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"send for him into the House of Commons."

They

immediately communicated the King's letters to the House of Lords; the consequence was, that the former order for their attendance in Parliament was confirmed. They forthwith sent to Lord Falkland to meet them. in Sir Robert Cotton's garden, and there delivered into his hands the staff and the key. Both Houses bitterly resented this dismissal of the two Peers; strong expressions were used against the evil counsellors who had given his Majesty that counsel, and they concurred in a vote, "that whosoever should accept of either of those "offices should be reputed an enemy to his country."2 The King's own conduct had been harsh; but undoubtedly such a vote was far more arbitrary in its tendency than the exercise of an undoubted prerogative of the sovereign to dismiss or to choose the officers of his household. The gratification of royal resentment was dearly paid for by the royal cause. Lord Clarendon describes Lord Essex as "in his nature an honest man "and a man of honour," who "did hope nothing more "than to make himself the instrument to reconcile the "Parliament to the King by some moderate and "plausible expedient." 3 He also acknowledges that, had Lord Essex retained the staff by which he was charged with the defence and security of the King's person, he would never have been prevailed upon to command the army raised against the King; and that, if he had not consented to be the general of that army, it could never have been raised.'

Hist. of the Rebellion, vol. ii. p. 332.

Life, vol. i. p. 109.

Ibid., p. 333.

Hist. Reb., ib. p. 331.

The King had wished to impose a similar task upon Lord Falkland with respect to the Lord Keeper, and had actually sent an order to him "to require the seal "from him," but the representations offered by Lord Falkland and Mr. Hyde induced the King to retract this order. By the end of the month of May the King's power to command the presence of his Ministers was so little acknowledged by Parliament, that his summons to the Lord Keeper to attend him at York could only be obeyed by his secret flight from London. Mr. Hyde had also set out about the same time for York, in obedience to the King's orders, having excused himself to the Speaker on the score of health. He had agreed with Lord Falkland that he should remain at a friend's house, near Oxford, till he heard of the Lord Keeper's movements. Lord Falkland was in the act of writing to inform him that the Lord Keeper had been faithful to his word, and had departed on the 23rd of May (1642) for the North, when he was apprised by Dr. Morley,' that it was the intention of Parliament to accuse Mr. Hyde of high treason the following day, as having been instrumental to the departure of the Lord Keeper. Lord Falkland instantly advised him to continue his journey northward with all possible speed, and intrusted the letter to Mr. John Ayliffe, who rode with such expedition as to reach Mr. Hyde the same evening.3

1 Afterwards Bishop of Winchester.

2 Brother to Mr. Hyde's first wife.

2

At Ditcheley, the seat of Lady Lee, afterwards Lady Rochester. Mr. Hyde reached Yorkshire in safety, and remained for a while concealed at Nostall, the seat of Sir John Worstenholm, twenty miles from York.

It was on the 2nd of June, about a week or ten days after the departure of the Lord Keeper, that Parliament agreed on presenting nineteen propositions to the King for his acceptance, framed on those resolutions which were originally proposed by the City Committee. It was impossible that any sovereign, with whom the liberty of choice or action remained, could ever have been expected to accede to propositions which deprived him not only of the prerogatives of the Crown, but which even interfered with that domestic and parental authority which every subject in the kingdom would have regarded as a right. Mr. Hyde having left London, the task of writing the reply to the nineteen propositions devolved upon Lord Falkland and Sir John Culpepper; the result of their labours was forwarded to Mr. Hyde at York. The Parliament now proceeded to such extremities as rendered it no longer safe for those Ministers who differed with the majority to remain there; not above a fifth of the House of Commons nor above twenty peers continued at Westminster. persons were forbidden to resort to the King, and those who were on their journey to York were intercepted and committed to prison; this rendered the position of the faithful advisers of the Crown extremely perilous. Lord Falkland and Sir John Culpepper quitted London, and reached York in safety. Lord Falkland was disappointed at finding that the answer to the nineteen propositions had not been already printed, and some expressions of momentary irritation passed between him

'Clarendon, 'Life,' vol. i. p. 37.

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and Mr. Hyde on the subject. The MS. was sent to the press that night, and, with the King's consent, immediately published. Mr. Hyde then explained to Lord Falkland the cause of his having withheld the publication. Lord Falkland and Sir John Culpepper had divided the propositions between them that were to be answered, and in the part prepared by Sir John Culpepper, he had assumed that the King, the House of Peers, and the House of Commons made the three estates. This assumption, as Lord Clarendon tells us, was partly made on the authority of lawyers, and partly on the declaration of prelatical preachers, who maintained that Bishops did not sit in Parliament as the representatives of the clergy, and were not therefore the third estate. It is to be supposed that Lord Falkland was convinced by Mr. Hyde's arguments that Sir John Culpepper had been mistaken on this point, as he informs us that, when Lord Falkland knew the reason of his having withheld the answer, he was much troubled, and imputed it to his own inadvertence, and to the influence of lawyers and preachers on Sir John Culpepper.'

On the 13th of June, 1642, the King issued a declaration of what obedience he required from those who then attended him at York, accompanied by an assurance that it was not his intention to engage them in a war against Parliament, unless as a measure of defence.2 This was responded to by a promise on the part of fortyfive peers and others, including the name of Lord Falk

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1 Clarendon, Life,' vol. i. p. 130. The answer to the nineteen propositions was delivered in Parliament on the 21st of June.

2 Rushworth, vol. iv. part iii. p. 626.

land. Two days afterwards (on the 15th of June) the King in council made a still stronger declaration against any intention on his part of levying war, and called upon all his nobility and Council to bear witness to his frequent and earnest declaration to that purpose. This appeal produced the following document, signed by forty-five peers and others :

"We, whose names are underwritten, in obedience to his Majesty's desire, and out of the duty which we owe to his Majesty's honour and to truth, being here upon the place and witnesses of his Majesty's frequent and earnest declarations and professions of his abhorring all designs of making war upon his Parliament, and not seeing any colour of preparations or counsels that might reasonably beget the belief of any such designs, do profess before God, and testify to all the world, that we are fully persuaded that his Majesty hath no such intention; but that all his endeavours tend to the firm and constant settlement of the true Protestant religion, the just privileges of Parliament, the liberty of the subject, the law, peace, and prosperity of this kingdom.'

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The peers engaged themselves "not to obey any orders or commands "whatsoever, not warranted by the known laws of the land; and to "defend his Majesty's person, crown, and dignity, together with his just "and legal prerogative, against all persons and power whatsoever; that they would defend the true Protestant religion established by the law "of the land, the lawful liberties of the subjects of England, and just privileges of his Majesty and both his Houses of Parliament; and, lastly, "they engaged themselves not to obey any rule, order, or ordinance what

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66

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soever, concerning any militia, that had not the royal assent."

2

Signed by

Lord Littleton, Lord Keeper.

Marquis of Hertford.

Earl of Southampton.
Earl of Devonshire.
Duke of Richmond.

Earl of Cumberland.

Earl of Salisbury.
Earl of Cambridge.
Earl of Lindsay.
Earl of Bath.

Earl of Dorset.

Earl of Northampton.

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