26

THE PALACE OP WESTMINSTER.

After his forcible expulsion of the Long Parliament , Cromwell thought it expedient,' if not necessary,to observe the forms of a free government, and accordingly sent summonses for the attendance atWhitehall to one hundred and thirty-nine Representatives for England, six for Wales , six for Ireland ,and five for Scotland , and into their hands he affected to deposit the entire control of the kingdoms.According to the terms on which they were summoned, or he was pleased to dictate, they were to exercisetheir powers during fifteen months, and then retire after nominating their successors. This (in contra-distinction to the Long Parliament ) was called the Little or Praise-God -Barebones Parliament, after oneof its Members.

Dr. Lingard in his history contends, that this Parliament has been much and unfairly depreciated.All its Members were respectable, and if not distinguished by vast wealth, or ancient lineage, yet weremen of independent fortunes. During the convulsions of their times, when all society was shaken to itscentre, and men had begun to think and act for themselves, many measures were suggested by thismuch calumniated Parliament , which have, in the subsequent course of time, passed into law; and ifthe Barebones Parliament, in its brief career, was not enabled to carry many measures, it at leastoriginated several that have since become the law of the land, and are considered as highly important tothe national benefit. But so sweeping did these measures appear to lawyers—for they proposed theCourt of Chancery, and to the clergy, for they mooted the question of abolition of tithes and advowsons—that Oliver, finding the security of his dictatorship more identified with the partisans of abuses thanthose of reform, and that his Parliament was becoming too independent for his views, contrived to get amotion made in the House on the 12tli Dec., 1653, that the “ sitting of this Parliament was no longer“ for the good of the Commonwealth;” and Cromwell was declared te Lord Protector of the Common-“ wealth of England, Scotland , and Ireland .”

The reign of Charles II. has been characterized as one signalized by good laws, hut by hadgovernment. The Habeas Corpus Act was a valuable addition to personal security. It was decided thatthe House of Lords has no power to originate a Bill of Supply; and the Lords acquired the importantprivilege of first recording their dissent on the Journals of the House , and afterwards of inserting thegrounds of it.

Erom this period down to our own time Parliament has acquired fresh constitutional power, andsucceeding monarchs have, since the unfortunate reign and misguided policy of James II. , made thosegradual concessions of privilege, and effused those ameliorations into the condition of the people, whichhave brought us down to the nicely balanced position of the British Constitution, which we at this moment

hastening down to the House , commanded the Speaker to leave the Chair, saying, that they had sat long enough, and exclaiming, “ You are no longer a Parliament ;“ I say you are no longer a Parliament .” He told Sir Harry Vane he was a juggler, adding, “ The Lord deliver me from Sir Harry Vane.”—Harvey, Martin,and Sir Peter Wentworth, that they were reprobates, Chaloner that he was a drunkard, and Allen, the goldsmith, that he cheated the public ; then desiring ‘ thatbauble’ to he removed, Harrison (first butcher and afterwards general) pushed the Speaker from his Chair, and clearing the House of its Members, Cromwelllocked the door, and put the key in his pocket; and thus was dissolved by him, who had been its champion and assailant, the celebrated Long Parliament , after aduration of Twelve Years, during which it had alternately defended and infringed upon the liberties of the people.