THE FUNERAL OF THE Good old Cause: OR, A Covenant of Both Houses of Parliament Against The Solemn LEAGUE and COVENANT.   printer's device, flower encircled by motto 
HEB DDIM HEB DDIEV  
LONDON: Printed for R. Royston, 1661.   

 
Die Lunae 20. Maii 1661.  
THe Lords in Parliament assembled, having considered of a Paper sent unto them from the House of Commons, for burning of the Instrument or Writing, called, The Solemn League or Covenant, by the hands of the common Hangman; Do Order, That the said Instrument or Writing, called, The Solemn League and Covenant, be burned by the hands of the Common Hangman in the New Palace at Westminster, in Cheapside, and before the Old Exchange, on Wednesday the Twenty second of this instant May. And that the said Covenant be forthwith taken off the Record in the House of Years, and in all other Courts and places where the same is recorded; And that all Copies thereof be taken down out of all Churches, Chapels, and other public places in England and Wales, and in the Town of Barwick upon Tweed where the same are set up.  
Jo. Brown Cleric. Parliamentorum.   

BEfore this Order passed the Lord's House, the manner of giving sentence upon the Covenant took up much debate in both Houses. Many learned Speeches were made against it, very little said in defence of it. It will be needless to give an account of all the Motions made before the Condemnation of the Covenant: Some being for the sending the Bastard-child to his own Father, Scotland; Others, for the hanging it up upon all the Gallows, and Market-places within the Cities and Towns of England. I shall only give the Reader an account of one Speech made by a Member, in these following words, as it was delivered unto me.  

Mr. Speaker,  
I Perceive you are now Covenanting against the Covenant; entering into a new one, in protesting the destruction of the Old. He would have deserved the name of a bold Britain, who some years past, had made as many Objections against the Covenant, as have been now delivered in this House: And possibly he may be condemned with it, who shall plead any thing for it. However, Sir, Give me leave to take the freedom of a trueborn Englishman, who conceive myself chose by my Country, to express my sense freely in Parliament. Sir, to show you how un-interessed a person I am to speak in this business, let me assure you, I never took the Covenant, nor ever approved the pressing of it upon others. Had there appeared no other exceptions against it, I had cause enough to dislike the imposing it upon the Kingdom, by the sole Authority of an Ordinance of Parliament; a Precedent without a Precedent in this case. Oaths are not to be dallied with, but to be esteemed Sacred; not to be allowed of without the Authentic warrant of an Act of Parliament. Sir, If we look on the Original Designers & Contrivers of the Covenant, we shall without much dispute fix it on the Scots, (possibly with the consent of some Grandees here). Out of Scotland it dame. The ends of their pressing it upon us is obvious; To engage us with them, in the continuance of a seditious, factious, and (in my sense) rebellious War, against our lawful Sovereign his late Majesty, that blessed Saint and Martyr, now with God: (whose Memory cannot be too much honoured by all good men). Their design being to diminish not only the Greatness, and limit the Power of Ecclesiastical Persons, but wholly to extirpate root and branch, that most Ancient Government of the Church by Bishops, under whose umbrage and protection our Ancestors lived to see so many happy days; and, it was justly feared, by endeavouring irreligiously to abolish that holy Order (now so happily restored), they intended to make a prey of their Lands, which were afterwards sold and divided by sacrilegious hands; and by the sad consequence of such proceed, His Majesty's just Prerogative was certainly lessened. At the end of the War, when God (for the punishment of the sins of the Nation) had given victory to the Parliaments Forces over his Majesties, those then in power pressed the taking of it upon the Cavaliers, who were to compound; and forced them (as they since confessed) to take it against their Consciences, alleging with more wit than piety, that they had rather trust God with their Souls, than the Parliament with their Estates: In case they refused, they were not admitted to compound; but, I hope upon their repentance, God in mercy has pardoned them, their taking the Covenant, and their wicked Declaration, when they took it. I believe, Sir, the Covenant has occasioned much mischief and ●nconvenience to these Nations: But, Sir, give me leave to observe this to you, and so far to be patiently heard in the behalf of the Covenant, which cannot plead for it self: That it has of late contributed to the happy Restauration of his Majesty; which Assertion I thus prove to you: When several arguments were used by Persons of Honour to many considerable Citizens and others, for their endeavours to restore his Majesty, this at last prevailed; That they were engaged by their Covenant to restore him. And, Sir, had it been in the power, as we hope it was in the wills, of the Engagers to observe their Covenant, the last King had not suffered, nor his Family been exiled. Truly, Sir; I should, if I thought I might prevail, beg for a Reprieve of Sentence upon the poor despised Covenant, (or at least, an honourable Interment, or silent Burial) which I can hardly presume to do against the current stream of the House. Upon this consideration, that I cannot apprehend such a condemnation of the Covenant, and the Covenant-takers (which to many may seem harsh, if not scandalous, to the Protestant Religion here and abroad) any way conducing to the advantage of the King or his Subjects; but, on the other side, will much trouble and disquiet the spirits of many honest persons, who were very instrumental in restoring to his Rights our Gracious Sovereign; whom God long, long, long preserve to rule over us, so Excellent a Prince, hardly to be paralleled, never exceeded in any Age, being the greatest temporal blessing to be desired, and a most excellent effect of the Prayers of good people. I say, Sir, they have much contributed to the Restauration of his Majesty's Rights, and to our Liberties; I mean, the Presbyterian Party, who ought in this respect to be kindly & tenderly dealt with, as they were largely promised before the King's happy return. Many thousands, of whom, I charitable presume, had very honest intentions in the taking of it, and in their desires of keeping it, for the good of King and People. Sir, I crave your pardon for troubling you so long; I shall now end with a Quaere instead of a Motion, wherein I desire the declared sense of the House, Whether the Covenant be not comprehended in, and ought not to have the benefit of the Act of Oblivion; and if you shall please to put the Question, I shall give my Vote in the Affirmative.   

Upon Wednesday the Covenant was burnt according to the Order of Parliament.   
The End.