a bad article in itself, whether new or new-darned, if you make it the exclusive one!] And it will always be so when and whensoever a Perpetual Legislative is exercised; where the Legislative and Executive Powers are always the same.— Truly I think the Legislature might almost as well be in the Four Courts of Westminster Hall! If they could make Laws and Judges too, you would have excellent Laws; and the Lawyers would be able to give excellent counsel! And so it was then. This was our condition, without scruple or doubt; and I shall say no more to it. But the offer was made by us with a true and honest spirit; the desire, the entreaty that we might have a Settlement. And there is our "Settlement;" that is what they propose for a Settle

ment!

It was desired then, it was offered and desired, that the Parliament would be pleased, either of their own body or of any else, to choose a certain number of men [The Puritan Notables; ah yes!] to settle the Nation: "This," said we, "is unsettlement, this is confusion!" For, give me leave, if any body now have the face to say,-and I would die upon this-[Sentence catching fire]—if any man in England have the impudence [Ah!] or face to say, That the reluctance of the Parliament to dissolve themselves was their fear of hasty throwing of the Liberties of the People of God, and of the Nation, into the hands of a bare Representative of the People,-which was then the business we opposed: if any man have the face to say this now, who did then judge it, 'that last measure of theirs,' and I will say more, ought then to have judged it, to be a confounding of the whole Cause we had fought for,-which it was,-I would look upon that man's face! I would be glad to see such a man 140 I do not say there is any such here: but if any

40 A dangerous spectator, your Highness, with that thundery countenance of yours!-His Highness's anger is exceedingly clear; but the cause of it, in this intricate sentence, much more in the distracted coagulum of jargon which the original

such should come to me, sec if I would not look upon him, and tell him he is an hypocrite! I dare say it, and I dare die for it, ‘he is an hypocrite;'-knowing the spirit that hath been in some men to me. They come and tell me, They do not like my being Protector. Why do you not?— "Why, because you will exercise arbitrary government.”Why, what is it you want me to do?" Pray, turn those "Gentlemen of the Long Parliament' all in again; then we "will like you exceedingly well!"-[Inarticulate interjection; snort or "Humph!"]-I was a child in swaddling clouts !41 I cannot go beyond the Instrument of Government. I cannot do anything but in coördination with the Council. They fear, these objectors,' "arbitrary government" by me in that way; but if arbitrary government were restored to be general 'by reinstatement of the Long Parliament,' then they are not afraid of it! Such things as these are, such hypocrisies as these are, should they enter into the heart of any man that hath truth or honesty in him?

Truly that was our case:—and finding our case to be thus, we did press the Parliament, as I told you, That they would be pleased to select some Worthy Persons who had loved this Cause, and the liberties of England, and the interest of England: and we told them we would acquiesce, and lie at their 'the Worthy Persons's' feet; but that to be thrown into Parliaments which should sit perpetually, though but for three years 'each,' we had experience of that! An experience which may remain to this day, to give satisfaction to honest and sober men!-Why, truly this might have

here offers, is by no means so clear. On intense inspection, he discovers himself to be (as above) reproaching certain parties who now affect to regret the Long Parliament, which while it existed they had been sufficiently loud in condemning. You say: "They were afraid to fling the whole Cause into the lottery of a general Parliament:"-They? while we opposed that; and while that was the very thing they at last were recklessly doing! I should like to see the face of a man brazen enough for a story like this!

11 So tied-up with restrictions in that first Instrument; had not the smallest power to dɔ 'arbitrary government.'

satisfied, this proposal of ours; but it did not. And therefore we did think that it was the greatest of dangers, 'thus' to be overwhelmed, and brought under a slavery by our own consent, and "Iniquity to become a Law."42 And there was our ground we acted upon at that time. And truly they had perfected their Bill for perpetuating of Parliaments to the last Clause [Hear !]; and were resolved to pass it as a Bill in Paper, not even engrossed on Parchment as the wont was,' rather than comply with any expedient. [We then entered upon them; bade them with emphasis, Go about their business! That's no lie!]—If your own experience add anything to you in this, if you ever individually had to do with a Long-Parliament Committee, and know its ways,'—in this point, "Whether or no, in cases civil and criminal, if a Par"liament assume an absolute power, without any control, "to determine the interests of men in property and liberty; "whether or no this be desirable in a Nation?"—if you have any sense ["General openness of perception;" not exactly our modern word; but a questionable expression, as his Highness immediately sees: "any sense"],—as I believe you have,—you have more than I,- -'then' I think you will take it for a mercy that that did not befall England at that time! And that is all I will say of it.

Truly I will now come and tell you a story of my own weakness and folly. [The Little Parliament.] And yet it was done in my simplicity, I dare avow it was: and though some of my companions-["May dislike my mentioning the story?" -The Sentence, in its haste, has no time to END.]—And truly

42 'The Throne of Iniquity, which frameth mischief by a Law' (Psalm xciv. 20). A fearful state of matters; shadowed forth by old Prophets as the fearfulest of all; but entirely got rid of in these modern days,--if Dryasdust and the general course of new Prophecy may be credited, to whom Law is Equity, and the mere want of 'Law,' with its three readings, and tanned pieces of sheepskin written-over in bad English, is Iniquity.-O Dryasdust, thy works in this world are wonderful. Thy notions of this world, thy ideas, what thou namest ideas, perhaps defy all ages, even ages when Witchcraft was believed in, or when human creatures worshipped Leeks, and considered that the Founder of this Universe was one Apis, a sacred Prize-Ox! I begin to be weary of thee.

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this is a story that should not be recorded, that should not be told, except when good use may be made of it. I say, It was thought then that men of our own judgment, who had fought in the Wars, and were all of a piece upon that account; 'it was thought," "Why surely these men will hit it, and these men will do it to the purpose, whatever can "be desired!" And truly we did think, and I did think so, -the more blame to me. And such a Company of Men were chosen [The Little Parliament;-Convention of the Puritan Notables]; and did proceed to action. And truly this was the naked truth, That the issue was not answerable to the simplicity and honesty of the design. [Poor Puritan Notables!]

What the issue of that Meeting would have been 'seemed questionable,' and was feared: upon which the sober men of that Meeting did withdraw; and came and returned my power as far as they could,-they did actually the greater part of them,—into my hands; professing and believing that the issue of that Meeting would have been The subversion of your Laws and of all the Liberties of this Nation, the destruction of the Ministers of this Nation; in a word, the confusion of all things. Confusion of all things! To set up, instead of Order, the Judicial Law of Moses, in abrogation of all our administrations; to have had administered the Judicial Law of Moses pro hic et nunc, according to the wisdom of any man that would have interpreted the Text this way or that—!—And if you do not believe that these Persons, thereupon sent home,' were sent home by the major part of themselves,' who were judicious and sober and learned (the minority being the worser part upon this account), and with my consent a parte post, you will believe nothing! [Somewhat tart.] For the persons that led in that Meeting were Mr. Feak and his Assemblage in BlackIriars.

We know "Feak," and other foul chimneys on fire,

from of old!-As for " Mr. Squib," he sits now with Venner and the Fifth-Monarchy, safe locked in the Tower.] Mr. Feak,' Major-General Harrison, and the rest that associated with him at one Mr. Squib's house. There were all the resolutions taken that were acted in that House of Parliament' day by day. And this was so de facto; I know it to be true. And that such must naturally be the product of it, I do but appeal to that Book I told you of the other day ["Standard set up"], That all Magistracy and Ministry is Antichristian, wherefore all these things ought to be abolished. Which we are certain must have been the issue of that Meeting. [A failure, that poor Convention of the Puritan Notables!]

So that you have been delivered, if I think aright, from two evils. The one, a secular evil, which would have swallowed up all religious and civil interest, and brought us under the horridest arbitrariness that ever was exercised in the world: To have had Five or Six hundred "Friends," 143 with their friends, 'the Feaks &c.,' intrusted with the judgment of all causes, and to judge of them without rule; thinking that "the Power which swallowed up all other Lawful Powers in the Nation" hath all the power they ever had, both Legislative and Judiciary! In short, a thing which would have swallowed both the Civil and Religious Interest. And the other evil-[His Highness has already inextricably caudled the two together, and here merely gives them another stir-merely under a Spiritual Interest, would have swallowed up all again in another extreme,—'no stated Ministry being allowed.' All our Civil and Religious Interest; and had made our Ministry, and all the things we were beholding to God for, of no account'! Truly we think we ought to value this Interest above all the interests in the world :

43 The name of Quakers already budding in 1653,-now, in 1657, budded and blown.