Part 8 (1/2)
”If your highness has no iven me, God made me of less, and perhaps it et to Heaven than for Sancho, the Governor
_In the dark all cats are gray_”
The new Protector took up the reins of poith proper forms and ceremonies, and at once proceeded to summon a Parlia representatives both from Scotland and Ireland In this Parliament Andrew Marvell sat for the first tiston-upon-Hull His election took place on the 10th of January 1659, being the first county day after the sheriff had received the writ Five candidates were nominated: Thomas Strickland, Andrew Marvell, John Ra taken in the presence of the esses, John Ramsden and Andrew Marvell were declared duly elected
nobody to-day, glancing his eye over a list of the knights and burgesses who made up Richard Crouess that it represented an order of things of the most recent date which was just about to disappear On paper it has a solid look The fine old crusted Parlia familiar as the members trooped out to divide were more than well represented[79:1] The Drakes of Amersham were there; Boscawens, Bullers, and Trelawneys flocked from Cornwall; Sir Wilfred Lawson sat for cuhtly represented Northamptonshi+re, whilst Lucys from Charlecote looked after Warwick, both town and county Arthur Onslow came from Surrey, a Townshend from Norfolk, and, of course, a Bankes from Corfe Castle;[79:2] Oxford University, contented, as she occasionally is, to be represented by a great man, had chosen Sir Matthew Hale, whilst the no less useful and laborious Thurloe sat for the sister University
Anthony Ashley Cooper was there, but in opposition, snuffing the hams, Herberts, Pelhams, all travelled up to London with the Lord-Protector's writs in their pockets A less revolutionary asse theether there was some loose talk
On the 27th of January 1659 Marvell attended for the first time in his place, when the new Protector opened Parliament, and made a speech in the House of Lords, which was pronounced at the time to be ”a very handsome oration”
The first business of the Commons was to elect a Speaker, nor was their choice a very lucky one, for it first fell on Chaloner Chute, who speedily breaking down in health, the Recorder of London was appointed his substitute, but the Recorder being on his deathbed at the ti very shortly afterwards, Thomas Bampfield was elected Speaker, and continued so to be until the Parliament was dissolved by proclamation on the 22nd of April This proclamation was Richard Cromwell's last act of State
Marvell's first Parlialorious One only of its resolutions is worth quoting:--
”That a very considerable navy be forthwith provided, and put to sea for the safety of the Commonwealth and the preservation of the trade and commerce thereof”
It was, however, the army and not the navy that had to be reckoned with--an arry, suspicious, and happily divided I must not trace the history of faction There is no less exalted page in English history since the days of Stephen Monk is its fitting hero, and Charles the Second its expensive saviour of society The story how the Restoration was engineered by General Monk, who, if vulgar, was adroit, both on land and sea, is best told fro chapter of _Baker's Chronicle_ (Sir Roger de Coverley's favourite Sunday reading), whilst that old-fashi+oned remnant, who still love to read history for fun, may not object to be told that they will find printed in the Report of the Leyborne-Popham Papers (_Historical Manuscripts Commission_, 1899, p 204) a _Narrative of the Restoration_, by Mr John Collins, the Chief Butler of the Inner Te detail how this remarkable event was really the work not so much of Monk as of the Chief Butler
Richard Cro slipped the collar, the officers assumed command, as they were only too ready to do, and recalled the old, dishonoured, but pertinacious Ru at first but forty-twohad happened since the day ten years before, when it was sent about its business Old Speaker Lenthall was routed out of obscurity, and ainst his will, and despite his protests, clapped once more into the chair Dr John Owen, an old parliaain requisitioned to preach before the House, which he did at enorth one fine Sunday in May
The Rump did not prove a popular favourite It orse than Old Noll himself, who could at least thrash both Dutchman and Spaniard, and be even more feared abroad than he was hated at home The City of London, then almost an Estate of the Realm, declared for a Free Parliament, and it soon becaer to return as soon as possible to the oldnow stood between Charles and his own but half a dozen fierce old soldiers and their dubious, discontented, unpaid er), that the Restoration party was exclusively co, ejected parsons, high-flying _jure divino_ Episcopalians, talkative toss-pots, and the great pleasure-loving crowd, cruelly repressed under the rule of the saints Had it been left to these ragged regiments, the issue would have been doubtful, and the result very different The Presbyterian es of the Church of England and their well-to-do flocks in both town and country were, with but few exceptions, all for King Charles and a restored monarchy In this the ministers may have shown a sound political instinct, for none of thelican bishops to tolerate Papists, Socinians, Quakers, and Fifth Monarchy ement of the business of the Restoration these divines exposed themselves to the sae passed upon his own clerical allies When read by the light of the Act of ”Uniformity,” the ”Corporation,” the ”Five Mile,” and the ”Conventicle” Acts, the conduct of the Presbyterians seenorance their ministers displayed of the test all their lives, and who_, but not to drink his Majesty's health (because health-drinking was forbidden in the Old Testa were it not so eminently characteristic[82:1]
The Ruain expelled by military force on the 13th of October 1659 The officers were divided in opinion, so the Parlia, was on the side of La to Westminster Hall, and when the Speaker came in his coach, his horses were turned, and he was conducted very civilly ho that they were exposed to derision,”
peaceably returned to their quarters
Monk, in the h, and affected not to approve of the force put upon Parliath and violence every day The Rump was for a third time restored in December by the section of the London army that supported its claim Lenthall was once more in the chair, and the journals were resu reached London areat exciteuous speech Up to the last Monk seems to have remained uncertain what to do The temper of the City, which was fiercely anti-Rump, may have decided him At all events he invited the secluded, that is the expelled,with the others, and in a formal declaration addressed to Parlia other things to dissolve legally ”in order to make way for a succession of Parliaments” In a word, Monk declared for a Free Parlias
On the 16th of March 1660 a Bill was read a third tiun and holden at West of a Parliament at Westminster on the 25th of April 1660 This ti day there were parliamentary pedants to be found in the land ready to ally dissolved and still _de jure_ existed; so long, I presule member of it remained alive
Marvell was not a ”Ruain elected for Hull to sit in what is usually called the Convention Parliament John Ramsden was returned at the head of the poll with 227 votes, Marvell receiving 141 There were four defeated candidates
With this Convention Parliains Marvell's remarkable correspondence, on fine folio sheets of paper, with the corporation of Hull, whose faithful servant he remained until death parted them in 1678
This correspondence, which if we include in it, as ell may, the letters to the Worshi+pful Society of Masters and Pilots of the Trinity House in Hull, nuap (from July 1663 to October 1665) covers the whole period of Marvell's membershi+p, is, I believe, unique in our public records The letters are preserved at Hull, where I hope care is taken to preserve theraph thief
Captain Thoreat part of this correspondence in 1776, and Mr Grosart gave the world the whole of it in the second volume of his edition of Marvell's complete works
An admission may as well beas it ht have been expected to prove Marvell did not write letters for his biographer, nor to instruct posterity, nor to serve any party purpose, nor even to exhibit honest ees he took, as happening at Westminster He kept his reflections either to himself or for his political broadsheets, and indeed they were seldom of the kind it would have been safe to entrust to the post
Good Mr Grosart fusses and frets terribly over Marvell's astonishi+ng capacity for chronicling in soislative abomination It is at times a little hard to understand it, for Hull hat may be called a Puritan place No doubt caution dictated some of the reticence--but the reserve of Marvell's character is one of the few traits of his personality that has survived He was a satirist, not an enthusiast
I will give the first letter _in extenso_ to serve as a specimen, and a very favourable one, of the whole correspondence:--
”_Nov 17, 1660_
”GENTLEMEN, MY WORTHY FRIENDS,--Although during the necessary absence of my partner, Mr Ramsden, I write with but halfe a penn, and can scarce perswade myselfe to send you so imperfect an account of your own and the publick affairs, as I needs must for want of his assistance; yet I had rather expose ood interpretation, then excuse thereby a totall neglect of my duty, and that trust which is divided upon me At my late absence out of Town I had taken such order that if you had coht soon haue received it, and so returned on purpose to this place to haue obeyed you But hearing nothing of that nature howeuer, I was present the first day of the Parlia, and tooke care to write to Mr Maior e had cut out Since when, we have had little new, but onely been s I then ht in an Act in which of all others your corporation is the least concerned: that is, where wives shall refuse to cohabit with their husbands, that in such case the husband shall not be liable to pay any debts which she , or other expenses I ith all my heart you were noin an Act of a new assessin next January The truth is, the delay ere reat part of all that is levying, and that growing charge of the Army and Navy doubles upon us And that is all that can be said for excuse of ourselues to the Country, to e had giuen our own hopes of no further sessment to be raised, but must now needs incurre the censure of ih it beco passed the House, to interpose further his own judg that can not be ree an after-payment for that settlement and freedolad to purchase with his whole fortune There reiments to be disbanded, but those all horse in a manner, and so upon charge in the harbour, beside fourscore shi+pps which are reckoned to us for this Winter guard But after that, all things are to go upon his Majestye's own purse out of the Tunnage and Poundage and his other revenues But there being so great a provision made for mony, I doubt not but ere we rise, to see the whole ar to the Act, hope to see your Town once lad and happy to be instruh then a child, those blessed days when the youth of your oere trained for your ht, become their arms much better than any soldiers that I haue seen there since And it will not be aulating the Militia, that it th, but not as ill as a perpetuall Ar in thatto your ancient custoh I can pros for your service The Act for review of the Poll bill proceeds, and that for iousup all the votes , in the businesse of Sales of Bishops' and Deans' and Chapters' lands into an Act, which I should be glad to see passed The purchasers the other day offerd the house 600,000li in ready ood or better then before
But the House thought it not fit or seasonable to hearken to it We are so reat interest of the purchasers satisfyed and quieted, at least in that hich our own votes haue propounded On Munday next we are to return to the consideration of apportioning 100,000li per annum upon all the lands in the nation, in lieu of the Court of Wards The debate a it self overrated,casuall, and truly I shall not assist it much for my part, for it is little reason that your Town should contribute in that charge The Excise bill for longer continuance (I wish it proue not too long) will come in also next weeke And I foresee we shall be called upon shortly to effect our votehis Majestie's revenue to 1,200,000li per Annum I do not love to write so much of this mony news But I think you haue observed that Parliah we lad of Peace, Freedoood Conscience Mr Maior tells o with them to the Exchequer andsilence hathletter, but I doubt not of your good construction of so much familiarity and trouble from, Gentlemen, your most affectionate friend and servant,