As he advanced his perplexities and his silence increased. On the 18th Gumble met him at Mansfield to say that already half the House were his declared enemies. An oath for the abjuration of the Stuart dynasty had been imposed upon the new Council of State, of which he had been made a member. An attempt, however, to order its administration to the House had led to a determined resistance from the best of the old Commonwealth men. The House was split into two factions, and Monk's popularity with the non-abjurers was but adding to the suspicions of the abjurers. At Nottingham Clarges arrived to confirm and add to Gumble's intelligence. A deputation, consisting of Scot, the new Secretary of State, and Robinson, another abjuring member of the Government, was on its way to offer him the congratulations of the House, but with secret instructions to watch his every movement and endeavour to entrap him into abjuring. The London garrison, too, had by no means acquiesced in Fleetwood's surrender, and was still in a state of sullen hostility. It was clear that the crisis was not yet at an end, and there was still hope for Monk, that if he could once establish himself in London and keep things quiet, one party or the other would force on a general election. The chief difficulty was Fleetwood's army. It was stronger than Monk's, and out of its entire roll only two foot regiments, Morley's and Fagg's, could be trusted. Ashley Cooper had a regiment of horse, but it certainly would not obey him. Fortunately in the House the non-abjurers were in the majority, and at Clarges's suggestion Monk used his few remaining hours of liberty to prepare a letter to the Speaker pointing out the advisability of removing from about the Parliament the regiments which were as yet hardly cool from rebellion.