--See the
treaties in Dumont. v. part ii. p. 80, 92.]
back to the onions and flesh-pots of Egypt. He spoke not as their lord, but
their fellow-servant, a labourer with them in the same good work; and would
therefore detain them no longer, but desire them to repair to their own
house, and to choose their speaker.[1]
To procure a parliament favourable to his designs, all the power of the
government had been employed to influence the elections; the returns had
been examined by a committee of the council, under the pretext of seeing
that the provisions of the "instrument" were observed; and the consequence
was, that the Lord Grey of Groby, Major Wildman, and some other noted
republicans, had been excluded by command of the protector. Still he found
himself unable to mould the house to his wishes. By the court, Lenthall was
put in nomination for the office of speaker; by the opposition, Bradshaw,
the boldest and most able of the opposite party. After a short debate,
Lenthall was chosen, by the one, because they knew him to be a timid and a
time-serving character; by the other, because they thought that, to place
him in the chair, was one step towards the revival of the long parliament,
of which he had been speaker. But no one ventured to propose that he should
be offered, according to ancient custom, to the acceptance of the supreme
magistrate.
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