Whoever has studied the character of Cromwell will have remarked the
anxiety with which he laboured to conceal his real designs from the notice
of his adherents. If credit were due to his assertions, he cherished none
of those aspiring thoughts which agitate the breasts of the ambitious; the
consciousness of his weakness taught him to shrink from the responsibility
of power; and at every step in his ascent to greatness, he affected to
sacrifice his own feelings to the judgment and importunity of others. But
in dissolving the late parliament he had deviated from this his ordinary
course: he had been compelled to come boldly forward by the obstinacy or
the policy of his opponents, who during twelve months had triumphed over
his intrigues, and were preparing to pass an act which would place new
obstacles in his path. Now, however, that he had forcibly taken into his
own hands the reins of government, it remained for him to determine whether
he should retain them in his grasp, or deliver them over to others. He
preferred the latter for the maturity of time was not yet come: he saw
that, among the officers who blindly submitted to be the tools of his
ambition, there were several who would abandon the idol of their worship,
whenever they should suspect him of a design to subvert the public liberty.
Pages:
557
558
559
560
561
562
563
564
565
566
567
568
569
570
571
572
573
574
575
576
577
578
579
580
581