dinarily apparelled; for it was a plain cloth "fuit, which feemed to have been made by an "ill country taylor. His linen was plain, and "not very clean, and I remember a fpeck or two "of blood upon his little band, which was not "much larger than his collar: his hat was without "a hat-band.---His ftature was of a good fize; his "fword ftuck clofe to his fide; his countenance "fwoln and reddish; his voice fharp and un« tunable, and his cloquence full of fervor, for "the fubject-matter would not bear much of " reafon, it being in behalf of a fervant of Mr.

"

Prynne's who had difperfed libels against the "Queen for her dancing, and fuch like innocent "and courtly fports; and he aggravated the im

prisonment of this man by the Council-table "unto that length, that one would have believed "that the very government itself had been in

great danger by it. I fincerely profess it "leffened very much my reverence for that "great Council, for he was very much heark"ened unto. And yet I lived to fee this very "Gentleman whom (out of no ill-will to him) I "thus defcribe, by multiplied fucceffes, and by "real but ufurped power, having had a better

taylor, and more converfe amongst good com

pany, in mine own eye, when, for fix weeks

together, I was a prifoner at Whitehall, appear "of a great and majestic deportment and comely " prefence.

Z 2

"The

ec

"The first years," adds Sir Philip, " of "Cromwell's manhood were spent in a diffolute "course of life, in good fellowship and gaming, "which afterwards he feemed very fenfible of, "and very forry for; and as if it had been a good fpirit that had guided him therein, he " used a good method upon his conversion; for "he declared that he was ready to make resti"tution unto any man who would accuse him, "or whom he could accufe himfelf to have "wronged. (To his honour I fpeak this," continues Sir Philip; " for I think the public ac"knowledgments men make of the public evils "they have done, to be the most glorious tro

"

phies that can be affigned to them.) When " he was thus civilized, he joined himself to men " of his own temper, who pretended to transports " and revelations."

Lord Hollis, in his Memoirs, accufes Cromwell of behaving cowardly in two or three actions; and adds, that as he was going in proceffion to the High Court of Juftice in Weftminster-hall, to try the King, fome of the foldiers reproached him openly, and in the hearing of the people, with want of courage.

Oliver's fpeeches to his Parliament appear perplexed and embarrafted. He had, most probably, his reafons for making them unintelligible..

Mr.

Mr. Spence, in his MS. Anecdotes, fays, that a Dean of Peterborough told him, that he once heard Cromwell, in Council, deliver an opinion upon fome commercial matter with great precision, and great knowledge of the subject*.

In his cheerful hours Cromwell appears to have laughed at the fanatics who fupported him and his government. The jeft of the cork-fcrew is well known; and when, on his having dispatched a fleet upon fome fecret expedition, one of the fanatics called upon him, and had the impudence to tell him that the Lord wanted to know the destination of it; "The Lord fhall know," fays Cromwell, "for thou fhalt go with the fleet." So ringing his bell, he ordered fome of his foldiers to take him on board one of the fhips belonging

to it.

Cromwell, like many other reformers of government, was very apt to cenfure grievances in Church and State, though he had not framed to himself any particular or specific plan of amending them. On the subject of ecclesiastical affairs he once frankly and ingeniously faid, to fome perfons with

*

"Anecdotes by the Rev. Mr. Spence," (Author of Polymetis, in MS. which contain feveral very curious particulars of the great men of the laft and of the prefent age. The publication of them would afford great inftruction and amufement to the lovers of the hiftory and literature of this country.

with whom he was difputing,

"would not have, though I

"would have."

I can tell what I cannot tell what I

Cromwell, like fome other politicians, thought very flightingly of the will and of the power of the people; for when he was told by Mr. Calamy, the celebrated Diffenting Minister that it was both unlawful and impracticable that one man fhould affume the government of the country, he said to him," Pray, why is it impracticable ?”’ And on Mr. Calamy replying, "O, it is the "voice of the Nation; there will be nine in ten "against you:"-" Very well," rejoined Cromwell; "but what if I fhould difarm the nine, "and put the fword into the tenth man's hand, "would not that do the bufinefs?" The French proverb fays, "A man never goes fo far as when "he does not know where he is going." This was, moft probably, Cromwell's cafe: he had, indeed, gone fo far, that, with Macbeth, he might have faid,

Returning were as tedious as go o'er.

Marfhal Villeroy, Louis the XIVth's Governor, afked Lockhart, Cromwell's Ambaffador, "Why his master had not taken the title of King?"Monfieur," replied Lockhart, "we know the "extent of the prerogatives of a King, but know

་ not

"not thofe of a Protector."—D'ARGENSON,

P. 347.

Oliver's fears for his perfonal fafety carried him on in his career of wickedness when once he had begun it, and particularly when he found that he could not truft the affurances of his Sovereign. The latter part of his life was embittered by fear and remorfe, and after the publication of that celebrated work "Killing no "Murder," he appears never to have had a quiet

moment.

Oliver was, perhaps, never more accurately defcribed than by Sir William Waller in his " Re"collections." Speaking of the beating up of Colonel Long's quarters, as he terms it, in which Cromwell's horse did good service, he says, " And "here I cannot but mention the wonder which I "have oft times had to fee this Eagle in his

eirey: he att this time had never fhewn extra"ordinary partes, nor do I think that he did

himself believe that he had them, for, although "he was blunt, he did not bear himself with pride or difdaine. As an Officer he was obedient, and did never difpute my orders, nor He did indeed feeme "argue upon them. "to have great cunning: and whilft he was "cautious of his own words, (not putting forth "too many, left they should betray his thoughts,) " he made others talk untill he had, as it were, "fifted them, and known their most intimate

defigns.