CHAPTER II. CRO (ROMWELL'S removal to St. Ives was partly influenced by his restless disposition, which sought a larger sphere for its active energies, but mostly by the desire of adding to his revenue, which the increase of his family made desirable. He had now seven children, and being only thirty-one years of age, there seemed a prospect of his sons and daughters rivalling in number those of the patriarchs. Cromwell's family, in the course of time, reached, in fact, the extent of nine-five sons and four daughters-three of the former of whom and all the latter arrived at maturity. There is a house in St. Ives called Slepe Hall, which is pointed out as the former residence of Cromwell. It is the most imposing mansion in the place; and a room in the lower story of it is claimed to have been the private chapel where Cromwell, with his friends, listened in secret to the pious ex hortations of the Puritan lecturers, and even took his turn himself in edifying the brethren with a sermon. Whether this was Cromwell's house or not, it is certain that he farmed the lands belonging to the estate to St. Ives, a small town in the same county, about five miles east of Huntingdon. He accordingly disposed of some of his property at the latter place, where his mother continued to reside, and took a grazing farm, which he stocked with the proceeds of his sale, which amounted to the handsome sum of one thousand eight hundred pounds. CHAPTER II. CRO YROMWELL'S removal to St. Ives was partly influenced by his restless disposition, which sought a larger sphere for its active energies, but mostly by the desire of adding to his revenue, which the increase of his family made desirable. He had now seven children, and being only thirty-one years of age, there seemed a prospect of his sons and daughters rivalling in number those of the patriarchs. Cromwell's family, in the course of time, reached, in fact, the extent of nine-five sons and four daughters-three of the former of whom and all the latter arrived at maturity. There is a house in St. Ives called Slepe Hall, which is pointed out as the former residence of Cromwell. It is the most imposing mansion in the place; and a room in the lower story of it is claimed to have been the private chapel where Cromwell, with his friends, listened in secret to the pious ex hortations of the Puritan lecturers, and even took his turn himself in edifying the brethren with a sermon. Whether this was Cromwell's house or not, it is certain that he farmed the lands belonging to the estate of Slepe Hall. The farm which he cultivated was a tract of low, marshy land, through which the Ouse moves in a dark, languid stream, and saturates, by its oozings, the spongy earth. Fertile fields have been recovered by indefatigable draining; and such may be seen now, as of old, rejoicing with herds of fat cattle, and a goodly promise of hay-harvesting, separated by green hedges of a confused growth of willows, alders, and tangled bushes. An old barn, still in use, exists in the neighborhood of these fields, which goes by the name of Cromwell's Barn. The farm lies on the outskirts of St. Ives. This town is of small extent, and has probably not much changed since the days when Cromwell was a farmer in the neighborhood, and sold his cattle or his loads of hay in its market-place. It is built on the banks of the river Ouse, and is composed of a main street, with a row of humble houses, of rather a dingy aspect, on either side. It is an unpretending country-town, very quiet and dull, except on market-days, when it is full of business, being, as in Cromwell's time, a famous cattle-mart. At one extremity of the place stands the church, the steeple of which, in consequence of the level country, may be seen for many miles around; at the opposite end is the farm once occupied by Cromwell. The river Ouse, in its dark and tortuous course, flows by the churchyard wall, and passing by the town, spreads into the level country, and turns the neighborhood into a wide Residence at St. Ives. 37 stretch of marsh and bog.* The whole aspect of the landscape is cheerless and discouraging to the mere seeker after the picturesque; but to the knowing eye of the farmer there is a substantial prospect of fatness in the land, which will compensate for the want of rural beauty. If Cromwell had idly mourned, he would have found no relief for his melancholy in the dull scene; but as he chose the wiser plan of seeking distraction for his sad heart in work, he must have found in the culture of his fields at St. Ives all the motives for, and rewards of labor. Cromwell resided at St. Ives about five years, mostly engaged in fattening cattle for the market, and in the other occupations belonging to a grazing farm. There is every reason to believe that he met with fair success in his agricultural enterprise; that his beeves brought the highest price; and that there was no farmer of better repute in the whole country round than Cromwell, notwithstanding so much of his time was spent with his servants in prayer.† While at St. Ives, our devout Puritan had enough reverence for the established religion to induce him to show himself at the parish church; for it has been handed down by a traditionary sexton that Cromwell usually attended divine service, and generally came with a piece of red flannel round his neck, as he was subject to an inflammation in his throat. The records |