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The levellers a dangerous party. [B. XIV.

the parliament, and so dissolved it, retired quietly to their houses in the country; poisoned the affections of their neighbours towards the government; and lost nothing of their credit with the people; yet carried themselves so warily, that they did nothing to disturb the peace of the nation, or to give Cromwell any advantage against them upon which to call them in question.

There were another less wary, because a more desperate party, which were the levellers; many whereof had been the most active agitators in the army, who had executed his orders and designs in incensing the army against the parliament, and had been at that time his sole confidents and bedfellows; who, from the time that he assumed the title of protector, which to them was as odious as that of king, professed a mortal hatred to his person; and he well knew both these people had too much credit in his army, and with some principal officers of it. Of these men he stood in more fear than of all the king's party; of which he had in truth very little apprehension, though he coloured many of the preparations he made against the other, as if provided against the dangers threatened from them.

But the time drew near now, when he was obliged by the instrument of government, and upon his oath, to call a parliament; which seemed to him the only means left to compose the minds of the people to an entire submission to his government. In order to this meeting, though he did not observe the old course in sending writs out to all the little boroughs throughout England, which use to send burgesses, (in which there is so

1654.] A parliament called after a new method. 93

great an inequality, that some single counties send more members to the parliament, than six other counties do,) he seemed to take a more equal way by appointing more knights for every shire to be chosen, and fewer burgesses; whereby the number of the whole was much lessened; and yet, the people being left to their own election, it was not thought an ill temperament, and was then generally looked upon as an alteration fit to be more warrantably made, and in a better time. And so, upon the receipt of his writs, elections were made accordingly in all places; and such persons, for the most part, chosen and returned, as were believed to be the least affected to the present government, and to those who had any authority in it; there being strict order given, "that no person who had ever been against the parliament during the time "of the civil war, or the sons of any such persons, "should be capable of being chosen to sit in that parliament;" nor were any such persons made choice of.

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The day of their meeting was the third of September in the year 1654, within less than a year after he had been declared protector; when, after they had been at a sermon in the abbey at Westminster, they all came into the painted chamber where his highness made them a large discourse; and told them," that that parliament was such a "congregation of wise, prudent, and discreet persons, that England had scarce seen the like: that "he should forbear relating to them the series of "God's providence all along to that time, because it was well known to them; and only declare to them, that the erection of his present power was

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Cromwell's speech to parliament. [B. XIV.

"a suitable providence to the rest, by shewing "what a condition these nations were in at its "erection: that then every man's heart was against another's, every man's interest divided against another's, and almost every thing grown arbi'trary: that there was grown up a general contempt of God and Christ, the grace of God "turned into wantonness, and his Spirit made a "cloak for all wickedness and profaneness; nay, "that the axe was even laid to the root of the ministry, and swarms of Jesuits were continually wafted over hither to consume and destroy the welfare of England: that the nation was " then likewise engaged in a deep war with Portugal, Holland, and France; so that the whole "nation was one heap of confusion: but that this

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present government was calculated for the people's interest, let malignant spirits say what they "would; and that, with humbleness towards God, and modesty towards them, he would recount "somewhat in the behalf of the government. First, it had endeavoured to reform the law; it "had put into the seat of justice men of known integrity and ability; it had settled a way for probation of ministers to preach the gospel : and "besides all this, it had called a free parliament: that, blessed be God, they that day saw a free parliament: then as to wars, that a peace was "made with Denmark, Sweden, the Dutch, and Portugal, and was likewise near concluding with France that these things were but entrances, "and doors of hopes; but now he made no ques"tion to enable them to lay the top stone of the "work, recommending to them that maxim, that

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Lenthall chosen speaker.

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peace, though it were made, was not to be "trusted farther than it consisted with interest: "that the great work which now lay upon this "parliament, was, that the government of England might be settled upon terms of honour that

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they would avoid confusions, lest foreign states "should take advantage of them: that, as for himself, he did not speak like one that would be a lord over them, but as one that would be a "fellow-servant in that great affair:" and concluded, “that they should go to their house, and "there make choice of a speaker:" which they presently did, and seemed very unanimous in their first act, which was the making choice of William Lenthall to be their speaker; which agreement was upon very disagreeing principles. Cromwell having designed him, for luck's sake, and being well acquainted with his temper, concluded, that he would be made a property in this, as well as he had been in the long parliament, when he always complied with that party that was most powerful. And the other persons who meant nothing that Cromwell did, were well pleased, out of hope that the same man's being in the chair might facilitate the renewing and reviving the former house; which they looked upon as the true legitimate parliament, strangled by the tyranny of Cromwell, and yet that it had life enough left in it.

Lenthall was no sooner in his chair than it was proposed," that they might in the first place con"sider by what authority they came thither, and "whether that which had convened them had a

"lawful power to that purpose." From which subject the protector's creatures, and those of the

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Unruly spirit of the members.

[B. XIV. army, endeavoured to divert them by all the arguments they could. Notwithstanding which, the current of the house insisted upon the first clearing that point, as the foundation, upon which all their counsels must be built and as many of the members positively enough declared against that power, so one of them, more confident than the rest, said plainly, that they might easily discern the snares "which were laid to entrap the privileges of the people; and for his own part, as God had made "him instrumental in cutting down tyranny in one person, so now he could not endure to see the "nation's liberties shackled by another, whose right "to the government could not be measured other"wise than by the length of his sword, which "alone had emboldened him to command his com"manders." This spirit prevailed so far, that, for eight days together, those of the council of officers, and others, (who were called the court party,) could not divert the question from being put, "whether the government should be by a pro"tector and a parliament," any other way than by lengthening the debate, and then adjourning the house when the question was ready to be put, because they plainly saw that it would be carried in the negative.

The continuance of this warm debate in the house, in which the protector's own person was not treated with much reverence, exceedingly perplexed him; and obliged him once more to try, what respect his sovereign presence would produce towards a better composure. So he came again to the painted chamber, and sent for his parliament to come to him; and then told them, "that the great

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