1658. 1659. 1660. 1661. Jan. 20. Parliament meets in its reorganized form. The Commons debate their relation to the other newly-made House, and are dissolved by Cromwell, Feb. 4. June. The English and French beat the Spaniards in the battle of the Dunes, and gain Dunkirk, which is surrendered to the English. Sept. 3. Cromwell dies, aged fifty-nine. Richard Cromwell is declared Protector by the Council. Jan. Parliament meets, but does little business, and provokes the army. April 22. Richard Cromwell, trusting to the promises of the army, dissolves the Parliament. May 7. The remains of the Long Parliament (“the Rump ”) are restored by the army. July. Richard (a) leaves Whitehall. Aug. Booth's rising in Cheshire is put down by Lambert. Oct. 12. Lambert and Desborough (Cromwell's brother-in-law) Oct. 13. Lambert marches to Westminster and turns out the Rump. Jan. 3. Fairfax meets Lambert's army on Marston Moor and per- May 25. Charles having issued at Breda certain promises (b), lands at Dover, and (May 29) enters London. CHARLES II., 1660-1685 (25 YEARS). Born 1630; Married, 1662, Katharine of Portugal. [Clarendon, leading minister.] An Act of Indemnity and Oblivion, excepting the regicides and five others, is passed. Military tenures and feudal dues are abolished, as well as the right of purveyance (c). Sept. The king's revenue is settled at £1,200,000 (to be made up by tonnage and poundage for life, and an hereditary excise levied in place of the feudal dues). Oct. The trial of the regicides begins. Ten suffer death. The army, except two regiments, is disbanded. Dec. 29. The Convention Parliament is dissolved. Jan. 6. Venner's plot is put down. (a) Act of Settlement.-(1) Adventurers who had received land in 1652, in consideration of money they had lent for the war, are confirmed in their lands. (2) Soldiers who had served the king before 1649 are to receive the value of five-eighths of their pay in land. (3) Soldiers of the Republic are confirmed in lands granted in 1652. (4) Innocent Papists who had not been even indirectly involved in the rebellion are to receive back their lands. Act of Explanation, 1665.-Adventurers and soldiers gave up one-third of their lands. (b) "They declared that there was no legislative power in either or both Houses without the king, and that the sole supreme command of the militia, and of all forces by sea and land, had ever been by the laws of England the undoubted right of the Crown; that neither House of Parliament could pretend to it, nor could lawfully levy any war, offensive or defensive, against his majesty" (Hallam, ii. p. 328). (c) Act of Uniformity.-The Act included five points, which were made compulsory on all holders of livings1. Ordination by a bishop. 2. Assent and consent to the Book of Common Prayer. 3. The oath of canonical obedience. 4. Renunciation of the Solemn League and Covenant. 5. A declaration that it was unlawful to bear arms against the sovereign under any pretext whatever. (d) The chief Nonconformist bodies besides the Roman Catholics were 1. The Presbyterians, who had had a majority in the 3. The Baptists, who though they had seven congrega- (e) The clergy now lose their right of self-taxation (see 1295, note), and the franchise for members of the House of Commons becomes the right of clergymen by an Act passed 1664. (f) Repeal of the Triennial Act of 1641.-Every clause of the bill is completely repealed, yet, "with an inconsistency not unusual in our statutes," a provision is added that in future Parliaments shall not be intermitted more than three years at most. (g)"That supplies granted by Parliament are only to be expended for particular objects specified by itself became from this time an undisputed principle recognised by frequent and at length constant prac tice" (Hallam). COLONIAL. 1661 and 1665. The Acts of Settlement and Explanation are passed in the Irish Parliament (a). 1661. In Scotland the old form of government is restored, Episcopacy established, and the persecution of the Covenanters begun. Execution of Argyll. 1662. Mile Act (similar to the Five-Mile Act) is passed by the Scottish Parliament. 1663. Irish ships are excluded from the privileges of English under the Navigation Act. 1664. Conquest of New Netherlands (granted to the Duke of York, and called New York), in America, from the Dutch. 1665 and 1680. Cattle, sheep, swine, or beef, mutton, pork, or bacon, and butter, forbidden to be exported from Ireland to England. 1668. May 2. Louis being checked by the Triple Alliance, makes peace with Spain at Aix-la-Chapelle. 1661. 1662. 1663. 1664. 1665. 1666. 1667. 1668. 1669. April. The conference at the Savoy between the bishops and the Presbyterian ministers fails. [See Summary: Ecclesiastical, Part IV., p. 243.] May 8. A new Parliament, strongly Royalist, meets, confirms the acts of the Convention, and restores some prerogatives (b) to the Crown. Dec. Corporation Act passed, ordering all holders of municipal offices to renounce the Covenant, and take the sacrament according to the English form. May. Charles marries Katharine of Portugal, receiving Bombay and Tangiers. May 19. The Act of Uniformity (c) is passed, enforcing the use of the Prayer-Book as at present composed. A great many ministers resign their benefices rather than take the oath (d). Lambert and Sir Henry Vane having been tried for treason, Lambert is imprisoned and Vane executed. Charles makes a declaration in favour of indulgence, promising to use his influence to get such an Act passed. Nov. Dunkirk is sold to the French. Convocation grants a subsidy (for the last time) (e). The Conventicle Act is passed (forbidding religious assemblies Feb. War is declared against Holland. June 3. Victory by the Duke of York over the Dutch off Lowestoft. Oct. Parliament grants £1,250,000 to be spent on the war only (g). who had not subscribed the Act of Uniformity, or taken the Jan. 16. Louis XIV. declares war against England, and June 1-4. A long and indecisive sea-fight against the Dutch under July. Victory over the Dutch. Sept. 2-6. The great fire of London. [A committee is appointed by Parliament in this year to inspect the May 10. The French and Dutch fleets are defeated in the West June. The Dutch advance into the Thames and burn the ships at Jan. 23. The Triple Alliance is formed between Holland, A bill for comprehension of Presbyterians in the Church and for Sir George Carteret is dismissed from his office of Treasurer of the COLONIAL. (a) The chief terms appear to have been 1. Charles was to aid Louis in a war against the Dutch, for which he was to receive £300,000, and have the aid of thirty French ships. 2. The province of Zealand and the adjacent islands were to be reserved for England. 3. Charles was to have £200,000 per year on condition The last article was only known to Clifford and 1670 and 1696. No goods to be imported from the colonies to Ireland. 1672. France invades Holland, great riots occur, and De Witt, the Grand Pensionary, is murdered by the mob, Aug. 4. William of Orange (aged twentytwo) becomes Stadtholder. 1669. 1670. 1671. 1672. 1673. 1674. 1675. 1677. Navy on the report of commissioners who had been appointed with very extensive powers to investigate the public accounts. The Conventicle Act of 1664 is renewed and made more strin- May 20. The secret Treaty of Dover (a) is concluded between Dec. Sir John Coventry having spoken in Parliament against the In consequence an Act is passed to make malicious wounding a Parliament votes £800,000 for the fleet. A difference between the is prorogued first for a year, finally for twenty-one months. Jan. 2. Notice is given that the principal of loans due this year is not to be paid, but only the interest (which amounts to a declaration of national bankruptcy). The Duke of York is publicly received into the Roman March 15. Declaration of Indulgence (repealing all Acts March. Failure of the attempt on the Dutch treasure fleet. Parliament meets, and forces Charles to withdraw the Declaration Parliament passes the Test Act (which orders that all persons holding office under the Crown are to take the sacrament according to the rites of the Church of England, and make a declaration against transubstantiation). Clifford and the Duke of York, as Catholics, retire from their Sir Thomas Osborne (afterwards Earl of Danby and Duke of Feb. 7. Parliament passes resolutions against a standing army. Danby's bill, for making all placemen declare on oath that they Nov. For 500,000 crowns (to be paid as an annual subsidy) The coffee-houses are closed to prevent political discussion. Shaftesbury, Salisbury, Wharton, and Buckingham, having ques- |