The Machiavellian Cromwellist

THE Machivilian Cromwellist AND Hypocritical perfidious New Statist.

THe Machivilian Practises and Jesuitical Policies of the Cromwellists and Independent Confederacy, in the Houses, Army, City and Country, to accomplish their own ambitious ends, and engross all power into their own hands, by wicked, unjust, and most diabolical means, have been sufficiently laid open to the world by Mr Edwards in his Gangraenaes; and their own Champion, John Lilburn, in his I • glers discovered, his Letters to Cromwell and others; The Anatomy of the Army; The Grand Design or Discovery of that form of Slavery intended, and in part brought upon the free people of England, by a powerful party in the Parliament, and L. G. Cromwell, Commissary General Ireton, and others of that Faction in the Army; tending to the utter ruin and inslaving of the English Nation: and by other late printed Papers of their own Friends, the Agitators in the Army and City, who charge the Head of that Faction Cromwell (cried up for the holiest Saint on earth without the least dissimulation, guile or falsehood) with these remarkable treasonable Hypocrisies and Contradictions, detestable both to God and Men.

1. With making many solemn and deep Protestations in the House of Commons, in the presence of Almighty God, upon his faith and honor, that the Army should really disband when • ver the House should give but the least order or intimation; And yet at the same time giving secret order and directions to his Creatures in the Army, not to disband upon any terms, but to keep together and march up to London to force the House •• and City, and compel them by fear to comply with all his unjust desires and designs.

2. With plotting and ordering in his own Lodgings, at a great meeting there on Monday night before Whitsonday last, the securing of the Garrison, Magazine, and Train of Artillery at Oxford▪ seising the Kings own person at Holdenby, and removing him thence into the Army; and giving order to Cornet I • ice, with is much speed and se • recy as might be, to effect it; which he accordingly did by his special direction; and yet like a subtle Fox▪ prote • ted to the House • , the King and others, that it was done both without his Knowledge and approbation.

3. With impeaching the XI Members, and pressing theirs and o • hers suspent • on from the House before any charge or proof of guilt (contrary to all Law, all rules of Justice▪ and the Houses Votes) only to strengthen his own Faction in the House, though he knew and acknowledged them to be innocent of the Crimes pretended, in private: and yet exhibiting and printing a most false and scandalous Charge against them, to wound their reputations in public, by charging them with such crimes, of which he knew himself more guilty then they.

4 With charging the well-affecting Lord's and Commons, who continued sitting and acting in the Houses, when the Speakers and some Members (under pretext of a force past and ended some two or three days before their departing thence) by his Solications and Menaces treacherously withdrew themselves from the Houses to the Army; and the Militia, Common Council, and Citizens of London, for providing only for their own self-defense by Votes and Ordinances of both Houses; with no less then Treason, in levying a New War against the King. Parliament and Kingdom: When as he and his Confederates only were truly guilty of it, both in seising upon the Kings own person and rescu • ng him from the Commissioners of both Houses by a strong party of the Army; in causing the whole Army to march up to London in a warlike and assailing posture against the Houses express Orders, and forcing them to repeal their Votes, Ordinances, and yield up their Members to their fury; and after that, in marching up with the Army itself to the Houses doors, and City, in triumph, against the Houses express Letters and Orders, wi • h the fugitive Members whom they engaged to live and die with them in that quarrel, and in possessing themselves of all the Works and Forts about Westminster and of the Tower of London, removing the City Guards, and setting new of their own upon the H • uses; marching through the City with their whole Army, like Conquerors, and then throwing down their Line and Forts, fi • st raised for the Houses defense, in a most scornful manner, and bele • guring the dis • rmed King, City and Houses ever since, with the whole body of the Army (which they have doubly rec • uited to the people's infinite oppression) to captivate them all to their tyrannical pleasures: Which is a treasonable levying of War, and High Treason in good earnest, uncapable of excuse, transcending that of the impeached Members and Cit • zens.

5. With forcing the Houses to pass an Ordinance, on the 20. of August last, for declaring all Votes, Orders and Ordinances, passed in one or both Houses, since the force on both Houses, July the 26. until the 6. of August, to be null and void; by reason of a force upon the House of Commons, by a company of unarmed boys and apprentice • , only on July 26. towards the Evening; who vanished that night and never appeared after: notwithstanding the Speaker and Commons House met and sat the very n • xt morning without any disturbance, met securely a • the F • st the n • x • day in Margaret's Church, where the Speaker protested, against the honor of his going to the Army under pretext of this forc • , as a most dishonorable and unworthy act, which he would rather die in the House, then be guilty of, to Sir Ralph Ashton and other • ; and the Friday following most of the Memb • rs met, elected a new Speaker, and voted and sat without the least violence or disturb • nce from the City; til the sixth of August, and passed all Votes, O • ders and Ordinances, freely without any color of force; upon which grounds this Ordinance of repeal, after long debate▪ was by the major voice of the Commons House passed four or five times in the Negative, and laid aside, and so ought not by the Rules of Parliament or Justic • to be revived. And yet he and his Confederates enforce the Houses to pass this repealing Ordinance upon a meet pretence of force, by a f • r greater armed force and violence then that of the Apprentices, which they made the only ground of this Ordinance of nullity and repeal, enforced to pass against the hair in this manner. First, by a Treasonable Remonstrance from his Evcellency Sir Thomas Fairfax and the Army under his command, sent to the Houses from the Head-quarters at Kingston, August 19. (but dated the 18.) in which p. 18. they take notice of the Commons carrying it in the Negative against this Nulling Ordinance, and thereupon used such high and treasonable Menaces and Expressions against the Members continuing in it during the Speakers absence, as no age nor persons ever heard or read the like; threatening to take them as prisoners of War, and try them by Martial Law; inhibiting them or any of them, to intrude themselves to sit in Parliament, til they had cleared themselves from giving their assent to any of the Votes, Orders or Ordinances, past in the Speakers absence, and to take speedy and effectual courses to restrain them from being their own, theirs, and the Kingdoms Judges, and to bring them to condign punishment. Secondly, they put double Guards the next day upon both Houses, who openly threatened at the Doors, to pull out all the Members by head and shoulders that sat and voted in the Speakers absence, if they presumed to intrude themselves, or but enter into the House; Whereupon more Members by fear refr • ined the House, and went presently out of London, then those who fled to the Army. Thirdly, all the Officers, that were Members, came that morning from the Army into the House, where Cromwell and they made very high and menacing speech • s which da • nted many. Fourthly, Colonel Desborough came with a party of 1000 Horse drawn up in a body to Hidepark-Corner, threatening to force both the Houses and Members, if this Ordinance passed not. And by this Treasonable force, • ractise and Declaration, was this nullifying Ordinance, against a thousand-fold less force, forced to pass the House when thin • nd empty, by head and shoulders, against the Rules and Freedom of Parliaments, through a thin House of Commons, wh • n most of the Members were kept and driven away forcibly from it, by the whole Army and their Guards, And to evidence to all the world & posterity, that this Ordinance was wrested from the Houses by mere violence, it was even then by Special Order of the Houses, printed and published with that Treasonable thundering Declaration against the House and Members which procured it; dated the 18, sent the 19, of August, and read that day and the next in the Houses, and the same day (being the 20th) compelled the House to pass it. Which Ordinance declaring all Votes, Orders and Ordinances of one or both Houses to be null and void, if procured by force, being thus more forcibly procured then any it reap • lled, must needs be Felo de se, and declare itself to be more void and null then they; which being for the most part made, when the Houses were free by a unanimous Vote, without any division of the Houses, will remain firm and valid; notwithstanding this new forc • d Ordinance, promoted and carried on, • il i passed with greater force then any it repeals.

Besides these detestable Machivilian and Hipocritical practices of Cromwell and his Confederat • s, be pleased to consider only of three or four more; which will manifest them the greatest Machivillists and Hipocrites under heaven, never to be credited or confided in hereafter.

1. The first is, his gulling and deluding his own Confederates and Creatures, the busy Agitators employed by him, to mutiny the Army into public Rebellion; who underwent the greatest adventure with the hazard of their necks, to accomplish his designs upon the King, Parliament and City, who having served his turn; he now most ung • atefully casheers, and endeavors to suppress, • postatizing from his first principles and pretences of seeking the Kingdoms welfare and people's Freedom, to advance himself, his kindered and allies, though with the Kingdoms and Agitators ruin, playing the mere Juggler, and Hocus-Pocus with them; as their Advocates, Lilburn, Henry Martin, Scot and Rainsborough complain most bitterly, and others of their Fraternity, in sundry of their Pasquills.

2. The 2 ^d is, his and his Confed • rates treachery and villainy towards the Lord Mayor, Alder • en and imprisoned Citizens of London, to whom though they promised all fair quarter indemnity and security of their first approaches to, and match through the City in triumph; yet soon after they cause them suddenly to be impeached of high Treason, committed to the Tower and other prisons; expel the Recorder (without any legal proof or hearing, from a sudden Report from a packed Committee of those who engaged with the Army) out of the House, and send him to the Tower to accompany the Mayor and Aldermen, where they yet detain them prisoners without any further prosecution; and all this to bring in an Independent Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and others of their own F • ction, into their pl • ces, and keep them from acting in the City, and being chosen into public Offices; In pursuance of which design, he and they have endeavored, and lately threatened, to bring up the Army to quarter in the City this Winter, under pretext of levying Arrears; but in truth to bring in what Common-Council-men, and other Officers they pleased, of their own Faction, upon the New Elections, and make Allen and E •• wick Aldermen; That being prevented of this design, M ^r Speaker must discover a New Plot to seize upon the Tower by a company of horse and foot (who must drop out of the clouds) & the Houses too; to bring up the Army to guard them til the new elections be past. But this not taking, and proving as false as he that discovered it, there upon a new Ordinance must be suddenly drawn up, and passed in a moment before any notice of it, to deprive the City and Citizens of their free elections of their City Officers and Common Council men, and make many of the best affected among them, who had any hand in the Cities Engagement &c. uncapable to be elected themselves, or give any voice in the election of others; to exclude the Presbyterians and Anti-Sectarists, and bring in a New Independent recruit of Cromwell's and the Armies Confederates, to undo and betray the City, Parliament and Kingdom, and enthrall them to their bondage; which their Confederacies, Engagements and Treasons against the King, Houses, City and Kingdom, must make them capable of all Offices and Preferments, and disable them from none.

3. The 3d is▪ his and his Confederates in the Armies damn • ble Hypocrisy and Dissimulation▪ both towards the Houses, City and Country, and • eer che • ting them of their money • nd free quarter. At first he and th • y pretended, that if the Houses and City advanced but so many months pay for the Soldiers, they should all presently disband, and not trouble the Country more with Free quarter or Taxes, and that they would pay their quarters out of it. Whereupon the pay desired, was sent and received, and yet never a Soldier disbanded, but new recruits, even of Cavaliers against the Parliament, entertained without the Houses Order, nay against it; and no quarters at all discharged: Since which, upon sundry complaints of the Countries oppression by free quarter, they have four or five several times, at least upon receipt of so many weeks pay set down, faithfully engaged to disb • nd their supernumer • ry Forces, lessen the Army, and pay their quarters; yet no sooner is the money desired, received▪ but they refuse to do either, and grow more high and insolent in their demands then ever▪ and more oppressive to the Country. At the last general R • nd • zvouz ▪ they made the like promise of disbanding and paying quarters, upon the recipt of forty thousand pounds, which with much difficulty was procured and sent (though the Forces in Ireland, in great want, and a ••• uall hard service against the Rebels, are like to perish for want of pay, while these Idle drones devour all the money the Houses can rake up by any means) and thereupon some supernumerary Forces and Recruits were actually disbanded, and word sent of it to the House▪ but within a day or two they were all ag • in entertained, and others to boot, by Ord • r from the General and Council of War, co • rary to their E • gagement, and the Houses Order; and not one penny paid the Country for •• ee quarter • and within two or three days after, a new Repres • ntation (full of Arrogancy and Insufferable language) must be sent▪ to the Houses, wherein they demand the sixty thousand pounds monthly tax, to be augmented to one hundred thousand; justify their not disba • ding the supernumeraries, augmented by them now to such a number▪ that the whole Kingdom can neither pay, nor qu • rter them without ruin. And now they make dem • nds of new sums, and then th • y will obey the Houses Orders just as they did before; and thus they cheat the Parliament, City and Country of their money, and free quarter too; and though they pretend themselves no Mercenary people, but public spirited Saints, who regard no pay but higher ends; yet they stick not impudently to press the Houses over and over, against their Votes, and vote it in their Council of War in opposition to all the Houses; That all Deans and Chapters, Lands, Forest-Lands, the remainder of Bishops Lands sh • l be sold, the fines of the Impeached Cit • zens, and Lord's (whose only Treason is, that they are Rich and Faithful to their Country, and opposite to their real Treasons) and the third pa • t of all Delinquents, of • he Exc • se too, in course, designed for payment of their pretended Arrears, since their refusal to disb • nd▪ and yet must have one hundred thousand pounds a month levied on the Kingdom, besides, for present pay, to maintain them in their mutinies and Rebellions, and ruin the Parliament, King, Kingdom, and dying Ireland.

4. His detestable malicious Charg • ng the XI Impeached Members most falsely, with holding private intelligence with the Kings party, drawing up and sending Propositions privately to the King, for settling of a peace without the Houses privity; holding Correspondency with disaffected persons, to put conditions upthe Parliament, and bring in the King upon their own terms; undertaking to do more for the King then the Army would do; obstructing the relief of Ireland, favoring Delinquents and Malignants, giving no accompt for the great sums of money they received, driven away the Parliament Members. And thereupon by violent m • ans enforced them to quit the House (and some of them the Kingdom too) though innocent, and not convicted of any of those crimes. And yet himself and his Creatures in the Army, at the self same time and ever since, holding private intelligence with the King and his Party; admitting them into the Armies quarters, and there keeping Cabinet Counsels with the chiefest of them, drawing up, and sending Propositions privately to the King without the Houses privity▪ holding correspondency with Sir Edw. Ford, Sir John Bently Ashburnham, Legg • , Dr Hammond, Dr Sheldon, and other desperate Malignants, and confederating with them to put conditions on the Houses, and bring in the King upon his own terms; undertaking to do more for the King then the Scots or Presbyterians, removing him from Hampton Court to the Isle of Wight (put into the hands of Colonel Hammond for that purpose some months before) to accomplish his designs the better; obstructed Ireland's relief bo • h with men and money almost a year together, and intercepting all the moneys, that should now supply the pressing necessities, to pay his mutinous idle Army, for undoing the K • ngdom and eating out the Country▪ pleaded openly in the House for the exemption of the greatest Malignants in Arms out of the first and second Articles, because the Army had (without the Houses privity) engaged to mitigate their fines and intercede in their favor, though they aggravate the pretended offenses of the injuriously impeached Lord's and Citizens to the highest, pressed their exemption out of the general pardon and Act of Oblivion; and desire the confiscation of their whole estates: hath hither • o given no Account of the vast sums of Money, Horse and Arms he hath received from the State, professing that he cannot do it: and driven many of the faithfullest Parliament Members both out of the House and King • om. And therefore deserves to be susp • nded, imprisoned, cast out of th • House, and driven out of the Kingdom as a most Treacherous Impostor and Traitor to the Parliament, City and Kingdom, whose ruin he endeavors, to prevent his own.

This is the Faith, Honesty, Sincerity and plain dealing of these Cromwellists and Machivilian Saints; the infamy of the Gospel; the shame of Christianity; the Sinks of all Hypocrisy, Fraud and Treachery, and insatiable Gulfs of avarice, whose consciences are now so free and large, that they can swallow down the g • eatest sins, contrive and carry on the gross • st Villanies and Treasons against their King and Country, Church and State; betray and imp • ch their best and dearest Friends, blow up Parliaments, make use of any Jesuitical Policies, an • unlawful means and instruments, to accomplish their exemplary, temporal and eternal ruin, if they repent not speedily, which God give them Grace to do in time.