Omitted chapters of the history of England from the death of Charles I to the battle of Dunbar

Preface

In the course of a somewhat minute investigation, continued for a good many years, of the records of English history during the 1 7th century, I found when I reached the period immediately succeeding the death of Charles I., that, while the printed sources of information were scanty, there existed in the State Paper Office a vast number of MSS. relating to the period of English history called, in the State Paper Office classification, "The Interregnum." Among others are the MS. volumes which contain the original minutes of all the proceedings of th| Council of State as long as the government called the Commonwealth lasted. On a careful perusa,! of some of the volumes and a more cursory examination of others, I resolved to attempt to write, by their aid, a history of England during the period extending from the death of Charles I. to the restoration of Charles II. Of this history I now offer to the public the first volume, bringing the narrative down to the battle of Dunbar towards the end of the 2nd year of the Interregnum, or of the Commonwealth, according to the prevalent, and, in my opinion, inaccurate designation of the government of England after the death of Charles I.

Chapter I

Political condition of England on the death of King Charles ,

State of the peerage at the time of the opening of the Long Parliament .

Effect of the government of the Stuarts in degrading the English nohility

Composition of the House of Commons at the "beginning of the Long Parliament ...........

The English lawyers did not, like the French, constitute a nohility of the gown inferior to the nobility of the sword .....

The union in early times of the civil with the military character among the Normans exemplified in the office of Senescallus Angliae .

Effect of the modem military despotisms in destroying that union and also in changing " suzerain " into *' sovereign " . . . .

The English nobility, at the beginning of the 17th century, though new and humble in their origin, displayed the insolence of a conquering caste ...........

Great change in their demeanour between 1604 and 16^9

The Commons vote the abolition of the House of Peers and of the office of king ...........

Causes of their dislike of uobUity and kingship .....

Reasons in favour of a limited monarchy ......

Errors committed by the Long Parliament ......

Number of members composing the Parliament in 1649-1653

Council of State ..........

A new Great Seal ..........

The Parliament caU the government a Commonwealth ....

Their reasons for not dissolving the Parliament .....

The writing drawn up by the officers of the army intituled " An Agreement of the People of England " ......

Treatment of, by the Parliament .......

Form of Government .........

Not a Commonwealth in the sense of republic

b 2

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4,5

6,7

8-12

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Iti

16-18

20-22

27-30

31, 32

34, 36

CONTENTS.

Council of State ......

Cromwell appointed commander in chief in Ireland

Difference between "Horse" and "Dragoons"

Milton appointed Secretary for Foreign Tongues to the Council of State

Affairs of the navy . . . .

Pressing of seamen ......

Land forces . . ....

Pressure of taxation — Taxes levied by parties of horse

Errors in political economy of the Council of State

New regiments raised for the service of Ireland .

Free quarter and billeting — conduct of the Council of State

Conduct of the government of Charles I. and of subsequent governments

Proportion of musketeers to pikemen .

of :flintlocks to matchlocks .

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36-43 44

44-46 47

49-62

53-59 60 61 62

63, 64 64

64-66

66, 67

Chapter II

Tyranny of the Parliament and Council of State ....

Lt. -Col. John Lilbume committed to the Tower upon suspicion of high treason, for being the author of a book intituled New Chains Discovered " ....

State of the parliamentary army ....

Antinomians and Fifth Monarchy men

Fanaticism of Cromwell and Yane ....

Influence of pamphlets on the soldiers of the parliamentary army

Petition in behalf of Lilbume, &c. , gave offence to the House

The Levellers, origin of the term

The Levellers' war crushed

Component parts of the parliamentary army

Assassination of Dorislaus

Relations with Spain ....

' Holland ....

Pressing of Dutch ships for the transport of troops to Ireland

The government not strictly parliamentary government

Th? expedition to Ireland hastened .

The soldiers' arrears of pay

Arms and ammunition .

Cromwell sets out for Ireland . •

Cromwell's pay as General in Ireland

Eeduction of garrisons and demolition of castles

Business of the Council of State, their secretaries and clerks

69, 70

71,72

73-76

77-80

81, 82

83, 84

85-88

90-94

95,96

101, 102

105, 106

108, 109

116, 117

CONTENTS.

IX

The history of this Council of State furnishes a new and most important fact towards the formation of political science . Numbers of members of the Council of State who attended the

118-122

CHAPTER III. Irish affairs

The army of Ormond defeated by Michael Jones

The Irish massacre of 1641

Storm of Drogheda

Storm of Wexford .

Death of Lieut. -Gen. Michael Jones

Preparation? for John Lilbunie's trial

New law of treason

Clarendon's inaccurate account of LUbume

Petition of Col. Robert Lilbume and of Elizabeth, the wife of John

LUburne

Petition for a new parliament .

John Lilbume's letter to the Speaker

Lilbume's predictions respecting Cromwell's designs

" Self in the highest "

Difference between the tyranny of the Council of State and that of the Star Chamber .

Business of the Council of State in regard to robbers, thieves, and pirates .... . . .

The late king's plate converted into coin, &c. .

The government their own news writer

Lodgings in Whitehall for members of the Council of State

Amount of the excise for the three years last passed .

Estimate of the charge of the fleet for 1660

Grant of lands by the Parliament to Cromwell .

Style with foreign powers "The Parliament of the Commonwealth of England"

Election of Council/of State for 1650

Puritan Legislation, consequences of

Twofold character of the Puritan rebellion

Reinforcements for Ireland

Ireton appointed Cromwell's successor in Ireland with the title of Lord Deputy .....

135-138

141,

143,

144,

178,

183,

X CONTENTS.

Chapter IV

Liltarne, in his opening speecli, Bays that he was one of those who first drew their swords against the king's party, and relates how he was taken prisoner at Brentford ..••■■ '

exposes the inconsistency of Bradshaw . . • • 193; 19^

charges Haselrig with taking his estate without law . . 195

ohjeets to the commission, and asks to be allowed counsel, a

203-208 209 211, 212 213-220 221, 222 cony of the indictment, and reasonable time to consult with his

counsel 19«-202

Lilbume's argument in regard to being allowed counsel, &o

plea to the indictment

Question of the " Agreement of the People" .

Passages from Lilburne's writings

LUburne's exception to Col. Purefoy as a witness

Lilbume contends that there were not two witnesses to any one fact

against him • • ^23

The Court refuses the prisoner time 224, 226

Lilbume contends that the jury are not only judges of fact but of law

Subsequent settlement of that question .... . 231-233

Lilburne's defence 234, 235

The attorney-general's misstatements of law and fact . . . 236-243 The presiding Judge Keble's misstatement of the law . . . 244-246 Acquittal of Lilbume received by the people with extraordinary acclamations . 247-251

CHAPTER V. State of affairs in Scotland

The Scottish oligarchy's sale of their king to the English Parliament .

The Scottish Parliament .

The power of the nobility in Scotland was the cause of the poverty

and democratical form of the Scottish Presbyterian church . Difference between the English and Scottish feudal aristocracies . The nobility seized the whole of the Church property in Scotland Three classes of the Scottish Presbyterians, the nobility, the clergy,

and the people .........

The Scottish Presbyterian clergy .......

Distinction between the Presbyterians and Independents as regarded

military efficiency ......... 273

252,

263,

268-271

CONTENTS.

XI

Honest fanatics are not necessarily honest men Characteristics of the demooratioal and of the oligarchical Scottish Preshyterians ........

The Marquis of Montrose

State of parties in Scotland ......

Prince Charles is proclaimed at Edinburgh King of Scotland The Scots commissioners are sent home by land Montrose's last expedition His defeat and capture .......

His cruelties at Aberdeen in 1644 .

His character . . . .

His sentence and execution . ...

His lenity in 1639

Cause of his desertion of the Covenanters, the rivalry of Argyle Arrival of Charles in Scotland, June, 1650 .... Assassination of Ascham, the English Parliament's agent in Spain

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300-306

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