347 hope the people's cause, which, with such blood and expence, had bene asserted, should not utterly be overthrowne. To this the gentleman gave many strong reasons, why that family could not be restor'd, without the ruine of the people's liberty and of all their champions, and thought that these carried so much .force with them, that it would never be attempted, even by any royallist that retein'd any love to his country, and .that the establishing this single person would satisfie that faction, and compose all the differences, bringing in all of all parties that were men of interest and love to their country. Although the busiilesse was very speciously lay'd, and the man such a one whose authority was sufficient to sway in any state, the collonell was not much opiniated of the things he propounded, but willing to waite the event; being in himselfe more perswaded that the people's freedome would be best maintain'd in a free republick, deliver'd from the shackles of their encroaching slaves the army.' This was now not mutter'd, but openly asserted by all but the army: although of those who contended for it, there were two sorts; some that really thought it the most conclucible to the people's good and freedome; others that, by this pretence, hoped to pull downe the army and the protectorian faction, and then restore . the old famely. It is believ'cl that Richard himselfe was compounded with, to have rcsign'd the place that was too greate for him; ccrteinc it is that his poore spirilt was likely enough to doe any such thing. The army perceiving they had sett up a wretch who durst not reignc, that there was a convention mett, by 1.: The mention or this political discussion without the name of the principal speaker in it, 11aturally awakes c-uriosity and ·excites to conjecture. Th~ judicious writer of the critique on this work in the Annual Review, combines this with a passage at p. SSS, and supposes the secret there referred to, and which endeavours were in vain used to draw from Mrs . Hutchinson, to be the same thing as is here hinted at: it is highly probable that it is so; and as no evil could now result from a discovery, the editor has taken pains to effect one, he believes with success-though when the grounds of his conjecture arc laid before the reader, he will judge for himself.
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