e, for the return of
over 500 members from England and Wales by the old time-honoured
constituencies, besides additions from Scotland and Ireland. Thus,
whereas, for the last two Protectoral Parliaments, some of the larger
English counties had returned as many as six, eight, nine, or twelve
members each, all were now reduced alike to two, the large number of
seats so set free, together with the extra hundred, going back among
the burghs, and reincluding those that had been disfranchised. London
also was reduced from six seats to four. It seems amazing now that
this vast retrogression should have been so quietly accepted. It
seems even to have been popular; and, at all events, it roused no
commotion. It had been recommended by the lawyers, and it was
expected to turn out favourable to the Government.[1]

[Footnote 1: Ludlow, 615-619; and compare the List of Members of this
Parliament of Richard (_Part. Hist._ III. 1530-1537) with the
lists of Oliver's two Parliaments _(Part. Hist._ 1428-1433, and
1479-1484).]

On Thursday, Jan. 27, 1658-9, the two Houses assembled in
Westminster. In the Upper House, where Lord Commissioner Fiennes
occupied the woolsack, were as many of Cromwell's sixty-three "Lords"
(ante pp. 323-324) as had chosen to come. All the Council, except
Thurloe, being in this House, and the others having been, for the
most part, carefully selected Cromwellians, it might have been
expected that Government would be strong in the House. As it
included, however, Fleetwood, Desborough, and all the chief Colonels
of the Wallingford-House party, it is believed that in such
attendances as there were (never more than forty perhaps) that party
may have been stronger than the Court party. But it was the
composition of the Commons House that was really of consequence, and
here appearances promised well for Richard. The total number of the
members, by the returns, was 558, of whom 482 were from English
counties and burghs, 25 from Wales, 30 from Ireland, and only 21 from
Scotland. Some fifty of the total number were resolute pure
Republicans, among whom may be noted Bradshaw (Cheshire), Vane
(Whitchurch in Hants), Scott (Wycombe), Hasilrig (Leicester), Ludlow
(Hindon), Henry Neville (Reading), Okey (Bedfordshire), and Weaver
(Stamford); and there was a considerable sprinkling of
Anti-Cromwellians of other colours besides, including Lord Fairfax
(Yorkshire), Lambert (Pontefract), Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper (Wilts),
and M