CHARLES II.

399

alive , and to perpetuate the general ferment ofthe nation, he came secretly to a resolution ofproroguing them. T hey got intelligence about aquarter of an hour before the black rod came totheir door. Not to lose such precious time, theypassed in a tumultuous manner some extraordinaryresolutions. They voted, that -whosoever advisedhis majesty to prorogue this parliament to anyother purpose than in order to pass the bill ofexclusion , was a betrayer of the king , of theprotestant religion , and of the kingdom ofEngland; a promoter of the French interest, anda pensioner of France : That thanks be given tothe city of London for their manifest loyalty,and for their care and vigilance in the preserva-tion of the king and of the protestant religion.:That it is the opinion of this house , that thatcity was burned in the year 1666 by the papists,designing thereby to introduce arbitrary powerand popery into the kingdom : That humbleapplication be made to his majesty for restoringthe duke of Monmouth to all his offices andcommands, from which, it appears to the house,he had been removed by the influence of theduke of York. And that it is the opinion of thehouse that the prosecution of the protestant dissent-ers upon the penal laws is at this time grievousto the subject, a weakening of the protestantinterest, an encouragement of popery, and danger-ous to the peace of the kingdom.

The king passed some laws of no great import-ance : But the bill for repealing the thirty-sifth of

CHAP.

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