order thereto purged the Houſe, 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 ſeveral famous Battles,[1] ſecured our Trade and managed the public Expences with ſo much frugality, that no Eſtates were gained by private Men upon the public Miſeries; and at laſt were paſſing an Act for their own Diſſolution, and ſettling the Nation in a free and impartial Commonwealth; of which the Army being afraid, thought it neceſſary to diſſolve them, and accordingly Cromwel next Day called two Files of Muſqueteers into the Houſe, and pulled the Speaker out of the Chair, behaving himſelf like a Madman, vilifying the Members, and calling one a Whoremaſter, another a Drunkard, bidding the Soldiers take away that Fool's bauble the Mace; and ſo good-night to the Parliament.
When they had done this Act of violence, the Council of Officers ſet up a new form of Government, and choſe a certain number of Perſons out of every County and City of England, Scotland and Ireland: and theſe they inveſted with the Supreme Power, but ſoon after expelled them, and then Cromwel ſet up himſelf, and framed a new Inſtrument of Government by a Protector and a Houſe of Commons, in purſuance of which he called a Parliament. But they not anſwering his Expectations, he excluded all that would not ſubſcribe his Inſtrument; and thoſe that remained, not proving for his Purpoſe neither, he diſſolved them with a great deal of opprobrious Language. He then divided England into ſeveral Diſtricts or Diviſions, and placed Major Generals or Intendants over them, who governed like ſo many Baſhaws, decimating the Cavaliers, and raiſing Taxes at their Pleaſure. Then forſooth he had a mind to make himſelf King, and called another Parliament to that purpoſe, after his uſual manner ſecluding ſuch Members as he did not like. To this Aſſembly he offered another In-
- ↑ Major English victories in the First Anglo–Dutch War include the Battle of Portland, Battle of the Gabbard, and Battle of Scheveningen.
