House of Commons Journal Volume 6: 18 April 1649

Die Mercurii, 18 Aprilis, 1649.

Prayers.

Lady Capell.

ORDERED, That the Petition of the Lady Eliz. Capell be referred to the Committee of Complaints; to take Consideration of it; and to state the Business; and report it to the House on Saturday next: And in the mean time, the Cutting down of any the Woods, either upon the Lands of Inheritance of the said Lady, or the Lands wherein she hath a Jointure, be staid.

Attorney General's Oath.

The Form of the Oath to be administered to the Attorney General of the Commonwealth was this Day read; and was in these Words; viz.

YOU shall well and truly serve the Commonwealth in the Office of Attorney General for the State, according to the best of your Skill and Knowledge. So help you God.

Resolved, &c. That this House doth approve of this to be the Form of the Oath to be taken by the Attorney General. And

It is Ordered, That the Lords Commissioners for the Great Seal be, and are hereby, required and authorized to administer the said Oath to the Attorney General accordingly.

Oxford Committee.

Ordered, That the Earl of Pembroke be added to the Committee of Oxford.

Compositions.

Ordered, That Saturday next be appointed to take into Consideration the Business touching the Case of such Persons as are in Arrear for their Compositions, and have Right to some Mitigation, and such as are denied the Benefit of Articles by the Committee of Goldsmiths Hall.

Complaint against Vaughan.

Ordered, That the Committee of Habardashers Hall be impowered to send for Mr. Edward Vaughan, one of the Members of this House; and to examine the Complaint made against him; and take his Accompts for the Money by him received for the Service of the Publick; and to state the Accompts; and the same, so stated, to transmit to the Committee of Sequestrators for the County of Mountgomery.

Commissioners of Assessment.

Ordered, That John Hooke, William Collyns, John Browne, William Tey, Ralph Hall, George Crompton, and John Honour, be added to the Commissioners for Westminster, and the Liberties, for the Assessment of the Ninety thousand Pounds per Mensem.

Deans and Chapters Lands, &c.

Colonel Harvey reports from the Committee for Deans and Chapters Lands, divers Resolutions of that Committee, touching Twenty thousand Pounds per Annum, for Maintenance of the Ministry, in these Words; viz.

"Resolved, by the Committee, That Twenty thousand Pounds per Annum be charged upon, and paid out of the Revenue, for the Maintenance of Ministers, Scholars, and Increase of the Maintenance of Masterships of Colleges, in both the Universities of this Nation."

"Resolved, &c. That Eighteen thousand Pounds per Annum, of the said Twenty thousand Pounds, be paid for the Maintenance of Ministers, Scholars, and others, in England and Wales, in lieu of such Augmentation or Maintenance as have been, by Authority of Parliament, settled upon, or given to the Maintenance of them out of the Lands of the Deans and Chapters; until the Sum of Eighteen thousand Pounds per Annum be raised out of the Improvement of the Impropriations belonging to the said Deans and Chapters, or by such other Ways or Means as shall be hereafter appointed and directed by Authority of Parliament."

"Resolved, &c. That Two thousand Pounds per Annum, of the said Twenty thousand Pounds, be paid for the Increase of the Maintenance of the Masterships of Colleges in both the Universities of the Nation, where Maintenance is not sufficient."

"Resolved, &c. That it be reported to the House, as the Opinion of this Committee, That all the Tenths, payable into the Exchequer, be charged with, and paid towards the Satisfaction of the said Twenty thousand Pounds: And that if they shall not be sufficient to make up the full Sum of Twenty thousand Pounds, that then some other Part of the Revenue be charged to supply the Want."

"Resolved, &c. That it be reported to the House, as the Opinion of this Committee, That an Act be brought in, for the vesting and settling of the said Revenues, so as it may be certainly paid for the Ends and Purposes aforesaid."

The Question being propounded, That these Resolutions shall be the Matter of a Bill to be passed; and that a Bill be brought in for that Purpose;

And the Question being put, That that Question be now put;

It was also resolved in the Affirmative.

And so the main Question being put;

It was Resolved, &c. That these Resolutions shall be the Matter of a Bill to be passed: And that a Bill be brought in for that Purpose.

Ordered, That Mr. Pury do prepare and bring in a Bill, according to the former Vote, on Friday Morning.

Resolved, &c. That the Sum of Three hundred thousand Pounds shall be borrowed upon the Security of Deans and Chapters Lands, by way of Doubling of the like Sum due upon the Publick Faith, for Monies, Plate, Horses, Arms, and Furniture, heretofore lent or advanced for the Service of the Parliament voluntarily: Which Sum of Three hundred thousand Pounds, together with the like Sum of such Monies, due upon Publick Faith, as aforesaid, shall be secured out of Deans and Chapters Lands, to be repaid and satisfied upon the Sale thereof, together with the Debts transferred upon the same Security, from the Receipts of Excise and Goldsmiths Hall.

Resolved, &c. That the Register Accomptant shall accept of no Bill of Publick Faith, but such as shall be allowed by the Trustees named in the Bill for the Sale of Dean and Chapters Lands: Who are to observe such Orders, Directions, and Instructions, as they shall receive from the Parliament concerning the Premises.

Army Arrears.

Resolved, &c. That the Six hundred thousand Pounds, charged upon the Excise, and other Securities, for the Arrears of Soldiers, shall remain charged upon the same Securities, until the Parliament shall have fully settled other Security for the same.

Crown Lands.

Resolved, &c. That the Sum of Six hundred thousand Pounds, heretofore charged upon the Excise, &c. towards the Arrears of Soldiers, together with such further Sum as shall be requisite, fully to make good the Arrears due to those for whom that Six hundred thousand Pounds was assigned, shall be charged, for Security upon the Parks and Houses, and upon the Manors, Lands, and Farms, late belonging to the Crown: And that an Act be forthwith brought in, for the settling of the said Parks, Houses, Manors, Lands, and Farms, upon Trustees: With Power for the speedy Setting forth and Selling of such, and so many of them, as shall be requisite and sufficient for the full Satisfaction of the said Arrears: And that it be referred to the same Committee, speedily to prepare and bring in an Act for the Purposes aforesaid.

Resolved, &c. That it shall be left to the Lord General, and Council of War, to propound to the Committee before appointed, the Names of fit and able Persons, not exceeding Six in Number, to be approved of by the Parliament, and to be joined with such others as the Parliament shall think fit, to be Trustees for the Managing and Disposing of the said Parks, Manors, and Premises, for the Purposes afore-mentioned.

Ordered, That Mr. Attorney General be added to the Committee for bringing in a Bill for the Vesting of Parks, &c. in Trustees: And that the same Committee do provide, either by a Clause in that Bill, or some other distinct Bill to be brought in by the same Committee, some effectual Way, whereby the Arrears of the Soldiery, for Service before, or out of the new Model, may be speedily audited and ascertained; and for the enabling of the Field Officers in each respective Regiment to expedite that Service.

Prisoners.

Ordered, That the Act touching Prisoners be reported To-morrow.

Petition from London, &c.

The House being informed, that there were some Petitioners at the Door;

They were ordered, upon the Question, to be called in: And, being come to the Bar, one of them presented a Petition: Which, after the Petitioners were withdrawn, was read; being intituled, The humble Petition of divers well-affected Persons of the Cities of London and Westminster, the Borough of Southwark, and Hamlets and Parts adjacent, in the Behalf of Lieutenant Colonel John Lilborne, Mr. William Walwyn, Mr. Thomas Prince, and Mr. Richard Overton, now Prisoners in the Tower."

Resolved, &c. That the Petitioners have a sharp Reprehension.

Ordered, That Mr. Lysle, Commissary General Ireton, Mr. Martyn, do withdraw; and pen an Answer to the Petition, upon the Debate had thereupon.

Ordered, That the Committee of the Tower be revived; and do see to the Regulation of the Tower.

Ordered, That a Declaration be drawn to discover the Designs of the Contrivers and Publishers of divers scandalous and seditious Books, and Promoters of divers Petitions; and the dangerous Consequences of it; and to be brought in, on Friday Morning, by Mr. Scott, Commissary General Ireton, and Mr. James Challener.

Coinage.

Mr. Allen reports from the Committee, the Form for divers Stamps for Coin.

Ordered, That it be referred to the Council of State, to consider of these several Forms for the Stamps of Coin: And that they do advise with the same Committee that brought them in; and thereupon report their Opinions to the House.

Petition from London, &c.

The former Committee reports an Answer to be returned to the Petitioners in these Words;

That the Four Persons in your Petition, principally concerned, are, upon just and mature Consideration, appointed to be brought unto a legal Tryal, for Crimes against Laws preceding the Fact, and not as is suggested; at which Tryal they will have free Liberty to offer whatsoever they shall have to say in their own Defence: And to such proceedings the Parliament doth expect that all Persons in England should submit, and in the Judgment of Parliament acquiesce.

That the Contrivers of the Petition have therein taken a Liberty of scandalous and seditious Suggestions, not allowable nor justisiable in any Persons whatsoever, under Pretence of Petitioning; and do so far countenance the Persons imprisoned in the Offences for which they are questioned, as might render them justly suspected of the like Crimes: The Parliament will yet exercise Patience towards you, conceiving, that divers well-meaning Men may, by false, yet specious Pretences, be deluded into the Miscarriage; and hoping, that, by this Forbearance, such may come to see their own Errors.

Resolved, &c. That Mr. Speaker do deliver this Answer to the Petitioners.

The Petitioners being again called in; Mr. Speaker returned them this Answer;

Gentlemen, The House has read your Petition; and, left I should mistake, as you have done, have commanded me to give you this Answer; That the Four Persons, &c. as aforesaid.

Ordered, That this Answer be printed and published.

Admission of a Member.

Mr. Scott reports from the Committee the Satisfaction given unto them by Mr. Aldworth.

Resolved, &c. That Mr. Aldworth be admitted to sit in the House.