found utterance, and this was their Voice from out of old Eternity: "The Lord said unto my Lord: Sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power; in the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. The Lord, at thy right hand, shall strike through Kings in the day of his wrath. He shall judge among the Heathen; he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries. He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head." In such spirit goes Oliver Cromwell to the Wars. "A god. intoxicated man," as Novalis elsewhere phrases it. I have asked myself, If anywhere in Modern European History, or even in ancient Asiatic, there was found a man practising this mean World's affairs with a heart more filled by the Idea of the Highest? Bathed in the Eternal Splendors, it is so he walks our dim Earth: this man is one of few. He is projected with a terrible force out of the Eternities, and in the Times and their arenas there is nothing that can withstand him. It is great; to us it is tragic; a thing that should strike us dumb! My brave one, thy old noble Prophecy is divine; older than Hebrew David; old as the Origin of Man;and shall, though in wider ways than thou supposest, be fulfilled! LETTERS CXXXIII.-CXXXVIIL HOOKE and his small business, in rapid public times, will not detain us. Humphrey Hooke, Alderman of Bristol, was elected to the Long Parliament for that City in 1640; but being found to have had concern in "Monopolies," was, like a number of others, expelled, and sent home again under a cloud. The "service" he did at Bristol Storm, though somewhat needing "concealment," ought to rehabilitate him a little in the charity, at least in the pity, of the Well-affected mind. At all events, the conditions made with him must be kept; and we doubt not were. LETTER CXXXIII. [To the Honorable William Lenthall, Esquire, Speaker of the House of Commons: These.] "LONDON, 20th June, 1650. "MR. SPEAKER, When we lay before Bristol in the Year 1645, we considered the season of the year, the strength of the place, and of what importance the reducement thereof would be to the good of the Commonwealth, and accordingly applied ourselves to all possible means for the accomplishment of the same; which received its answerable effect. At which time, for something considerable done in order to that end, by Humphrey Hooke, Alderman of that place, which, for many reasons, is desired to be concealed, his Excellency the Lord General Fairfax and myself gave him an Engagement under our hands and seals, That he should be secured and protected, by the authority of the Parliament, in the enjoyment of his life, liberty and estate, as freely as in former times, and as any other person under the obedience of the Parliament; notwithstanding any past acts of hostility, or other thing done by him, in opposition to the Parliament or assistance of the Enemy. Which Engagement, with a Certificate of divers godly persons of that City concerning the performance of his part thereof, is ready to be produced. "I understand, that lately an Order is issued out to sequester him, whereby he is called to Composition. I thought it meet therefore to give the honorable Parliament this account, that he may be preserved from anything of that nature. For the performance of which, in order to the good of the Commonwealth, we stand engaged in our faith and honor. I leave it to you; and remain, Sir, "Your most humble servant, "OLIVER CROMWELL."1 On Wednesday, 26th June, 1650, the Act appointing "That Oliver Cromwell, Esquire, be constituted Captain-General and Commander-in-Chief of all the Forces raised or to be raised by authority of Parliament within the Commonwealth of England," was passed. "Whereupon," says Whitlocke, "great ceremonies and congratulations of the new General were made to him from all sorts of people; and he went on roundly with his business." Roundly, rapidly; for in three days more, on Saturday, the 29th, "the Lord General Cromwell went out of London towards the North: and the news of him marching northward much startled the Scots." " He has Lambert for Major-General, Cousin Whalley for Commissary-General; and among his Colonels are Overton, whom we knew at Hull; Pride, whom we have seen in Westminster Hall; and a taciturn man, much given to chewing tobacco, whom we have transiently seen in various places, Colonel George Monk by name. An excellent officer; listens to what you say, answers often by a splash of brown juice merely, but punctually does what is doable of it. Puddingheaded Hodgson the Yorkshire Captain is also there; from whom perhaps we may glean a rough lucent-point or two. The Army, as my Lord General attracts it gradually from the right and left on his march northward, amounts at Tweedside to some sixteen thousand horse and foot.5 Rushworth goes with him as Secretary; historical John; having now done with Fairfax:- but, alas, his Papers for this Period are all lost to us : it was not safe to print them with the others; and they are lost! The Historical Collections, with their infinite rubbish 1 Tanner MSS. (in Cary, ii. 222). Whitlocke, pp. 446, 447. 4 Life of Monk, by Gumble, his Chaplain. 2 Commons Journals, in die. 5 Train, 690; horse, 5,415; foot, 10,249; in toto, 16,354 (Cromwelliana, D. 85). and their modicum of jewels, cease at the Trial of the King; leaving us, fallen into far worse hands, to repent of our impatience, and regret the useful John! The following Letters, without commentary, which stingy space will not permit, must note the Lord General's progress for us as they can; and illuminate with here and there a rude gleam of direct light at first-hand, an old scene very obsolete, confused, unexplored and dim for us. LETTER CXXXIV. DOROTHY CROMWELL, we are happy to find, has a "little brat; "but the poor little thing must have died soon: in Noble's inexact lists there is no trace of its ever having lived. The Lord General has got into Northumberland. He has good excuse for being "silent this way," - the way of Letters. "For my very loving Brother Richard Mayor, Esquire, at his House at Hursley: These. "ALNWICK, 17th July, 1650. "DEAR BROTHER, - The exceeding crowd of business I had at London is the best excuse I can make for my silence this way. Indeed, Sir, my heart beareth me witness I want no affection to you or yours; you are all often in my poor prayers. "I should be glad to hear how the little Brat doth. I could chide both Father and Mother for their neglects of me: I know my Son is idle, but I had better thoughts of Doll. I doubt now her Husband hath spoiled her; pray tell her so from me. If I had as good leisure as they, I should write sometimes. If my Daughter be breeding, I will excuse her; but not for her nursery! The Lord bless them. I hope you give my Son good counsel; I believe he needs it. He is in the dangerous time of his age; and it's a very vain world. Oh, how good it is to close with Christ betimes;-there is nothing else worth the looking after. I beseech you call upon him, I hope you will discharge my duty and your own love: you see how I am employed. I need pity. I know what I feel. Great place and business in the world is not worth the looking after; I should have no comfort in mine but that my hope is in the Lord's presence. I have not sought these things; truly I have been called unto them by the Lord; and therefore am not without some assurance that He will enable His poor worm and weak servant to do His will, and to fulfil my generation. In this I desire your prayers. Desiring to be lovingly remembered to my dear Sister, to our Son and Daughter, to my Cousin Ann and the good Family, I rest, "Your very affectionate brother, "OLIVER CROMWELL.' "1 On Monday, 22d July, the Army, after due rendezvousing and reviewing, passed through Berwick; and encamped at Mordington across the Border, where a fresh stay of two days is still necessary. Scotland is bare of resources for us. That night "the Scotch beacons were all set on fire; the men fled, and drove away their cattle." Mr. Bret, his Excellency's Trumpeter, returns from Edinburgh without symptom of pacification. "The Clergy represent us to the people as if we were monsters of the world." "Army of Sectaries and Blasphemers," is the received term for us among the Scots. Already on the march hitherward, and now by Mr. Bret in an official way, have due Manifestoes been promulgated : Declaration To all that are Saints and Partakers of the Faith of God's Elect in Scotland, and Proclamation To the People of Scotland in general. Asking of the mistaken People, in mild terms, Did you not see us, and try us, what kind of men we were, when we came among you two years ago? Did you find us plunderers, murderers, monsters of the world? "Whose ox have we stolen ?" To the mistaken Saints of God in Scotland, again, the Declaration testifies and argues, in a grand 1 Harris, p. 513: one of the Pusey stock. * Balfour, iv. 97, 100, &c.: "Cromwell the Blasphemer" (ib. 88). |