ourse, among the discharged; so
also was Robert Lilburne; but Hewson seems to have been forgiven.[1]

[Footnote 1: Commons Journals, Dec, 1659 and Jan. 1659-60; Whitlocke
as before.]

Through all these proceedings of the first month there had been signs
of a curious abatement of that thorough-going Republican fervency
which had characterized the House in its previous session. The
essential Republican principle had indeed been at once re-proclaimed.
It had been resolved that each member of the new Council of State,
before assuming office, should take an oath renouncing "the pretended
title or titles of Charles Stuart and the whole line of the late King
James, and of every person, as a single person, pretending or which
shall pretend," &c. The very next day, however, when Hasilrig brought
in a Bill enacting that every member of the House itself, or of any
succeeding House, should take the same oath, a minority, among whom
were Ingoldsby, Colonel Hutchinson, Colonel Fielder, and Colonel
Fagg, opposed very strongly. Not, of course, that they were other
than sound Commonwealth's men; but that oaths were becoming
frightfully frequent, and this one would be "a confining of
Providence," &c.! The first reading of the Bill was carried only by a
majority of twenty-four (Neville and Garland tellers) against fifteen
(Colonel Hutchinson and Colonel Fagg tellers). The effect was that,
after a second reading, the Bill went into Committee and remained
there, the members meanwhile sitting on without any engagement. About
a half of those nominated to the Council of State, including Fairfax,
St. John, Morley, Weaver, and Fagg, remained out of the Council
rather than submit to the qualification made essential in
_their_ case. This was symptomatic enough; but it was also
evident that, on such important questions as Tithes, an Established
Church, and Liberty of Conscience, the House was in no disposition to
persevere in what had hitherto been believed to be radical and
necessary articles of the Republican policy. The instructions given
to a Committee on the 21st of January indicate very comprehensively
the prevalence of a conservative temper in the House on these and
other questions. The Committee were to prepare a declaration for the
public "That the Parliament intends forthwith to proceed to the
settlement of the government, and will uphold a learned and pious
Ministry of the nation and their maintenance by Tithes: and that they
will pro