The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1866-05-09
Thomas Carlyle.

This man of renown was installed Rector Of
the University of Edinburgh early in April.
On this occasion-always one of great interest
in that venerable seat Of learning, the old
man eloquent" discoursed enough to fill five
closely printed columns Of the Glasgow Week
IN Herald, which we have now before u.s. We
have read his speech with much interest 1t
was delivered extempore, and is therefore Car
lvle without his isms-simple direct, and full
of first rate sense. | will endeavor," he
said ''to say nothing that is not true, as far as
[ can manage, and that is pretty much all that
| can engage for" We must enrich our paper
next week with some of his spicest bits. In
the meantime we commend the following about
Oliver Cromwell, to such noyices as are always
prating on that subject, understanding neither
what they speak nor whereof they affirm p"
The extract is long, but all the better for that,
because it is so good
''Of the deeply religious nature of the
Greeks, along with their beautiful and sunny
effulgences Of art, you have striking proof, if
you look forit In the tragedies Of SOphocles,
there is a most distinct recognition Of the eter-
nal justice Of Heaven, and the unfailing pun
ishment Of crime against the laws Of God.
believe you will find in all histories that that has
been at the head and fountain Of them all, and
that no nation that did not contemplate this
wonderful universe with an awe-stricken and
reverential feeling, that there was great I'M
known, omnipotent and all-wise, and all-vir-
tuous Being, experimenting all men in it, and
oil
nor did any man either, who forgot that. If a
man did forget that, he forgot the most impor-
tant part Of his mission in this world. Our
own history of England, which you will take a
great deal of natural pains to make yourselves
acquainted with, you will find beyond all others
worthy Of your study because | believe that
the British nation-and | include in them the
Scottish nation-produced finer set of men
than any you will find it possible to get any
where else in the world applause. [ don't
know in all the history of Greece or Rome
where you will get so fine man as Oliver
Cromwell-(applause and we have had men
worthy of memory IL our litHe-corner of the
island here as well as Others and our history
has been strong, at least in being connect
ed with world history. For if you examine
well you will find that John Knox was the
author, as it were, of Oliver Cromwell, for
place in England at all, had it not been for that
Scotchman. (Applause.) That an arithmeti-
cal fact, and is not prompted by national vanity
on my part at all Laughter and applause. J
1t is very evident: if you look at the strug-
gle that was going on in England, as | have
had to do in my time, you will see that peo-
pie were overawed with the immense imped-
iments lying in the way. A small minority
81 tbot
away with any ship they could get TO New
England, rather than take the lion by the
beard They durstn't confront the powers
with their most Just complaint to be delivered
from idolatry They wanted to make the ma
ton altogether cOnformabeto the Hebrew BIZ
bic, which they understood to be according to
the will of God; and there could be no aim
more legitimate However, they could not
have got their desire fulfilled at all if Knox
had not preceded with the firmness and noble
ness of his mind for he is also of the select of
the earth to me-John Knox. Applause J
What he has suffered from the ungratefu gen
erations that have followed him should really
make us humble ourselves to the dust---to think
that the most excellent men our country has
produced, to whom we owed everything that
distinguishes us among modern nations should
have been sneered at and abused by people,
that was heard by Scotland-the people feared
him with the marrow Of their bones they
took up his doctrine, and they defied prin-
cipalities and powers to move them from it.
eve must have it, " they said 1t was at that
time the Puritan struggle arose in England,
and you know well that the Scottish Earls and
nobility, with their tenantry, marched away to
Dunse Hill, and sat down there. Just in the
course Of that struggle, when il was either to
be suppressed or brought into greater vitality,
they encamped on the top Of Dunse Hill
thirty thousand armed men, drilled for that
occasion, each regiment around It's landlord, its
Earl, or whatever he might be called, and ca
ger for ChriSts Crown and Covenant. That
was the signal for all England rising up into
unappeasable. DISSEMINATION to have the Cos
pei there also; and you know it went on and
came to be contest whether the Parliament
or the King should rule-whether it should
beold tormalities and use and wont, or some
thing that had been Of new conceived in the
souls OF men--namely, divine determination
to walk according to the laws Of God here as
the sum OF all prosperity of these
should have the mastery; and after long,
long agony OF struggle, it was decided-the
way we know. should say also Of that Pro-
tectorate OF Oliver Cromwell s-notwithstand-
ing the abuse 1t has encountered, and the de-
NAL Of everybody that it was able to get on in
the world, and so ONT appears to me to have
been the most salutary thing in the modern
history Of England on the whole. If Oliver
Cromwell had continued it out, we don't know
what it would have come to. 1t would have
got corrupted perhaps in other hands, and
could not have gone on, but it was pure and
true to the last fibre in his mind-there was
truth in it when he ruled over 1t. ="