n end to all arbitrary
power. There were to be free and full Parliaments once in three years
at farthest; there was to be no violent interference in future with
the process of Parliament, no exclusion of any persons that had been
duly returned by the constituencies; and his Highness and Council
were not to make ordinances by their own authority, but all laws, and
changes or abrogations of laws, were to be by Act of Parliament.
Oliver was to be King, if he chose, and a King with very large
powers; but he was to keep within Statute.[1]

[Footnote 1: Whitlocke, IV. 286 and 289; Commons Journals of March
2, 3, and 24, 1656-7, and March 25, 1657 (whence I have recovered
the original wording of Article I. of the Address).]

On March 2 and 3 the First Article of the Address was debated, with
the result that it was agreed to _postpone_ any vote on the
first and most important part of the Article, offering Oliver the
Kingship, but with the passing of the second part, offering him,
whether it should be as King or not, the power of nominating his
successor. A motion for postponing the vote on this part also was
lost by 120 to 63. Then, on the 5th, Article II., proposing
Parliaments of _two Houses_, was discussed, and adopted without a
division; after which there were discussions and adoptions of the
remaining proposals, day after day, with occasional divisions about
the wording, till March 24. On that day, the House, their survey of
the document being tolerably complete, went back on the
_postponed_ clause of the First Article, involving the
all-important question of the offer of the Kingship. Through two
sittings that day, and again on March 25 (New Year's Day, 1657),
there was a very anxious and earnest debate with closed doors, the
opposition trying to stave off the final vote by two motions for
adjournment. These having failed, the final vote was taken (March
25); when, by a majority of 123 to 62, the Kingship clause was
carried in this amended form: "That your Highness will be pleased to
assume the name, style, title, dignity, and office of King of
England, Scotland, and Ireland, and the respective Dominions and
Territories thereunto belonging, and to exercise the same according
to the laws of these Nations." Then, it seemed, all was over, except
verbal revision of the entire address. Next day (March 26) it was
referred to a Committee, with Chief Justice Glynne for Chairman, to
perform this--i.e. to "consider of the title,