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(s) Me

moirs, vol.

ji, p. 488.

Sir Robert Stewart, who left him an estate of between four and five hundred pounds a year, he removed to the ifle of Ely. Here again it is faid that he fell into great ftreights and difficulties, through an excefs of fuperstition; though the accounts given of it (E)

are,

In conformity to the representations of others I have mentioned Mrs. Cromwell's fpirit and pride: how the latter appear'd I know not. It is not faid that the lov'd ftate and magnificence, that fhe was delighted with flattery, or fond of power. Nor do I remember to have seen any addreffes made to her either by the court divines, or poets of her age, though her husband, and her fon Richard had store of them. So that I fhould rather conclude her meek and humble, than proud and high-fpirited; though we have no facts given us from whence we may draw the one or the other conclufion. What confirms me in the opinion of her real good character is, that Dugdale and Bates, who have drawn the most ugly pictures of Cromwell, have left hers untouched, which I'm perfwaded they would not have done, could they have found any thing to faften on. Bates, being phyfician to the family, muft have had opportunities fufficient for information; and after the reftoration it was making court to abuse any part of Oliver's family.

I am confirmed in my opinion of Mrs. Cromwell, by the following paffage in Ludlow, which I obferv'd not till I had written the above. He [the Protector] removed from the Cock-pit, which houfe the parliament had affign'd him, to take poffeffion of Whitehall, which he affign'd to himfelf. His wife feem'd at first unwilling to remove thither, tho' afterwards fhe became better fatisfied with her grandeur ()."

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(E) He fell into freights and difficulties through an excefs of fuperftition.] Let us hear what is faid on this

head

are, in my opinion, far enough from being probable.

head by writers prejudiced against his memory.

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lefcens cum fæmina nobili confarreavit; fed brevi • poftea tum fua tum materna bona, (pater enim ante defunctus erat) effufus in luxum, funditus dilapidavit, adeo ut ad reftim propemodum redigeretur. Dein agens refipifcentiam, concionibus facris, lectionibus piis, & mortificationis operibus totus vacat; conductoque zythepfario, velut rem familiarem quam antè decoxerat recocturus, eidem dat operam, fimul & agri⚫ culturæ. Ab eo tempore, avunculo illum fummopere perofo, Roberto Stewardo equiti, regiorum quorundam & clericorum operâ conciliatus eft, hærefque • tandem fcriptus. Patrimonio tamen paulò pòft ad affem peffundato, ftatuit Novam Angliam proficifci, omniaque in hunc finem preparat (t). i. e. In his () Elenchi youth he married a gentlewoman, but by his profufe nuperorum and luxurious way of living, in a fhort time he fquan- in Anglia ab ⚫dered away both his mother's and his wife's estate, so Georgio Bathat he was almost reduced to beggary. Afterwards, teo, pars fe• affuming the behaviour of a penitent, he gave him. 219, 8vo. felf wholly up to the hearing of fermons, reading of Lond. 1663. godly books, and works of mortification; and hav

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ing got a brewhoufe, he applied himself to the brewing trade, and also to husbandry. After that his uncle Sir Robert Stewart, who had an averfion to him, being reconciled by the means of fome clergymen and courtiers, left him his fortune. But fhortly after, having again run out of all, he refolved to go to New England, and prepares all things for that end.'

Dugdale, after having fpoken of his most formally canting in their [the Puritans] demure language and affected tone, and frequenting the fermons of the fiercest Beautefeaus,' tells us he was neceffitated through his low condition to quit a country farm, which he held at St. Ives, and betake himself to

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Motuum

(u) Short View, p.

460.

Certain 'tis, he was very regular at this time in his whole behaviour, publickly addicted

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mean lodgings in Cambridge (u).' This neceffity another writer lays upon his overmuch religion, which induc'd him to have long prayers with his family in a morning, and again in the afternoon, at which his plowmen and all his country fervants always attended. Mr. Hume, after his manner, has improv'd upon all these writers. All of a fudden, the fpirit of refor⚫mation seized him; he married, affected a grave and compofed behaviour, entered into all the zeal and rigour of the puritanical party, and offered to reflore to every one whatever fums he had formerly gained by gaming. The fame vehemence of temper which had tranfported him into the extreams of pleasure, now distinguished his religious habits. His houfe was the refort of all the zealous clergy of the party; and his hospitality as well as his liberalities to the filenced and deprived minifters, proved as chargeable C as his former debaucheries. Tho' he had acquired a tolerable fortune by a maternal uncle, he found his affairs fo injur'd by his expences, that he was obliged 6 to take a farm at St. Ives, and apply himself, for fome years, to agriculture, as a profeffion. But this expedient ferved rather to involve him in further debts and difficulties. The long prayers which he faid to his family in the morning and again in the afternoon, confumed his own time and that of his ploughmen; ⚫ and he reserved no leizure for the care of his tempo(x) Hiftoryral affairs (x). There is a deal of confufion in all of Great these accounts, and I believe, at the bottom, but little truth. For who can think that Oliver, tho' certainly an enthusiast, had fo little fenfe as to run himself out after fuch a ridiculous manner? No man better knew than himself that there was a feafon for every thing, and tho' he loved to pray, and preach too on occafion, yet he was never known in any other part of life to neg

Britain, vol.

ii. p. 45. 4to. Lond.

1757.

lect

dicted to no vice, but a profeffor of religion even to a degree of (F) enthufiafm, to which through

lect his affairs. Mr. Hume fhould have known too, that the clergy with whom Cromwell affociated, were not of a temper to ruin even the moft hofpitable: good cheer was far enough from being their chief object. But waving all this, I would be glad to know how thefe accounts of his poverty are to be reconcil'd with the known facts of his being elected a member of parliament in 1628; and the fuccefsful oppofition he actually made to the earl of Bedford, and other great men, in the bufinefs of draining the Fens ?

Sir Philip Warwick, an eminent royalift, lived fome time near Huntington (), and convers'd with Dr. Sim- (y) Memoirs, P. cott, Cromwell's phyfician, from whom he learn'd many particulars but he is totally filent on this head, and : therefore very probably there is no truth in what is above related.

Since writing the above, I find Cromwell speaking concerning his fituation in life in the following manner. I was by birth a gentleman, living neither

249.

in any confiderable height, nor yet in obfcurity.' Words fpoken to his parliament Sept. 12, 1654, and abundantly fufficient to confute the idle ftories in this note recited. Milton alfo, fpeaking concerning him, fays,Is matura jam atque firmata ætate, quàm & privatus traduxit, nulla re magis quam religionis cultu purioris, & integritate vitæ cognitus, doni in occulto creverat' i. e. Being now arrived to a ma⚫ture and ripe age, which he spent as a private perfon, (z) Milton's noted for nothing more than the cultivation of pure Profe religion, and integrity of life, he was grown rich at vol. ii. home (z).'-After this, I hope, we shall hear no more p. 395. of Oliver's extreme poverty.

Works,

quarto, Lond. 1753.

(F) He was a profeffor of religion even to a degree of en- See a fo the thufiafm.] The reader who has feen nothing but mo- quotation dern manners, may wonder to hear religion made part from

from Cla

rendon in

of

note (P).

through the remaining part of his life he seemed greatly inclined.

This,

of a great man's character. He who should now even but make the least public pretence to it, would go near to be ridicul'd for a fool or a fanatic. The Brutes, the Wrongheads, the Fribbles have figured fo long, that they are become very familiar, and deem'd top characters. But in the last century things were otherwife: a man's being religious was thought one qualification even for a poft in the army, and mentioned as fuch by Lord Strafforde (a), and we well know that the appearance of religion was kept up by gentlemen of the most difvol. i. p. 17. tinguifh'd rank. So that Oliver's religion was meritorious in the eyes of thofe around him, and tended much to advance his character.

(a) Letters and Difpatches,

fol. Lond.

1739.

And that he was really religious, feems to appear from the following letter moft generously permitted to be tranfcribed for me, by the truftees of the British Mufeum. It is written to Mr. Storie, and dated St. Ives, Jan. 11, 1635.

MR. Storie, amongst the catalogue of thofe good workes which your fellowe citycenes and our 'cuntrie men have donn, this will not be reckoned for the least that they have provided for the feedinge of foules: buildinge of hofpitalls provides for mens bodyes, to build materiall temples is iudged a worke of pietye, but they that procure fpirituall food, they that builde up fpirituall temples, they are the men truly charitable, trulye pious. Such a work as this was your erectinge the lecture in our cuntrie, in the which you placed Dr. Welles, a man of goodneffe and induftrie and abilitie to doe good every way: not fhort of any I knowe in England, and I am perfwaded that fithence his cominge, the Lord by him hath wrought much good amongst us. It only remains now that he whoe first moved you to this, put you forward

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