"earl of that name, the earl of Manchester, Hol"lis, Sir William Waller, Lewis, and other emi66 nent persons, who were looked upon as the heads and governors of the moderate presbyterian party. In this conference the king's restoration was proposed in direct terms, as absolutely necessary the London (presbyterian) ministers "talked loudly" in the same strain" without ex"posing themselves to the danger of naming the "king; which yet they did not long forbear; every body understood they thought it necessary the people should return to their allegi 66 ance. "Monk, says Rapin,† knowing how the pres"byterians stood affected, employed, probably, "Clarges his confident, to make a secret agree"ment with some of their chiefs for the restoring "of the king, Charles II. by their means."-Monk comes with his army to London, and having restored the secluded members to their seats in the house, thereby made it probably a presbyterian parliament: "it continued sitting but 25 days: in "which time several steps were made which clear ly discovered that they were by no means disin "clined to the king. For 1. They ordered a general discharge of all the imprisoned friends "of the king. 2. They repealed the oath for the "abjuration of Charles Stuart, and all the royal family. 3. They voted Monk to be general of "the armies of the three nations. 4. They voted "down the old, and appointed a new council of "state. 5. They made great changes in the mili"tia; and took away all commissions from the republicans. 6. They abrogated the oath requiring to be faithful to the established govern Ibid. vol. vi. p. 733, 734. + Rapin's Hist. Eng. vol. xiii. p. 199, 200. ment, without a king and house of peers. Lastly: They dissolved themselves, issuing out "writs for a new parliament to meet 25th of April.-In this free parliament-the presbyterians, who were much superior, in number, "did not think proper to exclude the royalists, "with whom they were in perfect agreement for 66 restoring the king.-This parliament was an as " sembly, in which the presbyterians had certain"ly a superiority of voices; consequently a pres"byterian parliament restored the king to the "throne of his ancestors. Bishop Burnet says, "these five following per sons, all presbyterians, had the chief hand in "the restoration; Sir Ant. Ashley Cooper, after"wards earl of Shaftesbury, Sir Arthur Annes"ley, afterwards earl of Anglesey; Denzil Hollis, created lord Hollis; the earl of Manches"ter, and lord Roberts."t "The presbyterians and the royalists, (says "Hume) being united, formed the voice of the "nation; which called for the king's restoration. "The kingdom was almost entirely in the hands "of the former party (the presbyterians:) some "zealous leaders amongst them began to renew the "demand of conditions-but the general opinion "seemed to condemn these jealous capitulations "with their sovereign.-The leaders of the presbyterians, the earl of Manchester, lord Fair'far, lord Roberts, Hollis, Sir Ant. Ashley 'Cooper, Annesley, Lewis, were determined to "atone for past transgressions."-Again, "The "king's negligent ingratitude to the unfortunate "Cavaliers, admits of some excuse; as he had been restored more by the efforts of his recon◄ " Rapin's Ilist. of Engl. vol. xiii. p. 227, 241, 242. "ciled enemies (the presbyterians) than of his "ancient friends."* "The presbyterians, says another historian, 66 were the sole cause of the restoration. I do not say helpers towards it, but causers of it and "that it would not, could not have been brought "about by any other party. Through the whole "transaction there was scarce any one agent, who 46 was not a presbyterian, above the character of "a letter carrier. General Monk was a presby"terian, or rather an independant; so were his "two chaplains Gamble and Price; so were Sir "Ant. Ashley Cooper, Mr. Annesley, Sir Wil"liam Morrice, lord Fairfax, Hollis, Ingoldsby, "Harley, admirals Montagu and Lawson, Ger"rard, Lewis, Waller, the earls of Northumber"land and Manchester- in a word, the council "of state, which governed before the king came "in, were all presbyterians: it was impossible "for men of any other profession to manage such 66 a matter, without troops, without ships, with"out money, without a town or castle; all which "were in the possession of the council of state, "and their general Monk." THIRDLY: The presbyterians, (whom the king, with too much truth, perhaps, used afterwards to call God's silly people) trusting to his declaration from Breda, solemnly promising liberty to tender consciences; and that no man should be disquieted for differences of opinion in matters of religion; which did not disturb the peace of the kingdom; and relying upon the fair speeches and assurances of his friends; and some of them, perhaps, duped by the low cunning of the king; who, a committee of their ministers being sent to him at Breda, ordered them to be in waiting whilst he, good Hume's Hist. of Gr. Brit. vol. ii. p. 113, 158. prince, was withdrawn to perform his private devotions; in which his heart was so enlarged, that his voice was distinctly heard by the ministers in the anti-chamber, devoutly "thanking God that "he was a COVENANTED king” (alluding to the solemn league and covenant, to which he had bound himself by the most sacred of oaths) “and "that he hoped that the Lord would give him an "humble, meek and forgiving spirit."- However it was, either infatuated and deluded by the fair promises of the king, and his treacherous friends; or pressed by the civil discord, and the total disorder into which they apprehended the nation was again running the presbyterians, trusting to his honour, without any conditions restored the king to the throne and now behold the gratitude, with which he requites them! For, FOURTHLY: two years had scarce elapsed, before, by all the artifices of court-management; by the influence and zeal of tyrannical and bigotted prelates; by lying and sham plots, and pretended conspiracies, the act of Uniformity was by a small majority passed into a law: " by which two thou"sand of our ministers" (the very men who had so successfully helped forward his restoration) were cast out of their livings; and exposed, "with their distressed families to innumerable suf"ferings. To speak any thing derogatory of the "Common Prayer, was punished, for the first offence, with a whole year's imprisonment, without bail or mainprize; and the second offence, "with imprisonment for life: the meeting for religious worship, in any separate assemblies, was punishable with severe fines, with imprisonment, "and banishment:" The gaols were soon filled with the unhappy RESTORERS of this vagabond king their houses were pillaged; their families reduced to beggary and want. An estimate waş 66 published of near eight thousand protestant dissenters who perished in prison, by their sufferings on a religious account, in the reign of this ungrateful, perfidious prince: and by severe penalties inflicted on them, for no other crime but assembling to worship God, they suffered in their trades and estates in the compass of a few years at least it is said, two millions.* This was the king who had himself three several times taken the Scots covenant; declared solemnly his detestation of popery and prelacy; vowed never to tolerate them in any part of his dominions; and in the most solemn manner swore by the eternal and Almighty God, who liveth and reigneth for ever, that he would not only enjoin the covenant, but fully establish presbyterian government, and their directory for worship, and observe them in his own practice and family, and never to oppose them, nor endeavour any change. "By the Act of Uniformity, says Mr. Locke on this subject, all the clergy of England are obliged to subscribe and declare the Corpora"tion oath, viz. That it is not lawful, upon any pretence whatsoever, to take arms against "the king." (A position most dangerous as well as false; absolutely subversive of our present happy constitution, and which themselves, in the succeeding reign, openly disavowed; and acted in direct opposition to it.) "This they readily "complied with: for you must know, that sort of men are taught rather to obey than understand. "And yet, that Bartholomew-day was fatal to our "church and religion; by throwing out a very 66 66 great number of worthy, learned, pious, and or"thodox divines, who could not come up to this Critic. Hist. of Engl p. 411. and Neal's Hist Purit. vol: iv. p. 544. |