70 The LIFE of the reproach the Miniftry, and the Souldiers favour them, I drew up a Petition for theMiniftry, and got many thoufandHands to it in WorceJterfhire, and Mr. no. Fo- ley, and Coll. Jobn Bridgit prefented it ; and the Houfe gave a kind and promi- frng Anfwer to it, which increafed the Sectaries Dipleafure againft them, And when a certain Quaker wrote a reviling Cenfure of this Petition, I wrote a De- fence of ir, and caufed one of them to be given each Parliament Man at theDoor; and within one day afterthey were diffolved: For Cromwellimpatient of any more delay, fuddenly took. Harrifon and force Souldiers with hisn (es if God had im- pelledhim) andas in a Rapture went into the Houfe, and reproveth the Members for their Faults, and pointing to Vane, calls him a Juglar, and toHenry Martin, and calls himWhoremafter, and having two fuch to inflance in, taketh it for granted that they were all unfit to continue in the Government of the Commonwealth; and out he turneth them : Andfo ended the Government ofthe Rump, and no fore of People expreffed any great Offence that they were calf out, though all, Pave `lre Se&aries and the Army almoft, did take him to be a Traitor thatdid it. 5 e r ;, The young Commonwealth beingalready Headlefs, you might think that nothing was left tohand between Cromwell and the Crown : For a Governor there snuff be, and who fhould be thought fitter? But yet there was another Pageant to be played, which had a double end: r. To make the Neceflìtyof his Govern- ing undeniable. And z. To make his own Souldiers at lait out of love with Democracie ; or at leali to make them hateful that adhered to it. A Parliament mitt be called, but the ungodly People are not to be trailed with the choice ; therefore the Souldiers, as more religious, mutt be the Choofers : And two out ofa County are chofen by the Officers upon the Adviceof their Se&arian Friends in Else Country. This was called in Contempt, The Little Parliament. This Conventicle made an A& ( as I remember ) that Magiftrates Ihould marry. People inflead of Minifters, (yet not prohibiting theMinifters to do their part) : And then they carne to the Bufines ofTythes and Minifters ; and before this, Har- r f n, being authorized thereto, had at once put down all the Parifh-Ministers of Wale,, becaufe that ntoft of themwere ignorant and fcandalous, and had fet up a few itinerant Preachers in their Read, who were for Number incompetent for fo great a Charge, there being butone to many of thofe wide Parifhes;, fo that the People having but a Sermon once in many Weeks, and nothing'elfe in themean time, were ready to turnPapilts or any thing : And this Plight would the Anabap- tiffs, and other Sectaries havebrought England to : And all was, a. That the Peo. pie might not be tempted to think the Parifh-Churches to be true Churches : a. Nor Infant Baptifmto bdtrue Baptifn, and fo themfelves to be true Chriftians ; butmutt bemade Chrifilans and Churchesin the Anabaptiffsand Separatiftsway. Hereupon Harrijn became the Head of the Se&aries, andCromwell now began to'defign the headingof a foberer Party, that were for Learning and Miniftry ; butyet to be the equal Protedkor ofall : Hereupon in the Little Se&arian Parliament, it was put to the Vote, whether all the Parifh Miniftersof England Ihould at once be put down or no? And it was but accidentally carried in the negative by twoVoices : And it was taken for granted, that the Tythes and Univerfities would at the next Oppor- tunity be voted down; and now Cromwell muffbe their Saviour, or they mutt pe- rilh ; whets he had purpofely call them into the Pit, that they might be beholden tohim to pull themout. (But his Game was fo grofly play'd, as made him the mom loath'd by Men ofUrtderftanding andSincerity) So Sir C.W.and force others of them take their time, and put it to the Vote whether the Houleas uncapable of furring the Commonwealth, Ihould goand deliver up their Power to Cromwell from whom they had received it ; and they carriedit in the Affirmative, and away they go, and folemnly refign their Power to him; and now who but Cromwell and his Army. 4 r rq. The intelligent Sort by this time did fully fee that Cromwell's defign was, by caufing and permitting deftruetion to hang over us, to neceflitate the Nation whether they would or not, to take him for their Governour , that he might be their Prote&or: Being refolved that we Ihould-be fared by him, or perifh : He made more ufè of the wild headed Se&aries than barely to fagot for him : They now ferve him as much 'by their Heretics, their Enmity to Learningand Miniftry, their pernicious Demands which tended to Confufion, as they had done before by their Valour in the Field. He can now conjure up at pleafure force terrible appa- rition, of Agitators, Levellers, or filch like, whoas they affrighted the King from Hampton- Coúrt, (hall affright the People to fly to him for refuge that thehand that wounded them may heal them. For now he exclaimeth again(} the giddinefs of thefe
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