Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	account_n	achievement_n	administration_n	40	3	8.1217	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A35243	The life of Oliver Cromwel, Lord Protector of the Common-wealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland being an account of all the battles, sieges, and other military atchievements, wherein he was engaged, in these three nations : and likewise, of his civil administrations while he had the supream government, till his death.	R. B., 1632?-1725?	1680 (1680)	Wing C7343; ESTC T135016	57,584	144

The EFFIGEY of OLIVER CROMWEL Late Lord-Protector of ENGLAND LIFE OF Oliver Cromwel Lord PROTECTOR Of the Common-Wealth Of England Scotland and Ireland Being an Account of all the Battles Sieges and other Military Atchievements wherein he was engaged in these Three Nations And likewise of his Civil Administrations while he had the Supream Government till his Death Relating Matter of Fact without Partiality LONDON Printed by D. PRATT at the Bible and Crown over-against York-House in the Strand THE PREFACE THERE is scarce a Character of any Man of Fame in the World which suffers such an unaccountable Variety as this of Oliver Cromwel His History is told so many Ways and so every way different from one another that it will be impossible for Posterity to make a right Judgment of him or of his Accounts On one hand he is represented as a Hero on the other as a Traytor on the one hand he is called the greatest Soldier on the other the greatest Villain of the Age he liv'd in on one side he is the greatest Polititian on the other the greatest Hypocrite on one side the greatest General on the other the greatest Tyrant but I must add that both sides agree that he was what ever they add to it not Great only but the Greatest In a Word Party is the Test of his History if a Cavalier writes History we know what to expect of him viz. that Oliver shall be villify'd with the utmost Spleen and Rage If a Round-head he shall be exalted with the utmost Rhetorick However to speak Impartially the Cavalier's will acknowledge this namely that he was a great Man and will often say what great Things he has done and how happy it had been if he had been on the King's side And on the contrary the Presbyterian's will say on all Occasions how glorious a Man had he been if he had but done So and So viz. if he had but turn'd out the P. set him up and the like To do his Character Justice two Actions fully'd it in general namely cutting off the King and setting himself up as Head of the Common-wealth in the first he dipp'd his hands in a cold Murder on the Person of his Sovereign and in the second he darken'd all the Glory of his Gallantry and of the great Things he had done in the Field shewing that it was all with a secret Aim to gratify his private Ambition Abstracted from these Character was truly Great and 'tis among such as are scarce to be imitated in the World this was acknowledg'd by his worst Enemies The whole is Elegantly express'd in two Lines by that excellent Poet Mr. Melvell Tho' his Government did a Tyrant resemble He made England great her Enemy's tremble But I return to his History and shall give a Brief but Sure and Impartial Draft of with all possible Partiallity THE LIFE of Oliver Cromwel c. OLIVER CROMWEL was born at Huntington descended of the ancient Family of the Williams's of the County of Glamorgan and by Adoption into that of the Cromwels the more noble Family as descend of Thomas Cromwel Earl of Essex the Ax that hew'd down the Abbeys in the Time of King Henry the Eight His Education in his Youth was for a Time at the University of Cambridge where though he attained to no great Perfection in Learning yet with his other Additionals the Fox's Tail with the Lion's Skin his Strength of Reason with the sharp Edge of his Sword stood him in great Stead in his After-tranfactions and which together with his indefatigable Industry render'd him so fortunate that he never fell short of what he undertook After his Return from the University without any extraordinary Respects from the Muses whose Unkindness he afterwards most severely retaliated he resolved for the Future upon the first Advantage to try the Fortune of Mars but long it was ere the blind Goddess provided him any Action during which Time he married a Gentlewoman of the ancient Family of the Bourchiers whence the Earls of Essex were descended by whom he had two Sons that survived him Richard and Henry and three Daughters Bridget Mary and Frances For his private Fortunes they were competent a Mediocrity betwixt Riches and Poverty the one blunting the Edge of Wit and Industry the other by its Hardship whetting it quite away But what was wanting in his Estate was supplied in the greatness of his Mind which put him upon high Attemps which proved so successful that at last they placed him at the Helm of Government He took his first Rise from the long Parliament where he was a Member being chosen Burgess for the University of Cambridge in this Parliament that Fire burst forth which had been long before in kindling that fatal Division betwixt King and Parliament with which last he wholly sided What Motives induced him thereunto I know not nor will I determine of the Integrity of his Choice this I am sure of he took the more fortunate or by his Manhood made it so When he delivered his Mind in the House it was with a strong and masculine Eloquence more able to perswade than to be perswaded his Expressions were hardy Opinions resolute Asseverations grave and vehement always intermixt Andronicus like with Sentences of Scripture to give them the greater Weight and the better to insinuate into the Affections of the People he expressed himself with some kind of Passon but with such a commanding wise Deportment that at his Pleasure he governed and swayed the House as he had most Times the leading Voice Those who find no such Wonders in his Speeches may find it in the Effect of them most of the People he was concerned in being as they term it Enemies to Book-learning and whosoever should endeavour with an eloquent Oration or otherwise go about to reconcile them and make Friends should make them Enemies such great Adorers are they of the Scripture Phrase though but little Practicer's such as our late Times have brought forth Indeed he usurp'd his holy Oil Quotations very frequently which were so advantageous to his Designs that Cicero and Demosthenes with all their Troops and Figures could never have so perswaded and moved the People as he with one Text of Scripture aptly applied the Dove and the Serpent of Scripture and some small Parcel of Policy to what he intended slily intermixed But his Side standing more in need of Action then Eloquence he quitted the House and betook him to the Field to manifest his Courage as well as his Eloquence maintain by his Deeds what his Words had introduced Having raised a Troop of Horse at his own Costs and Charges he marched against the Muses to Cambridge whereof he was Burges seizing on a very considerable Sum of Money and Plate which the Colleges had raised and were sending away unto Oxford which as it was very advantageous to his own Side Money being the very Lise and Sinews of War so did it much weaken the

Obstruction of it upon nothing more than my own Sin and seeing God sees it fit having not glorified him in my Life I might do it in my Death which I am contented to do I profess in the fear of God particular Malice to any one of State or Parliament to do them a bodily Injury I had none For the cause in which I had long waded I must needs say my engagement or continuance in it hath laid no scruple upon my Conscience it was on Principles of Law the Knowledge whereof I profess and on Principles of Religion my Judgement satisfied and Conscience rectified that I have pursued those ways which I bless God I find no blackness upon my Conscience nor have I put it into the Bed-roll of my Sins I will not presume to decide controversies I desire God to honour himself in prospering that side that hath right with it and that you may enjoy Peace and Plenty beyond all you possess here In my Conversation in the World I do not know where I have an Enemy with cause or that there is such a Person whom I have to regret but if there be any whom I cannot recollect under the notion of christian Men I pardon them as freely as if I had named them by name I freely forgive them being in free Peace with all the World as I desire God for Christs sake to be at Peace with me For the business of Death it is a sad Sentence in it self if Men consult with Flesh and Blood But truly without boasting I say it or if I do boast I boast in the Lord I have not to this minute had one consultation with the Flesh about the blow of the Axe more then as my passport to Glory I take it for an honour and I owe thankfulness to those under whose Power I am that they sent me hither to a place however of Punishment yet of some Honour to die a death somewhat worthy of my Blood answerable to my Birth and Qualification and this courtesie of theirs much helped towards the pacification of my Mind I shall desire God that those Gen●lemen in that sad Bed-roll to be tryed by the High Court of Justice that they may find that really there that is nominal in the Act an High Court of Justice a Court of High Justice high in its Righteousness though not in its severity Father forgive them and forgive me as I forgive them I desire you now that you would pray for me and not give over praying till the Hour of my Death not till the Moment of my Death for the Hour is come already the instant of Time approaches that as I have a great load of Sins so I may have the wings of your Prayers to help those Angels that are to convey my Soul to Heaven and I doubt not but I shall see my Saviour and my gallant Master the King of England and another Master whom I much honoured my Lord Capel hoping this Day to see my Christ in the presence of the Father the King in the presence of him my Lord Capel in the presence of them all and my self there to rejoyce with all other Saints and Angels for ever more After the uttering of these and many the like Words declaring his Faith and Confidence in God with as much undaunted yet Christian Courage as possibly could be in Man he exposed his Neck to the fatal Ax commending his Soul into the Hands of a faithful and merciful Creator thro' the meritorious Passion of a gracious Redeemer and having said Lord Jesus receive me the Executioner with one Blow severed his Head from his Body For such a collateral design not long after one Master Benson was executed at Tyburn one that had some Relations to Sir John Gell who was tried for the same Conspiraccy with his Man Sir John's former Services to the Parliament being his best and most assured Intercessors for his Life and at that time were more then ordinary Advantages to him I shall in the next place give you an account of the Beheading of Sir Henry Hide He was by the Scots King commissonated as Ambassadour to the Grand Signior at Constantinople and stood in Competition with Sir Thomas Bendish then Ambassadour for the English for his Place whereupon they had a Hearing before the Vizier Bassa the result whereof was that Sir Thomas Bendish should dispose of the said Sir Henry Hide as he thought good who was to the same purpose sent to Smyrna thence into England and there condemned and executed before the Royal Exchange in London March 4. 1650. His last Words were to this Effect CHristian People I come hither to die I am brought hither to die and that I may die Christian like I humbly beseech the assistance of your Christian Prayers that by the benefit of them my passage may be the more easie Yet because Men in that condition which it hath pleased God to reduce me to give the more credit to Speech in the discharge of my Duty towards God I shall use a few Words and so conclude I pray all of you join with me to praise this Almighty God to whom I desire to render all hearty Thanks as for all his Mercies so in particular for this that he hath brought me hither that whereas I owe a Debt to Sin and and to Nature that now I can pay the Debt to Nature I can pay it upon the account of Grace And because it is fit to render the blessed account of that hope that is in me I shall tell you to the praise of Almighty God that I have been born and bred up in the Doctrine of the Church of England I have no negative Religion believing to be saved by the only merits of my Saviour Jesus Christ and whatsoever else is profest in the Doctrine and Discipline of the Church of England authorized by Law humbly beseeching Almighay God to restore unto this Church her Peace Prosperity and Patrimony whereof I have an Obedient and a Loving however an unworthy Son and now both my Hope being consident and my Faith perfected there remains only Christian Charity Charity we carry into Heaven Charity on Earth that I leave beseeching all whomsoever I have offended to forgive me as I from the bottom of my Heart do all whomsoever blessing Almighty God for the happy advantage he takes to bring me the sooner to Heaven I bless Almighty God that he hath given me this Advantage as he hath been Merciful to me before the Foundation of the World in my Saviour so that now he hath in Mercy honoured me with a suffering for his Name in Obedience to his Commandment On this Day sevennight I was summoned before that Justice which condemned me on Friday last praised be Almighty God that by this way he hath brought me nearer to himself My charge I presume is publick as my Punishment is visible if there have been any thing in the management of my part being unskilful having