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1653.] an account of all to the king.

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knew the generosity of the marquis, his nature, and his custom of living, that he had submitted to a life very uncomfortable and melancholic; and desired his majesty's leave that he might retire, and procure a pass to go into England; where he had some estate of his own, and many friends, who would not suffer him to starve; which his majesty made haste to send to him, with as great a testimony of his gracious acceptation of his service and affection, as his singular merit deserved.

Thereupon the marquis sent to Ludlow for a pass to go into England, and render himself to the parliament; which he presently sent him; and so the marquis transported himself to London; where he was civilly treated by all men, as a man who had many friends, and could have no enemies but those who could not be friends to any. But by the infirmities he had contracted in Ireland, by those unnatural fatigues and distresses he had been exposed to, he lived not to the end of a year; and had resolved, upon the recovery of any degree of health, to have transported himself to the king, and attended his fortune. He left behind him so full a relation of all material passages, as well from the beginning of that rebellion, as during the time of his own administration, that I have been the less particular in the accounts of what passed in the transactions of that kingdom, presuming that more exact work of his will, in due time, be communicated to the world.

The affairs of the three nations being in this posture at the end of the year [1652], and there being new accidents, and alterations of a very ex

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The king at Paris.

[B. XIII. traordinary nature, in the year following, which were attended with much variety of success, though not with that benefit to the king as might have been expected naturally from those emotions, we shall here conclude this book, and reserve the other for the next.

THE END OF THE THIRTEENTH BOOK.

THE

HISTORY

OF THE

REBELLION, &c.

BOOK XIV.

IF

F God had not reserved the deliverance and restoration of the king to himself, and resolved to accomplish it when there appeared least hope of it, 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 to France, might very reasonably have administered great hopes to the king of a speedy change of government. 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 license that

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The state of parties.-Cromwell [B. XIV.

was practised in religion, by the several factions of independents, anabaptists, quakers, 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 any reasonable conditions of peace; which the Dutch appeared most solicitous to make upon any conditions. But that which troubled him most, was the jealousy that his own party of independents had contracted against him: that party, that had advanced him to the height he was at, and made him superior to all opposition, even his beloved Vane, thought his power and authority to be too great for a commonwealth, and that he and his army had not dependence enough upon, or submission to, the parliament. So that he found those who had exalted him, now most solicitous to bring him lower; and he knew well enough what any diminution of his power and authority must quickly

1653.]

erects another council of officers.

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be attended with. He observed, that those his old friends very frankly united themselves with his and their old enemies, the presbyterians, for the prosecution of the war with Holland, and obstructing all the overtures towards peace; which must, in a short time, exhaust the stock, and consequently disturb any settlement in the kingdom.

In this perplexity he resorts to his old remedy, his army; and again erects another council of officers, who, under the style, first, of petitions, and then of remonstrances, interposed in whatsoever had any relation to the army; used great importunity for "the arrears of their pay; that they

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might not be compelled to take free quarter upon "their fellow subjects, who already paid so great contributions and taxes; which they were well "assured, if well managed, would abundantly defray all the charges of the war, and of the government." The sharp answers the parliament gave to their addresses, and the reprehensions for their presumption in meddling with matters above them, gave the army new matter to reply to; and put them in mind of some former professions they had made, "that they would be glad to be "eased of the burden of their employment; and “that there might be successive parliaments to undergo the same trouble they had done." They therefore desired them, "that they would remem"ber how many years they had sat; and though "they had done great things, yet it was a great “injury to the rest of the nation, to be utterly ex"cluded from bearing any part in the service of "their country, by their engrossing the whole "power into their hands; and thereupon besought

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