The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1869-07-07

fore Cromwell in Il striking way. A
learned Dutch Jew, called Manasseh
ben Israel, had como over from Ans
tcrtlam to lay the cause of his people
before the Council and tho protector,
even in the stress of his great schemes,
took up the tale, and summoned his
big men of the law and divinity to
debate the matter in his own pres
encc. ~
In those days no Jew could openly
live and trade i'll England. Now and
then Il jew came over into the land
came over us 4 courtly physician, a
princely traveller, or 4 wealthy gold
smith; but, in order to evadc the law,
and deceive the mob, he had to put on
It foreign air, and pass as either an
Arab, an Italian, or q Portuguese
Spain herself had not whipped the no.
ly race with sharper thongs than the
island which once had been their hap
piest homo.
The Puritians were warm admirers
of the Jews. They talked old Testa-
ment. They called their sons David
and Abner; their daughters Miriam
and Hcphzebah. They regarded the
Commonwealth as a new Israel, and
Cromwell as Il modern Joshua. Some
of the foreign jews partook of these
fancies. They thought the Lord Pro
tector might prove to be their Messias,
and they sent adaptation to England
to make strict inquiry into CromwclPs
pedigree, expecting to find i'll his an
cestry some trace of Hebrew blood.
Under his P~rotectorate they hoped to
tcome back to the ancient English
homes. q
Cromwell sat in his chair of state,
with the OF en- Bible before him, and
with q petition from 4 learned Jew in
his hand. 1t was 4 very adroit peti
ton, and the writer of it was u very
ingenious man. The petition began,
i'll its queer English, referring to the
words of Daniel-'FThou that remov-
est kings and settcst up kings,"-facts
which he limited were allowed Ito
the end the living might know that
the Highest hath dominion i'll mans
kingdom and givcth the same to whom
He pleases." 1t went on to say that
no man becomes a governor of men
unless he be first called to hat office
by God. 1t then proceeded to show
that no ruler of men had ever been
stable in his seat of power who was
inimical to the holy race; and cited
in proof of this strong assertion the
cases of Pharaoh, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS,
Antiochus, Epiphanius, and POmpey.
The paper went on to say that no coun-
try which favored the rae had ever
failed to flourish, though it RETAINED
from citingthe examples of his second
proposition. Lastly, it prayed the
Lord Protector to repeal the laws,
passed under the kings, against the
Jews, and to permit a synagogue TO be
built III London.
The author of this petition was
Manasseh ben Israel, a Jew of Pcrtu-
gucse descent, then living in Amster-
DANA man of fine culture and I'M
questionable picty. English embas-
sadors had been received in the Dutch
capital, not only by the Government,
but by the churches. Not the least
eager to hail the new Commonwealth
were the Hebrew merchants in the
synagogue. Mancssch took advantage
Of his visit TO urge upon Cromwell
the recall Of his people from their long
exile.
Cromwell favored the petition. The
Lord Chief Justice and the Lord Chief
Baron reported against maintaining
the old statute of exclusion. The Lord
Mayor and Sheriff declared that the
City was willing to receive the Jews
as brethren. But the old enemies Of
the Jews were still Strong. The
clergy, even the Puritan clergy, could
not sec their way TO such liberal con-
ccssions as the lawyers and citizens
were prepared 10 make. To the di-
| vines, 4 Jew was a man of Il stifineck-
ed race, who had rejected the true
Massiah and put the Son of God to a
shameful death. Owen, Cradock, and
their brethren, turned vel the leaves
of prophecy. Manasseh had very skill
fully fallen in with Puritan ways of
thought; limiting that. the Judgment
was at hand, and the day of final re
Cancellation nigh. Cromwell, struck
by this suggestion, urged the divines
to adopt a healing policy; but the
preachers held to the doctrine that the
Jews were a God-abandoned People,
unfit for association with Christian
men. Cromwell's eloquence was high
Iy praised; and the subject being one
which he knew, he probably spoke be-
You'd his usual style; but neither
Glynn's law nor CromwelIs eloquence
availed III presence Of these hot di-
vines. The clergy stood out; and
even after Hugh Peters and two Other
advocates of Manasseh's scheme were
added to the conference, the clergy
were obstinate and powerful enough
to defeat Cromwclls plan
But the Lord Protector was Il law
unto himself. If Il regular act coul,
be obtained, empowering the Jews t.
settle i'll England once again, not n
"kings men, but as citizens and equal
men with legal rights-hc could ant
would permit them to come in a
Protectors men," In hat quality a
few of them came back from Amste or
dam and Leyden. Under Cromwell
they had no persecution to fear and NJ
exactions to resist. They came bac:
ON sufferance only; but they o es
tablished a character in London which
made them many friends. In a few
years, opinion underwent a change
the clergy lost their power; the ole
abominable laws were all repealed; ant
the Jew, who had venturcd to come