aders already in the House. He, Thomas Scott, Sir
Anthony Ashley Cooper, John Weaver, Sergeant Maynard, and one or two
others, were thenceforth to head the opposition within doors. Outside
there were in process of signature certain great petitions to the
Commons House intended to widen the difference between it and the
Protector.[1]

[Footnote 1: Commons Journals of dates; Godwin, IV. 479-495; Carlyle,
III. 328.]

At this point the Protector interposed. On the afternoon of the same
day on which Hasilrig had taken his seat (Jan. 25) the Commons were
summoned to the Banqueting House in Whitehall, to listen to another
speech from his Highness (Speech XVII.), addressed to them and the
Other House together. It opened with the phrase "_My Lords and
Gentlemen of thee Two Houses of Parliament_," to obviate any
objections there might be to the form of opening in the speech of
five days before; and it was conceived in the same spirit of
respectfulness to both Houses and anxiety for their support. But it
expounded, more strongly and at more length than the former speech,
the pressing reasons for unanimity now. It surveyed, first, the state
of Europe generally, dwelling on the ominous combination of Roman
Catholic interests everywhere, and the perils to the Protestant Cause
from the disputes among the Protestant Powers, and especially from
the hostility of the Danes and the Dutch to the heroic King of
Sweden, who had "adventured his all against the Popish Interest In
Poland." It declared the vital concern of Great Britain in all this,
if only because an invasion of Great Britain in behalf of the Stuarts
was a settled part of the Anti-Protestant programme. "You have
accounted yourselves happy in being environed with a great Ditch from
all the world beside. Truly, you will not be able to keep your Ditch,
nor your shipping, unless you turn your ships and shipping into
troops of horse and companies of foot, and fight to defend yourselves
on _terra firma_." Then, turning to the state of affairs at
home, he insisted on the necessity of a general union in defence of
the existing settlement. One Civil War more, he said, would throw the
nation into a universal confusion, with or without a restoration of
the Stuarts, and, if _with_ such a restoration, then with
consequences to some that they did not now contemplate. He made no
express reference to the proceedings in the Commons of the last few
days, but implored both Houses to abstain fro