the house with some officers and a file of musketeers, on the 20th of April, 1653, and without any ceremony told the members, that he came to put an end to their power, of which they had made an ill use, and that they must depart immediately.

"In this manner, did Cromwell, without the least opposition, or even murmur, annihilate that famous assembly, which had filled all Europe with the renown of its actions, and with astonishment at its crimes; and whose commencement was not more ardently desired by the people, than was its final dissolution."

The parliament being thus dissolved, the sovereign power was necessarily to be lodged somewhere; and Cromwell might have taken it into his own hands by the same authority as he dissolved the parliament. But it was not time yet to put his plan into execution. Cromwell brought his council of officers to a resolution, that one hundred and forty-four persons should be entrusted with the sovereign power, and be nominated by himself. At the same time that he displayed his abilities in the choice of these persons, he seemed that he had a design in view, which, though then concealed, would in time discover

• Warner's Eccles. Hist. of England. vol. ii, p. 582.

+ See a list of the persons in Dugdale's View of the Troubles in England, pp. 406--409.

itself. These persons selected to be set at the helm of the state, were no politicians, and were mostly of low and obscure birth, with no particular merit, and no experience in affairs.* Cromwell could foresee that such characters would soon grow tired, and find themselves obliged to place the government in his hands. And so every thing succeeded as he expected. This singular parliament was called in contempt Barebone's parliament, from a leatherseller of that name, † who was one of the most active members. Lord Clarendon says, that the members of this parliament "were generally a pack of weak senseless fellows, fit only to bring the name and reputation of parliaments lower than it was yet."

Having voted themselves to be called the Par

"Of these,” says Dugdale, "many were illiterate and of mean condition, divers fanatic sectaries, and of that kind the most busy and mischievous; yet here and there mixt with confiding men, and such whose interest was firmly twisted with Cromwell." View of the Troubles in England, p. 409.

+ There were three brothers of the family of the Barebones, each of whom had a sentence for his name, viz. Praise God Barebone. Christ came into the world to save Barebone. And if Christ had not died, thou hadst been damned Barebone. In this style were the christian names of very many persons formed during the Rebellion and Interregnum. It was said that the genealogy of Jesus Christ might be learnt from the names of Cromwell's regiments; and that the muster master used no other list than the 1st chap. of St. Matthew. See Granger's Hist. of England, vol. iii, p. 68. Dr. Grey's Exam, of Neal, pp. 286, 287. Neal's Hist. of the Puritans, vol. iv, pp. 72, 73.

Hist. of the Rebellion, vol. iii, b. 14, p. 482.

liament of England, "they vigorously fell to work for a thorough reformation, dreaming of nothing less, than that Jesus Christ must shortly reign with them here on earth. To prepare the way therefore to his personal coming, they considered of abolishing the ministerial function, as savouring, in their opinion, of popery. Likewise for the taking away of tithes, as the relics of judaism. Also to abrogate the old English laws, as badges of conquest and Norman slavery. And lastly to suppress the Universities, and all schools for learning, as heathenish and unnecessary, with all titles of honour and distinctions, as not agreeable to christianity. All which they had, without question, soon effected, but that some few of them, of better judgments, gave a stop to their frenzy."*

The noble historian gives us the following account of this parliament of Cromwell's nomination: "These men thus brought together continued in this capacity near six months, to the amazement, and even mirth of the people. In which time they never entered into any grave and serious debate, that might tend to any settlement, but generally expressed great sharpness and animosity against the clergy, and against all learning, out of

*

Dugdale's View of the Troubles in England, p. 409.

which they thought the clergy had grown, and still would grow. There were now no bishops for them to be angry with: they had already reduced all that order to the lowest distress. But their quarrel was against all who had called themselves ministers, and who, by being so called, received tithes and respect from their neighbours. They looked upon the function itself to be antichristian, and the persons to be burdensome to the people; and the requiring, and payment of tithes, to be absolute judaism, and they thought fit that they should be abolished together. And that there might not for the time to come be any race of people who might revive those pretences, they proposed, that all lands belonging to the universities, and colleges in those universities, might be sold, and the monies that should arise thereby, be disposed for the public service, and to ease the people from the payment of taxes and contributions." *

After a session of nearly six months, little or nothing had been done, besides establishing the legal solemnization of marriage by the civil magistrate, on the 12th of December, 1653.

* Hist. of the Rebellion, vol. iii, b. 14, p. 484.

Neal, Harris, and some others say, that no such proposals were made in this parliament; but the authority of such men as Dugdale, Clarendon, and Mr. Eachard, is so respectable, that it is unjust to tax them with falsehoods.

Some of them, who were in Cromwell's secret, rose up, and said that men of their abilities were not equal to the weight of government; and therefore proposed a dissolution of themselves, and a re-delivery of their authority into the hands from which they had it. This motion was no sooner made, than approved and executed. Cromwell and his council of officers were no sooner invested with the sovereign power, than they planned a new form of government. The supreme authority should be placed in Cromwell, who should have the title of Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, and should be assisted by a council of one and twenty persons. The protector was installed with great magnificence, not much inferior to a coronation, on the 16th of December, 1653.

In the instrument of government drawn by the council of officers, when Cromwell was invested with the protectorship, we find the following articles respecting religion: viz. "That the christian religion, contained in the Scriptures, be held forth and recommended as the public profession of these nations; that as soon as may be, a provision less subject to contention and more certain than the present, be made for the maintenance of ministers; and that till such provision be made, the present maintenance continues. That none be compelled to conform to the public religion by

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