When things

tices' indeed unworthy of a Parliament ! must be carried so in a Supreme Authority, indeed I think it is not as it ought to be, to say no worse [Nor do I]! -Then, when we came to other trials, as in that case of Wales, of establishing a Preaching Ministry in Wales,' which, I must confess for my own part, I set myself upon, -if I should relate what discountenance that business of the poor People of God there had (who had men2 watching over them like so many wolves, ready to catch the lambs so soon as they were brought forth into the world); how signally that Business was trodden under foot in Parliament,' to the discountenancing of the Honest People, and the countenancing of the Malignant Party, of this Commonwealth-! I need but say it was so. For many of you know, and by sad experience have felt it to be so. And somebody I hope will, at leisure, better impart to you the state of that Business of Wales;' which really, to myself and Officers, was as plain a trial of their spirits, 'the Parliament's spirits,' as anything,-it being known to many of us that God had kindled a seed there [Such is the metaphor.] indeed hardly to be paralleled since the Primitive Time.·

I would these had been all the instances we had! Finding, 'however,' which way the spirits of men went, finding that good was never intended to the People of God,—I mean, when I say the People of God, I mean the large comprehension of them, under the several Forms of Godliness in this Nation;-finding, I say, that all tenderness was forgotten to the Good People (though it was by their hands and their means, under the blessing of God, that those sat where they did),—we thought this a very bad requital! I will not say, they were come to an utter inability

'things' in orig.

2

Clergymen so-called.

of working Reformation, to one thing: the Reformation of the Law, so much groaned under in the posture it now is in [Hear, hear!]. That was a thing we had many good words spoken for; but we know that many months together were not enough for the settling of one word, "Incumbrances" [Three calendar months! A grim smile on some faces],—I say, finding that this was the spirit and complexion of men,—although these were faults for which no man should lift up his hand against the Superior Magistrate; not simply for these faults and failings,— yet when we saw that this New Representative of theirs' was meant to perpetuate men of such spirits; nay when we had it from their own mouths, That they could not endure to hear of the Dissolution of this Parliament: we thought this an high breach of trust. If they had been a Parliament never violence was upon,1 sitting as free and clear as any in former ages, it was thought, this, to be a breach of trust, such as a greater could not be.

though I might say so in regard

And that we might not be in doubt about these matters; having had that Conference among ourselves which I gave you an account of, we did desire one more,—and indeed it was the night before the Dissolution; it had been desired two or three nights before: we did desire that we might speak with some of the principal persons of the House. That we might with ingenuity open our hearts to them; that we might either be convinced of the certainty of their intentions; or else that they would be pleased to hear our expedients to prevent these inconveniences. And indeed we could not attain our desire till the night before the Dissolution. There is a touch of this in our Declaration.2 As I said before, at that time we had often desired it, and

1 Had no Pride's Purge, Apprentice-riot, or the like, ever come upon them.

2 Of April 22; referred to, not given, at p. 385.

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at that time we obtained it: where about Twenty of them were, none of the least in consideration for their interest and ability; with whom we desired some discourse upon these things; and had it. And it pleased these Gentlemen, who are here, the Officers of the Army, to desire me to offer their sense for them, which I did, and it was shortly thus: We told them " the reason of our desire to wait upon them now was, that we might know from them, "What security lay in their manner of proceeding, so "hastened, for a New Representative; wherein they had "made a few qualifications, such as they were: and How "the whole business would, in actual practice,' be exe"cuted: Of which we had as yet no account; and yet we "had our interest, our lives, estates and families therein "concerned; and, we thought likewise, the Honest People "had interest in us: 'How all this was to be?' That so,

66

"if it did seem they meant to appear in such honest and 'just ways as might be security to the Honest Interest, "we might therein acquiesce: or else that they would hear "what we had to offer." Indeed, when this desire was made, the answer was, "That nothing would do good for "this Nation but the continuance of this Parliament !" We wondered we should have such a return. We said little to that: but, seeing they would not give us satisfaction that their ways were honourable and just, we craved their leave to make our objections. We then told them, That the way they were going in would be impracticable. ' That' we could not tell how to send out an Act, with such qualifications as to be a rule for electing and for being elected, Until we first knew who the persons were that should be admitted to elect. And above all, Whether any so far as to include' the Pres

of the qualifications reached

byterian Party.1 And we were bold to tell them, That

1Presbytery' in orig.

none of that judgment who had deserted this Cause and Interest1 should have any power therein. We did think we should profess it, That we had as good deliver up our Cause into the hands of any as into the hands of those who had deserted us, or who were as neuters! For it's one thing to love a brother, to bear with and love a person of different judgment in matters of religion; and another thing to have anybody so far set in the saddle on that account, as to have all the rest of his brethren at mercy.

Truly, Gentlemen, having this discourse concerning the impracticableness of the thing, the bringing-in of neuters, and such as had deserted this Cause, whom we very well knew; objecting likewise how dangerous it would be by drawing concourses of people in the several Counties (every person that was within the qualification or without); and how it did fall obvious to us that the power would come into the hands of men who had very little affection to this Cause: the answer again was made, and that by very eminent persons, "That nothing would save the Nation but the continuance of this Parliament." This being so, we humbly proposed,-since neither our counsels, our objections to their way of proceeding, nor their answers to justify that, did give us satisfaction; nor did we think they ever intended to give us any, which indeed some of them have since declared to be the fact,'—we proposed to them, I say, our expedient; which was indeed this: That the Government of the Nation being in such a condition as we saw, and things being' under so much ill sense abroad, and likely to end in confusion if we so proceeded,' — we desired they would devolve the trust over to some Wellaffected Men, such as had an interest in the Nation, and

1 None of your Royalist, Hamilton-Invasion Presbyterians.

were known to be of good affection to the Commonwealth. Which, we told them, was no new thing when this Land was under the like hurlyburlies. And we had been labouring to get precedents' out of History' to convince them of it; and it was confessed by them it had been no new thing. This expedient we offered out of the deep sense we had of the Cause of Christ; and were answered so as I told you, That nothing would save this Nation but the continuance of that Parliament. The continuance:' they would not 'be brought to say the perpetuating of it, at this time; yet we found their endeavours did directly tend that way; they gave us this answer, "That the thing we offered was "of a very high nature and of tender consideration: How "would money be raised ?"—and made some other objections. We told them 'how ;' and that we here offered an expedient five times better than that of theirs,' for which no reason was given, nor we thought could be given [Why should the Fag-end of this poor old Parliament, now fallen impotent except to raise money for itself, continue ? reason is given, nor we think can be, that will convince mankind];-and desired them that they would lay things seriously to heart! They told us, They would take time for the consideration of these things till tomorrow; they would sleep upon them, and consult some friends: 'some friends,'

No

though, as I said, there were about Twenty-three 'of them here,' and not above Fifty-three in the House. And at parting, two or three of the chief of them, one of the chief [O Sir Harry Vane !], and two or three more, did tell us, That they would endeavour to suspend farther proceedings about their Bill for a New Representative until they had another conference with us. And upon this we had great satisfaction; and had hope, if our expedient could receive a loving debate, that the next day we should have some such issue thereof as would give satisfaction.