The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1875-05-14
Oliver Cr mwcll.

Literary sycophants have been accustomed
to revilc the character of Cromwell and to.
represent him as a low-born, vulgar hypo-
c:ite or bigot. He had not the parlor graces
of Lord Chancellor IIatton, but he would
have walked alone through an army of Hat
tons a. an OK walks through field of grass
hoppers.
Born Of an ancient family, descended from
some of the high nobility, he was related to
Thomas Cromwell, the Earl of Essex and
sometimes minister to Henry VIII. His
! grandfather was Sir Henry Cromwell, the
Lord Of Hinchinbrook, known as the "Gold-
en- Knight" on account of his great riches
| and his mother was of the best of English
blood and her relationship to James /. in
duced that monarch, on his way to take pos
session of the English crown, to become
guest at Cromwell mansion, where Oliver,
then but four years old, saw the king at the
family table-James little dreaming that the
head OF his own son would be cut off by
this kindred boy, who should reign in his
stead
He was educated at the University of
Cambridge, and when but IS years old he
was called home by the death of his father,
to be the sole protector Of his mother and
sisters.
While reading law in London at the age
of 20, he fell in love with Elizabeth the
beautiful and accomplished daughter of Sir
James Bourchier, a wealthy knight. At the
age of 81 he married, and, under the same
roof with his mother, took his young BRIDE
who afterwards coming to her exalted station,
showed purity and nobleness of character
more beautiful than her personal loveliness.
She was the first and only love of Cromwell
and in the height of his greatness and near
the end of his reign, when necessity had
separated them for a short time, she, like u
true and loving woman, chided him for not
writing often and to her chidings he repli-
ed: "My beloved wife, you scold me in
your letters because by my silence appear
to forget you. Truly it is I who ought to
complain, for l love you too mpcb Thou
art dearer to me than all tie corld."
He was in Parliament at the age of 90 and
again at the age of 40, and when the Civil
War broke ont he raised two companies of
soldiers at his own expense and devoted his
entire estate to the public service
And when he came to power, the haughti-
est kings and mobiles of Europe sought polit-
ical and matrimonial alliance. At his death
the Court of France went into mourning,
though he had required Louis XIV to Danish
the sons of Charles, whose widow was Hen
rietta of France, the daughter of Henry the
Great. He was buried in Westminster
Abby, as legal monarch, beside the anoint-
ed kings.
There was time when all seemed lost of
the liberties of England, and Cromwell
thought of leaving his country. But in those
trying times, when all good men began to
despair, Cromwell. and the just men who
sympathized with him, Sought the Lord in
prayer" and it was "his guidance" as they
believed, to grid on their swords for war and
rescue England from her slavery, and from
that hour they never falterea and they never
feared. Prince Rupert, the nephew of
Charles, was accustomed with his gay troop
ers to carry all before him by his dashing on
sets. At the battle of Marston Moor he led
10000 eager royalists and for the first time
he dashed against the "Ironsides" of Crom-
we'll. 1t was like the dash of seafoam
against granite mountain. After the battle
Cromwell wrote to his wife God made
them us stubbles to our swords"
When in the plcnitude of his power,
young Lely, afterward the Court painter of
the frail beauties of the Second Charles,
wanted to paint him, "Paint me as l am"
| said Cromwell. "If you leave out the scars
and wrinkles, will not pay you a shilling"
Go to the Pitt Palace-the picture with the
scars and wrinkles you shall see; but
kinglier head reposed on kinglier shoulders
you shall never see.