all Acts by Pretext of such Power were illegal and the adjudging any Person to death and Executing them was Treason and wilful Murther Thirdly That the said Commons had no power to make any great Seal of England and that all Commissions granted under their great Seal were illegal and all Proceedings in Law upon such Writs null and voyd to all intents and purposes Lastly That the denyal of the King's Title to the Crown and the plotting to deprive him of it and the setting it upon the Head of another was High Treason and within the Stat. 25 th Ed. 3. Ch. 2. as likewise their Subverting the fundamental Laws of the Land and introducing an Arbitrary and Tyrannical Government was High Treason at the common Law c. This was all the Loyalists could do at present by these weak Indeavours to assert the Kings right and shew the people what Slaves they were become but this affrighted not these Men who in the next place February 1 st Vote That all such Members who assented to the Vote of the 5 th of December 1648. That the Kings Concessions were a Ground for the House to Proceed to a Settlement should not be admitted into the House until they had declared their disapproval of that Vote before they sit and that such as were now in the House should enter their dissent to that Vote being only those who had before Voted in the Negative The Lords were yet sitting but no notice taken of them by the Commons for having overthrown the Monarchy they now lay aside the Lords and therefore Vote them dangerous and useless Frebruary 5 th and so Voted them down with this Proviso That they might be capable to be Elected Knights of the shire and Burgesses and so sit among the Commons Three of them only so debased themselves viz. The Earls of Pembroke Salisbury and the Lord Howard of Estrick The rest of the Peers put forth their Protestation against these Proceedings of the Commons which came forth on the 8 th of Frebruary in which they asserted their own Priviledges and the fundamental Laws of the Nation disclaiming the Votes of the Commons for Erecting an high Court of Justice for the Tryal of the King and altering the Government Law Seal c. and against their Traiterous murthering their Soveraign and disinheriting the Prince the Lawful Heir of the Crown of England and also protesting against their Vote of the 6 th of Frebruary for the abolishing the House of Peers as destructive to the beings of Parliament the Fundamental Laws of the Realm and the Lives Liberties and Properties of the people whom they had made Slaves to their Tyrannical and Arbitrary Government But this affrights not the Commons and to keep the Lords from meeting the Army set a Guard at their Doors of their House and the House now proceeds to set up a Common-wealth and to abolish Monarchy and therefore they formed an Act intituled an Act for the Exheredation of the Royal Line the abolishing of Monarchy in this Kingdom and the setting up a Common-wealth which they ordered to be published in all places And to Vindicate these their most horrid Proceedings they had their Pulpit-Trumpeters who justified their Impious Acts in all places and John Godwin and Milton to write in their Defence of putting the King to death declaring in Print That the King suffered on just Grounds and according to his Demerits And now instead of one King these Common-wealth Rumpers set up forty Tyrants as a Committee of State But the people generally seemed displeased at this Alteration of the Government and Reineldson Lord Major of the City refused to publish their Act for abolishing of Monarchy for whâ—ch he was discharged of his Office and with two Aldermen sent to the Tower and Andrews was chosen in his stead upon this the Rumpers put forth a new Declaration to justifie their Proceedings calling them A Deliverance of the people from the Bondage that was brought in by the Norman Conquest and their Maintenance of the ancient Laws notwithstanding their Alteration of some forms of the Regality which ancient Laws might consist very well with a Republick and that they had only abolished their Abuses promising to establish a safe and firm Peace and to advance the true Protestant Religion the Encouragment of a Godly ministry and of Trade and the Maintenance of the Poor thorowout the Realm Then their Great Seal came forth having on one side a Cross and Harp for the Arms of England and Ireland with this Inscription â— The Great Seal of England And on the other side was the Picture of the Commons with these words In the first year of Freedom by God's blessing restored 1648. Likewise they caused a new Coyn to be minted and stamped their Money with a Cross and Harp instead of the King's Effigies with this Motto God with us Then they took away all Clauses in any former Acts for the taking the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy and made them null and a new Oath framed and tendred to all that were to have any publick place of Trust and assumed to themselves both Judicial and Legislative power of the King and both Houses of Parliament and the Executive power they committed to a Council of State of forty Persons of the most Active men in the Army and others of desperate Fortunes Six of the Judges viz. Justice Bacon Brown Beddinfield Creswell Trevor and Atkins quitted their places not being able to bring their Consciences to Act under this Arbitrary and illegal power six other of them continued who were Justice Rolls St. Johns Pheasanâ— Baron Wild and Baron Yates To their new Council of State they gave Power tâ— Command and settle the Militia of England and Irâ—land Power to set forth Ships and such a Considerable Navy as they should think fit Power to appoinâ— Magistrates and stores for England and Ireland and tâ— dispose of them for the Service of the Nation Anâ— power to Execute all the powers given them for a whole Year to come They had two Seals appointed a great Seal and a Signet Cromwell was made Chaiâ—-man of this Committee and an Oath framed for eveâ—â— Member to take to be true to the Parliament as they termed themselves not to disclose their Secrets anâ— to adhere to the present Settlement of the Government 〈◊〉 a Republick without King or House of Lords Abouâ— this time the Officers of the Army at a Councâ—â— of War debated Whether they should not put to the Sword all that were of the King's Party to secure the Nation to themselves and it was carried in the Negative but by two voyces so near were they to a general Massacre And many Petitions came from several Counties that at least three of the most eminent of the King's party in each County might be put to Death to free the Land from Blood-Guiltiness Cromwell by this as you may perceive had gotten all the executive Power of the Kingdom into his own
ship This was the fourth Engagement The maintaining of this War against the potent Dutch gained such Reputation to these English States as they were called that the French by the Advice of Mazereen sent Monsieur Bourdeaux as an Agent from the French King to acknowledge them This Action of the French gave great distaste to all the King of England's Friends but this Peace with England preserved the Cardinal being in some danger from the Princes of France And now to maintain this War the Junto lay a heavy Tax upon the People of 120000 l. a Month. Monk and Dean being come out of Scotland are joyned with Blake and the Fleet equipping with all Expedition which the Dutch States hearing of sent away to Van-Tromp who was at Sea Conducting home three hundred sail of Merchant men with seventy six men of War and Commanded him to Block up the Thames to hinder the English Fleet from coming forth but to their great Amazement the English got their Ships to Sea and joyning those at Ports-mouth made up eighty sail and over against Portland lay half Seas over expecting the Dutch On the 18 th of February they discry'd them and about eight in the Morning the fight began Blake and Dean who were in the Tryumph with twelve Ships more encounter'd the Gross of the Dutch Fleet but was relieved at last by Lawson who performed his part exceeding Well The Ship in which General Monk was being a slow Sailor could not so soon come up to engage as he would have had it but he had a great share in the Fight and lost many men aboard her This Fight lasted three days and the Triumph wherein two of the Generals were received seven hundred Cannon shot in their Hâ—ll The next day being Saturday and the nineteenth of Feb. 1652. assoon as the English could overtake the Dutch they engaged them again in the Afternoon which was fought with much fury Tromp still endeavouring to save his Merchant Men fought retreating putting them before him but spite of his teeth he lost many of them which were picked up by the English with some of his Men of War The third day in the Morning being the twentieth the fight was again renewed and continued very fierce till four in the Afternoon but the Wind being cross to the English Van Tromp got at last to Callais Sands and so tyded it home The Dutch lost in the three days Fight eleven Men of War and thirteen Merchants Ships and had killed about fifteen hundred Men. The English lost but one Ship but had not many less slain than the Enemy This was the fifth Engagement in which the English got much the better About this time they erected their High Court of Justice in Ireland by which many of the Irish suffered among the rest the noted Rebel Sir Phelim Oneal was hanged at Dublin The year 1652 being worn out and the Dutch being by their several losses humbled the King's Party crushed and impoverished now the Tax for the maintenance of the Dutch War coming in and filling the Treasury 120000 pounds every month the State owned by the French and himself caressed privately by Mazareen with whom he had secret intelligence but what was more the arbitrary Junto perfectly hated by the People he thought it now a convenient time to step into the Throne and to usurp the supreme â—ower and Authority and to take the Government into his own hands To this end he holds several Consults with the Officers of the Army and much fasting and praying there was among them an extraordinary Work being to be done Cromwell cajol'd them all Lambert was deceiv'd in his hopes of succeeding Oliver which he had made him to believe he intended Harrison was for pulling these old Representatives out of their Seats to make way for the Rule of the Saints Cromwell knew how to please them all that he might by them work his ends All the Party Harrison could make among the Congregations of Feak Rogers Simson and the rest of that Gang were for Cromwell and all impatient to have the Parliament outed and to help forward there came forth dayly from the Army Petitions Addresses Remonstrances and such like Papers for putting an end to this Parliament But notwithstanding all the specious pretences for the putting an end to this Parliament many of the Officers very well perceived the drift of Cromwell and what all would end in viz. his getting the Monarchy into his own hands which troubled them much and some of them made open protests against it for they that could not endure the Rule of a single person in their Lawful Prince could much less endure to be tyrannized over by the arbitrary power of their equal The chief of them that opposed his design were Collonel Venables Scout-Master-General Downing Major Streater and others Streater went about to give his Reasons to the contrary telling them that Cromwell design'd to set up himself and that it was a betraying of their most glorious Cause for which so much Blood had been spilt but Harrison interrupted him and told him that he was assured the General did not seek himself in it and did it to make way for the Rule of Jesus that he might have the Scepter To whom Streater replyed That unless Christ came very suddenly he would come too late For this opposition Cromwell looks on him as his mortal Enemy and claps him up into the Gate-House The Junto was very sensible of these Actings but knew not which way to prevent them yet they did what they could to make these Officers understand the inconveniences that would happen by a sudden dissolving them and that it would be the only way to preserve the Nation to fill up the House with new elected Members which would please the people and their Acts would be received with greater Authority But the Army answered them they were grown so carnal and corrupt that the people of God could expect no good from them and that they would take care that the supreme Government of the Land should be placed in the hands of such as truly feared God and were of approved integrity These Debates between the Parliament and the Army spun out some time at the Junto went about cunningly to secure themselves by preparing an Act for the filling up their House wherein such speed was made that it was near passing the House Cromwell being nettled resolves to stay no longer and to his Council of Officers he shewed That if they should let the people to chuse new Representatives it was a tempting of God who would save them by the hands of a few as in former times and that five or six godly upright men might do more in one day than the Parliament had done or would do in a hundred Upon this he takes with him Lambert Harrison and about eight more Officers of the Army and on the three and twentieth day of April 1653 he enters the House and there after a short
Worcester's Mannor at Hartlerow Sir Arthur Haslerig had the Bishop of Durham's House Park and Mannor of Aukeland and 6500 l. in money given him Lord Gray of Grooby had the Queens mannor House Park and Lands at Hâ—ldenby Sir Will. Constable restored to Lands sold to Sir Marmaduke Langly worth 25000 l. Sir Will. Purefoy had given him 1500 l. Wal. Long 5000 l. given him Michael Oldsworth keeper of Windsor Park and had a share out of Sir Will. Compton's Office worth 3000 l. a year divided betwixt him and his Lord. Tho. Scot a Brewers Clark had Lambeth House Mr. Ashurst 1000 l. given him besides every Member of the House which was when full 516 Persons by their own order allow'd themselves 4 l. per. week a man which amounts to 110000 l. per annum They gave to Collonel Hâ—mond Governour of the Isle of Wight for his Table 20 l. a week a 1000 l. in money and 500 l. a year Land Collonel Mitton 5000 l. in mony Cornelius Hâ—lland a poor Boy and waited on Sir Hen. Vain when Comptrouler of the Princes House Made Commissioner for the Revenue of the King Queen and Prince Farmer of the Kings feeding Grounds in Buckinghamshire worth 2000 l. per annum at 200 l. per annum Rent Possessor of Somerset-house Keeper of Richmond House Commissioner for the Garrisons of White-Hall and the Mews an Office in the Mint which enabled him to give 5000 l. with his Daughter this was one of the Kings Judges Sir Hen. Vain Senior had the Bishop of Durham's mannor and Park at Evenwood and had given him 5000 l. and was Chair-man of the Kings Queens and Princes Revenue Sir Hâ—n Vain Junior a subtil Cunning pated Man a fifth Monarchy-man he was made Treasurer of the Navy worth 6000 l. a year Sir Tho. Trenchard given him 1200 l. He marries his Daughter to a Malignant gives security for the Payment of the portion being 1200 l. gets his Son in Law sequestred discovers the Debt and haâ—h it given him for his Fidelity to the State A new way to pay Portions Will. Bingham Governour of Pool had 1000 l. given him To Collonel Joh. Sydenham 1000 l. Joh. Glyn Recorder of London was Clark of the Polls worth 1000 l. per annum and afterwards Lord Chief Justice Joh. Bell an Apothecary beng intrusted with money was sued and said he could not answer without breach of Parliament Sir Walter Earl Collonel of Horse and Lieutenant of the Ordnance worth in times of Peace 1000 l. per annum in War 5000 l. per annum Alderman Atkins Treasurer at War Gregory Clemens a Merchant and one of the Kings Judges John Rowles had given him one thousand five hundred pound out of Sir John Worsenham's Estate Edward Ash a Woollen-Dâ—â—per Treasurer for the providing of Cloaths for the Irish Souldiers Sir John Danvers by a Parliamentary proceeding overthrew his Brothers Will and got the Estate worth 30000 l. Hen. Herbert given him 3000 l. and the Plunder of Ragland Castle To Fenwick 500 l. Gilbert Millingâ—on 1000 l. and Chair-mâ—n to the Committee of plundred Ministers To the two Darbys 5000 l. Robert Cecil Son to the Earl of Salisbury Collonel of Horse Serjeant Wild a Judge a 1000 l. given him after the Hanging of Captain Burley out of the Privy Purse and it is said he had 1000 l. more after the aquital of Mr. Rolf who was accused for an intention of murthering the late King Of the City several Aldermen Common-Councel and others who had great Benefits by this Parliament some of whom were of it John Warner Lord Major was one of the Treasurers of War and Treasurer of the receit of all Monies due upon the Ordinance of 3 d. August 1643. Treasurer of the loan money Purchased the Arch-Bishop of York's best House Castle and Mannot of Caywoood Sir John Wooleston Alderman Treasurer of War Treasurer for Plate Treasurer for loan Money Say-Master of the Mint Trustee of the sail of Bishops Lands Purchased the Bishop of London's Land at High-Gate Alderman Gibbs got seven or eight thousand pounds by melting the Plate and Bodkins at Guild-Hall one of the Treasurers for 20000 l. to pay the Scots a Trustee for Bishops Lands and Treasurer for Rents and Monies raised by them Alderman Fowks a Commissioner for the Customs refused to account upon Oath because of a tender Conscience Treasurer for the payment of Wagoners a Trustee for Bishops Lands and Controuler of their Accounts had first 200 pound per annum and after by their Additional Ordinance 300 per annum more standing Fee Alderman Pennington was Lieutenant of the Tower being intrusted with 6000 pound discovers it to the Parliament beggs it and had it granted Alderman Pack Commissioner for the Customs Treasurer at War and bought the Bishop of Lincoln's House and Mannor at Bugden Alderman Andrews Treasurer at War and Commissioner for the Customs Alderman Avery Commissioner for the Customs Treasurer for Sequestrations and Trustee for the sale of Bishops Lands Alderman Culham Commissioner of the Excise worth 1200 pound per annum Alderman Foot the same Alderman Edmonds the same Owen Roe Lieutenant Collonel and keeper of the Magazeen for stores Alderman Dothwick Treasurer at War With many more too long to be named They allowed for their Military Officers a Collonel of Foot 30 s. day a Lieutenant Collonel 15 s. a Major 9 s. a Captain 15 s. A Collonel of Horse 30 s. a day for himself and for six Horses 21 s. a day a Lieutenant Collonel 15 s. a day for himself and for six Horses 21 s. a Captain of Horse 24 s. a day and for six Horses 21 s. a day A Collonel Lieutenant Collonel and Major received their Captains pay beâ—â—des So that it was no wonder so many of the Parliament men got Commands in the Army It was thought that there was near twenty Millions shared in Lands Revenues Incomes and money amongst them To Bradshaw their President of their High Court of Justice the Kings House and Parks at Eltham was given and to Bultrode Withlock Greenwich Barksted Lieutenant of the Tower a poor Goldsmith bought at two or three years purchase as much Bishops Lands as cost 10000 l. Mr. Boon who they say had been a Tapster a Member of the House had given him 6000 l. To Harry Martin 3000 l. To Blackstone's Wife and Children 3000 l. out of the Earl of Nâ—w-Castle and Lord Withâ—rington's Estates and 500 l. to his brother Upon the General out of the Lands of the Duke of Buckingham's Estate and his Brothers the Lord Francis Villers 4000 l. per annum Clarendon Park bestow'd on the Earl of Pembroke 4868 l. to the Lord Lisle To Bradshaw more 2000 l. Land per annum and 1000 l. in money Cook for Acting the part of Attorny General against the late King had bestowed on him St. Crosses Hospital The new Park in Surry bestowed on the Citty that they might not want Venison Collonel Martin's account brought into the House
blast so dishonest an attempt I shall not determine but Englishmen never received such a foil and by so few enemies since they wore the name for having lost near a thousand Men by an handful of Spaniards Negro's and Molatto's they were fain to retreat and losing all hopes of getting the Spanish Gold most shamefully return to their Ships and that they might be said to doe something they set upon Jamaica and take it and which we have kept ever since Venables after his return was frowned upon by Oliver and for a while sent to the Tower but afterwards was released The Hopes of this Gold had made Oliver King it very much being served with much State and Ceremony He had his Halberdeers in garded grey Coats over whom Strickland was Captain His Lord Chamberlain who was Sir Gilbert Pickering Two Masters of Requests Mr. Bacon and Mr. Sadler and the Master of his Horse his Son Cleypool and all other Officers of Honour both to his own Person and his Wives who very finically acted the Princess White-Hall and Hampton-Court he had saved from sale for his own convenience The baffle at St. Domingo and the loss of his hopes of his Gold made him now project some other ways to fill his Cofers to maintain his Greatness his merry devil left him and he began daily to grow more austere and tyrannical being full of fears and jealousies as he had reason for he had not only the Royal party against him whom he kept under with much cruelty but the Commonwealths-men of his own party and the Fifth-Monarchy-men countenanced by Harison were highly displeased with him and began to Conspire against him He therefore lays Harison and Rich aside and not long after he Committed them with Carew and Courtney into several remote Castles Overton was seized in Scotland with Bramstone Holmes and other Officers who were cashiered fined and good security taken for their good behaviour Overton was sent to the Tower and his Regiment given to Col. Morgan Okey's Regiment also was taken from him and given to another Joyce had the confidence to upbraid his Highness to his face but escaped unpunished Cromwell saying he was a Mad-man About this time he began to interest himself for the Protestants abroad and to be their Protector The Protestant Subjects of the Duke of Savoy in the Vallies of Piedmont having been cruelly treated by that Prince for their Religion Cromwell sends to make application in their behalf but his Messengers being slighted he caused Contributions for their relief to be made throughout England and Viner and Pack were made Treasurers for the Money by which means a considerable summ was Collected but what share they had of it is not known The Spanish War now Commenced apace Cromwell resolving not to hearken to Peace nor to the restitution of three Ships he had taken of the King of Spain's before he had declared War pretending them Hambourgers and Confiscating them being laden with pieces of Eight to the sum of Four hundred thousand pounds Sterling which was minted in the Tower though the Spanish Ambassador Alâ—nso de Cardenas protested against it and did all he could to hinder the injustice which was returned on our Merchants by that Kings seizing on their effects in Spain and by the loss of 1500 English Ships great and small taken from us in this War as appeared afterwards according to the report made in Richard's Parliament This sum of money being spent he had with his Privadoes thought of another way of recruit which like their Usurpation was the most Barbarous and Arbitrary as ever was heard of See now what was become of the Liberties of English men when he following the Example of the Grand Seignior set over the Land a company of Bashaws with the same power under a new title of Major-Generals He had Canton'd England and Wales into 11 Provinces joyning the Counties together for the convenience of this Turkish sway over every one of which he appointed a Governour or Bashaw called by him a Major-General The Names of these Tyrannick Princes were Kelsy Goff Desborow Fleetwood Skippon Whaly Butler Berry Worsley Lambert and Barkstead who was also Lieutenant of the Tower These in their respective Principalities lived like petty Princes or Bashawes domineering and lording it over both Nobility and Gentry and according to the Command and Order of their Grand Seignior Oliver Cromwell which was then esteemed Law all the poor Cavaliers that is all such who had served in the Wars for King Charles the first and also all those that had declared themselves for his Son King Charles the second our now Sovereign were by these Bashaws to be decimated that is the tenth part of their Estates were to be taken from them besides banish'd from London and within 20 miles of the same disarm'd and prohibited to be Elected into any Parliament And as for the Clergy they were turned out of their Livings and kept from all other way of livelihood unless they would work with their hands so that many were ready to starve for they were prohibited any Cure or to be Chaplains to any or to keep School The power of these Decimators was great and boundless Oppressing Robbing Spoyling and Decimating whom they pleased according to their own Arbitrary Will for none durst say Why do you thus They kept a Roll of all persons within their Precincts and if they suspected any to favour the King he was called to account by these Military-Lords and Caution taken by them to keep them from acting against the State binding them to reveal all Plots that should come to their knowledge and made them engage the like for their servants They also hindred them from their disports and prohibited all Horse-races Cock-fighting Bull-baiting or any thing that should cause a Concourse of People and those who refused were presently imprisoned and decimated so that the free people of England were become as absolute Slaves as those living under the Turkish Government where none can call any thing his own By this means the Usurper easily informed himself of the value of all the Estates in England and of the behaviour and affection of every Person of Quality throughout the Kingdom Such vast Powers were given to these Major-Generals that there was nothing they might not doe and indeed did not doe they using it to the full And for this purpose these Major-Generals had an office in Fleetstreet in London as other Courts had where their Recognances were enter'd and all other concerns and dependances belonging to them recorded or register'd Of some they took yearly the 10 th penny of others they took a sum of money for Composition usually at three years purchase which many were willing to pay who had money rather than to be continually troubled with them And now the year 1656 Commencing which by the Instrument was a Parliamentary-year in July Oliver issues out his Writs for his second Parliament to sit on the 17 th of September
void and null to all Intents and Purposes was false Scandalous and Seditious and tended to destroy the visible and fundamental Government of the Kingdom And therefore ordered the printed Paper to be suppressed and that all who had an hand in it to be uncapable to bear Office or to have any trust place or Authority in the Kingdom or to fit as Members of either House of Parliament Here again you see a most bold stroke of Arbitrary Sway and what Noses of Wax they made of all priviledes of Parliaments O most excellent Conservators of the Liberties of the Nation The next thing they fell upon was the unvoting of all former Votes of the House which tended to any accommodation with the King and renewed again their old Vote of Non-Addresses in Terminis and that the Treaty with him in the Isle of Wight was highly dishonourable and apparently Destructive to the good of the Kingdom Thus forty or fifty of this Independent Junto undid what was before done by at least three hundred and forty before December 14 th Major General Brown Sr. William Waller Sr. John Clotworthy Major General Massy Commissary General Copley were all imprisoned by a Council of War at White-Hall tho Members of Parliament upon which they put forth also a new Declaration or Protestation in the name of themselves and all the Free-born people of England against the violent and illegal Proceedings of the General and his Council of War against the Laws of the Land and Liberties of the People the Rights and Priviledges of Parliament and that it was an higher Usurpation and exercise of an Arbitrary and unlawful Power than hath been heretofore pretended or attempted by this or any other King or other Power whatsoever within this Realm About this time came forth a Paper from the Army called the Agreement of the People being almost word for word the same which formerly had been presented in the Year 1647. by the Agitators of the Army and one Gifford a Jesuite busie in promoting it and then condemned by the Commons as matter Destructive to the beings of Parliaments and to the Fundamental Government of the Kingdom and caused General Fairfax to condemn one of these Agitators who promoted it and caused him to be shot to Death at Ware This was ill timed and the business not yet Ripe enough and was a second time by the Vote of the same House condemned as Seditious and Contemptuous and Destructive c. and several were imprisoned upon it but now the same being again obtruded upon this Junto they closed with it and followed it's Dictates which were briefly That the people should agree or did agree together to take away the present Government by King Lords and Commons which they were now going about as the Armies Journy-men as fast as they could And now Oliver Cromwell every day begins to grow more Conspicuous insomuch as several Lords laying aside their Honour and Greatness begin to Court and fawn upon him and servilely to attend on him and do him Homage The next thing the Lords and Commons do is to Curb the City whom they suspect and to hinder them from a free Election of their City Officers another mark of Arbitrary Power For which end many Exceptions are made for those that were to be elected into any Office that none who had bore Arms for the King in the first or second War or that had joyned with the Scots or had subscribed the Engagement 1647. or were aiding in any Tumult or Insurrection in the City with other Restrictions by which they brought all those under that they believed not fit for their wicked purposes This was thought yet too short by Skippon who moved it to have also added That none might bear Office that promoted the Treaty with the King or endeavoured to have him brought to London Which according to the desire of the Saints was ordered as an Additional Ordinance So that you now see the very endeavouring of a Peace and Settlement of the Nation was become a notorious Crime and made a person incapable of bearing any Office in the City And to make themselves sure one of another as Oaths Declarations and Protestations could make these Usurpers they cause their Members to sign a new Pâ—otestation against the Votes for a Treaty in the Isle of Wight and especially against that Vote which much troubled them That his Majesties Answers to the Propositions of both Houses were a ground for the two Houses to Proceed to a Settlement This tho formerly thought by themselves to tend to Faction was now readily performed at the Armies request Four of their imprisoned Members had been released and now sixteen more were sent for before Ireton and by him discharged Telling them it was the General 's pleasure they should be released provided they attempted nothing against the Actings of the present Parliament and Army But the Gentlemen would pass no such Engagement which seeing he gave order for their release but with this Menace That if they made any Disturbance it should be at their peril The business they had now in hand and were Resolved on viz The King's murther must be cloaked under a Religious Covering as if they were about some Pious Work and therefore they mock God as well as delude man and keep a Fast at St. Margarets Westminster where some few Lords and some of the Commons assembled to whom the Pulpit merry Andrew Hugh Peters preached Moses leading the Children of Israel out of Egypt being the Subject which he applyed to the General and the Leaders of the Army now leading the people out of Egyptian Bondage and after some tâ—me as Ridiculously as profanely hiding himself in the Pulpit he starts up and tells them he had it now by Revelation That the Army was to root out Monarchy not only in England but in all other Kingdoms and so should bring all people out of that Egyptian Bondage That that Army was the Stone cut out of the Mountain which was to dash all the Powers of the earth to pieces With other Blasphemous Speeches of the like Nature Mr. Prin was yet kept a Prisoner at the Kings-head-Inn in the Strand from whence he wrot a Letter to Fairfax to know by what Authority he was thus kept a Prisoner he beâ—ing a Parliament man and a Free-born Subject of England The General who was but Chip in Porridge and knew little of what was done by Cromwell and Ireton sent him word That he thought he had been released with the rest and that he would send to know what they had against him Upon which Mr. Prin puts forth a Declaration shewing the horrid Injustice of their Proceedings against the Members of Parliament and against and Contrary to all the Laws of the Land and the Liberty of the Subject The Council of War in the mean time to humble his Majesty ordered That all State and Ceremony should be forborn to the King and his Attendants lessen'd And now
Smithfield he was reprieved the like hapned to John Summer who was condemned to dye in Bishopsgate-street and Oliver Allen in Gracechurch-street who had their Reprieves brought them Baron Manly Mansel with one Seymour and Carlton all imprison'd on the same account made their escape but were arraigned though absent and condemned But Edward Ashton John Bettely and Edward Stacy were also tryed before this Court for the same Crime of raising War and seeking the Death of Cromwell where all three were Condemned with little or no proofs against them Col. Ashton was a known Cavalier and a Prisoner for Debt in Newgate but being permitted by favour to go abroad fell into the company of one of Cromwell's Trepanners who went stroling about for prey who informs the Secretary of dangerous words spoken by this Ashton for which he was tryed and condemned though he denied them at his Death and was hang'd drawn and quarter'd in Tower-street the Tyrant making all parts of the City his Shambles of humane flesh for the greater terror this was his bloody policy Mr. Bettely was in like manner betray'd and falsly accused by these Ruffians the Emissaries of Cromwell and Thurlo condemned upon their Oaths though he protested his Innocency and was executed in the midst of Cheapside being hang'd drawn and quarter'd After he had been a long time dead as they thought on a sudden he lift up his hands and pulling off his Cap looked upon them staring with his eyes to all their amazements till the Executioner dispatch'd him These suffer'd on the 2 d of July 1658. and two dayes after Mr. Stacy was only hang'd Many more who were imprisoned and designed to death escaped by Oliver's Death which was not very long after He was no sooner rid of the fear of this Plot by these Executions but he was again troubled by Lambert's Cabal who had inveigled both Fleetwood and Desborow Cromwell's near relations with their Commonwealth Principles though Lambert intended only the setting up of himself in Cromwell's stead But Cromwell now dallies no longer with them but takes away Lambert's Commission and lays him aside and disposes his Regiments to others whom he could better trust and sends into the Army several Spies and Eves-droppers to let him know the temper and behaviour of the Officers and of their inclinations whereby he might the better reform them This bloody Tyrant becoming Sanguinary as all other Tyrants doe grows very fearfull and suspicious and began to dread every strange face that came near him which he would fix his eyes upon and intentively view for fear of an assassination for that Book of Killing no Murther still ran dreadfully in his mind and made him to take all the care he could of himself oftentimes shifting his Lodgings to which he passed by twenty several locks and usually had four or five ways out of them He seldom went and came the same way between White-Hall and Hampton-Court and always by private and by-ways and in a great hurry his Guards before and behind still on the Gallop and his Coach especially the boots filled with armed men and began to be of very difficult access to all persons Yet this year he had success in Flanders and Dunkirk was surrendred into his hands and Lockhart General of the Forces there and his Kinsman made Governor thereof And now the Exit of this great Tyrant and Usurper draws near being ushered in with a Prodigy three Months before for on the 2 d of June a great Whale came up as far as Greenwich and was there killed His beloved Daughter Cleypool not long before him also dyed with an Ulcer in her Bladder which caused such acute pains that put her into a Feaver and in her raving Fits she much call'd upon that bloody Tyrant her Father for she had been a Suitor for Dr. Hewet's life knowing his Innocency but was denied which gave her a great disturbance being sensible of her Father's Tyrannick sway and Murtherous projects and of the Peoples hate towards him Her Death as they say went near his heart being about the beginning of August which with the troubles he saw were about to rise from the Officers of the Army fomented by Fleetwood who had Married his Daughter and Desborow who had Married his Sister gave him a fit of sickness being at Hampton-Court which he thought at first would pass over being only a Tertian feaver and his private Chaplains fasted and prayed with him and Goodwin openly declared that God had heard his prayers for him and he was assured he should not dye that bout but he was a false Prophet for his Feaver continuing with very ill symptoms the Physicians not so confident as the Priests caused him to be removed to White-Hall and he had been there but few dayes when they saw very plainly that he had but few dayes to live and this being made known to his Privy-Council they were all very much startled he finding himself now drawing towards his end on the 31 of August he caused all people to go out of his Chamber but Goodwin and Thurlo to whom he declared that he nominated his eldest Son Richard Cromwell to succeed him but these thinking it too great a thing to be communicated to them alone advised him to have more Witnesses lest they should not be credited in so great a concern He then bid them to send for the Council of 9 which were those he privately managed his more secret concerns by and these were Fleetwood Fiennes Desborow Whaly Thurlo Lawrence Berry Cooper and Goff most of this Junto being come to him he declared that it was his will that his Son Richard should succeed him as Protector Fleetwood bit his lips having been fool'd into hopes of the Protectorship as well as Lambert but little was then said and on the 3 d day of September 1658 memorable to Oliver for two great Victories Dunbar and Worcester he yielded to the great Victor Death and march'd off the Stage of this World in peace after he had trod it in Blood War Rapine Oppression Cruelty Usurpation and Tyranny Though the report went the Devil fetch'd him away in the storm which the night before his Death was so violent that many of the great Trees in St. James's Park were blown up by the Roots and that he had seven years before made a Compact with the Devil that he might obtain the Dominion of the three Kingdoms and not be prevailed against but these are Stories and God's Providence unsearchable I have already given a character of this Man and a short account of some passages of his Life before he ascended to his Greatness He was no doubt a man of extraordinary parts and raised up by God for such great undertakings as a scourge to this Nation which was full of evil humours and had entertained a spirit of Rebellion against both God the Church and the King and that they might behold their errors by those dismal effects that followed upon their unnatural Rebellion
and perceiving them might not in the same age at least run into the like nor pull the like fatal consequences upon their heads as Usurpation and Arbitrary Rule and Tyranny either in many or in one which God avert and send peace and tranquility in our dayes But yet the Memory of this Man is adored by many to this day and he is the Idol of some who will yet speak great things of him though without reason and putting our decay of trade upon the present ill management of affairs when indeed it is but the consequence of our Civil Wars and the great expence of Money drained away from the Royalists the vast sums raised on the people by Taxes Assessments and Excise which coming into the Soldiers pockets they set it going into motion which with the vast sums raised on the sale of the Kings Queens Princes Bishops and Delinquents Lands made a flood of money for the present and nothing of want then appeared which was the effect rather of the Tyrant's rapacity than good management for when this glut began to fall again into the private sinks of rich men who lived by the use of money and others who had any great sums fallen to their shares fearing the iniquities of the times and knowing no man could promise himself to be long master of his own especially money where the Will of the Tyrant was Law and whom to disoblige was fatal they remitted vast sums for their security into the bank in Holland making them rich by trading with our money whilst we sat contented with 3 l. per cent for to be secure so that our trade fell and in some time after a scarcity of money appeared which such who only look on the present time and considered not truly the reason attributed to the ill management of the present Governour or of those who sat at the Helm And therefore we may say that the low ebb of Trade in our time had its beginning in Oliver's time And we may likewise consider that in his short Usurpation which was but four years and nine months there was shewn so much Tyranny Oppression and Injustice as excepting the time of the Rumps sitting was not to be parallell'd in any of the Kings since the Conquest Besides in his latter dayes when his fears began to render him cruel he valued neither honesty or honour when they stood in the way of his Ambition and therefore to me 't is a wonder for what it was they admired this Man and must be caused either by partiality or ignorance As for his Politicks his Peace with France and his War with Spain was certainly against the Interest of England in lessning the latter and making the former too great for Christendom and loosing the ballance which England ought carefully to keep between those two Monarchs And then his impolitick Peace with the Dutch on so easie terms when brought with great expence of English Blood and Treasure to that extremity that England mought have had what terms they would so that the whole world thought him infatuated in losing so great an opportunity of doing good to this Nation Then there is nothing more certain that all the Persecution that hath since hapned in France of that King's Protestant Subjects was the effects of his joyning in a League with France at that time by which means that King humbled Spain and made way for his Conquests in Flanders since atchieved and inabled him to subdue all Factions at home which were then arising and brought him into a condition to need none of them being grown since the scourge and terrour of Christendom His shamefull defeat at Hispaniola with the loss of 1500 Merchants Ships to the Spaniard in that War as was made appear to Richard's Parliament and in his spending such vast sums of money and yet leaving a vast debt upon the Kingdom as appeared by the Accounts brought into Richard's Assembly may stand in ballance against his Victories and shew that he was not always successfull and that he had not managed his affairs with that frugality and wisedom as some have thought he did when as by his own accounts it appeared notwithstanding the great incomes he had and the many Parliamentary supplies he had contracted a debt of no less than 1900000 l. As for his Tyranny and Oppression 't is needless to mention it that may be seen throughout this History Yet I cannot but instance here that injustice of his to John Lilburn who had been tryed for his Life by the Long Parliament and acquitted and by them discharged yet because Oliver knew him a dangerous man and one that might give him a trouble caused him to be tryed a second time and though then also cleared by the Law yet according to his own Arbitrary Will against Law and with all injustice and cruelty imaginable kept him close Prisoner so long that he was almost consumed by sickness that he turned him out only to dye Again What greater injustice could there be than that shown to Mr. Cony who being a Prisoner at Cromwell's Suit and being brought to the King 's or upper Bench-bar as they call'd it by an Habeas Corpus causes his Counsel to be violently taken from the Bar and sent to the Tower for no other reason than the Pleading his Clients Cause such an Act of violence as cannot be parallell'd in all the History of England Yet this blessed man is admired As for his ingratitude that appeared to Sir Henry Vain who above all persons in the world was the cause of his advancement and had long espoused his Interest yet he studied to destroy him both in his Life and Estate because he would not adhere to his perjury and falseness And because Vain opposed him he imprison'd him and would have proceeded farther against him In Richard's Assembly upon the complaint of several Prisoners kept close in the Tower many being sent away most inhumanely and sold for Slaves beyond Seas the Lieutenant being sent for and demanded by what Authority he had kept those in his custody so long Prisoners he produced a Paper written all with Oliver's own hand in which were these words Sir I pray you seize such and such persons and all others whom you shall judge dangerous men doe it quickly and you shall have a Warrant for it after you have done Upon which Richard's Assembly Voted this Commitment of the Complainants to be illegal unjust and Tyrannical as no doubt it was This was a spice of his Justice whereby any man was rendred obnoxious not only to himself but to the malice or spleen of his Lieutenant though he were never so innocent And at this rate he might take up and imprison whom he pleased and no man was in safety and that by the chief Governour 's Warrant who by Law can Commit no man by his own Warrant And this too without any cause shewn why or wherefore And the same men Voted that those banish'd or sent away were unjustly