friend to religious liberty, and an opposer of

Brownrig, bishop of Exeter, and treated him with great outward respect; he saved Dr. Barnard's life at the taking Droghedah, and made him his almoner; he invited archbishop Usher to him, and used him with much civility, conversing with him about the advancement of the protestant religion at home and abroad, and promising him to make him a lease of some parts of the lands belonging to the archbishoprick of Armagh for 21 years, and at his death, ordered him to be interred with great pomp in Westminster Abbey, where Dr. Barnard to a crowded audience preached his funeral sermon. Dr. Parr, from whom I have the above particulars, imputes Cromwell's ordering this so honourable an interment of Usher's corpse, not only to a desire of advancing his own honour, but likewise to a design of punishing Usher's relations, by putting them to a great expence : but as he owns the protector contributed two hundred pounds towards it, it is no way likely he had any such view. He probably thought, that sufficient for a very honourable burial-those who exceeded it were to blame themselves, if they were hurt thereby.-But it is very hard to please those who are disposed to find fault.-Cromwell's behaviour was also equally humane to such as professed opinions uncountenanced by the many in Britain. To John Biddle, who was an Unitarian, and the father of the English Unitarians, in his banishment into Scilly, he allowed a pension of an hundred crowns a year; he admitted Jeremiah White and Peter Sterry into the number of his chaplains, though few speculated more freely on the ends and designs of Providence, or more out of the then road; and John Goodwin, though hated by the fashionable ecclesiastics, continued constantly in his favour b

Nor were even the Romanists that behaved well, destitute of it. Sir Kenelm Digby, a man of quality, a philosopher

* Parr's Life of Usher, p. 73, & seqq. folio. Lond. 1686. Thom. Firmin, p. 10. 8vo. Lond. 1698.

b Life of Mr.

tyranny. No wonder therefore that,

spiritual tyranny.

and a catholic, in a letter to Mr. Secretary Thurloe, dated Paris, March 18, 1656, has the following passages. 'My obligations to his highness are so great, that it would be a crime in me to behave myself so negligently as to give cause for any shadow of the least suspicion, or to do any thing that might require an excuse or apology. I make it my business every where, to have all the world take notice how highly esteem myself obliged to his highness, and how passionate I am for his service, and for his honor and interest, even to the exposing of my life for them.[ should think my heart were not an honest one, if the blood about it were not warmed with any the least imputation upon my respects and my duty to his highness, to whom I owe so much." Mr. Prynne informs us, " that Sir Kenelme was lodged by Cromwell at Whitehall; that he suspended penal laws against Romish priests; and protected several of them under his hand and seal." It is certain he wrote to the governor of Virginia in favour of lord Baltimore, proprietor of Maryland, who was of the catholic persuasion.

I will add but one thing more. It is well known Cromwell (though a believer in the prophecies of the Old Testament, equally, to say the least, with our modern controvertists) was willing to harbour the Jews in England; that he appointed an assembly of men of several professions to consider of the expediency of it; and that it was not owing to him or his council that it proved lost labour.All these considerations will, if I mistake not, abundantly make appear the truth of the text, that bigotry made no part of Cromwell's character. It may be said this was all policyIf it was-it was not the policy of bigots, who break through every tie, human and divine, in order to promote their implanted nonsense and superstition.

Thurloe, vol. IV. p. 592.

True and perfect Narrative of what was

done, spoken by, and between Mr. Prynne, &c. the 7th of May, 1659. 4to. without

'name of place or printer.

с

Thurloe, vol. I. p. 724.

in the first part of life, he fell" in with the

" He fell in with the puritans, greatly oppressed.] The controversy between the prelatists and the puritans will appear in the eyes of most, in this age, as very trifling and insignificant, and very unworthy of the attention which was formerly paid it. They were a stiff kind of men, many of them, of both sides; of weak capacities or uninformed understandings; who imposed unreasonably, and resisted ob stinately. But on the behalf of the puritans, it must be observed that they always pretended conscience for their nonconformity, and, probably, as they were very great sufferers, they were sincere. This recommended them, as well as their regular behaviour, to the favour of the friends of civil liberty, and the lovers of virtue. These gentlemen, probably, saw many of their weaknesses, but they approved their honesty and integrity, used their interest to bring them out of trouble, and generously helped them in their difficulties. Another thing there was, which added not a little to their worth in the eyes of many of the most considerable persons of those times, namely, an adherence to the doctrinal articles of the church of England, in the sense of the compilers, and a strong aversion to popery. The gentry then read and wrote books of religious controversy, and very many of them became converts to their party.But however, this is certain, the puritans were sufferers; sufferers for conscientiously refusing to practise things which, in the opinion of their adversaries, were of no worth or value; sufferers from men who pretended to be rulers and governors in a protestant church, whose doctrines they disowned in many points; and sufferers from men whose pride, ambition, avarice, and cruelty had rendered them odious to the people in general, as well as to wise and considerate men. These persons here meant were courtprelates, in the times of James and Charles I.

Such as for their bellies sake

Creep, and intrude, and climb into the fold.
Of other care they little reck'ning make,

puritans, greatly oppressed on account of their

Than hów to scramble at the shearers feast,

And shove away the worthy bidden guest.

Blind mouths! that scarce themselves know how to hold

A sheep-hook, or have learn'd ought else the least

That to the faithful herdsman's art belongs!

What recks it them? what need they? They are sped;

And when they list, their lean and flashy songs

Grate on their scrannel pipes of wretched straw;

The hungry sheep look up, and are not fed,

But swoln with wind, and the rank mist they draw,

Rot inwardly, and foul contagion spread:
Besides what the grim wolf with privy paw

Daily devours apace, and nothing said.

MILTON.

This is not merely a poetical exaggeration. Soon after these lines were written, a polite writer, who declares himself no puritan, speaks of these bishops in the following terms." The more our prelates enjoy, the more still they seek; and all our three kingdoms are grown so sick of their pride, injustice, and pragmatical faction, that scarce any remedy but blood-letting can cure them. We find in Scripture the most high and holy offices of religion performed by princes, even amongst and above the greatest of priests; but we scarce find any instance at all where priests intermeddled with any state affairs, either above or under princes: and yet with us now the employing and entrusting of clergymen in temporal business, is held as politick as it was in the times of popery: although no time could ever justly boast of that use. But to pass over temporal businesses, how violently have our bishops been in their own canons about ceremonies, and indifferencies? and what disturbance hath that violence produced? They strive as for the beauty and glory of religion, to bring in the same forms of liturgy, the same posture of the communion-table, the same gesture at the communion, &c. in all our three dominions; as if uniformity were always beautiful: and yet we see all men are created with several faces, voices, and complexions, without any deformity to the universe."-This is a fine thought, and has been frequently made use of by our best

nonconformity, and appeared as their advocate

advocates for toleration.-The same writer, speaking of the same men, asserts that "in the high commission, at the council table, in the star chamber, and the chequer, churchmen are now more active than in their own consistories, and yet their ambition further aims (as it is said) to the chancery, court of requests, &c. which could not chuse to redound to the scandal of religion, the obstruction of justice, and vexation of the subject. If there were not learned and skilful men enough in policy and law to serve the king, unless divinity were deprived of some of her followers, there were some seeming umbrage why the king might borrow of God; but when God's more holy office is neglected, that the king's meaner may be the worse administred, the world much gazes and wonders at it." We may naturally enough imagine men thus ambitious of power and wealth were not overstocked with real religion! and we may, with like probability, conclude that pretences to conscience in their eyes had but an odd and ridiculous appearance! and consequently that the persons who made use of them to justify their opposition to their injunctions would fare little the better for them. I will not enter here into the particulars of the hardships and oppressions which the puritans underwent from the prelates, and the high hand which was carried by these latter over all who opposed them. I have given a sketch of it elsewhere, and must refer such as may be uninformed thither. However, the following short litany may not be unacceptable even to those who are best acquainted with their transactions. It shews their behaviour, and the sense men then had of it.

A SHORT LETANIE.

From this prelatical pride and their lordly dignities; From all their superstitious vanities and popish cere monies;

* Discourse concerning Puritans, p. 36. 4to. Lond. printed for Robert Bostock, 1641. ⚫ Vol. I. p. 257.