of the Lady Claypole and her Sisters ;'*-which latter small fact, in the ancient Autumn afternoon, one rather loves to remember! As for this Swedish Ambassador, he is just about quitting Eng. land, the high-tempered, clear-glancing man; having settled copperas,' 'contrabanda,' and many other things, to mutual satisfaction;-nay it is surmised he has thoughts of inviting Ayscough into Sweden to teach them seamanship there; which, however, shall not concern us on this occasion.† * Whitlocke, pp. 638, 9. VOL. II. 11 ↑ Biog. Britan., § Ayscough. SPEECH V. BUT the new Parliament is now about assembling; wherein we shall see what conclusions will be tried! A momentous question for his Highness and the Council of State; who have been, with interest enough, perusing and pondering the List of Names. returned. On the whole, a hopeful Parliament, as Thurloe had expected Official persons, these, and others known as friends to this Government, are copiously elected the great body of the Parliament seems to consist of men well-affected to his Highness, and even loyal to him; who, witnessing the course he follows, wish him heartily God-speed thereon. Certain others there are, and in considerable number, of stiff Republican ways, or given to turbulence in general, a Haselrig, a Thomas Scott, an Ashley Cooper these, as a mass of leaven which might leaven the whole lump, and produce one knows not what in the way of fermentation, are clearly very dangerous. But for these also his Highness and the Council of State, in the present anomalous condition of the Nation, have silently provided an expedient. Which we hope may be of service. On the whole, we hope this Parliament may prove a better than the last. At all events, on Wednesday, 17th September, 1656, Parliament, Protector, all in due state, do assemble at the Abbey Church; and, with reverence and credence, hear Doctor Owen, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford, very pertinently preach to them from these old words of Isaiah,-old, and yet always new and true: What shall one then answer to the Messengers of the Nation? That the Lord hath founded Zion, and the Poor of His People shall trust in it.* After which, all having removed, still in due state, to the Painted Chamber, and there adjusted themselves, the Protector, rising in his elevated place and taking off his hat, now speaks. Isaiah xv., 32. The Speech, reported by one knows not whom, lies in old Manuscript in the British Museum; and printed in late years in the Book called Burton's Diary; here and there in a very dreary, besmeared, unintelligible condition; from which, as heretofore, a pious Editor strives to rescue it. Sufficiently studied, it becomes intelligible, nay luminous. Let the reader too read with piety, with a real endeavor to understand. GENTLEMEN, When I came hither, I did think that a duty was incumbent upon me a little to pity myself; because, this being a very extraordinary occasion, I thought I had very many things to say unto you, 'and was somewhat burdened and straitened thereby.' But truly now, seeing you in such a condition as you are,* I think I must turn off 'my pity' in this, as I hope I shall in everything else ;—and consider you as certainly not being able long to bear that condition and heat that you are now in.' So far as possible, on this large subject, let us be brief; not studying the Art of Rhetoricians.' Rhetoricians, whom I do not pretend to 'much concern with ;' neither with them, nor with what they use to deal in: Words! Truly our business is to speak Things! The Dispensations of God that are upon us do require it; and that subject upon which we shall make our discourse is somewhat of very great interest and concernment, both for the glory of God, and with reference to His Interest in the world. I mean His peculiar, His most peculiar Interest, 'His Church, the Communion of the faithful Followers of Christ;'-and that will not leave any of us to exclude His general Interest, which is the concernment of the Living People, 'not as Christians but as human creatures,' within these three Nations, and all the Dependencies thereupon. I have told you I should speak to things; things that concern these Interests: The Glory of God, and His Peculiar Interest in the world,-which 'latter' is more extensive, I say more extensive, than the People of all these three Nations with the appurtenances, or the countries and places, belonging unto them.t The first thing, therefore, that I shall speak to is That that is the first lesson of Nature: Being and Preservation. [Begin at the basis: How * Place crowded, weather hot. "more extensive :" more important would have better suited what went before: yet "extensive" is in all likelihood the word, for his Highness is here branching out into a second idea, which he goes on to blend with the primary one, of "the concernment of the general mass of the People." with blunders. Subjoined is his List of the Properties, some of them misspelt, most likely; the exact localities of which, no indication being given or sought by Noble, may be a problem for persons learned in such matters.* To us, only Burleigh and New hall are known or of importance here. Newhall, we can observe, was not sold on the occasion of this Letter, nor at all sold; for it still stands in the List of 1659; and with some indication, too, as to what the cause of now trying to sell it may have been. For a Portion to my Sister Frances,' namely. Noble's citations from Morant's History of Essex; his and Morant's blunderings and somnambulancies, in regard to this matter of Newhall, seem almost to approach the sublime.† Leaving these, let us attend a little to the Portion for my Sister Frances;' concerning which and whom a few lines of musical domestic gossip, interesting to the mind, are once more audible, from the same flute-voice above listened to. Mr. Rich,' we should premise, is the Lord Rich's son, the Earl of Warwick's Grandson; heir-apparent, though he did not live to be heir:pious old Earl of Warwick, whom we have seen heretofore as Admiral in the Long-Parliament time; the poor Earl of Holland's Dalby REAL ESTATE IN 1659. settled on my Brother Henry Crom- Newhall with woods, settled for security of 15,0007. 6 £989 9 1 533 8 8 479 0 0 1200 0 0 ... 549 7 3 664 16 6 500 0 0 .1236 12 8 326 14 11 79 11 6 : These are all the Lands at this date in the possession of the Oliver Family. As to poor Richard's finance-budget, encumbered with 2,0007. yearly to my Mother,' 'with 3,000l. of debt contracted in my Father's lifetime,' and plentifully otherwise,-it shall not concern us farther. † Noble, pp. 334, 335. Brother. Here are affairs of the heart, romances of reality, such as have to go on in all times, under all dialects and fashions of dress-caps, Puritan-Protectoral and other. The Lady Mary Cromwell to Henry Cromwell, Major-General of the Forces in Ireland. Hampton Court,' 23d June, 1656. "DEAR BROTHER,-Your kind Letters do so much engage my heart towards you, that I can never tell how to express in writing the true affection and value I have for you,-who, truly I think, none that knows you but you may justly claim it from.* I must confess myself in a great fault in omitting to write to you and your dear Wife so long a time. But I suppose you cannot be ignorant of the reason, which truly has been the only cause; which is this business of my Sister Frances and Mr. Rich. Truly I can truly say it, for these three months I think our Family, and myself in particular, have been in the greatest confusion and trouble as ever poor Family can be in. The Lord tell us His 'mind't in it; and settle us, and make us what He would have us to be! I suppose you heard of the breaking-off of the business; and, according to your desire in your last Letter, as well as I can, shall give you a full account of it. Which is this: "After a quarter of a year's admittance, my Father and my Lord Warwick began to treat about the Estate; and it seems my Lord did not offer that which my Father expected. I need not name particulars; for I suppose you have had them from better hands: but if I may say the truth, I think it was not so much estate, as from private reasons which my Father discovered to none but to my Sister Frances and his own Family; which was a dislike to the young person. Which he had from some reports of his being a vicious man, given to play and such-like things; which office was done by some who had a mind to break-off the match. My Sister hearing these things was resolved to know the truth of it; and truly did find all the reports to be false that were recited of him. And to tell you the truth, they were so much engaged in affection before this, that she could not think of breaking it off. So that my Sister engaged me and all the friends she had, who truly were very few, to speak in her behalf to my Father. Which we did; but could not be heard to any purpose: only this my Father promised, That if he were satisfied as to the report, the estate should not break it off. With which she was satisfied. * Young Lady's Grammar! † Word torn out. Poor little Frances! |