gate where the quarters of Montrose were still exposed. The new commonwealth of England began to make instant preparations for a war with Scotland, resolved, that one half of the island should not be an asylum for a person who pretended to be king of the other likewise. The new commonwealth supported the change of government with as much prudence of conduct as it had shown rage and fury in bringing it about; and it was an unheard of thing, that an handful of private citizens, without any chief to command them, should keep the peers of the realm at a silent distance, strip the bishops of their dignity, restrain the people within bounds, maintain an army of sixteen thousand men in Ireland, and the same in England, support a formidable fleet well provided with necessaries, and punctually pay all demands, without any one member in the house enriching himself at the nation's expense. To provide for so great a change, they observed the strictest economy in the management of the revenues formerly annexed to the crown, and made a sale of the forfeited lands of the bishops and chapters for ten years: in short, the nation paid one hundred and thirty thousand pounds per month a tax ten times greater than that of ship money, which Charles I. had attempted to raise by his own authority, which had been the first cause of so many disasters.

This parliament was not under Cromwell's direction, he being at that time on his Irish expedition, with his son-in-law Ireton; but it was chiefly guided by the independent party, who still bore a great sway. It was resolved by the house, to assemble an army against the Scots, and to send Cromwell thither, next in command under general Fairfax; accordingly, he received orders to quit Ireland, which he had almost subdued. General Fairfax refused to accept the command of the army against the Scots. He was a presbyterian, and pre

tended that his conscience would not suffer him to attack his brethren, as they had not invaded England; and notwithstanding the earnest solicitations of the house, he resigned his commission, and retired to end his days in peace. This was no extraordinary resolu

tion, at a period, and in a country where every one acted by his own rules.

This, however, proved the æra of Cromwell's greatness, who was appointed general in the place of Fairfax, and marched into Scotland at the head of an army accustomed to victory for upwards of ten years. He beat the Scottish army at Dunbar, and immediately took possession of the city of Edinburgh. From thence he went in pursuit of Charles, who was advanced into England as far as Worcester, in hopes that the English roy alists would rise in his behalf, and join him there; but his army consisted chiefly of new raised troops, raw and undisciplined. Cromwell came up with and attacked bim on the banks of the Severn, and gained, after very little resistance, the completest victory that had ever crowned his arms. He carried near seven thousand pri soners to London, who were sold as slaves to the American planters. The victorious army made itself master of all Scotland, while Cromwell pursued the king from place to place.

Imagination, the parent of fiction, never conceived a train of more extraordinary adventures, more pressing dangers, or more cruel extremities, than those which Charles experienced in his flight. He was obliged to travel almost alone through by-paths, half spent with hunger and fatigue, till he arrived in Staffordshire, where he concealed himself a whole night and day in the hollow of a large oak in the midst of a wood, surrounded by Cromwell's soldiers, who were every where in search of him: the oak was to be seen at the beginning of this century. Astronomers have given it a place among the constellations of the southern pole, and have thus perpetuated the remembrance of these disasters. This prince, after wandering from village to village, sometimes disguised like a postillion, sometimes in women's apparel, and sometimes like a wood-cutter, at length found means to escape in a small fishing-boat, and was safely landed in Normandy; after having undergone, for six weeks, a train of adventures that almost exceed credibility.

Cromwell in the mean time returned to London in triumph. He was met a few miles from the city by

He

the speaker of the house, accompanied by several of the members, and the mayor and magistrates of London in their formalities. The first thing he did after his return was to persuade the parliament to an abuse of the victory their troops had gained, and which was so flattering to the English. The house passed an act for in-. corporating Scotland, as a conquered country, with the English commonwealth; and royalty was abolished among the conquered, as it had already been among the victors. Never had England been more power ful than since it had become a commonwealth. The parliament, which was wholly composed of republicans, formed the extraordinary project of joining the Seven United Provinces to England, as it had lately incorporated Scotland. The Stadtholder, William II. son-inlaw to Charles I. was lately dead, after having attempted to make himself absolute in Holland, as Charles had attempted in England, but with no better success. left a son in the cradle, and the English parliament hoped that the Dutch would as easily give up their stadtholder as the English had done its monarch; in which case the united republic of England, Scotland, and Hol land, might hold the balance of Europe; but the friends of the house of Orange having vigorously opposed this project, which savoured greatly of the enthusiasm of the times; and the Dutch having insulted the English flag, determined the English parliament to declare war against Holland. The two republics had several engagements at sea, with various success. Some of the wisest among the members, who began to dread Cromwell's great influence, and power, concurred in carrying on the war, that they might have a pretence for increasing the navy expense, which might oblige the parliament to disband the army, and thus by degrees overthrow the dangerous power of the general.

Cromwell saw into their schemes, as they had penetrated into his; and now he threw off the mask entirely, and showed himself in his proper colours. He told major-general Vernon, that "he was compelled to do that which made his hair stand on end." He hastened to the house with a detachment of chosen men, followed by the officers who were most at his devotion, and set a guard

46

upon the door; then he entered and took his place, and after some little 66 pause, Methinks," said he," this parliament is ripe enough to be dissolved." Some of the members having reproached him with ingratitude, he started up in the middle of the house, and exclaimed, The Lord has done with you, and hath made choice of other instruments." And after this fanatic speech he reviled all present in the most opprobrious terms, reproaching one as a drunkard, another as a whoremaster, and telling them all that the gospel condemned them, and that they had nothing to do but to dissolve themselves immediately. His officers and soldiers upon this entered the house, where, pointing to the mace, he bade one of them "Take away that bauble." Majorgeneral Harrison then went up to the speaker, and obliged him to leave the chair by violence. Cromwell then turning to the members, "It is you," added he, that have forced me upon this. I have prayed to the Lord night and day, that he would rather slay me than put me upon this work." Having said this, he turned out all the members one by one, locked the doors himself, and carried away the key in his pocket.

What is still more strange is, that the parliament being thus dissolved by force, and there being no acknowledged legislative authority, every thing did not fall into confusion. Cromwell called a council of his officers, and it was by them that the constitution of the state was truly changed. On this occasion, that happened in England which we have already seen happen in all countries in the world; the strong gave laws to the weak.

At Cromwell's instigation, this counsel nominated one hundred and forty-four persons to represent the nation in parliament; these were chiefly taken from the lowest class of the people, such as shopkeepers and journeymen handicrafts. One of the most active of this parliament was said to be a leather-seller, named Barebone, from whom this parliament was called Barebone's parliament.

Cromwell, as general, sent a written order to all these members, requiring them to come and take upon them the sovereign power, and to govern the nation. This assembly, after sitting five months, during which time

it became the object of ridicule and contempt to the whole nation, came to a resolution to dissolve itself, and resigned the sovereign power into the hands of the council of war, who thereupon, of their own authority, declared Cromwell protector of the three kingdoms, and sent for the lord-mayor and aldermen to join in the ce, remony of inauguration.

Oliver was conducted to Whitehall with great pomp, and there installed in the royal palace, where he afterwards took up his residence. He was honoured with the title of your highness; and the city of London invited him to a feast, where the same honours were shown him as had been paid to their kings. Thus did a private gentleman of Wales, from an amazing conjunction of courage and hypocrisy, rise to the supreme power, though under another name.

He was near fifty-three years of age when he attained the sovereign power, forty-two years of which time he had passed without having had any employ, civil or military; he was hardly known in 1642, when the house of commons, of which he was a member, gave him a commission for a major of horse. From this beginning it was that he rose to be master of that house and the army; and after having subdued Charles I. and his son, stepped into their throne, and without being king, reigned more absolutely and fortunately than any king had ever done.

He chose a council, consisting of fourteen of the principal officers who had been the companions of his fortunes, to each of whom he assigned a pension of a thousand pounds sterling; the forces were paid one month's advance; the magazines of all kinds were regularly supplied; in the treasury, of which he had the sole management, there were three hundred thousand pounds sterling, and about one hundred and fifty thousand in that of Ireland. The Dutch sued to him for peace he dictated the conditions, which were, that they should pay three hundred thousand pounds sterling, that the ships of the States General should pay the compliment to the British flag, and that the young prince of Orange should never be restored to the offices or posts of his ancestors. This was the same prince who after