e 1: Commons Journals of dates; Parl. Hist., III. 1562-8;
Phillips, 656-660; Skinner's Life of Monk, 111-113.]
Next day, Thursday Oct. 13, there was no House at all. An entry in
the Journals of the House, subsequently inserted, explains why.
"This day," runs the entry, "the late Principal Officers of the Army,
whose commissions were vacated, drew up forces in and about
Westminster, obstructed all passages both by land and water, stopped
the Speaker on his way, and placed and continued guards upon and
about the doors of the Parliament House, and so interrupted the
members from coming to the House and attending their service there."
This is a very correct summary of the incidents of more than twelve
hours. Lambert had resolved to do the feat, and he managed it in the
manner described. Morley's regiment and Mosse's regiment were
faithfully on guard round the House as ordered, and Okey would have
been there too had not his men deserted him; but the House was to
remain empty. Lambert had taken care of that by posting regiments in
an outer ring round Morley's and Mosse's, so as to block all
accesses. Speaker Lenthall, trying to pass in his coach, was stopped
by Lieutenant-Colonel Duckinfield, and turned back with civility to
his house in Covent Garden; and so with the members generally. A few
did break through and get in, among whom was Sir Peter Wentworth, who
had come by water with a stout set of boatmen. This was in the
morning; and through the rest of the day Lambert was riding about,
coming up now and then to Morley's men or Mosse's and haranguing
them. Would they suffer nine of their old officers to be disgraced
and ruined? There were waverings and slidings-off towards Lambert,
perhaps a general tendency to him; but for some hours the opposed
masses stood within pistol-shot of each other, Morley and Mosse
refusing to yield their trust, and neither side willing to begin a
battle. The citizens of London and Westminster waited the issue and
had no desire to interfere. The Council of State, however, had met in
Whitehall; all stray members of the House, though not of the Council,
had been invited to join them; and there was thus a sufficient
gathering of both parties to negotiate an agreement. Not till the
evening was this finally arranged; but then orders were sent out, in
the name of the Council of State, to the regiments on both sides to
go peaceably to their quarters. The orders were most gladly obeyed.
The information
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