Covenant, and Vow of all the People; of the awfulness of which, we, in these days of Custom-house oaths and loose regardless talk, cannot form the smallest notion.—Duke Hamilton, seeing his painful Scotch diplomacy end all in this way, flies to the King at Oxford,—is there ‘put under arrest,’ sent to Pendennis Castle near the Land’s End.[1]
In Rushworth’s List of Members covenanting in St. Margaret’s Church on Monday September 25th, the name of Oliver Cromwell stands visible: but it is an error; as this Letter and other good evidences still remain to show. Indeed some singular oscitancy must have overtaken the watchful Rushworth, on that occasion of the Covenant; or what is likelier, some inextricable shuffle had got among his Paper-masses there, when he came to redact them long after,—the indefatigable painful man! Thus he says furthermore, and again says, the signing took place ‘on September 22d,’ which was Friday; whereas the Rhadamanthine Commons Journals still testify, that on Friday September 22d there was merely order and appointment made to sign on the 25th; and that the signing itself took place, accordingly, on Monday September 25th as we have given it. With other errors,—incident to the exactest Rushworth, when his Paper-masses get shuffled!—Here is another entry of his, confirmable beyond disputing; which is of itself fatal to that of ‘Oliver Cromwell’ among ‘those who signed the Covenant that day.’ Oliver Cromwell had quite other work to do than signing of Covenants, many miles away from him just now; and indeed, I guess, did not sign this one for many days and weeks to come; not till he got to his place in Parliament again, with more leisure on his hands than now.
Tuesday, ‘26th September. The Lord Willoughby’ of Parham ‘and Colonel Cromwell came to Hull, to consult with
- ↑ Burnet, Memoirs of the Dukes of Hamilton.
