undertaking to make good that charge[footnote 1]. And the ſame day he alſo tranſmitted a third letter to the Council of Agitators, with a petition to exert themſelves for his deliverance from the Tower[footnote 2]. The ſame day likewiſe, a petition in his behalf being preſented to the Houſe of Commons, in the name of many citizens, it was referred to the Committee, and to report it with all convenient ſpeed[sidenote 1]. Accordingly, the Houſe voting on the 13th of September to receive the Committee’s report the day following, Crom-well
Sidenotes
- ↑ (q q) Ruſhworth, Vol. II. part iv. p. 790. edit. 1721.
Footnotes
- ↑ [F F] Another to the General, undertaking to make good that charge.] Here follows a copy of it:
‘To his Excellency Sir Thomas Fairfax, Captain-general of all the forces in England, at his head-quarters at Putney. This preſent:
Give me leave to acquaint your Excellency, That the Lord’s-day laſt I ſent your Honour a large letter to intreat you to make no addreſs at all to the Lords for me; and this day, at the deſire of ſome of the Agitators, I have fully ſtated my accounts to them[citation 2], and acquainted them fully what I deſire, the ſubſtance of which was to uſe their utmoſt intereſt to get the Houſe of Commons to call for my report from Mr Henry Martin, (who, with the Committee where he was Chairman, did many months ago hear my cauſe) and upon it either to juſtify me or condemn me, for proteſting againſt the Lords juriſdiction over the Commons, my legal peers and equals, for protection, juſtice, and right againſt the Lords uſurpation. But, moſt worthy Sir, the chiefe reaſon, why I now make bold to trouble your Excellence is, becauſe I am continually told again and againe of many hard ſpeeches againſt me at your quarters for oppoſing Lieutenant-general Cromwell; which makes me think ſometimes that my deliverance is much retarded thereby. Vouchſafe me therefore liberty, Moſt Noble Sir, humbly to your moſt juſt and worthy ſelfe to make this propoſition, that if the Lieutenaut-general, or any other in the army, conceive that I have done him any wrong, that if he pleaſe to chuſe two honeſt men, I will chuſe two more, and alſo your Excellence to be umpire betwixt us, before whom I do humbly deſire our differences may be truly debated; and what the iſſue of all ſhall be, I, for my part, will ſtand to, and fulfil your Excellencie’s award, be it what it will be, if it be within my power. So craving pardon for my continued boldneſs with your Excellency, I commit you as my owne ſoul to the protection of the moſt High, and ſhall reſt,
Sir,
Your Excellency’s moſt obliged, faithful Servant,
to the utmoſt of his power,
John Lilburne.
From my prerogative, lawleſs, and unjuſt Captivity in the Tower of London, 26th of Auguſt, 1647[citation 3].’
- ↑ [G G] Appealed to the Agitators.] Our Lieutenant-colonel, from the time of his firſt taking a diſtaſte to Cromwell, had made it his buſineſs to raiſe and foment this mutiny againſt him; and when he ſaw it work’d up into ſomething of a body by the engagement agreed upon, and ſubſcribed at Newmarket-heath[citation 4], on the 5th of July this year, he preſently grew big with the moſt ſanguine hopes of his fulfilling the fondeſt wiſh of his heart thereby[citation 5]. The firſt ſtep neceſſary to be taken for him was evidently to procure his liberty: and in order to this, he formed a ſcheme, in concert with the principal mutineers, to draw up a ſtate of his caſe, and ſend it, together with his petition thereon, in a letter to their Council, who were to preſent it to the grand Council of the army, and to exert the utmoſt ſtrength of their power to effectuate it’s favourable reception there; and even to cram it, if poſſible, forcibly down the Lieutenant-general’s throat: and laſtly (as there was reaſon enough to apprehend) that could not be compaſſed, they were to apply to Fairfax, as Conſtable of the Tower, for his order (which would be ſufficient now the Parliament’s power was annihilated, and conſequently the ſupremacy veſted actually in the General) to releaſe him as his priſoner, atleaſt upon giving bail[citation 6]. But every part of this plan as well as all their other meaſures were broken by Cromwell. That arch-rebel had kept a watchful eye upon the motions of theſe turbulent ſpirits from their firſt appearance in the army, and was now fully determined to cruſh a confederacy which was notoriouſly aimed to ſubvert all his views. The method he took to effect it, by piſtolling the forwardeſt man among them in the foremoſt rank, at the head of his regiment[citation 7], is recorded by Lord Clarendon, as one of the boldeſt actions in the Life of that amazing man[citation 8]; and it is no diminution to the bravery of Lilburne’s ſpirit, that, after a conflict ſuſtained for ſeveral years with unabated, tho’ unavailing, hardineſs, he was flung at laſt by that matchleſs trickſter, Huic uni forſan ſuccumbere natus.
have ſent you this letter unſealed by this bearer, Mr Hunt (who very much honours you), of purpoſe to make ſome additions to it, and to leave you (as my laſt to you) without all excuſe in caſe you ſleight this, as you have done all my often former addreſſes to you, and I ſhall reſt,
SIR,
|
From the place of my ſtanding century, in my watchtower at the Tower of London, this 13th of Auguſt, 1647. |
your true univerſal friend, as I have formerly been, when you will manifeſt your ſelfe to be leſſe for your own tottering greatneſſe, and more for diſtributive juſtice, and the common not factious good of your poor native country, |
JOHN LILBURNE,
That neither loves baſeneſſe nor fears greatneſſe.’
The forementioned paper here follows.
‘Lieutenant-General Cromwell’s family in the army.
Imprimis, Himſelf Lieutenant-general and Colonel of Horſe. 2dly, One of his own ſons Captain of the General’s Life-guard. 3dly, The other ſon Captain of a Troop of Horſe in Colonel Harriſon’s regiment, both, young, raw, and unexerciſed ſoldiers. 4thly, His brother-in-law, Deſborow, Colonel of the General’s regiment of Horſe. 5thly, His Son-in-law, Ireton, Commiſſary-general of the Horſe and Colonel of Horſe. 6thly, His brother, Ireton, Major-general of Horſe and Captain of a Troop of Horſe. 7thly, His Couſin Whaley, Colonel of Horſe. 8thly, And his brother, lately made Judge-advocate. And all theſe are the Lieutenant’s creatures at his beck and command; beſides his Cabinet Junto, which are principally Colonel Robert Hammond, Colonel Nathaniel Rich, Colonel Harriſon, and Scout-maſter general Watſon; and Commiſſary Staines, and Mrs Cromwell, are ſaid to be the Cabinet Junto for placing and diſplacing of Officers in the Tower of London, who, ’tis ſaid, have nominated Robert Spavin, the Lieutenant-general’s Man, their chiefe favouret, to be the Maſter of the Armory in the place of Mr Anthony Nichols, one of the eleven impeached members; ſo that it is evident and plain, that Lieutenant-general Cromwell’s chiefe deſign is not the good of the kingdom, and the promoting of univerſal and unbiaſſed juſtice, but the advancement of himſelfe and his own kindred and friends; which will undoubtedly deſtroy him if he ſpeedily look not very well about him. For the principal power of the kingdome being in his hands (not in the General’s nor the Agitators) all the grand oppreſſions, injuſtice, and delays in juſtice, will and muſt be laid upon his ſhoulders, ſeeing he has now power enough to help it, if he had a mind.—This Letter (ſays he) I cauſed to be delivered to Cromwell at Kingſton[citation 1].’
Citations
- ↑ (78) Letters annexed to our author’s Epiſtle to Sir Henry Martin in 1647, Letter 1.
- ↑ (79) This account was incloſed in his Letter to the Council of Agitators, as is here intimated; and in it he brought the State indebted to him the ſum of 800 pounds; whereas Mr Prynne, as is already obſerved, ſettled the balance againſt him to the value of 2200 pounds. Additional Plea to Mr Maynard, p. 5.
- ↑ (80) Ibid. Letter 2.
- ↑ (81) That is, to get himſelf into the State ſaddle. See the concluſion of this letter, wherein ſo much is plainly enough intimated.
- ↑ (82) His brother Robert, then a Colonel, was concerned together with a great part at leaſt of his regiment in this affair at Newmarket-heath. Ruſhworth, Vol. II. part iv. or Vol. VIII. p. 914 and 922. edit. 1721.
- ↑ (83) Mr Henry Martin, who was alſo a Colonel, as well as Chairman of the Committee in our author’s cauſe againſt the Houſe of Lords, apparently conſented and approved of this ſcheme, having, in anſwer to a letter of Lilburne’s to him on this occaſion, poſitively averred, that he had profered to make the report 20 times, but the Houſe would not hear him. Letter to the Agitators, p. 28.
- ↑ (84) On Nov. 17 this year, we have his name, Rich. Arnell, from our author, who afterwards charged it upon him as murder. Legal and Fundamental Liberties, in the introduction.
- ↑ (85) Hiſtory of the Rebellion, Vol. II. fol. edit.
[H H] Cromwell
