(-) Short View, P. 460.

(s) Mercurius Aulicus,

nals! ever to be celebrated and admired by the lovers of liberty, for its refolution, firmnefs

him a burgess, for their corporation, in that unhappy long parliament, which began at Westminster the third • of November 1640 (r). What were Cromwell's motives to oppofe the drainings of the fens is hard, at this diftance of time, to fay. Ignorance of its utility, fuppos'd injury to the common people, who paftured their cattle there, or a defire of ingratiating himself with the country to whom this project was odious, may feparately or jointly have occafioned it. However his fuccefsful oppofition gave his enemies an occafion afterwards to dignify him with the title of Lord of the Fenns (s).' The reader may perhaps be pleafed to hear, that, long fince the times I am now writing of, the county of Cambridge hath received a very confiderable improvement, by draining the fens in the ifle of Ely, a work that was carried on at a vaft expence, but has at laft turned to double account, both in gaining much ground, and mending the reft; and alfo in refining and clearing the air of (Gibfon's this country (t).' It were to be wifhed we had more of fuch improvements.- Since writing the above, I find an act of parliament, paffed in the year 1649, for draining the great level of the fens. In the preamble of this act it is faid, That whereas the faid great level, by reafon of frequent overflowings of the rivers

Nov. 5. 1643.

Cambden,

vol. i. p. 479.

.

have been of fmall and uncertain profit, but (if drained) may be improved and made profitable, and of great advantage to the commonwealth, and the particular owners, &c.And whereas Francis, late Earl of Bedford, did undertake the faid work, and had ninety-five thoufand acres, parcel of the faid great level, decreed and fet forth, in October, in the thirteenth year of the reign of the late King Charles, in recompenfe thereof; and he and his participants, and their heirs and affigns, have made a good progrefs therein, with expence of great and vaft fums of mo

nefs and public fpirit! In this memorable period Oliver joined the glorious band (0) of

pa

ney;-but by reafon of fome late interruptions, the works 'there made have fallen into decay: Be it therefore enacted and ordained, that William, now Earl of Bedford, &c. in recompence of the aforefaid charge and adventure, and for bearing the charge of draining, and maintaining the works from time to time, fhall have and enjoy the faid whole ninety-five thousand acres. Oliver Cromwell, Lieutenant-General, is appointed one of the commiffioners, to hear, determine, order, adjudge and execute all fuch things as are prefcribed by this act.Another act paffed May 26, 1654, under (u) Scobel's the protectorship of Cromwell, for the fame purpofe (u). collection of From thefe acts of parliament it plainly appears, that, acts and orwhatever oppofition was made to Lord Bedford, and the May 1649, other undertakers, yet it hindered not their proceedings; and May that the parliament of the commonwealth of England 1654. Fol was attentive to the publick utility; and that Cromwell Lond. 1653. was wife enough to overcome his prejudices, and join in promoting the common good.

(0) He join d the glorious band of patriots] 'Tis well known how hateful the measures of the court were at the meeting of this parliament. Every thing unpopular, unjust and odious had been put in practice, in order to be able to do without parliaments, and to rule by will and pleafure. Those who had fuffered for their oppofition to injuftice and tyranny, were now the favourites of the people. They were applauded and care fed every where; nor could any, with fafety, open their mouths against them. In this temper were the people when Charles, by dire neceffity, was compelled to call this ever-memorable parliament. The people rejoiced; they hoped the time was now come when they might utter their grievances with impunity, and expect redrefs. Accordingly they, for the most part, took great care in the choice of their reprefentatives, as efteeming it of the utmost importance to their religion and liberties. Whoever hoped for the honour of a

dinances,

patriots, who wished well to their king, their country, their religion and laws. Here, al

moft

feat in parliament muft, at leaft, have promised fair, and appeared hearty in the cause of his country. Men of this character were not wanting; and, though fome friends to tyranny, and future apoftates, found means to enter, the majority were honest and upright, of fair intentions and firm refolutions. Lord Clarendon,

fpeaking of them, fays, In the houfe of commons were many perfons of wisdom and gravity, who be ing poffeffed of great and plentiful fortunes, though they were undevoted enough to the court, had all imaginable duty for the King, and affection for the government established by law or antient cuftom; and, without doubt, the major part of that body confifted of men who had no mind to break the peace of the kingdom, or to make any confiderable alteration in the government of church and flate; and therefore all inventions were fet on foot from the beginning to work on them and corrupt them, by fuggeftions "of the dangers which threatened all that was precious to the fubject in their liberty and their property, by overthrowing or overmaftering the law, and fubjecting it to an arbitrary power, and by countenancing popery to the fubverfion of the proteftant religion;" and then, by infusing terrible apprehenfions into fome, and fo working upon their fears of being called in queftion for fomewhat they had done, by which they would ftand in need of their protection;" and raifing the hopes of others, "that, by concurring with them, they fhould be fure to obtain offices, and honours, and any kind of preferment." Though there were too many corrupted and mifled by these feveral temptations, and others who needed no other temptations than from the fierceness of their own natures, and the malice they had contracted against the church and against the court; yet the number was not great of thofe in whom the government of the • rest

.

6

.

most immediately, Cromwell was appointed of a committee, with Mr. Hampden, Mr. Stroode,

Alder

bellion, vol.

1. p. 184.

reft was vefted, nor were there many who had the • abfolute authority to lead, though there was a multitude (x) Hiftory difpofed to follow (x).' What their views and defigns of the Rewere, the fame author tells us-There was obferved a marvellous elated countenance in many of the members of parliament before they met together in the house; the fame men who, fix months before, were 'observed to be of very moderate tempers, and to wish that gentle remedies might be applied, without opening the wound too wide, and expofing it to the air, and rather to cure what was amifs, than too strictly to make inquifition into the caules and original of the malady, talked now in another dialect both of things and perfons; and faid that they must now be of another temper than they were the last parliament; that they must not only fweep the house clean below, but muft pull down all the cobwebs which hung in the top and corners, that they might not breed duft, and fo make a foul house hereafter; that they had now an opportunity to make their country happy, by removing all grievances, and pulling up the caufes of them by the roots, if all men would do their duties; and used much other sharp difcourfe to the fame purpofe (y).' And what is there marvellous in this? (y) Id. p. Thefe men had, by very late and fresh experience, found that, the King was obftinately bent on his old courfes, cherished the fame tools of tyranny, hated the fons of freedom, and even dared to imprifon men for doing their duty in parliament: I fay, they had lately had new proofs of it, and therefore were not to be blamed for their fharp difcourfe, or fharper actions.

Immediately, on the opening of this parliament, we find great complaints made of grievances, not only by Mr. Pymme (alone mentioned by Clarendon, who has confounded the bufinefs of grievances with Lord Strafforde's affair) but also by Mr. Capel, afterwards Lord

Cafe',

171.

iv. p. 21

24.

Alderman Pennington, Sir Edward Hungerford, Mr. Kirton, Mr. Holles, Mr. Valentine,

Mr.

Capel, Sir Henry Bellafis, Sir John Wray, Sir Hugh Cholmely, Sir Philip Musgrave, Sir Francis Seymour, Sir John Packington, Sir Thomas Barrington, Sir John Colepepper, and others. The grievances were threefold; 1. fome against the privilege of parliament; 2. others to the prejudice of religion; and, 3. another fort against the liberty of the fubject. These were enlarged on with no unnatural warmth; their illegality and hardship manifefted; the inftruments of oppreffion pointed out, and their demerits difplayed; and remedies for removing the grievances were mentioned, viz. by declaring the law where it was doubtful, and providing for the exe(z) Rushworth, vol. Cution of the law where it was clear (z). And to the honour of the house of commons it must be faid, that they went briskly to work, and accomplished many of their good intentions, uninfluenced by hope, unawed by fear. They impeached the King's chief ministers, Strafferde and Laud, and brought them defervedly to the block; they declared the judgment of the judges to be falfe and illegal; they abolished thofe vile courts of the high-commiffion and ftar-chamber, in which fo many oppreffive and cruel fentences had been paffed; they gave liberty to thofe in captivity for their oppofition to the prelates; they provided for the frequency of parliaments, the difufe of which had given boldness to the courtiers; they clipt the wings of the ecclefiaftics, and brought them nearer to their firft institution; and they would have done many other things, equally ufeful to that age and pofterity, had they not been deferted by fome, oppofed by others, and hindered by royal authority. But they continued their endeavours notwithstanding, and, for the public good, expofed their fortunes, themselves, and their pofterity, to the civil war; in which, had they been overcome, they would all have been treated as traytors and rebels. Mr. Neville had reafon then for characterizing them, at least

twenty