it, and withall, remembring the late effufion of blood upon no other account than to fecure religion, liberty and property, and the freedom, power and privileges of parliaments, as the bulwarks thereof; and that by thofe very hands who now overturn the very foundations of all liberty, right and property, and of the beings of parliaments; and our very fouls trembling at the loud cries of that fea of blood, and at the horrid clamours of the many falfified oaths and promifes made upon the fame account.'- - For the acquitting < therefore of their fouls, they folemnly protefted and re⚫ monftrated unto all the good people of England, that ❝ the violent exclufion of the people's deputies in parliament, doth change the ftate of the people from freedom into meer flavery; that fuch members of parliament as fhall approve the forcible exclufion complained of, or shall fit, vote and act, while many members are by force fhut out, are betrayers of the liberties of England, and adherents to the capital enemies of the commonwealth; and that the prefent affembly at Westminster, being under the awe and terror of the • Lord Protector, is not the reprefentative body of England, nor can tax or tallage be juftly or lawfully raised ⚫ by them (k).' (*) Whitlock, P. 456. This remonftrance being printed was fent in great 651. 'white boxes fome 1000 of them, to be left in several houses in London, and by them to be delivered out when called for.'-But the court having private intelligence of the matter, got four or five of the boxes from the owners of the houses,' and thereby prevented their being difperfed according to the intention of the () Thurloe, fubfcribers (4).I am forry to add, that many of the vol. v. p. gentlemen, who put their hands to this admirable remonftrance, were but meer talkers, and foon found a way to ingratiate themselves with the Protector, take their feats in the house, and fervilely adore him whom in such terrible colours they here blacken! So uncertain are the figns of patriotifm! But in juftice it must be faid that there were others of them who were true to their principles, and above being worked on by fear or flattery. Thefe at length, in virtue of an article in the Humble Pe Poffibly, however, fome perfons will find an Petition and Advice, which required that thofe perfons who were legally chofen by a free election of the people to ferve in parliament, fhould not be excluded from fitting therein, but by judgment and confent of the • house whereof they were members,' were also admitted to their feats January 20, 1657, O. S. The oath taken by them on this occafion, was in these words. I A. B. do, in the prefence, and by the name of God Almighty, promife and fwear, that, to the uttermoft of my power, in my place, I will uphold and maintain the true reformed, proteftant, chriftian religion, in the purity thereof, as it is contained in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Teftament, and encourage the profeffion and profeffors of the fame; and that I will be true and faithful to the Lord Protector of the commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, and the dominions and territories thereunto belonging, as chief magiftrate thereof; and shall not contrive or defign, or attempt any thing against the perfon or lawful authority of the Lord Protector; and fhall endeavour, as much as in me lies, as a member of parliament, the prefervation of the rights and liberties of the people (77).' Thus was the wife taken in his own craftiness! Men under a deep fenfe of injury, were now admitted into the house, who, it might have been forefeen, would ufe their utmoft endeavour to embarrass and perplex that government, which they had looked on and treated as ufurped and tyrannical. It must not be omitted that this parliament was diffolved alfo in great refentment by the protector.Thefe were the high and arbitrary proceedings of Cromwell ; () Liberty proceedings which might eafily induce a very ingenious and Right; writer to obferve that he who hated the tyrant, adpart i. p. mired the tyranny (n).” For what more odious in the Lond. 1747. reign of the conquered King, than these? What more oppofite to the principles of liberty and freedom? In the reign, or rather under the tyranny, of this fingle (m) Jour als. 39. 8vo. hand, an apology for fome of these (zzz) proceedings, . hand, the whole government and adminiftration contradicted the national conftitution; but this contra⚫diction, was planned by a craft and policy as dexterous, as it was new; and carried on by a genius as bold, as cunning. Cromwell, when mounted to the head of affairs, found the materials of liberty and freedom rooted in the people, but faw, that these materials were without form, without orders, and without laws, to bind and fecure them. The people were powerful, but ignorant and divided; divided in opinion, and ignorant of true government and real fecurity. Cromwell therefore applied himself to the times; encouraged, discountenanced, protected and oppreffed by turns, different fects and parties; and thus artfully keeping them divided in their religious and civil views, prevented the nation from uniting in any thing that < was natural and proper to freedom and liberty. The fame army which had conquered for the people, he (0) Liberty taught by mutilation, augmentation, largeffes and pri- and Right, vileges, to opprefs the people (o).'-How far this parti. p. is a juft reprefentation, the foregoing notes will enable 39. the reader to determine. (zzz) Some may find an apology-in, the fituation and circumftances of the Protector.] Civil war is naturally more fubject to rigour, fays Mr. Afcham, than other wars: because they who yefterday were enemies, would be inhabitants always. The conqueror fufpects that these will be the first infringers of his new laws; the violation of which ought at the beginning to be feverelieft cenfured, as of dangerous confequence.. • Wherefore for these reasons though the ufurper thought (p) Confunot of establishing himself in an abfolute jurifdiction, Revolutions yet at last he will find himfelf obliged to fecure his of Governconqueft by the fame means he obtained it. And men's, p. • Dido gave Eneas the true reason of the fame cafe (p).' 97. 12mo. Lond. 16.9. Res fions and (q) Prince, c. 17. Conmelot de la fult alfo A Houffay's notes on the place. 3 ceedings, in the fituation and circumftances Res dura & regni novitas me talia cogunt of VIRG. My cruel fate, DRYDEN. And doubts attending an unfettled ftate, This had long before, been taught by Machiavel, in the following words: When a prince would keep his fubjects united and faithful, he must not heed the reproach of cruelty; for if he makes a few examples of justice, he acts with lefs cruelty than those who, ⚫ through an excefs of mercy, fuffer many diforders to arife, which occasion rapine and murder. Now thefe ⚫ are prejudicial to the whole fociety; whereas particular • executions, which are ordered by the prince, affect • only particular men. Besides, all new governments are expofed to fo many dangers, that it is impoffible for a new prince to avoid the fcandal of being cruel.' Thus Virgil makes Dido fay, Res, &c. (9) If ever any prince upon earth had reafon to act on thefe principles, it was Cromwell. Without fome acts of feverity what could he have done? How tottering would have been his throne? How precarious his life? The cavaliers, the prefbyterians, the republicans, and the fifth-monarchy-men were all his foes, and even his moft intimate friends did not approve his management in a variety of refpects.Mr. St. John, between whom and the Protector there had been the nearest union, highly difliked his fetting up himself. He, [St. Jobn] fays Mr. Thurloe, was fo far from advifing Oliver to set up himself, that to the beft of my know⚫ledge and obfervation he was a great enemy to it, and hath often to me fpake against it. And as for that • called of the Protector. Had he accepted the king. called the Inftrument of Government, I never fpake with my Lord St. John, either about the whole, or any part of it (nor ever heard that any body elfe did) until fome months after it was published in print, when going to vifit him after a long and dangerous sickness, he told me, he had just then read our government; and taking it up in his hands, he caft it from him in great diflike, and fayed, is this all the fruit the ⚫ nation fhall have of their warre? or words to that purpose; and then tooke occafion to speak much against it. And as he had nothinge to doe in fettinge C up this government, foe neither was there, foe farr as I knowe or have heard, any communication of counfells between Oliver and him, mediately or ymme· diately, touchinge the management of any part of the publique affairs, my Lord St. John always refufinge to meddle in any thinge, but what concerned his place as a judge; and in that he refused to proceed upon any of the laws made under that government; for which he was complayned of to the counfell, and it was imputed to his example, that the judges refused to act upon the laft high court of juftice. Nor was hee (to my knowledge) advised with in the Petition and Advice. The truth is, that my Lord St. John was fo • far from being a confident, that fome, who loved and valued him, had fomething to doe to preferve him () Thurunder that government (r).' In a letter to Henry loe, vol. vii. Cromwell dated 16 December, 1656, he fays, "His high- P. 914. neffe meetes with his tryals here at home of all forts, beinge under daylye exercifes from one hand or other; and I with he may not have occafion to fay, My familiar friends, in whom I trusted, have lifted up the heele against me (s).' It appears alfo from a variety p. 708. of Mr. Secretary's letters, that the Protector's government was clogged with great difficulties, and that the oppofition made to it was fierce and violent. In a letter to Henry Cromwell, then major-general of the army in (1) Vol. v. |
