THE

PARLIAMENTARY

OR

CONSTITUTIONAL

History of England,

From the earliest TIMES,

TO THE

Restoration of King CHARLES II.

COLLECTED

✓ From the RECORDS, the ROLLS of Parliament, the JOURNALS
of both Houses, the Public LIBRARIES, Original MANU-
SCRIPTS, scarce SPEECHES, and TRACTS; all compared with
the several Contemporary Writers, and connected, through-
out, with the History of the Times,

-

By SEVERAL HANDS,

THE SECOND EDITION.

IN TWENTY-FOUR VOLUMES,

VOL, IX,

From the Meeting of the Long Parliament November 3, 1640, to their
Recess, in September 1641.

LONDON,

Printed for J. and R. TONSON, and A. MILLAR, in the
Strand; and W. SANDRY, in Fleet-ftreet.

MDCCLXIII.

:

Briti tlist. 2

다

INTRODUCTION

TO THE

NINTH VOLUME.

THOUG
HOUGH the General Aim and Intention

of this Work is so fully set forth in the Preface to the first Volume, that it might feem unnecessary to offer any thing further on the Subject, yet the interesting Crisis we are now upon demands the Readers Attention to a few Observations on some of the principal contemporary Collectors and Historians of that Age.

And first, Mr. Rushworth: whose Mistakes, in the Times we have passed over, have been already taken Notice of; but most of these seem to be owing rather to the Negligence and Ignorance of Transcribers, than to any partial Intention of his own. Nevertheless, in his Collections, almost all the Proceedings of the House of Lords, in the Parliament we are now upon, are omitted, except where they concurred with the prevailing Party of the Commons: and upon those Authorities it appears, that there were very few Instances of any Attack upon the just and legal Prerogatives of the Crown, but what stood great debate amongst the Peers; a Negative being put upon many Motions for their Concurrence with the Commons ;

others carried by a fingle Vote; and Protests VOL. IX.

a

enter'd