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Subject Area: Political Theory
Subject Area: History
Topic: The English Revolution

General Monck to the Commanders in Scotland - Sir William Clarke, The Clarke Papers. Selections from the Papers of William Clarke, vol. 4 [1901]

Edition used:

The Clarke Papers. Selections from the Papers of William Clarke, Secretary to the Council of the Army, 1647-1649, and to General Monck and the Commanders of the Army in Scotland, 1651-1660, ed. C.H. Firth (London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1901). 4 vols.

Part of: The Clarke Papers. Selections from the Papers of William Clarke, 4 vols.

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General Monck to the Commanders in Scotland

Sir,

li. f. 92.Understanding that there is a petition to the Parliament signed by some officers of the feild and Captains at London about some perticulars, I likewise understand that they have written to some officers in this country to signifie the same; yow know it hath been alwaies against my way to signe any petitions at all, either to the Parliament or Generall, from the forces heere, and I am still of the same judgement. Therefore if any should write to yow to perswade yow to signe any petitions to the Parliament, I doe desire and expect yow will bee carefull that there bee none signed by the officers of your regiment without my consent, which is all at present from

Your very loveing friend and servant,

G. M.1

Dalkeith, 29th September,
1659.

[1 ]About the same date Monck wrote to the Speaker, informing him of what he had done. Bordeaux, writing to Mazarin, October , says that Monck ‘wrote two days ago to inform the Parliament that he had prevented the petition of the Northern brigade from being subscribed by the troops under his command (Guizot, Richard Cromwell, i. 498). Similarly Samborne, writing to Hyde on October 14, says Monck ‘writ to the Parliament very lately that his officers had received addresses from the officers here, and thereupon had a meeting, but he had strictly forbidden any more assemblies, with some other compliments to the Parliament, which encouraged them in their high voting against Lambert, etc.’ (Clarendon State Papers, iii. 581). The letter referred to does not appear to have survived. It was probably written about September 30 or October 1, for it was read in Parliament on October 5, when the House ordered that the Speaker should write a letter to Monck, ‘taking notice of the Parliament’s good acceptance of his faithfulness and expressions of the same by his letters and otherwise.’ This letter, drawn up by Whitelocke, was sent off on October 7, and duly reached Monck, whose reply is dated October 13. The reply, which reached London on October 17, four days after the expulsion of the Parliament by Lambert, is printed in Redmayne’s True Narrative (p. 22).