The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: 1644.] first, of religion. ' l ' V 5 vincial, and synodical, which were not known. i, n practice, and some expressions in the Covenant which were ambiguous, 1nd, 'the y well knew, were left so, because the persons who framed them were not all of one mind, nor had the same intentions in some of the other terms mentioned before, the king's commissioners caused many questions to be prepared in writing, to be offered at the next meeting; wherein they desired to be informed, what their meaning was in such and such expressions, in which they knew well they had several meanings, and would hardly concur in one and the same answer: the preparing which papers was throughout the treaty always committed to the chancellor. Within a day or two after the beginning of the treaty, or rather the day before it did begin, the earl of Lowden, chancellor of Scotland, visited the duke of Richmond privately in his chamber; and either proposed, or was very willing, to have private conference there with the chancellor of the exchequer; upon which the duke, who knew well the other would not decline it, sent to him; and he presently went to the duke's chamber, where he found them both; and after some short compliments, the earl told him, how stoutly he had defended his knighthood; which the parliament had resolved to have denied, if he had not con- vinced them. From thence he discoursed of the great prejudice the parliament had against him, as a man who more industriously opposed peace than any other of the king's council: that he had now a good opportunity to wipe off all those jealousies, by being a good instrument in making this peace, and by persuading his majesty to comply with the desires and supplications of his parliament; which he hoped he would be. The chanc...