of a single person, and found it so far from danger or inconveni ence, that the only refuge they had in their greatest extremity was, to create a dictator. But I could not but laugh, as they all had done, at the pleasantness of your fancy, who suppose our noble patriots, when they are invested for term of life, will serve their country at their own charge: This, I said, was very improbable, unless you meant as they do, that all we have is their own, and that to prey and devour is to serve; in which they have appeared so able and industrious, as if they had been made to no other purpose, but, like lobsters, were all claws and belly. For though many laugh at me for accounting 300,000 pounds in wooden ware, towards the erecting of a free-state, in my Oceana, but a trifle to the whole nation; because I am most certain that these little pills the ballots are the only physick that can keep the body politick soluble, and not suffer the humour to settle, I will undertake, that if the present members had but a lease of the government during life, notwithstanding whatsoever impeachment of waste, they would raise more out of it to themselves in one year, than that amounts to; beside the charge we must be at in maintaining of guards to keep the boys off them, and before half the term be expired, they would have it untenantable. To conclude, I told them, you had made good your title in a contrary sense; for you have really proposed the most ready and easy way to establish downright slavery upon the nation that can possibly be contrived, which will clearly appear to any man that does but understand this plain truth, that wheresoever the power of proposing and debating, together with power of ratifying and enacting laws, is intrusted in the hands of any one person, or any one council, as you would have it, that government is inevitably arbitrary and tyrannical, because they may make whatsoever they please lawful or unlawful. And that tyranny hath the advantage of all others that hath law and liberty among the instruments of servitude. J. H.

the

THE

QUALIFICATIONS OF PERSONS,

DECLARED CAPABLE BY THE

RUMP-PARLIAMENT,

To elect, or be elected, Members to supply their House.

Printed in the year 1660. Quarto, containing sixteen pages.

THE representative of the parliament of England, having for many years employed their constant endeavour, to impose freedom and liberty on the three nations; notwithstanding their ob

stinate reluctancy and opposition thereunto, who would take upon them, against all right and reason, to be their own judges; and be ing now, after two scandalous ejectments, and as many signal re storations, happily returned to discharge the remaining fragment of their trust; do find, to their unspeakable grief, the red-coats, in whom they always loyally acquiesced, failing of their pay, to fail likewise of their trust, and, seduced by evil counsel, to adhere unto the common enemy; that is to say, the said three nations, in comply. ing with their desires and addresses, which are, to have this present representative dissolved, and a free parliament speedily convened, which they tremble to think upon, or the secluded members re-admitted, which they equally abominate, or the present house supplied with new elections, which their bowels sigh to reflect on. Nevertheless they have, after serious and mature deliberation, resolved upon the last, that is to say, to fill up their house, as being, though of dangerous consequence, less horrible and dreadful to themselves, than any other way. And to the end the persons to be elected may be of as near a condition as may be, to match the present members, and so, possibly, go hand in hand with them, in carrying on the said work; they have agreed upon these following qualifications, and do enact, and be it hereby enacted, that no person whatsoever presume to elect or be elected, under pain of confiscation of his estate, and sale of his person, that is not allowed capable thereof, by the said qualifications, in which they do profess, before the Searcher of all Hearts, that they have freely discovered the naked truth of all their intentions, as, if their breasts were to be opened, and their hearts taken out, which God defend, it would manifestly appear to all the world.

Qualification I.—Whosoever hath at any time been known to take the name of God in vain, that is, to swear or forswear himself for nothing, without advantage to the publick, or his own particular concernments, but merely out of rash and needless prophanation, is hereby declared utterly incapable to elect, or be elected, as a member to serve in this present parliament. For oaths have been found, by experience, to be wonderful expedients in state-affairs; and ought not to be made or broken, but with great and serious consideration.

Qualific. II.-Whosoever is noted to be a sabbath-breaker, or prophaner of the Lord's day, is declared incapable to elect, or be elected, &c. For he that cannot one day in seven observe, at least in shew, one commandment in ten, that costs nothing the keeping, nor gains any thing by being broken, is not fitly qualified to sit in this parliament: For all such sins, as have no immediate relation to the service of this house, must be openly detested, that there may be the less notice taken of such as are for the advantage and interest thereof.

Qualific. III.-Whosoever hath at any time, within the space of these twenty years last past, been observed to be disguised in drink, unless he can bring testimony that it is his usual custom to drink himself drunk in private alone, to avoid giving evil example,

or in secret and well affected company, without healths; is declared incapable to elect or be elected: Provided that surfeit and gluttony be not included within this incapacity, nor such other alterations as may fall upon the spirit of a man, at thanksgiving dinners.

Qualific. IV.-Whosoever doth live in adultery, or fornication, or hath at any time had carnal copulation with the wife, sisters, or daughter, of any member of parliament, now sitting, without the consent or satisfaction of the said member; or hath been seen, in the day-time, to resort to houses of evil fame, or frequent the com. pany of common women; is declared incapable to elect or be elected, &c. Provided, that this do not extend to any person, that hath kept a concubine or concubines so long, that now there is no notice taken thereof, or to such as by the loss of their eyes or noses, botches in their skins, or aches in their bones, can bring proof of their repentance, and resentment of their former lives; as it hath been allowed in the cases of William Lord Viscount Monson, Sir Henry Martin, Mr. Secretary Scot, William Heveningham, Esq; and others.

Qualific. V.-Whosoever hath suffered for his conscience, either by imprisonment, sequestration, or sale of his estate, or hath refused to take any oath imposed by this parliament, howsoever contradictory to any former oath, by him taken: Or hath gained nothing by the ruin of his native country, nor is liable to suffer by any revolution, that may tend to the general settlement thereof, but, being unbiassed by any party, is at liberty to promote the proper and natural interests of the nation in general: Or hath sub'scribed any petition or remonstrance for a free parliament; or for the re-admission of the secluded members to their right of sitting; or, at a time to be prefixed, to determine the sitting of this present parliament, or any thing else against the sense of this house, in order to the settlement of the nation: Or hath declared against taxes, excise, free-quarter, plunder, arbitrary government, the perpetuation and supremacy of the present parliament, continuation of the distractions, decay of trade, and slavery of the English nation. Any, and every such person, is hereby declared not only incapable to be elected a member of this present or any future parliament, or of bearing any office, or place of trust, in this commonwealth, but shall suffer such farther punishment, either by sequestration, or sale of his estate or person, as to the wisdom of this house shall seem expedient.

Qualific. VI.-Whosever hath been engaged in the late rebellions of Sir George Booth, Bart. or Lambert Symnell, Esq; or any way aiding or assisting thereunto: Or hath sat or acted in, or under the late committee of safety, or had any hand in the late disturbances of this present parliament; is, beside such other punishment as this house shall judge fitting, declared incapable to elect, or be elected, to serve in this or any future parliament: Provided that this shall not extend to such members of this house, as were engaged in the said insurrections. For, if all such should be im

peached before the house be full, there would not be a quorum left to make it a parliament.

Qualific. VII.-Whosoever hath called Charles Stewart king, or drunk his health, or prayed God to restore him to his right, and every honest man to his own, or used any malignant and treason. able expressions: Or hath called the present parliament Rump, Arse, Bum, Tail, or Breech: Or hath rejoiced at the interruptions thereof, or wished it at an end: Or hath sued, arrested, reviled, beaten, kicked, cuckolded, trepanned, or refused to trust any of the members thereof, during the intervals: Or hath action of debt, or bill of complaint against any member now sitting; and doth refuse to give the said member a full discharge, and general release; any, and every such person, is declared utterly incapable to elect, or be elected, to serve in this present or any future parliament, or of bearing any office or place of trust in this com. monwealth.

Qualific. VIII.-No man shall be judged qualified, nor admitted to sit in this house as a member thereof, that doth not first acknowledge this parliament to be a free parliament, unfounded by the laws of God or man; that all things are exposed to the will of the members thereof, who may freely dispose of the estates, persons, consciences, and lives of men, as they please, and afterwards make it lawful. That this house hath a greater power in civil affairs than the Turk, and in spiritual than the Pope, for it is head of churches, not yet in being, and Judge more of faith, than all the general councils ever were. That it can damn, and save, and bind, and loose in this world, in despight of the next; make what it pleases holy or profane, true or false, scripture or apocrypha, and no man dares to question its infallibility; and that every member thereof can vote and swear contradictions, and make others do so too, or pay them for it.

Qualific. IX.-No man shall be judged rightly qualified, nor admitted to sit in this house, until he hath engaged to use his christian endeavour to carry on a thorough reformation of the calendar, that the English nation may no more use the Julian account, nor reckon by the year of our Lord, but by the Roman indiction, ac, cording to the custom of the christians in ancient times; that is, reckon the year by their taxes, and not their taxes by the year: A reformation, which this parliament made some progress in before their late interruption, when they drew the whole year within the compass of four months, and do intend, by God's help, to bring to perfection with all convenient expedition.

Qualific. X.-Whosoever makes profession of godliness and holiness of life, although he be commonly reputed to be both a fool, and a knaye, a notorious villain, and diabolical hypocrite; shall, nevertheless, be allowed, if duly elected, to be rightly qualified to sit in this present parliament. Provided that this capacity do not extend to Charles Fleetwood, Esq; John Desbrow, Yeoman; and Sir Henry Vane, Knight, lately elected; or John Hewson, Cord, wainer, of the city of London.

Ordered that Dr. John Owen, Mr. Hugh Peters, and Major John Wildman be included within this qualification, notwithstanding they are in orders.

Qualific. XI.-Whosoever hath had a hand in the late king's blood, or petitioned to bring him to tryal, or hath demolished his houses, cut down his woods, or pulled down churches, to sell the materials; or can bring proof, that he hath been of one or more high-courts of justice, or at one or more committees of sale or sequestration, of the committee for propagation of the gospel; or hath been a commissioner of the excise, a sequestrator, treasurer, or trustee, for the sale of king's lands or goods, or bishops, and deans and chapters, and delinquents lands; and hath gotten a considerable estate, by buying or selling the aforesaid lands; and can make it appear, that his head is forfeited to the Tower on LondonBridge, and the four quarters of his outward man to four respective gates of the city, if any revolution should happen to the general settlement of the nation. Any, and every such person, is declared rightly qualified to sit in this present parliament, and shall be admitted without taking any oath at all; for a man's skin is tenderer than his conscience, and this world much nearer to him than the next.

Qualific. XII.-Whosoever can bring proof, by the loss of his ears, or otherwise, that he hath stood on the pillory for perjury, forgery, faction, or sedition, to hinder the government of the late king; or that he hath been burnt in the hand, forehead, or shoulder, thrown over the bar, set in the stocks, carted, or whipped at the tail of a cart, for any thing by him done, said, or written against the said government, before the year 1642, shall be approved as most fitly qualified to sit in this present parliament. Provided that this shall not extend to William Prynne, of Swanswick, Esq; Utter Bencher of Lincoln's-Inn, nor to Major Wil.

liam Poe.

Qualific. XIII.-Whosoever is son, brother, or nephew, or can prove himself to be the natural son or bastard of any member, or of the mother, sister, or wife of any member of this parliament now sitting, or any member thereof deceased, that sat since the year 1648, and will engage to conform to the sense of this house, according to the example of the said member unto whom he hath relation, is hereby declared rightly qualified, either to elect, or be elected, a member of this present parliament.

Qualific. XIV.-Whosoever can bring proof, that he is a man of a publick spirit, fit for all times and occasions, of approved liberty of conscience, and of courage and resolution to encounter any danger that extends to soul or body, if need be, rather than live out of authority and command, or under the laws of God or man. That he hath proper suits for the service of the present government, and can do the same things by the spirit of God, which other men are drawn to by the temptations of the devil. That he can break oaths by Providence, and forswear himself, to the glory of God; deal falsely and treacherously with men, out of consci