his Officers, well instructed how to lyve in the same
manner with ther Souldyers, that they might be able
to apply them to ther owne purposes. Whilst he
looked upon the Presbiterian humour as the best incentive
to rebellion, no man more a Presbiterian, he sunge
all Psalmes with them to ther tunes, and looved the
longest sermons as much as they: but when he
discover’d, that they would prescribe some limitts
and bounds to ther rebellion, that it was not well
breathed, and would expyre as soone as some few particulars
were granted to them in religion which he cared not
for, and then that the goverment must runn still in
the same channell, it concerned him to make it believed,
that the State had bene more Delinquent, then the Church,
and that the people suffer’d more by the civill,
then by the Ecclesiasticall power, and therfore that
the change of one would give them little ease, if
ther were not as greate an alteration in the other,
and if the whole goverment in both were not reformed
and altred; which though it made him generally odious
and irreconciled many of his old frends to him, yett
it made those who remayned more cordiall and firme
to him, and he could better compute his owne strengtht,
and upon whome he might depende; and this discovery
made him contryve the Modell, which was the most unpopular
acte, and disoblieged all those who first contryved
the rebellyon, and who were the very soule of it; and
yett if he had not brought that to passe and chaunged
a Generall, who though not very sharpesighted would
never be governed, nor applyed to any thinge he did
not like, for another who had no eyes, and so would
be willinge to be ledd, all his designes must have
come to nothinge, and he remayned a private Collonell
of horse, not considerable enough to be in any figure
upon an advantagious composition.
36.
By CLARENDON.
He was one of those men, quos vituperare ne inimici
quidem possunt, nisi ut simul laudent, for he could
never have done halfe that mischieve, without greate
partes of courage and industry and judgement, and
he must have had a wounderfull understandinge in the
natures and humours of men, and as greate a dexterity
in the applyinge them, who from a private and obscure
birth, (though of a good family) without interest
of estate, allyance or frendshipps, could rayse himselfe
to such a height, and compounde and kneade such opposite
and contradictory tempers humour and interests, into
a consistence, that contributed to his designes and
to ther owne destruction, whilst himselfe grew insensibly
powerfull enough, to cutt off those by whome he had
climed, in the instant, that they projected to demolish
ther owne buildinge. What Velleius Paterculus
sayd of Cinna, may very justly be sayd of him, Ausum
eum quae nemo auderet bonus, perfecisse quae a nullo
nisi fortissimo perfici possunt. Without doubte,
no man with more wickednesse ever attempted any thinge,
or brought to passe what he desyred more wickedly,
more in the face and contempt of religion and morall