79 sway'd by his owne iudgement and reason to the parliament, he, thinking he 1md no warrantable call, at that time, to doe aniething more, contented himselle with p'raying for peace. At that time Mr. Henry lreton was in the country, and being a kinsman of Mr. Hutchinson's, and one that had receiv'd so much advantage to himselfe and his famely in the country by Sr. Thomas Hutchinson's countenance and protection, that he seem'd a kind of dependant upon him, being besides a very grave, serious, religious, person; there was a greate league of kindnesse and good will betweene them.' Mr. Ireton being very active in promoting the parliament, t As it will be seen in the sequel that Mr. Hutchinson reposed a very great confidei)CC in lreton, and even allowed to the informHtion be rece ived from him such weight in f0rming his judgment as he did to that of no one else, it may be well to ex<~mine 'how f~1r the one was deserving, and the other d iscerning, in this. The question will be probably decid ~d to general J'atisfaction upon the testimony of VVhitelock and Ludlow, men of very different dispositions, but both of great good :5ense and knowledge of their subject. V\' hitclock, in speak ing of some 1:eforms pro· posed iu the election and composition of the house of commons, says, u Ireton was u chieAy employed in them, having learned some grounds of law, and having a labo... ' ' rious and working brain and fancy." "'\i\Then he comes to speak of the reforms of the law which lreton likewise meditated, he says, " he was a man full of invention "and industry, who had a little knowledge of the law, which led him into tl~e more u e rrors." But when by hi s death the jealousy lest he should bring about those re· forms which "'\~' hitelock, and most of the lawyers, were averse to, had <;eased, he says of him, page 5 L6, "this gentleman was a person ve ry active, industrious, and stiff in u hi s ways and purposes; he wns of good abilities for council as well as action, made "much use of his pen, and was very fOrward to refOrm the proceedings in law, tr wherein his having been bred a lawyer was a great help to him. He was stout in u the fi eld, and wnry and prudent in councils; exceedingly forward as to the business u of a commonwealth. Cromwell had a great opinion of him, and no man could H prevail so much, nor order him so far, as lretou could." But Ludlow, who viewed him more constantl y and closely in n post of great power and temptation, that of deputy of Ireland, being himself next in command to him, gives the following account of his conduct in one instance, which will ren~er all others supP.rfluous. u The parliart ment also orde red an act to be brought in for settliug two thousand per annum on 0
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