with powers from his brother to Dr. Clarges to let the Parliament know that he would stand by them against the Wallingford-House party, and would, if necessary, march into England for their support.  Next morning, Oct. 12, this news was buzzed among the Republican leaders of the House, and with prodigious effect.  The misdelivered letter was read and discussed; and, after a division, on the previous question, of fifty (Mildmay and Lister tellers) against fifteen (Colonel Rich and Alderman Pennington tellers), it was resolved “That the several commissions of these several persons, viz.  Colonel John Lambert, Colonel John Desborough, Colonel James Berry, Colonel Thomas Kelsay, Colonel Richard Ashfield, Colonel Ealph Cobbet, Major Richard Creed, Colonel William Packer, and Colonel William Barrow, who have subscribed the said Letter, shall be, and are hereby, made null and void, and they and every of them be, and are hereby, discharged from all military employment.”  The House then vested the entire government of the Army in a commission of seven,—­to wit, Fleetwood, Ludlow, Monk, Hasilrig, Colonel Walton, Colonel Morley, and Colonel Overton, any three to be a quorum; and, having ordered the regiments of Morley and Okey, and a part of that of Colonel Mosse, to be on guard in Westminster through the night, they rose with the consciousness of a bold day’s work.[1]

[Footnote 1:  Commons Journals of dates; Parl.  Hist., III. 1562-8; Phillips, 656-660; Skinner’s Life of Monk, 111-113.]

Next day, Thursday Oct. 13, there was no House at all.  An entry in the Journals of the House, subsequently inserted, explains why.  “This day,” runs the entry, “the late Principal Officers of the Army, whose commissions were vacated, drew up forces in and about Westminster, obstructed all passages both by land and water, stopped the Speaker on his way, and placed and continued guards upon and about the doors of the Parliament House, and so interrupted the members from coming to the House and attending their service there.”  This is a very correct summary of the incidents of more than twelve hours.  Lambert had resolved to do the feat, and he managed it in the manner described.  Morley’s regiment and Mosse’s regiment were faithfully on guard round the House as ordered, and Okey would have been there too had not his men deserted him; but the House was to remain empty.  Lambert had taken care of that by posting regiments in an outer ring round Morley’s and Mosse’s, so as to block all accesses.  Speaker Lenthall, trying to pass in his coach, was stopped by Lieutenant-Colonel Duckinfield, and turned back with civility to his house in Covent Garden; and so with the members generally.  A few did break through and get in, among whom was Sir Peter Wentworth, who had come by water with a stout set of boatmen.  This was in the morning; and through the rest of the day Lambert was riding about, coming up now and then to Morley’s men or Mosse’s and haranguing them.  Would they suffer nine of