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powerful perfons, whom he foon got the better

fel is defired, I fhall obey his commands, and briefly recite the business to you. You ken vary weele that • lieutenant general Cromwell is no friend of ours, and

fince the advance of our army into England, he hath <ufed all underhand and cunning means to take off ⚫ from our honor and merit of this kingdom; an evil • requital of all our hazards and fervices: but fo it is,

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and we are nevertheless fully fatisfied of the affections ⚫ and gratitude of the gude people of this nation in the general. It is thought requifite for us, and for the carrying on of the cause of the tway kingdoms, that this ob• ftacle or remora may be removed out of the way, whom we forefee will otherwife be no fmall impediment to us, and the gude defign we have undertaken. He not only is no friend to us, and the government of our church, but he is alfo no well-willer to his Excellency, whom you and we all have caufe to love and honour; and if he be permitted to go on in his ways, it may, I fear, endanger the whole bufinefs; therefore we are to advise of some course to be taken for prevention of that mifchief. You ken very wele the accord 'twixt the twa kingdoms, and the union by the folemn league and covenant, and if any be an incendiary between the twa nations, how is he to be proceeded againft; Now the matter is, wherein we defire your opinions, what you tak the meaning of this word incendiary to be, and whether lieutenant general Cromwell be not ficke an incendiary, as is meant thereby, and whilke way wud be best to tak to pro'ceed against him, if he be proved to be ficke an incendiary, and that will clepe his wings from foaring to the prejudice of our caufe. Now you may ken that by our law in Scotland we clepe him an incendiary whay kindleth coals of contention, and raifeth differences in the flate to the publick damage, and he is tanquam publicus hoftis patria; whether your law be the fame or not, you ken best who are mickle learned

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therein,

(1) Whitlock's Memorials, p. 116.

better of, by craft, diffimulation, hypocrify, and

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therein, and therefore with the favour of his Excellency we defire your judgments in thefe points (/).' Whitlock in anfwer hereunto obferved, that the sense of the word incendiary was the fame in both nations; but whether Cromwell was one depended on proofs; • if proofs were wanting, he was none; if fuch were at hand, he might be proceeded against in parliament.' He moreover obferved, that it became not perfons of their honor and authority to appear in any bufinefs, efpecially of an accufation, but fuch as they faw could be clearly made out, and be brought to the effect intended. Cromwell's parts were then defcribed; his intereft in the houfe of commons, and even in the house of peers, and his abilities to manage his own defence to the best advantage. He advised therefore that the matter for the present might be dropt; that the proofs against him might be collected, and then they might confult and advise afresh. Maynard concurring in the fame opinion, the affair was at a ftand, and nothing came of it: though • Mr. Hellis, and Sir Philip Stapylton, and fome others, fpake smartly to the bufinefs, and mentioned fome particular paffages, and words of Cromwell's tending to prove him to be an incendiary; and they did not apprehend his intereft in the house of commons to be fo much as was supposed; and they would willingly have been upon the accufation of him (m).' This was at the latter end of the year 1644. Mr. Whitlock clofes his account of this remarkable converfation with the following words: I had fome caufe to believe, that at this debate, fome who were prefent, were false brethren, and informed Cromwell of all that paft among us, and after that Cromwell, though he took no notice of any particular paffages at that time, yet he feemed more kind to me and Mr. Maynard than he had been formerly, and carried on his design more (n) Id. ibid. actively of making way for his own advancement (n).' This was the fate of Cromwell: envy followed his great

(m) Id. p. 117.

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the usual arts of men bent on defeating the defigns

deeds, and deep defigns were laid for clipping his wings, ere he seemed to have done any thing to have deserved fuch treatment. We need not wonder after this, that he opposed the Scots, Effex and Hollis, and that they entertained a deadly hatred of him. The charge advanced against Cromwell here, was that he was no friend to the Scots, and the government of their church, and no well wifher to Lord Effex. The charge indeed might be true enough; though a poor foundation for a parliamentary profecution, at leaft if juftice had taken place. Probable 'tis he thought the bufinefs in which he was engaged might have been done without the Scots; that they might bring about a peace in conjunction with Effex, very different from his wifhes; and as for their church government, he, with many other fenfible men, had a great difrelish of it. 'Tis well enough known, that when the parliament applied for affiftance to the Scots, it was granted among other things upon condition of their taking a folemn league and covenant together with the Scottish nation, whereby they bound themselves among other particulars, to endeavour to bring the

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churches of God, in the three kingdoms, to the near'est conjunction and uniformity in religion, confeffion of faith, form of church government, directory for worship and catechizing. And in like manner, without refpect of perfons; to endeavour the extirpation of popery, prelacy, (that is, church government by arch-bishops, bifhops, their chancellors and commiffaries, deans, deans and chapters, arch-deacons, and all other ecclefiaftical officers depending on that hierarchy) fuperftition, herefy, fchifm, profaneness, and whatsoever fhall be found to be contrary to found doctrine and the power of godlinefs.And they were alfo by the fame covenant to endeavour with their eftates and lives mutually to preferve the rights and priviledges of the parliaments, and the liberties of the kingdoms; and to preferve and defend the King's

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'Ma

(o), Parlia

mentary Hiftory,

397. 8vo.

Lond. 1753.

figns of their foes, and advancing their own (u); by deep diffimulation, I fay, and

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his

Majesty's perfon and authority, in the preservation and defence of the true religion and liberties of the kingdoms, that the world might bear witness of their loyalty, and that they had no thoughts or intentions to diminish his Majefty's juft power and greatnefs (0).' vol. xii. P. This covenant was taken by both houfes of parliament, Sept. 25, 1643, and all the officers of the army were ftrictly enjoined to do the fame, as well as the people throughout the kingdom. Cromwell therefore must have taken it; but in the fame manner as men take many other things, much against his mind, though he had art enough then to conceal his diflike: for it cannot be thought but it must be very difagreeable to him to be bound to introduce a difcipline his large foul abhorred, and to preserve and defend a prince whom he was to fight againft, and whofe power and greatnefs were the objects of his dread. In fhort, Cromwell came not into the fchemes of the Scots, either religious or political, and confequently was hated by them.

(v) By craft, diffimulation and hypocrify, he got the better of bis fees. No man was ever more taxed with hypocrify and diffimulation than Cromwell: his enemies were continually reproaching him with it; his friends could not deny it; and the truth of hiftory requires it fhould be fully laid open. For every thing is ufeful: vices and follies inftruct as well as virtues: though wife men only profit by them.Let us hear the accufations against Oliver on this head. If craft be wisdom, fays Mr. Cowley, and diffimulation wit (affifted both and improved with hypocrifies and perjuries) I muft not deny him to have been fingular in both; but fo grofs was the manner in which he made ufe of them, that as wife men ought not to have believed him at first, fo no man was fool enough to believe him at last; neither did any man feem to do it, but those who thought they gained as much by that diffembling, as

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his intereft in the army, and the house of

com

he did by his. His very actings of godlinefs grew at laft as ridiculous, as if a player by putting on a gown, fhould think he reprefented excellently a woman, though his beard at the fame time were feen by all the fpectators. If you ask me why they did not hifs, and explode him off the ftage, I can only anfwer, that they durft not do fo, because the actors and door-keepers were too ftrong for the company. I 'must confess that by thefe arts (how grofly foever managed, as by hypocritical praying, and filly preaching, by unmanly tears and whinings, by falfhoods and perjuries, even diabolical) he had at firft the good for'tune, (as men call it, that is the ill fortune) to attain his ends; but it was because his ends were fo unreafonable, that no human wisdom could foresee them; which made them who had to do with him believe that he was rather a well meaning and deluded bigot, than a crafty and malicious impoftor (p). Another (p)Difcourfe concerning writer who alfo lived in Cromwell's time, and wrote Oliver when he was in the height of his power, expreffes him- Cromwell, felf in the following manner: Had not his highness had a faculty to be fluent in his tears, and eloquent in his execrations; had he not had fpongie eyes, and a fupple confcience; and befides to do with people of great faith, but little wit: his courage, and the reft of his moral virtues, with the help of his janiffaries, • had never been able so far to advance him out of the reach of justice, that we should have need to call for · any other hand to remove him, but that of the hangman (9). And again-He hath found indeed that (9) Killing in godliness there is great gain; and that preaching no Murder, and praying well managed, will obtain other king- p. 6.40. 6 doms, 1689 *.

P. 88.

Lond.

* Killing no murder has been almost universally given to Colonel Titus. But in a narrative touching Colonel Edward Sexby, [of whom there is an account in Clarendon, vel. vi. p. 640] who lately died a prisoner in the Tower, dated Jan. 20, 1657. O. S. it is faid, that he owned the book called Killing no Murder; and faid he was ftill of that Judgment. See Mercurius Politicus, No. 399. p. 252. and Thurloe, vol. vi

P. 560.

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