Page:Trenchard Tracts 074-124.djvu/14

 order thereto purged the Houe, as they called it, that is, placed Guards upon them, and excluded all Members that were for agreeing with the King; and then cut off his Head.

After this they let the Parliament govern for five Years, who made their Name famous thro' the whole Earth, conquered their Enemies in England, Scotland and Ireland; reduced the Kingdom of Portugal to their own Terms; recovered our Reputation at Sea; overcame the Dutch in everal famous Battles, ecured our Trade and managed the public Expences with o much frugality, that no Etates were gained by private Men upon the public Mieries; and at lat were paing an Act for their own Diolution, and ettling the Nation in a free and impartial Commonwealth; of which the Army being afraid, thought it neceary to diolve them, and accordingly Cromwel next Day called two Files of Muqueteers into the Houe, and pulled the Speaker out of the Chair, behaving himelf like a Madman, vilifying the Members, and calling one a Whoremater, another a Drunkard, bidding the Soldiers take away that Fool's bauble the Mace; and o good-night to the Parliament.

When they had done this Act of violence, the Council of Officers et up a new form of Government, and choe a certain number of Perons out of every County and City of England, Scotland and Ireland: and thee they inveted with the Supreme Power, but oon after expelled them, and then Cromwel et up himelf, and framed a new Intrument of Government by a Protector and a Houe of Commons, in puruance of which he called a Parliament. But they not anwering his Expectations, he excluded all that would not ubcribe his Intrument; and thoe that remained, not proving for his Purpoe neither, he diolved them with a great deal of opprobrious Language. He then divided England into everal Ditricts or Diviions, and placed Major Generals or Intendants over them, who governed like o many Bahaws, decimating the Cavaliers, and raiing Taxes at their Pleaure. Then forooth he had a mind to make himelf King, and called another Parliament to that purpoe, after his uual manner ecluding uch Members as he did not like. To this Aembly he offered another