[1]
From this moment the conduct of Monk will claim a considerable share of the
reader's attention. Ever since the march of Cromwell in pursuit of the king
to Worcester he had commanded in Scotland; where, instead of concerning
himself with the intrigues and parties in England, he appeared to have no
other occupation
[Footnote 1: Ludlow, ii. 237, 252, 259, 262, 300. Clar. Pap. iii. 591.
Carte's Letters, 266.]
than the duties of his place, to preserve the discipline of his army,
and enforce the obedience of the Scots. His despatches to Cromwell from
Scotland form a striking contrast with those from the other officers of the
time. There is in them no parade of piety, no flattery of the protector, no
solicitation for favours. They are short, dry, and uninteresting, confined
entirely to matters of business, and those only of indispensable necessity.
In effect, the distinctive characteristic of the man was an impenetrable
secrecy.[1] Whatever were his predilections or opinions, his wishes or
designs, he kept them locked up within his own breast. He had no confidant,
nor did he ever permit himself to be surprised into an unguarded avowal.
Hence all parties, royalists, protectorists, and republicans, claimed him
for their own, though that claim was grounded on _their_ hopes, not on
_his_ conduct.
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