of the Lady Claypole and her Sisters ;**-which latter small fact, in the ancient Autumn afternoon, one rather loves to remember! As for this Swedish Ambassador, he is just about quitting Eng. land, the high-tempered, clear-glancing man; having settled copperas,' 'contrabanda,' and many other things, to mutua! satisfaction ;-nay it is surmised he has thoughts of inviting Ays. cough into Sweden to teach them seamanship there; which, how. aver, shall not concern us on this occasion.†

* Whitlocke, pp. 638, 9. YOL. I. 11

Biog. Britan., § Ayscough.

SPEECH V.

Bur the new Parliament is now about assembling; where'n we shall see what conclusions will be tried! A momentous question for his Highness and the Council of State; who have been, with interest enough, perusing and pondering the List of Names returned. On the whole, a hopeful Parliament, as Thurloe had expected Official persons, these, and others known as friends tc this Government, are copiously elected: the great body of the Parliament seems to consist of men well-affected to his Highness, and even loyal to him; who, witnessing the course he follows, wish him heartily God-speed thereon. Certain others there are, and in considerable number, of stiff Republican ways, or given to turbulence in general, a Haselrig, a Thomas Scott, an Ashley Cooper: these, as a mass of leaven which might leaven the whole lump, and produce one knows not what in the way of fermentation, are clearly very dangerous. But for these also his Highness and the Council of State, in the present anomalous condition of the Nation, have silently provided an expedient. Which we hope may be of service. On the whole, we hope this Parliament may prove a better than the last.

At all events, on Wednesday, 17th September, 1656, Parlia ment, Protector, all in due state, do assemble at the Abbey Church; and, with reverence and credence, hear Doctor Owen Vice-Chancellor of Oxford, very pertinently preach to them from these old words of Isaiah,—old, and yet always new and true:What shall one then answer to the Messengers of the Nation? Tha the Lord hath founded Zion, and the Poor of His People shall trus in it. After which, all having removed, still in due state, to th Painted Chamber, and there adjusted themselves, the Protector rising in his elevated place and taking off his hat, now speaks

Isaiah xv.. 32

The Speech, reported by one knows not whom, lies in old Manuscript in the British Museum; and printed in late years in the Book called Burton's Diary; here and there in a very dreary, besmeared, unintelligible condition; from which, as heretofore, a pious Editor strives to rescue it. Sufficiently studied, it becomes intelligible, nay luminous. Let the reader too read with piety,

with a real endeavor to understand.

GENTLEMEN,

When I came hither, I did think that a duty was incumbent upon me a little to pity myself; because, this being a very extraordinary occasion, I thought I had very many things to say unto you, ' and was somewhat burdened and straitened thereby.' But truly now, seeing you in such a condition as you are,* I think I must turn off 'my pity' in this, as I hope I shall in everything else ;-and consider you as certainly not being able long to bear that condition and heat that you are now in.-'So far as possible, on this large subject, let us be brief; not studying the Art of Rhetoricians.' Rhetoricians, whom I do not pretend to much concern with ;' neither with them, nor with what they use to deal in Words!

:

Truly our business is to speak Things! The Dispensations of God that are upon us do require it; and that subject upon which we shall make our discourse is somewhat of very great interest and concernment, both for the glory of God, and with reference to His Interest in the world. I mean His peculiar, His most peculiar Interest, His Church, the Communion of the faithful Followers of Christ ;'-and that will not leave any of us to exclude His general Interest, which is the concernment of the Living People, 'not as Christians but as human creatures,' within these' three Nations, and all the Dependencies thereupon. I have told you I should speak to things; things that concern these Interests: The Glory of God, and His Peculiar Interest in the world,-which 'latter' is more extensive, I say more extensive, than the People of all these three Nations with the appurtenances, or the countries and places belonging unto them.t

The first thing, therefore, that I shall speak to is That that is the first lesson of Nature: Being and Preservation. [Begin at the basis: How

* Place crowded, weather hot.

"more extensive:" more important would have better suited what went before: yet "extensive" is in all likelihood the word, for his Highness was here branching out into a second idea, which he goes on to blend with the primary one, of "the concernment of the general mass of the People."

are we to get continued at all as a Nation, not trampled under foot by Invaders, Anarchies, and reduced to wreck?] As to that of Being, I do think I do not ill style it the first consideration which Nature teacheth the Sons of Adam :-and then I think we shall enter into a field large enough when we come to consider that of Well-being. But if Being itself be not first well laid, I think the other will hardly follow !

Now in order to this, to the Being and Subsistence of these Nations with all their Dependencies: The conservation of that, 'namely of our National Being,' is first to be viewed with respect to those who seek to undo it, and so make it not to be; and then very naturally we shall come to the consideration of what will make it be, of what will keep its being and subsistence. [His Highness's head of method.]

'Now' that which plainly seeks the destruction of the Being of these Nations is, out of doubt: The endeavor and design of all the common Enemies of them. I think, truly, it will not be hard to find out who those Enemies are; nor what hath made them so. I think, they are all the wicked men in the world, whether abroad or at home, that are the Enemies to the very Being of these Nations ;--and this upon a common account from the very enmity that is in them 'to all such things.' Whatsoever could serve the glory of God and the interest of His People,— which they see to be more eminently, yea more eminently patronized and professed in this Nation (we will not speak it with vanity) than in all the Nations in the world: this is the common ground of the common enmity entertained against the prosperity of our Nation, against the very Being of it. But we will not, I think, take up our time, contemplating who these Enemies are, and what they are, in the general notion: we will labor to specificate our Enemies; to know what persons and bodies of persons they practically are that seek the very destruction and* Being of these Three Nations.

And truly I would not have laid such a foundation but to the end 1 might very particularly communicate with you 'about that same matter.' For which 'above others,' I think you are called hither at this time :-That I might particularly communicate with you about the many dangers these Nations stand in, from enemies abroad and at home; and advise with you about the remedies, and means to obviate these dangers. 'Dangers, which,-say I, and I shall leave it to you whether you will join with me or no,-strike at the very Being and vital' interest of these Nations. And therefore, coming to particulars, I will shortly represent to you the estate of your affairs in that respect: in respect 'namely' of the Enemies you are engaged with; and how you come to be engaged with those Enemies, and how they came to be, as heartily, I believe, en

*' of the' would be more grammatical; but much less Oliverian.

gaged against you. [His Highness's utterance is terribly rusty hitherto; creaky, uncertain, difficult! He will gather strength by going. Wait till the axles get warm a little!]

Why, truly, your great enemy is the Spaniard. He is a natural enemy. He is naturally so; he is naturally so throughout, by reason of hat enmity that is in him against whatsoever is of God. 'Whatsoever is of God' which is in you, or which may be in you; contrary to that which his blindness and darkness, led on by superstition, and the implicitness of his faith in submitting to the See of Rome, actuate* him unto!—With this King and State, I say, you are at present in hostility. We put you into this hostility. You will give us leave to tell you how. [By sending out your Hispaniola Fleet, Christmas gone a year,—which has issued rather sorrily, your Highness!] For we are ready to excuse 'this and' most of our actions,--and to justify them too, as well as to excuse them,-upon the ground of Necessity. And' the ground of Necessity, for justifying of men's actions, is above all considerations of instituted Law; and if this or any other State should go about,-as I know they never will,-to make Laws against Events, against what may happen, then' I think it is obvious to any man, they will be making Laws against Providence; events, and issues of things, being from God alone, to whom all issues belong.

The Spaniard is your enemy; and your enemy, as I tell you, naturally, by that antipathy which is in him, and also' providentially, and this in divers respects. You could not get an honest or honorable Peace from him it was sought by the Long Parliament; it was not attained. It could not be attained with honor and honesty. I say, it could not be attained with honor and honesty. And truly when I say that, 'I do but say,' He is naturally throughout an enemy; an enmity is put into him by God. 'I will put an enmity between thy seed and her seed;"‡— which goes but for little among statesmen, but is more considerable than all things! [Yea, your Highness; it is!-Listen to what his Highness himself says of his reasons for going to war with Spain. "Statesmen” too if they can separate therein what is transitory from what is perennial and eternal, may find it still very worthy of attention. He who has in him, who manifests in the ways of him, an “enmity to God," and goes about patronizing unveracities, rotten delusions, brazen falsities, pestilent injustices, with him, whatever his seeming extent of monied-capital and

*acts' in orig., now as always.

† Means, not 'luckily' as now, but simply by special ordering of Provi. dence.'

Genesis, iii., 15.