After this they let the parliament govern for five years, who made their name famous through the whole earth, conquered their enemies in England, Scotland, and Ireland; reduced the kingdom of Portugal to their own terms; recovered our reputation at fea; overcame the Dutch in feveral famous battles; fecured our trade, and managed the public expences with so much frugality, that no estates were gained by private men upon the public miferies; and at laft were paffing an act for their own diffolution, and fettling the nation in a free and impartial commonwealth; of which the army being afraid, thought it neceffary to diffolve them.

When they had done this act, the council of officers fet up a new form of government, and chose a certain number of perfons out of every county and city of England, Scotland, and Ireland; and these they invefted with the fupreme power, but foon after expelled them; and then Cromwel fet up himself and framed a new inftrument of government, by a protector and a house of commons, in pursuance of which he called a parliarnent. But they not anfwering his expectations, he excluded all that would not fubfcribe his inftrument; and thofe that remained, not proving for his purpose neither, he diffolved them. He then divided England into several districts or divifions, and placed major generals or intendants over them, who governed like fo many bashaws, decimating the cavaliers, and railing taxes at their pleasure. Then forfooth he had a mind to make himself king, and called another parliament to that purpose, after his ufual manner fecluding fuch members as he did not like. To this affembly he offered another inftrument of government, which was by a reprefentative of the people, a second houfe compofed of feventy members in the nature of a house of lords, and a fingle perfon; and left a blank for what name he should be called, which this worthy affembly filled up with that of king, addreffed to Cromwel that he would be pleafed to accept it, and gave him power to nominate the members of the other house. This the great officers of the army refented, for it deftroyed all their hopes of being tyrants in their turn,

and

and therefore addreffed the parliament against the power and government of a king, which made Cromwel decline that title and content himself with a greater power under the name of Protector. Afterwards he named the other house, as it was called, for the most part out of the officers of the army; but even this parliament not pleafing him, he diffolved them in a fury, and governed the nation without any parliament at all till he died.

After his death, the army fet up his fon Richard, who called a new parliament; but their proceedings being not agreable to the humour of the foldiery, they forced the protector to dif folve them; then they depofed him, and took the power into their own hands; but being unable to weild it, they restored the commonwealth, and foon after expelled them again, because they would not fettle the military sword independent of the civil; then they governed the nation by a council of war, and chose a committe of safety for the executive part of the government; but that whim lafted but a little time before they chose conservators of liberty; and that not doing neither, they agreed that every regiment should choose two representatives, and this worthy council fhould fettle the nation; when they met, fometimes they were for calling a new parliament, sometimes for restoring the old, which was at laft done. By this means all things fell into confufion.

This is a true and lively example of a government with an army; an army that was raised in the caufe, and for the fake of liberty; composed for the most part of men of religion and sobriety. If this army could commit fuch violences upon a parliament always fuccessful, that had acquired fo much reputation / both at home and abroad, at a time when the whole people were trained in arms, and the pulse of the nation beat high for liberty, what are we to expect, if in a future age an ambitious prince should arife with a diffolute and debauched army, a flattering clergy, a prostitute ministry, a bankrupt house of lords, a penfioner house of commons, and a flavish and corrupted nation?

(To be continued.)

No. 15.

THE PHILANTHROPIST.

MONDAY, JULY 6, 1795

·

LONDON:

Printed for and fold by DANIEL ISAAC EATON, Printer and Bookfeller to the Supreme Majefty of the People, at the Cock and SWINE, No. 74, Newgate ftreet.

1795.

PRICE ONE PENNY.

ABRIDGMENT OF THAT EMINENT PATRIOT

Mr. JOHN TRENCHARD's

HISTORY OF STANDING ARMIES IN ENGLAND.

By this means came in Charles II. a luxurious effeminate prince, a deep diffembler; and if not a papift himself, yet a great favourer of them: but the people had fuffered fo much from the army, that he was received with the ut noft joy and transport. The Parliament in the honey-moon paffed what laws he pleased, gave a vast revenue for life, being three times as much as any of his predeceffors ever enjoyed, and severa millions befides to be spent in his pleafures. This made him conceive vafter hopes of arbitrary power than any that went before him; and in order to it he debauched and enervated the whole kingdom: and in a little time the contagion spread through the whole nation, that it was out of the fashion not to be lewd, and fcandalous not to be a public enemy, which has been the occafion of all the miseries that have fince happened

and

and I am afraid will not be extinguifhed but by our ruin He was no fooner warm in his feat, but he rejected an advantageous treaty of commerce, which Oliver made with France, as done by an ufurper; fuffered the French to lay impofitions upon al our goods, which amounted to a prohibition, infomuch that they got a million a year from us in the over-balance of trade. He fold that important fortrefs of Dunkirk, let the French feize St. Chriftophers, and other places in North America.

He began a foolish and unjust war with the Dutch; and the parliament gave him vaft fums to maintain it, yet he spent fo much upon his vices, that they got great advantages of us, and burnt our fleet at Chatham. At last he made as difhonourable a peace with them, as he had done a war; a perpetual reproach to our country, that our reputation at fea should be funk to fo low an ebb as to be baffled by that nation, who but a few years before had fent a blank paper to the parliament, to preferibe to them what laws they pleafed. During this war the city of

fufpicions that the fire-balls

London was fired, not without were prepared at Whitehall. Soon after this he entered into the triple alliance to oppofe the greatness of France, and received a great fum from the parliament to maintain it, which he made ufe of to break the fame league; fent a gentleman to Sweden to diffolve it; and entered into a strict alliance with France, which was fealed with his fifter's blood. In conjunction with them he made a new war upon Holland, to extirpate liberty and the proteftant religion; but knowing the parliament were averfe to the war, and would not fupport him in it, he attempted before any war declared to feize the Smyrna fleet, thut up the Exchequer, and became fo mean as to be a penfioner to France, from whence his predeceffors with fwords in their hands had fo often exacted tribute. He not only fuffered, but affifted them to arrive, at that pitch of greatnefs, which all Europe fince has fufficiently felt and lamented. He fent over 10,000 men to affift in fubduing Flanders and Germany. He fent them timber, feamen, fhip-carpenters, and models, contrary to the policy of all nations; which raifed their naval force

to

to a degree almoft equal to our own; and for their exercise, he fuffered them to take multitudes of English fhips by their privateers, without fo much as demanding fatisfaction.

During this war he iffued out a declaration fufpending the penal laws, which appears to be defigned partially in favour of the papifts, by his directing a bill afterwards to be stolen away out of the houfe of lords, for indulging proteftant diffenters, whom he perfecuted violently most of his reign, while he both countenanced and preferred papifts. It was in this reign that that curfed and deteftable policy was much improved of bribing parliaments, by diftributing all the great employments in England among them, and supplying the want of places with grants of lands and money. No man could be preferred to any employment in church or ftate, till he had declared himself an open enemy to our conftitution, by afferting defpotic power under that nonfenfical phrase of Paffive Obedience, which was more preached up than all the laws of God and man. The hellish popith plot, though it was stifled, proved since too true by fatal experience; and in the room of it proteftant ones were forged, and men trapanned into others, as the Meal-tub, FitzHarris's, the Ryehouse, Newmarket, and Black-heath plots; and by these pretences, and the help of packed judges and juries they butchered fome of the best men in England, set immoderate fines upon others; and, to finifh our deftruction, took away the charters, as fast as they were able, of all the corporations in England, that would not choose the members prescribed them.

But he durft not have dreamed of all these violations if he had not had an army to justify them. He had thoughts at first of keeping up the parliament army, which was several times in debate; but chancellor Hyde prevailed upon him by this ar gument, that they were a body of men that had cut off his father's head; that they had fet up and pulled down ten feveral forts of government; and that it might be his own turn next. So that his fears prevailing over his ambition, he confented to disband them; but foon found how vain and abortive a thing arbitrary

power