"to feeke to maintaine our opinions in religion "by force, wch wee deteft and abhorr. I pro❝feffe I could never satisfie my selfe of the iuste"neffe of this warr, but from the authoritye of "the Parliament to maintaine itt in itts rights, "and in this caufe I hope to approue my felfe ❝an honeft man, and fingle harted. Pardon mee "that I am thus troublefom. I write but fel"dom; itt giues me a little ease to poure my "minde, in the middeft of callumnies, into the "bofom of a freind: S', noe man more truly "loues you than

"Your Brother and Seruant,

"Sept. 6 or 5th.

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Sleeford."

For Colonel WALTON,

"theife in London."

"OLIVER CROMWELL."

"Deere S', It is our duty to fympathife in all "mercyes, that wee may praise the Lord toge"there in chastisements or tryalls, that foe wee

(c us,

may forrowe together. Truly England, and "the Church of God, hath had a great fauor "from the Lord in this great victorie given unto fuch as the like neuer was fince this warr begunn: itt had all the euidences of an abfo"lute victorie, obtained by the Lord's bleffinge upon the godly partye principally. Wee "neuer charged but wee routed the enimie:

"the

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the left winge wch I comanded beinge our owne "horse, fauinge à few Scotts in our reere, beat "all the Prince's horfe. God made them as "ftubble to our fwords; wee charged their regiments of foote wth our horfe, and routed all wee charged. The perticulars I cannott relate <c now, but I beleive, of 20,000, the Prince hath "not 4000 left. Give glory, all the glory, to "God. S', God hath taken away your eldest "fonn by a cannon fhott: itt brake his legg; "wee were neceffitated to have it cutt off, wherof " he died. S', you know my tryalls this way, "but the Lord fupported me wth this, that the "Lord tooke him into the happineffe wee all

pant after and liue for. There is your pre"cious child, full of glory, to know neither finn "nor forrow; and more, hee was a gallant

younge man, exceedinge gracious. God give you his comfort. Before his death, he was "foe full of comfort, that to Franke Ruffel and

σε

my felfe hee could not expreffe itt, itt was foe great aboue his paine; this hee fayd to us; indeed, it was admirable. Little after, hee fayd one thinge lay upon his fpirit. I asked " him what that was: he told me, that it was, "that God had not fuffered him to bee noe "more the executioner of his enimies. Att his

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fall, his horse beinge killed wth the bullett, and,

"as I am enformed, 3 horfes more, I am told, "hee

"hee bid them open to the right and left, that "hee might fee the rogues runn. Truly hee "was exceedingly beloued in the armie of all "that knew him; but few knew him, for he "was a precious younge man fitt for God. You "have cause to bleffe the Lord; hee is a glorious "faint in heauen, wherein you ought exceed

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ingly to reioyce. Lett this drinke up your

forrowe, feinge theise are not fayned words to "comfort you, but the thinge is foe real and "undoubted a truth. You may doe all thinges "by the strength of Christ. Seeke that, and you shall easily beare your tryall. Lett this "publike mercy to the Church of God make you to forgett your priuate forrowe. The "Lord bee your strength, foe prayes

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"Your truly faythfull and louinge Brother, "OLIVER Cromwell."

July 5th, 1644.”

"My loue to your daughter, and to my cozen "Perceual, fifter Defbrowe, and all freinds wi you."

"Oliver Cromwell, the Protector," fays Anthony Wood, "loved a good voice and inftru"mental mufic well. Mr. James Quin, a stu"dent of C. C. Oxon, a good finger, was in"troduced to him: he heard him fing with very "great delight, liquored him with fack, and in

"conclufion

conclufion faid to him: "Mr. Quin, you "have done very well: What fhall I do for

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you?" To which Quin made answer with

great compliments (of which he had com

"mand) with a great grace, "that your High"nefs would be pleased to restore me to my stu"dent's place:" which the Protector did accordingly, and fo he kept it to his dying day."

It is mentioned in Spence's MS. Anecdotes, that a few nights after the execution of King Charles the First, a man covered with a cloak, and with his face muffled up, fuppofed to have been Oliver Cromwell, marched flowly round the coffin, covered with a pall, which contained the body of Charles, and exclaimed, loudly enough to be heard by the attendants on the remains of that unfortunate Monarch, “ Dreadful

neceffity!" Having done this two or three times, he marched out of the room, in the fame flow and folemn manner in which he came into it.

Cromwell and Ireton faw the execution of Charles from a small window of the Banqueting House of Whitehall.

Provost Baillie, who was in London at the time of Oliver's death, fays:

"The Protector, Oliver, endeavoured to fettle "all in his family, but was prevented by death "before he could make a teftament. He had "not fupplied the blank with his fon Richard's "name by his hand; and fcarce with his mouth "could he declare that much of his will. There "were no witneffes to it but Thurloe and "Goodwin. Some did fearfully flatter him as "much dead as living. Goodwin, at the Fast “before his death, in his prayer is said to have

fpoke fuch words: Lord, we pray not for "thy fervant's life, for we know that is granted, "but to haften his health, for that thy people CC cannot want. And Mr. Sterry faid in the "chapel, after his death, O Lord, thy late fer"vant here is now at thy right hand, making "interceffion for the fins of England.---Both "these are now out of favour, as Court para

fites. But the moft fpake, and yet speak, very evil of him; and, as I think, much "worse than he deferved of them."

RICHARD CROMWELL

is faid to have fallen at the feet of his father, Oliver Cromwell, to beg the life of his Sovereign Charles the Firft. In the fame fpirit of humanity,

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