rst. Earth, Adams of Warbleton. Called, Lower of
the same. Kill Sin, Pimple of Witham. Return, Spelman of
Watling. Be Faithful, Joiner of Britling. Fly Debate,
Roberts of the same. Fight the good Fight of Faith, White of
Emer. More Fruit, Fowler of East Hadley. Hope for, Bending
of the same. Graceful, Harding of Lewes. Weep not, Billing
of the same. Meek, Brewer of Okeham.

See Brome's Travels into England, p. 279. "Cromwell," says
Cleveland, "hath beat up his drums clean through the Old
Testament. You may learn the genealogy of our Savior by the
names of his regiment. The mustermaster has no other list
than the first chapter of St. Matthew." The brother of this
Praise-God Barebone had for name, "If Christ had not died
for you, you had been damned, Barebone." But the people,
tired of this long name, retained only the last word, and
commonly gave him the appellation of Damn'd Barebone.

The Dutch ambassadors endeavored to enter into negotiation with this
parliament; but though Protestants, and even Presbyterians, they met
with a bad reception from those who pretended to a sanctity so much
superior. The Hollanders were regarded as worldly-minded men, intent
only on commerce and industry; whom it was fitting the saints should
first extirpate, ere they undertook that great work, to which they
believed themselves destined by Providence, of subduing Antichrist,
the man of sin, and extending to the uttermost bounds of the earth
the kingdom of the Redeemer.[*] The ambassadors, finding themselves
proscribed, not as enemies of England but of Christ, remained in
astonishment, and knew not which was most to be admired, the implacable
spirit or egregious folly of these pretended saints.

Cromwell began to be ashamed of his legislature. If he ever had any
design in summoning so preposterous an assembly beyond amusing the
populace and the army, he had intended to alarm the clergy and lawyers;
and he had so far succeeded as to make them desire any other government,
which might secure their professions, now brought in danger by these
desperate fanatics. Cromwell himself was dissatisfied, that the
parliament, though they had derived all their authority from him, began
to pretend power from the Lord,[**] and to insist already on their
divine commission. He had been careful to summon in his writs several
persons entirely devoted to him.

* Thurloe, vol. i.