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

Colonel Overton to General Monck - 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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Colonel Overton to General Monck

Right Honourable,

lii. f. 48b.Yours of the 12th current from Yorke I have received by the hands of my old friend Adjutant Generall Smith, and doe perceive that report renders Hull as doubtfull to yow as it did your designe dangerouse to us and others; but I am very glad to heare that yow adheere to this Parliament in theire present constitution against the readmission of the Secluded Members, a free Parliament, or single person, one of which hath bin continually charged uppon yow as the common crye of your army. For my owne part, however any a[i]gry rumours may have represented mee, yet both my actions and words before and since the Parliaments interruptions have soe sufficiently declared my adherence to them, in opposition to that invasion made uppon them, that for mee to bring upp the reare of verbal testimony by an ex post facto Declaration, when I have not concurred with them, or countenanced any thing that hath in the least derogated from theire authority or the trust imposed in mee, is very much below mee, who have ever opposed faithfullnesse to flattery, and indeauoured to bee found in practise rather then profession; but I suppose the Parliament have by this tyme received satisfaction from what I have signified of my continued adherence to them, and besides I have sent upp my Major personally to represent the same to them, and how difficult it was for us to preserve this place by any other procedure then what was our practise heere; wherein as on the one hand I was very carefull to decline any thing which owned the army in theire force, soe on the other (theire interest heere overtopping1 mee) I was necessitated to walke soe wairily (by some circumstantiall condiscensions to them) that they might not have oppertunity to out mee, which was designed by an intention to secure both mee and my Major. I have inclosed to yow a coppy of that letter I sent to the Generall Councill of Officers, in opposition to theire addresse for Generall Officers, which with my declyneing concurring in any of theire proceeds, [not] subscribeing any of theire papers, refuseing theire commissions, withstanding theire commands, forceing out two companyes (after my owne came from Scotland) commanded by theire creatures, turneing back one of my Lord Lambert’s troops which hee sent for the security of this place, and calling in Major Acklam, whome I could better confide in, refuseing to give my approbation to theire writts sent downe for electing of members—are my wittnesses that my workes have not denyed but all along declared for the Parliament, in whose cause I have bin and am as deepely concerned as others, both by active and passive obedience, and shall not cease further to testifie my faithfulnes to them therein according to the tenour of our ingagement. Remaineing, Right Honourable,

Your assured and humble servant,

Rt. Overton.

Hull, 13th January,
1659.

[1 ]The printed version has ‘overleaping.’