The English works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, Volume 06 (of 11) — Thomas Hobbes — John Shaqi
The English works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, Volume 06 (of 11)
Thomas Hobbes · en
_B._ What other hands? I do not well understand you.
_A._ I told you that the militia of London was, on the 4th of May, put
into the hands of the lord-mayor and other citizens, and soon after put
into the hands of other men more favourable to the army. And now I am to
tell you, that on July the 26th, the violence of certain apprentices and
disbanded soldiers forced the Parliament to re-settle it as it was, in
the citizens; and hereupon the two speakers and divers of the members
ran away to the army, where they were invited and contented to sit and
vote in the council of war in nature of a Parliament. And out of the
citizens' hands they would have the militia taken away, and put again
into those hands out of which it was taken the 26th of July.
_B._ What said the city to this?
_A._ The Londoners manned their works, viz: the line of communication;
raised an army of valiant men within the line; chose good officers, all
being desirous to go out and fight whensoever the city should give them
order; and in that posture stood expecting the enemy.
The soldiers in the meantime enter into an engagement to live and die
with Sir Thomas Fairfax, and the Parliament, and the army.
_B._ That is very fine. They imitate that which the Parliament did, when
they first took up arms against the King, styling themselves the King
and Parliament, maintaining that the King was always virtually in his
Parliament: so the army now, making war against the Parliament, called
themselves the Parliament and the army: but they might, with more
reason, say, that the Parliament, since it was in Cromwell’s pocket, was
virtually in the army.
_A._ Withal they send out a declaration of the grounds of their march
towards London; wherein they take upon them to be judges of the
Parliament, and of who are fit to be trusted with the business of the
kingdom, giving them the name, not of the Parliament, but of the
gentlemen at Westminster. For since the violence they were under July
the 26th, the army denied them to be a lawful Parliament. At the same
time they sent a letter to the mayor and aldermen of London, reproaching
them with those late tumults; telling them they were enemies to the
peace, treacherous to the Parliament, unable to defend either the
Parliament or themselves; and demanded to have the city delivered into
their hands, to which purpose, they said, they were now coming to them.
The general also sent out his warrants to the counties adjacent,
summoning their trained soldiers to join with them.
_B._ Were the trained soldiers part of the general’s army?