

By W. W. Ravenhill, Esq. 85 
Major-General Browne threw fresh fuel on the fire by discoursing 
of his personal grievances, (December, 1649). 
Disbrowe and others followed against or for the reception of the 
- petition. 
Sir A. Hazelrigge was permitted to speak again to the matter of 
the petition, and he did so warmly in the following words :— 
“The tenderness of liberty is great; specially in times of peace. We have 
had no war these 7 years. "I'were a little rebellion, [the Rising in the West] and 
some suffered. Blessed be God we have had none since. These men deny that 
they were ever sentenced, charged, or in arms. Some were acquitted by igno- 
ramus; These men are now sold into slavery amongst beasts. I could hardly 
hold from weeping when I heard the petition. 
The Cavaliers case to-day may be the Roundheads to-morrow. Do you not 
remember the abhorrence of the Parliament of the hanging of a man by Mar- 
tial Law in the French Expedition [1627]. Iam no Cavalier but if our liberties 
are come to this we have fought fair and caught a frog.” 
And after a speaker or two’ (one of whom told of the sending 
abroad of two or three thousand protestants—the Dunbar prisoners, 
1651), General Ludlow said 
‘¢ Tf the man had been in prison, he would not have moved for his liberty. The 
matter should be referred to a Committee.” 
And so the debate went on from hour to hour till “ the chair 
broke through and rose without a question!” ; but we gather from 
the above debate, what a wretched life those who went to Barbadoes 
experienced. Some appear to have been bound by deed to serve for 

1 Clarendon State Papers. Vol. iii., p. 447. 
Mr. Bever to the Lord Chancellor Hyde. 
«¢ The House is now upon a petition delivered to them from 50 gentlemen that were sold for slaves 
to the Barbadoes, by one North that belonged to his late Highness, and the Secretary Thurloe is 
accused for having a hand in it ; whereupon Mr. Secretary said he had not thought to have lived to 
this day to see such a thing as this brought before a Parliament, that was so justly and legally done 
by lawful authority, and that for reasons of State they must find 200 men, who they had notice were 
come over. Sir Henry Vane made reply, that he must use his own words, that he did not think to 
have lived to see the day that freeborn Englishmen (by their own countrymen) should be sold for 
slaves by such an arbitrary Government. Mr. Secretary presses what he can to possess the House 
that there is a plot in hand, and therefore he would have the Parliament set out an Act of Banish- 
ment, but as yet it is refused; and further, he relates that whilst the Cavaliers are petitioning for 
redress to the House, they are plotting to destroy both His Highness and them; whereupon one 
made answer, that he did believe that gentleman that spake last, would bring all men under the 
_ Rotion of Cavaliers, that did seek redress for the injuries done them by this arbitrary Government. 
This is all I shall trouble you with at present, but only that I am cordially Sir, 
Yours, &c. 
April 1, 1659,” 
(Mr. Beyer apparently dives into the anonymous) 
F2 
