Source.—Carlyle, Cromwell's Letters and Speeches.

I. To Sir William Spring and Maurice Barrow, Esq., Cambridge, September, 1643.

I had rather have a plain russet coated Captain, that knows what he fights for, and loves what he knows, than that which you call a gentleman and is nothing else. I honour a gentleman that is so indeed!

II. To the Speaker after Naseby, June 14, 1645.

... Sir, this is none other but the hand of God; and to Him alone belongs the glory, wherein none are to share with Him. The General served you with all faithfulness and honour; and the best commendation I can give him is, that I dare say he attributes all to God and would rather perish than assume to himself. Which is an honest and a thriving way:—and yet as much for bravery may be given to him, in this action, as to a man. Honest men served you faithfully in this action. Sir, they are trusty; I beseech you in the name of God, not to discourage them. I wish this action may beget thankfulness and humility in all that are concerned in it. He that ventures his life for the liberty of his country, I wish he trust God for the liberty of his conscience, and you for the liberty he fights for.

III. To the Speaker, September 14, 1645.

For being united in forms, commonly called Uniformity, every Christian will for peace' sake study and do, as far as conscience will permit. And for brethren, in things of the mind we look for no compulsion, but that of light and reason. In other things, God hath put the sword into the Parliament's hands—for the terror of evil-doers and the praise of them that do well.

IV. To the Lord Mayor of London, June 10, 1647.

The sum of our desires as soldiers is no other than this; Satisfaction to our undoubted claims as soldiers; and reparation upon those who have, to the utmost, improved all opportunities and advantages, by false suggestions, misrepresentations and otherwise, for the destruction of this army with a perpetual blot of ignominy upon it.

V. To Oliver St. John, September 1, 1648.

Remember my love to my dear brother, H. Vane. I pray he make not too much, nor I too little, of outward dispensations:—God preserve us all, that we, in the simplicity of our spirits, may patiently attend upon them. Let us all be not careful what men will make of these actings. They, will they, nill they, shall fulfil the good pleasure of God; and we—shall serve our generations. Our rest we expect elsewhere: that will be durable. Care we not for to-morrow, nor for anything.

VI. To Col. R. Hammond, November 25, 1648.

My dear Friend, let us look into Providences; surely they mean somewhat. They hang so together: have been so constant, so clear, unclouded. Malice, swoln malice against God's people now called "Saints": to root out their name;—and yet they getting arms, and therein blessed with defence and more!

VII. To Mr. Speaker, September 4, 1650.

If there be any one that makes many poor to make a few rich, that suits not a Commonwealth.

VIII. To Lord Wharton, September 4, 1650.

I have known my folly do good, when affection[3] has overcome my reason.

IX. To the Little Parliament, 1653.

"The hand of the Lord hath done this"—it is He who hath wrought all the salvations and deliverances we have received. For what end! To see and know and understand together, that he hath done and wrought all this for the good of the whole flock. Therefore I beseech you—but I think I need not,—have a care of the whole flock! Love the sheep, love the lambs; love all, tender all, cherish and countenance all, in all things that are good. And if the poorest Christian, the most mistaken Christian, shall desire to live peaceably and quietly under you,—I say if any shall desire but to live a life of godliness and honesty, let him be protected.

And indeed this hath been the way God dealt with us all along, to keep things from our eyes all along, so that we have seen nothing in all his dispensations long beforehand;—which is also a witness, in some measure, to our integrity.

X. Speech V. September 12, 1654.

Indeed that hath been one of the vanities of our contest. Every sect saith, "O, give me liberty!" But give it to him and to his power he will not yield it to anybody else....

XI. To the First Protectorate Parliament, January 22, 1654-55.

Is it ingenuous to ask liberty, and not to give it? What greater hypocrisy than for those who were oppressed by the bishops to become the greatest oppressors themselves so soon as their yoke was removed. I could wish that they who call for liberty now also had not too much of that spirit, if the power were in their hands!

As for profane persons, blasphemers, such as preach sedition; the contentious railers, evil speakers, who seek by evil words to corrupt good manners, persons of loose conversation—punishment from the Civil Magistrate ought to meet with these. Because, if they pretend conscience; yet walking disorderly and not according but contrary to the gospel and even to natural lights, they are judged of all. And their sins being open make them subjects of the magistrate's sword, who ought not to bear it in vain.—The discipline of the Army was such, that a man would not be suffered to remain there, of whom we could take notice that he was guilty of such practices as those....

... And if it be my "liberty" to walk abroad in the fields, or to take a journey, yet it is not my wisdom to do so when my house is on fire!

XII. Speech to the Major-Generals.

Why, truly, your great enemy is the Spaniard. He is a natural enemy. He is naturally so, he is naturally so throughout,—by reason of that great enmity that is in him against whatsoever is of God.

Well, your danger is as you have seen. And truly I am sorry it is so great. But I wish it to cause no despondency;—as truly, I think it will not: for we are Englishmen; that is one good fact.

To hang a man for six-and-eightpence, and I know not what; to hang for a trifle and acquit murder,—is in the ministration of the law through the ill-framing of it. I have known in my experience abominable murders committed. And to see men lose their lives for petty matters: this is a thing God will reckon for.

XIII. To the Second Protectorate Parliament, January 23, 1657.

Truly, I shall in a word or two congratulate you with good you are in possession of, and in some respect, I also with you. God hath bestowed upon you, and you are in possession of it,—Three Nations, and all that appertains to them. Which in either a geographical, or topical consideration, are Nations. In which also there are places of honour and consideration, not inferior to any in the known world,—without vanity it may be spoken. Truly God hath not made so much soil, furnished with so many blessings, in vain! But it is a goodly sight, if a man behold it uno intuitu. And therefore this is a possession of yours, worthy of congratulation.

This is furnished,—give me leave to say, for I believe it is true,—with the best People in the world, possessing so much soil. A People in civil rights,—in respect of their rights and privileges,—very ancient and honourable. And in this People, in the midst of this People, you have, what is still more precious, a People (I know every one will hear and acknowledge it) that are to God "as the apple of His eye,"—and He says so of them, be they many, or be they few! But they are many. A People of the blessing of God; a People under His safety and protection. A People calling upon the Name of the Lord; which the Heathen do not. A People knowing God; and a People (according to the ordinary expressions) fearing God. And you have of this no parallel; no, not in all the world! You have in the midst of you glorious things.

XIV. April 13, 1657.

Truly I have, as before God, often thought that I could not tell what my business was, nor what I was in the place I stood in, save comparing myself to a good Constable set to keep the peace of the parish.

XV. Speech XI. April 13, 1657.

I had a very worthy friend then; and he was a very noble person, and I know his memory is very grateful to all,—Mr. John Hampden. At my first going out into this engagement, I saw our men were beaten at every hand. I did indeed; and desired him that he would make some additions to my Lord Essex's Army, of some new regiments; and I told him I would be serviceable to him in bringing such men in as I thought had a spirit that would do something in the work. This is very true that I tell you; God knows I lie not. "Your troops," said I, "are most of them old decayed serving-men, and tapsters, and such kind of fellows; and," said I, "their troops are gentlemen's sons, younger sons and persons of quality: do you think that the spirits of such base and mean fellows will ever be able to encounter gentlemen, that have honour and courage and resolution in them?" Truly I did represent to him in this manner conscientiously; and truly I did tell him: "You must get men of a spirit: and take it not ill what I say,—I know you will not,—of a spirit that is likely to go as far as gentlemen will go—or else you will be beaten still."

XVI. To the Committee of Ninety-Nine, April 21, 1657.

But surely the Laws need to be regulated! And I must needs say, I think it would be a sacrifice acceptable to God, upon many accounts. And I am persuaded that it is one of the things God looks for, and would have. I confess if any man should ask me, "Why, how would you have it done?" I confess I do not know how. But I think verily at the least, the delays in suits, and the excessiveness in fees, and the costliness of suits, and those various things which I do not know what names they bear—I hear talk of "Demurrers" and such-like things, which I scarce know—But I say certainly, the people are greatly suffering in this respect; they are so.

XVII. To the Second Protectorate Parliament, February 4, 1658.

I can say in the presence of God, in comparison with whom we are but like poor creeping ants upon the earth,—I would have been glad to have lived under my woodside, to have kept a flock of sheep—rather than undertake such a Government as this. But undertaking it by the Advice and Petition of you, I did look that you who had offered it unto me should make it good.