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A70200
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The history of the life & death of Oliver Cromwell the late usurper and pretended protector of England &c. / truely collected and published for a warning to all tyrants and usurpers by J.H.
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Heath, James, 1629-1664.
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1663
(1663)
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Wing H1335A; ESTC R28052
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10,139
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17
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designing a stratagem upon Faringdon House he was set upon by as vigilant a Commander as himself the Lord Goring and received a smart brush and the onely one throughout the War which now hastning to an end at the Fatal Nasby he was called from out the Isle of Ely whither he had been lately sent to secure it it being thought the King would have turn'd his now successeful Armes thitherward to assist the General who by his Letters to the Parliament had desired it That Unfortunate day the 14th of June 1646. owes it's dismalness to the Fortune of this Rebel whose Troops alone could glory in that Atchievment for the left wing of that Army where Ireton his Sonne in Law Commanded was absolutely routed and the main body solely distressed so that Cromwell alone assured that Victory So ended the first War with the Praises and Triumphs of this Man of War Adored and Worshipped by the Rascal Rabble of Independency who stuck not to Blaspheme God and his Scriptures attributing all those Hosanna's and Psalmes and Songs of Deliverance and Victory to this their Champion in effect making a meer Idol of Him which Phanatick Religious Veneration he mist not to improve though for the present he covered his ambition with modesty and humility ascribing all things in a Canting way of expression to the goodnesse and omnipotence of God which he frequently and impiously abused intituling it to all his wicked and Villanous designes and actions The War thus ended and the KING having escaped their Swords and so the main rub yet lay in the way to his projected soveraignty he resolved by Treachery to ruine him to that purpose that he might render the King indisposed to the Terms and Propositions of the Parliament which were hard and unreasonable enough besides he pretended to the King that the Army should take his part and declare for him as on the other side in the Parliament House privately in the Army telling them that the Kings designe of peace and Agreement was onely to get them Disbanded and then Hang them for their Rebellion he exasperated them against the King adding that God had hardned his heart against any composure and had rejected him and when all this would not doe but that the people every day more and more were undeceived and he conceived a fear they might rescue the King from Hampton-Court bring him to London which the King and all good men desired he contrived another wicked Device to the Kings Final Overthrow by scaring him with the Adjucators such were two selected out of each Company and Troop conspiracy to assassinate him and so making him flâ—e to the Isle of Wight a distant and sure prison from whence he never came but to his Death The King a while before was not ignorant of these Treacherous arts of Cromwell seeing nothing performed as to substance of what ever he promised and therefore did roundly Tax him with his Faithlessenesse who at the upshot told the King that He did misconstrue his words or else he remembred no such matter and that if it were so yet it were no time to perform them till the Discipline of the Army was recovered and chose Adjutators in a capacity to be questioned who were now most outragiously and uncontroulably violent against his person and Government with many more such Flams and Delayes and Traiterous Fallacies The King being in prison at Carisbroke Castle in the said Isle by the jugling of Cromwell with Hammond the Governour Brother to one of the Kings most affected Chaplains an ungrateful Fellow who owed himself to the Kings bounty several fresh attempts were made for his restitution that which particularly concerned this Oliver was the Welsh insurrection at Pembroke which Town in July after a brave defence was rendred to him and the Scots invasion under Duke Hamilton whose Army to which were joyned some Three Thousand English under Sir Marmaduke Langdale he totally defeated at Preston in Lancashire on the 17th of August and not long after the General Fairfax took in Colchester which had stood out Three months in expectation of relief from this Army upon the same account and pursued his Victory as farre as Scotland marching to Edenburgh and there making sure of a party dealing with Bribes and other forceable perswasions and making them disarm themselves to give him no disturbance or interruption in the accomplishing his most execrable Regicide for which he was now ready the expected advantages and opportunities being now in his Hand CHAP. VIII Cromwell turnes out the Parliament Murders the King sets up a Commonwealth who invading Scotland and Ireland make him their General CRomwell posting to London and he and his Sonne Ireton put the Council of Officers to demand Justice upon the King as the Capital Offendor and Authour of all the Troubles and Bloodshed which he so eagerly prosecuted that though the Parliament had nearly concluded with the King in the Isle of Wight after a full Treaty he by Col. Pride one that would venture upon any thing he was commanded by him Secludes twice the Major part of the Members and then packs up a Juncto of Army Blades of some Fifty who constitute a High Court of Justice by which the Martyr King was Traiterously and Barbarously Condemned and Beheaded January the 30. By the same Juncto and Rump of a Parliament the King ship and Government by a single Person was Voted uselesse and dangerous to which Cromwell freely assented as purposing to time his Ambition now the great Obstacle was removed But though the King and his Interest were defunct in England yet they were not in Ireland or Scotland whereupon Cromwell is made General for the Irish Expedition and though he was the only diswader of the Souldiery from that service during the quarrel betwixt the Independants and the Presbyterians and while he had accomplished his mischievous Ends upon the King yet now he is severely bent to transport such as the Lot should appoint which the Levelling party the Adjutators Whelps of his own Litter refusing and mutining them likewise under pretence of a Treaty and giving and receiving satisfaction their usual expressions he betraies and surprizes at Burford not daring to venture a Fight with them for fear of a Total defection of his own party and had the Ring-leaders shot to Death Having surmounted this difficulty he wafts his Army over into Iréland and presently storms Tredagh and understanding it was the Flower of the Kings Army set there to give him a repulse having twice bin beaten off he led his men himself the third time and entred and put all to the Sword having amused the defendants who maintained the breach but having then lost their Colonel were in some confusion through offer of Quarter and by that device got admittance with alike basenesse treachery and cruelty After that followed the rendition of most of that Kingdome the Lord Lievtenant thereof the Marquesse of Ormond being in no Condition to
resist him whereupon the Scotch War then newly beginning Cromwell was sent for over and the Presbyterian Ministers set on no doubt by some of his Agents having inveigled Fairfax with the unlawfulnesse of his engaging against their Gude brethren he laid down his Commission which was readily conferred on and taken up by Cromwell CHAP. IX Of Cromwells March into Scotland his Victories at Dunbar and Worcester and the reduction of that Kingdome GLadly did Oliver undertake this War for now he was sure to make the Army his own by placing and displacing of Officers long it was and many delayes were used by the Scots before they would be brought to Fight intending to starve the English Army which was neer done to their Hands and Oliver sneaking away Home when the precipitate blew cap greedy of Spoyle and Victory would needs fall upon them at Dunbar Sept. 3d. 1650. and were there by the prowesse and desperate Valour of their Enemies totally overcome Cromwell therefore now Marches back again to Edinburgh and buyes that impregnable Castle of the Traytor Dundasse and advances against King Charles the Second who lay Encamped by Sterling but he not stirring out of his fortified Camp and there being no other or further passage into Scotland but over the Frith an Arm of the Sea Cromwell wafts over most part of his Army and defeats a Scotch party while the King gives Cromwell the Go-by being two dayes march before him and after a tedious march came to Worcester August the 22d whither not long after came Cromwell in great doubt and perplexity by the way having left General Monk to carry on the War in Scotland who shortly after reduced the whole Kingdome and beset the Town being recruited and made up with his old Army to above Forty Thousand Men what shall I say of that Unfortunate day the King was Worsted and most miraculously escaped and so Cromwell might have leave to play But no such matter the time was come he had long expected to act his own Game and appear in it for himself for by the year 1653. Scotland and Ireland being wholy subdued in the hands of his most trusty Privado's and Confidents his New Son-in-Law Fleetwood for Ireton was dead of the Plague at Limbrick being Deputy of Ireland and General Monck Governour of Scotland he proposeth to the Parliament the desires of the Army for their Dissolution to make way for succession of a new Representative which they endeavouring to delay and to impose upon him with the necessities of their sitting a little while longer his Ambition could brook no longer retardments but sent Major General Harrison on the 20th of Aprill 1653. to out their Rump-ships which he accordingly did to the general rejoycing of the people who considered nor cared who should come next so they were rsid of these CHAP. X. How Cromwell ordered the Government afterward and how he made himself Lord Protector of England AFter the RUMP was thus dissolved Oliver by the advise forsooth of his General Councel of Officers erected a Councel of State of such as were true to his Interest and the Army and were well Fledg'd with the spoyles of the Kingdome but perceiving that was but a slender Authority to derive the Government to himself which was the first and last thing intended he called a pickt Conventicle of the like batch as himself and his Followers all of the Godly party whom he stiled a Parliament the name whereof was enough to Authorize and Dignifie the Resignation of the Authority they had from to him their odious actions moreover would make a single person himself more acceptable For these wild Fellows were upon Abolishing the Ministry and opening the Floodgate to Heresie and Atheisme when Cromwell dissolved them and with them discarded his old Friend and their darling Major General Harrison who was tampering with the Army to unhorse Oliver but he smelt him out and Cashiered him as he did his Trusty Friend Lambert soon after as finding they were both greater in the Army then his Safety and Interest would suffer so impossible it is for brethren in iniquity long to continue in Love and Friendship Oliver would endure no Competitor but resolved to be Single and Supreme CHAP. XI How Oliver was sworn Protector and how be managed the Government briefly THat little or foolish Parliament being divided among themselves one part thereof resigned their power unto Oliver who straight with caused the Commissioner of the Seale Mr. Lisle to Administer him an Oath on the 16th of December 1653. before the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of the City of London in Westminster-Hall to observe a Module of Government in Forty Two Articles which instrument of his as was said was found in my Lady Lamberts placket and thereupon he was proclaimed Lord Protector in February he was feasted sumptuously in the City and Knighted the Lord Mayor as he did many other afterwards upon whom he had better have pissed he made also one Lord but he never owned it Now though he was proclaimed Protector yet he knew the people took him for no such thing therefore he called a parliament according to Form thinking to have been declared so by them but they would not own him or his Authority Seeing therefore he could neither get Reputation nor Money at home he resolved to have it from the King of Spains West-Indies but at Hispaniola his Forces under General Venables were strangely defeated and forced to plant themselves in Jamaica and fight for Bread instead of Gold He likewise started several plots the Fox was the finder against Cavaliers such as Colonel Gerrard and afterwards Colonel Penruddock maintaining intelligence at the price of 1500. per annum with one Manning a Clerk to the Kings Secretary who then resided at Colen who discovered most of the Kings Councel till he was discovered himself and executed on purpose to terrifie people and those especially from rising against him Now when Oliver saw he could not attaine his will by whole Parliaments he resolved on his old expedient to garble a Parliament Call it and then Cull it which he did and secluded those Members that would not before they entred recognize and own his Highnesse by which means two parts of three were excluded and he by the remainder complemented with the stile of King but for fear of Lambert and Harrison and indeed the whole Kingdome especially the Army he durst not accept of it but was content to take the Title of Protector from their Hands and was accordingly on the 16th of June 1657. Solemnly installed by the Speaker Sir Thomas Widdrington again in Westminster-Hall and the Parliament adjourned who had likewise passed an Act for erecting of a thing called another House consisting of such Lords as Pride Hewson and Barkstead but upon the meeting of a full House after the Adjournment all this new structure was questioned even to Oliver himself who thereupon in a passion and transported beyond his vizarded sanctity with an Oath by the Living God dissolved them In the year 1658. he assisted the French against the Spaniard and helped them to take Dunkirk which for his pains he had delivered to him and no doubt it was the best service he ever did to his Countrey But during this unenvied triumph having drencht his polluted hands in more innocent and Loyal Blood namely that of Dr. Hewet and Sir Henry Slingsby God put a Hook into the mouth of this Leviathan and having snatcht away his beloved Daughter Claypoole just before on the 3d. of September 1658. his great successful day he was hurried in a Tempest out of the world which he had so long troubled and on the 16th of November following was most magnificently buried to the onely sorrow of those who furnished the Mourning and Pageantry thereof leauing his Wife Elizabeth alias Jone with two Sonnes Richard who succeeded till he tamely and Cowardly resigned is now fled for his Fathers Debts Henry and a Daughter ycleped Francis Rich. A Person as it was well charactered of him fit to be a Prince of Tartars or Cannibals Before the King returned into England Colonel Henry Cromwell Sonne of Sir Oliver Cromwell obtained license of the King to change that hateful name into Williams which was the name of this Family before they married with a Daughter and Heir of of Cromwell which was upon Condition they should take her Name as well as Estate FINIS