“Wind-bound” was the exact description of the state of Richard’s Government itself.  All depended on what should blow from the Parliament that had been called.  In the writs for the elections to the Commons there had been a very remarkable retrogression from the practice of Oliver for his two Parliaments.  For those two Parliaments there had been adopted the reformed electoral system agreed upon by the Long Parliament, reducing the total number of members for England and Wales to about 400, instead of the 500 or more of the ancient system, and allocating the 400 among constituencies rearranged so as to give a vast proportion of the representation to the counties, while reducing that of the burghs generally and disfranchising many small old burghs altogether.  The Petition and Advice having left this matter of the number of seats and their distribution open for farther consideration, Richard and his Council had been advised by the lawyers that it would be more “according to law” and therefore more safe and more agreeable to the spirit and letter of the Petition and Advice, to abandon the late temporary method, though sanctioned by the Long Parliament, and revert to the ancient use and wont.  Writs had been issued, therefore, for the return of over 500 members from England and Wales by the old time-honoured constituencies, besides additions from Scotland and Ireland.  Thus, whereas, for the last two Protectoral Parliaments, some of the larger English counties had returned as many as six, eight, nine, or twelve members each, all were now reduced alike to two, the large number of seats so set free, together with the extra hundred, going back among the burghs, and reincluding those that had been disfranchised.  London also was reduced from six seats to four.  It seems amazing now that this vast retrogression should have been so quietly accepted.  It seems even to have been popular; and, at all events, it roused no commotion.  It had been recommended by the lawyers, and it was expected to turn out favourable to the Government.[1]

[Footnote 1:  Ludlow, 615-619; and compare the List of Members of this Parliament of Richard (Part.  Hist. III. 1530-1537) with the lists of Oliver’s two Parliaments (Part.  Hist. 1428-1433, and 1479-1484).]

On Thursday, Jan. 27, 1658-9, the two Houses assembled in Westminster.  In the Upper House, where Lord Commissioner Fiennes occupied the woolsack, were as many of Cromwell’s sixty-three “Lords” (ante pp. 323-324) as had chosen to come.  All the Council, except Thurloe, being in this House, and the others having been, for the most part, carefully selected Cromwellians, it might have been expected that Government would be strong in the House.  As it included, however, Fleetwood, Desborough, and all the chief Colonels of the Wallingford-House party, it is believed that in such attendances as there were (never more than forty perhaps) that party may have been stronger than the Court party.  But it was