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III.

1649.

BOOK ber. This act imposed a short imprisonment and a small fine upon the printer, publisher and vender of any scandalous or libellous book or pamphlet. It further gave authority to certain persons to search for such books, to confiscate the copies, and destroy the presses at which they were printed. It required that the printer's name should be set to every book that was published. It imposed a fine of twenty shillings upon the purchaser of every seditious or libellous book, who did not within twenty-four hours apprise the nearest magistrate of its contents, and surrender his purchase. It forbade all printing, except in London, Oxford, Cambridge and York. It provided that no newspaper should be published, without a licence from the clerk of the parliament, the secretary of the council of state, or the secretary of the council of the army. It required all printers to give security to the amount of three hundred pounds that they would not print any thing seditious, scandalous or treasonable. It suppressed the occupation of hawking, and ordered that all hawkers should be whipped as common rogues, and immediately after dismissed. This act was to continue in force till the twenty-ninth of September 1651': and, having expired, it was renewed, without limitation of time, on the seventh of January 1653*.

1659.

4 Journals.

r

Scobel, 1649, cap. 60. Ibid, 1652, cap. 34.

349

CHAPTER XXII.

HOSTILE FEELINGS WITH WHICH THE COMMON-
WEALTH-GOVERNMENT IS REGARDED BY FO-
REIGN POWERS.-SITUATION OF THE GOVERN-
MENT OF THE UNITED PROVINCES.-EMBASSY
OF

DORISLAUS.

HE IS

ASSASSINATED.

CHARLES WITHDRAWS FROM THE HAGUE.-
ENTERPRISES OF RUPERT.-APPOINTMENT OF
ENVOYS.-DISTRIBUTION OF THE NAVY.-

RE

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FRANCE. VACILLATION OF THE COURT OF

MADRID.-ASSASSINATION OF ASCHAM.-CON-
CLUSION OF RUPERT'S ADVENTURES.

XXII.

1649.

Hostile

with which

It is time that we should take a general view of CHAP. the policy of the rulers of the commonwealth with regard to foreign powers. The new government of necessity began its administration without a feelings particle of friendly relation with any of the neigh- the combouring states. By an act of the seventeenth of monwealth April, the purpose of which was to decide what by foreign ships, taken at sea, should or should not be lawful prizes, they declared their intention to uphold, maintain and keep, and their readiness to renew, all existing leagues and amities between this and

is regarded

powers.

III.

BOOK foreign nations and states a. But, in their instructions to Blake, dated the seventeenth of January following, they remark that no like and reciprocal declaration had yet been published by any of the other European governments".

1649.

Doubtful character of

its govern

ment.

Foreign nations looked on with astonishment at

the great event of the thirtieth of January. All sovereign princes unquestionably felt that their own prerogatives and supremacy were attacked on that occasion, and were impressed with proportionable horror. The subjects of such princes entertained a general sentiment of the inviolability of the person of a king, and in the first instance regarded the nation that had trampled on that sentiment as a race of savages and monsters. Add to which, it was impossible not to ask what sort of government was now left within the boundaries of England. Of the three acknowledged branches of the English constitution, the monarchy

b Thurloe, Vol. I, p. 135.

a Scobel, 1649, cap. 21. When Fox said, "It is much to be doubted whether the trial and execution of Charles the First have not, as much as any other circumstance, served to raise the character of the English nation in the opinion of Europe in general" (See above, Vol. II, p. 685), this must be understood, as applying to the posterity of those in whose time the event occurred, and as referring to the fact after it had already become matter of history. We may be sure, that it excited no such feeling at the instant, and that it was necessary for those concerned in it to shew by their subsequent conduct that they were great men and heroes, before any thing like admiration would attend the action they performed.

XXII.

1649.

was taken away, the house of lords was abolished, CHAP. and the house of commons was violently reduced to less than one third of its full complement of members. It was plain that the army for the present had used the power accidentally placed in their hands, to usurp an authority. What respect ought to be paid to such an usurpation? What reliance was to be placed on the stability of a government thus occupied by violence? It was plain, that, if the rulers of the commonwealth looked for any respect or any fraternal feelings from foreign powers, they must acquire it by the wisdom of their measures, the firmness of their proceedings, and the vigour of their preparations.

sent as their

Their first attempt, in the article of intercourse Dorislaus with foreign powers, was sufficiently unfortunate, agent to the and seems to have been no less injudicious. It Hague. was in the mission of Dr. Dorislaus as their agent to the states general of the United Provinces. He May 3. arrived at the Hague in the beginning of May, about three months after the death of Charles the First.

parties in

The republic of the United Provinces had inti- State of mate commercial connections with England; and the United commerce was the main spring that guided their Provinces. deliberations. The English rulers also seem to have expected a particular sympathy in the go

Journals, May 10, 14.

III.

1649.

BOOK vernment of that country, the people of which had in the preceding century shaken off the tyranny of Philip the Second, and had led the way to England in declaring themselves a commonwealth. There were other circumstances however that balanced these advantages. William the Second, prince of Orange, and stadtholder of the United Provinces, had married a sister of Charles the Second. He was a prince of promising abilities, of great ambition, and was thought to aspire to make himself king of Holland. He was strongly disposed to favour the house of Stuart. There were at this time two parties in the Dutch republic that nearly balanced each other: that of the stadtholder, who bore a friendly disposition to the exiled monarch, and the republican party, who in a certain sense entered into the views of the English commonwealthsmen. The first of these parties had the predominance in the assembly of the states general, and the latter in the states of Holland.

Charles the

Second re

sides at the Hague.

Under the protection of his brother-in-law, Charles the Second had in the preceding autumn fixed his residence at the Hague. When his father was brought to his trial, he prevailed on the states general to send an embassy to London, to interpose their credit and authority with the two houses that they should enter into terms of accom

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