the long parliameut, and cajoling the council of officers, in order to play the fupreme power into his own hands; which, confidering the variety and multiplicity of obftacles, he effectuated in a very fhort period. But the news reaching Ireland, of his having taken upon himfelf the title and office of protector, Ludlow used his utmost endeavours to prevent his being proclaimed in Ireland; but without fuccefs: whereupon he refufed to act any longer as a commiffioner of the parliament. But having received his military commiffion of lieutenant-general of the horfe, from the parliament, he refolved to keep it as long as he could, and to act under it, in order to obtain thofe ends; the principal of which, fays he, were to bring thofe to juftice, who had been guilty of the blood of many thoufands of English proteftants, and to restore to the remaining Englifh the lands which the Irish had difpoffeffed them of.

Not long after the departure of Henry Cromwell from Ireland, who was fent into that kingdom by his brother, and civilly received by Ludlow, though he enveighed much against the ufurpation of Oliver, there appeared much difaffection in the army in England; fome of whom figned a petition to the protector; three hundred copies of which, together with another writing called the Memento, were sent in a box directed to Ludlow in Ireland, accompanied with a short unsubfcribed letter. Thefe, on perufal, appeared

to him to contain proper motives to excite people to endeavour refcuing themselves from the oppreffions they laboured under; and accordingly he dispatched as many as he could. But Fleetwood having information of the affair, dispatched a messenger to Monckton, the deputy, to enquire into the truth. Who immediately fent for our author, and after some conference about the papers, told him he had received an order from Cromwell fome time ago, fignifying, that, as he (Ludlow) had declared himself diffatisfied with the prefent government, he, the deputy, fhould be discharged from his command in the army adding, that he had hitherto concealed it, but would not any longer, left he fhould be accounted confederate in what he had now done. And after our author had refused all expedients proposed for an amicable conciliation of matters, the deputy fent him word, that he might make his option, whether he would be confined in Ireland or go to London; which, if he would give his word to appear before Cromwell, and not act any thing against him in the mean time, he should be at liberty to do when he pleased; upon which he chose the latter, but was defired to defer his journey for a couple of months, under pretence that matters being not quite eafy in England, Cromwell might be reduced on his arrival to treat him with more severity than he would chufe; ordering him, at the fame time, a fum of money for his fupport during his stay, and alfo to de

fray

fray the expences of his voyage. But, before the expiration of the two months, Henry Cromwell arrived in Ireland to take the government upon him, and our author's departure was deferred from time to time, till having, by the interceffion of his wife, obtained a promife from that governor, that, though he would not grant a warrant for her husband to go, yet neither would he order him to stay, though he thought this laft would be the best for him, he determined at all events to fet off, which he accordingly did, accompanied to the fnore by near two hundred people, and embarked (having left a letter for colonel Cromwell) and the next day at noon he arrived at Beau maris harbour, where the governor met him at his landing, and furnished him horses to carry himself and family to the town; and after dinner informed him, in the civilleft manner he could, that one captain Shaw was arrived from Ireland, with an order from colonel Cromwell, and the rest of the council there, for the detention of him till the protector's pleasure was known; at the fame time introducing Shaw, and producing the order figned by colonel Cromwel, Corbet, and two others., In the evening he was conveyed to a widow's houfe in the town, where a guard was fet over him, a centinel being placed at the stairhead.

Here he remained fix weeks, and had once a very norrow escape from being fent to the caftle, in confequence of a fresh order from Whitehall;

Whitehall; but at laft captain Shaw brought an order for his difcharge, provided he figned an engagement, fent ready drawn from Lon-. don, never to act against the government then eftablished. This he abfolutely refused to fign, unless under certain explanations, which at laft the governor agreed to accept; and he was thereupon discharged, and fet forwards for London, where he arrived the tenth of December 1655.

On Wednesday the twelfth (having waited on Fleetwood the night of his arrival) he received a meffage from Cromwell, to attend him at Whitehall, whither he went about eight in the evening, and found the protector in his chamber, with Lambert, colonel Sydenham, Mr. Walter Strickland, and colonel Montague; foon after, Fleetwood coming in, there enfued a long difcourfe, which being over, Ludlow was defired to withdraw into the next room, where Fleetwood foon came to him, and laboured hard to bring him to enter into an engagement, though for a week; to which he replied," he would not willingly do it for an hour:" Fleetwood would then have had him engage himself afresh to him, but this he alfo refufed him, faying, " he had already gone as far as he poflibly could, looking upon himself to be fufficiently obliged, by the conditions of his prefent engagement;" and having fo faid, returned to his lodging. Soon after this, he endeavoured to draw major-general Harrifon, and the famous Hugh Peters, over VOL. VI. D

to

to his opinion. So that the protector finding it neceffary to call another parliament, and being very apprehenfive a majority, in spite of all his care, might be returned of those who were against him and his fchemes, resolved, at all events, to hinder Ludlow from either ftanding himself, or in any way intermedling in the election: and to that end fummoned him (together with Bradshaw, Sir Henry Vane, and colonel Rich) to appear before the council at Whitehall. Here he was again charged with practices against the new government, and required to give fecurity in the fum of five thousand pounds, that he would not act against Cromwell: which unless he did, he was threatened to be fecured. But this he abfolutely refused, and faid, He was very ready to fubmit to a legal tryal, if he had done any thing amifs, only defiring to enjoy what he and all had fought for, a free government by confent; that it was from the duty he owed the public he refufed to give the fecurity required, conceiving it to be against the liberty of the people, and contrary to the known law of England, in proof of which he produced the act of the 16th and 17th of Charles I. for preventing the council-table from imprifoning any of the free-born people of England; afferting, that, for his part, he durft not do any thing tending to the violation of it, Cromwell asked, if the council of flate, and army, had not committed many? to which he replied, "the council of ftate had the autho

rity