of Clouts or in Show or a meer Duke of Venice Then their own Declaration printed and published shewed how well Arbitrariness thrived when they owned That their Votes were not to be questioned either by King or People That no Precedents could bound their proceedings That the Soveraign Power resides in the two Horses That the King hath no negative Voyce That a levying War against the personal Commands of the King tho he were present is not a levying War against the King but that a levying War against his Laws and Authority is levying War against the King which was levying War against them That Treason could not be committed against the person of the King otherwise then he was intrusted That they had power to judge of his Actions and whether he discharged his trust or not and that they were only judges of the Law Their Arbitrary putting to death of Yeomans and Boucher at Bristol and others at London for endeavouring to shew their Royalty to their King and Acting against them and their illegal Authority Voting and making a new Seal and breaking all the Kings old Seals Privy Signets of the King's bench Exchequer Court of Wards Admiralty c. Beheading of several persons by a Court martial against Law and Equity Putting Arch-Bishop Laud to Death after four years Imprisonment Their taking the Scotch solemn League and Covenant for the Extirpation of Episcopacy and the alteration of Religion â—sâ—â—blished by Law contrâ—ry to Law and according to their own illegal and Arbitrary proceedings With many more Acts of the same nature which plainly declared to all the World how far they had deviated from their first more plausible Pretexts But all this while I say by the Kings great Concession in yielding to pass that Act which wrought him so much Mischief they seemed to have a shadow of Power from the King and acted as an House tho contrary to the King the Laws of the Land the Liberty of the Subject and against Equity Conscience and Religion But now after the King had been delivered up to them from the Scots and that they had subdued all his Forces and Garrisons Ragland Castle in Wales being the last that held out for his Majesty then they shewed their power more manifestly and that their Intentions were to usurp the Regal Authority altogether having thus far tasted the sweetness of it and thrived in their Rebellion On the 4 th of June 1647. a Party of Horse under Cornet Joyce seized the King at Holdenby where he was under restraint by the Parliaments order and Carried him away to the Army and thence by them brought to Hampton Court about the middle of August where both the Parliament and Army make to him their several unjust Proposals after the insolent manner of Victors which the King could in no ways grant being contrary to his Conscience his Crown and Dignity At the same time the Independant Officers of the Army kept their chief Cabals at Putnâ—y where it was proposed among them That it was not safe for them nor the Kingdom to grant any Power to the King That it was not for them to set up a Power which God had determined to pull down That the power of Kings was grown a burthen to the Nation and that the reason of all their Distractions in their Counsels was from their Compliance to save that man of Bood and to uphold the Tyranny which God by their many Successes had declared against Where also Major General Harrison made a speech pressing them to the taking off the King Who having notice of these wicked Agitators Actions makes his escape from Hampton Court leaving a Letter behind him intending to get over to the Islâ— of Jersey but being in the Isle of Wight he put himself under the Protection of Collonel Hammond a Parliament man and Governour there who sending â—otice thereof to the Parliament they Vote That he should be continued in the Castle of Cowes That no Malignants shall stay in the Island That no Delinquent or Forreigner should be permitted to come to him without the Parliaments leave That five Thousand pounds should be advanced for his Accommodation and That tâ—eâ— would consider who should attend his Person In the mean time the Independent party of the Army cause a Mutiny which tho quelled by the Industry of Cromwel and his Son-in-Law Ireton yet it caused them to alter their Councels and to joyn with them against the Parliament and all accommodation whatsoever with the King The King sends a Letter to the Parliament from the Isle of Wight dated November 18. 1647. superscribed to the Speaker of the House of Lords to be communicated to the House of Commons In which he granted for Peace-sake the setling of Presâ—ytery for three years And the Militia in the hands of the Parliament during his Reign with a Proviso by Patent that then it should return again to his Successors And also that they should have the Choice of his Privy Councellors and desired earnestly to have with them a personal treaty in London After a long debate upon this Letter the Commissioners of Scotland also pâ—â—ssing them to comply with the Kings just desires on the 26 th of November they concluded That four Previous Acts should be drawn up and sent to the King to which if he would sign they Voted That they then would admit of a personal Treaty with him These unreasonable Proposals drawn into form of Acts were these First an Act for raising settling and maintaining Forces by Sea and Land c. In which they fully and wholly divested the King of the Militia his 〈◊〉 and Successors for ever and gave an unlimitted power to the two houses to raise what Forces they please for Land or Sea and of what persons they please and what Money they please to maintain them The second was that all Declarations Oaths Proclamations against the Parliament might be recalled or against all or any that adhered to them The third an Act that those Peers that were made after the great Seal was carried away from the Parliament might be made uncapable of sitting in the house of Peers And lastly That Power may be given to the two Houses to adjourn themselves as they think fit By these you may easily perceive to what height they were come of all unreasonableness These were presented to the King at Carisbrook Castle in the Isle of Wight on the 24 th of December 1647 by the Earl of Denby the Lord Mountague Lisle Goodwin Bunkley and Kemp Commissioners from both Houses of Parliament The King it may well be thought having no desire to dethrone himself and enslave his Subjects refused the Bills and desired to Treat personally sending them his reasons in Writing Whereupon Sr. Tho. wroth moves the House That the King who had Acted like a Mad man should be secured in some inland Castle with sure Guards That Articles of Impeachment should be drawn up against him That he should be wholly lay'd by
Rocks Nor the People into the like Rebellion in seeking to avoid Arbitrary Government or some Shadows of it bring it upon themselves totally to the subverting the Monarchy and the Fundamental Laws of the Land To the intent then that they may see the difference between the happy Reign of lawful Kings and usurping Tyrants we have Collected the illegal Acts and bloody Persecutions of those Usurpers of Arbitrary Government the Rump and Oliver that by the matter of Fact the People may be convinced and deterred from thinking of Rebelling against their lawful Prince since 't is the only way to bring in Arbitrary Government whose most horrid Picture is display'd in the following History Arbitrary Government displayed to the Life in the illegal Transactions of the late Times IF we mount up the Hill of Time present and thence take a view on either hand lyes Time past and Time future or to come the latter is continually hidden in a Cloud and we are not able to take any Prospect of it unless by Divine or Prophetick illumination which tho certain is rare yet a wise man by looking back on Time past and Comparing the certain Effects resulting from several Causes may give a shrewd Guess of what is to come and thus from Experience he will pronounce that Fears and Jealousies betwixt a Prince and his people being wrought to the height will produce on the one hand Severity on the other Rebellion If the Prince gets the better of the People after they have run into actual disobedience it is not to be expected he should whilst he Lives slacken the Reins of his Power but by keeping them under extend it to the utmost of the line If the people thrive in their Rebellion the certain sequel is Usurpation Tyrannick and Arbitrary Government as hath been seen in several Ages and recounted in several Histories which we shall not mention our Design being to confine our Discourse to our own late Affairs and Transactions from the first setting up of the Rump in the place of Monarchy to the Restauration of our present Monarch whom God grant long to Reign If we look down from this Hill of Time presents thorow the Optick of History on Time past we behold the first Ages as in Landskip only not in a due Proportion being much lessened in Relation the middle Ages are more clearly viewed and lye open to discovery and are more largely Displayed in History but again the more near or next to the Mountain of Time present are also covered in a certain obscurity and as it were over-shadowed by the Mount of Time present that Truth is traced with a faint touch and usually things are not so clearly seen as at a longer distance But since every day renders the Prospect more clear We hope in this our short Relation of the late Usurpers and of their Tyrannick and Arbitrary Government to shew to the People a most lucid Picture of that dreaded Monster which they do and may most justly fear Arbitrary Government Fears and Jealousies fomented and heightned we may say begot it and Rebellion brought it forth for it was the foul Issue of our bloody Civil Wars It is not my task to write the Transactions between the late King and his Parliaments nor to draw forth a Scheme of that most unnatural War which robb'd England of it's Peace and devoured so many brave and valiant Subjects this hath been sufficiently and fully by several Pens already performed But I shall begin the rise of my Historical Collections from the time of the Exclusion of the greater part of the Members of the house of Commons called the long Parliament and when the Tail or Rump as they are called of the said Commons against all Law and Right usurped the Regal Authority of the Nation and placing it upon themselves Exercised a Tyrannick and Arbitrary Government with any shadow of legal Authority for altho it is not to be doubted that the bloody War commenced by the long Parliament against their sovereign Lord and King was illegal and unjust yet I say by that Bill passed by his late Majesty together with the Bill of attainder against the Earl of Strafford on the 8 th of May 1641. for the continuance of that Parliament and that it should not be Prorogued or Adjourned but by act of Parliament and on the 10 th of the same Month had the Royal assent gave them I say some Colour or shadow of Authority and extreamly inbroiled the Kings affairs The advisers to the passing of this Act are not certainly known some attribute it to the Lord Say others to the designing Marquess Hamilton who brag'd of it in Scotland as his Act but whoever they were it prov'd most pernicious to the King and seem'd to Authorise the Rebellion by his own Act. But before we enter upon the Actions of these Usurpers we shall only make mention of some preliminary Acts of illegal Arbitrariness of this Parliament before their Votes of Non-Addresses to the King and their sceluding their fellow Members and of their growing up to that perfection of Evil in taking upon them the Administration of the Government and of that unparallel'd-Murther of a great Monarch their soveraign Lord and King The first was under the Notion of maintaining the Protestant Religion their entring into a solemn Protestation or Association among themselves and also imposing it on the Consciences of all others who should bear any Office either in Church or State Secondly their raising men arming them and forming an Army and so running on into actual Rebellion against their Head and continuing that most Bloody War with so much Heat and Animosity hearkhing to no Treaties c. Next their flinging the Bishops out of the House and imprisoning twelve of them for asserting their Right only by a Protestation And which was absolutely against the Priviledges granted to them by Magna Charta and a lopping off one of the Estates of the Realm Then their putting a difference between the Kings person and his politick Capacity raising War against him in his own Name for as yet the Keepers of the Liberties of England were not thought of but the Style ran in the name of the King and Parliament making the King to fight against himself and to War with himself Next their illegal imprisoning their fellow Subjects and disseizing many of their free Holds for their Loyalty to their Prince and for not lending them Money to carry on their Rebellion and also putting to Death the Hothams all contrary to Magna Charta and the Liberty of the subject and full of Arbitrariness Next their endeavouring to perswade the People that the Soveraignty law wholly and radically in them and so effectually in the Parliament on House of Commons for they now began to be esteemed only the Parliament Then by their Endeavouring â—o take the power of the Sword out of their Soveraigns â—and and to put it into their own thereby to make him a King
AN EPITOMY OF English HISTORY WHEREIN ARBITRARY GOVERNMENT Is Display'd to the Life In the illegal Transactions of the late Times under the Tyrannick Usurpation of OLIVER CROMWELL BEING A Paralell to the Four years Reign of the late KING JAMES Whose Government was Popery Slavery AND Arbitrary Power But now happily delivered by the instrumental means of King William Queen Mary Illustrated with Copper Plates By THO. MAY Esq a late Member of Parliament The Third Edition Printed for N. Boddington at the Golden Ball in Duck lane 1690. The Common wealth ruleing with a standing Army The Fruits of a Common wealth THE INTRODUCTION OF late since the Spirit of Discontent hath possessed a great part of this Nation nothing more hath been discoursed of and feared next to that of the Alteration of the Protestant Religion than Arbitrary Government which I suppose is the Rule of any Person or Persons by their own Will and Authority without being tyed to the Rules Methods and Directions of the Laws of the Land and a Converting of this most glorious Monarchy into Tyranny The fear and Jealousie of this Government hath been exceedingly of late fomented among the discontented People by the sly Arts of those who are and ever will be Enemies to the Religion Peace and Tranquility of this Nation and no doubt but the Machivilian Jesuite and the Zealous Papist have been the cause of all the imbroils of England hoping by that Gate to bring in their own Religion and Arbitrary Government The thing so much feared by the People of England And truely in this Casâ— they are not to be blamed Religion and Liberty being the two chiefest and most valuable Jewels belonging to the Crown of Life And when they cast abroad their Eyes and behold the Arbitrary Despotical and Tyrannical reign of the Princes of other Countries they may well be desirous of Conserving their own happy Government in the Monarchy of this Nation which is so equally divided betwixt King and People That the one cannot do injury or wrong to the other unless the one become Arbitrary and the other Rebellious The Constitution of the Government of England is so sound as it is not 〈◊〉 be shaken or altered with every small Occasion for it must be absolute Tyranny on the one Hand or absolute Rebellion of the other that must break it to Pieces and bring in the so much feared Arbitrary Government And therefore it is against the Interest both of King and People to intrench upon one the other the one to invade the Prerogative of the King the other the Priviledges of the People For so equally bangs the Ballance between them that as it is the Envy and admiration of all other Nations so is it the Happiness and strength of our own for the one side cannot Preponderate or weigh down the other without breaking the just and equal Constitution of our Government If therefore the Kings of this happy Nation should at any time thorow the Evil advice of their Councellors go about to invade the peoples Liberties and to think or hope to bring in Arbitrary Government it would not be so easie a thing to effect it since the mutual Bonds and Obligations between the King and People are already so strong as it is almost impossible to attain to that end whilst the three Estates of the Land have a being and without whom no alteration can be made The people therefore need not be in those Fears and Agonies on every the least Occasion of the evil Ministration of some of the chief Officers of State of their Kings Intentions of bringing in of Arbitrary Government for no doubt the Kings of England are as great and Imperial Monarchs holding their Crowns of God only and so account themselves as any other Monarch whatsoever Nor can we see how a lawful Monarch can any ways better himself or become more great by such unlawful Arbitrariness who by the Laws of the Land and the Love of his People wants neither Power nor Money the only things a Tyrant can pretend to It is therefore the Cunning Arts of the Enemies to Englands peace who so needlesly seek to buâ— it into the Ears of the People that their King intends to bring in Arbitrary Government upon every Occasion given by any of his Ministers of State in the management of those Affairs they cannot see into the Bottom But since the greatest Ministers are Accountable for their male-Administration to Parliaments there is and can be no such Fear I say of ever attaining that end so long as Parliaments have a being and without which our happy Monarchy cannot subsist totally But many cry out against Arbitrary Government and know not what it is not being sufficiently sensible of their living under and being ruled and governed by a legal Monarch Tho some Faults and Miscarriages may be sound or appear in his Ministers for the King himself can do no wrong since he Acts nothing of himself but by Ministers who are all Responsible for their Actions Yet the People are not to be blamed for their abhorrency of Arbitrary or Tyrannick Government which always attends Usurpation since it is not so many years that they have felt the burthen thereof and if we look back into all the Actions of the most Arbitrary and Tyrannick the lawful Kings of this Nation we shall find the Arbitrary Government attending Usurpers in the little time of their Usurpation to be more horrâ—d and dreadful and brought on this Nation more Misery Blood and Persecution than any of them nay all of them together I cannot think therefore that any are serious who cry out on the Phanaticks as indeavouring or desiring a Common-wealth for I do think there are none of them so really mad as to desire any such thing that would bring on them the dreaded Arbitrary Government they so much Fear since they found it by so late Experience to be no remedy to their Evils and cured their Fears and Jealousies with a Plaister of Poyson And this also I look upon to beâ—a Stratagem of the same Enemies on the other side to Create a Jealousie in the Head of the Prince and his Ministers and to make them Construe every Action of the People tending to that end which may be and no doubt is as far from their thinking as it is from that of the other in bringing in of Arbitrary Government Since the Fears and Jealousies of either side are alike much heightned by the indeavours of several sorts of evil Persons and by some well meaning People by being too severe in uncomely and bitter Expressions and thorow the Toleration of the many Licentious and Scandalous Papers which daily fly abroad the Author of these true Collections of the Miserie 's this Nation suffered under the Arbitrary Government of Tyrannic Usurpers Exposes it to the Abhorrency of the Nation that they might behold it in a Glass and that the Governours of our Common-wealth may not run upon the same
th of July 1654. And on the same day Col. Gerard was beheaded on Tower-hill presently after Emanuel Say the Portugal Ambassadors brother put to death for killing one in a fray in the New-Exchange this Col. Gerard being the chief man that opposed the said Ambassadors brother at that time with the hazard of his life yet both came to suffer in one day upon one Scaffold for different Crimes For this Colonel suffered onely for the Crime of Loyalty and was sacrifised to Oliver's Fear and Policy He dyed with great bravery courage and undauntedness This was Cromwell's first bloudy remarke and like an Usurper who must maintain his illegal greatness by illegal Arts. But dominion founded in innocent bloud cannot long stand before the Avenger for bloud visits it in his wrathfull Justice About this time he takes care there shall be a faithfull ministry to his interest he means therefore he sets up a Company of Tryers the chief of which were Nye Goodwin Hugh Peters Manton and others named as Commissioners These make a Reformation among the Ministry for humane Learning was rather a Crime than an help to any for the question was had they Grace in their hearts Many good Livings were disburthened of their Pastours and others of more Grace and less Knowledge put in I heard of one who had been Hebrew and Chaldee Reader in Oxford and knowing in all the Eastern Tongues put out of a good living for insufficiency He had it seems not Grace equal to his Learning or his Living had more Grace than he But such as agreed with Nol's Principles and were ready to maintain his Government to be jure divino were put into the best Livings throughout England and the favourers of the Church of England though they had conformed every where thrust forth In Ireland all was subdued and he sent Cook over as a Judg who with a kind of Itinerant Court of Justice hung up many of the Irish Rebels at Dublin Waterford Kilkenny and in Vlster and those that escaped of the Irish were confined to the Province of Conaught and the rest banished But in Scotland at the mediation of Argile whom he had tyed to his Interest and by whose power he held a great part of the Highlands in subjection the Presbyterians were allowed their Religion and had their own Kirk Government and the power of Excommunication but the rigor of it was taken off for such as were excommunicated were not onely forbid the Communion but they had all their Estates confiscated to the Church which was not allowed them nor the meeting of their general Assembly Cromwell was jealous of Lambert and of the Love he had among the Sectaries of the Army so that as yet he was forced to caress him and to delude him with vain hopes of succeeding him in the Protectorate and therefore made him Commander in chief of the Army next himself with the allowance of 10 l. a day Abroad he confederates with most of the Potentates and upon his making a Peace with France the King is obliged to leave that Court where he had been neer two years and had done many good offices for that King with his neighbour Princes but Interest sways more than Gratitude He retires into Germany where all his designs and private Councils in his Cabinet were betray'd to Cromwell by one Manning who was Clerk to his Secretary bribed by the Usurper who had a knack that way of expending vast summs for intelligence and by this means many of the Royalists designs in England came to be discovered and many brought into trouble about it but at last the Traytour was detected and shot to death for his perfidiousness About this time he sends over 6 Counsellors for Ireland Steel who was mâ—de Lord Chancellour there and Pepys Lord Chief justice there Miles Corbet Robert Hamond Matthew Tomlinson and Robert Goodwin About June this year Cromwell seeing he was able to rule 3 Kingdoms believed he was as well able to govern 6 Horses sent him by the Count of Oldenburg and in a frollick being in Hide Park leaving his Engine Thurlo alone in the Coach he gets into the Box and would needs play the Coach-man but the Horses feeling the lash and not so well yoaked as his English Slaves ran away with Coach Coach-man and Thurlo and at last dismounted him from his Box an ill omen of his fall and had like to have broke his Neck And now according to the Instrument on the 3 d of September the Parliament was to meet and great care was taken by Oliver that none of the Cavaliers should be chosen Writs were issued out in his name and Elections made as heretofore onely the Burrows sent but one Burgess and there were 6 or 7 Knights for some Shires all of them under sure qualifications Scotland and Ireland also according to the Instrument sent their number most being English Commanders The day came they meet and in Westminster Abby Marshall gave them a Sermon The next day the Protector went to them in great state in his Coach attended by Cleypool Master of his Horse Strickland Captain of his Guards bareheaded on both sides and at his entrance Lambert carried the Sword and Whitlock the Purse and in the painted Chamber he made to them a Speech after his old method with God in his mouth He told them this was an healing day for before there was neither Nobleman Gentleman nor Yeoman known by any distinction nor was there any bore rule or authority but the Magistracy and Christ's Ordinances were had in contempt that the fifth Monarchy was highly cry'd up by such persons as had a mind to assume the government to themselves Then in an extolling way he shewed what great things he had done during his Government and then he told them they were upon the edge of Canaan and that he spoke not as their Lord but Fellow-servant And so dismist them to choose their Speaker which they did without presenting to him his name Their Speaker was Lenthal the Speaker to the old Long Parliament This Parliament began to be very brisk upon the Government and fell upon the Instrument on which they made so bad musick questioning Oliver's power that he could not indure it and immediately sent them a Recognition for every Member to take before they sat whereby they were not to meddle with the Government as it was settled in a single person and the Parliament nor with the militia nor with perpetuating Parliaments nor taking away Liberty of Conscience He told them also that a Free Parliament was but a term of Reciprocation for that power which made him Protector made them a Parliament and therefore he was sorry they went about to destroy the Settlement and was forced to send them a Recognition for every Member to sign and seal to prevent it This startled most of them especially the Commonwealths men who all flew off and of 400 scarce 200 appeared though at last several came dropping in and
made up 300 but they fell again upon the same disputes notwithstanding the Recognition A little before their sitting down Oliver publishes several Ordinances of his own which bearing date before past as Authentick Laws and Ordinances by the Instrument one was for the payment of monies into the Treasury raised for the propagation of the Gospel in Wales Another for the turning forth of Scandalous Ministers that is such as had used the Common Prayer and had good Livings Another for making Souldiers free of Corporations Another for surveying the King's Lands and for doubling upon Deans and Chapters This was to let the Parliament see that he took the Actâ— made by himself by power of his Instrument as good and authentick as theirs Mark here whether the most arbitrary of our Kings ever assumed such a power and yet these are days of freedom and liberty Lambert was very busie in this Convention endeavouring tooth and nail to have the Instrument confirmed by them for that the Protectorship being made elective he himself stood most fair to be the next Candidate but finding they would not drive but began to be as unruly as Cromwell's German Horses that flung him out of the Coach-box he threatned them that he would call 4 or 5 Parliaments one after another but it should be done following Oliver's menacing steps to the Junto There were some Common-wealth Officers in the Army that had designed to have seised on Lambert but Col. Pride betray'd them who was privy to the business and Cromwell seeing he could doe no good with his Parliament assoon as ever the 5 months were out dissolves them and then he takes from these who had conspired against Lambert their Commissions and seises on several others Commonwealths men and Royalists among whom was Major Wildman who was drawing up a Declaration to shew the lawfulness of taking up Arms against Cromwell and of the Royalists there were Sir John Packington Sir John Littleton and others which he imprisoned for a new Conspiracy as he said against his Life and Sir Tho. Harris was taken having a design of surprising of Shrewsbury Penruddoâ—k and Grove at Salisbury and in several other places as at Hexam Moor in Northumberland and in Yorkshire where Sir Henry Slingsby was taken all their designs being beforehand betray'd to Oliver and many Prisons in the West were filled with the common sort of people from which and from the Tower and other places many of them were sent away to Foreign Plantations and sold for Slaves and many forceably carried away in Pen's Expedition to be knockt on the head by the Moors Thus he endeavoured to secure himself by a bloudy and arbitrary way of proceeding as all Tyrants are forced to doe Having thus supprest this Insurrection which he knew of beforehand and was prepared for several of the chief that were taken were brought to their trials the chief of which were Mr. Penruddock who was a Captain and Mr. Grove another Captain 16 more were executed of which 9 at Excester Both Penruddock and Grove when taken surrendred themselves to Vnton Crook upon promise of having their lives but what signifies such Promises with such Persons who never kept their Faith these were brave and active Loyalists and therefore must not escape out of the bloudy Paws of the Usurper They were both condemned at the Assizes at Excester being indicted for Treason against the Usurper and endeavouring the bringing in of their lawfull King Charles Steuart and on the 16 th of May 1655 were both beheaded in that City Mr. Penruddock at his execution spoke very boldly and with much zeal against the iniquities of the Times and told them among other things that Treason was in that Age become an Individuum Vagum like the wind in the Gospel that bloweth where it listeth And Treason was then what the Ruler pleased to make so and lighted upon whom he would have it And by this said he you may see what a condition you are in when you have no Law to protect you no Rule to walk by with many other bold Truths which made them suppress his Speech and forbid it to be published that they might conceil as much as they could their illegal and arbitrary Proceedings For indeed one of the Jury that found him guilty being demanded afterwards for what reason they brought in their Verdict guilty against Mr. Penruddock and Grove Answered That they had resolved to hang them before they saw them A pious Resolution His Judges were Lisle Glin Roles and Nichols who denyed to give him their advice in point of Law because they said they were Parties and if so as indeed they were it was contrary to all Law for a Judge being a party to sit upon the Bench. But these were lawless Times Some others suffered at Chard in Somersetshire one beheaded at Salisbury and 3 hang'd and thus this Insurrection was quash'd But not long after he crowded the Tower with many Persons of note Prisoners upon suspicion of having an hand in this Plot or Treason as he called it and among the rest were the Earl of Lindsey The Lords Willowby of Parham Newport Maynard Faulkland Lucas Petres Sir Frederick Cornwallis Sir Jeoffery Palmer Sir Rich. Wingfield and others too long to relate but these were never brought to any tryal but it was thought convenient to secure them though nothing appeared against them Cromwell now the Dominus fac totum beholding himself mounted in the Throne of the Monarchy makes Leagues and War and Peace abroad as he pleased and as we have said having made an impolitick Peace with France losing thereby the ballance he had in his hand and giving too much to that Growing Monarch he designs a very unjust War without any provocation against Spain having a thirst after that King's Gold and Treasure at St. Domingo in the West Indies But this design was kept very secret and a great Fleet was equipped to the wonder of his neighbours yet that he might not lose his wonted exercise of Hypocrisie he gives out that it is for the propagation of the Protestant Religion though besides the insatiate hunger of Gold he might have some politick Reasons to move him to this dishonest breach which might be by this means a getting rid of a great many of the troublesome Sectaries in the Army whom he found still pecking against his power and endeavouring to alienate the minds of the Soldiers from him But now he shewed his Art in draining them for this expedition whereby he might sit the quieter at home Venables was made Commander in chief of the Land-forces and Pen of the Sea being made General and on the 27 th of December set saâ—l from Portsmouth with about 10000 Men on the 28 th of January following they put into Barbadoes and on the 30 th of March sailed for Hispaniola where they Landed their Men without opposition but whether it were the imprudence and ill management of the Generals or that God resolved to
and against all Law so sent away for the Law says no English man ought to be banished by less authority than by Act of Parliament and ordered forthwith the Prisoners to be set free without Fees or Charges and had they sat longer had undoubtedly punished the Lieutenant too Then after publick faith given and the party restored to Common Privileges he caused that most horrid Order of Decimation to be put in execution on the poor Cavaliers by his Janizaries which was by the ensuing Parliament damned as an unjust and wicâ—â—â— breach of Faith This however is the great the just the brave victorious pious and most renowned Oliver who as I have said is yet by some remembred even to a kind of Idolatry but I shall leave him having long since received his deserved reward and conclude with the rapture of Sterry who Preaching his Funeral Sermon had these blasphemous expressions of him As sure says he as this is the Bible which he held in his hand the blessed spirit of Oliver Cromwell is with Christ at the right hand of the Father and if he be there what may not his family expect from him for if he were so usefull and helpfull and so much good influenced from him to them when he was in a Mortal State how much more influence will they have from him now in heaven The Father Son and Spirit through him bestowing Gifts and Graces upon them I shall now proceed to the second Scene of this single Usurpation and Tyranny which brought his Son short-liv'd Dick upon the Stage Oliver being thus dead on the 3 d. of September about three of the Clock in the afternoon he was opened and embalmed but he stunk so filthily though wrapt in Cearcloths and Lead with Aromatick Spices that they were fain to bury him privately but a Coffin was carried to Somerset-house where after some days with his Effigies made for that purpose he seem'd to lye in great state pomp and magnificence to which sight crouds of people daily pressed The out-rooms all hung with black with Scutcheons hanging on the Walls but the room where the Effigies lay was hung with black Velvet and the Ceiling of the same having a large Canopy of the same deeply fringed the Effigies being Robed in Purple Velvet laced with Gold-Lace and furred with Ermins with strings and tassels of Gold In its right hand a Sceptre in its left a Globe on his head a Velvet Cap furred with Ermins and behind his head placed high on a Chair of Tissued Gold was set an Imperial â—â—wn Eight Silver Candlesticks of about five foot high stood about his Bed of State with large white Waxtapers burning of three foot long all invironed with Rails and Ballisters covered with Velvet within which stood men in Mourning bare-headed which was continued for many weeks and then the Effigies was removed into another room and vested as before set up in a standing posture with the Crown upon his head which it seems he now obtained though he could not wear it while alive Thus they continued this Pageantry to the 23 d of November following when his Funeral was made and he carried in great pomp to Westminster with more cost and state than ever was bestow'd on any King of England costing they say 26000 l. or more and at last was interred among the Kings and Queens of England where he lay till the 30 th of January 1660 when he had a Resurrection to another Exaltation at Tyburn where he was a second time interr'd under the Gallows according to his demerits with his great Counsellors Ireton and Bradshaw But we will leave the dead and relate in bâ—ief the Transactions of the living Oliver being gone the Privy Council met and a search was made in the Protector 's Cabinet for a Paper safely lay'd up wherein he had nominated Fleetwood for his Successor but it was not to be found therefore they send to him and Desborow to know if they did acquiesce in the Declaration of the late Protector which made his Son Richard Cromwell Protector To which Fleetwood sent word that he cordially acquiesced in that Declaration of the late Protector 's concerning his Son's Succession though any other Paper should be found in which he had been formerly nominated his Successor This done the Council wait upon Richard to Condole with him for his Father's Death and to Congratulate him as Protector Then Skippon and Strickland were sent to the City to acquaint them with what was done and the next day they caused a Proclamation to be made subscribed by â—hiverton Lord Mayor the Council of State and several Officers of the Army at White-Hall Charing-Cross Fleetstreet and several places in London Proclaiming Richard Cromwell Protector of the Commonwealth of England c. After which the City-Sword by the Lord Mayor and the Seal by Fiennes were resigned to him and his Oath was given him by Fiennes one of the Commissioners of the Great Seal in which he Swore to maintain the Protestant Religion in its purity and to govern the three Nations according to the best of his power and skill according to the Laws After which he dispatches Messengers to Ireland to inform his brother Harry Deputy there and to General Monk in Scotland to inform them and to know how they stood affected to his Advancement And presently he receives Addresses from most of the Counties in England contrived and made at White-Hall and Protestations from the Armies in England Scotland and Ireland to live and dye with him Also Addresses from the Independant Churches as Goodwins Nyes and the rest of them many giving Adoration to this rising false light forgetting the true Sun yet in Eclipse beyond Sea and the fawning Poets Waller and Dryden among the rest praised to the Skies in their Elegies the dead Tyrant Richard was proclaimed both at Dublin and at Edenborough and all things ran smooth on his side But however General Monk liked not the Tyrannical sway of the Army in England but so early began to form the happy project of his Majestie 's Restauration without which he well perceived these Kingdoms would not be in any setled posture but be still subject to any Usurper or Usurpers the Army should set up but this was a great work and time not yet ripened for it he kept the secret in his own breast and intended to take opportunity by the forelock complying for the present as others did but in the mean time with great diligence he reformed his Army and purg'd it from those ill humours as he knew would soon bring it to destruction but this also he did wisely and cautiously and by degrees for fear of causing too early jealousies of his design Richard seeing the many Addresses made to him from the People and Army and the caresses and flatteries of great ones being a man of no great reach thought all had been real and now began to form to himself an Imagination of setling himself in his