_Born 1599. Lord Protector 1653. Died 1658._
By CLARENDON.
Crumwell (though the greatest Dissembler livinge) alwayes made his
hypocrisy of singular use and benefitt to him, and never did any
thinge, how ungratious or imprudent soever it seemed to be, but what
was necessary to the designe; even his roughnesse and unpolishednesse
which in the beginninge of the Parliament he affected, contrary to
the smoothnesse and complacency which his Cozen and bosome frende
M'r Hambden practiced towards all men, was necessary, and his first
publique declaration in the beginninge of the Warr, to his troope when
it was first mustered,--that he would not deceave or cozen them by
the perplexed and involved exspressions in his Commissyon to fight for
Kinge and Parliament, and therfore told them that if the Kinge chanced
to be in the body of the enimy that he was to charge, he woulde as
soone discharge his pistoll upon him, as at any other private person,
and if ther conscience would not permitt them to do the like, he
advized them not to list themselves in his troope or under his
commaunde,--which was generally looked upon, as imprudent and
malicious, and might by the professyons the Parliament then made,
have prooved daungerous to him, yett served his turne, and severed and
united all the furious and incensed men against the goverment, whether
Ecclesiasticall or Civill, to looke upon him as a man for ther turne,
and upon whome they might depende, as one who would go through his
worke that he undertooke; and his stricte and unsociable humour in not
keepinge company with the other officers of the Army in ther jollityes
and excesses, to which most of the superiour officers under the Earle
of Essex were inclined, and by which he often made himselfe ridiculous
or contemptible, drew all those of the like sowre or reserved natures
to his society and conversation, and gave him opportunity to forme
ther understandings, inclinations, and resolutions to his owne modell;
and by this he grew to have a wounderfull interest in the Common
souldyers, out of which, as his authority increased, he made all
his Officers, well instructed how to lyve in the same manner with
ther Souldyers, that they might be able to apply them to ther owne
purposes. Whilst he looked upon the Presbiterian humour as the best
incentive to rebellion, no man more a Presbiterian, he sunge all
Psalmes with them to ther tunes, and looved the longest sermons as
much as they: but when he discover'd, that they would prescribe some
limitts and bounds to ther rebellion, that it was not well breathed,
and would expyre as soone as some few particulars were granted to them
in religion which he cared not for, and then that the goverment must
runn still in the same channell, it concerned him to make it believed,
that the State had bene more Delinquent, then the Church, and that the
people suffer'd more by the civill, then by the Ecclesiasticall power,
and therfore that the change of one would give them little ease, if
ther were not as greate an alteration in the other, and if the whole
goverment in both were not reformed and altred; which though it made
him generally odious and irreconciled many of his old frends to him,
yett it made those who remayned more cordiall and firme to him, and
he could better compute his owne strengtht, and upon whome he might
depende; and this discovery made him contryve the Modell, which was
the most unpopular acte, and disoblieged all those who first contryved
the rebellyon, and who were the very soule of it; and yett if he had
not brought that to passe and chaunged a Generall, who though not very
sharpesighted would never be governed, nor applyed to any thinge he
did not like, for another who had no eyes, and so would be willinge to
be ledd, all his designes must have come to nothinge, and he remayned
a private Collonell of horse, not considerable enough to be in any
figure upon an advantagious composition.
36.
By CLARENDON.
He was one of those men, quos vituperare ne inimici quidem possunt,
nisi ut simul laudent, for he could never have done halfe that
mischieve, without greate partes of courage and industry and
judgement, and he must have had a wounderfull understandinge in the
natures and humours of men, and as greate a dexterity in the applyinge
them, who from a private and obscure birth, (though of a good family)
without interest of estate, allyance or frendshipps, could rayse
himselfe to such a height, and compounde and kneade such opposite and
contradictory tempers humour and interests, into a consistence, that
contributed to his designes and to ther owne destruction, whilst
himselfe grew insensibly powerfull enough, to cutt off those by whome
he had climed, in the instant, that they projected to demolish ther
owne buildinge. What Velleius Paterculus sayd of Cinna, may very
justly be sayd of him, Ausum eum quæ nemo auderet bonus, perfecisse
quæ a nullo nisi fortissimo perfici possunt. Without doubte, no man
with more wickednesse ever attempted any thinge, or brought to passe
what he desyred more wickedly, more in the face and contempt of
religion and morall honesty, yet wickednesse as greate as his could
never have accomplish'd those trophees without the assistance of a
greate spiritt, an admirable circumspection and sagacity, and a most
magnanimous resolution. When he appeared first in the Parliament
he seemed to have a person in no degree gratious, no ornament of
discource, none of those talents which use to reconcile the affections
of the standers by, yett as he grew into place and authority, his
partes seemed to be renew[d], as if he had concealed facultyes till
he had occasion to use them; and when he was to acte the parte of
a greate man, he did it without any indecensy through the wante of
custome....
He was not a man of bloode, and totally declined Machiavells methode,
which prescribes upon any alteration of a goverment, as a thinge
absolutely necessary, to cutt of all the heades of those and extirpate
ther familyes, who are frends to the old, and it was confidently
reported that in the Councell of Officers, it was more then once
proposed, that ther might be a generall massacre of all the royall
party, as the only exspedient to secure the goverment, but Crumwell
would never consent to it, it may be out of to much contempt of his
enimyes; In a worde, as he had all the wickednesses against which
damnation is denounced and for which Hell fyre is præpared, so he had
some virtues, which have caused the memory of some men in all ages to
be celebrated, and he will be looked upon by posterity, as a brave,
badd man.
37.
By SIR PHILIP WARWICK.
I have no mind to give an ill character of Cromwell; for in his
conversation towards me he was ever friendly; tho' at the latter end
of the day finding me ever incorrigible, and having some inducements
to suspect me a tamperer, he was sufficiently rigid. The first time,
that ever I took notice of him, was in the very beginning of the
Parliament held in November 1640, when I vainly thought my selfe a
courtly young Gentleman: (for we Courtiers valued our selves much
upon our good cloaths.) I came one morning into the House well clad,
and perceived a Gentleman speaking (whom I knew not) very ordinarily
apparelled; for it was a plain cloth-sute, which seemed to have bin
made by an ill country-taylor; his linen was plain, and not very
clean; and I remember a speck or two of blood upon his little band,
which was not much larger than his collar; his hatt was without a
hatt-band: his stature was of a good size, his sword stuck close
to his side, his countenance swoln and reddish, his voice sharp and
untunable, and his eloquence full of fervor; for the subject matter
would not bear much of reason; it being in behalfe of a servant of Mr.
Prynn's, who had disperst libells against the Queen for her dancing
and such like innocent and courtly sports; and he aggravated the
imprisonment of this man by the Council-Table unto that height, that
one would have beleived, the very Goverment it selfe had been in great
danger by it. I sincerely professe it lessened much my reverence unto
that great councill; for he was very much hearkened unto. And yet I
liv'd to see this very Gentleman, whom out of no ill will to him I
thus describe, by multiplied good successes, and by reall (but usurpt)
power: (having had a better taylor, and more converse among good
company) in my owne eye, when for six weeks together I was a prisoner
in his serjeant's hands, and dayly waited at Whitehall, appeare of a
great and majestick deportment and comely presence. Of him therefore
I will say no more, but that verily I beleive, he was extraordinarily
designed for those extraordinary things, which one while most wickedly
and facinorously he acted, and at another as succesfully and greatly
performed.
38.
By JOHN MAIDSTON.
His body was wel compact and strong, his stature under 6 foote (I
beleeve about two inches) his head so shaped, as you might see it
a storehouse and shop both of a vast treasury of natural parts. His
temper exceeding fyery, as I have known, but the flame of it kept
downe, for the most part, or soon allayed with thos moral endowments
he had. He was naturally compassionate towards objects in distresse,
even to an effeminate measure; though God had made him a heart,
wherein was left little roume for any fear, but what was due to
himselfe, of which there was a large proportion, yet did he exceed in
tendernesse towards sufferers. A larger soul, I thinke, hath seldome
dwelt in a house of clay than his was. I do believe, if his story were
impartialy transmitted, and the unprejudiced world wel possest with
it, she would adde him to her nine worthies, and make up that number
a decemviri. He lived and dyed in comfortable communion with God, as
judicious persons neer him wel observed. He was that Mordecai that
sought the welfare of his people, and spake peace to his seed, yet
were his temptations such, as it appeared frequently, that he, that
hath grace enough for many men, may have too little for himselfe;
the treasure he had being but in an earthen vessel, and that equally
defiled with original sin, as any other man's nature is.
39.