Part 13 (1/2)

A further and a the city was before the House--one of eighty-four clauses, ”the longest Bill, perhaps, that ever past in Parliament,” says Marvell; but the Roos Divorce Bill and the Conventicle Bill proved so exciting in the House of Lords that they had little ti else Union with Scotland, reat suspicion by all Parliah Commissioners were appointed

The Conventicle Bill passed the Lords, who tagged on to it a proviso Marvell refers to in his next letter, which the Lower House somewhat modified by the omission of certain words Lord Roos was allowed to re-h

Another private letter of Marvell's, of this date, is worth reading:--

”DEAREST WILL,--I wrote to you two letters, and payd for them from the posthouse here at Westminster; to which I have had no answer

Perhaps they miscarryed I sent on an answer to the only letter I received fro put it into Mr Nelthorp's hand, I doubt not but it came to your's To proceed The same day (March 26th letter)done The King, about ten o'clock, took boat, with Lauderdale only, and two ordinary attendants, and rohile as towards the bridge, and soon turned back to the Parliament stairs, and so went up into the House of Lords, and took his seat Almost all of them were amazed, but all seemed so; and the Duke of York especially was very e he claimed from his ancestors to be present at their deliberations

That therefore, they should not, for his co, interrupt their debates, but proceed, and be covered They did so It is true that this has been done long ago, but it is now so old, that it is new, and so disused, that at any other but so bewitched a tih usurpation, and breach of privilege He indeed sat still, for the most part, and interposed very little; so opinion was, that he did herein as he rowed for having had his face first to the Conventicle Bill, he turned short to the Lord Ross's

So that, indeed, it is credible, the King, in prospect of di the Duke of York's influence in the Lord's House, in this, or any future h up and lighten the Duke's efficacy, by co himself in person After three or four days continuance, the Lords were very well used to the King's presence, and sent the Lord Steward and Lord Chaht wait, as an House on him, to render their humble thanks for the honour he did them The hour was appointed them, and they thanked him, and he took it well So this reat occasions, seems riveted to them, and us, for the future, and to all posterity Now the Lord Ross's Bill ca present Nevertheless the debate lasted an entire day; and it passed by very few voices

The King has ever since continued his session a to a play In this session the Lords sent down to us a proviso[149:1] for the King, that would have restored hiatives which his ancestors had enjoyed at any time since the Conquest There was never so compendious a piece of absolute universal tyranny But the Commons made them ashamed of it, and retrenched it The Parliament was never embarrassed, beyond recovery We are all venal cowards, except soo on this interval I know not There is a new set of justices of peace fra cabal, since Ross's busyness, are Buckingham, Lauderdale, Ashly, Orrery, and Trevor Not but the other cabal too have see's sister, during the King of France's progress in Flanders, is to come as far as Canterbury There will doubtless be family counsels then

So Soood virtuous Protestant here at ho disavows it; yet he has sayed in publick, he knew not why a woman may not be divorced for barrenness, as a man for impotency The Lord Barclay went on Monday last for Ireland, the King to News--Yours, etc

”_April 14, 1670_”

FOOTNOTES:

[77:1] Clarendon's _Life_, vol ii p 442

[79:1] The clerks, however, only _counted_ the members who voted, and kept no record of their _na reater revolution than the Reform Bill See _The Unreformed House of Commons_ by Edward Posselt, vol i p 587

[79:2]

”And a Parliale Bankes”--_Praed_

[82:1] See Dr Halley's _Lancashi+re--its Puritanis book

[88:1] Clarendon's _History_, vol vi p 249

[90:1] An Historical Poem--Grosart, vol i p 343

[92:1] Macaulay's _History_, vol i p 154

[95:1] I am acquainted with the ro, foretelling the time to come, had caused some other body than her father's to be buried in the Abbey (see _Notes and Queries_, 5th October 1878, and Waylen's _House of Cromwell_, p

341)

[96:1] See _The Unreformed House of Commons_, by Edward Porritt, vol i

p 51 Marvell's old enemy, Parker, Bishop of Oxford, in his _History of his own Tionist for having taken this payment which, the bishop says, wastime been antiquated and out of date” ”Gentlemen,” says the bishop, ”despised so vile a stipend,” yet Marvell required it ”for the sake of a bare subsistence, although in this hty and insolent” In Parker's opinion poor men should be humble