But the wide awake Thurloe had watched all their motions. That morning at daybreak he marched a troop of horse down upon the meeting at Mile End, seized Venner and twenty other ringleaders, with chests of arms, many-copies of the proclamation, and the famous war-flag of the lion-couchant of Juilah. Major-general Harrison, admiral Lawson, colonel Rich, and others of the leaders of the fifth-monarchy men were also seized, and with these men shut up in the Tower, but no further punished. Venner ended his days for a similar attempt in the reign of Charles II.
The discussions of Cromwell and the committee were resumed, and, without coming to any conclusion, on Tuesday, the 21st of April, the protector suddenly left the consideration of the kingship, and examined and commented on the other articles of the instrument. The chief of those were, that men of all classes were capable of electing and being elected to parliament or to offices of state, excepting papists and royalists, styled malignants, at least such royalists as had been in arms against the parliament since 1642, unless they had since given signal proof of repentance by bearing arms for the parliament; all who had been concerned in the Irish rebellion since 1650, or in any plot in England or Wales since December, 1653; all in Scotland who had been in arms against the parliament of England or parliament of Scotland, except such as had lived peaceably since 1st of March, 1652. Besides those thus excluded, all freeholders of counties, and all burgesses and citizens of towns, in fact, a household suffrage, could vote for members of parliament.
All who were atheistical, blasphemous, married to popish wives, or who trained children, or suffered their children to be trained in popery, or consented that their children should marry papists, who scoffed at religion or at religious people, who denied the Scriptures to be God's word, who denied the sacraments, ministers, or magistracy to be divine ordinances, like the fifth-monarchy men, who were Sabbath-breakers, swearers, haunters of taverns and alehouses,—in fact, were unchristian men, were excluded from electing or being elected. All public preachers were excluded, as better employed in their own vocation, but at the recommendation of Cromwell this was restricted to such preachers as had fixed livings, and not mere voluntary occasional preachers, like himself and many other officers.
A second house of parliament was to be organised, to consist of not less than forty members, nor more than seventy, who were to be nominated by the protector, and approved by the commons. It was not to be called the house of lords, nor the upper, but the other house. The same qualifications and disqualfications applied to it as to the commons. All judges and public officers, as well as those of the army and navy, were to be approved of by the two houses; or if parliament be not sitting, by the council. Another article settled the revenue, and all relating to it—and the most important one to the protector, he was authorised to name his successor before his death. These matters being settled, and the instrument revised by parliament, on the 8th of May Cromwell summoned the house to meet him in the Banqueting-house, Whitehall, where he ratified the rest of the instrument, but gave them this answer as to the kingship—that having taken all the circumstances into consideration, both public and private, he did not feel at liberty in his conscience to accept the government with the title of king. That whatever was not of faith was sin; and that not being satisfied that he could accept it in that form to the real advantage of the nation, he should not be an honest man if he did not firmly, but with every acknowledgment of the infinite obligations they had laid him under—decline it. This was his answer to that great and weighty business.
Whitelock assures us that Cromwell at one time had been satisfied in his private judgment that he might accept the royal title, but that the formidable opposition of the officers of the army had shown him that it might lead to dangerous and deplorable results, and that therefore he believed it better to waive it. Whatever the motives, whether those of conscience or prudence, or both, inciting the protector, he surmounted his temptation, and decided with the firmness characteristic of him. Major-generals Whalley, Goffe, and Berry are said to have been for his acceptance of the crown; Desborough and Fleetwood were strenuous against it, but Lambert, temporising, appearing to approve whilst he was secretly opposing, and at length coming out strong against it,was the only one whom Cromwell visited with his displeasure, he dismissed him, but with a retiring pension of two thousand pounds a year, and Lambert retired to Wimbledon, where it had been happy for him had he remained in quiet:
On the 26th of June, 1657, the grand ceremony of the inauguration of the protector as the head of this new government took place in Westminster Hall. The protector went thither from Whitehall by water, and entered the hall in the following manner:—First went his gentleman, then a herald, next the aldermen, another herald, then Norroy, the lords commmissioners of the treasury, and the great seal carried by commissioner Fiennes, then Garter, and after him the earl of Warwick, with the sword borne before the protector, bareheaded, the lord mayor carrying the city sword at his left hand. Being seated in his chair, on the left hand of it stood the lord mayor and the Dutch ambassador; on the right the French ambassador and the earl of Warwick; next behind him stood his son Richard and his sons-in-law Claypole and Fleetwood, and the privy council. Upon a lower descent stood the lord viscount Lisle, lord Montague, and Whitelock, with drawn swords. As the protector stood under the cloth of state, the speaker presented him with a robe of purple velvet, lined with ermine, which the speaker and Whitelock put upon him. Then the speaker presented him with a Bible richly gilt and bossed, girt the sword about his highness, and delivered into his hand the sceptre of massy gold. Having done this, he made the protector an address, and finally administered the oath. Then Mr. Manton, one of the chaplains, in prayer recommended his highness, the parliament, the council, the forces by land and sea, and the whole government and people of the three nations to the blessing and protection of God. On that the trumpets sounded, the heralds proclaimed his highness protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland; and again the trumpets sounded, and the people shouted, "God save the protector!" This closed the ceremony, and the protector and his train returned to Whitehall as they came.
