furnish, and it being so fresh in memory, what sort of persons had
lately been in commission among us, to which add the many books then
printed by license, writ, some by men of the black, one of the green
cloth, wherein the absoluteness of the English monarchy is against
all law asserted.

"All these considerations put together were sufficient to make any
honest and well advised man to conceive indeed, that upon the passing
of this oath and declaration, the whole sum of affairs depended.

"It grew therefore to the greatest contest, that has perhaps ever
been in Parliament, wherein those Lords, that were against this oath,
being assured of their own loyalty and merit, stood up now for the
English liberties with the same genius, virtue, and courage, that
their noble ancestors had formerly defended the great Charter of
England, but with so much greater commendation, in that they had here
a fairer field and a more civil way of decision; they fought it out
under all the disadvantages imaginable; they were overlaid by
numbers; the noise of the House, like the wind, was against them, and
if not the sun, the fireside was always in their faces; nor being so
few, could they, as their adversaries, withdraw to refresh themselves
in a whole day's ingagement: yet never was there a clearer
demonstration how dull a thing is humane eloquence, and greatness
how little, when the bright truth discovers all things in their
proper colours and dimensions, and shining, shoots its beams thorow
all their fallacies. It might be injurious, where all of them did so
excellently well, to attribute more to any one of those Lords than
another, unless because the Duke of Buckingham and the Earl of
Shaftesbury, have been the more reproached for this brave action, it
be requisite by a double proportion of praise to set them two on
equal terms with the rest of their companions in honour. The
particular relation in this debate, which lasted many days, with
great eagerness on both sides, and the reasons but on one, was in the
next Session burnt by order of the Lords, but the sparks of it will
eternally fly in their adversaries' faces."[205:1]

In a letter to his constituents, dated April 22, 1675, Marvell was
content to say: "The Lords sate the whole day yesterday till ten at
night without rising (and the King all the while but of our addresses
present) upo