into our far notablest achievement, what may be called our little oasis, or island of refuge: That of reconstructing the Instrument of Government upon a more liberal footing, explaining better the boundaries of Parliament's and Single Person's jurisdiction; and offering his Highness the Title of King.

Readers know what choking dust-whirlwind in certain portions of "the Page of History" this last business has given rise to! Dust-History, true to its nature, has treated this as one of the most important businesses in Oliver's Protectorate; though intrinsically it was to Oliver, and is to us, a mere "feather in a man's cap," throwing no new light on Oliver; and ought to be treated with great brevity indeed, had it not to many thrown much new darkness on him. It is now our painful duty to deal with this matter also; to extricate Oliver's real words and procedure on it from the detestable confusions and lumber-mountains of Human Stupidity, old and recent, under which, as usual, they lie buried. Some Seven, or even Eight, Speeches of Oliver, and innumerable Speeches of other persons on this subject have unluckily come down to us; and cannot yet be consumed by fire; - not yet, till one has painfully extricated the real speakings and proceedings of Oliver, instead of the supposititious jargonings and imaginary dark pettifoggings of Oliver; and asked candid mankind, Whether there is anything particular in them? Mankind answering No, fire can be applied; and mountains of rubbish, yielding or not some fractions of Corinthian brass, may once more be burnt out of men's way.

The Speeches and Colloquies, reported by one knows not whom, upon this matter of the Kingship, which extend from March to May of the year 1657, and were very private at the time, came out two years afterwards as a printed Pamphlet, when Kingship was once more the question, Charles Stuart's Kingship, and men needed incitements thereto. Of course it is with the learned Law-arguments in favour of Kingship that the Pamphleteer is chiefly concerned; the words of Oliver, which again are our sole concern, have been left by him in a

very accidental condition! Most accidental, often enough quite meaningless, distracted, condition; growing ever more distracted, as each new Imaginary-Editor and unchecked Printer, in succession, did his part to them. Till now in Somers Tracts,* which is our latest form of the business, they strike description silent! Chaos itself is Cosmos in comparison with that Pamphlet in Somers. In or out of Bedlam, we can know well, gods or men never spake to one another in that manner! Oliver Cromwell's meaning is there; and that is not it. O Sluggardship, Imaginary-Editorship, Flunkeyism, Falsehood, Human Platitude in general -! But we will complain of nothing. Know well, by experience of him, that Oliver Cromwell always had a meaning, and an honest manful meaning; search well for that, after ten or twenty reperusals you will find it even there. Those frightful jungles, trampled down for two centuries now by mere bisons and hoofed cattle, you will begin to see, were once a kind of regularly planted wood! Let the Editor with all brevity struggle to indicate so much, candid readers doing their part along with him; and so leave it. A happier next generation will then be permitted to seek the aid of fire; and this immense business of the Kingship, throwing little new light, but also no new darkness, upon Oliver Protector, will then reduce itself to very small compass for his Biographers.

Monday, 23d February 1656-7. Amid the Miscellaneous business of this day, Alderman Sir Christopher Pack, one of the Members for London, a zealous man, craves leave to introduce "Somewhat tending to the Settlement of the Nation," leave, namely, to read this Paper "which has come to his hand," which is written in the form of a "Remonstrance from the Parliament" to his Highness; which if the Parliament please to adopt, they can modify it as they see good, and present the same to his Highness. Will not the Honourable House consent at least to hear it read? The Honourable House has great doubts on that subject; debates at much length, earnestly puts the question whether the question shall

vi. 349-403.

be put; at length however, after two divisions, and towards nightfall, decides that it will; and even resolves by overwhelming majority "that a candle be brought in." Pack reads his Paper: A new Instrument of Government, or improved Constitution for these Nations; increased powers to the Single Person, intimation of a Second House of Parliament, the Protector something like a King; very great changes indeed! Debate this matter farther to-morrow.

Debate it, manipulate it, day after day, — let us have a Day of Fasting and Prayer on Friday next; for the matter is really important.* On farther manipulation, this "Remonstrance" of Pack's takes improved form, increased development; and, under the name "Petition and Advice presented to his Highness," became famous to the world in those spring months. We can see, the Honourable House has "a very good resentment of it." The Lawyer-party is all zealous for it; certain of the Soldier-party have their jealousies. Already, notwithstanding the official reticence, it is plain to every clear-sighted man they mean to make his Highness King!

Friday, 27th February. "The Parliament keep a Fast "within their own House; Mr. Caryl, Mr. Nye, Mr. Manton, "carrying on the work of the day; it being preparatory to the "great work now on hand of Settling the Nation."** In the course of which same day, with an eye also to the same great work, though to the opposite side of it, there waits upon his Highness, Deputation of a Hundred Officers, Ex-MajorGenerals and considerable persons some of them: To signify that they have heard with real dismay of some project now on foot to make his Highness King; the evil effects of which, as "a scandal to the People of God," "hazardous to his High"ness's person, and making way for the return of Charles "Stuart," are terribly apparent to them!

Whereto his Highness presently makes answer, with dignity, not without sharpness: "That he now specifically "hears of this project for the first time, he" (with emphasis

Commons Journals, vii. 496, 7. ** Newspapers (in Burton, i. 380).

on the word, and a look at some individuals there) "has not "been eaballing about it, for it or against it. That the Title "King' need not startle them so dreadfully; inasmuch as some "of them well know" (what the Historical Public never knew before) "it was already offered to him, and pressed upon him, "by themselves when this Government was undertaken. That "the Title King, a feather in a hat, is as little valuable to him "as to them. But that the fact is, they and he have not suc"ceeded in settling the Nation hitherto, by the schemes they "clamoured for. Their Little Parliament, their First Pro"tectorate Parliament, and now their Major-Generalcies, have "all proved failures; nay this Parliament itself, which they "clamoured for, had almost proved a failure. That the Nation "is tired of Major-Generalcies, of uncertain arbitrary ways; "and really wishes to come to a Settlement. That actually "the original Instrument of Government does need mending "in some points. That a House of Lords, or other check upon "the arbitrary tendencies of a Single House of Parliament, "may be of real use: see what they, by their own mere vote "and will, I having no power to check them, have done with "James Nayler: may it not be any one's case, some other "day?" That, in short, the Deputation of a Hundred Officers had better go its ways, and consider itself again. — So answered his Highness, with dignity, with cogency, not without sharpness. The Deputation did as bidden. "Three MajorGenerals," we find next week, "have already come round. "The House hath gone on with much unity."*

The House in fact is busy, day and night, modelling, manipulating its Petition and Advice. Amid the rumour of England, all through this month of March 1657. "Chief Magistrate for the time being is to name his successor;" so much we hear they have voted. What Title he shall have is still secret; that is to be the last thing. All men may speculate and guess! - Before March ends, the Petition and Advice is got ready; in Eighteen

*Passages between the Protector and the Hundred Officers (in Additional Ayscough мss. no. 6125; printed in Burton, i. 382-4), a Fragment of a Letter, bearing date 7th March 1656-7; — to the effect abridged as above.

well-debated Articles;* fairly engrossed on vellum: the Title, as we guessed, is to be King. His Highness shall adopt the whole Document, or no part of it is to be binding.

SPEECH VII.

On Tuesday 31st March 1657, "the House rose at eleven "o'clock, and Speaker Widdrington, attended by the whole "House, repaired to his Highness at Whitehall," ** to present this same Petition and Advice, "engrossed on vellum," and with the Title of "King" recommended to him in it. Banqueting House, Whitehall; that is the scene. Widdrington's long Bowery Speech *** is omissible. As the interview began about eleven o'clock, it may now be past twelve; Oliver loquitur:

MR. SPEAKER,

This Frame of Government which it hath pleased the Parliament through your hand to offer to me, truly I should have a very brazen forehead if it did not beget in me a great deal of consternation of spirit; it being of so high and great importance as, by your opening of it,† and by the mere reading of it, is manifest to all men; the welfare, the peace and settlement of Three Nations, and all that rich treasure of the best people in the world tt being involved therein! I say, this consideration alone ought to beget in me the greatest reverence and fear of God that ever possessed a man in the world.

Truly I rather study to say no more at this time than is necessary for giving some brief general answer, suitable to the nature of the thing. The thing is of weight; the greatest weight of anything that ever was *Copy of it in Whitlocke, p. 648 et seqq. **Commons Journals, vii. 516.

*** Burton, i. 397-413.

In this long florid speech.

++ Us and all the Gospel Protestants in the world.