highness his life, and that of the nation's peace, to have been in onc day. Peace was one of the blessings of my father's government; a mercy after so long a civil war, and in the midst of so great division which that war bred, is not usually afforded by God unto a people in so great a measure. The cause of God, and these nations, which he was engaged in, met in all the parts of it, as you well know, with many enemies and great opposition; the archers, privily and openly, sorely grieved him, and shot at him, yet his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob. As to himself, he died full of days, spent in great and sore travail; yet his eyes were not waxed dim, neither was his natural strength abated, as it was said of Moses, He was serviceable even to the last. As to these nations, he left them in great honour abroad, and in full peace at home. All England, Scotland, and Ireland, dwelling safely, every man under his vine and under his fig-tree, from Dan even to Beershebat. He is gone to rest, and we are entered into his labourst; and if the Lord hath still a blessing for these lands (as I trust he hath) as our peace hath been lengthened out to this day, so shall we go on to reap the fruit, and gather the harvest of what his late highness has sown and laid the foundation of. For my own part, being by the providence of God, and the disposition of the law, my father's successor, and bearing that place in the government that I do, I thought it for the public good to call a parlia ment of the three nations, now united, and conjoined together into one commonwealth, under one government. It is agreeable not only to my trust, but to my principles, to govern these nations by the advice of my two houses of parliament; I find it asserted in the humble petition and advice (which is the corner-stone of this building, and that which I shall adhere to), That parliaments are the great council of the chief magistrate, in whose advice both he and these nations may be most safe and happy. I can assure you I have that esteem of them. And as I have made it the first act of my government to call you together, so I shall further let you see the value I have of you, by the answers that I shall return to the advice that shall be given me by you, for the good of these nations. You are come up from your several countries, as the heads of your tribes, and with hearts, I persuade myself, to consult together their good. I can say I meet you with the same desires, having nothing in my design but the maintenance of the peace, laws, liberties, both civil · and christian, of these nations; which I shall always make the measure and rule of my government, and be ready to spend my life for§. Oliver Cromwell. This panegyric must be remembered to be made by his son; for, though it is confessed, that Oliver was a great man, in the common acceptation of the word, I intend to present the public with a short political discourse, shewing that his administration laid the foundation of the decay of trade in this nation. The Protectorship. $ See his following letter to the parliament. We have summoned you up at this time to let you know the state of our affairs, and to have your advice in them; and, I believe, a parliament was never summoned upon a more important occasion. It is true, as I have told you, We are, through the goodness of God, at this time in peace; but it is not thus with us, because we have no enemies. There are enough, both within us and without us, who would soon put an end to our peace*, were it in their powers, or should it, at any time, come into their powers. It will be becoming your wisdoms to consider of the securing of our peace against those who, we all know, are, and ever will be, our implacable enemiest; what the means of doing this are, I shall refer unto you. This I can assure you, that the armies of England, Scotland, and Ireland, are true and faithful to the peace and good interest of these nations, and it will be found so; and that they are a consisting body, and useful for any good ends; and, if they were not the best army in the world, you would have heard of inconveniencies, by reason of the great arrear of pay, which is now due unto them, whereby some of them are reduced to great necessities. But you shall have a particular account of their arrears, and I doubt not but consideration will be had thereupon, in some speedy and effectual way. And, this being matter of money, I recommend it particularly to the house of commons. You have, you know, a war with Spain, carried on by the advice of parliament. He is an old enemy, and a potent one; and therefore it will be necessary, both for the honour and safety of these nations, that that war be vigorously prosecuted. Furthermore, the constitution of affairs in all our neighbour countries, and round about us, as well friends as enemies, are very considerable, and calls upon us to be upon our guard both at land and sea, and to be in a posture able to maintain and conserve our own state and interest. Great and powerful fleets are preparing to be set forth into these seas, and considerable armies of several nations, and kings are now disputing for the mastery of the Sound, with the adjacent islands and countries; among which is the Roman Emperor, with other Popish states; I need not tell you of what consequence these things are to this state. We have already interposed in these affairs, in such manner as we found it necessary for the interest of England; and matters are yet in such a condition in those parts, that this state may, with the assistance of God, provide that their differences may not prejudice us. The other things that are to be said I shall refer to my lord-keeper Fiennes, and close up what I have to say with only adding two or three particulars to what I have already said. And, first, I recommend to your care the people of God in these nations, with their concernments. The more they are divided among themselves, the greater prudence should be used to cement them. * Meaning the Royalists, who would re-instate the royal family on the throne. Or German. Secondly, The good and necessary work of reformation, both in manners and in the administration of justice; that profaneness may be discountenanced and suppressed, and that righteousness and justice may be executed in the land, Thirdly, I recommend unto you the Protestant cause abroad, which seems, at this time, to be in some danger, having great and powerful enemies, and very few friends; and I hope and believe, that the old English zeal to that cause is still among us. Lastly, My lords, and you gentlemen of the house of commons, that you will, in all your debates, maintain and conserve love and unity among yourselves, that therein you may be the pattern of the nation, who have sent you up in peace, and with their prayers, that the spirit of wisdom and peace may be among you; and this shall also be my prayer for you; and to this let us all add our utmost endeavours for the making this an happy parliament". HIS LATE HIGHNESS'S LETTER TO THE PARLIAMENT OF ENGLAND, Shewing his willingness to submit to this present Government.+ Attested under his own hand, and read in the House on Wednesday the 25th of May, 1659. I HAVE perused the resolve and declaration which you were pleased to deliver to me the other night; and for your information, touching what is mentioned in the said resolve, I have caused a true state of my debts to be transcribed, and annexed to this paper, which will shew what they are, and how they were contracted. As to that part of the resolve whereby the committee are to inform themselves how far I do acquiesce in the government of this commonwealth, as it is declared by this parliament; I trust my past carriage, hitherto, hath manifested my acquiescence in the will and disposition of God, and that I love and value the commonwealth much above my own concernments; and I desire, that by this a measure of my future deportment may be taken, which, thro' the assistance of God, shall be such as shall bear the same witness, having, I hope, in some degree, learned rather to reverence and submit to the hand of God, than to be unquiet under it. And, as to the late providences that have fallen out among us, however in respect of the particular engagements that lay upon me, I could not be active in making a change in the government of these nations; yet, through the goodness of God, I can freely acquiesce in its being made, and do hold myself obliged, as, with other men, I expect protection from the present government, so to demean myself, with all peaceableness under it, and to procure to the utter, most of my power, that all, in whom I have any interest, do the same. RICHARD CROMWELL. As it proved by restoring monarchical government. +Intended monarchical government under King Charles II. then to be recalled by the states of the nation. 29 THE PLOTS OF THE JESUITS, VIZ. OF Adam Contzen, a Moguntine, Thomas Campanella, a Spaniard, and Robert Parsons, an Englishman, &c. HOW TO BRING ENGLAND TO THE ROMAN RELIGION, These Jesuitical politicks, which are taken out of the above mentioned authors, were published by Michael Spark, Bookseller, in the year 1653, when there was not that public prospect of Popery, as there is now in this nation; and, therefore, it is, I presume, far from being unseasonable to be reprinted together with "The Protestant's doom in Popish times', when the whole nation is alarmed with the apprehensions of a Popish invasion, and the constant endeavours of the French and Spaniards to deprive us of our religion and liberty, by attempting to set a Popish governor over a Protestant people. And how far these politicks were copied by James II. and his Counsel, I refer my reader to the history of those times. The first of these tracts, which immediately follows, contains the directions of Robert Parsons, the Jesuit, that noted traytor to Queen Elizabeth; and employed by the enemies of our church and nation, to foment division, to illegitimise and dethrone, as far as in his power, her sacred Majesty, and to reduce the English State, under the Papal jurisdiction: as also the subtile intreaguing means of the Jesuit Adam Contzen, and Thomas Campanella, a Dominical Friar, to engage the Popish States to concur in the attempt to reinstate Popery in this land. The other tract, is a most scarce, and ingenious piece; and, as it is supported in every sentence by the best authorities, properly referred to, I need not enter any further into its commendation; only I must do that justice to the memory of the Right Reverend Dr. Bull, to acquaint the reader that it was wrote by his learned and zealous pen, to deter Protestants from admitting, er so much as desiring a Popish king to rule over them. CONTZEN'S PLOT, To cheat a Church of the Religion established therein, and to bring in Popery without noise or tumult; taken out of the second Book of his Politicks, chap. 18, 19, page 103, 104, &c. IT is difficult to find out truth, but it is more hard to persuade him that erreth: yet, it is the duty of a prince, even in this, to bestir himself earnestly, that wicked opinions be taken away. The first means. What musicians observe in tuning their instruments, gently setting up the strings by little and little, and, what in curing diseases, physicians practise, abating noxious humours, by degrees and pauses; the same must be done in a commonwealth, labouring under the malady of errors: although, I approve not lingering bootless proceedings, since they often beget a desisting from the design. Whatever means can be used, my counsel is, that they be attempted; but in a soft and sure pace, for fear of a precipice. Here, mild commands and admonitions do very much further the work. The second this. It is no hard matter, for any prince in Europe, to call back men's minds to the ancient rites of their predecessors, if he list. A matter heretofore held impossible to be effected; but now men begin again to love the old religion: nor can they be so held in, by their ministers, but that many do every year turn to the Catholick Unity. What they once most greedily desired, they now cast aside with disdain This levity of the vulgar to admire new things and contemn old, is fatal. Many provinces in Germany have endured many religions; now retain none, being intent on the will of their governors. One cause of this is, as I said but now, levity and ignorance of the truth. Another, the impossibility of holding people long ignorant of the lewdness of heresies; and that they find hereticks to shift their opinions every year. It is as if you set a company of blind men to run a race; sooner will all miss than one get to the mark. Thirdly, arch-hereticks are to be banished the commonwealth; at once, if it may safely be done; if not, then by degrees. Boisterous winds being sent packing, the sea will become calm; and error, which wanteth a protector, will soon be ruined. 1. In alterations, I have observed these twelve things following, for the most part out of 'The History of the Change of Religion in the Palatinate," "The Acts of Marpurg,' and 'The Edict of Brandenburg.' They concealed their purpose of altering religion, and rooting out Lutheranism; not so that the wiser sort could not perceive it, but that the common people might not see it, and raise tumults. 2. By the art of the Zuinglians, some were suborned, who should crave the exercise of the Reformed Religion, and that with many sugared humble words; that the prince might not be thought, to be of his own accord, inclined to odious novelty, but only graciously indulgent to liberty of conscience, and to love and cherish that. Facility in a prince is commonly extolled; even when he yieldeth to those things which are fitter to be denied. 3. One church or so (and not above) was petitioned for: that this suit might not seem harsh to the multitude, who, in the mean time, were to have many more, and were not very solicitous of any. 4. Notwithstanding, the jealousy of the Lutherans did here oppose itself, seeing that with the Church, the maintenance would be withdrawn; therefore, they think of a conference and pacification. They assemble in the court; the matter is debated before the prince's councel; a notary and witnesses are denied them. [But this course is by no means to be approved, for each part ought to have liberty. Otherwise, if men be borne down with the power of the stronger side, the victors shall ever be esteemed to have had the worst cause. was the case of Arminians in Holland: whereas, they who had the advantage of the prince's favour, if they had indeed believed the goodness This |