532 The HIS T 0 R Y of the PuRITANS. VoL. IT. Intercalling a new parliament to mee t April 2 5, I 66o, the candidates for R•g6um, which were to declare under their hands, that the war agail?fl the late king .__;~ was juft and !au!ful; and alf who had aJ!!fle~ in any war againfl the pa,rli– ~· Chr. p. am_mt jince January I, I 64 r, they L a~d thetr .fons were made incapable if 85. bemg elected, unlefs they ha~ jince mhnijejled thetr good qffeClion to the par– lzament. They then appomt~!d a new council if )late, contit1ing of thirty one perfons to take care of the government ; and ditiolved themfelves March 16, after they had fat, with fundry intermiffions, nineteen years, four months, and thirteen days. Cbaratler if We are now come to the dawn of the refl:oration, of which general general MoNK has had the reputation of being the chief inlhument. This Monk. gentleman was fon of Sir 'Thomas Mouk of Potheridge in Devonjhire, and ferved the king in the wars for fome years, but being taken prifoner he ch anged fides and acted for the parliament. He afterwards ferved 0. Crom– well, and was by him left commander in chief of the forces in Scotland, from whence he now marched into England to refl:ore the parliament. Lord Clarendon and Eachard fay, " he was of a referved nature, of deep " thoughts, and of few words ; and wha t he wanted in fine elocution cc he h ad in fou nd judgment. That he had a nat~1ral fecrecy in him, '' prevalent upon all his qualifications of a foldier; a fl:rong body, a mind " not ealily difordered, an in yincible courage, and a fedate and uniform " contempt of death, without any frenzy of fanaticifm or fuperfl:itio n, " to turn his head." This is the language of flattery. Others have fet him forth in a very different light; they admit, that he w2.s bold and enterprizing, but had nothing of the gentleman, nor any depth of con– trivance; that he was perpetually wavering, and betrayed all whom he ferved but Cromwel!. Ludlow fays, he was a man of a covetous temper, and of no principles; of a vicious life and fcandalous converfation. Fa– ther Orleans fays, that he was a man of flow underfl:anding. And Whitlock reports, that the french ambaflador fa id, he had neither fenfe nor breeding. The truth is, he had a cloudy head, and in no action of his life di(covered a quick or fine genius. ln the latter part of life he was fordidly covetous, and funk into mofl: of the vices of the times. No Wclw. · Mem. p. 117, &c, man ever went beyond him in diilimt.lation and fal fhood, as appears in this very affair of the king's refl:oration. He took the a/juration oath once under Oliver; and again this very year, whereby he renounced the title of Cbarles Stuart, and [wore to be true to the coinmomvealth, without a .fngle perjon or bovfe if lords. And yet in his firfl: melfage to the king by Sir John GreewJi!le, he aifures his majefl:y, that his !.Jeart had been ever fizithji.tl to him, though he had not qeen in a condition to firve him Hi!l:.Stuarts, till now. When he came with his army to London, he alfureJ the rump P· 459· parliament of his chearful obedience to all their commands, and defired - · ilicm ·.
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