The Online Library of Liberty

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• Preface to the Second Edition
• Introduction
• I.: To the Meeting of the Third Parliament of Charles I. [—— 1628.]
• II.: From the Meeting of the Third Parliament of Charles I to the Meeting of the Long Parliament. [1628-1640.]
• III.: From the Meeting of the Long Parliament to the Outbreak of the Civil War. [1640-1642.]
• IV.: From the Outbreak of the Civil War to the Execution of the King. [1642-1649.]
• V.: The Commonwealth and Protectorate. [1649—1660.]
• Part I: From the Accession of Charles I to the Meeting of the Third Parliament of His Reign.
• 1.: Speech of Sir Nathaniel Rich, Proposing Terms On Which the House of Commons May Be Prepared to Grant Supply.
• 2.: Protestation of the Commons.
• 3.: Documents Relating to the Impeachment of the Duke of Buckingham.
• 4.: The Restraint of the Earls of Arundel and Bristol.
• 5.: The King’s Letter and Instructions For the Collection of a Free Gift.
• 6.: Commission For Raising Tonnage and Poundage With Impositions.
• 7.: The Commission and Instructions For Raising the Forced Loan In Middlesex.
• 8.: The Case of the Five Knights, Before the Court of King’s Bench.
• Part II: From the Meeting of the Third Parliament of Charles I. To the Meeting of the Long Parliament.
• 9.: Notes of a Bill Brought In By Sir Edward Coke to Secure the Liberties of the Subject.
• 10.: The Petition of Right.
• 11.: The Remonstrance Against Tonnage and Poundage.
• 12.: The King’s Speech At the Prorogation of Parliament At the End of the Session of 1628.
• 13.: The King’s Declaration Prefixed to the Articles of Religion.
• 14.: Resolutions On Religion Drawn By a Sub-committee of the House of Commons.
• 15.: Protestation of the House of Commons.
• 16.: The King’s Declaration Showing the Causes of the Late Dissolution.
• 17.: The Declaration of Sports 1 .
• 18.: Act of the Privy Council On the Position of the Communion Table At St. Gregory’s.
• 19.: Specimen of the First Writ of Ship-money.
• 20.: The King’s Case Laid Before the Judges, With Their Answer 2 .
• 21.: Extracts From the Speech of Oliver St. John In the Ship-money Case.
• 22.: Extracts From the Argument of Sir Robert Berkeley, Justice of the King’s Bench.
• 23.: The Scottish National Covenant.
• 24.: Petition of Twelve Peers For the Summoning of a New Parliament.
• 25.: The King’s Writ Summoning the Great Council.
• Part III: From the Meeting of the Long Parliament to the Outbreak of the Civil War.
• 26.: The Root and Branch Petition.
• 27.: The Triennial Act.
• 28.: The Protestation.
• 29.: The Act For the Attainder of the Earl of Strafford.
• 30.: The Act Against Dissolving the Long Parliament Without Its Own Consent.
• 31.: The Tonnage and Poundage Act.
• 32.: The Ten Propositions.
• 33.: Bill On Church Reform Bead Twice In the House of Lords 1 .
• 34.: The Act For the Abolition of the Court of Star Chamber.
• 35.: The Act For the Abolition of the Court of High Commission.
• 36.: Act Declaring the Illegality of Ship-money.
• 37.: Act For the Limitation of Forests.
• 38.: Act Prohibiting the Exaction of Knighthood Fines.
• 39.: Resolutions of the House of Commons On Ecclesiastical Innovations.
• 40.: Order of the House of Lords On the Services of the Church.
• 41.: Extract From the Instructions to the Committee In Scotland, Proposed By the House of Commons.
• 42.: The King’s Speech to the Recorder of the City of London.
• 43.: The Grand Remonstrance, With the Petition Accompanying It.
• 44.: The King’s Proclamation On Religion.
• 45.: The King’s Answer to the Petition Accompanying the Grand Remonstrance.
• 46.: The Impeachment of One Member of the House of Lords, and of Five Members of the House of Commons.
• 47.: A Declaration of the House of Commons Touching a Late Breach of Their Privileges.
• 48.: The Clerical Disabilities Act.
• 49.: The Impressment Act.
• 50.: The Militia Ordinance.
• 51.: The Declaration of the Houses On Church Reform.
• 52.: The King’s Proclamation Condemning the Militia Ordinance.
• 53.: The Nineteen Propositions Sent By the Two Houses of Parliament to the King At York.
• 54.: Declaration of the Houses In Defence of the Militia Ordinance.
• 55.: The King’s Letter Sent With the Commissions of Array to Leicestershire.
• 56.: The Votes of the Houses For Raising an Army.
• Part IV: From the Outbreak of the Civil War to the Execution of the King.
• 57.: The Propositions Presented to the King At the Treaty of Oxford.
• 58.: The Solemn League and Covenant.
• 60.: The Ordinance Appointing the Second Committee of Both Kingdoms.
• 61.: The Propositions of the Houses Presented to the King At Oxford, and Subsequently Discussed At the Treaty of Uxbridge.
• 62.: The King’s Propositions to Be Discussed At Uxbridge.
• 63.: The Self-denying Ordinance.
• 64.: The Negative Oath.
• 65.: Order of the Two Houses For Taking Away the Court of Wards.
• 66.: The Propositions of the Houses Sent to the King At Newcastle.
• 67.: The King’s First Answer to the Propositions Presented At Newcastle.
• 68.: The King’s Second Answer to the Propositions Presented At Newcastle.
• 69.: Suggested Answer to the Propositions Drawn Up For the King By the Leading Presbyterians and a Small Number of the Independents, and Forwarded By the French Ambassador to Cardinal Mazarin to Be Laid Before Queen Henrietta Maria.
• 70.: The King’s Third Answer to the Propositions Presented At Newcastle.
• 71.: The Heads of the Proposals Offered By the Army.
• 72.: The King’s Answer to the Propositions of Parliament.
• 73.: Letter of Charles I to the Speaker of the House of Lords.
• 74.: The Agreement of the People, As Presented to the Council of the Army.
• 75.: The Four Bills, With the Propositions Accompanying Them.
• 76.: The Engagement Between the King and the Scots.
• 77.: Additional Articles of the Engagement.
• 78.: The King’s Reply to the Four Bills and the Accompanying Propositions.
• 79.: The Vote of No Addresses.
• 80.: The Act 1 Erecting a High Court of Justice For the King’s Trial.
• 81.: The Agreement of the People.
• 82.: The Charge Against the King.
• 83.: The King’s Reasons For Declining the Jurisdiction of the High Court of Justice.
• 84.: The Sentence of the High Court of Justice Upon the King.
• 85.: The Death Warrant of Charles I.
• Part V: The Commonwealth and Protectorate
• 86.: Act Appointing a Council of State.
• 87.: Engagement Taken By the Members of the Council of State.
• 88.: The Act Abolishing the Office of King.
• 89.: An Act Abolishing the House of Lords.
• 90.: An Act Declaring England to Be a Commonwealth.
• 91.: An Act Declaring What Offences Shall Be Adjudged Treason.
• 92.: Engagement to Be Taken By All Men of the Age of Eighteen.
• 93.: Act Repealing Several Clauses In Statutes Imposing Penalties For Not Coming to Church.
• 94.: Act For the Settlement of Ireland.
• 95.: Declaration By the Lord General and the Council On the Dissolution of the Long Parliament.
• 96.: Summons to a Member of the So-called Barebones Parliament.
• 97.: The Instrument of Government.
• 98.: An Ordinance By the Protector For the Union of England and Scotland.
• 99.: An Ordinance By the Protector For Elections In Scotland.
• 100.: An Ordinance By the Protector For Elections In Ireland.
• 101.: The Constitutional Bill of the First Parliament of the Protectorate.
• 102.: The Humble Petition and Advice.
• 103.: The Additional Petition and Advice.
• 104.: The Writ Summoning Richard Cromwell to the House of Lords of the Protectorate.
• 105.: The Declaration of Breda.
• Appendix: the Navigation Act.

86.

Act appointing a Council of State.

Be it ordained and enacted by this present Parliament that Basil Earl of Denbigh, Edmund Earl of Mulgrave, &c., &c., or any nine of them shall be a Council of State, and have hereby power, and are authorised to put in execution the following instructions.

1. You are hereby authorised and required to oppose and suppress whomsoever shall endeavour or go about to set up or maintain the pretended title of Charles Stuart, eldest son to the late King, or any other of the said late King’s issue or claiming under him or them, or the pretended title or claim of any other single person whomsoever to the Crown of England or Ireland, dominion of Wales, or to any of the dominions or territories to them or either of them belonging.

2. You are hereby authorised and empowered to order and direct all the militias and forces both by sea and land of England and Ireland and the dominions to them or either of them belonging, preserving the peace or safety thereof, and for preventing, resisting, and suppressing all tumults and insurrections that shall happen to rise in them or either of them, or any invasions of them from abroad: and also upon any emergencies to raise and arm such forces as you shall judge necessary for the ends above expressed, and to give commissions under the seal of the Council to such officers as you shall judge necessary for the leading, conducting and commanding of the said forces, and for the prosecution and pursuance of these instructions, or of any other instructions you shall receive from the Parliament.

3. You are hereby authorised and required to use all good ways and means for the reducing of Ireland, the Isles of Jersey, Guernsey, Scilly, and the Isle of Man, and all other parts and places belonging to the Commonwealth of England not yet reduced.

4. You shall take care that the stores and magazines of all military provisions both for the land service and for the sea be from time to time well and sufficiently furnished, and that the same be issued as you shall by warrant direct: and you are also from time to time to take care of the repair of the shipping belonging to the Commonwealth of England, and to build such others as you shall judge necessary for the defence and safety thereof.

5. You are to use all good ways and means for the securing, advancement, and encouragement of the trade of England and Ireland and the dominions to them belonging, and to promote the good of all foreign plantations and factories belonging to this Commonwealth or any of the natives thereof.

6. You shall advise, order, and direct concerning the entertaining, keeping, renewing, or settling of amity and a good correspondency with foreign kingdoms and states, and for preserving the rights of the people of this nation in foreign parts, and composing of their differences there: and you are hereby authorised to send ambassadors, agents, or messengers to any foreign kingdom or state, and to receive ambassadors, agents, or messengers from them for the ends aforesaid.

7. You are to advise and consult of anything concerning the good of the Commonwealth, and report your opinion concerning the cause as you find occasion to the Parliament.

8. You are hereby authorised to send for any person or persons whatsoever to advise with them in pursuance of these or any other instructions that shall be given unto you.

9. You have hereby power and are authorised in case of danger to the Commonwealth to administer an oath to any person or persons for the discovery of the truth.

10. You are hereby authorised and empowered to send for and imprison or otherwise to secure by taking bond in recognizancy any such person or persons as shall be offenders against these or any other instructions which you shall receive from the Parliament; and all such as shall contemn or be refractory to any of your commands, directions, or orders in pursuance of the said instructions.

11. You have hereby power and are authorised to charge the public revenue by warrant under the seal of the Council with such sum or sums of money from time to time as you shall find necessary for defraying all charges of foreign negotiations, intelligence, and other incidencies, and for the salary of such subordinate officers and attendants as you shall judge fit to employ, and for the effectual carrying on of the service by those instructions committed to you, or by any other instructions hereafter to be given you from the Parliament.

12. You are also to observe and put in execution such further orders as you shall receive from time to time from the Parliament.

13. The power hereby committed to the Council of State shall continue for the space of one whole year from the day of passing hereof, unless it be otherwise ordered by the Parliament.

14. You have also hereby power to appoint committees or any person or persons for examinations, receiving of informations, and preparing of business for your debates or resolutions.

15. You are to meet at Derby House at four of the clock this afternoon, and from time to time and from place to place as you shall see cause, and in such manner as you shall think fit for the execution of your instructions.