e　not　forgive　him？　　Can　we　not　understand　him？　　John　Milton；　who　looked　on　it　all　near　at　hand；　could　applaud　him。　　The　Reality　had　swept　the　Formulas　away　before　it。　　I　fancy；　most　men　who　were　realities　in　England　might　see　into　the　necessity　of　that。
  The　strong　daring　man；　therefore；　has　set　all　manner　of　Formulas　and　logical　superficialities　against　him；　has　dared　appeal　to　the　genuine　Fact　of　this　England；　Whether　it　will　support　him　or　not？　　It　is　curious　to　see　how　he　struggles　to　govern　in　some　constitutional　way；　find　some　Parliament　to　support　him；　but　cannot。　　His　first　Parliament；　the　one　they　call　Barebones's　Parliament；　is；　so　to　speak；　a　_Convocation　of　the　Notables_。　From　all　quarters　of　England　the　leading　Ministers　and　chief　Puritan　Officials　nominate　the　men　most　distinguished　by　religious　reputation；　influence　and　attachment　to　the　true　Cause：　　these　are　assembled　to　shape　out　a　plan。　　They　sanctioned　what　was　past；　shaped　as　they　could　what　was　to　come。　　They　were　scornfully　called　_Barebones's　Parliament_：　　the　man's　name；　it　seems；　was　not　_Barebones_；　but　Barbone；a　good　enough　man。　　Nor　was　it　a　jest；　their　work；　it　was　a　most　serious　reality；a　trial　on　the　part　of　these　Puritan　Notables　how　far　the　Law　of　Christ　could　become　the　Law　of　this　England。　　There　were　men　of　sense　among　them；　men　of　some　quality；　men　of　deep　piety　I　suppose　the　most　of　them　were。　　They　failed；　it　seems；　and　broke　down；　endeavoring　to　reform　the　Court　of　Chancery！　They　dissolved　themselves；　as　incompetent；　delivered　up　their　power　again　into　the　hands　of　the　Lord　General　Cromwell；　to　do　with　it　what　he　liked　and　could。
  What　_will_　he　do　with　it？　　The　Lord　General　Cromwell；　〃Commander…in…chief　of　all　the　Forces　raised　and　to　be　raised；〃　he　hereby　sees　himself；　at　this　unexampled　juncture；　as　it　were　the　one　available　Authority　left　in　England；　nothing　between　England　and　utter　Anarchy　but　him　alone。　　Such　is　the　undeniable　Fact　of　his　position　and　England's；　there　and　then。　　What　will　he　do　with　it？　　After　deliberation；　he　decides　that　he　will　_accept_　it；　will　formally；　with　public　solemnity；　say　and　vow　before　God　and　men；　〃Yes；　the　Fact　is　so；　and　I　will　do　the　best　I　can　with　it！〃　Protectorship；　Instrument　of　Government；these　are　the　external　forms　of　the　thing；　worked　out　and　sanctioned　as　they　could　in　the　circumstances　be；　by　the　Judges；　by　the　leading　Official　people；　〃Council　of　Officers　and　Persons　of　interest　in　the　Nation：〃　　and　as　for　the　thing　itself；　undeniably　enough；　at　the　pass　matters　had　now　come　to；　there　_was_　no　alternative　but　Anarchy　or　that。　　Puritan　England　might　accept　it　or　not；　but　Puritan　England　was；　in　real　truth；　saved　from　suicide　thereby！I　believe　the　Puritan　People　did；　in　an　inarticulate；　grumbling；　yet　on　the　whole　grateful　and　real　way；　accept　this　anomalous　act　of　Oliver's；　at　least；　he　and　they　together　made　it　good；　and　always　better　to　the　last。　But　in　their　Parliamentary　_articulate_　way；　they　had　their　difficulties；　and　never　knew　fully　what　to　say　to　it！
  Oliver's　second　Parliament；　properly　his　_first_　regular　Parliament；　chosen　by　the　rule　laid　down　in　the　Instrument　of　Government；　did　assemble；　and　worked；but　got；　before　long；　into　bottomless　questions　as　to　the　Protector's　_right_；　as　to　〃usurpation；〃　and　so　forth；　and　had　at　the　earliest　legal　day　to　be　dismissed。　　Cromwell's　concluding　Speech　to　these　men　is　a　remarkable　one。　　So　likewise　to　his　third　Parliament；　in　similar　rebuke　for　their　pedantries　and　obstinacies。　　Most　rude；　chaotic；　all　these　Speeches　are；　but　most　earnest…looking。　　You　would　say；　it　was　a　sincere　helpless　man；　not　used　to　_speak_　the　great　inorganic　thought　of　him；　but　to　act　it　rather！　　A　helplessness　of　utterance；　in　such　bursting　fulness　of　meaning。　　He　talks　much　about　〃births　of　Providence：〃　　All　these　changes；　so　many　victories　and　events；　were　not　forethoughts；　and　theatrical　contrivances　of　men；　of　_me_　or　of　men；　it　is　blind　blasphemers　that　will　persist　in　calling　them　so！　　He　insists　with　a　heavy　sulphurous　wrathful　emphasis　on　this。　　As　he　well　might。　　As　if　a　Cromwell　in　that　dark　huge　game　he　had　been　playing；　the　world　wholly　thrown　into　chaos　round　him；　had　_foreseen_　it　all；　and　played　it　all　off　like　a　precontrived　puppet…show　by　wood　and　wire！　　These　things　were　foreseen　by　no　man；　he　says；　no　man　could　tell　what　a　day　would　bring　forth：　　they　were　〃births　of　Providence；〃　God's　finger　guided　us　on；　and　we　came　at　last　to　clear　height　of　victory；　God's　Cause　triumphant　in　these　Nations；　and　you　as　a　Parliament　could　assemble　together；　and　say　in　what　manner　all　this　could　be　_organized_；　reduced　into　rational　feasibility　among　the　affairs　of　men。　　You　were　to　help　with　your　wise　counsel　in　doing　that。　　〃You　have　had　such　an　opportunity　as　no　Parliament　in　England　ever　had。〃　　Christ's　Law；　the　Right　and　True；　was　to　be　in　some　measure　made　the　Law　of　this　land。　　In　place　of　that；　you　have　got　into　your　idle　pedantries；　constitutionalities；　bottomless　cavillings　and　questionings　about　written　laws　for　my　coming　here；and　would　send　the　whole　matter　into　Chaos　again；　because　I　have　no　Notary's　parchment；　but　only　God's　voice　from　the　battle…whirlwind；　for　being　President　among　you！　That　opportunity　is　gone；　and　we　know　not　when　it　will　return。　　You　have　had　your　constitutional　Logic；　and　Mammon's　Law；　not　Christ's　Law；　rules　yet　in　this　land。　　〃God　be　judge　between　you　and　me！〃　　These　are　his　final　words　to　them：　　Take　you　your　constitution…formulas　in　your　hand；　and　I　my　informal　struggles；　purposes；　realities　and　acts；　and　〃God　be　judge　between　you　and　me！〃
  We　said　above　what　shapeless；　involved　chaotic　things　the　printed　Speeches　of　Cromwell　are。　　_Wilfully_　ambiguous；　unintelligible；　say　the　most：　　a　hypocrite　shrouding　himself　in　confused　Jesuitic　jargon！　　To　me　they　do　not　seem　so。　　I　will　say　rather；　they　afforded　the　first　glimpses　I　could　ever　get　into　the　reality　of　this　Cromwell；　nay　into　the　possibility　of　him。　Try　to　believe　that　he　means　something；　search　lovingly　what　that　may　be：　you　will　find　a　real　_speech_　lying　imprisoned　in　these　broken　rude　tortuous　utterances；　a　meaning　in　the　great　heart　of　this　inarticulate　man！　You　will；　for　thc　first　time；　begin　to　see　that　he　was　a　man；　not　an　enigmatic　chimera；　unintelligible　to　you；　incredible　to　you。　　The　Histories　and　Biographies　written　of　this　Cromwell；　written　in　shallow　sceptical　generations　that　could　not　know　or　conceive　of　a　deep　believing　man；　are　far　more　_obscure_　than　Cromwell's　Speeches。　　You　look　through　them　only　into　the　infinite　vague　of　Black　and　the　Inane。　　〃Heats　and　jealousies；〃　says　Lord　Clarendon　himself：　　〃heats　and　jealousies；〃　mere　crabbed　whims；　theories　and　crotchets；　these　induced　slow　sober　quiet　Englishmen　to　lay　down　their　ploughs　and　work；　and　fly　into　red　fury　of　confused　war　against　the　best…conditioned　of　Kings！　　_Try_　if　you　can　find　that　true。　Scepticism　writing　about　Belief　may　have　great　gifts；　but　it　is　really　_ultra　vires_　there。　　It　is　Blindness　laying　down　the　Laws　of　Optics。
  Cromwell's　third　Parliament　split　on　the　same　rock　as　his　second。　　Ever　the　constitutional　Formula：　　How　came　you　there？　　Show　us　some　Notary　parchment！　　Blind　pedants：〃Why；　surely　the　same　power　which　makes　you　a　Parliament；　that；　and　something　more；　made　me　a　Protector！〃　　If　my　Protectorship　is　nothing；　what　in　the　name　of　wonder　is　your　Parliamenteership；　a　reflex　and　creation　of　that？
  Parliaments　having　failed；　there　remained　nothing　but　the　way　of　Despotism。　Military　Dictators；　each　with　his　district；　to　_coerce_　the　Royalist　and　other　gainsayers；　to　govern　them；　if　not　by　act　of　Parliament；　then　by　the　sword。　　Formula　shall　_not_　carry　it；　while　the　Reality　is　here！　　I　will　go　on；　protecting　oppressed　Protestants　abroad；　appointing　just　judges；　wise　managers；　at　home；　cherishing　true　Gospel　ministers；　doing　the　best　I　can　to　make　England　a　Christian　England；　greater　than　old　Rome；　the　Queen　of　Protestant　Christianity；　I；　since　you　will　not　help　me；　I　while　God　leaves　me　life！Why　did　he　not　give　it　up；　retire　into　obscurity　again；　since　the　Law　would　not　acknowledge　him？　　cry　several。　　That　is　where　they　mistake。　For　him　there　was　no　giving　of　it　up！　　Prime　ministers　have　governed　countries；　Pitt；　Pombal；　Choiseul；　and　their　word　was　a　law　while　it　held：　but　this　Prime　Minister　was　one　that　_could　not　get　resigned_。　　Let　him　once　resign；　Charles　Stuart　and　the　Cavaliers　waited　to　kill　him；　to　kill　the　Cause　_and_　him。　　Once　embarked；　there　is　no　retreat；　no　return。　　This　Prime　Minister　could　_retire_　no…whither　except　into　his　tomb。
  One　is　sorry　for　Cromwell　in　his　old　days。　　His　complaint　is　incessant　of　the　heavy　burden　Providence　has　laid　on　him。　　Heavy；　which　he　must　bear　till　death。　　Old　Colonel　Hutchinson；　as　his　wife　relates　it；　Hutchinson；　his　old　battle…mate；　coming　to　see　him　on　some　indispensable　business；　much　against　his　will；Cromwell　〃follows　him　to　the　door；〃　in　a　most　fraternal；　domestic；　conciliatory　style；　begs　that　he　would　be　reconciled　to　him；　his　old　brother　in　arms；　says　how　much　it　grieves　him　to　be　misunderstood；　deserted　by　true　fellow…soldiers；　dear　to　him　from　of　old：　　the　rigorous　Hutchinson；　cased　in　his　Republican　fo