382 C R O M 
bally from Sweden was received with great parade; but 
Cromwell wifely declined the honour of a propofed vifit 
from queen Chriftina. After the diffolution of parlia¬ 
ment, his do medic government was little better than a 
military defpotifm. For filling'his coffers he iffued an 
ordinance, inflidling the penalty of decimation (of income) 
upon all who had borne arms for the king, and commif- 
fioners were lent into the counties to levy this impofition, 
who were empowered to compound for it on the terms of 
three years’ purchafe. Moreover, the whole country was 
divided into a certain number of diltridts, over each of 
which a major-general was made prefident, with powers 
to imprifon all delinquents or fufpe&ed perfons at their 
pleafure. Still a parliament was thought a neceffary in- 
flrument of tyranny, and accordingly it was again allem- 
bled in 1656 ; but before it could be trulled with bufi- 
nefs, about two hundred members were excluded by the 
requilition of oaths. The remainder palled money-bills, 
and performed other fervices to their mailer, for which 
the nation was gratified by the abolition of the odious 
major-generals. But a further piece of complaifance was 
expedted from them ; for, in a projedt of the fettlement 
of government which was brought forward under 
the title of The humble Petition and Advice , a blank was 
left for the delignation of the fupreme governor, which 
Cromwell was defirous of filling up with the word king. 
The obfequious parliament, after due deliberation, agreed 
that there was nothing peculiarly ofi'enfive in the four 
letters compofing that word ; but Cromwell', finding that 
it did not well go down with fome of his belt friends and 
relations, was content again to aflume the ftyle of pro- 
tettor, in which office he was re-inaugurated, with all the 
pomp of a coronation. He alfo attempted to give luflre 
to the government by framing a new houfe of lords, to 
which he called his two fons, Richard and Henry, and 
feveral other perfons ; but the ancient nobility of the 
realm refufed to make a part in fuch a body. About 
this time, the publication of a pamphlet by captain Titus, 
intitled “ Killing no Murder,” ftrongly arguing in fa¬ 
vour of tyrannicide, fo imprelfed his mind in the nndft 
of all the femblance of lawful authority he had accumu¬ 
lated round him, that he thenceforth never thought his 
life fecure. He wore armour under his clothes, carried 
loaded piftols about him, and-gave every token of feel¬ 
ing at heart as much apprehenfion as he infpired. He 
had the mortification, alfo, of feeing his new frame of 
government fall to pieces, the commons refufing to act 
with the lords; fo that he was obliged to dilfolve the 
affembly. New confpiracies were difcovered to be in 
agitation, and feveral cavaliers fuffered on the occafion, 
among whom was Dr. Hewett, a clergyman, whofe life 
the molt urgent interceffions of Mrs. Claypole, Crom¬ 
well’s favourite daughter, were unable to fave. She 
foon after fell ill and died ; and Cromwell was extremely 
aftedted, as well by her bitter upbraidings, as by her 
death. Tormented with cares, fears, and anxieties of 
every kind, his robuft conftitution began to give way. 
He was feized with a (low fever, which terminated in an 
intermittent, and weakened him fo fad, that it foon be¬ 
came apparent to his phyficians that he mud fink under 
it. The patient, however, either politically adeeming a 
confidence he did not feel, or bouyed up by his natural 
enthufiafm, feemed fure of recovery. His fanatical chap¬ 
lains afferted, that they had received pofitive affurances 
from heaven to the fame purpofe, in anfvver to their 
prayers. He vifibly grew worfe, and becoming lethargic, 
died on September 3, (his victorious day,) 1658, aged 
fifty-nine years and four months. A violent dorm, 
which happened on that day, gave fcope to the fancies 
of fuperdition and of poetry. A very magnificent fune¬ 
ral was ordered for him at the public expence ; and his 
memory was celebrated by the mod elaborate drains of 
elegiac verfe. He died at a period when, according to 
the opinion of bilhop Burnet, which feems well ground¬ 
ed, “his life and his arts were exhaufted together, fo 
WELL. 
that, if he had furvived longer, he would fcarcely have 
been able to preferve his power.” The fabric of his 
greatnefs was all falfe and unfound. By an unparalleled 
courfe of cunning and deceit, he had got into a fituation 
which thofe arts could no longer fupport; and though 
force might, for fome time, have continued to fupply the 
place of legal right and public attachment, that force 
was becoming daily more formidable to himfelf. His 
own children were either republicans or royalids; and 
perhaps not a perfon in the nation was a fincere and dilirx- 
terefted well-wiffier to his government. He left two 
fons, Richard, his fugitive fucceffor, and Henry, whom 
he had made chief governor of Ireland ; likewife four 
daughters, all married. As a huffiand and a father, and, 
in general, in the offices of private life, he was commend¬ 
able. His houfehold was adminiftered with decency and 
frugality, and he never was enflaved by the love of plea¬ 
fure ; yet he fometimes unbent with his intimates, and 
gave way to boifterous mirth and conviviality. But as 
he did nothing which was not fufpedted of defign, it has 
been fuppofed, that when he feemed mod off his guard, 
it was for the purpofe of rendering others fo. He took 
advice well, and would occafionally converfe with great 
opennefs and franknefs, with thofe of whofe fenfe and 
honefty he had a good opinion. He paid a refpedt to 
literature, and prevented fome of thofe injuries to learn¬ 
ing which fanaticifm was difpofed to offer. The fincerity 
of his religion has been queftioned ; and (lories have 
been told, which prove that he was capable of (porting 
with the credulity Gi the fanatics about him. It feems 
probable, indeed, that his experience of the folly and 
hypocrify of many of the religionifts with whom he was 
connedted, had, in fome degree unfettled his principles, 
and relaxed his ferioufnefs ; yet there is reafon to believe 
that his early convictions never entirely loft their effedt 
upon his mind. Of his public character, and of the ex¬ 
tent of his abilities, very different opinions have been 
entertained; few of which, however, have been fuffi- 
ciently free from party^prejudice, or private refentment. 
Perhaps the mod authentic charaCteriftics of this extra¬ 
ordinary perfonage, may be collected from the following: 
documents: 
Sir Philip Warwick thus deferibes the manners and 
exterior of Oliver Cromwell : “ The firft time that ever 
I took notice of him was in the very beginning of the 
parliament held in November, 1640. I perceived a gen¬ 
tleman fpeaking, whom I knew not, very ordinarily ap¬ 
parelled ; 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 (tuck 
clofe to his fide; his countenance fwoln and reddiffi ; 
his voice (harp and untunable, and his eloquence 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 againft the queen for her danc¬ 
ing, and fuch like innocent and courtly fports; and he 
aggravated the imprifonment of this man by the council- 
table unto that length, that one would have believed 
that the very government itfelf had been in great danger 
by it. I fincerely profefs, it leffened very much my re¬ 
verence for that great council, for he was very much 
hearkened unto. And yet I lived to fee this very <ren- 
tleman whom (out of no ill-will to him) I thus deferibe, 
by multiplied lucceffes, and by real, but ufurped, power, 
having had a better taylor, and more converfe amongftgood 
company, in mine own eye, when, for fix weeks toge¬ 
ther, I was a prifoner at Whitehall, appear of a great 
and majeftic deportment and comely prefence. The firft 
years (adds fir Philip) of Cromwell’s manhood were 
lpent in a diffolute courfe of life, in good-fellow(hip and 
gaming, which afterwards he feemed very fenlible of, 
and very forry for ; and, as if it had been a good fpirit 
that 
