New-York tribune., 1895-01-27
GARDENERS LATEST BOOK.
PARLIAMENTARY SUPREMACY AND GROIN
WELLS RISE TO POWER.
HISTORY OF THE COMMONWEALTH. AND
PRCTECTORATE. Q649-l6S0.) BY Samuel Raw
son Gardiner NJ a. Vol. l.. le4s-l65l. PIP XIII,
n &

H. u
5ls Longmans. Green & co.
With this volume Mr. Gardiner enters upon the
last stage of his elaborate work Ten volumes
were required for the years from the accession
of James / to the outbreak of the Civil War
four for the war itself and now the first volume
Of the new series indicates the coming OF hve or
six more 10 complete the task. Twenty thick
volumes for the years from 1903 to 1850 inclusive
make formidable array. But few periods OF
equal length in English history or In tnat OF
any other nation are worthy OF more minute
study. Other times may furnish the material
for a more animated narrative. but none reaches
in greater number the springs OF modern lie.
The ill-temper which the gloomy figure OF the
Puritan awakened in every age even the one 10
which he belonged reacts upon the story or
battles and sieges and campaigns OF whicn ne
was the hero. There Is so much devoutness In
him that the account OF his deeds read IKE
sermon rather than romance; and sermons are
not ss agreeable to his descendants as theS were
70 him. Were it otherwise Worcester would be
as fine a scene as Bosworth, and DUNBAR
would surpass Crecy or Agincourt as much In
tradition as It does in point OF significance for
the present unity and imperial position OF Great
Rri,a,n The volume in hand covers the Irish
camnaign of Cromwell which drew upon him the
HI, rest censures Of later generations; the episode
in which Charles III figured for few weeks
as a Scottish king invading England with
Scottish army: the real beginning Of the Brit
ish navy under the leadership Of Blake; the last
efforts of Inflated Montrose in behalf OF an un-
grateful prince; and the rising OF Cromwell oy
the retirement of Fairfax and by his own
triumphant campaign beginning al Edinpursh
and ending with the complete destruction OF the
Scottish forces at worcesteD to position from
which he could dictate the future course OF the
Commonwealth 1t ends with forecast OF the
time when his patience with a Parliament that
refused to reform itself or TO give way 10 sue
cessor became exhausted. Men already looked
upon him as the virtual ruler Of the land He
alone appeared unconscious OF the direcuoh III
which affairs were drifting.
The extent of Mr.. Gardeners plan and the
mInuteness of detail to which he descends rem
der impossible the dramatic treatment OF his
theme in a way to bring out the personality OF
Cromwell in contrast with others at all times
His narrative lacks this element OF unity But
II Is for that reason the more accurate as a re-
Election OF the times There were moments when
other men absorbed popular attention. John
Lilburne. for example. impractcable as he was
and almost insanely suspicious, awoke feelings
to which Englishmen even the most advanced
had hitherto been strangers. He OWNED more
clearly than any the true meaning or reVoiu-
ton which the masses Of the people were not 10
understand for generations. In his turgid rne-
torc and inaccurate history and railing accu-
sst,ons against the leaders Of the Parliamentary
Marty there was manifest assertion Of the
nrnciples that were to be put in practice FOR the
first time not in England but In America.
Crudely. yet In a way to infame the magma
tions OF men. he announced those doctrines OF
equality that were to be the core or future
declarations of rights Neither his adversaries
nor his followers. the so-called Jewelers. uhosr-
stood him. What the latter hoped for was the
same anarchy which had been fought for by the
mobs OF earlier times What Lilburne saw clear
~ was that tyranny was the same whetner
exercised by king. Parliament or an army
One of the most interesting chapters In Mr.
Cardiner's volume is that which relates the
progress of Lilburne's trial or a charge OF trea-
son and his acauit.al amid the enthusiastic
shouts Of a sympathetic crowd. The charge
against him was based not on any overt act Dat
simply en- the statements Of his published writ
ings. In so far as these related to actual con-
dl,ions and not to theories Mlburne and his ac-
cusers were alike convinced that he had given
expression only to sentiment widespread
among the people. Parliament would have been
clad 10 ignore the general belief that it was the
creature OF the army. Nothing had been done
IN dispel this belief and nothing could be done
because II was true. The Commonwealth was
too strong to be overthrown Its enemies were
too much divided TO make headway against H.
Yet nothing was more clear than that II was
a government by minority and could be sus-
tanned only by force. As long as the war was
restricted to English soil and to Enghsh lac-
tions there were multitudes who tried to act
AAI tp,Ahf n ri
the Wars Of the Roses Indifferent to the sue
cess of either When the struggle was trans
ferred to Ireland or Scotland national feeling
oame into play affecting the minds even Of those
vho would gladly have restored the king. The
victories of Cromwell in Ireland were the VIC
tories OF Englshmen, and they strengthened the
hands Of Parliament as the actual ruler In Eng
land On the other hand. every victory that
rnade the Government st onger was victory for
the army which seemed in fair way to make
itself indispensable. The opportunity had not
vet come for the army TO take the attitude OF
n national defender Its operations IN Ireland.
though they were in an important sense defen-
siye. could not be made to look So This was
nartly due TO the fact that these operations
we're aggressive in form and partly to the
n,iless way in which they were conducted.
Even Cromwell himself lost his habit Of
forbearance when it came TO dealing with
Irishmen or with Engshmen who opposed
him in ireland. The same man who at
Worcester was to risk his life to offer quarter to
a defeated army encouraged and commanded
the massacre Of Drogheda He excused this as
an act Of necessary severity: but the result
showed that the cruel impulse which mastered
him was no help to the cause for which he
fought The defensive aspect Of the Irish CAM
paign was shown by the fact that ireland
ceased In Cromwclrs time to be vantage ground
from which to project attacks on England.
Hitherto II had been the scene where much Of
the plotting OF Charles Stuart and his foreign
allies was evinced in action 1t was not for the
benefit of any Irish faction tha; Ireland had 10
he reduced to impotence But 1t was requisite
that Ennland should he free uyifhin herSelf 10