THE HISTORY OF THE REBELLION AND CIVIL WARS IN ENGLAND BEGUN IN THE YEAR 1641, BY EDWARD, EARL OF CLARENDON. RE-EDITED FROM A FRESH COLLATION OF THE ORIGINAL MS. IN THE BODLEIAN LIBRARY, WITH MARGINAL DATES AND OCCASIONAL NOTES, BY W. DUNN MACRAY, M.A., F.S.A. In Six Volumes. VOL. III. (Books VII and VIII.) Oxford AT THE CLARENDON PRESS M DCCC LXXXVIII A TRUE HISTORICAL NARRATION OF THE REBELLION AND CIVIL WARS IN ENGLAND. BOOK VII1. 1. WHEN the treaty was first consented to by the two Houses, 1643 they ordered that it should be upon the first proposition made Feb. 28. by his majesty and the first proposition made by themselves, and that those should be first concluded on before they proceeded to treat upon any of the other propositions. So that the committee, in the first place, applied themselves to his majesty upon his own first proposition, which was, 2. 'That his own revenue, magazines, towns, forts, and ships, which had been taken or kept from him by force, should be forthwith restored to him.' 3. To which the committee answered, 'That the two Houses had made use of his majesty's own revenue but in a very small proportion, which in a good part had been employed in the maintenance of his children, according to the allowance established by himself. And the Houses would satisfy what should remain due to his majesty of those sums which they had received, and would leave the same to him for the time to come. And they desired likewise, that his majesty would restore what had been taken for his use upon any of the bills assigned to other purposes by several Acts of Parliament, or out of the provision made for the war of Ireland. That all the arms and ammunition taken out of his magazines should be delivered into his stores, and whatsoever should be wanting they would supply in kind, according to the proportions they had received: but they proposed, the persons to whose charge those public magazines should be committed, being nominated by his majesty, might be such as the two Houses of Parliament might confide in, and that his majesty would restore all such arms and ammunition as had been taken for his use from the several counties, cities, and towns. Feb. 3. March 26. 4. That the two Houses would remove the garrisons out of all towns March 27. and forts in their hands wherein there were no garrisons before these troubles, and slight all fortifications made since that time, and those towns 1 [Hist., p. 427. Dated, Jarsy, Cast. Elizab., 18 8ber, 1647.”] 2 Demands on both sides upon [VII. 4. 1643 and forts to continue in the same condition they were in before; and that those garrisons should not be renewed, or the fortifications repaired, without consent of his majesty and both Houses of Parliament. That the towns and forts which were within the jurisdiction of the Cinque Ports should be delivered into the hands of such a noble person as the King should appoint to be Warden of the Cinque Ports, being such a one as they should confide in. That Portsmouth should be reduced to the number of the garrison as was at that time when the Lords and Commons undertook the custody of it; and that all other forts, castles, and towns, in which garrisons had been kept, and had been since the beginning of these troubles taken into their care and custody, should be reduced to the same establishments they had in the year 1636, and should be so continued; and that all those towns, forts, and castles should be delivered up into the hands of such persons of quality and trust, to be likewise nominated by his majesty, as the two Houses should confide in. That the Warden of the Cinque Ports, and all governors and commanders of towns, castles, and forts, should keep the same towns, castles, and forts, respectively, for the service of his majesty and the safety of the kingdom; and that they should not admit into them any foreign forces, or any other forces raised without his majesty's authority and consent of the two Houses of Parliament; and they should use their utmost endeavours to suppress all forces whatsoever raised without such authority and consent; and they should seize all arms and ammunition provided for any such forces. 5. They likewise proposed to the King, that he would remove the garrison out of Newcastle, and all other towns, castles, and forts, where any garrisons had been placed by him since these troubles; and that the fortifications might be likewise slighted, and the towns and forts left in such state as they were in the year 1636; and that all other towns and castles in his hands, wherein there had been formerly garrisons, might be committed to such persons nominated by him as the Houses should confide in, and under such instructions as were formerly mentioned; and that the new garrisons should not be renewed, or the fortifications repaired, without the consent of the King and both Houses of Parliament. That the ships should be delivered into the charge of such a noble person as the King should nominate to be Lord High Admiral of England and the two Houses confide in; who should receive that office by letters patents, quam diu se bene gesserit, and should have power to nominate and appoint all subordinate commanders and officers, and have all other powers appertaining to the office of High Admiral; which ships he should employ for the defence of the kingdom against all foreign forces whatsoever, and for the safeguard of merchants, securing of trade, and the guarding of Ireland, and the intercepting of all supplies to be carried to the rebels; and should use his utmost endeavour to suppress all forces which should be raised by any person without his majesty's authority and consent of the Lords and Commons in Parliament, and should seize all arms and ammunition provided for supply of any such forces.' 6. To this answer, by which they required at least to go whole March 26. sharers with him in his sovereignty, the King replied, that VII. 7.] the first articles of the treaty. 3 'He knew not what proportion of his revenue had been made use of by 1643 his two Houses, but he had reason to believe, if much of it had not been used, very much remained still in their hands; his whole revenue being so stopped and seized on by the order of one or both Houses, even to the taking away of his money out of his Exchequer and Mint, and bonds (forced from his cofferer's clerk) for the provisions of his household, that very little had come to his use for his own support; but he would be well contented to allow whatsoever had been employed in the maintenance of his children, and to receive the arrears due to himself, and to be sure of his own for the future. He was likewise willing to restore all monies taken for his use, by any authority for1 him, upon any bills assigned to other purposes, being assured he had received very little or nothing that way: and he expected likewise, that satisfaction should be made by them for all those several vast sums received, and diverted to other purposes, which ought to have been paid by the Act of Pacification to his subjects of Scotland, or employed for the discharge of the debts of the kingdom, or, by other Acts of Parliament, for the relief of his poor Protestant subjects in Ireland. For what concerned his magazines, he was content that all the arms and ammunition taken out of his magazines, which did remain in the hands of both Houses, or of persons employed by them, should be, as soon as the treaty was concluded, delivered into the Tower of London 2; and that whatsoever should be wanting of the proportions taken by them should be supplied by them, with all convenient speed, in kind; which,' he said, 'should be committed to, and continued in, the custody of the sworn officers to whose places the same belonged: and if any of those officers had already forfeited, or hereafter should forfeit, that trust by any misdemeanours, his majesty would by no means defend them from the justice of the law. That he always intended to restore such arms and ammunition which he had been compelled to take from any persons and places when his own had been taken from him, and would make them recompense as soon as his own stores were restored to him.' 7. To whatsoever they proposed for the slighting all fortifi- March 28. cations, and reducing all garrisons, which had been made since the beginning of the troubles, and leaving them in the state they were before, the King fully and absolutely consented; and that the old castles and garrisons should be reduced to their ancient proportion and establishment: but for the governors and commanders of them, he said, that 'The Cinque Ports were already in the custody of a noble person3 against whom he knew no just exceptions, and who had such a legal interest therein that he could not with justice remove him from it until some sufficient cause were made appear to him: but he was very willing, if he 1 ['from,' Lords' Journals, V. 688.] 2 ['into such of his stores as his majesty shall appoint,' ib. 689. The Tower was specified in a subsequent message of March 29.] 3 [The duke of Richmond.] |
