Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

1653.]

[ocr errors]

86

[ocr errors]

66

56

66

[ocr errors]

dissolving the parliament.

67

by the parliament, devolved for a time upon known persons, fearing God, and of approved integrity, as the most hopeful way to countenance "all God's people, preserve the law, and administer justice impartially; hoping thereby, that people might forget monarchy, and understand their "true interest in the election of successive parliaments, and so the government might be settled upon a right basis, without hazard to this glorious cause, or necessity to keep up armies for the de"fence thereof: that being resolved, if possible, to “decline all extraordinary courses, they had pre"vailed with about twenty members of the parlia"ment to give them a conference; with whom "they debated the justice and necessity of that proposition; but found them of so contrary an opinion, that they insisted upon the continuance "of the present parliament, as it was then consti"tuted, as the only way to bring those good things "to pass which they seemed to desire: that they insisted upon this with so much vehemence, and were so much transported with passion, that they "caused a bill to be prepared for the perpetuating

66

this parliament, and investing the supreme power " in themselves. And for the preventing the con"summation of this act, and all the sad and evil

consequences, which, upon the grounds thereof, "must have ensued, and whereby, at one blow, the "interest of all honest men, and of this glorious cause, had been in danger to be laid in the dust, they had been necessitated (though with much "repugnance) to put an end to the parliament."

There needs not be any other description of the temper of the nation at that time, than the remem

68

The method Cromwell pursued

[B. XIV. bering that the dissolution of that body of men, who had reigned so long over the three nations, was generally very grateful and acceptable to the people, how wonderful soever the circumstances thereof had been; and that this declaration, which was not only subscribed by Cromwell and his council of officers, but was owned by the admirals at sea, and all the captains of ships, and by the commanders of all the land forces in England, Scotland, and Ireland, was looked upon as very reasonable; and the declaration, that issued thereupon, by which the people were required to live peaceably, and quietly to submit themselves to the government of the council of state, which should be nominated by the general, until such a time as a parliament, consisting of persons of approved fidelity and honesty, could meet, and take upon them the government of these nations, found an equal submission and obedience.

The method he pursued afterwards, for the composing a government, by first putting it into a most ridiculous confusion, and by divesting himself of all pretences to authority, and putting what he had no title to keep into the hands of men so well chosen, that they should shortly after delegate the power legally to him for the preservation of the nation, was not less admirable; and puts me in mind of what Seneca said of Pompey, " that he had brought "the people of Rome to that pass, by magnifying "their power and authority, ut salvus esse non possit "nisi beneficio servitutis." And if Cromwell had not now made himself a tyrant, all bonds being broken, and the universal guilt diverting all inclinations to return to the king's obedience, they must

1653.] afterwards, for composing a government. 69

have perished together in such a confusion, as would rather have exposed them as a prey to foreigners, than disposed them to the only reasonable way for their preservation; there being no man that durst mention the king, or the old form of government.

It was upon the twenty-fourth [twentieth] of April that the parliament had been dissolved; and though Cromwell found that the people were satisfied in it, and the declaration published thereupon, yet he knew it would be necessary to provide some other visible power to settle the government, than the council of officers; all whom he was not sure he should be able long entirely to govern, many of them having clear other notions of a republic than he was willing England should be brought to. A parliament was still a name of more veneration than any other assembly of men was like to be, and the contempt the last was fallen into was like to teach the next to behave itself with more discretion. However the ice was broken for dissolving them, when they should do otherwise; yet he was not so well satisfied in the general temper, as to trust the election of them to the humour and inclination of the people.

He resolved therefore to choose them himself, that he might with the more justice unmake them when he should think fit; and with the advice of his council of officers, for he made yet no other council of state, he made choice of a number of men, consisting of above one hundred and forty persons, who should meet as a parliament to settle the government of the nation. It can hardly be believed that so wild a notion should fall into any

70 Praise-God Barebone's parliament. [B. XIV.

66

man's imagination, that such a people should be fit to contribute towards any settlement, or that from their actions any thing could result, that might advance his particular design. Yet, upon the view and consideration of the persons made choice of, many did conclude, that he had made his own "scheme entirely to himself; and though he com"municated it with no man, concluded it the most "natural way to ripen and produce the effects it "did afterwards, to the end he proposed to him"self."

There were amongst them some few of the quality and degree of gentlemen, and who had estates, and such a proportion of credit and reputation, as could consist with the guilt they had contracted. But much the major part of them consisted of inferior persons, of no quality or name, artificers of the meanest trades, known only by their gifts in praying and preaching; which was now practised by all degrees of men, but scholars, throughout the kingdom. In which number, that there may be a better judgment made of the rest, it will not be amiss to name one, from whom that parliament itself was afterwards denominated, who was PraiseGod (that was his Christian name) Barebone, a leatherseller in Fleet-street, from whom (he being an eminent speaker in it) it was afterwards called Praise-God Barebone's parliament. In a word, they were a pack of weak senseless fellows, fit only to bring the name and reputation of parliaments lower than it was yet.

It was fit these new men should be brought together by some new way: and a very new way it was; for Cromwell by his warrants, directed to

1653.]

Cromwell calls them together.

71

every one of them, telling them " of the necessity "of dissolving the late parliament, and of an equal "necessity, that the peace, safety, and good go

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

66

66

[ocr errors]

vernment of the commonwealth should be pro"vided for, and therefore that he had, by the advice “ of his council of officers, nominated divers persons fearing God, and of approved fidelity and honesty, "to whom the great charge and trust of so weighty "affairs was to be committed, and that having good assurance of their love to, and courage for "God, and the interest of his cause, and the good people of this commonwealth;" he concluded in these words, " I, Oliver Cromwell, captain general and commander in chief of all the forces raised, or to be raised, within this commonwealth, do hereby summon and require you personally to be "and appear at the council-chamber at Whitehall, upon the fourth day of July next, then and there "to take upon you the said trust. And you are hereby called and appointed to serve as a member " of the county of," &c. Upon this wild summons, the persons so nominated appeared at the councilchamber upon the fourth of July, which was near three months after the dissolution of the former parliament.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

Cromwell, with his council of officers, was ready to receive them, and made them a long discourse of 66 the fear of God, and the honour due to his name," full of texts of scripture; and remembered "the wonderful mercies of God to this nation, and "the continued series of providence, by which he "had appeared in carrying on his cause, and bringing affairs into that present glorious condition, "wherein they now were." He put them in mind

[ocr errors]
« ZurückWeiter »