A petition was presented to the House from many thousand poor prisoners for
debt, desiring the speedy passing of the Act for their releifse; and another petition
from the late Master of the Court of Wards and Liveries, for 4300 l, formerly allowed
him by the Committee to be paid out of the Arears of the late Court of
Wards, Deans, and Chapters lands, King, Queen, and Princes Forrests, and Parks,
or their lands, or any other way; but nothing was done this day concerning any
private busines at all,
Mr. Blackstone a Member of the House of Commons, Burgesse for the Town of
Newcastle dyed this day.
An Act was published declaring the Reasons and grounds of the next publique
Thanksgiving and is as followeth.
An Act for setting a part a day of Publique Thanksgiving, And Declaring the reasons
and grounds thereof.
How often and eminently Almighty God hath been graciously pleased to appear
in the Cause of the Parliament and people of England, against the common
Enemy both of the true Religion and the Liberties of the Nation, Since the beginning
of the late Wars, the world is not ignorant, and when through his providence
and especiall blessings on the councells and endeavours of the Parliament &
their Forces, the power of the enemy was broken, their garrisons taken or surrendred,
and all of them subdued, there arising another cloud, that threatned not only a
storm, but an inundation of Misery, by revolt of divers castles at once, the defection
of a great, part of the Navy, Insurrections in many severall Countyes, open
Rebellions in Wales, Surry, Kent, when many of those at home, who had formerly shewed
themselves on the part of the Parliament and Nation, were become uncertaine
friends, if not certain Enemyes; and at the same instant a numerous Army from the
Neighbour nation, poured in like a Flood, and uniting with a Malignant party in
the North, endeavoured a conjunction with the rest, that so they might swallow up
all the honest party, and restore the former Tyranny, against which both Nations had
not long before ingaged; and all this at such a time, when the Enemy (which was under
God, the most visible means of preserving both Parliament and Nation from utter ruine) was dispersed so far asunder, as did render them lesse able to oppose so
potent an enemy, and to defend themselves; The Lord did then gloriously make
bare his arm in the seasonable reduction of Wales, the totall defeat of that great army,
by lesse then half their number of men; wearied with service and long marches,
giving in divers victories (whereof we could not have wanted any one, without danger
of ruine, and our miscarrying in any one had been enough for the Enemies advantage)
the discipating of the severall partyes, the rendition of Colchester, and all
others the Towns and Castles; which by force or treachery they had surprized; and
thereby was pleased to give, not only a wonderfull deliverance to this Nation, from
being ruined in a second Warre, but a second compleat conquest over the Enemy
at home, and to bear witnesse against the Hypocricie and injustice of those invaders
from abroad as well by an utter overthrow here, as by breaking in their own countrey,
the whole power of that party, who had promoted that persideous engagement
by such an Authority as might denominate the Breach Nationall: All which
considered, the mercy appears so eminent and admirable, that the Parliament cannot
but recount it with all humble thankfulnesse unto God, and transmit the memory
of it to posterity; that the generations to come may praise him; And after all