It was Friday. By Tuesday the news would be all over the kingdom and he a ruined man. It was absolutely necessary to do something at once. Presently Clarges returned with Dr. Barrow, the general's private physician and judge-advocate, a man who had been of great service throughout. Two or three officers accompanied them, with whom they had privately agreed to brave the general's displeasure in one more effort to save him from his rigid integrity. With the vehemence of despair they poured out proof after proof of the Rump's iniquitous intentions. Haslerig was in correspondence with Lambert. Ludlow, whom Monk had accused of treason on Coote's information, still sat in his place. A tumultuous petition in favour of strict abjuration had been fomented and received by the House at the hands of Praise-God Barebones himself, the ringleader of those very fanatics against whom he had come to act. The Council was even then, it was said, considering whether they should cashier him on the ground that in leaving the city he had disobeyed its orders. After all his devotion it was more than the honest soldier could endure, and reluctantly he consented to march into the city next day. Having issued his orders accordingly, he told his little council to prepare some excuse to the Parliament. No excuse could be found. The general was worn out; for the last two nights he had had no sleep; unable to resist any longer, he at last allowed a letter to be prepared, setting out the real reasons of the movement and demanding the House to keep its word. With that he went to bed, and all through the night the four councillors that remained were busy with the manifesto. Early next morning the members came down to the House in the ordinary course. The guards were all on duty as usual, and the Speaker proceeded to take the chair. No sooner, however, was business begun than two of Monk's colonels came in with a long letter signed by the general and fourteen of his field-officers. In respectful but unequivocal language it charged them with deliberately seeking to undo all the good that had been effected by their restoration. It desired them, therefore, to show their good intentions by settling the qualification of members and issuing writs for the vacant seats by the next Friday. It reminded them that the date fixed for their dissolution was at hand, and finally informed them that with the intention of waiting for their "full and free concurrence to these just desires of the nation," and of preserving order till it was obtained, the army had retired into the city.