portugal with an army for his assistance, when he should require it; that is, Portugal should have power to make levies of 10,000 men for their service. This, the king foresaw, might produce a war with Spain, which he was very unwilling to undergo for that engagement; and yet his Council represented unto him how heart-breaking a thing it would be to his people, to lose the possession of so great a trade, and those other immense advantages they had by that Treaty; and that it would be judged an irrecoverable error in policy, if Portugal should be suffered again to be swallowed up by Spain. However, the king was resolved, not precipitately to engage himself in such a treaty as might be attended with such an inconvenience; but to take time, fully to consider of it; and this delay the Portugal could not be pleased with, and so the ambassador returned home to his master. About this time, the house of commons sent up a Bill to the lords, for the annexing Dunkirk and Jamaica to the crown of England, which seemed to have the most universal consent and approbation from the whole nation that ever any bill could be attended with: yet the same consideration which retarded the Treaty with Portugal made the king less warm towards the advancing of that Bill; and the Spanish ambassador was as solicitous to obstruct it, as he hath been since to obstruct the Match with Portugal. This being the case, and the Portugal ambassador returning with such particular overtures to the king for a Marriage with the daughter of that crown, that, both in respect of portion, and many other transcendent advantages for the advancement of the trade and empire of this kingdom, the like hath not been offered in this age; and his majesty having received as full information and satisfaction in the beauty and excellency of that renowned princess as can be had without a personal interview (a circumstance very rarely admitted to princes), it was not in his majesty's power to be without some approbation and inclination to this alliance: yet even then he would not trust himself in this great affair, which so nearly and so dearly concerns himself, and himself above all others. Though the benefit and advantage could but appear the same upon further consultation, yet there might possibly be some mischiefs, or some inconveniencies be discerned, which he had not foreseen. He resolves, therefore, to call his council; tells them some days before, that he had an affair of great importance to impart to them, and to receive their advice in; and therefore appointed an extraordinary day, that they might all appear (and truly, I think, there was but one lord absent, who was then indisposed in his health). In this council he stated the whole matter, all that was offered of benefit and advantage, all that occurred of hazard or inconvenience, without the least discovery of his own inclinations, further than that you would have believed he had seen the picture of his mistress; it having been a speech he hath often accustomed himself to, that he would not marry a woman he had not some reason to believe he could love, though she could bring him the empire of the world. He did not conceal from my lords what the Spanish ambassador had offered against this Marriage (who is not over-reserved in giving counsel, nor in communicating the counsel he gives), what proffers he had made of others, what threats of war in one case, : what advantage of dowry in another; that he is so sollicitous for the advancement of the Protestant Religion, that he had offered several Protestant princesses to whom his master shall give a portion, as with the Infanta of Spain; and truly, less than the universal monarch could not dispose of so many princesses without the least consent or privity of their own. His majesty commanded all my lords to deliver their counsel and advice freely, upon a full prospect of what might appear good and happy for his people as well as for himself; assuring them, as he hath done you now this day, that, as he never did, so he never will do, any thing of great importance, without consulting with them. You will believe that my lords of the council are solicitous enough for the advancement of the Protestant Religion, upon which the welfare of this kingdom so much depends. But they were very apprehensive, that the first Protestant daughter that ever any king of Spain had, would not probably bring so great advantages to it as was pretended. They have no mind to encourage the king to a war; we have had war enough but they do not think he should so much fear a war, as, out of the dread of it, to be at the disposal of any other prince; and that when he hath freed his own subjects from Wardships and from Liveries, that he should himself become a Ward to the king of Spain, and not marry without his approbation and consent. They observed, that in the same Memorials (I do not mean that which he last printed, but a former) in which the Spanish ambassador threatens war if the king marries with Portugal, he presseth very earnestly the delivering up of Dunkirk and Jamaica; and it is plain enough, he would have that recompence for the portion he would give. And, in truth, whosoever is against the Match with Portugal, is for the delivery of Dunkirk and Jamaica; war being as sure to follow from the latter as the former, and from neither till the king of Spain find it convenient for himself, which I hope he will not yet do. I will not enlarge upon the many reasons. The king hath told you the conclusion. There was never a more unanimous advice from any council, not any dissenting voice, in the beseeching his majesty to make this Marriage, and to finish it with all the expedition imaginable. Upon this, he sent for the Portugal ambassador, declared his resolution to him, hath writ himself to Portugal, and is preparing his fleet to fetch home our queen. And I hope now he hath deserved all your thanks, both for the matter and the manner; and that not only ourselves, but the ages that are to succeed us, shall have cause to bless God and his majesty for this resolution that he hath taken, and that he hath declared to us this day, and hath reserved for this day, having obliged his council to secrecy, that he might himself communicate it to his whole kingdom at once.-There are some other particulars of weight; but he will not mingie them with this great important one, your which must so much fill your hearts and heads; but will reserve them till he sees you again after you have chosen your Speaker, which he now leaves you to do, and to repair to your house for that purpose, that you may present your Speaker to him at 4 of the clock upon Friday." Before we enter upon the Proceedings of this New Parliament, we think it proper to present our readers with the following Lists of the Members of both Houses: LIST OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS. The NAMES of the Lords Temporal in this present Parliament, begun at Westminster the 8th day of May, in the 13th year of the Reign of our most gracious Sovereign Lord King Charles II. 1661.* ingham, Chas. d. of Richmond George, duke of Albemarle, general of the armies. MARQUISSES. John, m. of Winchester Edw. m. of Worcester Wm. m. of Newcastle Hen. m. of Dorchester EARLS. Montagu, e. of Lindsay, lord high chamberlain of England James, earl of Brecknock, lord steward of his maj.'s household Edw.e. of Manchester, lord chamberlain of the household Aubrey, e. of Oxford Algernon, e. of North umberland Fran. e. of Shrewsbury Charles, e. of Derby John, e. of Rutland Wm. e. of Bedford Philip, e. of Pembroke and Montgomery Theoph. e. of Lincoln moreland * Lord Somers's Collection. VISCOUNTS. Leicester, visc. Hereford Francis, v. Montague Wm. v. Say and Seal Edward, v. Conway Baptist, v. Cambden William, v. Stafford Thos. v. Falconberge John, v. Mordant. BARONS. John lord Nevill, of Abergavenny James lord Touchet of Audley Charles lord West Delaware George lord Berkley, of Berkley Thomas lord Parker, of Morley and Montegle Francis lord Dacres Conyers lord Darcy, of Darcy Wm. lord Stourton, of Stourton William lord Sandys, Delevyne Edward lord Vaux, of Harrowden Thomas lord Windsor Thos. lord Wentworth Wingfield lord Cromwell George lord Bruce Philip lord Wharton, of Wharton Francis lord Willoughby, of Parham William lord Paget, of Beaudesert Dudley lord North William lord Chandos, of Sudeley John lord Carey, of Hunsdon William lord Peter lord Gerrard, of Gerards Bromley Charles lord Stanhope, of Harrington Henry lord Arundel, of Wardour Christopher lord Roper, of Tenham Robert lord Brooke Edw. lord Montague, of Boughton Charles lord Howard, of Charlton William lord Grey, of Truro Wm. lord Craven, of Hampstead Marshal VOL. IV. Henry lord Hastings, of Loughborough Richard lord Byron Richard lord Vaughan Charles lord Smith, of Carrington William lord Widdrington Humble lord Ward Thos. lord Colepeper, of Thoresway Isaac lord Astley, of Bramford Richard lord Boyle, of Clifford John lord Lucas. John lord Bellasis Lodowick Id. Watson, of Rockingham Charles lord Gerard, of Brandon Robert lord Sutton, of Lexington Charles Id. Kirkhoven, of Wotton Marmaduke ld. Lang dale, of Holme Wm. lord Crofts John lord Berkley, of Stretton. "The representatives," says Rapin, “for the most part, were elected agreeably to the wishes, and without doubt by the influence of the court. The greatest part were high-churchmen, that is, violent enemies of the presbyterians, great assertors of the minutest ceremonies of the church, and most devoted to the king and the royal prerogative. This parliament may be said to be composed by chancellor Hyde, prime minister, and on the 20th of April, created earl of Clarendon. Let it also be added, that it was called the 'Pensionary Parliament,' because it was afterwards discovered, that many of the members received pensions from the court. It is true, many will not allow that this was so at first, but pretend, that by length of time, and changes upon death, the new members suffered themselves to be bribed. I cannot, however, help remarking, that, at the very beginning, this parliament did things in favour of the king, which no other had ever done, and that it was not tili afterwards that they retracted their extravagant maxims, concerning the royal prerogative. It may be judged how favourable this parliament was to the king, since it continued almost 18 years, on which account it was more justly called the Long Parliament, than that of 1640." Vol. xi. p. 213. 6 A short time previous to the dissolution of this parliament, a curious Tract was published, entitled, A Seasonable Argument to persuade all the Grand Juries in England to petition 'for a New Parliament: or a List of the Prin cipal Labourers in the great design of Popery and Arbitrary Power, who have betrayed their country to the Conspirators, and barFrederick lord Corn-gained with them to maintain a Standing Denzil lord Hollis, of Ifield wallis, of Eye George lord Delamere, of Dunham Massey Horatio id. Townsend, Army in England, under the command of the bigoted Popish D. who, by the assistance of 'the L. L.'s Scotch army, the forces in Ireland, and those in France, hope to bring all 'back to Rome.' A Reward of 2001. was offered, by Proclamation, to such as would discover the Author of this piece. As it is now very scarce, a copy thereof is preserved in the APPENDIX to the present Volume, No. II. Thomas Lee. Bambury, Sir John Holman. Barnstaple, John Rolle, Nicholas Denny. Bath, Alex. Popham, Bedford Town,. John Keyling, Bedwyn, D. Stonehouse, John Lovelace, Sir Ralp Grey, Bewdly, Robert Roberts, Peter Goring, Brecon County, Brecon Town. Sir Henry Price. Bridgwater, Edmund Wyndham, John Tynt. Bridport, Humphry Bishop, George Lee, Sir Edward Masters, Carlisle, Caernarvon Town, Wm. Glynn. Castle-rising, Sir Robert Paston, Robert Steward. Chester County, Lord Brereton, Peter Venables. Chester City, Sir Thomas Smith, John Ratcliff. Chichester, Wm. Garraway, Henry Pecham. Chippenham, Edward Bainton, Edward Hungerford. Chipping, Sir John Borlace, Christ's Church, Henry Tulse. Richard Honour, Clifton, Cockermouth, Eastlow, Eye, Sir Thomas Hanmer. Flint Town, Roger Whitley. Fowey, Jon. and John Rashleigh. Gatten, Sir Nicholas Carew, Sir Edward Mansel. Gloucester City, Charles Trevanion, Anthony Thorold, William Wray, Grimsteud, Capel Lukin, |