OLIVER CROMWELLPROTECTOR.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 395, 28 March 1908, Page 4

OLIVER CROMWELL—PROTECTOR.

[by J.W.B.]

Oliver Cromwell —Protector. Read before the Foxton Philosophical Society, Monday, March 23rd, 1908.

From untold ages the Teutonic people have had a standard, an ideal of living, such as no other people ever had. A simplicity of purpose and a method of hot blooded truth-say-ing that is superb ; and withal there must not be forgotten that which is quite peculiar to them and which points to the whole spirit of the people namely : the respect for, and almost the worship of, women —as of some superior being. That spirit of this people is Liberty and the love of Liberty; primarily for themselves and their families and ultimately for all mankind individually and collectively—an idealised form of sympathy and charity. Of this people were our own Saxon forefathers and they have handed down this same Liberty-love untarnished to the present day. Of this Liberty-love is the Magua-Chart: of this Libertylove is the old true knight-errant Chivalry of Northern Europe—which over-flowed Southward • of this Liberty-love was England’s blow on Spain and her Inquisitors. Again, the Petition of Rights is of this same Liberty-love. Much more then, of this Libertylove is Oliver Cromwell and his works.

The Prince of Liars ! ! Forsooth ! ! !

It is most significant to me that this paper is to be read on the anniversary of Ireland’s patron saint ! Surely there is no necessity for further comment. To resume.—lt is only when the Spirit and the Letter go hand in hand that there is clear seeing and visible progress. A country is unlike an individual only in this, that it has to be born, has to grow, mature and die innumerable times; and these lives further are not conterminus ; but overlap and intertwine as do lives of industries and arts which are being born and are dying every day.

Now these lives are phases that, may be, are born each during the maturity of the elder phases, and, growing, despite that phase blossoms to immediate maturity at its death, or yet be left through laggard growth a pulling child, to grow and mature as best it may. Or there may be two phases twin born, that contend, with the result always of the stronger winning.

Or again as here a younger phase has matured before the death of the elder—the one that’s effete ; they must meet and the vigour of the hot blood of the growing one for a while causes the other to givewwa r , through the dry habit of the people, who will follow the letter if the spirit fails—the truly effete phase will gain ascendancy at last before it perishes outright. Eet me compound this riddle. As the effete and as it happened Romish chivalry died in England with the war of the Roses, there was already a growing phase —an intelligence so to speak. This, which was also in opposition—as it had to be —to the atrophying Romish Church of that time—another dying phase, since dead—this growing phase was “ liberty of the People,” out of the people. This phase practically rendered the Romish one, lifeless in the time of Elizabeth, but there was an attempt at reviving with the Steuarts, at least there was with the first two, a time came of hypocrisy when the spirit of the people was at variance with its written history—the letter —when all libertylovers could see the danger of another encroachment by Rome. There was now this young phase; pulses bounding with the hot old Saxon blood of liberty-love. There was need of action, and action there was and sure.

M This atrophied old millstone about my neck must go”—and forthwith the nation set about making it go. It was “the war of belief against unbelief, the struggle of men intent on the real essence of things against men intent on the semblance of things.”—(Carlyle).

In all times of Stress there must be one man or all else fails. There was one man, that man was Cromwell.

There is no question that Oliver Cromwell was of good and noble birth and lineage, his ancestry including divers Knights, etc.—not of James created. He was of the same stock as Thos. Cromwell, Earl of Essex, of Henry VIII. time. This is mentioned for two reasons ; first, that being of noble extraction, all his natural bent would be towards his own class, showing that it was nothing in the shape of habit that made him a Puritan ; because he was, and to a certain, but happily less extent is referred to as “a rough Homespun boor, a brewer”—what tiro’ he were —and “.a man of no standing or. understanding, a low born fellow.” Cromwell was yet a very small child when James I. was made King. He was the only boy among six girls, but, perhaps luckily for England, was neither the eldest or the, youngest. Oliver was only five when James I. showed his hand in the then almost silent struggle between Protestantism and Romanism, between mental and then even physical liberty and bondage, in bis saying that he’d clear them —the Puritans —out of the country. Only eleven years old when Henry of Navarre, the

Protestant champion was mur dered.

In fact he was nurtured in an atmosphere of struggle of which these are but pointers ; such events impressed his mind, though at the time, may be, almost unheeded, yet there till death : putting his mind through a fire (opposite pullings) and cleansing his unborn doubts and habits till there was, as we now know, the mind of gold. Fatherless at eighteen, he assumed his worldly responsibilities early, one year’s schooling being eminently sufficient for the future champion of liberty. Married at 2i, as all men should be, with then further responsibilities ; an avowed Puritan consorting with Puritans at 25 ; a farmer and justice of the peace ; member for bis district in Parliament where at 29 years of age he helps on the Petition of Rights. That year, r 628, was what made the Revolution. The. consistent perfidiousuess of Charles had roused the people to a sense of what they must expect from him, aud he did his best for the next eleven years to act up to that expectation, by continued deceits and sharp practices. During which time we see all the pitifulness of the dying hypocritical—letter v, spirit—old ‘ 1 royalty, ’ ’ and the frantic struggle it would have with the unripe youth “Puritan” who would be in another 70 years England’s libreator.

We can well see our future Protector in his grey stockings and knickerbockers tramping stalwaitly over his swampy land mustering his cattle and sheep, or chopping his firewood or calling his Dick to do this or that. We can see his neighbours coming to him to settle their disputes, and we know the}' were settled if he set his hand to it; we ran see him gaining the of all in his district, and of all those with whom he came in contact, till as ‘ ‘ Lord of the Fens ’ ’ he had gained his title to the tine nobility, those in whom worth is lecognised by all, of whom how few there arc. We can yet again see him with the little maids of whom he afterwards writes so affectionately, this stern, quiet man, who would he respected and feared so by his neighbours, yet would surely get his hair pulled by those same little maids when he sat by his fire and maybe sadly thought of the way England was rushing Hellwards. What a picture too Warwick, member forßadnor, gives us: “how he perceived a gentleman speaking whom he knew not, very ordinarily apparelled, for it was a plain cloth suit which seemed to have been made by an ill country tailor, his linen was plain and was not very clean, and I remember a speck or two of blood upon his little band. His stature was of a good size, his sword stuck close to his side, his countenance swollen and reddish, his voice sharp and unvenerable, and his eloquence full of fervour—this gentleman was much harkened unto.” Yes! He was much harkened to despite his rustic appearance.

Then followed the long Parliament after a period of disruption and striving on the part of the King to get his will by any means ; on the people’s part to get justice ; the seeking of that liberty-love; and in ’42 the bursting of the civil war.

Cromwell acts without hesitation ; throws in his lot with his party ; lends money for the carrying out of it all, without any prospect of regaining any ; seizes the Cambridge magazine; that’s for Parliament. In September, ’42, we find Oliver captain ; in March, ’43, he is colonel. This man of 44 years old is worth his place. In ’43, there is war in the S.W., and in Yorkshire, but where Oliver is in charge no Royalist will show his face.

There is no hint of a hope that the struggle will be over early, but Cromwell does just what comes to hand in the best and most genuine manner as the honest man he is.

His always request : “ Pray, raise honest godly men, and I will have them of my regiment” ; and he prefers horse to foot, like any honest Boer (that is farmer). His great opportunity comes now, when his men and his method are to be proved. His are the men who are disciplined and righteous ; “not a man swears,” even that, “ but he pays his twelve pence.” As Carlile says: “They were men that had the fear of God ; and gradually lost all other fear : truty, they were never beaten at all.”

In the early part of ’44, Cromwell is laeut.-General, marching north to join the Scots and Fairfax. The King is met at Marston Moor, and solely on account of Cromwell’s division the victory rests with the Puritans.

[TO be continued.]