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

Newsletter - 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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Newsletter

London, the 5th November, 1659.

xxxii. f. 92.I pray yow advise my Lord Generall Monck that Thursday the Lord Lambert went towards the North, and lodged 7 miles beyond Ware, and intends to raise all the North Country Militia as hee goeth along. Yesterday night this Citty Militia met about a letter to bee sent to Generall Monck, and some were for burning the letter, and others of the A. B.1 partie were for the sending it; so they divided, and 27 were not for sending it, and 29 for its sending; whereuppon the Aldermen and the sober minded men amongst them desired to enter their descents against it, and said they would print them, and summ fower of these of the Militia that were against the letter were able to buy the estates of the 29 that were for it. The Committee of Safety this day being acquainted with these divisions, sent this night an order to the Militia to act noe more as a Militia till further order from them, feareing this letter thus prepared and framed by the cittizens might bee of ill consequence in divideing the Citty, should the negatives print and publish theire descents as they resolved to doe, but now all is [blank]. The substance of the letter was, that they was informed that Generall Monck was comeing into England with an army, and had imprisoned very many godly officers that had theire Comissions from the Parliament without any examination of them, and therefore desired him to set at libertie those officers, and to forbeare the entering England; however, they would secure the peace of the Nation, and oppose all that should infringe the peace thereof, according to their instructions in the Act of Parliament, and this was the whole substance of the letter. It is written hither from Scotland, dated the 29th past, that Generall Monck is on his march for England. It’s the opinion of many that his Lordshipp had better keepe about Barwick and the Borders for a month or two, by which meanes the reallity of his cause would have more roote with honnest men, and Lambert’s designes bee discovered, and those true and faithfull souldjers now comes to goe with him have oppertunity to declare theire judgements, and defeat him in his treasonable designes to make himselfe paramounte and sett upp the A. B., the which if hee should prevaile [in], then farewell Parliaments and all our liberties both christian and civill. Lambert, reading my Lord Generall Monck’s Declaration when Mr. Weaver was present, said if Generall Monck had noe more at the bottome of his designe then was there declared for, hee did not question but that Generall Monck and hee should agree and joyne together. Now take heede, for Lambert is a suttle truce breaker, and if my Lord Generall Monck can but keepe himselfe and army about Barwick for a month or two his busines wilbee done, but to come into England with soe small a number as 5 or 6000 men, it will incurrage Lambert’s creatures, and daunt his owne souldjers. The Lord direct him and yow for the best. Ludlow is come from Ireland and hath disserted the army. Col. Twisleton (whose regiment is in Scotland) hath disserted the army, but is ingaged not to meddle on either side; Col. Hacker, [Lieut.-Col.] Farly, Major Evelin, Major Barton, Captain Hutton, Captain Hawkerydge, all Col. Hacker’s Captains dismist, and they are wofully divided, both horse and foote, and theire divisions increase both in army, citty, and country, daily, and yow will finde strong revolutions shortly. They have taken away the money out of the Navy office to pay theire army upon theire advance, and soe the shippes that are now heere arrived out of the Sound and Straights lyes in the Hope, Chattom, and Portsmouth, with all theire seamen at wages and victualls for want of moneies to pay them off, which puts the state to 14,000l. per mensem charges. All things are out of order and men’s spiritts greately exasperated. The private souldjers, both horse and foote, vowed that they would not fight Generall Monck in this quarrell; bee not daunted; your cause is righteouse and God is righteouse. The A. B. have done what they can to make his Lordshipp odiouse, as that Charles Stewart is at the bottome of this his designe. I wish his Lordshipp would write a sober letter to the Lord Mayor, Court of Aldermen, and Common Councill of the Citty of London; it would advantage him exceedingly, I have good grounds for it.

The Citty Militia is much offended that the Committee of Safty should discharge them from farther acting, and would seeme to take noe notice of that order, but adjurn’d of themselves, saying theire Commission was from the Parliament, and was of higher authority then theire orders.1 This have increased theire discontent very highly to this present power. The souldjers have been in a mutiny 3 severall tymes since they went hence, and jeare as they goe along, saying wee are for the Parliament still and ever wilbee. The Country Militia will not come into Lambert, as I heare; in 4 counties nott half a troope came in.

[1 ]The A. B. means the Anabaptists, that is, the extremer Independents.

[1 ]About November 10 or 11 the Committee of Safety displaced the existing Commissioners for the Management of the Militia and appointed new ones. A list of their names is given in Redmayne’s True Narrative, which contains also a list of the officers appointed by them for the six regiments of the London trained bands (pp. 70, 71).