CROMWELL. 



539 



monarchy, which this party called a mischief and 

 a sin, because they regarded God alone as thei 

 Lord and King. Cromwell had now learned tin 

 disposition of his people, and, with that coarse levit; 

 which was a leading trait in his character, he con 

 eluded a conference by throwing a cushion al 

 Ludlow's head, and running down stairs, where 

 another was thrown after him in return. The nex 

 day, he said to Ludlow, that he thought the aboli 

 tion of the monarchy was desirable, but hardly 

 practicable. 



Soon after, Cromwell had a proof of the strengtl 

 of his party. Major Huntingdon accusing him, ii 

 parliament, of a design to raise, in concert with 

 Ireton, an army against the parliament, and esta 

 blish a military government under the name oi 

 the king, the influence of the Independents out- 

 weighed that of the Presbyterians ; and, as the in- 

 surrections of the Welsh and Scots were to be 

 subdued, the parliament did not dare to condemn or 

 dismiss a general whose services were so necessary. 

 Upon this, Cromwell reduced Wales by a sudden at- 

 tack ; and, as Fairfax, from Presbyterian scruples, 

 declined the command of the expedition against Scot- 

 land, he undertook it with more eagerness, as he 

 knew the weak condition of the Scottish army, anc 

 liad, for many years, heartily hated the Scottish peo- 

 ple. With a much inferior force, he defeated them 

 ut Preston, and was received in Edinburgh as a deli- 

 verer. Now followed the tragedy of the king's execu- 

 tion (see Charles /.), who was beheaded January 29, 

 1649. Cromwell was induced to consent to this act 

 by the advice of Ireton, and took a conspicuous part 

 in it, as he had not the courage or the power to pre- 

 vent it. He carried his want of feeling so far, as not 

 only to be a spectator of the execution from a win- 

 dow fitted up for him, but even to have the body in 

 the coffin shown to him. The republic was esta- 

 blished, and Cromwell, as a proof of his republican 

 virtue, resolved on the death of lord Capel, because, 

 as he said, the friendship which he felt for this loyal 

 adherent of the king must be sacrificed to public 

 duty. Yet Cromwell was not naturally cruel. He 

 shed blood from a politic calculation of his own inte- 

 rest. He was more afraid of his old friends, the le- 

 vellers, than of the royalists. At last, he succeeded 

 in putting down the former by strong measures, and 

 then; to the astonishment of his enemies, who wished 

 for nothing more than lu's absence, he led his army 

 to Ireland. Victory was now to raise him still higher 

 in the favour of the people. He took Drogheda 

 by storm, (September, 1649,) where he gave orders 

 that nothing should be spared. " This bitterness," he 

 said, " will save much effusion of blood, through the 

 goodness of God." Most of the cities opened their 

 gates without resistance, and Cromwell, trusting to 

 the terror of his name, though his army was greatly 

 weakened by sickness, marched boldly into the in- 

 terior, where cowardice and treachery everywhere 

 yielded him a submissive welcome. Within six 

 months, the royalist party hi Ireland was wholly 

 crushed. 



Resigning the command to Ireton, he now under- 

 took, at the request of the parliament, a similar ex- 

 pedition against Scotland, where Charles Stuart, af- 

 terwards Charles II., had been proclaimed king. 

 Cromwell had, at first, desired that Fairfax should 

 take the command of the army ; but Fairfax had taken 

 the covenants (see Covenant), and would not fight 

 against the Scots. Cromwell was, therefore, appoint- 

 ed commander-in-chief, and marched into Scotland. 

 Being ignorant of the nature of the country, and of the 

 situation of the Scottish forces, his supplies were cut 

 oft', his army became sickly, his retreat was inter- 

 cepted, and he must Jiave been forced to surrender 



at Dimbar, liad the Scots avoided a battle. When 

 he saw them advance, he exclaimed, " The Lord 

 hath delivered them into our hands !" The victory 

 at Dunbar (September 3, 1650) rid the fortunate 

 general of his enemies the Presbyterians. He then 

 marched into Edinburgh. Meanwhile king Charles 

 had collected new forces ; but Cromwell, by skilful 

 marches near Stirling, cut him off from his points of 

 support, when, contrary to his expectation, the king 

 entered England, and threatened the metropolis it- 

 self. Everything was done to strengthen the army of 

 Cromwell, who conducted himself like an active and 

 resolute general, while, in the royal camp, irresolution 

 and discord prevailed. Charles was totally defeated at 

 Worcester, September 3, 1651. This victory, which 

 Cromwell called the crowning mercy of God, gave 

 the commonwealth party full power over three king- 

 doms. 



Cromwell already exerted a weighty influence on 

 the supreme direction of public affairs. He suc- 

 ceeded in restoring the continental relations of Eng- 

 land, which had been almost entirely dissolved, and 

 regulated them so as to promote the interests of 

 commerce. The navigation act, from which may be 

 dated the rise of the naval power of England, was 

 framed upon his suggestion, and passed in 1651. At 

 the same time, the general, who was honoured by the 

 city of London as the father of his country, was aim- 

 ing at sole sovereignty. The only man whom he 

 feared, Ireton, was dead. At a consultation with 

 some members of parliament, and the most distin- 

 guished officers, on the form of government to be es- 

 tablished, he recommended a species of monarchy, 

 but was silent when some lawyers in the convention 

 proposed the young duke of Gloucester for king. 

 Meantime the long parliament, which was aiming to 

 establish its own power, was growing more and more 

 unpopular, in consequence of its undisguised tyranny, 

 the war which it had provoked with the Dutch, and 

 its treatment of the prisoners taken at Worcester, 

 some of whom were put to death hi prison, and others 

 sold for slaves in the colonies. A frightful tempest, 

 too, which occurred on the day of the execution of a 

 London clergyman of the name of Love, made a deep 

 impression on the people. And now Cromwell broke 

 silence. He spoke openly to his friends of the am- 

 bition, the godlessness, and injustice of the parlia- 

 ment. Encouraged by their support, he at last ha- 

 zarded a decisive step, and, with 300 soldiers, dis- 

 persed that body, " for the glory of God and the 

 good of the nation." He then summoned a council 

 of war, in which the officers finally chose a parlia- 

 ment of 128 persons, selected from the three king- 

 doms, which from Praise-God Barebone, one of the 

 principal characters in it, br trade a leatherseller, 

 was nicknamed Praise- God Barebone's parliament. 

 Cromwell himself opened the session with a speech, 

 in which he said that the day was come on which the 

 saints were to commence their reign upon earth. 



Fifteen months after, a new annual parliament was 

 :hosen ; but, after a session of five montlis, Crom- 

 well prevailed on this body, who were totally incapa- 

 ile of governing, to place the charge of the common- 

 wealth in his liands. The chief power now devolv- 

 ing again upon the council of officers (December 12, 

 1653), they declared Oliver Cromwell sole governor 

 of the commonwealth, under the name of lord protec- 

 tor, with an assistant council of twenty-one men. The 

 new protector behaved with dignity and firmness. 

 With the aid of general Lambert, he formed a con- 

 stitution, called the Instrument of government, by 

 vlu'ch the protector was invested with the power ol 

 >eace and war, and was to summon a parliament 

 )nce every three years, which he should not dissolve 

 mder five months ; bills presented to him were to 



