OF 95 For the Right Honourable General Penn: These GENERAL PENN, Whitehall, December the 1st, 1654. I do hereby commend to you my kinsman, Mr. George Smythsby, desiring that he may be assured that he shall have some place that shall fall within the fleet under your command. And in the meanwhile that you take care that he have an entertainment becoming a gentleman, and one related to me; and I do the rather engage him in this present expedition, because his affections and his abilities, of which good testimony hath been given to me, do incline him chiefly to sea service. I would he should have encouragement to all worthy undertakings, and that for my sake you so observe his demeanours, that his virtue and religious inclinations may revive my letters to you on his behalf, and if at any time he shall remind you of this engagement of mine, I nor he may be forgotten by you. I rest, Your loving friend, OLIVER P.* 96 CROMWELL'S Admiral was far from satisfied with the amount of power given to him. While he himself had only general instructions, more detailed ones were communicated to Venables, the leader of the land forces, from whom he was to receive them. For the Right Honourable General Penn GENERAL PENN, 20 December, 1654. I hope before this letter comes to your hand that the first squadron will be a good part of their way to the Land's End, and I hope also that you are hastening what you can the remainder of the fleet. Indeed I understand so much of your care and industry in this business that I cannot but acknowledge it, and let you know how much you make me beholding to you, and I pray you, persist therein. I do humbly hope the Lord will have an eye upon this business, and will bless it, and therefore, if it be His business, it will * In Thurloe's handwriting, signed by Cromwell. Seal of arms. From the original at Welbeck. Printed in the Hist. MSS. Com. Report on the Portland MSS., ii. 88. certainly provoke every good heart to eye Him in it, and to be able to overcome everything in a man's own heart that may anyways lie as an impediment in the way, that may hinder the bringing of it to its perfection. And in this I have full assurance of you, notwithstanding I have had some knowledge of a little dissatisfaction remaining with you, which I hope by this time will be removed; and I desire you it may be so. You have your own command, full and entire to yourself, nothing interfering with it, nor in the least lessening you. The command at land is also distinct, and there the general at land must exercise his authority, and thus I trust you will both consent to carry on the public work without hesitation, and God forbid that anything either in you or him should in the least hinder that. I hope it shall not, and know assuredly upon the experience you have had of me, that I shall be as tender of your honour and as sensible to uphold you in your quality as you shall be to desire me. The Lord make your journey prosperous and bless you. And know that I am I did apprehend and took it as granted that you would make my nephew Whitstone your lieutenant in this expedition; and I acquainted him and his friends therewith, who did depend thereupon. But I understand lately that my nephew is disappointed or at least delayed of that employment. Truly I have entertained such good hopes of the young man1 from these characters I have received of him, and that from yourself, that I should be loath he should be discouraged or neglected. And therefore I desire you to put your kinsman into some other command in the fleet, and let Whitstone be lieutenant to yourself, according to your promise to me; it being my desire that he should continue under your eye and care. Not doubt * From the original at Welbeck. In Thurloe's writing, signed by the Protector at the top. Printed in the Hist. MSS. Com. Report on the Portland MSS., ii. 88. These hopes seem to have been disappointed. See Cal. S. P. Dom., 1658-9, p. 161. ing of your readiness herein, I commend you to the grace and protection of God, and remain, your loving friend, OLIVER P.* 98 THERE are two copies of the following letter among the Clarke MSS. Neither is dated, but one is headed, "Letter to Lieut.-Col. Wilks." From its position amongst the other letters, Mr. Firth believes that it should be dated between January 14 and 18, 1654[-5]. For the Marlborough collection, see p. 452 above. So late as the May of this year 1655, the inhabitants were petitioning that the money which should have gone to their relief was still detained in the hands of the collectors. See Cal. S. P. Dom., 1655, p. 176. Of Wilkes, Mr. Firth says that he was one of the Protector's most devoted adherents, and to him Cromwell unbosomed himself with the greatest frankness." Clarke Papers, ii. xxxi. 66 SIR, [To Lieut.-Col. Wilks.] [Jan. 1654-5] I received your letter, and as to the part which concerns the collection for Marlborough I shall speak with Major Haines thereabout, by whom I expect to know what Colonel Read hath done thereupon. The other part [of your letter] is full of very loving and kind expressions of the heartiness of your affection to me, and of your tenderness and sensibleness of the burden of my condition; and truly it was to me very seasonable, because if I mistake not, my exercise of [that] little faith and patience I have was never greater; and were it not that I know whom I have believed, the comforts of all my friends would not support me, no not one day. I can say this further to you, that if I looked for anything of help from men, or yet of kindness, it would be from such as fear the Lord, for whom I have been ready to lay down my life, and I hope still am, but I have not a few wounds from them, nor are they indeed, in this sad dispensation they are under (being divided in opinion and too much in affection ready to fall foul *From the original at Welbeck. In Thurloe's writing, signed by Oliver. Printed in the Hist. MSS. Com. Report on the Portland MSS., ii. 89. 'Or "Baynes." 2 These words omitted in one of the texts. upon one another, whilst the enemy to be sure unite to purpose to their common destruction), in a capacity to receive much good or to minister good one to another, through want of communion in love; so that whosoever labours to walk with an even foot between the several interests of the people of God for healing and accommodating their differences is sure to have reproaches and anger from some of all sorts. 1 And truly this is much of my portion at the present, so unwilling are men to be healed and atoned; 2 and although it be thus with me, yet the Lord will not let it be always so. If I have innocency and integrity the Lord hath mercy and truth, and will own it. If in these things I have made myself my aim, and designed to bring affairs to this issue for myself, the Lord is engaged to disown me; but if the work be the Lord's, and that they are His purposes which He hath purposed in His own wisdom, He will make His own councils stand; and therefore let men take heed lest they be found fighters against Him, especially His own people. I hear things are very troublesome through the discontent of some amongst you, who will quickly be made manifest by their fruits. And I am persuaded the Lord will not suffer His people always to be deceived by such pretenders and pretences to righteousness and justice, and care not how unjustly and unrighteously they walk, not to bring forth righteousness and justice, as they pretend, but most abominable unrighteousness, wickedness, impiety, and confusion upon all the world God hath wrought in the midst of us. I do verily suspect most guilty herein, because I find men acting here upon the same principles who have conceived to themselves also great hopes from the divisions and discontents amongst you, who have had such expectations from some notable design to be acted in Scotland from some considerable person there, that they have formed their work here of like wickedness and confusion to be contemporary here; and truly it is thus they are exciting all discontented humours and persons to stir, and to go into arms, having framed their declarations wherein they have a singular compliance with the malignant party, as their declarations will manifest, wherein they gratify them beyond what ever was done for them, by which the cavalier party is so encouraged that they do account this spirit, principle, and motions of these men, as the likeliest way to bring them into their former interest that ever yet they had, and of this we have a very full discovery. Besides we find that divers are very highly acting that interest, and are preparing great quantities of arms to that purpose, of which through the goodness of God we have made a full discovery, and the business is become so naked and open, that indeed if all the people of God had one heart and spirit, yet it would be all little enough to man's judgment to preserve the interest of the people of God. We have apprehended divers persons of quality who have commissions from Charles Stuart and are possessed of many arms to carry on their work, and in the discovery hereof the Lord hath appeared very gracious to us. The Lord stablish, strengthen, and keep your minds entire, and make His people of one heart, and give them one lip; and I pray you shew your fidelity in standing by and sticking to your honest General Geo. Monck, who is a simplehearted man, and as you have opportunity 3 exhort all to do the same1; and let the honest officers be as diligent to make peace and keep it there as wicked men who are the instruments of Satan are busy to bring in confusion. I commit you to the Lord, and rest, 3 This bearer, Mr. Nathaniel Weare, who came from New England, hath a certificate from some ministers there that he is a godly sober Christian. And upon some discourse with him, I find he is willing with some friends of his to bring their families 1 Dr. Gardiner says of this passage: "Obviously Oliver had failed to discern that this extraordinary phenomenon was to be explained not by the sinfulness of mankind, but by a common detestation of a government based on the power of the sword." Commonwealth and Protectorate, iii. 95. 211 many" in the other text. 3་་ 'at your own opportunity " ibid. 4" SO "ibid. * Copy. Printed in the Clarke Papers, ii. 239. |