next day.

and they who used to take notes might perufe to be their memorials; to the end that the perfons difcuffed who were the chief caufers of the diforder might be named, and defend themselves the best they could. "And with this resolution," adds Clarendon, "the House rofe; the vex"ation of the night before being very visible "in the looks and countenances of many."

rendon's

counfels.

How far the further statement made herein The truth, by Clarendon is to be believed, must be judged and Claupon the facts. He fays, as we have feen, verfion of that the Houfe did not meet till three in it. the afternoon: But the statement in D'Ewes's Notes (and this is borne out by the Journals) leaves no doubt that the Houfe was in debate foon after ten o'clock. He afferts that the As to most part of the day had been paffed by the party leading men in private confultations, having for their object how to chastise some of those who moft offended them the night before, and how to punish the attempt to introduce the dangerous and unheard-of precedent of protesting against the fenfe of the House: But the private confultations must in that cafe have Impoffible been held during the open fitting, for the as ftated. leading men on Pym's fide were unquestionably engaged, in public, upon the bill for determining parliamentary privilege, upon the Committee of Irish affairs, upon the bill of tonnage and poundage, upon the City loan, and upon the cafe of the Queen's confeffor. He explains that the fubject of private conful

*Hift. ii. 46. D'Ewes fimply says of the rifing of the Houfe, that they appointed to meet to-morrow at ten, and "rofe between four and five of the clock."

As to a

rejected by

men.

"

tation was all the more grateful to the "leading "violent men who bore the greatest fway,' because they should thereby take revenge upon purpose Mr. Hyde (himself), whom they perfectly againft himself hated above any man, and to whofe activity they imputed the trouble they had sustained the day before; only they encountered an unexpected difficulty from an important fection of their fupporters, the Northern men as they were called, led by Sir John Hotham, Sir Northern Hugh Cholmondeley, and Sir Philip Stapleton, members for Beverley, Scarborough, and Boroughbridge, who were fo grateful to Mr. Hyde for his fervices in overthrowing the monstrous oppreffion of the Court of York, that they refufed to join against him, though very eager to make others refponfible; and he adds that this difpute, which broke out difputes in the private council in the morning, occupied all that day and night, and was only terminated by the compromife of felecting another perfon, Palmer, to bear the brunt of punishment But if all this were fo, it is ftrange that neither Sir Simonds D'Ewes nor Sir Ralph Verney, in Notes ftill preferved exactly as they Not con- were taken at the moment, fhould in any form firmed by confirm or make allufion to it; and still more or Verney, ftrange that the leaders fhould have propofed to make Hyde refponfible for the minor offence. of afking leave to proteft, which had led to no disturbance, and to pass by the real offence of Palmer, who reopened the question that had been laid afide, did actually protest without afking leave, and brought on the scene that

As to

among the leaders.

D'Ewes

* Clarendon is obliged to admit this diftinction, even where

credible.

followed. It will be perhaps the more natural, Why not and certainly no unfair, conclufion to form, that the writer who deliberately had misreprefented and mifftated every fingle fucceffive incident in these memorable debates, has mifreprefented this alfo. Happily the means of Refuted refutation are at hand; and from records by MS. of taken at the moment, and quite above fufpicion, the account given by Clarendon can be corrected, and the story of the Grand Remonftrance be faithfully carried to its clofe. It is but another chapter of the fame great theme that presents itself in the Debate on Palmer's Proteft.

§. xx.

DEBATE ON PALMER'S PROTEST.

D'Ewes.

Debate:

ON Wednesday, the 24th of November, Ninth the Speaker arrived at the House at about ten Wednefo'clock, when, after prayers were read, certain day, 24th neceffary business of no great intereft was done, Nov. and Pym moved the appointment of some committees. He then, producing a printed pamphlet, purporting to be Articles of Accufation preferred against Father Philips, and containing matters of scandal against the French Pym deAmbaffador, pointed out the grave offence of nounces diffeminating fuch falfehoods, and called the prints. printer to the bar. Hereupon Mr. Ralph Goodwin, the member for Ludlow (he who

fcandalous

he is doing his best to exaggerate the cause of offence he had Clarenhimself given. "He was the firft" (he is fpeaking of himself) don: "who made the proteftation, that is, afked leave to do it; Hift. ii. 45. "which produced the other fubfequent clamour, that was "indeed in fome diforder."

Complaints of Pam

was afterwards secretary to Prince Rupert), took the fame opportunity of complaining, that a pamphlet fcandalous to the King himself had alfo just been printed, purporting to be the account of a duel between Sir Kenelm Digby and a French Lord, as to which he moved that the printer thereof might also be phleteers. queftioned. To whom, with a fimilar complaint of unauthorised printing, fucceeded Mr. Robert Reynolds, who fat for Hindon in Wiltshire, and was afterwards one of the King's judges, and who brought before the House the fact, that the examination of a delinquent priest, taken by one of their committees, ftill remaining in his own poffeffion, and not yet reported to the House, had been fuddenly iffued in to Com- print; an offence which also called for punishmittee for ment. "Upon all which motions," D'Ewes printing. adds, "it was ordered that the former com"mittee for printing (of which I was one) "fhould meet to-morrow morning at seven "of the clock, in the Inner Court of Wards, "and fhould examine these abuses now "complained of, and all other abuses of the "kind, and to confider of fome way for the "preventing thereof."

Referred

abuses of

Pym

fpeaks
against
"proteft."

Hift. ii. 46-7.

Then fucceeded the more interesting business of the day, introduced as usual by the member for Tavistock. He called the attention * of

*This opening of the proceedings, down to the appearance of Hotham in the debate, is taken from Clarendon. It is here given because, although neither in the notes of D'Ewes, nor those of Verney, is there any mention of it,-both beginning their account with Hotham's fpeech,-it is not only quite poffible that Hyde may have spoken what he here attributes to himself, but it is even likely that he fo endeavoured

the House to the offence which had been com- Shows its

defends it:

mitted on Monday night. He enlarged upon danger. the mischief it was then like to have produced, and which would unavoidably be produced, if the custom or liberty of individuals protesting against the sense of the House fhould ever be admitted. That was the first time it had ever been offered there, and care ought to be taken that it fhould be the laft, by fevere judgment upon those who had begun the prefumption. Where- Hyde upon Hyde rofe and faid, that it concerned him to justify what he had done, being the first man who mentioned the protestation. But he was interrupted by a general noise and clamour, one half the House crying to him amid clato" withdraw," and the other half to "fpeak." mour. He waited awhile, and then refumed. was not old enough, he faid, to know the ancient customs of that Houfe; but he well knew it was a very ancient custom in the House of Peers. Leave was never denied Why not there to any man who asked that he might pro-well as teft, and enter his diffent, against any judgment Lords? of the Houfe to which he would not be understood to have given his confent; and he did not understand any reason why a commoner should not have the fame liberty, if he defired not to be involved in any vote which he thought might poffibly be inconvenient to him. He had not offered his protestation against the Remonftrance, though he had opposed it all he

He

Commons

to put himself forward, when he found that his friend Palmer Hyde and was to be called to account. The matter of the fo-called Palmer. private difpute raised as between Hyde and Palmer, which I altogether disbelieve in, is not affected by it either way.