fated to the Ship-Money,) upon a motion made "by a young Gentleman of the fame family (who pretended to have received a letter from the "Lord Keeper, in which he defired leave to fpeak

in the House before they should determine any"thing against him); the debate was fufpended " for the present, and leave given him to be there "(if he pleased) the next day; at which time

(having likewise obtained a permiffion of the "Peers to do what he thought good for himself.) "he appeared at the Bar of the Houfe of Com"mons, and faid all he could for his own excuse

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(more in magnifying the fincerity of his religion, and how kind he had been to many Preachers [whom he named, and] whom he "knew were of precious memory with the un"conformable party); and concluded with a la" mentable fupplication for their mercy. It was "about nine of the clock in the morning when "he went out of the House (and when the debate "could no longer be deferred what was to be done upon him); and when the fenfe of the House

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appeared very evidently (notwithstanding all "that was faid to the contrary by thofe eminent

perfons who promoted all other accufations "with the greatest fury) that he should be accused "of high treason in the same form the other two "had been, they perfifted still so long in the debate, "and delayed the putting the queftion by fre"quent

VOL. I.

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quent interruptions (a common artifice) 'till it "was twelve of the clock; and 'till they knew that "the Houfe of Peers was rifen (which they were

likewife readily enough difpofed to, to gratify "the Keeper); and the question was put and carried in the affirmative, (with very few negatives,) and the Lord Falkland appointed to carry up the accufation to the Houfe of Peers (which they knew he could not do 'till the "next morning); and when he did it the next "morning, it appeared that the Lord Keeper had "fent the Great Seal the night before (to the

King), and had newly withdrawn himself, and was foon after known to be in Holland.”

JOHN HAMPDEN.

THIS diftinguifhed perfon, according to Sir Philip Warwick, who knew him well, was a man of great and plentiful eftate, and of confiderable intereft in his county; of a regular life; and had extensive knowledge, both in scholarship and in the law (the effential ftudies for an English Gentleman). "He was," adds Sir Philip, "of a "concife and fignificant language, and the politest, "yet fubtileft fpeaker of any man in the House

" of

" of Commons; and had a dexterity (when a " question was going to be put which agreed not "with his fenfe) to draw it over to it, by adding "fome equivocal or fly word, which would ener"vate the meaning of it as first put." D'Avila's History of the Civil Wars of France was fo favourite a book with Mr. Hampden, that it was called his Vade Mecum.

Lord Clarendon fays of him, "that after he was amongst those Members accused by the King of High Treafon, he was much altered, his nature "and carriage feeming much fiercer than they did "before; and without queftion," fays the noble Hiftorian," when he firft drew his fword he "threw away the scabbard."

Mr. Hampden was one of the earliest that were in the field against his Sovereign, and diftinguished himself very confiderably in an action at Brill near Oxford, a garrifon belonging to the King. He had foon afterwards the command of a regiment of foot, under the Earl of Effex; and had he lived, he would most probably have been Commander in Chief of the Parliament forces. His great ambition seems to have been the appointment of Governor to the young Prince; for, as Sir Philip Warwick fays," aiming at the alteration of fome parts of the Government, (for at first probably "it amounted not unto a defign of a total new

form,) he knew of how great a confequence it

" would be, that the young Prince should have principles fuitable to what should be established "as laws."

This fagacious Man difcovered the great talents of Oliver Cromwell through the veil which coarfe manners and vulgar habits had thrown over them; for (according to Whitelocke) Lord Derby in going down the ftairs of the Houfe of Commons with Mr. Hampden, observing Cromwell pass by them, faid to Mr. Hampden, "Who "is that floven immediately before us? He is " on our fide, I fee, by his fpeaking fo warmly "to-day."--" That floven, as you are pleased to "call him, my Lord," replied Hampden, " that floven, I say, if we were to come to a breach with "the King, (which God forbid!) will be the greateft man in England*."

"

Clarendon fays, that Mr. Hampden carried himself throughout the whole bufinefs of the Ship-money with fuch fingular temper and modefty, that he actually obtained more credit and advantage by lofing it, than the King did fervice by gaining it t.

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So the fanguinary and penetrating Dictator of Rome faw many Marii in young Julius Cæfar trailing his gown negligently along the ftreets of Rome, like a careless and diffolute boy.

"Noy the Attorney-General," fays Mr. Selden, in his Table-Talk, " brought his Ship-money firft for Maritime

"Towns;