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to his old security, to keep all manner of persons from entering into the house, who did not first subscribe, "that they would act nothing prejudicial "to the government as it was established under a protector;" which being tendered, many members utterly refused, and returned into their countries, where they were not, for the most part, the worse welcome for insisting upon their privileges, and freedom of parliament.

The major part frankly submitted and subscribed; some of them, that they might have the better opportunity to do mischief. So a speaker was chosen; and at first they proceeded so unanimously, that the protector begun to hope that he had gained his point. With very little or no contradiction, they passed an act of renunciation of any title that Charles Stuart (for so they had long called the king) or any of that family might pretend; and this all men were bound to subscribe, With as little opposition, they passed another, whereby it was made high treason to attempt any thing against the life of the protector. Then they passed several acts for raising money by way of contribution in England, Scotland, and Ireland, in a greater proportion than had ever yet been raised. They granted tonnage and poundage to the protector for his life; and passed several other acts for the raising of monies; amongst them, one for obliging all persons to pay a full year's rent for all buildings which had been erected in and about London, from before the beginning of the troubles; by all which ways, vast sums of money were to be, and afterwards were, exacted and raised. All these acts they presented solemnly to his highness, to be

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Proceedings of parliament.

[B. XV.

confirmed by his royal authority; and he as graciously confirmed them all; and told them, "that "as it had been the custom of the chief governors "to acknowledge the care and kindness of the commons upon such occasions, so he did very "heartily and thankfully acknowledge theirs."

But after all this he was far from being satisfied with the method of their proceeding; for there was nothing done to confirm his personal authority; and notwithstanding all this was done, they might, for aught appeared, remove him from being both protector and general. There had been for some time jealousies between him and Lambert, who had been the principal adviser of the raising those major generals; and being one of them himself, and having the government of the five northern counties committed to him, he desired to improve their authority, and to have it settled by authority of parliament. But Cromwell, on the other hand, was well contented that they should be looked upon as a public grievance, and so taken away, rather upon the desire of parliament, than that it should appear to be out of his own inclination. But, hitherto, neither that design in Lambert, nor the other in Cromwell, nor any difference between them, had broken out.

The protector himself seemed to desire nothing more than to have the authority they had formerly given him, at least, that he had exercised from the time he was protector, confirmed, and ratified by act of parliament. And if it had been so, it had been much greater than any king ever enjoyed. But he had used to speak much, "that it was pity "the nobility should be totally suppressed; and

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Cromwell's jealousy of Lambert.

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"that the government would be better, if it passed "another consultation besides that of the house of "commons." In matter of religion, he would often speak," that there was much of good in the order of bishops, if the dross were scoured off." He courted very much many of the nobility, and used all devices to dispose them to come to him; and they who did visit him were used with extraordinary respect by him; all which raised an opinion in many, that he did in truth himself affect to be king; which was the more confirmed, when many of those who had nearest relation to him, and were most trusted by him, as soon as the parliament had despatched those acts, which are mentioned before, and that complaints came from all parts against the major generals, inveighed sharply against the temper and composition of the government, as if it was not capable to settle the several distractions, and satisfy the several interests of the nation; and by degrees proposed, in direct terms, "that they might invest Cromwell with the title, rights, and dignity of a king; and then he would know, "what he was to do towards the satisfaction of all parties, and how to govern those who would not "be satisfied."

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This proposition found a marvellous concurrence; and very many, who used not to agree in any thing else, were of one mind in this, and would presently vote him king. And it was observed that nobody was forwarder in that acclamation, than some men who had always had the reputation of great fidelity to the king, and to wish his restoration: and it cannot be denied that very many of the king's party were so deceived in

250 A proposition in the parliament [B. XV.

their judgments, as really to believe, that the making Cromwell king for the present, was the best expedient for the restoration of his majesty ; and that the army, and the whole nation, would then have been united rather to restore the true, than to admit of a false sovereign, whose hypocrisy and tyranny being now detected, and known, would be the more detested.

But the more sober persons of the king's party, who made less noise, trembled at this overture; and believed that it was the only way, utterly to destroy the king, and to pull up all future hopes of the royal family by the roots. They saw all men even already tired in their hopes; and that which was left of spirit in them, was from the horror they had of the confusion of the present government; that very many, who had sustained the king's quarrel in the beginning, were dead; that the present king, by his long absence out of the kingdom, was known to very few; so that there was too much reason to fear, that much of that affection that appeared under the notion of allegiance to the king, was more directed to the monarchy than to the person; and that if Cromwell were once made king, and so the government run again in the old channel, though those who were in love with a republic would possibly fall from him, he would receive abundant reparation of strength by the access of those who preferred the monarchy, and which probably would reconcile most men of estates to an absolute acquiescence, if not to an entire submission; that the nobility, which being excluded to a man, and deprived of all the rights and privileges due to them by their birthright, and so enemies

1657.]

for Cromwell to be king.

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irreconcilable to the present government, would, by this alteration, find themselves in their right places, and be glad to adhere to the name of a king, how unlawful a one soever; and there was an act of parliament still in force, that was made in the eleventh year of king Harry the Seventh, which seemed to provide absoluté indemnity to such submission. And there was, without doubt, at that time, too much propension in too many of the nobility, to ransom themselves at the charge of their lawful sovereign. And therefore they who made these prudent recollections, used all the ways they could to prevent this design, and to divert any such vote in the house.

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On the other side, Lambert, who was the second man in the army, and many other officers of account and interest, besides the country members, opposed this overture with great bitterness and indignation: some of them said directly," that if, contrary to their oaths and engagements, and contrary to the end, for obtaining whereof they had spent so much blood and treasure, they "must at last return and submit to the old government, and live again under a king, they "would choose much rather to obey the true and "lawful heir to the crown, who was descended "from a long succession of kings who had managed the sceptre over the nation, than to "submit to a person who, at best, was but their equal, and, raised by themselves from the same degree of which they all were, and, by the trust 'they had reposed in him, had raised himself "above them.' That which put an end to the present debate was, (and which was as wonderful

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