"For instance," he said, "if I should trust it to any one person or more to fill up the vacancies of the Army otherwise than it is in the _Petition and Advice_--which directs that the commanders-in-chief of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and the other field-officers, should be from time to time supplied by me, with the consent of the Council, leaving all other commissioned officers only to my disposal--I should therein break my trust and do otherwise than the Parliament intended.

It may as well be asked of me that I would commit it to some other persons to supply the vacancies in the Council, in the Lords' House, and all other magistracies.

I leave it to any reasonable man to imagine whether this be a thing in my power to do....

There hath also been some discourse about a Commander-in-chief.

You know how that stands in the _Petition_ and _Advice_, which I must make my rule in my government, and shall through the blessing of God stick close to that.