Proceedings in the Opening Session of the Long Parliament

Volume 5 of Proceedings in the Opening Session of the Long Parliament covers the period from 7 June through 17 July 1641, during which time the Act of Pacification with Scotland was finalized; this is the penultimate volumeof text in the edition. Volume 5 of Proceedings in the Opening Session of the Long Parliament covers the period from 7 June through 17 July 1641 and is the penultimate volume of text in the edition. Volume 6 will contain the proceedings from 19 July to the recess on 9 September 1641. The last volume of the edition will contain the comprehensive index and various appendixes and tables. In the summer months of 1641 as parliamentarians prepared for a recess and reunions with families from whom they had been long separated, their accomplishments were apparent: important bills had been passed, impeachments were drafted, Strafford was beheaded and peace with Scotland was on the verge of becoming a reality. Much of the business introduced in the course of the daily meetings since the convening of parliament in November 1640 was touched upon in the last months of summer before the adjournment in September. The effort to complete what was earlier begun is apparent in the topics of debate listed in the Orders of Business for each day. The finalizing of the Act of Pacification with Scotland was the work of these months. The disbanding of troopson both sides, the organizing of the disposition of their weapons, and the settling of the complicated financial arrangements relating to almost all aspects of the peace were a major part of the work described in this volume andcontinued in volume 6. Maija Jansson is Director of the Yale Center for Parliamentary History