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

APPENDIX B: Dr. Barrow’s Notes on the Proceedings of 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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APPENDIX B

Dr. Barrow’s Notes on the Proceedings of General Monck

[Elenchi Motuum Nuperorum in Anglia Pars III. Autore T. Skynner, M.D. 1676 The copy of this book now in Worcester College Library was sent by the author to Dr. Sam Barrow, ‘with a letter desireing him to looke it over, and take notice of any mistakes he should find in it.’ This note is signed G. C.—i.e. George Clarke. It is now Worcester MS. 135. Barrow wrote the following notes on the fly-leaves.]

Page 27.

There are letters to Fleetwood and Lambert dated at Berwick the 14th and 16th of December, and to the commissioners at Portsmouth from Coldstream the 19th of that month.

Page 27, in margin, ‘Monchius Coldstremium consedit Oct. 8.’

This must be the 8th of December, if it was precisely the 8th of any month, for I am certain he came not thither till the beginning of that month.

Page 33. Quamprimum Monchio compertum fuit ad senatum defecisse classem, &c.

He broke off the treaty before he knew of the defection of the fleet to the Rump. I remember well the first news he had of that was brought by Major Banister, whom he had sent to Newcastle with the letters that broke it off.

Page 50. Sed unde tam adversa sui fama senatoribus adeo morem gesserat.

The true reason why he pulled down the Citty gates was because he had no choice but either to do it or quitt his command. The order for pulling them down was not directed singly to him, but jointly to the Commissioners. Hazelrig and Morley and Walton were then upon the place, and acted jointly with him, so that if he had refused they were able to over-vote him, and would have done it without him, and by consequence have taken the command of the army from him. The next night he got such officers as he thought convenient about him, which were none but those that came with him from Scotland, except Col. Sanders and Major Barton; and of himself alone, without the knowledge of the other Commissioners, ordered the march into London in the morning, and had two copies of the letter he sent to the Rump ready signed by break of day, one to send to them and another to the press. So that they received the letter from the hands of such officers as he sent with it, and had a printed copy of it much about the same time. It is true he found the officers as willing to obey him that night as he found them unwilling to pull down the Citty gates the night before, which gave him an opportunity of doing that so suddenly which otherwise must have cost him longer time and some other pretence.

Page 54. Ut primum inaudisset Monchius quintenum se factum imperatorem, &c.

His being made but the fifth part of a General was not the cause of the restoring the Secluded Members. For he was indeed but the fifth part of one before, or perhaps but the seventh; for the command of the army was by the Rump put into the hands of those seven mentioned by you, page 16. And if it might be said to be altered, it was only in the manner following. Whilst the Committee of Safety reigned the Rump Councill of State, sitting privately, had signed a commission and sent it to him in Scotland, whereby he was empowered to command the armies of England and Scotland; but it was so penned that he might apprehend that if the rest of the commissioners should be upon the place with him, or could conveniently be advised with, he should take their consent along with him. Only Fleetwood and Ludlow were left out.

This commission, upon the return of the Rump, was confirmed by them in terminis; and according to this he often advised with them by letters whilst he was upon his march, and after he came to London he acted jointly with them, and they had one common table allowed for them all. So that by the alteration you speak of he received neither damage nor affront, all the change that was made being only of Alured for Overton, the former of which had hitherto been upon the same foot with him, and the latter, tho’ several times sent to, had refused to have any correspondance with him till after Lambert’s army had left him. Wherefore this was but a vulgar error caused by the mistake or the forgetfulnesse of those that were the authors of it. But the one reason of his bringing in the Secluded Members was, because it was the only possible step he could make forward at that time, and it is easy to be imagined that he did not leave the Rump with an intention to go back again to them. With much difficulty the army was brought to admit of their sitting, and with no less to endure their continuance till they dissolved themselves, they having several times during that time attempted to demonstrate for a Commonwealth, and were not without much ado hindred from it.

Page 57. Atque hic primo initium ferendi ad Carolum imperii coeptum fuit.

Concerning this point you seem yourself to be satisfied (page 154), and I suppose have since received further satisfaction from my Lord of Bath and Dr. Price. I shall only give you the reason of his great reservedness, which was the occasion of that opinion. He understood very well that it was impossible for him to have any assistance, or any other advantage, by communicating with the King’s party, but, on the contrary, apparent hazard of the ruine of his designe, if not of himself. For this evidently appeared to him when the Scots offered to assist him with 6,000 foot and 1,500 horse. He was then in a condition low enough to accept of them, and did not refuse them so much for the reason by you mentioned as for this reason only, that the army would not admit of them. And this I speak upon my certain knowledge, being at that time present at a secret Councill appointed to consider of that business, wherein it was the sense of the whole board that if there should be any commissions granted for the Scots to raise men, all the horse would run away to Lambert that night. Neither was there any other reason of the refusall insisted on, or so much as mentioned. Nor was he free from this fear till Lambert was taken by Coll. Ingoldsby.