yet it is a truth, and nothing of a discovery on my part, but a fact which everybody knows to be true, That the Parliament, having done these memorable things [Sentence explodes; and even launches off into a panegyric of the Long Parliament; preparatory to EXECUTION] They had done things of honour, and things of necessity; things which, if at this day yout have any judgment that there lieth a possibility upon you to do any good, and to bring this Nation to any foot of Settlement, I may say you are all along, in a good manner, beholden to that Parliament 'for.' But yet truly as men who contend for the Public Interest are not like to have the applause of all men, nor justification from all hands, so it was with them. And truly, when they had made preparations which might have led to the issuing in some good for the Settlement of these Nations, in point of liberty, in point of freedom from tyranny and oppression and from hazard of our religion, To throw it all away upon men who designed by innovations to introduce Popery, and by complying with some notions introduce Arbitrariness upon a Civil account -["Royalist Malignants, in "1647, 1648, and Crypto-Royalists; with their notions "that of all things indispensable, a Stuart King was in"dispensablest? That would never have done! The Long "Parliament did need a Pride's Purge; could not" But the Sentence here, in its hasty impatience, as is usual, bursts] Why they had more enemies than friends, 'that Long Parliament had;' they had so all along!" And this made them careful, [In 1648, trying to bargain with Charles, they were "full of care;' "and even afterwards they could not decide all at once on granting a new Free Parliament and General Election; no!] upon principles of Nature, which do sometimes suggest the best. And upon the most undeniable grounds, they did think that it was not fit for them presently to go and throw themselves, and all this Cause, into hands that perhaps had no heart nor principle 'in common' with them to accomplish the end they had aimed at. [In short, they, very properly, decided on sitting still for a while.] I grant, perhaps through infirmity 'they did desire to have continued themselves; to have perpetuated themselves upon that Act.* An Act which was justly enough obtained, and necessarily enough obtained, when they did get it from the King. But though, truly, it was good in the first obtaining of it; yet it was, by most men who had ventured their lives in this Cause, judged not fit to be perpetuated, but rather a thing that was to have an end when it had finished its course! Which was certainly the true way of doing, in subserviency to the bringing-in of what might be a good and honest Settlement to the Nation. I must say to you that I found them very willing to perpetuate themselves! And truly this is not a thing of reflection upon all, for perhaps some were not so; I can say -- it of some. The sober men whom I had converse with, were not for continuing; but the major part, I think, did overrule in-that they would have continued. This is true that I say to you: I was entreated to comply with the plan, and advised to it; and it was to have been accomplished by this medium, "They were' to have sent into the country to have got their number reinforced, and the Parliament filled up by new elec * Act, 10th May 1641, That we are not to be dissolved without our own consent. Necessary in all ways; the City would not lend money otherwise, not even money could be had otherwise (Antea, vol. i. p. 116).~ tions. And it had this excuse, That it would not be against the Liberty of the People, nor against a succession of men coming into rule and government; because as men died out of the House, so they should be supplied again. [Like Sir John Cockle's silk hose; which always, after infinite darnings, could remain the same hose, though not a thread of the original silk was now left in them: a perennial pair of stockings. Such was the plan of the Rump] And this was the best answer they could give to all objections, 'this,' "That the proper "way to govern is to have successive men in such great "bodies as Parliaments; to have men learning to know "how to obey as well as how to govern.' 11* And truly the expedient they then offered was what I tell you. men The truth of it is, this did not satisfy a company of poor men, [Certain insignificant individuals, tioned elsewhere by the same name!] who thought they had ventured their lives, and had some interest to inquire after these things! And the rather, because really they had been invited out, 'first of all, into this War,' upon principles of honesty, conscience and religion; "for Spiritual Liberties;" as many as would come. 'Yes,' when the Cause was a little doubtful, there had issued forth a Declaration 'of that purport,' which was very inviting; and men did come in and enlist' upon that invitation; and did thereby think themselves not to be mercenary men, but men who had wives and children in the Nation, and 'who' therefore might a little look after satisfaction in what would be the Issue of the Business! [They told us always, We were Soldiers, sworn as our first duty to obey; but we answered The "Rota Club" (see Wood, iv. 1119, 1120, § Harrington) had not started in 1653; but this doctrine, it would seem, was already afloat; — not much patronised by his Highness at any time. (and it was intrinsicallr a fact), We were the most peculiar Soldiers that had ever handled steel in England; whereby our first, and also our second and third, duties had become modified a good deal!] And when this thing was thus pressed, and perhaps overpressed 'by us,' That a period might be put, and some ascertainment made, and a time fixed, why then truly the extreme ran another way. 'Parliament me. would not go at all, that had been the one extreme; Parliament shall go straightway, that was now the other.' This is very true that I tell you; although it shame 'Extremes give rise to their opposite extremes; and are honourable to nobody!' I do not say it shames all that were of the House, for I know all were not of that mind; but truly when this was urged, they on their side did fall into another extreme. And what was that? Why truly then it was: Seeing this Parliament could not be perpetual, yet a Parliament might always be sitting. And to that end there was a Bill framed, That Parliaments might always be sitting; that as soon as one Parliament went out of place, another might leap in.* When we saw this, truly we thought it did but make a change in pretence; and did not remedy the thing! However, it was pursued with such heat 'in the House,' I dare say there was more progress in it in a month than had ever been with the *This arrangement, of a Parliament constantly sitting, his Highness and the company of poor men did by no means consider a good "Issue of the Business." It leads almost infallibly to "arbitrariness," argues his Highness (Speech III., antea, Vol. III. p. 246), leads to &c. &c.in fact, as in these days of ours is everywhere becoming too apparent, leads to "Nothing," to Self-cancelment (like that of the Kilkenny Cats) and peaceable Zero. Which in very few epochs of the world's history is the desirable thing! His Highness's logic-arguments, here and in his other Speech, are none of the best; but instincts and inarticulate insights much deeper than logic taught him well that "a Parliament always sitting" was not the Balm of Gilead we had all been fighting for. to like business in four; 'so eager were they' to hasten it to an issue, to get such a Parliament brought in: bring the state of the Nation into this, A continual sitting of Parliament. We did think, who were plain men, and I do think it still, That that had been, according to the old foolish proverb, "out of the frying-pan into the fire!" For, looking at the Government you would then have had, it was 'still' a 'Commonwealth's' Government. [Not - entirely the Ideal of a Government, your Highness thinks?] Why, we should have had fine work then! We should have had a Council of State, and a Parliament of Fourhundred men, executing arbitrary government [As the Long Parliament did] without intermission, except some change of a part of them; one Parliament stepping into the seat of another, just left warm for them; the same day that the one left, the other was to leap in! Truly I did think, and I do think, however much some are enamoured with that kind of Government [Style getting hasty, hot; the Sentence breaks] Why it was no more but this," That Committees of Parliament should take 'all' upon them, and be instead of the Courts at Westminster! Perhaps some will think there had been no hurt in that arbitrariness of Committees? Where a man can neither come to prove nor to defend, nor to know his judges; because there are one set of men who judge him today, and another set of men tomorrow! Thus was to have been the Law of England; and thus was to have been the way of judging this Nation. And truly I thought that it was an ill way of "judging." For I may say to you, with truth in regard to that, After it pleased God, your poor Army, those poor contemptible men, came up hither, |