greate while after she recover'd; yett he was nothing troubled at it, but married her assoone as she was able to quitt the chamber, when the priest and all that saw her were affrighted to looke on her! but God recompenc'd his iustice and constancy, by restoring her, though she was longer than ordinary before she recover'd, as well as before."-pp. 45, 46.

There is a good deal more of this affectionate and romantic style of writing throughout the book; but the Shade of Mrs. Hutchinson would not forgive us, if we were to detain the reader longer with these "vanities of her youth." We proceed, therefore, to graver

matters.

We might cull many striking specimens of eloquence from her summary account of the English Constitution and of the Reformation; but the following view of the changes which took place on the accession of James and of Charles, are more characteristic of the age and of the party to which she belongs.

gravings, and many other ingenuities, less offensive then the prophane abusive witt, which was the only exercise of the other court."—p. 65.

The characters of this king's counsellors are drawn, in general, with great force and liveliness; and with a degree of candour scarcely to have been expected in the widow of a regicide. We give that of Lord Strafford as an example.

"But there were two above all the rest, who led the van of the king's evill councellors, and these were Laud, archbishop of Canterbury, a fellow of meane extraction and arrogant pride, and the earl of Strafford, who as much outstript all the rest in favour as he did in abilities, being a man of deep policy, sterne resolution, and ambitious zeale to keepe up the glory of his own greatnesse. In the beginning of this king's reigne, this man had bene among whom he had gain'd himselfe an honorable a strong assertor of the liberties of the people, reputation, and was dreadfull to the court party, who thereupon strew'd snares in his way, and when they found a breach at his ambition, his soule was that way enter'd and captivated. He was advanc'd first to be lord president of the councell in the north, to be a baron, after an earle, then deputy of Ireland; the neerest to a favourite of any man since the death of the duke of Buckingham, who was rays'd by his first master, and kept up by the second, upon no account of personall worth or any deserving abilities in him, but only upon violent and private inclinations of the princes; but the earle of Strafford wanted not any accomplishment that could be desir'd in the most serviceable minister of the people, by his revolt from their interest to that of the oppressive court, he was now oblig'd to keep up his owne interest with his new party, by all the mallitious practises that pride and revenge could inspire him with."-pp. 68, 69.

The honor, wealth, and glory of the nation, wherein Queene Elizabeth left it, were soone prodigally wasted by this thriftlesse heire, the nobility of the land utterly debas'd by setting honors to publick sale, and conferring them on persons that had neither blood nor meritt fitt to weare, nor estates to beare up their titles, but were faine to invent proiects to pill the people, and pick their purses for the maintenance of vice and lewdnesse. The generallity of the gentry of the land soone learnt the court fashion, and every greate house in the country became a sty of uncleannesse. To keepe the peo-state: besides, he having made himselfe odious to ple in their deplorable security, till vengeance over tooke them, they were entertain'd with masks, stage playes, and sorts of ruder sports. Then began murther, incest, adultery, drunkennesse, swearing, fornication, and all sorts of ribaldry, to be no conceal'd but countenanc'd vices; because they held such conformity with the court example.". One of Mrs. Hutchinson's great talents, in"And now the ready way to preferment there, was deed, is the delineation of characters; and to declare an opposition to the power of godlinesse, though her affections are apt to throw rather under that name; so that their pulpitts might iustly too glowing or too dark a tint over the canvas, be called the scorner's chair, those sermons only yet this very warmth carries with it an impleasing that flatter'd them in their vices, and told the poore king that he was Solomon!-that his sloth pression of sincerity, which adds not a little and cowardize, by which he betrey'd the cause of to the interest of her pictures. We pass by God and honour of the nation, was gospell meeke- her short sketches,-of the Earl of Newcas nesse and peaceablenesse, for which they rays'd him tle, who was "a prince in his own country, up above the heavens, while he lay wallowing like till a foolish ambition of glorious slavery a swine in the mire of his lusts. He had a little carried him to court;"-the Earl of Kingston, learning, and this they call'd the spirit of wise"whose covetousness made him divide his dome, and so magnified him, so falsely flatter'd him, that he could not endure the words of truth and sons between the two parties, till his fate soundnesse, but rewarded these base, wicked, un-drew him over to the king's side, where he faithfull fawners with rich preferments, attended with pomps and titles, which heav'd them up above a humane heighth: With their pride their envie swell'd against the people of God, whom they be gan to proiect how they might roote out of the land; and when they had once given them a name, what ever was odious or dreadfull to the king, that they fixt upon the Puritane, which, according to their character, was nothing but a factious hypocrite." pp. 59-61. "The face of the court was much chang'd in the change of the king; for King Charles was temper.

ate, chast, and serious; so that the fooles and bawds, mimicks and catamites of the former court grew out of fashion; and the nobility and courtiers, who did not quite abandon their debosheries, had yet that reverence to the king, to retire into corners to practise them: Men of learning and ingenuity in all arts were in esteeme, and receiv'd encourage ment from the king; who was a most excellent udge and a greate lover of paintings, carvings,

"Pill-pillage, plunder."

behaved himself honourably, and died remarkably;"-the Earl of Clare, "who was very often of both parties, and, I think, never advantaged either," and a great number of other persons, who are despatched with equal brevity; and venture to put her talents to a severer test, by trying whether they can interest the reader in a description of the burghers and private gentlemen of Nottingham, at the breaking out of these great disturbances.

'There were seven aldermen in the towne, and of these only alderman James, then mayor, own'd the parliament. He was a very honest, bold man, but had no more but a burgher's discretion; he was yet very well assisted by his wife, a weoman of greate zeal and courage, and more understanding than weomen of her ranke usually have. All the devout people of the towne were very vigorous and ready to offer their lives and famelies, but there was not halfe the halfe of the towne that consisted of these. The ordinary civill sort of people coldly

adher'd to the better; but all the debosht, and such as had liv'd upon the bishops persecuting courts, and bene the lacqueys of proiectors and monopo: lizers, and the like, they were all bitterly malignant. Yett God awed them, that they could not at that time hinder his people, whom he overrul'd some of their greatest enemies to assist, such as were one Chadwick and Plumptre, two who, at the first, put themselves most forward into the businesse.

Plumptre was a doctor of phisick, an inhabitant of Nottingham, who had learning, naturall parts, and understanding enough to discerne betweene naturall civil righteousnesse and iniustice, but he was a horrible atheist, and had such an intollerable pride, that he brook'd no superiours, and having some witt, tooke the boldnesse to exercise it, in the abuse of all the gentlemen wherever he came.' "This man had sence enough to approove the parliament's cause, in poynt of civil right, and pride enough to desire to breake the bonds of slavery, whereby the king endeavour'd to chaine up a free people; and upon these scores, appearing high for the parliament's interest, he was admitted into the consultations of those who were then putting the country into a posture of defence.

"In the beginning of this battle, the valliant Coll Thornhagh was wounded to death. Being at the beginning of the charge on a horse as courageous as became such a master, he made such furious speed, to sett upon a company of Scotch lanciers, that he was singly engaged and mortally wounded, before it was possible for his regiment, though as brave men as ever drew sword, and too afectionate to their collonell to be slack in following him, tc come time enough to breake the furie of that body, which shamed not to unite all their force against one man. His soule was hovering to take her flight out of his body, but that an eager desire to know the successe of that battle kept it within, till the end of the day, when the newes being brought him, he clear'd his dying countenance, and say'd, I now reioyce to die, since God hath lett me see the overthrow of this perfidious enemy; I could not lose my life in a better cause, and I have the favour from God to see my blood aveng'd.' So he died; with a large testimony of love to his souldiers, but more to the cause, and was by mercy remoov'd, that the temptations of future times might not prevaile to corrupt his pure soule. A man of greater courage and integritie fell not nor fought not in this glorious cause; he had also an excellent good nature, but easie to be wrought upon by flatterers, yett as flexible to the admonitions of his friends; and this virtue he had, that if sometimes a cunning insinuation prevail'd upon his easie faith, when his error was made known to him, notwithstanding all his greate courage he was readier to acknowledge and repaire, then to pursue his mistake."-pp. 289, 290.

"Chadwick was a fellow of a most pragmaticall temper, and, to say truth, had strangely wrought himselfe into a station unfit for him. He was at first a boy that scraped trenchers in the house of one of the poorest iustices in the county, but yet such a one as had a greate deale of formallity and understanding of the statute law, from whom this boy pick'd such ends of law, that he became first the ustice's, then a lawyer's clearke. Then, I know not how, gott to be a parcell-iudge in Ireland, and came over to his owne country swell'd with the reputation of it, and sett on foote a base, absolute, arbitrary court there, which the Conqueror of old had given to one Peverel his bastard," &c."When the king was in towne a little before, this man so insinuated into the court that, comming to kisae the king's hand, the king told him he was a very honest man; yet by flatteries and dissimulations he kept up his creditt with the godly, cutting his haire, and taking up a forme of godlinesse, the better to deceive. In some of the corrupt times he had purchas'd the honor of a barrister, though he had neither law nor learning, but he had a voluble tongue, and was crafty; and it is allmost incredible that one of his meane education and poverty should arrive to such things as he reacht. This baseness he had, that all the iust reproaches in the world could not moove him, but he would fawne upon any man that told him of his villanies to his face, even at the very time. Never was a truer Judas, since Iscariott's time, than he; for he would kisse the man he had in his heart to kill; he naturally de-varying medium of her own hopes and apprelighted in mischiefe and treachery, and was so exquisite a villaine, that he destroy'd those designes he might have thriven by, with overlaying them with fresh knaveries."-pp. 110-113.

We have not room for many of the more favourable delineations with which these are contrasted; but we give the following short sketch of Mr. Thornhagh, who seems to have been a great favourite of Mrs. Hutchinson's.

Mr. Francis Thornhagh, the eldest sonne of Sr. Francis Thornhagh, was a man of a most upright faithfull heart to God and God's people, and to his countrie's true interest, comprehended in the parliament's cause; a man of greater vallour or more noble daring fought not for them; nor indeed ever drew sword in any cause; he was of a most excellent good nature to all men, and zealous for his friend; he wanted councell and deliberation, and was sometimes too facile to flatterers, but had iudgment enough to discerne his errors when they were represented to him, and worth enough not to persist in an iniurious mistake because he had once entertained it.'-p. 114.

The most conspicuous person by far, of the age to which Mrs. Hutchinson belongs, was Cromwell; and there is no character, accordingly, which she appears to have studied more, or better comprehended. Her work contains a great number of original anecdotes with regard to him; and with all the advantages which later times have derived from the collation of various authorities, and from considering, at a dispassionate distance, the various turns of his policy, we doubt whether any historian has yet given a more just or satisfactory account of this extraordinary personage than this woman, who saw him only in the course of his obliquities, and through the

hensions. The profound duplicity and great ambition of his nature, appear to have been very early detected by Colonel Hutchinson, whose biographer gives this account of his demeanour to the Levellers and Presbyterians, who were then at the height of their rivalry.

"These were they," says she, speaking of the former, "who first began to discover the ambition of Lieftenant-general Cromwell and his idolaters, and to suspect and dislike it. About this time, he was sent downe, after his victory in Wales, to encounter Hamilton in the north. When he went downe, the chiefe of these levellers following him out of the towne, to take their leaves of him, receiv'd such professions from him, of a spiritt bent to pursue the same iust and honest things that they desir'd, as they went away with greate satisfaction,'till they heard that a coachfull of Presbyterian priests comming after them, went away no less pleas'd; by which it was apparent he dissembled with one or the other, and by so doing lost his creditt with both.

"When he came to Nottingham, Coll. Hutchinson went to see him, whom he embrac'd with all the expressions of kindnesse that one friend could make to another, and then retiring with him, prest him to tell him what thoughts his friends, the levellers, had of him. The collonell, who was the freest man in the world from concealing truth from his friend, especially when it was requir'd of him in love and plainnesse, not only told him what others thought of him, but what he himselfe conceiv'd, and how much it would darken all his glories, if he should become a slave to his owne ambition, and be guilty of what he gave the world iust canse to suspect, and therefore begg'd of him to weare his heart in his face, and to scorne to delude his enemies, but to make use of his noble courage, to maintaine what he believ'd iust, against all greate oposers. Cromwell made mighty professions of a sincere heart to him, but it is certeine that for this and such like plaine dealing with him, he dreaded the collonell, and made it his particular businesse to keepe him out of the armie; but the collonell, never desiring command, to serve himselfe, but his country, would not use that art he detested in others, to procure himselfe any advantage."-pp. 285-287.

An after scene is still more remarkable, and more characteristic of both the actors. After Cromwell had possessed himself of the sovereignty, Colonel Hutchinson came accidentally to the knowledge of a plot which had been laid for his assassination; and was moved, by the nobleness of his own nature, and his regard for the Protector's great qualities-though he had openly testified against his usurpation, and avoided his presence since the time of it-to give such warning of it to Fleetwood, as might enable him to escape that hazard, but at the same time without betraying the names of any of the conspirators.

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sought his ruine. He expresst an earnest desire to restore the people's liberties, and to take and pursue more safe and sober councells, and wound up all with a very fair courtship of the collonell to engage with him, offering him any thing he would account worthy of him. The collonell told him, he could not be forward to make his owne advantage, by serving to the enslaving of his country. The other told him, he intended nothing more then the restoring and confirming the liberties of the good people, in order to which he would employ such men of honor and interest as the people should rejoyce, and he should not refuse to be one of them. And after, with all his arts, he had endeavour'd to excuse his publique actions, and to draw in the collonell, he dismist him with such expressions as were publickely taken notice of by all his little courtiers then about him; when he went to the end of the gallery with the collonell, and there, embrac ing him, sayd allowd to him, 'Well, collonell, satisfied or dissatisfied, you shall be one of us, for wee can no longer exempt a person so able and faithfull from the publique service, and you shall be satisfied in all honest things.' The collonell left him with that respect that became the place he was in; when of them past him by without knowing him when immediately the same courtiers, who had some he came in, although they had bene once of his familiar acquaintance; and the rest, who had look'd upon him with such disdainfull neglect as those little people use to those who are not of their faction, now flockt about him, striving who should officiousnesse, redeeme their late slightings. Some expresse most respect, and, by an extraordinary of them desir'd he would command their service in any businesse he had with their lord, and a thousand such frivolous compliments, which the collonell smiled att, and, quitting himselfe of them as soone There he had not long bene but that he was inas he could, made haste to returne into the country. form'd, notwithstanding all these faire shewes, the protector, finding him too constant to be wrought

his person, least he should head the people, who it was certainly confirm'd to the collonell how much now grew very weary of his bondage. But though he was afraid of his honesty and freedome, and that he was resolv'd not to let him longer be att collonell, death imprison'd himselfe, and confin'd liberty, yet, before his guards apprehended the all his vast ambition, and all his cruell designes into the narrow compasse of a grave."-pp. 340–342.

Two other anecdotes, one very discreditable to Cromwell, the other affording a striking proof of his bravery and knowledge of mankind, may be found at p. 308. and 316. But we dismiss the subject of this “great bad man," with the following eloquent representation of his government after he had attained the height of his ambition;-a representation in which the keen regrets of disappointed patriotism are finely mingled with an indignant contempt for those who submitted to tyranny, and a generous admission of the talents and magnanimity of the tyrant.

"After Collonell Hutchinson had given Fleet-upon to serve his tirannie, had resolv'd to secure wood that caution, he was going into the country, when the protector sent to search him out with all the earnestnesse and haste that could possibly be, and the collonell went to him; who mett him in one of the galleries, and receiv'd him with open armes and the kindest embraces that could be given, and complain'd that the collonell should be so unkind as never to give him a visitt, professing how wellcome he should have bene, the most wellcome person in the land; and with these smooth insinuations led him allong to a private place, giving him thankes for the advertisement he had receiv'd from Fleetwood, and using all his art to gett out of the collonell the knowledge of the persons engag'd in the conspiracy against him. But none of his cunning, nor promises, nor flatteries, could prevaile with the collonell to informe him more than he thought necessary to prevent the execution of the designe; which when the protector perceiv'd, he gave him most infinite thankes for what he had told him, and acknowledg'd it open'd to him some misteries that had perplext him, and agreed so with other intelligence he had, that he must owe his preservation to him: 'But,' says he, deare collonell, why will not you come in and act among us?' The collonell told him plainly, because he liked not any of his wayes since he broke the parliament, as being those which led to certeine and unavoydable destruction, not only of themselves, but of the whole parliament party and cause, and thereupon tooke occasion, with his usuall freedom, to tell him into what a sad hazard all things were put, and how apparent a way was made for the restitution of all former tyranny and bondage. Cromwell seem'd to receive this honest plainnesse with the greatest affection that could be, and acknowledg'd his precipitatenesse in some things, and with teares complained how Lambert had put him upon all those violent actions, for which he now accus'd him and

"In the interim Cromwell and his armie grew wanton with their power, and invented a thousand tricks of government, which, when nobody oppos'd, they themselves fell to dislike and vary every day. First he calls a parliament out of his owne pockett, himselfe naming a sort of godly men for every county, who meeting and not agreeing, a part of them, in the name of the people, give up the sovereignty to him. Shortly after, he makes up severall sorts of mock parliaments, but not finding one of them absolutely for his turne, turn'd them off againe. He soone quitted himselfe of his triumvirs, and first thrust out Harrison, then tooke away Lambert's commission, and would have bene king

in the matter of the restoration. In the course of the debate on the treatment to be dealt to the regicides, such of them as were members of the House rose in their places, and made such a defence of their conduct as they re spectively thought it admitted of. The following passage is very curious, and gives us a high idea of the readiness and address of Colonel Hutchinson in a situation of extraor dinary difficulty.

repeated, that history affords no example of a late King. Such were the liberal pursuits civil contest carried on for years at the point and elegant recreations of one whom all our of the sword, and yet producing so little fero- recent histories would lead us to consider as city in the body of the people, and so few a gloomy fanatic, and barbarous bigot! instances of particular violence or cruelty. Upon the death of the Protector, he again No proscriptions-no executions-no sacking took his seat in Parliament, for the county of of cities, or laying waste of provinces-no Nottingham; and was an indignant spectator vengeance wreaked, and indeed scarcely any of the base proceedings of Monk, and the severity inflicted, upon those who were noto-headlong and improvident zeal of the people riously hostile, unless found actually in arms. -Some passages in the wars of Henry IV., as narrated by Sully, approach to this character; but the horrible massacres with which that contest was at other stages attended, exclude it from all parallel with the generous hostility of England. This book is full of instances, not merely of mutual toleration, but of the most cordial friendship subsisting between individuals actually engaged in the opposite parties. In particular, Sir Allan Apsley, Mrs. Hutchinson's brother, who commanded a troop many teares, profest his repentance for that murther; "When it came to Inglesbies turne, he, with of horse for the King, and was frequently and told a false tale, how Cromwell held his hand, employed in the same part of the country and forc'd him to subscribe the sentence ! and made where Colonel Hutchinson commanded for a most whining recantation; after which he retir'd, the Parliament, is represented throughout as and another had almost ended, when Collonell living on a footing of the greatest friendship Hutchinson, who was not there at the beginning, came in, and was told what they were about, and and cordiality with this valiant relative. Un- that it would be expected he should say something. der the protection of mutual passes, they pay He was surpriz'd with a thing he expected not; yet frequent visits to each other, and exchange neither then, nor in any the like occasion, did he various civilities and pieces of service, with- ever faile himselfe, but told them, That for his out any attempt on either side to seduce the actings in those dayes, if he had err'd, it was the other from the cause to which his consciencement, and not the malice of his heart, which had inexperience of his age, and the defect of his ludgehad attached him. In the same way, the ever prompted him to persue the generall advantage houses and families of various royalists are of his country more then his owne; and if the sacrileft unmolested in the district commanded by fice of him might conduce to the publick peace and Colonel Hutchinson's forces; and officers con- settlement, he should freely submit his life and forducting troops to the siege of the castle, are age, and the greate debts his publick employments tunes to their dispose; that the vain expence of his repeatedly invited to partake of entertain-had runne him into, as they were testimonies that ments with the garrison. It is no less curious and unique to find Mrs. Hutchinson officiating as a surgeon to the wounded; and the Colonel administering spiritual consolation to some of the captives who had been mortally hurt by the men whom he had led into action.

neither avarice nor any other interest had carried him on, so they yielded him iust cause to repent that he ever forsooke his owne blessed quiett, to embarque in such a troubled sea, where he had and as to that particular action of the king, he demade shipwrack of all things but a good conscience; sir'd them to believe he had that sence of it that beAfter the termination of the war, Colonel fitted an Englishman, a Christian, and a gentleHutchinson was returned to Parliament for man.' Assoone as the collonell had spoken, he the town which he had so resolutely defended. retir'd into a roome, where Inglesbie was, with his He was appointed a member of the High eies yet red, who had call'd up a little spirit to suc Court of Justice, for the trial of the King;-chinson, O collonell,' say'd he, did I ever imagine ceed his whinings, and embracing Collonell Hutand after long hesitation, and frequent prayer wee could be brought to this? Could I have susto God to direct him aright in an affair of so pected it, when I brought them Lambert in the much moment, he deliberately concurred in other day, this sword should have redeem'd us from the sentence which was pronounced by it being dealt with as criminalls, by that people, for Mrs. Hutchinson proudly disclaiming for him The collonell told him, he had foreseene, ever since whom we had so gloriously exposed ourselves.' the apology, afterwards so familiar in the those usurpers thrust out the lawfull authority of mouths of his associates, of having been over- the land, to enthrone themselves, it could end in awed by Cromwell. His opinion of the Pro- nothing else; but the integrity of his heart, in all tector, and of his government, has been pretty he had done, made him as chearefully ready to fully explained in the extracts we have already of the house that day was to suspend Collonell suffer as to triumph in a good cause. The result given. During that usurpation, he lived in Hutchinson and the rest from sitting in the house. almost unbroken retirement, at Owthorpe; Monke, after all his greate professions, now sate where he occupied himself in superintending still, and had not one word to interpose for any perthe education of his children, whom he him- son, but was as forward to sett vengeance on foot self instructed in music and other elegant as any man."—pp. 367–369. accomplishments; in the embellishment of his residence by building and planting; in administering justice to his neighbours, and in making a very choice collection of painting and sculpture, for which he had purchased a number of articles out of the cabinet of the

He was afterwards comprehended in the act of amnesty, and with some difficulty obtained his pardon; upon which he retired to the country; but was soon after brought to town, in order to see if he could not be prevailed on to give evidence against such of the