It must have been his opinion that such means could not be found, for as soon as the war commenced, Whitelocke adhered closely to the parliamentary party, and accepted the office of deputy-lieutenant of the counties of Bucks and Oxford, in 1642. Having also a company of horse under his command, he dispersed the commissioners of array at Watlington, and then marching to Oxford, it was proposed to fortify that city and appoint him governor; but this was prevented by lord Say, for which that nobleman was much censured by the parliamentary párty. We find Whitelocke again among the forces which opposed the king at Brentford, and being now at open war with his sovereign, his seat at Fawley-court was plundered by a party of royalists. In January 1643, he was appointed one of the commissioners to treat of peace with the king at Oxford, and there seems no reason to doubt that he was not only active, but sincere in his efforts to accomplish this purpose. Why they were not more successful must be sought in the conduct of those who employed him, against which he seems to have ventured to remonstrate. Adhering, however, still to the cause he had espoused, he was one of the laymen appointed to sit in the Westminster assembly of divines; and there, as well as in parliament, was the strenuous opponent of those who were for asserting the divine right of presbytery,

In 1644 he was constituted lieutenant-governor of Windsor castle, and the same year he was again appointed one of the commissioners for peace at Oxford. On this occasion the king expressed much esteem for Mr. Whitelocke, and Mr. Holles, and said he believed them sincere in their wishes for peace. As they were about to take leave, the king desired they would set down in writing what they ap prehended might be proper for him to return in answer to the propositions that they had brought from the parliament, and what they thought most likely to promote a peace between him and them. At first they were somewhat. averse to this, thinking it rather inconsistent with the trust reposed in them by parliament. But the king urging it, they at length complied with his request; and going into a private room, and disguising his hand, Whitelocke wrote down what he and Holles judged to be fit for the substance of his majesty's answer to the proposals of peace they had brought, and left it upon the table of his withdrawing-room. Fair as this proceeding might be consi

dered by men really disposed to peace, it met with a very different reception from the parliamentary party. Lord Savile, who was then with the king at Oxford, but afterwards went over to the parliament, having heard of the transaction, sent to the House of Commons in July 1645, an accusation of high treason against Whitelocke and Holles. They were accordingly prosecuted, but after a long and strict examination, were acquitted by a vote of the House, July 21, of any misdemeanour in this business; and were left at liberty to prosecute Lord Savile, then a prisoner in the Tower, for the injury he had done them in this accusation. About this time Whitelocke was nominated attorney of the dutchy of Lancaster; and in 1645 was made steward of the revenues of Westminster college, and one of the commissioners of the admiralty. The same year he was appointed one of the commissioners at the treaty of Uxbridge, and attended there.

Many of the presbyterian clergy who had lately complained of the exorbitant power exercised by the bishops, having now gained the ascendant, were desirous of shewing the nation what it gained by the change, and the assembly of divines petitioned the House of Commons that "in every presbytery, or presbyterian congregation, the pastor, or ruling elders might have the power of excommunication, and the power of suspending such as they should judge ignorant or scandalous persons from the sacrament." But Whitelocke, among others, zealously opposed this, and concluded one of his speeches with saying, "The best excommunication is, for pastors, elders, and people, to excommunicate sin out of their own hearts and conversations; to suspend themselves from all works of iniquity; this is a power, which put in execution, through the assistance of the Spirit of God, will prevent all disputes about excommunication and suspension from the sacrament."

In the same year (1645) the House of Commons ordered, that all the books and manuscripts of the lord keeper Littleton (whose estate had been sequestered) should be bestowed upon Mr. Whitelocke; and the speaker was directed to issue his warrant for that purpose. In his "Me-' morials" Whitelocke says, " he undertook this business, as he had done others of the like kind, to preserve those books and manuscripts from being sold, which the sequestrators would have done; but he saved them, to have the present' use of them; and resolving, if God gave them an happy

accommodation, to restore them to the owner, or to some of his family." On other occasions, Whitelocke shewed his regard to the interests of literature, particularly in preventing the king's library and collection of medals from being sold or embezzled. "Being informed," he says, "of a design in some to have them sold and transported beyond sea, which I thought would be a dishonour and damage to our nation, and to all scholars therein; aud fearing that in other hands they might be more subject to embezzling, and being willing to preserve them for public. use, I did accept of the trouble of being library keeper at St. James's, and therein was encouraged and much persuaded to it by Mr. Selden, who swore that if I did not undertake the charge of them, all those rare monuments of antiquity, those choice books and manuscripts, would be lost; and there were not the like of them, except only in the Vatican, in any other library in Christendom.” was also very serviceable in preserving the herald's office, and in promoting the ordinance for settling and regulating the same. And while general Fairfax was engaged in the siege of Oxford, he sent for Whitelocke, who was admitted into the council of war, and used all his interest to procure honourable terms for the garrison, and to preserve the colleges and libraries from being plundered.

He

Whitelocke was one of those who opposed in the House of Commons the disbanding of the parliamentary army, and from this time was much courted by Cromwell and his adherents. He says himself that he resorted much with sir Henry Vane, and "other grandees of that party." As to Cromwell, he had been once consulted by general Essex's party, who were jealous of him, whether he could not be proceeded against as an incendiary. Whitelocke was of opinion that he could not, but at the same time expressed his sentiments of him in the following language: "I take lieut.-gen. Cromwell to be a gentleman of quick and subtle parts, and one who hath (especially of late) gained no small interest in the House of Commons, nor is he wanting of friends in the House of Peers, nor of abilities in himself to manage his own part or defence to the best advantage. If this be so, it will be the more requisite to be well prepared against him before he be brought upon the stage, lest the issue of the business be not answerable to your expectations." Wood says that Whitelocke gave Oliver notice of this plot against him, but Whitelocke attributes the dis

covery to some present who were false brethren, and informed Cromwell of all that passed among them.

Be this as it may, he was now quite in the confidence of Cromwell and his adherents. As he had attended at the siege of Oxford, so he did also at that of Wallingford, where he acted the part of secretary, and kept a strong garrison in his seat of Fawley-court, for the use of the prevailing powers. In Dec. 1646, we find him earnestly promoting the ordinances for taking away all coercive power of committees; and all arbitrary power from both or either of the houses of parliament, or any of their committees, in any matter between party and party, judging that to be for the honour of parliament, and the ease and right of the people; and being well skilled in foreign affairs, he was usually in every committee relating to them. At the same time he did not neglect his profession, but attended the assizes, and was much employed. In Sept. 1647, the city of London were very desirous of appointing him to the office of recorder, but this he declined, as well as that of speaker of the House of Commons. He was soon after appointed one of the commissioners of the great seal, and sworn into that office April 12, 1648, with a salary of 1000l. a year. He now resigned his place of attorney of the duchy of Lancaster, which, with his practice, amounted to more than he gained by his new office, while even in it he soon began to think himself insecure, and looked upon the self-denying ordinance, as it was called, to be contrived to remove him. When the army began to controul the House of Commons, be made some of those salutary reflections, which, it is to be regretted, did not occur sooner to him. "We may take notice," said he, "of the uncertainty of worldly affairs; when the parliament and their army had subdued their common enemy, then they quarrelled among themselves, the army against the parliament; when they were pretty well pieced together again, then the apprentices and others made an insurrection against the parliament and army. Thus we were in continual perplexities and dangers, and so it will be with all who shall engage in the like troubles." The fate of the unhappy king being determined, Whitelocke was appointed one of the committee of thirty-eight, who were to draw up a charge against his majesty; but he never attended, as he totally disapproved of that measure, and therefore went into the country. He returned to London, however, while the king's trial was pending, but took

no concern with it, and refused afterwards to approve the proceedings of the high court of justice, as it was called. His memorandum on the king's death is thus expressed: "Jan. 30, I went not to the House, but stayed all day at home in my study and at my prayers, that this day's work. might not so displease God, as to bring prejudice to this poor afflicted nation.” That he was sincere in all this, or in some of his former professions respecting peace, seems very doubtful, for on Feb. 1 following, he declared in the House of Commons his disapprobation of the vote of Dec. 5, namely, "That his majesty's concessions to the propositions of the parliament, were sufficient grounds for settling the peace of the kingdom." He also drew up the act for abolishing the House of Lords, although he had declared his opinion against it, and also introduced a declaration to satisfy the minds of the people as to the proceedings of parliament.

On Feb. 8, he was appointed one of the three lords commissioners of the new great seal of the commonwealth of England. He appears disposed to apologize for accepting this office, and his apology is a curious one; "because he was already very deeply engaged with this party: that the business to be undertaken by him was the execution of law and justice, without which men could not live one by another; a thing of absolute necessity to be done." On the 14th of the same month, he was chosen one of the thirty persons who composed the council of state. A few months after he was elected high-steward of Oxford. The commissioners of the great seal being about this time in want of a convenient dwelling, parliament granted them the duke of Buckingham's house. In June, Whitelocke made a learned speech to the new judges in the court of Common-pleas, who were then sworn into their offices. In November, he opposed a motion made in the House of Commons, that no lawyers should sit in parliament; and in 1650 made a very learned speech in the House, in defence of the antiquity and excellence of the laws of England.

In Sept. 1651 Whitelocke was appointed, with three other members of parliament, to go out of town to meet Cromwell, then on his way to London, and congratulate him upon his victory at Worcester. Shortly after Whitelocke was present at a meeting at the speaker's house, where several members of parliament, and principal officers of the army were assembled, by Cromwell's desire, to con