The English works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, Volume 06 (of 11)
Thomas Hobbes · en
About this time the commission, by which general Monk with others had
the government of the army put into their hands by the Rump before the
usurpation of the council of officers, came to expire; which the present
Rump renewed.
_B._ He was thereby the sixth part of the general of the whole forces of
the commonwealth. If I had been as the Rump, he should have been sole
general. In such cases as this, there cannot be a greater vice than
pinching. Ambition should be liberal.
_A._ After the pulling down of the city gates, the general sent a letter
to the Rump, to let them know that that service was much against his
nature, and to put them in mind how well the city had served the
Parliament throughout the whole war.
_B._ Yes. But for the city the Parliament never could have made the war,
nor the Rump ever have murdered the King.
_A._ The Rump considered not the merit of the city, nor the good-nature
of the general. They were busy. They were giving out commissions, making
of acts for abjuration of the King and his line, and for the old
engagement, and conferring with the city to get money. The general also
desired to hear conference between some of the Rump and some of the
secluded members, concerning the justice of their seclusion, and of the
hurt that could follow from their readmission: and it was granted, after
long conference. The general finding the Rump’s pretences unreasonable
and ambitious, declared himself with the city for a free Parliament, and
came to Westminster with the secluded members, (whom he had appointed to
meet and stay for him at Whitehall), and replaced them in the House
amongst the Rumpers; so that now the same cattle that were in the House
of Commons in 1640, except those that were dead and those that went from
them to the late King at Oxford, are all there again.
_B._ But this, methinks, was no good service to the King, unless they
had learned better principles.
_A._ They had learned nothing. The major part was now again
Presbyterian. It is true they were so grateful to General Monk as to
make him general of all the forces in the three nations. They did well
also to make void the engagement; but it was because those acts were
made to the prejudice of their party; but recalled none of their own
rebellious ordinances, nor did anything in order to the good of the
present King; but on the contrary, they declared by a vote, that the
late King began the war against his two Houses.
_B._ The two Houses considered as two persons, were they not two of the
King’s subjects? If a king raise an army against his subject, is it
lawful for that subject to resist with force, when, as in this case, he
might have had peace upon his submission?