and encourage any of profligate manners.

He

Though, after all, it were well if there was not ground, fully fufficient, to complain.In this respect, however, as well as many others, the court of the protector was diftinguished. All here had an air of fobriety and decency; nothing of riot or debauch was feen or heard of. Cromwell's own manners were grave, and fuch were the manners of those around him, though feafoned, on occafion, with pomp, ftate and pleasantry. What palace,' fays a contemporary writer, was ever lefs adulterated than his? Nay, in that very place, where pimps and panders were used to, traffique, and fport in the base revellings of luft, there is now fitting a religious covent of our beft and most orthodox divines; and whereas formerly it was very difficult to live at court without a prejudice to religion, it is now impoffible to be a courtier without it. Whofoever looks now to get preferment at court, religion must be brought with him inftead of money for a place: here are none of thofe ufual throngs of vicious and debaucht fwash bucklers, none of thofe fervile and taylfhaking fpaniels, none of those moe hair, linfie-wool(g) Unpa- fy, nits and lice gentlemen, no fuch changeable caralleled Mo-melions (g).'- Let us add hereunto the teftimony narch, p. 7° of an adverfary. • His own court, fays he, was regulated according to a fevere difcipline; here no drunkard, nor whore-mafter, nor any guilty of bribery, was to be found, without fevere punifhment (b).' But that we may not reft wholly on words, we will produce fome facts which will fully evince the truth of the text. The two following paffages are related by Whitlock. Being now in London, and hearing of the Queen of Sweden's intention to come into England, I made it known to the protector; but he would not give her any encouragement; he put it all upon the ill example fhe would give here by her courfe of life, and would not be fatisfied by me to the contrary.-Graef Hannibal Sefthead, a lord of

(b) Bates, P. 191.

· Den

He filled the benches with able and honeft judges,

• Denmark, who had married the king's half fifter there, and been vice-roy of Norway, but afterwards grew out of favour with his king, came into England to see the protector, and made his applications to me, whom he had been acquainted with in Germany. I brought him to the protector, and he ufed him with all courtefy; he dined with him feveral times, and the protector was much taken with his company; he being a very ingenious man, fpake many languages, and English perfectly well, and had been employed in feveral great charges and ambaffies, but he was a very debauched perfon; which, when the protector knew, he would not admit him any more into his converfa<tion; and, not long after, he departed out of Eng-als, p. 599• land (i).'

6

(i) Memori

627.

Bishop Burnet informs us, that the earl of Orrery told him, That coming one day to Cromwell, during the debates about his accepting the title of king, and telling him he had been in the city all that day, Cromwell afked him what news he had heard there: the other answered, that he was told he was in treaty with the King, who was to be restored, and to marry his daughter. Cromwell expreffing no indignation at this, lord Orrery faid, in the state to which things were brought, he faw not a better expedient: they might bring him in on what terms they pleafed and Cromwell might retain the fame authority he then had with lefs trouble. Cromwell anfwered, the King can • never forgive his father's blood. Orrery faid, he was ' one of many concerned in that, but he would be alone in the merit of reftoring him. Cremivell replied, he 'was fo damnably debauched he would undo us all; and fo turned to another difcourfe without any emo(*) Burnet, tion (k).'Lady Mary Cromwell, in a letter writ- vol. i. p. ten to her brother Henry Cromwell, June 23, 1656, 107. fays, that the reafon of her father's not embracing of the terms offered by the earl of Warwick, in confideEe 2

ration

(2) Thurloe, vol. v. P.

146.

p. 650.

P. 72.

(o) Cata

judges, and caused (MMM) juftice, for the moft part, to be equally and impartially adminiftred.

logue of the Dukes,

ration of the marriage propofed between his grandfon Mr. Rich, and their fifter Frances, for fome time, was "not so much eftat, as fome private reasons, which was a diflik to the young perfon, which he had from fom reports of his being a vifious man, given 'to play and fuch lik things, which offis was done by

fom that had a mind to brak of the match (1).' The reports, however, on examination, proving falfe, the match was concluded with the confent of the protector. Thefe paffages fufficiently evince the care of Oliver to avoid giving even countenance to vice; and alfo the regularity of manners in those who partook of his favour and encouragement. We may well fuppose the nation must be improved in their morals by fuch examples.

(MMM) He filled the benches with able and honeft judges, &c.] The hiftorians of all parties have, by the (m) Claren- notoriety of the fact, been forced to pay this tribute of don, vol. vi. praife to Cromwell. I could mention many; but will content myself with the authorities of Clarendon and Coke, who, though of different principles, were equally (n) Detection, vol. ii. foes to the government and memory of the protector. The former affirms, That in matters, which did not concern the life of his jurifdiction, he seemed to have < great reverence for the law, rarely interpofing between party and party (m).' The latter affures us That Westminster-hall was never replenished with more learned and upright judges than by him; nor was jus'tice either in law or equity, in civil cafes, more equalHighness ly diftributed, where he was not a party (n).' The flowed fince names of his judges, poffibly, may not be unacceptahe began his ble to fome readers. They were as follows: the lordgovernment chief-juftices Glin and St. John; the juftices Warburton, to this pre- Newdigate, Atkins, Hale, Windham; the barons NichoT. W. i. e. las, Parker, Hil: (0). The commiffioners of the great Tho. Walk- Seal, at first, were the famous Mr, Whitlock, Widringjay, 8vo.

Marquifles, &c. with all

the honours that his

hath be

Jent. By

ton

miniftred.He fought out every where for

ton and Lenthal; afterwards Fiennes, Lifle and Lenthal. The gentlemen of the long robe still mention the names of fome of these persons with great honour. How follicitous Cromwell was to appoint the most able and upright perfons to fill the important pofts of the law, will best appear by the following quotations.—— Cromwell feeing him (Mr. Hale) poffeft of fo much practice, and he being one of the eminenteft men of the law, who was not at all afraid of doing his duty in those critical times, refolved to take him off from it, and raise him to the bench. Mr. Hale faw well • enough the fnare laid for him, and though he did not much confider the prejudice it would be to himself, to exchange the eafy and fafer profits he had by his practice for a judge's place in the common pleas, ' which he was required to accept of, yet he did deliberate more on the lawfulness of taking a commiffion <from ufurpers; but having confidered well of this, he came to be of opinion, that it being abfolutely neceffary to have juftice and property kept up at all times, it was no fin to take a commission from ufurpers, if he made no declaration of his acknowledging their authority, which he never did. He was much • urged to accept of it by fome eminent men of his own profeffion, who were of the King's party, as Sir Orlando Bridgman, and Sir Geoffery Palmer; and was alfo fatisfied concerning the lawfulness of it, by the refolution of fome famous divines, in particular Dr. • Sheldon, and Dr. Henchman, who were afterwards promoted to the fees of Canterbury and London. To these were added the importunities of all his friends, who thought, that in a time of fo much danger and oppreffion, it might be no fmall fecurity to the nation, to have a man of his integrity and abilities on the bench and the ufurpers themfelves held him in that eftimation, that they were glad to have him give a countenance to their courts, and, by promoting one that

Ee 3

for men of abilities (NNN), in order proper

ly

that was known to have different principles from (Burnet's them; affected the reputation of honouring and trufting men of eminent virtues, of what per/wafion foeHale, p. 35. ver they might be, in relation to publick matters (p).' -Another work fpeaks more plainly on this fubject.

Life of Sir
Matthew

8vo Lond.

1682.

He [Cromwell] ftudied to feek out able and honeft men, and to employ them. And fo having heard that my father had a very great reputation in Scotland, for piety and integrity, tho' he knew him to be a Royalift, he fent to him, defiring him to accept of a judge's place, and to do juftice in his own country, hoping only that he would not act against his go'vernment, but he would not prefs him to fubfcribe Times, vol.or fwear to it (q).' How great! how generous! it was hardly poffible, but a man of fuch a difpofition must

(9) Hiftory

of his own

i. p. 125.

be well ferved.

(NNN) He fought cut every where for men of abilities, and gave them proper employment.] That princes have fuch poor tools oftentimes about them is owing to their own weakness, or negligence. They have not either fenfe enough to difcern, or fortitude to refufe or repel fuch as, without merit, afpire to their favour. So that their minifters are fometimes of different and contradic tory characters, and hinder more than forward the bu finefs in which they pretend to engage. Mobs are in moft courts; wife men are diftinguished alone in those whofe princes themfelves excel. From the choice of minifters and favourites the character of the fovereign may be oftentimes taken. Cromwell was all eyes. He faw every thing, he judged of every thing; few perfons efcaped his notice; merit was the object of his choice. The authorities I fhall now produce, will, I am perfuaded, juflify may affertions. The following anecdote is prior, indeed, in point of time, to the protectorate, but 'tis properly a part of Cromwell's history, and tends to illuftrate moft this part of his character. It is given by Mr. Morrice, a gentleman of character,