eir united faculties and wickedness....
Say, Milton, Needham, either or both of you, or whosoever else, say
where this worthy person [Monk] ever mixed with you.... Come, hang
yourself; beg right; here's your true method of begging:--'O, for
Tom Scott's sake, for Hasilrig's sake, for Robinson, Holland,
Mildmay, Mounson, Corbet, Atkins, Vane, Livesey, Skippon, Milton,
Tichbourne, Ireton, Gordon, Lechmere, Blagrave, Barebone, Needham's
sake, and, to conclude, for all the rest of our unpenitent
brethren's sake, help a company of poor rebellious devils[1].'"

[Footnote 1: The dates of the two pamphlets, and the extracts, are
from copies in the Thomason Collection. Such references to Milton in
the pamphlets of March--April 1660 might be multiplied. He was then
in all men's mouths.]

We are now, it is to be seen, in the mid-stream of those final forty
days which intervened between the self-dissolution of the last
fag-end of the Long Parliament and the meeting of the Full and Free
Parliament called for the conclusive settlement (March 16,
1659-60-April 25, 1660). Monk was Dictator; the Council of State,
with Annesley for President, was the body in charge, along with Monk,
keeping the peace; but all eyes were directed towards the coming
Parliament, the elections for which were going on. It was precisely
in the beginning of April that the popular current towards a
restoration of Charles Stuart and nothing else had acquired full
force and become a roaring and foaming torrent. They were shouting
for him, singing for him, treating his restoration as already
certain, though the precise manner and date of it must be left to the
Parliament. Only the chiefs, Monk, Annesley, Montague, and the other
Councillors, kept up an appearance as if the issue must not be
anticipated till the Parliament should have actually met. With
letters to and from Charles in their pockets, and each knowing or
guessing that the others had such letters, they were trying to look
as unpledged and as merely cogitative as they could. It was for the
multitude to roar and shout for Charles, and they had now full
permission. It was for the chiefs to be silent themselves, only
managing and manipulating, and watchful especially against any
outbreak of Republican fanaticism even yet that might interfere with
the plain course of things and baulk or delay the popular
expectation. Wherever they could perceive a likelihood of
disturbance, by act or by speec