Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II. HISTORY OF THE AGREEMENT OF THE PEOPLE. The Army and the Democrats of Southwark.—John Lilburne.— The Remonstrance of 1646.—Disbanding of the Troops.— The Agitators.—The Rendezvous of Newmarket and of Triploe Heath.—Declaration to Parliament.—The Policy of Cromwell.—The Grandees and the Democrats. — " The Case of the Army truly Stated."—Sketch of the Agreement. —Debates in the Council of Officers.—Resistance of Cromwell.—The Rendezvous at Ware.—Military Execution. —Firmness of the Democrats.—Their Victory over Cromwell.— The Agreement presented to Parliament by the General-in-Chief. The defeat of Presbyterianism meant in politics the defeat of parliamentary monarchy, and in religion the end of a national Church, and consequently of compulsion in matters of conscience. The triumph of Independency was the triumph of republicanism and toleration. Such, roughly summed up in a general formula, is the idea we may make to ourselves of the two great parties which had contended for supremacy about the time of the execution of Charles the First. Of the two principles represented by the victors, the second only had originally appeared at the head of their demands. Cromwell had used it as a standard, round which to gather all sects and all sections. In the Biblical language in use at the time, in the pamphlets of the Presbyterian party, tolerance was called the "great Diana" of the Independents. A republic was the point last admitted into their scheme, a solution which had forced itself upon them, after the failure of every attempt which had been made to come to an understanding with the King. It was not an object aimed at from the beginning. At the same time, it is necessary to add that this was only true of the leaders of the party. Outside the directing body, the ... --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.