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                         Heroes of the Nations


                    A Series of Biographical Studies
                      presenting the lives and work
                      of certain representative
                      historical characters, about
                      whom have gathered the
                      traditions of the nations to
                      which they belong, and who
                      have, in the majority of
                      instances, been accepted as
                      types of the several national
                      ideals.

                  FOR FULL LIST SEE END OF THIS VOLUME




 _Heroes of the Nations_

            EDITED BY
       Evelyn Abbott, M.A.
 FELLOW OF BALLIOL COLLEGE, OXFORD

       FACTA DUCIS VIVENT, OPEROSAQUE GLORIA RERUM.—OVID, IN LIVIAM 265.

       THE HERO’S DEEDS AND HARD-WON FAME SHALL LIVE.




                            OLIVER CROMWELL


[Illustration:

  OLIVER CROMWELL.

  (_From a painting by an unknown artist, in the National Portrait
    Gallery._)
]




                            OLIVER CROMWELL
                AND THE RULE OF THE PURITANS IN ENGLAND


                                   BY

                          CHARLES FIRTH, M.A.

                        BALLIOL COLLEGE, OXFORD


                          G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS
                          NEW YORK AND LONDON
                        The Knickerbocker Press




                            COPYRIGHT, 1900

                                   BY

                          G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS


                   The Knickerbocker Press, New York

------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Illustration]




                                PREFACE


This _Life of Cromwell_ is in part based on an article contributed by
the author to the _Dictionary of National Biography_ in 1888, but
embodies the result of later researches, and of recently discovered
documents such as the Clarke Papers. The battle plans have been
specially drawn for this volume by Mr. B. V. Darbishire, and in two
cases differ considerably from those generally accepted as correct. The
scheme of this series does not permit a discussion of the reasons why
these alterations have been made, but the evidence concerning the
battles in question has been carefully examined, and any divergence from
received accounts is intentional. The reader who wishes to see this
subject discussed at length is referred to a study of the battle of
Marston Moor printed in Volume XII. of the _Transactions of the Royal
Historical Society_ (new series), and to a similar paper on Dunbar which
will appear in Volume XIV.

The quotations from Cromwell’s letters or speeches are, where necessary,
freely abridged.

                                                                C. H. F.

 OXFORD, Feb. 6, 1900.

[Illustration]




                                CONTENTS


                               CHAPTER I
                                                        PAGE
           EARLY LIFE, 1599–1629                           1


                              CHAPTER II

           THE PREPARATION FOR THE CIVIL WAR, 1629–1640   19


                              CHAPTER III

           THE LONG PARLIAMENT, 1640–1642                 47


                              CHAPTER IV

           THE FIRST CAMPAIGN, 1642                       69


                               CHAPTER V

           CROMWELL IN THE EASTERN ASSOCIATION, 1643      86


                              CHAPTER VI

           MARSTON MOOR, 1644                            102


                              CHAPTER VII

           NASEBY AND LANGPORT, 1645–1646                121


                             CHAPTER VIII

           PRESBYTERIANS AND INDEPENDENTS, 1642–1647     142


                              CHAPTER IX

           ARMY AND PARLIAMENT, 1647–1648                164


                               CHAPTER X

           THE SECOND CIVIL WAR, 1648                    193


                              CHAPTER XI

           CROMWELL AND THE KING’S EXECUTION, 1648–1649  207


                              CHAPTER XII

           THE REPUBLIC AND ITS ENEMIES, 1649            232


                             CHAPTER XIII

           IRELAND, 1649–1650                            255


                              CHAPTER XIV

           CROMWELL AND SCOTLAND, 1650–1651              276


                              CHAPTER XV

           THE END OF THE LONG PARLIAMENT, 1651–1653     300


                              CHAPTER XVI

           THE FOUNDATION OF THE PROTECTORATE, 1653      326


                             CHAPTER XVII

           CROMWELL’S DOMESTIC POLICY, 1654–1658         346


                             CHAPTER XVIII

           CROMWELL’S FOREIGN POLICY, 1654–1658          370


                              CHAPTER XIX

           CROMWELL’S COLONIAL POLICY                    390


                              CHAPTER XX

           CROMWELL AND HIS PARLIAMENTS                  409


                              CHAPTER XXI

           THE DEATH OF CROMWELL, 1658–1660              433


                             CHAPTER XXII

           CROMWELL AND HIS FAMILY                       453


                             CHAPTER XXIII

           EPILOGUE                                      467

           INDEX                                         487

[Illustration]

[Illustration]




                             ILLUSTRATIONS



                                                                    PAGE

 OLIVER CROMWELL                                          _Frontispiece_

     [From a