monde, who, having made peace with the Irish

the way to hinder him from an ascent unto an unlimited power. So that you plainly fee, this present combination of royallifts and prefbyters (which foever of them be most prevalent) muft of neceffity put the nation in a hazard between Scylla and Charybdis, that we cannot chufe but fall into one of the pernicious gulphs, either of prefbyterian or monarchical (0) Id. p. 47. tyranny (o). The reader doubtless will expect to find what effect this controverfy produced on the behaviour of the people, for whofe fatisfaction, as well as the refpective interefts of the King and the commonwealth, it was, as pretended, fet on foot.

6

Bishop Sander fon tells us, that very many men, 'known to be well affected to the King and his party, and reputed otherwife both learned and conscientious (not to mention the prefbyterians, most of whom, truly for my own part, when we speak of learning and 'confcience, I hold to be very little confiderable), have fubfcribed the engagement; who in the judgment of charity, we are to prefume, would not fo have done, if they had not been perfwaded the words might be understood in fome fuch qualified fense as might stand with the duty of allegiance to the King. And it was strongly reported and believed that the King hath < given way to the taking of the engagement, rather than that his good fubjects fhould lose their eftates for refufing the fame. Which,' adds he, as it is a clear evidence, that the King, and they who are about him, to advife him, do not fo conceive of the words of the engagement, as if they did neceffarily import an • abandoning

---

Irish rebels, had the best part of that

kingdom

abandoning the allegiance due to him: so 'tis, if true, a matter of great confideration towards the fatisfaction of fo many, as, out of that fear only, have fcrupled the taking of it. For the doing of that cannot be reafonably thought to deftroy the fubjects allegiance, ⚫ which the King, who expecteth allegiance from all his fubjects, advisedly, and upon mature deliberation, al- loweth them to do (p).'

"The fectarian party,' fays Mr. Baxter, fwallowed the engagement eafily, and fo did the Kings old cava liers, fo far as I was acquainted with them, or could hear of them (not heartily, no doubt, but they were ⚫ very few of them fick of the disease call'd Tenderness of Confcience, or Scrupulofity): but the prefbyterians ⚫ and the moderate epifcopal men refused it (and, I believe, fo did the prelatical divines of the King's party ⚫ for the most part; though the gentlemen had greater neceffities). Without this engagement no man muft ⚫ have the benefit of fuing another at law (which kept ⚫ men a little from contention, and would have marr'd the lawyers trade); nor muft they have any mafterfhips in the universities, nor travel above fo many miles from their houses, and more fuch penalties, ⚫ which I remember not (fo short-lived a commonwealth ⚫ deferved no long remembrance). Mr. Vines and Dr. • Rainbow, and many more, were hereupon put out of their headships in the universities, and Mr. Sidrach Sympfon, and Mr. Jo. Sadler, and fuch others, put in; yea fuch a man as Mr. Dell, the chaplain of the army, who, I think, neither understood himself, nor was un

⚫derstood

(p) Nine Cafes of p. 94. 8vo.

Confcience,

Lond. 1678,

(9) Reliquiæ Baxterianæ, b. i. p. 64. fol. Lond. 1696.

(r) Memo

riais, P.442.

kingdom under his fubjection. Here therefore,

derstood by others any farther than to be one who took reafon, found doctrine, order and concord to be the in• tolerable maladies of church and state, because they were the greatest ftrangers to his mind. But poor Dr. Edward Reignolds had the hardest measure; for • when he refused to take the Engagement, his place ⚫ was forfeited; and afterwards they drew him to take it, in hopes to keep his place (which was no less than the deanerie of Christ church), and then turned him out of all, and offered his place to Mr. Jof. Caryll; * but he refufing it, it was conferr'd on Dr. Owen, tỏ whom it was continued from year to year (q)."

It is well known that Mr. afterwards Lord Chief Juftie Hale, among the lawyers; and Seth Ward, who was fucceffively bishop of Exeter and Sarum; made no fcruple of fubmitting to this Engagement: which was, if we will speak impartially, drawn up in terms the most moderate, and the leaft exceptionable of any of the state oaths to which the people had been accustomed. And, to the honour of the then government, it must be also faid, that they admitted men to take it in their own fense; as appears in the following paffage: The fubfcriptions of the army to the Engagement were return'd by the general to the Parliament; who upon the generals [Fairfax] subscribing of it, as one of the council of ftate, in his own fenfe, the houfe voted, that his taking of it in that manner, was taking of it within the late act for fubfcribing of the Engagement (r).?

6

(+) By

therefore, by inclination, he chofe to repair (1). Ireland however could afford

him

(1) By inclination be chofe to repair to Ireland.] Milton has juftly obferved, that Charles I. was ever friendly to the Irish papifts (s).' This he fully makes appear by the ceflation, Glamorgan's. tranfactions, and Ormonde's peace. And the young King had the fame difpofition towards them. This will be evident from the following extracts. Mr. Secretary Nicholas, in a letter to the Marquis of Ormonde, written partly before and partly after the execution of Charles, fays, 'By letters from Holland, I perceive, though fome (as the Lord Calepepper, Lord Percy, and Mr. Long, by directions, it is conceived, from Paris) labour with Prince Charles to go for Scotland: yet his Highness's own inclinations ' and most others of the council about him are of opinion, that he go rather for Ireland, if your excellency fhall fettle a happy peace in that kingdom. By a letter from the Hague of the 9th prefent, I am affured by a very credible hand, that P. Charles had then contracted with fome Dutchmen of Rotterdam to fend immediately two fhips of 200 tuns apiece into Ireland, laden with corn and cloaths for foldiers, as well for the provision of the fleet as for the public benefit of • that kingdom. P. Charles is in Holland ftill, and < I hear will take no refolution for his removing from thence, till he shall receive letters from Ireland in what condition you are there (t).' Lord Byron, in a letter to Ormonde, dated, Hague, March 30, 1649, N. S. writes, The King himself is refolutely bent for Ire land, and is only ftayed here for want of money,

6

' which

(s) Icono

claftes, 2d 4to. Lond. 1756.

edit. p. 50.

him no refuge. For notwithstanding the endeavours of Ormonde and his confede rates,

⚫ which his brother the Prince of Orange (I doubt) cannot, and the states say they will not, furnish him with "unless he go into Scotland and take the Covenant: that is the plain English of it, tho' they speak it not openly. The Princefs Dowager of Orange is drawn into this cabal on another score; for fhe is made believe ⚫ the King fhall marry her daughter, if he comply with the Scots in their defires; and my Lord Percy is the ' chief agent in this bufinefs, both upon the pro'mises he hath of establishing his own fortune in cafe

he can effect it, and upon a prudent confideration " that Ireland will hardly brook fo ferpentine a nature as his is. Much prejudice the King receives by some ⚫ honeft but indifcreet perfons of his own party, who, by their ranting and railing against the Scots, breed great jealoufies and fufpicions in them. Thefe humours (God be thanked) fince my coming to town are ⚫ well qualified; for I have been with them all generally, and have calmly urged the neceffity of the Kings coming into Ireland, with fuch reasons as they 'feem to be convinced with, yet, I doubt, in their under

hand practices to ftop that refolution, they are as active as ever. So much doth private intereft fway them () Id. p. above any reason that can be given (u). Indeed the 238. King's inclination to Ireland, and indifpofition to Scotland, was fo great, that he made no fcruple of publicly profeffing it in a memorial delivered by the lords of his Majefty's council, to the lords deputies for the States. General, March 29, 1649, N. S. In this memorial, ⚫ after