d at the first meeting
of this parliament, and both remembered the affront. To remove Hazlerig

[Footnote 1: Journals, Jan. 7, 20. Whitelock, 666, 668. The speech of
Fiennes is reported in the Journals, Jan. 25. See the names and characters
of those who attended, in "A Second Narrative of the late Parliament (so
called), &c., printed in the fifth year of England's Slavery under its new
Monarchy, 1658." "They spent their time in little matters, such as choosing
of committees; and among other things, to consider of the privileges and
jurisdiction of their house, (good wise souls!) before they knew what their
house was, or should be called."--Ibid. 7. The peers who refused to attend,
were the earls of Mulgrave, Warwick, and Manchester, the Viscount Say and
Sele, and the Lord Wharton.]

[Sidenote a: A.D. 1657. Nov. 19.]

from a place where his experience and eloquence rendered him a formidable
adversary, Cromwell had called him to the upper house; but he refused to
obey the writ, and took his seat among the Commons.[1] That a new house was
to be called according to the articles of the "petition and advice," no one
denied; but who, it was asked, made its members lords? who gave them the
privileges of the ancient peerage? who empowered them to negative the acts
of that house to which they owed their existence? Was it to be borne that
the children should assume the superiority over their parents; that the
nominees of the protector should control the representatives of the people,
the depositaries of the supreme power of the nation? It was answered
that the protector had called them lords; that it was the object of "the
petition and advice" to re-establish the "second estate;" and that, if any
doubt remained, it were best to amend the "instrument" by giving to the
members of the other house the title of lords, and to the protector that
of king.[a] Cromwell sought to soothe these angry spirits. He read to them
lectures on the benefit, the necessity, of unanimity. Let them look abroad.
The papists threatened to swallow up all the Protestants of Europe. England
was the only stay, the last hope of religion. Let them look at home: the
Cavaliers and the Levellers were combined to overthrow the constitution;
Charles Stuart was preparing an invasion; and the Dutch had ungratefully
sold him certain vessels for that purpose. Dissension would inevitably draw
down ruin on themselves,

[Footnote 1: Hazlerig made no objection to the oath w