A Second Admonition to Edward Bagshaw, Part 2 · Section 17 – Section 19
Sect. 17. E. B. And of Cromwell himſelf (though he dyed in his ſinful Vſurpation,5th Crime, Calumniating inſinuation. without manifeſting any Repentance) you give this Saint-like Character in your Preface to the Army, The late Protector did prudently, &c.
R. B. 1. In that very Preface againſt the Army, this man might ſee ſuch words as theſe, reprehending the Armies rebellions and changes [The fabrication of an Inſtrument of Laws without a Parliament, and many other actions of theſe times, we doubt not but you will ere long repent of] (having inſtanced in their other changes before) and many Texts cited to them, in which their actions are condemned as heinous crimes. And [The beſt Governours in all the world that have the Supremacy, have been reſiſted or depoſed in England] (It was not then ſafe or neceſſary to Name all.) And [A Heathen perſecuting Nero muſt be obeyed, not only for wrath, but for conſcience ſake.] And among the changes which I reprehended, are— [Next this we had the Minor part of the Houſe of Commons in the exerciſe of Soveraign Power, the Corrupt Majority, as you call them, being left out: And by them we had the Government changed, Regality (It was then death to ſay, The King) and Houſe of Lords being caſt off.My word to the Army heretofore. Next this we had nothing viſible but a General and an Army: Next this we had all the whole Conſtitution and Liberties of the Commonwealth at once ſubverted; Certain men being called by the Name of a Parliament, and the Soveraign power pretended to be given them, that never were choſen by the people, but by we know not whom, (ſuch a fact as I never heard or read, that any King of England was guilty of, ſince Parliaments were known.) Next this we had a Protector governing according to an Inſtrument made by—God knows who. After this we had a Protector governing according to the Humble Petition and Advice, (and ſworn to both): And now we are wheeled about again.]
Reader, did this man read all this, and all the reſt that in that Book, eſpecially the Preface and Concluſion, I then wrote (in the bitterneſs of my ſoul) againſt the Army? and did he believe himſelf, or could he poſſibly believe himſelf, that I approved of the ſetting up of Cromwell to be Protector? If he do really believe himſelf, How unfit a man is this (who underſtands not humane language) to be the great refiner of the Church, and to pretend to be wiſer than the Old Non-conformiſts, &c.—If he do not believe himſelf, how unfit is he to ſeparate from us for our ſinfulneſs, or to be believed by the people whom he ſeduceth.
2. The words which he citeth, are only in a Parentheſis, concerning which take this true information. 1. Men uſed to diſtinguiſh between a Tyrant quoad jus, and a Tyrant quoad exercitium: And I ordinarily declared Cromwell a Tyrant quoad jus, that is, an Uſurper. 2. I never thought it laudable to belye any man whomſoever, nor to make his actions worſe than they are. I did not diſlike any good, becauſe Cromwell did it: I will not renounce God, or Chriſt, or Piety, becauſe that Cromwell profeſſedly owned them. All that was good in him, was not made bad (as to the nature of the thing) becauſe he did it. I never cenſured Sulpitius Severus, Beda, or any other Hiſtorians, for extolling the Chriſtian Piety of Maximus, while they call him a Tyrant, as to Title. I will not fall out with God, or Scripture, or Honeſty, becauſe that Cromwell did ſpeak well of them all. 3. Note, that I ſpake only of his Exerciſe of Government, and not of his Right, which I ſtill declared to be Null.—4. And I inſtanced what his Prudence was, (before) [His prudent ſhunning of Engagements,] that he put not upon us any Oaths or Promiſes of Allegiance to himſelf; For he knew that we would refuſe them, and thereby diſturb his peace. It is known unqueſtionably that Cromwell did many things that were (in their nature) very laudable. 5. And I mentioned this (not as a praiſe of him, but) as a Conviction of the Rebellious Army, who thought they might take down all Government, to ſet up themſelves, whom they could eaſilier believe to be good and godly, than any others: And whereas they pretended, that it was for ungodlineſs, that they pulled down their Superiours, I ſhewed them, that if they could not believe that the King was godly, nor the Parliament godly, nor the Minor part of the Parliament (called the Rump) godly, nor their Little Mock-Parliament godly, yet they ſhould not have ſo accuſed Cromwell, whom they cryed up, and ſet him up themſelves, and magnified ſo highly as they did. 6. And I meant this Commendation of ſome of his actions, as comparative only, and better than theirs that pulled down that which themſelves ſet up. 7. And yet, I thank you for calling me to review thoſe words, and do hereby declare, that I do take them to be unmeet (as ſpoken to the Army that then had greatly provoked me to grief) and that I unfeignedly Repent of them; that you may ſee I love not Impenitence in my ſelf, any more than in you: And I wiſh that they had not been written, being ſo lyable to ill effects; and it being unmeet too much to praiſe even the good that a Uſurper doth, leſt it take off the odium of his Uſurpation.
Sect. 18. E. B. Sir could you ſay all this of him then,13th & 14th falſhood. and do you think your partial friends can juſtifie you now, when you compare him to the Tyrant Maximus, and make him in effect to be nothing elſe, but a Murderous and a bloody Vſurper?
R. B. Here is two Falſhoods, one expreſſed, and the other implyed. 1. That expreſſed is, that I make him in effect to be nothing elſe but a Murderous, &c. when I never denyed any thing that was good in him; but have publickly, and in Print warned our Lawful Governours, that they tempt not the people to diſlike them, by undoing any good which he did. 2. The implyed falſhood, that I ſpeak worſe of him now, than I did heretofore. Whereas the truth is, that I ſpake in the time of his own Uſurpation I am confident twenty times againſt him, for once that I have ſpoken ſince his death: Not that I changed my opinion of him; but that it is ſo croſs to humane nature, to inſult over even malefactors in their ſufferings, eſpecially when we ſuffer with them (though by them) and when their adverſaries need no inſtigation, that I have not been able to judge it my duty, to ſpeak of that very evil, which I and others ſuffer by: But have been hardly put to it theſe eleven years, between the thoughts of open diſowning thoſe ſins of ſelf-exalting Vſurpers that have confounded us, and a lothneſs to encreaſe the ſufferings of thoſe that are underfoot. And this laſt prevailing, I have greatly by it diſpleaſed my Superiours: And yet leſt I ſhould harden men in impenitency, having gently mentioned theſe Crimes, it diſpleaſeth ſuch as are moſt obliged to repent. And how ſtrangely doth this man deſpiſe his Readers, while he again maketh it ſuch a thing in me,6th Raſh Calumny. to compare Cromwell to Maximus, whom ſtill he loadeth with odious Titles? When in my firſt Book I told him, p. 374. that Maximus by the Biſhops was accounted a very religious Chriſtian, and pretended that the Souldiers in England made him Emperour againſt his will, and took part with the Orthodox, and greatly honoured the Biſhops, and promoted Religion, and got a great deal of love and honour: And in my Defence I told him, that Maximus is by Hiſtorians made ſo good a man, of himſelf, that I more feared leſt many would have made me a praiſer of Cromwell by the compariſon. And I cited p. 142. the words of Sulpitius Severus of him, Vir omni vitae merito praedicandus, ſi ei diadema non legitime, tumultuante milite impoſitum, repudiare, vel armis civilibus abſtinere licuiſſet, &c. And the words of Beda Eccleſ. Hiſt. l. 1. c. 9. Maximus vir ſtrenuus & probus atque Auguſto dignus niſi contra fidem per tyrannidem emerſiſſet, &c. Invitus propemodum ab exercitis creatus Imperator, &c. But all this is not worthy the obſervation of this temerarious man, who ſtill puts this among my unbecoming uſage of Cromwell, when if he had weighed what I wrote, I ſhould have rather expected that he would have accuſed me again for overpraiſing him.
Sect. 19. E. B. As for your flattery to his Son,15th Falſehood. which I alſo charged you with, and you (with a ſtrange, but not to your ſelf unuſual boldneſs) do deny, &c.
R. B. I gave a full anſwer to this, which no reply is given to: As if you were reſolved to ſay what your liſt, and hear nothing that is ſaid againſt it. As I told you that I never ſaw him, nor ever had to do with him, ſave that when I ſaw him take part againſt the turbulent ſort of men, I took it to be ſeaſonable by that Dedication to perſwade him to do good and not hurt. So I told you, that your words of [Dedicating a flattering Book to him] in common ſenſe do diſtinguiſh between the Book and the Dedication: Whether the Dedication were flattery, I left to the Reader of it to judge, and neither affirmed, nor denyed it: But only affirmed [that there is not one ſyllable of his Son in all the Books, but only in the Dedications.] Yet this man goeth on, and falſly chargeth me to deny that which I denyed not, and reciteth my words in the Dedication to prove that the Book as diſtinct from the Dedication was flattery.