the kindness that was then shown them (which was their real safety), or the desires this Nation hath had to be at peace with them, truly I believe whoever exercises any ingratitude in this sort will hardly prosper in it. [He cannot, your Highness: unless GOD and His TRUTH be a mere Hearsay of the market, he never can!] But this may awaken you, howsoever. I hope you will be awakened, upon all these considerations! It is certain, they [These Dutch] have professed a principle which, thanks be to God, we never knew. They will sell arms to their enemies, and lend their ships to their enemies. They will do so. And truly that principle is not a matter of dispute at this time, 'we are not here to argue with them about it:' only let everything weigh with your spirits as it ought; let it do so.. And we must tell you, we do know that this, 'of their having such a principle,' is true. I dare assure you of it; and I think if but your Exchange here 'in London'. were resorted-to, it would let you know, as clearly as you can desire to know, That they have hired sloops, I think they call them, or some other name, they have hired sloops, 'let sloops on hire,' to transport upon you Four-thousand Foot and a Thousand Horse, upon the pretended interest of that young man that was the late King's Son. [What a designation for Charles by the grace of God!" The "was" may possibly have been "is" when spoken; but we cannot afford. to change it.] And this is, I think, a thing far from being reckonable as a suggestion to any ill end or purpose: a thing to no other end than that it may awaken you to a just consideration of your danger, and to uniting for a just and natural defence.

Indeed I never did, I hope I never shall, use any

artifice with you to pray you to help us with money for defending ourselves: but if money be needful, I will tell you, "Pray help us with money, that the Interest of the Nation may be defended abroad and at home." I will use no arguments; and thereby will disappoint the artifice of bad men abroad who say, It is for money. Whosoever shall think to put things out of frame upon such a suggestion [His fate may be guessed; but the Sentence is off]. Four you will find I will be very plain with you before I have done; and that with all love and affection and faithfulness to you and these Nations.

If this be the condition of your affairs abroad, I pray a little consider what is the estate of your affairs at home. And if both these considerations, 'of home affairs and foreign,' have but this effect, to get a consideration among you, a due and just consideration, let God move your hearts for the answering* of any thing that shall be due unto the Nation, as He shall please! And I hope I shall not be solicitous [The "artifice" and "money" of the former paragraph still sounding somewhat in his Highness's ears]; I shall look up to Him who hath been my God and my Guide hitherto.

I say, I beseech you look to your own affairs at home, how they stand! I am persuaded you are all, I apprehend you are all, honest and worthy good men; and that there is not a man of you but would desire to be found a good patriot. I know you would! are apt to boast sometimes that we are Englishmen: and truly it is no shame for us that we are English

* performing on such demand.

Carlyle, Cromwell. IV.

12

We

men;

but it is a motive to us to do like Englishmen, and seek the real good of this Nation, and the interest of it. [Truly!] T But, I beseech you, what is our case at home? I profess I do not well know where to begin on this head, or where to end, — I do not. But I must needs say, Let a man begin where he will, he shall hardly be out of that drift I am speaking to you 'upon.' We are as full of calamities, and of divisions among us in respect of the spirits of men, 'as we could well be,' though, through a wonderful, admirable, and never to be sufficiently admired providence of God, still in peace! And the fighting we have had, and the success we have had yea, we that are here, we are an astonishment to the world! And take us in that temper we are in, or rather in that distemper, it is the greatest miracle that ever befell the sons of men, that we are got again to peace'

-

[“Beautiful great Soul," exclaims a modern Commentator hore, "Beautiful great Soul; to whom the Temporal is all "irradiated with the Eternal, and God is everywhere divinely "visible in the affairs of men, and man himself has as it were "become divine! O ye eternal Heavens, have those days and "those souls passed away without return? - Patience: intrinsically they can never pass away: intrinsically they "remain with us; and will yet, in nobler unexpected form, "reappear among us, - if it please Heaven! There have been "Divine Souls in England; England too, poor moiling toiling "heavyladen thickeyed England has been illuminated, though "it were but once, by the Heavenly Ones; — and once, in a "sense, is always!"]

that we are got again to peace. And whoever shall seek to break it, God Almighty root that man out of

this Nation! And He will do it, let the pretences be what they may! [Privilege of Parliament, or whatever else, my peppery friends!]

'Peace-breakers, do they consider what it is they are driving towards? They should do it!' He that considereth not the "woman with child,” the sucking children of this Nation that know not the right hand from the left, of whom, for aught I know, it may be said this City is as full as Nineveh was said to be;

he that considereth not these, and the fruit that is like to come of the bodies of those now living added to these; he that considereth not these, must have the heart of a Cain; who was marked, and made to be an enemy to all men, and all men enemies to him! For the wrath and justice of God will prosecute such a man to his grave, if not to Hell! [Where is Sam Cooper, or some prince of limners, to take us that look of his Highness? I would give my ten best Historical Paintings for it, gilt frames and twaddle-criticisms into the bargain!]

---

I say, look on this Nation; look on it! Consider what are the varieties of Interests in this Nation, if they be worthy the name of Interests. If God did not hinder, it would all but make up one confusion. We should find there would be but one Cain in England, if God did not restrain! We should have another more bloody Civil War than ever we had in England. For, I beseech you, what is the general spirit of this Nation? Is it not that each sect of people, if I may call them sects, whether sects upon a Religious account or upon a Civil account [Sentence gone; meaning left clear enough] Is not this Nation miserable in that respect? What is that which possesseth every sect? What is it? That every sect may be

uppermost! That every sort of men may get the power into their hands, and "they would use it well;" - that every sect may get the power into their hands! [4 reflection to make one wonder.

Let them thank God they have got a man able to bit and bridle them a little; the unfortunate, peppery, loud-babbling individuals, with so much good in them too, while ‘bitted!']

It were a happy thing if the Nation would be content with rule. Content with rule,' if it were but in Civil things, and with those that would rule worst; because misrule is better than no rule; and an ill Government, a bad Government, is better than none! Neither is this all: but we have an appetite to variety; to be not only making wounds, 'but widening those already made.' As if you should see one making wounds in a man's side, and eager only to be groping and grovelling with his fingers in those wounds! This is what 'such' men would be at; this is the spirit of those who would trample on men's liberties in Spiritual respects. They will be making wounds, and rending and tearing, and making them wider than they were. Is not this the case? Doth there want anything I speak not of sects in an ill sense; but the Nation is hugely made of them, up and what is the want that prevents these things from being done to the uttermost, but that men have more anger than strength? They have not power to attain their ends. "There wants nothing else.' And, I beseech you, judge what such a company of men, of these sects, are doing, while they are contesting one with another! They are contesting in the midst of a generation of men (a malignant Episcopal Party, I mean); contesting in the midst of these all united. What must be the issue of such a thing as