Army that Monk himself had remonstrated with the House, and the
Militia Act, though passed on the 12th of March, was not printed till
the House had removed his objections. This had been done by pointing
to the clause of the Act which required that all officers of the new
Militia should take an acknowledgment "that the war undertaken by
both Houses of Parliament in their defence against the forces raised
in the name of the late King was just and lawful." When Monk had
professed himself satisfied, the re-organization of the Militia went
on rapidly in all the counties. Monk was one of the Commissioners for
the Militia of Middlesex, and to his other titles was added that of
Major-General and Commander-in-chief of the Militia of London.
Meanwhile the Council had issued proclamations over the country
against any disturbance of the peace, and most of the active
politicians had left town to look after their elections. The
Harringtonian or Rota Club, one need hardly say, was no more in
existence. After having been a five months' wonder, it had vanished,
amid the laughter of the Londoners, as soon as the secluded members
had added themselves to the Rump. Theorists and their "models" were
no longer wanted.[1]

[Footnote 1: Commons Journals, March 10-16; Phillips, 694;
Whitlocke, IV. 405-406; Wood's Ath. III. 1120.]

Not even yet was there any positive intimation that the Commonwealth
was defunct. No one could declare that authoritatively, and every one
might hope or believe as he liked. The all but universal conviction,
however, even among the Republicans, was that the Republic was
doomed, and that, if the last and worst consummation in a return of
Charles Stuart was to be prevented, it could only be by consenting to
some single-person Government of a less fatal kind. O that Richard's
Protectorate could be restored! The thing was talked of by St. John
and others, but the possibility was past. But might not Monk himself
be invested with the sovereignty? Hasilrig and others actually went
about Monk with the offer, imploring him to save his country by this
last means; and the chance seemed so probable that the French
ambassador, M. de Bordeaux, tried to ascertain through Clarges
whether Monk's own inclinations ran that way. Monk was too wary for
either the Rumpers or the Ambassador. He declined the offers of
Hasilrig and his friends, allowing Clarges privately to inform the
Council that such had been made; and, though he received