a sacrifice [King, Protector, Constable, or what you like], that there might be, so long as God shall please to let this Parliament sit, a harmony, and a better and good understanding between all of you. And,—whatever any man thinks,—it equally concerns one man 'of us' as another to go on to Settlement: and where I meet with any that is of another mind, indeed I could almost curse him in my heart. And therefore, to the end I might deal heartily 2 and freely, I would have you lose nothing [Not even the Scrupulous] that may stand you in stead in this way. I would advise you that if there be found' any of a froward and unmannerly or womanish spirit,-I would not have you lose them! I would not that you should lose any servant or friend who may help in this Work; that they should be offended by that that signifies no more to me than as I have told you 'it does'.3 That is to say' I do not think the thing necessary; I do not. I would not that you should lose a friend for it. If I could help you to many friends,' and multiply myself into many, that1 would be to serve you in 'regard to' Settlement! And therefore 'I' would not that any, especially any of these that indeed perhaps are men that do think themselves engaged to continue to you, and to serve you, should be anyways disobliged from you.

'I have now no more to say.' The truth is, I did make that my conclusion to you at the first, when I told you what method I would speak to you in.5 I may say that I cannot, with conveniency to myself, nor good to this service that I wish so well to, speak out all my arguments to 'the' safety of your Proposal,' and as to its tendency to an effectual carrying-on of this Work. [There are many angry suspicious persons listening to me, and every

[Last two words omitted, Ashmole MS.]

["faithfully," ibid.]

3 [The order of this last sentence is changed in Ashmole MS., and some words are omitted.]

4["I," Ashmole MS.]

5This was my second head of method; all this about myself and my own 'feelings in regard to the Kingship,-after I had proved to you in my first head "that it was not necessary, that it was only expedient or not expedient. I am now "therefore got to the end of my second head, to my conclusion."

"["in order to," both texts.]

word is liable to different misunderstandings in every different narrow head!] I say, I do not think it fit to use all the thoughts I have in my mind as to that point of safety. But I shall pray to God Almighty that He would direct you to do 'what is' according to His will. And this is that poor account I am able to give you of myself in this thing.*

And so enough for Monday, which is now far spent: 'till tomorrow at three o'clock' 1 let us adjourn; and diligently consider in the interim.

His Highness is evidently very far yet from having made up his mind as to this thing; the undeveloped Yes still balancing itself against the undeveloped No, in a huge dark intricate manner, with him. Unable to declare' himself; there being in fact nothing to declare hitherto, nothing but what he does here declare,—namely, darkness visible. An abstruse time his Highness has had of it, since the end of February, six or seven weeks now; all England sounding round him, waiting for his Answer. And he is yet a good way off the Answer. For it is a considerable question this of the Kingship: important to the Nation and the Cause he presides over; to himself not unimportant, and yet to himself of very minor importance, my erudite friend! A Soul of a man in right earnest about its own awful Life and Work in this world; much superior to 'feathers in the hat,' of one sort or the other, my erudite friend!--Of all which he gives here a candid and honest account; and indeed his attitude towards this matter is throughout, what towards other matters it has been, very manful and natural.

However, on the morrow, which is Tuesday, at three o'clock, the Committee cannot see his Highness; attending at Whitehall, as stipulated, they find his Highness indisposed in health;-are to come again tomorrow, Wednesday, at the same hour. Wednesday they come again; I wait for above an hour in the CouncilChamber;'-Highness still indisposed, "has got a cold:" Come again tomorrow, Thursday! Which,' says the writer of the thing called Burton's Diary, who was there, 'did strongly build up the faith of the Contrariants,'-He will not dare to accept,

* Somers Tracts, vi. 365-371. [That is Monarchy Asserted; also Ashmole MS. 749; and abridged report, Harley MS. 6846 f. 236.]

1 Burton, ii. 2.

think the Contrariants. The Honourable House in the mean while has little to do but denounce that Shoreditch FifthMonarchy Pamphlet, the Standard set up, which seems to be a most incendiary piece ;-and painfully adjourn and re-adjourn, till its Committee do get answer. A most slow business; and the hopes of the Contrariants are rising.1

Thursday, 16th April 1657, Committee attending for the third time, the interview does take effect; Six of the Grandees, Glynn, Lenthall, Colonel Jones, Sir Richard Onslow, Fiennes, Broghil, Whitlocke, take up in their order the various objections of his Highness's former Speech, of Monday last, and learnedly rebut the same, in a learned and to us insupportably wearisome manner; fit only to be entirely omitted. Whitlocke urges on his Highness That, in refusing this Kingship, he will do what never any that were actual Kings of England did, reject the advice of his Parliament.2 Another says, It is his duty; let him by no means shrink from his duty!-Their discoursings, if any creature is curious on the subject, can be read at a great length in the distressing pages of Somers, and shall be matter of imagination here.4 His Highness said, These were weighty

[A letter of April 16th says: "Our Protector cannot be drawn to accept of Kingship, notwithstanding their frequent addresses to him; he takes further time to satisfy his conscience. The Parliament have done nothing but this since Easter, nor will, till this is finished. We think he is the more shy because the MajorGenerals and much of the army are against it. Last week our Fifth Monarchy men were arming to dethrone him as an Antichrist, and Gideon-like, doubted not to do it with such a number that one should chase a thousand. Twenty or thirty are taken into custody. Major Harrison and some others of that judgment may be in the plot. Now we hear he has lately got a cold and is much indisposed. 'Tis said, because they have sworn against Kingship, the name of Emperor will well content them." Hum. Robinson to Jos. Williamson. Abstract. Cal. S. P. Dom., 1656, 1657, p. 344.]

3 Ibid. vi. 371-387.

2 Somers, p. 386. [There are several letters amongst the Duke of Sutherland's MSS., in relation to the conferences concerning kingship. On April 21, the writer says that he has met a kinsman, a parliament man, who told him more exactly "what had passed on Thursday twixt the Protector and the House, as thus:-the House having been two days before to speak with him, but could not, because of his indisposition of health, but on Thursday he came out of his chamber half unready in his gown, and a black scarf about his neck, and made his apology for the loss of their former labour; and when he had done his speech, Serjt. Glynne spake to him in answer to all the objections he gave them in writing and when Glynne had ended, the Master of the Rolls, Lenthall, spake very boldly, and then spake the Lord Broghill excellently well to the same purpose, and after him spake Whitlocke, showing invincible reasons and arguments of necessity that the Protector should take upon him the kingly government. When he had ended his speech, the Protector applied himself to the Lord Whitlocke and told them all that he must confess they had all convinced him in all his objections, insomuch that for the present he knew not what to say to them, but desired them to come to him next day; the meantime

arguments; give him till tomorrow to think of them.1 'Tomorrow at three: spero!' says the writer of the thing called Burton's Diary, who is not one of the Contrariants.

SPEECH XII

ALAS, tomorrow at three his Highness proves again indisposed; which doth a little damp our hopes, I fancy! Let us appoint Monday morning: Monday ten o'clock, 'at the old place,' Chamber of the Council-of-State in Whitehall. Accordingly, on Monday 20th April 1657, at the set place and hour, the Committee of Ninety-nine is once more in attendance, and his Highness speaks, -answering our arguments of Thursday last, and indicating still much darkness.2

'MY LORDS,' 3

I have, as well as I could, considered the arguments used by you, the other day, to enforce your conclusion as to that Name and Title, which has been the subject of various Debates and Conferences between us. I shall not now

he would take a further consideration of it and then he would give them satisfaction. So the House went to him on Friday, but they lost their labour, for he was not well and could not be spoken with." Fifth Report of the Hist. MSS. Commissioners, Appendix, p. 163.]

1 Burton, ii. 5.

2 [This speech is in the small volume-Add. MSS. 6125-but being put before some of the earlier ones, has not been noticed by the editor of Burton's Diary, whose only text was Monarchy Asserted, the worst text of the Protector's speeches that we have. Its inaccuracy comes out particularly in the reports of the speeches of the Committee, on the 16th, alluded to above. For instance "to set down all authorities and boundaries" (MS. 6125) becomes authorities and abundances in Monarchy Asserted; "if in the notion only it seems impracticable, in the acting it will be," etc., is misprinted "if in the nation," etc., and "especially when the thing not differed in is the settling of a foundation, and the thing differed upon is only a name is turned into "especially when the thing differed in, as the settling our foundation," etc., where the omission of one word and the alteration of another, turns sense into nonsense. Allowing for the mistakes and misprints in Monarchy Asserted, and for small omissions here and there in both texts, it may be surmised that the two were copied from a common source. If not they must follow very closely the Protector's own words.]

[Probably should be in the singular. See Carlyle's own remark, p. 53 above. ["To enforce the conclusion that refers to the name and title, that was the subject matter of the debates and conferences that have been between us," both texts.]

spend your time nor my own much, in repeating those arguments, and giving answers to them. Indeed I think they are 'mainly' but the same we formerly had, only with some additional inforcements by new instances: 'and' truly, at this rate of Debate, I might spend your time, 1 which I know is very precious; and unless I were 'to end in being' a satisfied person, the time would spin out, and be very unprofitably 2 spent,-so it would. I only must say a word or two to that that I think was new.

You were pleased to say some things as to the power of 'Parliament, as to the force of a Parliamentary sanction in this 'matter.' 3 What comes from the Parliament in the exercise of their Legislative power, as this Proposal does,1-I understand it to be an exercising of the Legislative power, and the Laws were always formerly passed 'in' this way of Proposal or Conference,' and that 'way' of Bills was of a newer date,-I understand that, I say; but――[In short, the Sentence falls prostrate, and we must start again.] You said, "that what was done by the Parlia"ment now, and simply made to hang upon this Legislative "power, 'as any Title but that of King will do,' might seem partly as if it were a thing ex dono, not de jure; a thing that "had not the same weight, nor the same strength, as if it bore a "reference to 'the general Body of' the Law 5 that is already in "being." I confess there is some argument in that,—that there is ! But if the degree of' strength will be as good without Parliamentary sanction then'-[Sentence pauses, never gets started again.]--Though it 'too, this Title of Kingship,' comes as a gift from you, I mean as a thing that you 'either' provide

66

1["although indeed I think they are but the same that they were formerly, only there were some additional enforcements of those arguments by new instances. think truly, after the rate of debate, I may spend your time," both texts.] 2["unpracticable spent," Monarchy Asserted.]

3 Glynn, Lenthall, Broghil, Whitlocke (Somers, pp. 371, 2, ["their legislative power, which this is," both texts.]

384-6).

5["But it is said, that what is done by the Parliament now, and simply hangs upon their legislative, seems to be a thing that is ex dono and not de jure, not a thing that is of so good weight and so strong as what refers from them to the law." ibid.]

6["without it," ibid. "It" here appears to mean not the Parliament sanction, but the title of King, as it does below.]