of the high esteem this nation hath of
the good service done by his father, our ever-renowned General." The
House was not then prepared to answer the demands of Articles XIII.
and XV., but only that of Article XIV. after a certain fashion. It
was agreed that day that there should be an executive Council of
State, to consist of thirty-one persons, ten of them not members of
Parliament, the Council to hold office till Dec. 1 next ensuing; and
at that meeting and the two next the thirty-one Councillors were duly
chosen. Then, on the 21st of May, various addresses of confidence in
the new Government having by this time come in from London and other
parts, the Republicans felt themselves strong enough to discuss the
petition of the officers, article by article, accepting most of them,
but postponing the three last and another. Without saying what they
meant to do for the Cromwell family, they had In the Interim (May 16)
appointed a committee to "take into consideration the present
condition of the eldest son of the late Lord-General Cromwell, and to
inform themselves what his estate is, and what his debts are, and how
they have been contracted, and how far he doth acquiesce in the
government of this Commonwealth." There were interviews with Richard
in Whitehall accordingly, with the result that there was brought to
the House on the 25th of May a paper signed by him, together with a
schedule of his means and debts. The paper was, in fact, an
abdication, In these terms: "Having, I hope, in some degree, learnt
rather to reverence and submit to the hand of God than to be unquiet
under it, and, as to the late providences that have fallen out
amongst us, however, in respect of the particular engagements that
lay upon me, I could not be active in making a change in the
government of these nations, yet, through the goodness of God, I can
freely acquiesce in it, being made." He promised, in conclusion, to
live peaceably under the new government, and to do all in his power
to induce those with whom he had any interest to do the same. From
the accompanying schedule it appeared that his debts, incurred by his
father or himself in the Protectorship, amounted to L29,640, and that
his own clear revenue, after deduction of annuities to his mother and
others of the family, was but L1299 a year, and that encumbered by a
private debt of L3000. The House accepted the abdication, undertook
the discharge of the debts as stated, voted L2000 at once