Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1840-11-26

! creasIng interest around the youthful hauRtS
ofthis "Hypocrite and Usurper.'' But, SO il
! is. Our hearts sweled as we stood on the
spot of his birth in the homely little town of
| Huntingdon. Even the dust on the walls
of its old school-room, where "Cromwclfs
Desk" is shown, was precious in our sight.
We spent gratifying hours in looking at his
handwriting (bold and strong, like the man,
inscribed OH the Churh records when he was
warden of st. Ives, and in walking through
the house and over the farm he so long occu-
pied in that retired village, when training his
mind and heart for that struggle Whose earth-
quake was to topple head-ong the sanctifed
corruptions of ages. Our free blood grew
| warm in riding over the plains cultivated by
the Independents of Huntingd onshire-the
''lronsides" of the revolutionary army
whom Cromwell fired with hatred of king
ly and priestly tyranny, which, in after years,
marshalled by his skill in the field, swept to
ruin the legions of an arrogant court and hier-
archy, like chat before the whirlwind. All
this may seem wild enthusiasm. But, who
that loves freedom of conscience in religious
faith and ecclesiastical government, will not
| admire the bold and consistent champion of
this priceless principle?
An impartial biography of Oliver Crom-
well is yet to be written. Royalists have
discoufsed of him. He said to Sir Harry
Vase, 81 would as soon put my sword
| through the heart of the king as that of any
other man." What a rent in the sacred veil
which shrouded the anointcd tyrant. The
startling truth-THE King Is BUT A MAN
streamed through it. Churchmen have writ
ten of him. He abolished the monopoly OF
their Establishment, stabbed his troopers in
| their Cathedrals, and seeing twelve silver
statues in the inches of the capture-house at
York Minister, asked the trembling Dean,
.What are these 20 ''The twelve Apos-
ties" '.Take them down and coin them into
money, that they may 90 about doing good
like their Master" Scotch Presby terians
have carped at him. He dashed in pieces
their iron system and erected independently
on its ruins, Iniidel historians have blotted
his character. He preached and prayed
with the Puritans of Eluntingdonshire. Lit
erary aristocrats have lampooned him. He
came up from the mass-wrested the plate
of Cambridge University from the royalists
who were about to melt it down for the use
of Charles-imprisoned the heads of the Col
leges for disobeying the orders of parliament
and more than all, was no poet, knew little
of Virgil, and wrote in a numbering, entang-
led style. Contemporaneous republicans
called him a tyrant. And such, republicans
| He ground them to powder, because, under
the name of Freedom, they plotted to restore
ana 10 UdCh tiG gags diiu
dungeons, and faggots OF the ecclesiastlc.-
There have lived those who have even dis
puted the talents of Cromwell. But. the
fact stands out before the world, that an OBJ
scure individual, without title, property, or
influential friends, created the means and
trained the men, which, under his leadership,
conquered in many field and against fearful
odds, the hereditary chivalry of England
When the issue afterwards came-who shall
consolidate and govern the new common
| wealth the scores of great minds around
the revolutionary council-board OF 1850,
found master spirit AMONG them, whose al
| titude they had never measured. The brew
er became the Protector, and the farmer of
! st. Ives gave law to Britain. Nor did he, in
| the height of his power, despise the steps by
| which he assembled. Freedom Of conscience
shone conspicuously on his escutcheon; and
while with one hand he shielded the humble
Quaker from persecution at home, with the
other he wrung respect and homage for the
Commonwealth from every Monarch IN Eu-
rope.
This is Fair Day in Boston; all the sheep,
swine, oxen, horses, lads, lasses, mounte-
banks, pedlers, jockeys, jugglers, and glp-
seys, in the county, are here. The area III
front of our hotel--the "Peacock and Red
Dragon" IAN indigestible name, Items with
quadrupeds and bipeds, who have been buy
ing and selling, squealing and singing, dan
cling, wrestling, drinking and quarrelllng,
smoking and racing, from early dawn to this
present 9 p. NJ. An English Fair beggars all
description-the gala-day of ragamuffinsm.
| must not omit mentioning what we saw at
Huntingdon yesterday, while waiting for the
Boston coach. 1t was ''Sfatue-doy''-i. e.,
the anniversary when the servants OF the
country whose terms of service have expired,
assemble at the slire-town to seek employers
for the new year. 1t usually happens about
| Michaelmas. 1t is called Statue Day q be-
| leve,) because. in the oden time, Statue
was erected in the market piace-a butler
i handing cup to his master-at whose base
| the parties transacted their business. For
merly, it was scene of great hliarity and
| display. There were rare exhibitions OF
wild beasts, an Grafton from the Mayor or
| High Balif, Notwithstanding, street process
| sions with music and banners, pony races.
| tits at uuarter-stan-the finale crowned with
Grand ball. The marcn Of mind has left it
| a drunken carousal At Huntingdon, ragged
ballad-sinrers were screociling. in the streets
hand organs were grinding melody to
| feathered edge-sPunch and Judy" were
| fphtinp at the corners--here, "the largest rat
in the world was shown for penny-there
you could see ga live sheep whose hind legs
| weigh so pounds" for two pence-and, in
almost every inn, males and females were
| dancing reels in the tap-rOons with hob-nail-
ed shoes and hats OF, many oil the women
| holding cans of ale in their hands as qHd
pro quo TO the segars and long pipes which
the men were smoking in their faces. Oh,
thought /, if this had happened In the back
woods of Wisconsin, and Capt Marryatt or
81. fl,1.a-