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all which money, upon a just account, we 'do, for us, our heirs and successors, promise, grant, and agree, well and truly to repay, so soon as we shall be enabled thereunto, and in the mean time to secure the same to 'those who for our service, and by your me'diation and industry, shall lend or disburse 'the same. And we do further by these presents grant, That such generals, colonels, lieutenant-colonels, and other officers so by you nominated as aforesaid, shall have full power and authority, by virtue of these presents, to lead and order the soldiers severally under their charges, and with them to fight against our enemies and rebels, and them to 'slay and destroy, or them to save, according to the law-martial, or course of war: for the 'doing of all which, this shall be to you, them, and every of them, a sufficient warrant. Willing and commanding all such officers and soldiers, which by virtue hereof you shall retain, to obey readily, and receive and ac

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and good discretions, have made choice of, nominated, and appointed you to be our 'council of war for the said cities of London and Westminster and suburbs thereof, our 'said county of Middlesex and borough of 'Southwark; and do hereby give and grant authority to you, or any four of you, to make 'choice of such other able and discreet persons as you shall think fit to nominate under the 'hands and seals of any four of you, which with yourselves shall make up in all the num'ber of 21, and no more. And we do give ' and grant to you, or any four of you, power and authority, at such times and in such places as you shall think convenient, to as 'semble and meet together, and there to consult, advise, and resolve of all such things, 'and of such ways and means as you or any four of you shall think fittest, for the raising of forces, both of horse and foot, either of the 'inhabitants of the said cities, county and borough, or any adjacent counties, or other places, who will voluntarily associate them-complish your directions, commands, and 'selves to that purpose; and these forces to 'arm, muster, conduct, order, lead and govern, in the places aforesaid, or in any the coun'ties adjacent, or elsewhere, in such manner as you yourselves, or such other able and fit persons as you or any four of you shall appoint, according to these presents, shall think

fit.

And the better to effect this our service, 'We do further give and grant to you or any four of you, power and authority, under your 'hands and seals, to make choice of and ap'point such a fit person as you shall think meet, 'to be captain-general of all these forces thus 'to be raised, and such other person as you or 'any four of you shall in like manner make 'choice of and appoint to be colonels, lieutenant-colonels, and serjeant-majors, over the 'said forces, in such manner, and in such places as you shall so appoint; who by 'virtue thereof, and by virtue of these presents, shall have power and authority to do, execute and perform all such things which to these several offices and employments, ac'cording to law-martial, do belong. And we 'do hereby promise and grant, That with all 'convenient speed, after we shall have notice from you or any four of you under your hands and seals, of your nomination of any person or persons to those several places, we shall grant and confirm unto them and every of them respectively those several 'places to which you have nominated them, as 'aforesaid, under our great seal of England, or otherwise as shall be reasonably devised ' and required of us.

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And we do further by these presents give and grant unto you full power and authority, by all such good ways as you or any four of you, under your hands shall agree upon, to raise money for the cloathing, arining, furnishing and paying of all such soldiers as shall be thus raised, and for the providing of all am'munition and other necessaries for the war;

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summons in all things here to appertaining or necessary to be done: as also all mayors, she'riffs, justices of peace, commissioners of array, and all other our officers and loving subjects,

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to be aiding and assisting, both to you, and 'to all such officers and other persons whom you shall appoint under any four of your hands and seals, for the furthering and advancement of this our especial service: for which, this shall be to you, to them, and every of them, a sufficient warrant. In wit

ness whereof we have caused these our letters to be made patent, witness ourself, at Oxford the 16th day of March, in the 18th year of our reign.'

IX. In pursuance of this Commission, they had often consulted of a General, and treated with sir Hugh Pollard, prisoner in the Compter, (once a member of the house of commons, but expelled, being accused of having an hand in the Design to bring up the Northern Army against the Parliament,) about it. And a Declaration was ready drawn, setting forth the cause of their taking up of arms to be in pursuance of their late Protestation to maintain the true reformed Protestant religion against all Papists and Sectaries, to oppose illegal assessments, &c. Which was to be distributed to their friends, and on the night of their rising set upon the posts around about London. Concerning which time of their rising, they had also consulted, (of which precise notice was to be sent to Oxford, as to the day and hour,) and some moved to have it done on Wednesday the last of May, (being the Fast day, and the very next day after the first intimation was given towards a discovery,) but it had been put off, and not fully concluded, it being said it should be left to the lords to determine;' whom Waller pretended should side with them. Mr. Hasel lay close at Beaconsfield, and had word sent,

The great Ship was come into the Downs;' by which he was to understand that the Design was near ripe and be acquainted the lord

Falkland at Oxford therewith, and received Answer, That they should hasten it with all speed. And when they were ready, 3,000 of the king's forces were to advance from Oxford within 15 miles of London, to be ready upon notice to fall into the works and assist. And white ribbous or tape was agreed to be worn by all concerned in this action to distinguish them, &c.

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The Parliament, upon this Discovery, formed an Oath or Vow, to be taken by the Members of both houses, and by their Army; and appointed a General Thanksgiving to be kept throughout the kingdom; at which time a printed Narrative of this Design was to be read, and the said Oath or Covenant to be tendered to all persons; (but no penalty set on the refusers) the Oath being as follows:

And

I, A. B. in humility and reverence of the divine majesty, declare my hearty sorrow for my own sins and the sins of this nation, which have deserved the calamities and judgments that now lie upon it: and my true intention is by God's grace, to endeavour the amendment of my own ways. And I do further in the presence of Almighty God, declare, vow, and covenant, that in order to the 'security and preservation of the true reformed Protestant religion and liberty of the subject, I will not consent to the laying down of arms, so long as the Papists, now in open war against the parliament, shall by force of arms be protected from the justice thereof: and that I do abhor and detest the wicked and treacherous design lately discovered; and that I never gave, nor will give my assent to the execution thereof, but will according to my power and vocation oppose and resist the same, and all other of the like nature. in case any other like design shall hereafter come to my knowledge, I will make such timely discovery as I shall conceive may best conduce to the preventing thereof. whereas I do in my conscience believe, that the forces raised by the two houses of parliament are raised and continued for their just <defence, and for the defence of the true protestant religion and liberty of the subject, against the forces raised by the king; that I will, according to my power and vocation, nssist the forces raised and continued by hath houses of parliament, against the forces ced by the king, without their consent: will likewise assist all other persons that all take this oath, in what they shall do in Orsuance thereof; and will not directly or irectly adhere unto, nor shall willingly asat the forces raised by the king, without the consent of both houses of parliament. And This vow and covenant I make in the presence of Almighty God, the searcher of all hearts, with a true intention to perform the e, as I shall answer at the great day when

And

rets of all hearts shall be disclosed.' Parliament sent to general Essex, deng Tam to appoint a Council of War, for

trying of Mr. Tompkins, &c. which was done; and on Friday the 30th of June a Council of War sat at Guildhall, consisting of 22 colonels of the city, and of the Lord General's Army, the earl of Manchester being President; before whom Mr. Tompkins, Mr. Challoner, Mr. Blinkhorn, Mr. Abbot, Mr. White, and Mr. Hampden, were severally brought to the bar, and their Examinations and Confessions produced by the Advocate-General, and read; and upon Monday July 3, Tompkins and Challoner received Sentence of death; and the next day, Blinkhorn and Aibot: but Hamp den being fallen sick, his Trial was put off; and as for Mr. White, the Court agreed not in their Judgment.

On Wednesday July 5, Mr. Tompkins was executed on a gibbet, at the end of Fetter-lane in Holborn (near his own house.) And the same day Mr. Challoner suffered in like manner over against the Royal-Exchange. Their Speeches (as they were printed in those times) were as follow:

Mr. TOMPKINS's Speech upon the Ladder imimmediately before his Execution. the sight of Almighty God (to whom, and to "Gentlemen; I do humbly acknowledge in angels, and to this great assembly of people, I served of him this untimely and shameful am now a spectacle) that my sins have dedeath; and I humbly submit to it and seeing all our times are in his hand, and that a spar dence, much more man, that bears his image. row falls not to the ground, but with his proviI am no Atheist, but do acknowledge God's great protection to ine, and his goodness and mercy, in that he hath, during all this trouble I have undergoue, preserved my heart, and kept it from sin, and from thoughts of distraction: I acknowledge his great mercy. I am no Papist; I must tell you why I shall speak a little of this, because I have been desired by a good and ancient friend of mine to declare somewhat to you of this. I say, i was never myself in this point: and therefore I shall say Papist, nor Popishly inclined; and for some relations I bave had to some that way, I did never make any shew of the least inclination and disputes with some Jesuits, (in foreign to Papism. I have sometimes bad conference parts chiefly) I thank God, my principles of shake me: I have been called by some of them religion were so grounded, they could never an heretic in grain. But this is true, (which in mind to clear myself in this point) in regard might make that worthy friend of mine put me of some relations, and in regard I received very civil usage from those of that religion in I returned the like civility to them here, as I foreign parts, where that religion is professed; had occasion, and especially to those whom any civil affair brought into my conversation. And truly if I were to live, I should do the same thing, having no calling to the contrary: if I were an officer, it were something. I do forgive all the world, as I desire all the world,

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should forgive me. Touching the business for which I sutler, I do acknowledge, that affection to a brother-in-law, and affection and gratitude to the king, whose bread I have eaten now above 22 years: (I have been a servant to him 20 years, I have been a servant to him when he was prince, and ever since; it will be 23 years in August next) I confess, these two motives drew me into this foolish business. I have often since declared to good friends, that I was glad it was discovered, because it might have occasioned very ill consequences; and truly I have repented having any hand in it.

"Gentlemen, I thank God, God hath given ine so good a heart, and such presence of mind, as I was confident he would either take me out of this danger, or that he would be present with me, to assist me in bearing this trouble. I do acknowledge this as a great mercy, either to take me away from the days of sin, or to take me away from the evils of the time to come, which God avert; or to take me away from the infirmities of age, now approaching upon me. I know not what more to say."

Then turning to the Executioner, he said, "Honest friend, I forgive you, as the executioner of justice; I forgive you, and I do recommend myself into the hands of God Almighty; and one thing pray give me leave to say, I hope to be saved by faith in Jesus Christ."

laid to my charge, which there was some mis-
take in, concerning the King's Letter, whereas
it was thought to be another way: I thank God
it was not that way. Then concerning the Seal,
I had no hand in the procuring of it; nor knew
not of it till the Friday. There is another
thing, that is concerning the seizing of the ma-
gazines, which I had no hand in neither. But
I die justly, and deserve this punishment.
"But now to you all that are here, Let my
example be to you, that you never take your-
self to any thing but what you have warrant
for from the Lord: I had no warrant I vow to
God, that hath now satisfied me: the Lord, I
hope, will forgive me. I have heartily repented:
and I beseech you all to take this as a warning.
And whereas there is now a great deal of dis-
traction and division in the city; and that we
now make difference between God's ministers
and God's ministers; despise no means: I ac-
knowledge my fault: I did make some dif-
ference, and I now acknowledge it, and desire
the Lord to forgive me: I have received more
comfort from such men than ever I had before.
I shall not now have much to say: but I desire
heartily the whole world would forgive me. I
do beg of my God, and of my Christ, whom I
have not honoured so much as I should have
done, that he would have mercy upon me. And
now to you all I speak, I do now as freely for-
give you, as I trust my Saviour Jesus Christ
hath forgiven me. And so, Lord Jesus, into
thy hands I commend my spirit, for thou hast
redeemed me, O Lord God, and so the Lord
take me, the Lord receive me."

Lieutenant Colonel Washborn asked Mr. Tompkins, "Do you acknowledge this your suffering to be just?" Mr. Tompkins answered, "I have said it already, pray do not trouble me." Then Lieutenant-colonel Washborn said to him, "Whereas you bave had a hand in this you suffer for, if you know any other Plot that is prejudicial to the Parliament or State, pray reveal it." Mr. Tompkins answered, Pray trouble me not; I have done my duty." Then the Executioner performed his office: and it was to be noted, that in all this time, from the beginning to the end, he never so much as altered his countenance, nor by his outward appearance seemed in the least abash-"Gentlemen, This is the happiest day that ed with the apprehension of death.

16

Mr. CHALLONER's dying Words: "Gentlemen; It hath pleased God to bring me to this place; God hath now returned my prayer upon me: My prayer was, That if this design might not be honourable to him, that it might be known: God hath heard me, and it is discovered, the very same thing hath satisfied me, that I was in an error, and that I am confident I was in a great deal of fault: and, I confess, I do now die justly; and I pray God, that I may now glorify the Lord. I shall only thus much declare to the world, that may take off the aspersion that was laid upon my partner and my wife, which neither of them did know of this design. I have declared my conscience freely to God and the world, in every particular that concerns the business. Thus auch I shall say for my own particular; there were three things

Then his father tendered him the king's Pardon, saying; Here is the king's gracious Pardon.' To which Mr. Challoner answered, 'Sir, I beseech you, trouble me not with it. Pray speak to my friends to take care of my corps, and carry me home.' Then Mr. Peters said to him, You are now before the Lord of Heaven; you have any thing about the Lords you spoke of so often last night, I beseech you speak your conscience.' Mr. Challoner answering, said,

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ever I had. I shall now, gentlemen, declare a little more of the occasion of this, as I am desired by Mr. Peters, to give him and the world satisfaction in. It came from Mr. Waller under this notion, That if we could make a moderate party here in London, to stand betwixt, and in the gap, to unite the king and the parliament, it would be a very acceptable work ; for now the three kingdoms lay a bleeding, and unless that were done, there was no hopes to unite them.' Withal I made this reply:

Sir, If I could assure you of three parts of London, none of them should stir unless we had the countenance of the Lords and Commons. To this he replied, You shall have to countenance this business, the whole House

* "Mr. Challoner," says Heath, "at his execution spake little, being not suffered to have any of the sober pious clergy with him, but haunted by that stage divine Hugh Peters."

of Lords, except three or four, and divers of the House of Commons. We were promised we should speak with these lords; and, in truth, except we had spoken with these lords, nothing could have been done: for Mr. Abbot, Mr. Blinkhorn, Mr. Luntloe, Mr. King, and myself, agreed, That we would not stir till these Lords had declared themselves, and would be engaged. And now, Gentlemen, I have another thing to declare, which shall be in the behalf of those that are condemned. As Mr. Waller was the mouth from the Lords, as he did declare, so I was the unhappy instrument from Mr. Waller to the rest: The Sentence is now past, I desire, if it might be, That it might be moved to the house, That no more might suffer in this cause. This is all I have to say, and desire your hearty prayers to God for me."

Then one Mr. Smart said to him, "Mr. Challoner, if you were to live longer, would you ever have done the like again."

Mr. Challoner answered, "I am thus far confident, That if it had pleased God to lend me life, I think I should have ran another course, and I am confident of it. I hope this is the happiest day I ever saw; for I hope God is reconciled to me in my Saviour Jesus Christ, that hath given me repentance, and I am confident he will return my prayer for me." Then, at his request, Mr. Peters prayed with him; which being ended, he said these words; "Gentlemen, I do from my heart forgive you, and all the world, desiring you and all the world to forgive me also; and so I commend my soul into the hands of my God."

Mr. WALLER'S Speech in the House of Commons, on Tuesday the 4th of July, 1643. Mr. Waller being a member of the House of Commons, could not be tried by the Council of War, whilst he continued so; and therefore, on Tuesday, July the 4th, was brought to the bar, and had leave given him by the Speaker, to say what he could for himself, before they proceeded to expel him the house; whereupon, he spake as follows:

"Mr. Speaker; I acknowledge it a great mercy of God, and a great favour from you, that I am once more suffered to behold this honourable assembly; I mean, not to make use of it to say any thing in my own defence, by justification, or denial of what I have done: I have already confessed enough to make me appear worthy, not only to be put out of this house, but out of the world too. All my humble request to you is, that, if I seem to you as unworthy to live, as I do to myself, I may have the honour to receive my death from your own hands, and not be exposed to a trial by the council of war: whatever you shall think me worthy to suffer in a parliamentary way, is not like to find stop any where else.

This, sir, I hope you will be pleased for Jour own sakes to grant me, who am already so miserable, that nothing can be added to my calamity, but to be made the occasion of creating precedent to your own disadvantage; be

sides the right I may have to this, consider, I beseech you, that the eyes of the world are upon you; you govern in chief, and if you should expose your own members to the punishment of others, it will be thought that you either want power or leisure to chastise them yourselves; nor let any man despise the ill consequences of such a precedent as this will be; because he seeth not presently the inconve niencies which may ensue: you have many armies on foot, and it is uncertain how long you may have occasion to use them. Soldiers and commanders, though I know well they of the parliament's army excel no less in modesty than they do in courage, are generally of a na ture ready to pretend to the utmost power of this kind, which they conceive to be due to them, and may be too apt, upon any occasion of discontent, to make use of such a precedent as this. In this very parliament you have not been without some taste of the experience hereof: it is now somewhat more than two years since you had an army in the north, paid and directed by yourselves; and yet you may be pleased to remember, there was a considerable number of officers in that army, which joined in a petition or remonstrance to this house, taking notice of what some of the members had said, as they supposed to their disadvantage, and did little less than require them of you; it is true, there had been soine tampering with them; but what has happened at one time may wisely be thought possible to fall out again at another.

"Sir, I presume but to point you out the do me the wrong to expose me to this trial; if danger, if it be not just, I know you will not it be just, your army may another time require the same justice of you, in their own behalf, against some other member, who, perhaps, you would be less willing to part with. Necessity has of late forced you into untrodden paths; and in such a case as this, where you have no precedent of your own, you may not do amiss to look abroad upon others, states and senates, which exercise the supreme power, as you now do here.

"I dare confidently say, you shall find none, either ancient or modern, which ever exposed any of their own order to be tried for his life, by the officers of their armies abroad, for what he did while he resided among them in the senate. Among the Romans the practice was so contrary, that some inferior officers in their army, far from the city, having been sentenced by their general or commander in chief, as deserving death by their discipline of war, have nevertheless, because they were senators, appealed thither, and the cause has received a new hearing in the senate. Not to use more words to persuade you to take heed that you wound not yourself through my sides, in violating the privileges belonging to your own persons: I shall humbly desire you to consider likewise the nature of my offence, not but that I should be much ashamed to say any thing in diminution thereof: God knows it is

horrid enough for the evil it might have occasioned, but if you look near it, it may perhaps appear to be rather a civil than a martial crime, and so to have title to a trial at the common law of the land; there may justly be some difference put between me and others in this business.

"I have had nothing to do with the other army, or any intention to begin the offer of violence to any body. It was only a civil pretence to that which I then foolishly conceived to be the right of the subject. I humbly refer it to your considerations, and to your consciences. I know you will take care not to shed the blood of war in peace, that blood by the law of war which hath a right to be tried by the law of peace. For so much as concerns myself, and my part in this business, (if I were worthy to have any thing spoken or patiently heard in my behalf) this might truly be said, that I made not this business, but found it; it was in other mens hands long before it was brought to me, and when it came, I extended it not, but restrained it. For the propositions of letting in part of the king's army, or offering violence to the members of this house, I ever disallowed, and utterly rejected them.

did any thing like it before: it is a passage unsuitable to the whole course of my life beside; and for the time to come, as God that can bring light out of darkness, and hath made this business, in the event, useful to you; so also hath he to me: You have by it, made an happy discovery of your enemies, and God of myself, and the evil principles I walk by; so that if you look either on what I have been heretofore, or what I now am, and by God's grace assisting me, shall always continue to be; you may perhaps think me fit to be an example of your compassion and clemency.

of ine, whether for life or for death, as may most conduce to the advancement thereof.

"Sir, not to trouble you any longer, if I die, I shall die praying for you; if I live, I shall live serving you, and render you back the use and employment of all those days you shall add to my life.”

"Sir, I shall no sooner leave you, but my life will depend on your breath, and not that alone, but the subsistence of some that are more innocent. I might therefore shew you my children, whom the rigour of your justice would make complete orphans, being already motherless. I might shew you a family, wherein there are some unworthy to have their share in that mark of infamy which now threatens us: But something there is, which, if I could shew you, would move you more than all this; it is my heart, which abhors what I have done more, and is more severe to itself, than the severest judge can be. A heart, Mr. Speaker, so awakened by this affliction, and so entirely "What it was that moved me to entertain devoted to the cause you maintain, that I eardiscourse of this business, so far as I did, Inestly desire of God to incline you so to dispose will tell you ingenuously, and that rather as a warning for others, than that it makes any thing for myself: it was only impatience of the inconveniencies of the present war, looking on things with a carnal eye, and not minding that which chiefly, if not only ought to have been considered, the inestimable value of the cause you have in hand, the cause of God and of Religion, and the necessities you are forced on for the maintenance of the same; as a just punishment for this neglect, it pleased God to desert and suffer me with a fatal blindness, to be led on, and engaged in such counsels as were wholly disproportioned to the rest of my life: these, sir, my own conscience tells me, were the cause of my failing, and not malice, or any ill habit of mind, or disposition toward the common-wealth, or to the parliament: for from whence should I have it? If you look on my birth, you will not find it in my blood: I am of a stock which hath born you better fruit: If you look on my education, it bath been almost from my childhood in this house, and among the best sort of men; and for the whole practice of my life to this time, if another were to speak for me, he might reasonably say, that neither my actions out of parliament, nor my expressions in it, have savoured of distrust or malice to the liberties of the people or privileges of parliament.

"Thus, sir, I have set before your eyes, both my person and my case, wherein I shall make no such defence by denying or extenuating any thing: I have done, as ordinary delinquents do, my address to you, and all my plea shall only be such as children use to their parents, I have offended, I confess it; I never

After this, having withdrawn himself, he was called in again, and, being by the Speaker required thereto, gave them an exact Account how he came first to the knowledge of this business, &c. However, they proceeded to Council of War, he was condemned to die, expel him the house; and so being left to the but had a reprieve from General Essex; and after about a year's imprisonment, paying a fine of 10,000l. was discharged, and travelled into France. The earl of Portland, and the lord Conway were taxed, as being privy to this Design, and for some time in custody; but it not being clearly proved, they were soon after discharged.

The following is lord Clarendon's Account of this business.

"There fell out now an accident at London, which gave great advantage to them in the fierce prosecution of the war, a discovery of a Plot, which produced a public thanksgiving to God for their deliverance, a wonderful aninosity against the king, and a covenant, and union among themselves, and throughout the city a prejudice to all moderate men, who promoted an accommodation, and a brand upon all overtures of peace as stratagems upon the city, and the parliament. Of this plot, there being never such a formed relation made by

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