The Character of the Parliament, commonly called the Rump, &c., begun November 23, in the year 1640 with a short account of some of their proceedings.

PREFACE.

THERE are few Men of Judgment, Candor, and Impartiality, who will not allow a Go∣vernment, consisting of King and Parliament, to be the best Constitution in the World. France, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Si∣cily, and some other Kingdoms, had once this Advantage, but unfortunately lost it; some by Faction, others by being Conquered; and others, by a National depravity of Man∣ners, joined to the Ambition of Princes, and the Intrigues of their Ministers. We of these Islands are now left the last, who enjoy this Blessing in any Perfection; and we may still preserve it pure and entire, if we can but retain some De∣gree of the Virtue of our Ancestors. But we should be care∣ful what Persons we choose to Represent us in Parliament; for, if (according to the vulgar Maxim in the Schools.) Corruptio optimi est Pessima, a CORRUPT Parli∣ament would then, of all Evils in Government, be the Greatest; and exceed the worst Tyranny in a single Person. An absolute Prince might be Cruel, Rapacious, Covetous, a Dissipater of the Publick Treasure, an Enemy of Religi∣on; and it would be very bad: But all this would be nothing, when compared to a Mob of such Tyrants, most of them with the same Dispositions, and every way like that greater one, only the more provoking, as in their Persons they would be more contemptible, nor is this a Thing not to be supposed. Our History furnisheth us with an Instance of a Parliament of that kind; which is here undertaken to be described to the Publick, in one unmixed View; both

because this hath not been yet done by any one, that I know of; and also, that a Prospect of it in this manner, may pos∣sibly give our Country-Men, a full Notion, of how great Consequence it is to them, to be extreamly cautious whom they trust at any time to be their Representatives. Here they may have before their Eyes, what Abuses a CORRUPT Parliament is capable of. The Writer, in putting his Thoughts together on this Subject, has set himself a Rule to keep Religoiusly to the History of the Men and the Times, and not to indulge himself or the Reader in charging any Cha∣racter too much, or deviating from the Truth, to make the Story more agreeable. The Facts and Characters are all of them to be found, either in my Lord Clarendon, Whit∣lock, Rushworth, Sir Philip Warwick, Ludlow, Hobbs, or some other Writer of those Times: But many Passages are omitted for the Sake of Brevity, or through Forgetfulness, or because they did not exactly fall in with the general De∣sign: And such as are mentioned, are not always considered in the order of Time in which they happened. True it is, some few of the Things here imputed to the Parliament, were not their immediate and direct Act; but, which is much the same thing, though not all done by them, they were all done in their way, in treading their Paths, and by a Power derived from them. The greatest Scelerates had either their express Orders, their Approbation or Example and Authority, to plead for the worst Crimes then committed.

BY what Means and Degrees these Pretended Patriots arrived to the height of Wickedness, and begat so great Irreverence towards their own Persons and Characters, is here endeavoured to be explained, and may possibly be in∣structive to these, who may not elsewhere have observed the Series of their Transactions; nor the Period, when proper∣ly they became dignified with the Title of the Rump; which was, when they had subverted all the honest Ends and Purposes of Parliaments, and when they sate by Virtue of their own Choice and Power, and not by the Free Election of their Country.