Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A39716
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The idea of His Highness Oliver, late Lord Protector, &c. with certain brief reflexions on his life / by Richard Fleckno, Esq.
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Flecknoe, Richard, d. 1678?
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1659
(1659)
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Wing F1226; ESTC R6875
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19,504
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84
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solicitude of the Common wealth then either age or sickness untimely for us but timely for himself in height of all his fortunes and prosperities having never known misfortune nor adversity After he had refus'd the Crown and acquird more glory by 't then ever any did by accepting it in which as in all his other Actions he might well be compar'd to Caesar both alike fortunate and victorious in war both prudent alike in ordering the Civil Government as many prodigies devancing tons as to theirs death onely their ends were different Caesar dying a violent death he a natural Caesar satiate with living he desirous onely to prolong his life untill he had finished the great work he had in hand extending in manner beyond death it self his care and solicitude of the publique good Caesar finally leaving the Commonwealth all imbroyl'd in Civil wars through multiplicity of Competitors to the Government he to prevent it leaving the Government to his Son out of the way of all competition for who else could he have left it to but some ambitious or other might strait have start up and said And why not I as well as he now 't is answer sufficient to say He is his Son so are not you and sufficient to say of him that he is the worthy Son of such a Father and more worthy the Government the lesse he sought and courted it One capable of all the honours of peace and war born with the seeds in him both of civil and military Government as time and occasion will soon produce to light for that only 't is and the office which shews the man and many had never been thought so fit for Government had they never governed For example who would ever have imagined our Henry the fifth who seem'd only to mind his pleasures all his youth would afterwards have prov'd so brave a man yet we see how great a Souldier he became and how occasion was rather wanting unto him then he unto occasion during his Fathers life Or that Spinola coming from a City that had more commence with gold then steel should the first day of his going to Field become an accomplisht General and ever afterwards one of the renownedst Souldiers of his Age To say nothing of Card. Mazzarin nor his predecessor Card. Richelieu both superintendants of the Arms of France both by their diligence gaining more victories then their greatest Generals with all their experience A man of courage as easily becomes a Souldier as a wise man a Politique and 't is not the man but the Country makes the war and rather the Treasurer then General let them not be wanting to supply the Armies wants and they 'l nere be wanting to bring them home victories And this in vindication of his Fathers leaving him the Government which yet was rather others seeking then his own and rather his obedience then command putting no natural affection in the scale in weighing the interest of the Commonwealth and so far from partial for any interest of his own as we may well say of him nature it self was not more natural to him then his affection to the publick good Neither did he this without the example of other elective States the Polander still continuing the Government in the house of Iagalonii the Germans in that of Austria and Hollander in the Family of Nassan though no less jealous of their liberties then we of ours wisely imagining a certain Omen in that name as we may well in that of Cromwel to preserve that Liberty which it had purchast them they well foreseeing the harms and mischiefs still follow all changes of Families when new Officers and new Houses are introduc't new interests new factions to the destruction of the old new humors to comply with new Avarices to satisfie so as if the people but rightly understood how dangerous and pernicious all change and alteration is to States they would not change although 't were offred them to be well if they were but tolerably ill nor to be better if they were well To conclude with his Character he was of stature rather well set then tall strong and robustous of constitution of visage Leonin the true phisiognomy all great and martial men yet as much Lamb in the Chamber as Lion in the Field courteous affable and obliging to all nor can any Records shew a better Child unto his Parents Parent to his Children nor Husband to his Wife and no less a Friend to all but those who would needes make themselves his Enemies Bounteous of himself but frugal for the Commonwealth avoiding all superfluity in a State where superfluity is counted manificence living in the condition of a Prince with the moderation of a private man and free from all vice even in an Age when he is counted a good Prince who is not altogether vitious These were his vertues when living and who would find any fault with him now he 's dead assuredly shall find no other when th 'ave sought all they can but only his leaving so many ill tongues in England which yet he could not remedy leaving them the liberty as he did of free born English men Thus have we brought his life in its Idea all under one prospect of the eye and by brief glimpses reflexions given light to see how great a person he was no humain body being scarcely capable of a greater soul how fortune and vertue never more concur'd to the advancement of a man how never any past to the temple of honor by more directer ways through that of his own vertue and Heroick deeds how much he merited of England by his serving conserving it in its most dangerous times finally how both at home and abroad he was the honour of our Nation wherefore our Nation should be most unworthy and ungrateful should it not always honour him FINIS OF HIS BIRTH PARENTAGE OF HIS EDUCATION OF HIS PRIVATE FORTUNES OF HIS MARIAGE OF HIS BEING CHOSEN MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT HOW HE BETOOK HIMSELFE TO THE MILITIAE HOW HE WAS CAPTAIN FIRST HOW HE WAS MADE COLONEL HOW HE WAS MADE LIEVTENANT GENERAL OF THE ARMY Amat victoria curam THE EFFICACY OF PRAYER HOW HE WAS MADE GENERAL OF HIS ACTIONS WHILST HE WAS GENERAâ— OF THE DISSOLVING THE PARLIAMENT HOW HE WAS MADE PROTECTOR OF THE HOLLAND WAR OF THE SPANISH WAR OF THE CONSPIRACIES AGAINST HIM OF THE CONSPIRACIES AGAINST HIS GOVERNMENT THE REASON WHY PRINCES ARE NOT BELOV'D OF REFORMATION OF HIS CIVIL GOVERNMENT OF THE COMMON PEOPLE OF HIS DEATH HIS CHARACTER THE CONCLUSION
their eyes and every wave appears their Sepulchre then onely such an expert Pilot as he can to sit at the Helm of government who perfectly knows his Gard and Compass and now by a direct course can cut through those waves he safely may incounter and now by an oblique agen avoid the more dangerous till in despight of seas and windes conspiring against him he safely conducts his barque to the port at last And without wrestling with these difficulties and oppositions it might have been doubted whether Fortune or Vertue had had the greatest share in all his Actions but now of necessity we must confesse that virtute duce comitante Fortuna he had vertue for guide and fortune for companion in all he did 'T was Fortune that presented him the occasions of combatting but vertue that he alwayes came off with victory That he should finde the wheel of things in so vehement commotion was Fortune 't is true but that once mounted to the top he should stop and fix it so suddainly as he did appears the work of some more then human hand so that he should finde the Body and Frame o th' State all shatter'd in pieces and those pieces all scatter'd about was Fortune too but to recollect all those scatter'd pieces and compose them all into one intire body and frame was such a master-piece as none but so great a Master could ever have perform'd And if we count it so great a happinesse when bones are broke and splinter'd to light on such an excellent Surgeon as co'd set them right again and apt every splinter to its proper place how much more happinesse must it needs be for States when all disjoynted and out of frame to light on so excellent a Statesman as he who co'd without maim or scar set all things right agen Now if we examine what had so disjoynted it we shall find it chiefly to have beene this Reformation they talk so magnificently of and consequently that though it seem a Paradox nothing needs more Reformation then it There is nothing more spetious then the name of Reformation and nothing less then the thing it self 't is the itch of good times and ulcer of ill always enemy to present Government it has done great things but undone greater seeing perhaps some one abuse 't would take away but not hundreds it introduces in the place your busie Reformers whether in Religion or in State more zealous then discreet recurring always to the contrary extremities and finding things bent one ways still bend them as far the other and leave them so till some more discreet and moderate take up where they left them and rectifie all agen But let us passe from discoursing of things without him and come to what he was within himselfe so shall we be ignorant of nothing for to know him is to know every thing It becomes the States-man's as Phisitians care to know the causes of all distempers the cures of all maladies and nature and disposition of all bodies they have in cure and all this touching the politique body he was most perfect in So expert in the management of affairs as he knew the best wayes of ariving to his ends and the best means to faciliate those ways In foreseeing harme and danger so vigilant and circumspect he was above all circumvention and surprize so quick and suddain in preventing them as taking all occasion from danger and opportunity from harm if a day would suffice he allow'd them not an hour if an hour not a moment then of so deep inspection he saw into the very interior of men and businesses and could trace design and interest to its very den notwithstanding all its turnings windings and doublings and if he met with a body strong and robustous such as the Army he knew presently how by justly proportioning their Exercise and Regiment to preserve them in perfect health and vigor still If with such as the States weak crasie and infirm newly recovered from a dangerous malady and without much care in danger of relapse no Physitian was ever carefuller nor tenderer of his patients health then he now with gentle purges weakning its sicknesse force and now with cordials strengthning its health agen untill he perfectly restor'd it unto health as he had done it long ere this would it either have believ'd that it was sick or not believ'd a sort of Mountebanks vainely promising to make it well Then for the people none ever knew their natures and dispositions better then he Men impatient of intire servitude and as incapable of intire Liberty frighted with sight o th' rod but mutinous in feeling it none talking more of Liberty nor understanding it lesse then they more troubling themselves then heads with their grievance considering nothing but repining at every thing bold talkers and contented so you suffer them but to talk above all most tenacious of their Liberty of Conscience rather to follow every new fangled opinion then remain constant to the old This considered he framed a Militiae more to quiet then molest and trouble them warlike in appearance but peaceable in behaviour nowhere intrenching on their Liberties but where they intrench'd on the priveledges of Government allowing them their dear liberty or licence rather of their tongues for their chiefest darling of all the liberty to erre in their opinions he permitted them to follow and imbrace what sect they pleas'd so they all concur'd in obedience to Civil Government This point of Policy many have wondred at not knowing it seems or not remembring that Parable in the Gospell of the good Corn and Tares and but weak Polititians not to understand that who intends any great Reformation must not amuse themselves with lesser things till that perform'd once then the greater of those which in comparison seem'd less before becomes the object of their Reformation and so by degrees till they have reform'd all for want of which Method the ignorant and rash bring all things to ruine and confusion by plucking down more then they can build up again and vainly imagining the best way of reforming any part to be by the total destruction of the whole This was his method mean time mens reasons could so little comprehend as they needed their own experience to believe how he Atlas-like could support so mighty a frame and machin all compos'd of so many different and disjoynted parts and hinder them from slipping and falling all in pieces which yet he did riveting them so fast together and making them all so firm cohere amongst themselves as so many pieces of soft wax melted and moulded all in one could not cleave faster in one Ball or Globe and this was the great work he had to do and which had not death prevented him he was on point of finishing when indifatigable in body and mind Assidual in councel perpetually in imploy all care and diligence all labour and industry he died more through care and