THE HISTORY OF THE REBELLION, &c. BOOK XIV. JOB XX. 19, 22. Because he hath oppressed and hath forsaken the poor; because he hath violently taken away an house which he built not: In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits; every hand of the wicked shall come upon him. JOB XXVII. 15. Those that remain of him shall be buried in death, and his widows shall not weep. a XIV. HAD not God reserved the deliverance and re- BOOK storation of the king to himself, and resolved to accomplish it when there appeared least hope of it, 1653. and least worldly means to bring it to pass; there happened at this time another very great alteration in England, that, together with the continuance of the war with Holland, and affronts every day offered a JOB XX. 19, 22. Becauseshall not weep.] Not in MS. not b Had not God] If God had VOL. VII. B XIV. 1653. BOOK to France, might very reasonably have administered great hopes to the king of a speedy change of government there. From the time of the defeat at Worcester, and the reduction of Scotland and Ireland to perfect obedience, Cromwell did not find the parliament so supple to observe his orders, as he expected they would have been. The presbyterian party, which he had discountenanced all he could, and made his army of the independent party, were bold in contradicting him in the house, and crossing all his designs in the city, and exceedingly inveighed against the licence that was practised in religion, by the several factions of independents, anabaptists, and the several species of these; who contemned all magistrates, and the laws established. All these, how contradictory soever to one another, Cromwell cherished and protected, that he might not be overrun by the presbyterians; of whom the time was not yet come that he could make use: yet he seemed to shew much respect to some principal preachers of that party; and consulted much with them, how the distempers in religion might be composed. Though he had been forward enough to enter upon the war of Holland, that so there might be no proposition made for the disbanding any part of his army, which otherwise could not be prevented, yet he found the expense of it was so great, that the nation could never bear that addition of burden to the other of land forces; which how apparent soever, he saw the parliament so fierce for the carrying on that war, that they would not hearken to C d there] Not in MS. anabaptists,] MS. adds: quakers, |