HISTORY OF ENGLAND

94 THR LITTLE PARLIAJIENT. XI. 6.A.D. 1653.nation-a mistake against which the German Reformers hadonce sagaciously protested ; they confused their steadfastsure confidence in their cause with the ambitious desire toremould after their private likings the world which has developedin obedience to historical necessity. They cherishedthe belief that none of them spoke of themselves, but Godthrough them.Now that in the assembly, which called itself a Parliament,and had the assurance from the army of the assistance of thesecular arm, some of the leaders and an actual majority of themembers shared not all these views, but perhaps the generaltendency, matters had indeed reached a point at which completedestruction threatened the English state and kingdom.The sect which had at first given the most powerful impulseto the attack on Episcopacy, which had mainly broughtabout the independence of the army, the execution of the King,and finally the dissolution of the Long Parliament, was nowinvested with the legislative authority in the Commonwealth,and avowed its intention of carrying out its ideas in civil lifeas well. Men found themselves embarked on the career ofthe popular followers of Wiclif and the German Anabaptists.And though it had been found in Germany that the spread ofthese tendencies proved fatal to the religious movement itself,yet that could not be said in England ; for the Commonwealthhad under its new shape already gained so strong a positionthat it was far more dreaded by its neighbours, than itselfin dread of them. The man with whom the final decision ofall matters rested had been under the influence of the samedisturbing ideas that prevailed in the assembly, the convocationof which was due to him. He might be tempted toplace himself decidedly at the head of the Anabaptist democraticalparty, carry out their ideas in England, and thenextend them like a second Mahomet throughout the world.Was he not pledged to this by the fact that he had justifiedhis violent proceedings against the old Parliament by theabuses, to eradicate which was the first aim of the new one.His ideas and theirs seemed to fit together.It is not things so accidental as habits and mode of life,nor single utterances, nor speeches prepared for a specialXI. 6. THE LITTLE PAR L ZA MENT. 95A.D 1653.purpose that display the character of a historical personage :this reveals itself in his actions at great crises. WhateverCromwell may have said as to the alliance of Parliamentwith the corrupt interests of the clergy and lawyers, it wasvery far from being his wish to go the length of destroyingthese two orders and of introducing a social revolution.He had opposed the Agitators when they attempted tointroduce their principle of election into the army. He hadcrushed the Levellers when they violated the idea of property.He could not approve decrees of an assembly which betrayedkindred views. The magistrates and the clergy, whomhe had attacked in April 1653, found their chief support inhim in Dccember when their existence was threatened. TheRoyalists had already noticed this contradiction : they said,reasonably enough, that either Lilburne, who at the time hadreturned of his own accord from exile, must be hanged byCromwell, or he will one day cause Cromwell himself to behanged. For Cromwell, who felt himself to be before allthings general of the army, on which his position entirelydepended, a special motive was now supplied for dislikingthe assembly.A bill was now before the assembly for the continuance ofthe land-tax, destined to maintain the land forces and thenavy. But objection was taken to the unequal and unjustdistribution of the tax. There was a crying disproportionbetween the counties, towns, and hundreds. The city ofLondon complained that it was forced to pay a fifteenth,while according to the true proportion not so much as afortieth would fall upon it. They also considered the totalamount to be too high. Though a few concessions weremade, yet they could not be persuaded to allow the billto pass I.But the army could not tolerate such a delay. How longa time must have elapsed before such a work as the equalisationof ancient differences could be completed and the' According to the account of the ' Exact relation ' the bill was only postponed ;according to that given in 'Confusion confounded,' it was rejected, 'waved' or' stopt.' The distinction is not important.