SECOND PART
SECOND PART
Oliver Cromwell--whom the people long called OLD NOLL--in accepting theoffice of Protector, had bound himself by a certain paper which washanded to him, called 'the Instrument,' to summon a Parliament,consisting of between four and five hundred members, in the election ofwhich neither the Royalists nor the Catholics were to have any share. Hehad also pledged himself that this Parliament should not be dissolvedwithout its own consent until it had sat five months.
When this Parliament met, Oliver made a speech to them of three hourslong, very wisely advising them what to do for the credit and happinessof the country. To keep down the more violent members, he required themto sign a recognition of what they were forbidden by 'the Instrument' todo; which was, chiefly, to take the power from one single person at thehead of the state or to command the army. Then he dismissed them to goto work. With his usual vigour and resolution he went to work himselfwith some frantic preachers--who were rather overdoing their sermons incalling him a villain and a tyrant--by shutting up their chapels, andsending a few of them off to prison.
There was not at that time, in England or anywhere else, a man so able togovern the country as Oliver Cromwell. Although he ruled with a stronghand, and levied a very heavy tax on the Royalists (but not until theyhad plotted against his life), he ruled wisely, and as the timesrequired. He caused England to be so respected abroad, that I wish somelords and gentlemen who have governed it under kings and queens in laterdays would have taken a leaf out of Oliver Cromwell's book. He sent boldAdmiral Blake to the Mediterranean Sea, to make the Duke of Tuscany paysixty thousand pounds for injuries he had done to British subjects, andspoliation he had committed on English merchants. He further despatchedhim and his fleet to Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli, to have every Englishship and every English man delivered up to him that had been taken bypirates in those parts. All this was gloriously done; and it began to bethoroughly well known, all over the world, that England was governed by aman in earnest, who would not allow the English name to be insulted orslighted anywhere.
These were not all his foreign triumphs. He sent a fleet to sea againstthe Dutch; and the two powers, each with one hundred ships upon its side,met in the English Channel off the North Foreland, where the fight lastedall day long. Dean was killed in this fight; but Monk, who commanded inthe same ship with him, threw his cloak over his body, that the sailorsmight not know of his death, and be disheartened. Nor were they. TheEnglish broadsides so exceedingly astonished the Dutch that they sheeredoff at last, though the redoubtable Van Tromp fired upon them with hisown guns for deserting their flag. Soon afterwards, the two fleetsengaged again, off the coast of Holland. There, the valiant Van Trompwas shot through the heart, and the Dutch gave in, and peace was made.
Further than this, Oliver resolved not to bear the domineering andbigoted conduct of Spain, which country not only claimed a right to allthe gold and silver that could be found in South America, and treated theships of all other countries who visited those regions, as pirates, butput English subjects into the horrible Spanish prisons of theInquisition. So, Oliver told the Spanish ambassador that English shipsmust be free to go wherever they would, and that English merchants mustnot be thrown into those same dungeons, no, not for the pleasure of allthe priests in Spain. To this, the Spanish ambassador replied that thegold and silver country, and the Holy Inquisition, were his King's twoeyes, neither of which he could submit to have put out. Very well, saidOliver, then he was afraid he (Oliver) must damage those two eyesdirectly.
So, another fleet was despatched under two commanders, PENN and VENABLES,for Hispaniola; where, however, the Spaniards got the better of thefight. Consequently, the fleet came home again, after taking Jamaica onthe way. Oliver, indignant with the two commanders who had not done whatbold Admiral Blake would have done, clapped them both into prison,declared war against Spain, and made a treaty with France, in virtue ofwhich it was to shelter the King and his brother the Duke of York nolonger. Then, he sent a fleet abroad under bold Admiral Blake, whichbrought the King of Portugal to his senses--just to keep its hand in--andthen engaged a Spanish fleet, sunk four great ships, and took two more,laden with silver to the value of two millions of pounds: which dazzlingprize was brought from Portsmouth to London in waggons, with the populaceof all the towns and villages through which the waggons passed, shoutingwith all their might. After this victory, bold Admiral Blake sailed awayto the port of Santa Cruz to cut off the Spanish treasure-ships comingfrom Mexico. There, he found them, ten in number, with seven others totake care of them, and a big castle, and seven batteries, all roaring andblazing away at him with great guns. Blake cared no more for great gunsthan for pop-guns--no more for their hot iron balls than for snow-balls.He dashed into the harbour, captured and burnt every one of the ships,and came sailing out again triumphantly, with the victorious English flagflying at his masthead. This was the last triumph of this greatcommander, who had sailed and fought until he was quite worn out. Hedied, as his successful ship was coming into Plymouth Harbour amidst thejoyful acclamations of the people, and was buried in state in WestminsterAbbey. Not to lie there, long.
Over and above all this, Oliver found that the VAUDOIS, or Protestantpeople of the valleys of Lucerne, were insolently treated by the Catholicpowers, and were even put to death for their religion, in an audaciousand bloody manner. Instantly, he informed those powers that this was athing which Protestant England would not allow; and he speedily carriedhis point, through the might of his great name, and established theirright to worship God in peace after their own harmless manner.
Lastly, his English army won such admiration in fighting with the Frenchagainst the Spaniards, that, after they had assaulted the town of Dunkirktogether, the French King in person gave it up to the English, that itmight be a token to them of their might and valour.
There were plots enough against Oliver among the frantic religionists(who called themselves Fifth Monarchy Men), and among the disappointedRepublicans. He had a difficult game to play, for the Royalists werealways ready to side with either party against him. The 'King over thewater,' too, as Charles was called, had no scruples about plotting withany one against his life; although there is reason to suppose that hewould willingly have married one of his daughters, if Oliver would havehad such a son-in-law. There was a certain COLONEL SAXBY of the army,once a great supporter of Oliver's but now turned against him, who was agrievous trouble to him through all this part of his career; and who cameand went between the discontented in England and Spain, and Charles whoput himself in alliance with Spain on being thrown off by France. Thisman died in prison at last; but not until there had been very seriousplots between the Royalists and Republicans, and an actual rising of themin England, when they burst into the city of Salisbury, on a Sundaynight, seized the judges who were going to hold the assizes there nextday, and would have hanged them but for the merciful objections of themore temperate of their number. Oliver was so vigorous and shrewd thathe soon put this revolt down, as he did most other conspiracies; and itwas well for one of its chief managers--that same Lord Wilmot who hadassisted in Charles's flight, and was now EARL OF ROCHESTER--that he madehis escape. Oliver seemed to have eyes and ears everywhere, and securedsuch sources of information as his enemies little dreamed of. There wasa chosen body of six persons, called the Sealed Knot, who were in theclosest and most secret confidence of Charles. One of the foremost ofthese very men, a SIR RICHARD WILLIS, reported to Oliver everything thatpassed among them, and had two hundred a year for it.
MILES SYNDARCOMB, also of the old army, was another conspirator againstthe Protector. He and a man named CECIL, bribed one of his Life Guardsto let them have good notice when he was going out--intending to shoothim from a window. But, owing either to his caution or his good fortune,they could never get an aim at him. Disappointed in this design, theygot into the chapel in Whitehall, with a basketful of combustibles, whichwere to explode by means of a slow match in six hours; then, in the noiseand confusion of the fire, they hoped to kill Oliver. But, the LifeGuardsman himself disclosed this plot; and they were seized, and Milesdied (or killed himself in prison) a little while before he was orderedfor execution. A few such plotters Oliver caused to be beheaded, a fewmore to be hanged, and many more, including those who rose in armsagainst him, to be sent as slaves to the West Indies. If he were rigid,he was impartial too, in asserting the laws of England. When aPortuguese nobleman, the brother of the Portuguese ambassador, killed aLondon citizen in mistake for another man with whom he had had a quarrel,Oliver caused him to be tried before a jury of Englishmen and foreigners,and had him executed in spite of the entreaties of all the ambassadors inLondon.
One of Oliver's own friends, the DUKE OF OLDENBURGH, in sending him apresent of six fine coach-horses, was very near doing more to please theRoyalists than all the plotters put together. One day, Oliver went withhis coach, drawn by these six horses, into Hyde Park, to dine with hissecretary and some of his other gentlemen under the trees there. Afterdinner, being merry, he took it into his head to put his friends insideand to drive them home: a postillion riding one of the foremost horses,as the custom was. On account of Oliver's being too free with the whip,the six fine horses went off at a gallop, the postillion got thrown, andOliver fell upon the coach-pole and narrowly escaped being shot by hisown pistol, which got entangled with his clothes in the harness, and wentoff. He was dragged some distance by the foot, until his foot came outof the shoe, and then he came safely to the ground under the broad bodyof the coach, and was very little the worse. The gentlemen inside wereonly bruised, and the discontented people of all parties were muchdisappointed.
The rest of the history of the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell is ahistory of his Parliaments. His first one not pleasing him at all, hewaited until the five months were out, and then dissolved it. The nextwas better suited to his views; and from that he desired to get--if hecould with safety to himself--the title of King. He had had this in hismind some time: whether because he thought that the English people, beingmore used to the title, were more likely to obey it; or whether becausehe really wished to be a king himself, and to leave the succession tothat title in his family, is far from clear. He was already as high, inEngland and in all the world, as he would ever be, and I doubt if hecared for the mere name. However, a paper, called the 'Humble Petitionand Advice,' was presented to him by the House of Commons, praying him totake a high title and to appoint his successor. That he would have takenthe title of King there is no doubt, but for the strong opposition of thearmy. This induced him to forbear, and to assent only to the otherpoints of the petition. Upon which occasion there was another grand showin Westminster Hall, when the Speaker of the House of Commons formallyinvested him with a purple robe lined with ermine, and presented him witha splendidly bound Bible, and put a golden sceptre in his hand. The nexttime the Parliament met, he called a House of Lords of sixty members, asthe petition gave him power to do; but as that Parliament did not pleasehim either, and would not proceed to the business of the country, hejumped into a coach one morning, took six Guards with him, and sent themto the right-about. I wish this had been a warning to Parliaments toavoid long speeches, and do more work.
It was the month of August, one thousand six hundred and fifty-eight,when Oliver Cromwell's favourite daughter, ELIZABETH CLAYPOLE (who hadlately lost her youngest son), lay very ill, and his mind was greatlytroubled, because he loved her dearly. Another of his daughters wasmarried to LORD FALCONBERG, another to the grandson of the Earl ofWarwick, and he had made his son RICHARD one of the Members of the UpperHouse. He was very kind and loving to them all, being a good father anda good husband; but he loved this daughter the best of the family, andwent down to Hampton Court to see her, and could hardly be induced tostir from her sick room until she died. Although his religion had beenof a gloomy kind, his disposition had been always cheerful. He had beenfond of music in his home, and had kept open table once a week for allofficers of the army not below the rank of captain, and had alwayspreserved in his house a quiet, sensible dignity. He encouraged men ofgenius and learning, and loved to have them about him. MILTON was one ofhis great friends. He was good humoured too, with the nobility, whosedresses and manners were very different from his; and to show them whatgood information he had, he would sometimes jokingly tell them when theywere his guests, where they had last drunk the health of the 'King overthe water,' and would recommend them to be more private (if they could)another time. But he had lived in busy times, had borne the weight ofheavy State affairs, and had often gone in fear of his life. He was illof the gout and ague; and when the death of his beloved child came uponhim in addition, he sank, never to raise his head again. He told hisphysicians on the twenty-fourth of August that the Lord had assured himthat he was not to die in that illness, and that he would certainly getbetter. This was only his sick fancy, for on the third of September,which was the anniversary of the great battle of Worcester, and the dayof the year which he called his fortunate day, he died, in the sixtiethyear of his age. He had been delirious, and had lain insensible somehours, but he had been overheard to murmur a very good prayer the daybefore. The whole country lamented his death. If you want to know thereal worth of Oliver Cromwell, and his real services to his country, youcan hardly do better than compare England under him, with England underCHARLES THE SECOND.
He had appointed his son Richard to succeed him, and after there hadbeen, at Somerset House in the Strand, a lying in state more splendidthan sensible--as all such vanities after death are, I think--Richardbecame Lord Protector. He was an amiable country gentleman, but had noneof his father's great genius, and was quite unfit for such a post in sucha storm of parties. Richard's Protectorate, which only lasted a year anda half, is a history of quarrels between the officers of the army and theParliament, and between the officers among themselves; and of a growingdiscontent among the people, who had far too many long sermons and fartoo few amusements, and wanted a change. At last, General Monk got thearmy well into his own hands, and then in pursuance of a secret plan heseems to have entertained from the time of Oliver's death, declared forthe King's cause. He did not do this openly; but, in his place in theHouse of Commons, as one of the members for Devonshire, stronglyadvocated the proposals of one SIR JOHN GREENVILLE, who came to the Housewith a letter from Charles, dated from Breda, and with whom he hadpreviously been in secret communication. There had been plots andcounterplots, and a recall of the last members of the Long Parliament,and an end of the Long Parliament, and risings of the Royalists that weremade too soon; and most men being tired out, and there being no one tohead the country now great Oliver was dead, it was readily agreed towelcome Charles Stuart. Some of the wiser and better members said--whatwas most true--that in the letter from Breda, he gave no real promise togovern well, and that it would be best to make him pledge himselfbeforehand as to what he should be bound to do for the benefit of thekingdom. Monk said, however, it would be all right when he came, and hecould not come too soon.
So, everybody found out all in a moment that the country _must_ beprosperous and happy, having another Stuart to condescend to reign overit; and there was a prodigious firing off of guns, lighting of bonfires,ringing of bells, and throwing up of caps. The people drank the King'shealth by thousands in the open streets, and everybody rejoiced. Downcame the Arms of the Commonwealth, up went the Royal Arms instead, andout came the public money. Fifty thousand pounds for the King, tenthousand pounds for his brother the Duke of York, five thousand poundsfor his brother the Duke of Gloucester. Prayers for these graciousStuarts were put up in all the churches; commissioners were sent toHolland (which suddenly found out that Charles was a great man, and thatit loved him) to invite the King home; Monk and the Kentish grandees wentto Dover, to kneel down before him as he landed. He kissed and embracedMonk, made him ride in the coach with himself and his brothers, came onto London amid wonderful shoutings, and passed through the army atBlackheath on the twenty-ninth of May (his birthday), in the year onethousand six hundred and sixty. Greeted by splendid dinners under tents,by flags and tapestry streaming from all the houses, by delighted crowdsin all the streets, by troops of noblemen and gentlemen in rich dresses,by City companies, train-bands, drummers, trumpeters, the great LordMayor, and the majestic Aldermen, the King went on to Whitehall. Onentering it, he commemorated his Restoration with the joke that it reallywould seem to have been his own fault that he had not come long ago,since everybody told him that he had always wished for him with all hisheart.