DIE Lunæ, videlicet, 13 die Februarii.
PRAYERS.
Earl of Manchester, appointed by the House to
be Speaker this Day.
Plymouth besieged.
A Letter, written by the Earl of Stamford, to the
Speaker of this House, was read, dated the 7th of
February, 1642; shewing, "That Sir Ralph Hopton
hath besieged Plymouth."
Ordinance for raising Money Weekly.
Next, was read the Ordinance concerning the Weekly
Assessment of Monies, for the Maintenance of the
Army.
Message from the H. C. to expedite it;
A Message was brought from the House of Commons,
by Mr. Wm. Strode:
1. To desire their Lordships to give Expedition in the
Ordinances brought up concerning the Raising of Monies.
for Concurrence in Two Orders;
2. To desire Concurrence in an Order concerning the
County and City of Exon.
3. To desire Expedition in the Order formerly
brought up concerning Nottingham.
and for a Conference, about Propositions to the King.
4. To desire a Conference touching the Propositions.
Agreed, To give a present Conference, as is desired,
in the Painted Chamber.
The Order concerning the City of Exon was read.
(Here enter it.)
Agreed to.
Answer.
The Answer returned was:
That this House agrees with the House of Commons
in this Order concerning the City and County of Exon;
that their Lordships have passed the Ordinance concerning Nottingham, and will send it down by Messengers of
their own: Concerning the Two Ordinances for raising
of Monies, their Lordships will give Expedition therein; and their Lordships will give a present Conference,
in the Painted Chamber, as is desired.
Message to the H. C. that the Lords agree to the Order about Nottingham.
A Message was sent to the House of Commons, by
Dr. Aylett and Dr. Heath:
To let them know, that their Lordships do concur with
the House of Commons in the Ordinance concerning
the City of Nottingham, with this Alteration, of making
the Quorum of the Committee Four instead of Three.
This House was adjourned during Pleasure, and the
Lords went to the Conference; which being ended, this
House was resumed.
Report of the Conference, about the Propositions to the King.
Then the Speaker reported the Effect of this Conference:
"That whereas their Lordships sent to the House of
Commons Two Votes, tending to the uniting of the
King and the People, wherein the House of Commons desired to concur with their Lordships as far as
they could, for the Good of the Kingdom; but wherein they differed, they would give Reasons for their
Dissent: That the House of Commons have agreed
in some Things, and differ in some Particulars, according to the Note following, which they offer to
their Lordships Considerations.
"The Resolutions of the House of Commons were
read, as followeth:
"Resolved, upon the Question,
"That this House doth concur with the Lords in this
Vote: videlicet,
"That there shall be a speedy Disbanding of both
Armies.
"Resolved, &c.
"That there shall be a fixed Time appointed for
disbanding of both Armies.
"Resolved, &c.
"That the Armies of both Sides in the Northern
and Western Parts shall be first disbanded.
"Resolved, &c.
That the Day for the Disbanding of the Armies in
the Northern and Western Parts shall be the First
of March.
"Resolved, &c.
"That the Day for the Disbanding of all other Armies shall be the Tenth of March.
"Resolved, &c.
"That a Message shall be sent unto His Majesty,
to desire His Consent to the Disbanding of the Armies according to the Votes of the House.
"Resolved, &c.
"That Persons shall be appointed to treat with His
Majesty, concerning the Manner of Disbanding.
"The Question being put,
"Whether there shall be a present Cessation of
Arms, in order to the Treaty upon the Propositions, before the Disbanding of the Armies?
"It passed with the Negative.
"Resolved, etc.
"That, when His Majesty shall have assented to a
Disbanding, to the Time and Manner of Disbanding;
that then a Time shall be agreed on for the Cessation of Arms in order to the Disbanding.
"The Question being put,
"Whether there should be a Treaty upon the
Propositions, before the Disbanding of the
Armies?
"It passed with the Negative.
"Reasons of the Votes in the Commons House, that
there shall be no Treaty upon the Propositions
before Disbanding:
"That a Treaty before the Disbanding will not be
effectual to produce such a Peace as may secure Religion against the Designs of the Papists to destroy it,
and the Prelatical Party to corrupt it, or to secure the
Liberties of the Kingdom and the Privileges of
Parliament against Projectors and Delinquents; the
Grounds and Evidences whereof are these:
"1. Because Papists, Malignants, and other Delinquents, are now in greatest Power about the King;
and this Treaty is like to be managed by their Counsels, whose Hopes and Intents are built upon the
Breach and Distemper betwixt the King and His
People, whereof they, having been the greatest Cause,
will still endeavour to hinder such a Peace as may
interrupt their own Design; whereas, if the Treaty
be after the Disbanding, the Authority of Parlia
ment will be more powerful to remove such Impediments.
"2. If the Treaty be before Disbanding, it will
not be so safe for His Majesty to yield to any such
Propositions as shall be for the suppressing of Papists and Malignants, His Person being in their Power;
nor yet so safe for the Kingdom, whilst Arms are in
their Hands, and so great a Party both in Ireland and
beyond the Sea, to encourage and assist them in resisting the Observance and Execution of any such
Treaty.
"3. If the Army be once disbanded, though the
Treaties should not succeed, yet the War cannot be
prosecuted, but there will be Time of Mediation to
(fn. *) make up those Differences without any further shedding of Blood: Whereas, if the Armies be on Foot,
upon every Difference in the Treaty, both Sides may
be provoked with more Animosity and Bitterness to
refer Matters to the bloody Trial of the Sword, and
many intervening Accidents may interrupt the Treaty.
"That it will be more Honourable for His Majesty, and more safe for His People, that the Propositions be yielded after the Disbanding than before; for thereby His Majesty will be freed from the
Imputation of granting any Thing by Force, which
might both trench upon His Honour, and weaken the
Validity of the Things granted; and both Houses
shall be free from that Tax of Unparliamentary Proceeding, implied in His Majesty's Answer of requiring new Laws by Arms.
"That, if the Treaty be before Disbanding, it will
endanger or delay His Majesty's Consent to the
Disbanding at the Time limited; for there will be
the same Reason on His Majesty's Part for concluding the Treaty before the Disbanding, as for the
beginning it; that so, if He be like to have more
Advantage by Arms than by the Treaty, He may still
have it in His Power to pursue the same Ends for which
His Force was at first raised: And all Delays in that
Kind will make the Burthen and Miseries insupportable to the Kingdom, by the necessary Maintenance
of all the Armies, and other Charges and Mischiefs
which will thereby fall upon the Subject.
"Resolved, &c.
"That, forthwith after the Disbanding of both
Armies, this House will send a Committee to attend
His Majesty; and, by an humble Treaty, to give Him
due Satisfaction concerning the Propositions sent to
to them from His Majesty, and those presented from
them to His Majesty."
Monies that have been subscribed by the Inhabitants of Devon to be employed for the Defence of that County.
"The Lords and Commons, taking into Consideration the imminent Danger (fn. †) the City of Exon was
lately in, by reason of the Approaches of Sir Ralph
Hapton and his Forces in a rebellious Manner, assailing and besieging the said City, as also of the
great and extraordinary Charges and Expences the
Inhabitants thereof have been put unto, in making
Fortifications, and keeping many Soldiers in Pay
there, for Defence and Preservation of that Place,
the Safety whereof is much conducing, not only to the
County of Devon, but to most of the Western Parts,
and the same Peril and Danger still threatening them,
the said Sir Ralph Hopton having again, in a hostile
Manner, invaded the said County of Devon, and
making his Approaches towards the said City; have,
upon the humble Suit and Desires of the Deputy
Lieutenants of the said City, thought fit to Order, and
do hereby Ordain and Declare, That all such Money
or Plate as hath been brought in unto, or subscribed
by, any of the Inhabitants of the said City, by Authority of both or either the Houses of Parliament,
before the Sheriff, or any other Person or Persons
authorized in the said City to receive the same, shall
be employed to and for the Public Defence of the
said City; and the Deputy Lieutenants of the said
City, or any Three of them, are hereby authorized
to require and demand the same from all and every
the Treasurers and Collectors, and other Persons, that
(fn. *) were appointed to receive or have received the same,
or in whose Custody or Possession the same shall be,
who are hereby enjoined and commanded to pay
and deliver the same accordingly; and all and every
Acquittance, or Note of Receipt, in Writing, under
the Hands of any Three of the Deputy Lieutenants
of the said City, shall be a sufficient Discharge for
such Treasurers, Collectors, or other Persons, to demand Allowance for the same upon their Accompts;
and full Power and Authority is hereby given unto
the Mayor and Deputy Lieutenants of the City of
Exon, or any Three of them, to raise One or more
Troop or Troops of Horse, for Defence and Preservation of the City and Parts adjacent, and to appoint Captains and other Officers of and for the
same, and to employ the same for the Public Peace
of the said City and Parts adjacent, as they, or any
Three of them, shall think convenient."
Slye, Lord Chandois's Servant, a Pass.
Ordered, That Slye, a Servant of the Lord Chandois, shall have a Pass, to go quietly to Oxford, and back
again.
E. of Roxborough, Leave to return to Oxford.
Ordered, That the Earl of Roxborough shall have
Liberty to return to Oxford, after he hath been at London.
Ordinance concerning Nottingham.
The Messengers return with this Answer, from the
House of Commons:
That they agree in the Alteration of the Word in
the Ordinance concerning Nottingham. (Here enter it.)
Ordinance for seizing the Effects of Persons in Nottingham, who have been in Arms against the Parliament.
"Whereas divers desperate and ill-disposed Persons,
in the County of Nott. and in the County of the
Town of Nott. have been, and now are, in actual
War and Rebellion against the Parliament and Kingdom, or otherwise have voluntarily contributed Money, Goods, or Plate, to the maintaining and fomenting of this unnatural War and Civil Combustion: It is therefore Ordered, by the Lords and
Commons in Parliament, That the Committee nominated by both Houses of Parliament for the County
of Nott. and the Committee formerly nominated for
the County of the Town of Nott. or any Four of them
respectively, shall have full Power and Authority,
and are hereby authorized, to seize, receive, and
take, all Rents, Monies, Horses, Goods, and Plate,
of every the Persons so in actual War, or voluntarily contributing as aforesaid, and the said Rents,
Horses, Goods, Monies, and Plate, to detain, for
the Public Service and Employment of the Parliament and Kingdom, rendering Accompt therefor
to the Parliament, or to such as shall be by them appointed: And it is further Ordered, That the Tenants of any such Persons as are in actual War
and Rebellion against the Parliament be enjoined and
required to pay the Rents accordingly into the Hands
of the said Committee, or any Four of them."
Message to the H. C. to join in an Order to Colonel Venu, to remove Sir Francis Doddington from Windsor to Westminster.
It was moved, "That whereas this House made an
Order for the removing of Sir Francis Doddington,
from Windsor, to Mr. Brigham's House in Westm. in
regard of his ill Health; but because there is an
Order of both Houses, That Colonel Venn shall not
deliver any Prisoners out of his Custody without Order of both Houses, he desires that the said Order
may be made in the Name of both Houses:"
Hereupon this House sent a Message to the House
of Commons, by Dr. Aylett and Dr. Heath:
To deliver to the House of Commons the Petition of
Sir Francis Doddington, and the Order of this House
made thereupon, and to desire their Concurrence in the
said Order.