32 Car. II. who should vagant Refolutions; viz. That whoever should 4.D.1630 efs of Memorials prorogue Thefe Proceedings exafperated his Majefty The King to a very great degree, and made him look refolves to upon his Condition to be almoft parallel to the Parlia that of his Father in the Year 1641, only he ment. had that great Satisfaction, That this Parliament was not like that, perpetual: To put an End therefore to their Importunity for the Exclufion, he refolved to prorogue them on the tenth of January; of which the Commons having Notice, met early that Morning, and refolved, That whoever advised the King to Their exprorogue the Parliament, was a Betrayer of travagant the King, the Proteftant Religion, a Promo- thereupon. ter of the French Intereft, and a Penfioner to France; That the Acts made against Popish Recufants, ought not to be extended to Pro Votes reftant A.D.168 teftant Diffenters; and that the profecuting Dif fenters upon the penal Laws, was grievous to the 32 Car.II. Subject, a Weakening of the Proteftant InterThey take eft, an Encouragement to Popery, and danupon them gerous to the Peace of the Kingdom: Which to fufpend Refolves were scarce finished, when the King the Laws. fent for them up to the Houfe of Lords; An Act for and having paffed an A& for burying in Woolburying in len, and one or two more, the King prorogued the Parliament to the 20th inftant. Woollen. The Lord The Lord Mayor, Sir Patience Ward, and Mayor, the Common-Council of London, two or three &c. petition for the Days after, petitioned his Majefty, That the Sitting of Parliament might fit again on the Day they the Parlia- ftood prorogued to; which the King fo little ment. regarded, that he immediately iffued a ProThey are clamation for diffolving the prefent Parliament, and calling another to meet at Oxford the 21st of March, believing he should find the Members in better Temper when they were farther removed from the Faction that prevailed at this Time in London. diffolved. Soon after the Diffolution of the Parliament, the King, to fhew his Refentment against those who had promoted the Exclusion Bill, made feveral Alterations in his MiniSunderland ftry: The Earl of Sunderland was removed from turned out. the Office of Secretary of State, and fucceedOther Re-ed by Edward Earl of Conway; the Earls of moves. Effex and Salisbury were difmiffed from the Council-Board, and the Earls of Oxford, Chefterfield, Aylesbury, and Craven, fworn of the Privy-Council. His Majefty feemed at this time to have been convinced of the Mifchiefs attending a mingled Miniftry, where the Parties drew different Ways, and ftudied the Destruction of each other, more than the Support of the Government; and he foon found 33 Car.II. his Account, in having his Council all of 4.D.168. loyal Principles, and the Republicans excluded, who conftantly drove at the Extirpation of his Family, and even of Monarchy itself. He no fooner put on a Refolution becoming fo great a Monarch, and took the Reins of Government into his Hands, but the Malecontents dwindled away, or renounced their rebellious Principles; and an uncommon Tranquillity fpread itfelf over the Face of the whole Kingdom. But we are not yet arrived at these happy Times; it will be neceffary, before I enter upon that pleafing Scene, to mention the Tempeft that preceded the Expiration of Whiggifm. Parliament to the The Party finding, by the Removes that A new had been made at Court, that the King was chofen. no longer to be wheedled or terrified into a Compliance with their Republican Schemes, muftered their whole Poffe, and, by their usual Arts of Mobbing and Lying, procured almoft the fame Members to be elected again that ferved in the laft Parliament; and, not content with this, gave their refpective Reprefentatives Iuftructions how they should behave in Inftructithe enfuing Seffions. The City of London be- ons given gan this Project of Tutoring their Members, Members. delivering them a Paper at the Common-Hall, in which they thanked them for their unwearied Endeavours in the laft Parliament to dif cover the Plot, and fecure the frequent Meeting of Parliaments; to affert their undoubted Rights of petitioning, and punish those who betrayed them; to repeal the Corporation Act, and other penal Laws againft Diffenters; and more especially for their affiduous Endeavours in promoting the Bill of Exclufion: And as they were well affured they would never conVOL. XXIII. fent 33 Car. II. AD.168 fent to grant the King any Money, till they were effectually fecured against Popery and Arbitrary Power; they refolved, by God's Affiftance, to ftand by their Members with their Lives and Fortunes: By which they designed to let the King know, that if he would not confent to the Particulars recited in thefe Inftructions, they would compel him to it by Force of Arms: And that they might have their Sovereign the more at their Mercy, the Duke of Monmouth, the Earls of Effex and Shaftsbury, and twelve or thirteen Lords of that Party, figned a Petition to the King, to affemble the Parliament at Westminster ; which his Majefty did not think fit to comply with, being very well apprized with what View they defired it. of Horfe When the Faction found this Stratagem did not take, they had Recourse to their old Practice of Libelling; and in these, as well as their Petition, fuggefted, That the Parliament could not act with Freedom at Oxford, because they would be in the Power of the King's Guards and Soldiers, who were most The City of them Papifts. Under Pretence therefore of London of fecuring themfelves against the King's fenda Body Guards, the City of London armed a Body of with their Horfe, and fent down with their Members, Members diftinguishing them by Ribbands or Cockades to Oxford in their Hats, with the Motto, No POPERY, NO SLAVERY; as if the King was about to Other introduce both. The Members from other Members bring armParts of the Kingdom alfo came attended by ed Men great Numbers of armed Men; infomuch with them that this Affembly of the Parliament at Oxford refembled (fays one) the Rendezvous of an Army, rather than the Meeting of the Great Council of the Nation. fonable Li During the Interval between the Diffolu- 4.D.1682 tion of the laft Parliament and the Meeting 33 Car. I. of this, another Plot was brought to Light under the Name of FITZ HARRIS'S PLOT; but Fitzharwhether contrived by the Papifts or Presbyte- ris's Plot. rians, the Whigs are pleafed to doubt. This Fitzharris was the Son of Sir Edward Fitzharris, of the Kingdom of Ireland: He was detected by Everard, one of his Accomplices, of having framed a treasonable Libel, where- His treain he charges the King, as well as the Duke, bel. with being a Papift, and confederating with the Pope and the French King, to introduce Popery and Arbitrary Power; and advises the English to rife as one Man in their Defence, and fling off those intolerable Riders: That they should blow the Trumpet, ftand to their Guard, and withftand the Royal Brothers, as Bears or Tygers; that they fhould truft to their Swords, in Defence of their Lives, Liberties, Properties, Religion, and Laws: And then enumerates all fuch Tranfactions in this Reign as the Whigs efteemed most liable to Cenfure; as the Dutch War, the favouring Popery, the King's keeping Miftreffes, &c. which furely must come out of the Whig Forge, fince they had fuggefted the fame things in forty other Libels: It can never be afcribed to the Papifts, much lefs to the Dutchefs of Portsmouth, who was the most obnoxious of thofe Miftreffes; as the Faction infinuated, becaufe fhe had once been a Benefactor to Fitzharris: But whoever fet this The Whigs poor Gentleman to work, certain it is, Bethel tamper and Cornifb, the Whig Sheriffs, and feveral with him in Newgate. others of their Party, endeavoured to make him an Evidence of the Popish Plot when he lay in Newgate, promifing to procure his ParO 2 don, |