The History of England - Vols. 1 to 6 (528 page)
Read The History of England - Vols. 1 to 6 Online
Authors: David Hume
[p]Conference held at Whitehall.
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Accepted, Trevor of Northam.
Return, Spelman of Watling.
Redeemed, Compton of Battle.
Be Faithful, Joiner of Britling.
Faint not, Hewit of Heathfield.
Fly Debate, Roberts of the same.
Fight the good Fight of Faith, White of
Make Peace, Heaton of Hare.
Emer.
God Reward, Smart of Fivehurst.
More Fruit, Fowler of East Hadley.
Standfast on High, Stringer of
Hope for, Bending of the same.
Crowhurst.
Earth, Adams of Warbleton.
Graceful, Harding of Lewes.
Called, Lower of the same.
Weep not, Biling of the same.
Kill Sin, Pimple of Witham.
Meek, Brewer of Okeham.
See Brome’s Travels into England, p. 279. “Cromwell,” says Cleveland, “hath beat up his drums clean through the Old Testament. You may learn the genealogy of our Saviour by the names of his regiment. The muster-master has no other list, than the first chapter of St. Matthew.” The brother of this Praise-god Barebone had for name,
If Christ had not died for you, you had been damned Barebone.
But the people, tired of this long name, retained only the last word, and commonly gave him the appellation of
Damn’d Barebone.
[r]Thurloe, vol. i. p. 273, 591. Also Stubbe, p. 91, 92.
[y]Parl. Hist. vol. xx. p. 433.
[a]This prince, during the civil wars, had much neglected his uncle and payed court to
the parliament: He accepted of a pension of 8000 l. a year from them, and took a place in their assembly of divines.
[b]Thurloe, vol. iii. p. 103, 619, 653. In the treaty, which was signed after long
negociation, the protector’s name was inserted before the French king’s in that copy which remained in England. Thurloe, vol. vi. p. 116. See farther, vol. vii. p. 178.
[c]See the account of the negociations with France and Spain by Thurloe, vol. i. p.
759.
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[d]He proposed to Sweden a general league and confederacy of all the protestants.
Whitlocke, p. 620. Thurloe, vol. vii. p. 1. In order to judge of the maxims, by which he conducted his foreign politics, see farther Thurloe, vol. iv. p. 295, 343, 443, vol.
vii. p. 174.
[h]Id. ibid. Don Alonzo said, that the Indian trade and the inquisition were his
master’s two eyes, and the protector insisted upon the putting out both of them at once.
[n]Burchet’s Naval History. See also Carte’s Collection, vol. ii. p. 46, 47. Thurloe,
vol. iii. p. 505.
[o]Thurloe, vol. iv. p. 135. World’s Mistake in Oliver Cromwel, in the Harl. Miscel.
vol. i.
[p]Thurloe, vol. iv. p. 570, 589.
[s]Clarendon, Life of Dr. Berwick, &c.
[t]Cromwel followed, though but in part, the advice which he received from general
Harrison, at the time when the intimacy and endearment most strongly subsisted betwixt them. “Let the waiting upon Jehovah,” said that military saint, “be the greatest and most considerable business you have every day: Reckon it so, more than to eat, sleep, and council together. Run aside sometimes from your company, and get a word with the Lord. Why should not you have three or four precious souls always standing at your elbow, with whom you might now and then turn into a corner; I have found refreshment and mercy in such a way.” Milton’s state papers, p. 12.
[NOTE [D]]
About this time an accident had almost robbed the protector of his life, and saved his enemies the trouble of all their machinations. Having got six fine Friesland coach-horses as a present from the count of Oldenburgh, he undertook for PLL v6.0 (generated September, 2011)
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his amusement to drive them about Hyde-park; his secretary, Thurloe, being in the coach. The horses were startled and ran away: He was unable to command them or keep the box. He fell upon the pole, was dragged upon the ground for some time; a pistol, which he carried in his pocket, went off; and by that singular good fortune which ever attended him, he was taken up without any considerable hurt or bruise.
[d]We shall produce any passage at random: For his discourse is all of a piece. “I
confess, for it behoves me to deal plainly with you, I must confess, I would say, I hope, I may be understood in this, for indeed I must be tender what I say to such an audience as this; I say, I would be understood, that in this argument I do not make parallel betwixt men of a different mind and a parliament, which shall have their desires. I know there is no comparison, nor can it be urged upon me, that my words have the least colour that way, because the parliament seems to give liberty to me to say anything to you; as that, that is a tender of my humble reasons and judgement and opinion to them; and if I think they are such and will be such to them, and are faithful servants, and will be so to the supreme authority, and the legislative wheresoever it is: If, I say, I should not tell you, knowing their minds to be so, I should not be faithful, if I should not tell you so, to the end you may report it to the parliament: I shall say something for myself, for my own mind, I do profess it, I am not a man scrupulous about words or names of such things I have not: But as I have the word of God, and I hope I shall ever have it, for the rule of my conscience, for my informations; so truly men that have been led in dark paths, through the providence and dispensation of God; why surely it is not to be objected to a man; for who can love to walk in the dark? But providence does so dispose. And though a man may impute his own folly and blindness to providence sinfully, yet it must be at my peril; the case may be that it is the providence of God, that doth lead men in darkness: I must need say, that I have had a great deal of experience of providence, and though it is no rule without or against the word, yet it is a very good expositor of the word in many cases.”
Conference at Whitehall
The great defect in Oliver’s speeches consists not in his want of elocution, but in his want of ideas. The sagacity of his actions, and the absurdity of his discourse, form the most prodigious contrast that ever was known. The collection of all his speeches, letters, sermons (for he also wrote sermons) would make a great curiosity, and with a few exceptions might justly pass for one of the most nonsensical books in the world.
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[f]He aspired to get possession of Elsinore and the passage of the Sound. See
World’s
Mistake in Oliver Cromwel.
He also endeavoured to get possession of Bremen.
Thurloe, vol. vi. p. 478.
[g]It was remarked by the saints of that time, that the battle was fought on a day
which was held for a fast in London, so that as Fleetwood said (Thurloe, vol. vii. p.
159,) while we were praying, they were fighting; and the Lord hath given a signal answer. The Lord has not only owned us in our work there, but in our waiting upon him in a way of prayer, which is indeed our old experienced approved way in all streights and difficulties. Cromwel’s letter to Blake and Montague, his brave admirals, is remarkable for the same spirit. Thurloe, vol. iv. p. 744. You have, says he, as I verily believe and am persuaded, a plentiful stock of prayers going for you daily, sent up by the soberest and most approved ministers and christians in this nation, and, notwithstanding some discouragements, very much wrestling of faith for you, which are to us, and I trust will be to you, matter of great encouragement. But notwithstanding all this, it will be good for you and us to deliver up ourselves and all our affairs to the disposition of our all-wise Father, who not only out of prerogative, but because of his goodness, wisdom and truth, ought to be resigned unto by his creatures, especially those who are children of his begetting through the spirit, &c.
[i]Ibid. vol. vii. p. 151, 158.
[k]In reality the cardinal had not entertained so high an idea of Cromwel. He used to
say, that he was a fortunate madman. Vie de Cromwel par Raguenet. See also Carte’s Collection, vol. ii. p. 81. Gumble’s Life of Monk, p. 93. World’s Mistake in O.
Cromwel.
[m]Bates: See also Thurloe, vol. vii. p. 355, 416.
[n]Cowley’s Discourses: This passage is altered in some particulars from the original.
[p]Carte’s collections, vol. ii. p. 243.
[s]Gumble’s life of Monk, p. 93.
[t]Lord Lansdowne’s defence of general Monk.
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[NOTE [E]]
After Monk’s declaration for a free parliament on the 11th of February, he could mean nothing but the king’s restoration: Yet it was long before he would open himself even to the king. This declaration was within eight days after his arrival in London. Had he ever intended to have set up for himself, he would not surely have so soon abandoned a project so inviting: He would have taken some steps, which would have betrayed it. It could only have been some disappointment, some frustrated attempt, which could have made him renounce the road of private ambition. But there is not the least symptom of such intentions. The story told of Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper, by Mr. Locke, has not any appearance of truth. See lord Lansdown’s Vindication, and Philips’s Continuation of Baker. I shall add to what those authors have advanced, that cardinal Mazarine wished for the king’s restoration; though he would not have ventured much to have procured it.
[b]The following story is told by Whitlocke, p. 599. Some quakers at Hasington in
Northumberland coming to the minister on the Sabbath-day, and speaking to him, the people fell upon the quakers, and almost killed one or two of them, who going out fell on their knees, and prayed God to pardon the people, who knew not what they did; and afterwards speaking to the people, so convinced them of the evil they had done in beating them, that the country people fell a quarrelling, and beat one another more than they had before beaten the quakers.
[d]Harleyan Miscellany, vol. vi. p. 399. One Dorcas Earberry made oath before a
magistrate, that she had been dead two days, and that Naylor had brought her to life.
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[l]It appears that the late king’s revenue from 1637, to the meeting of the long
parliament, was only 900,000 pounds, of which 200,000 may be esteemed illegal.
[q]World’s Mistake in Oliver Cromwel.
[t]Journal, 2d December, 1652.
[w]Journal, 6th of April, 1659.
[x]Thurloe, vol. i. p. 395, vol. ii. p. 414.
[b]Strafford’s Letters, vol. i. p. 421, 423, 430, 467.
[d]Lewis Roberts’s Treasure of Traffick.
[e]Happy future state of England.
[h]British Empire in America, vol. i. p. 372.
[k]Neale’s History of the Puritans, vol. iv. p. 123.
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