pman, the authorities signified their
displeasure, though in a less harsh manner, with another Republican
associate of Milton, his old friend Marchamont Needham.--Not without
difficulty had this Oliverian journalist, the subsidized editor since
1655 of the bi-weekly official newspaper of the Protectorate (calling
itself _The Public Intelligencer_ on Mondays and _Mercurius
Politicus_ on Thursdays), been retained in the service of the Good
Old Cause. His Oliverianism having been excessive, to the extent of
defending not only Oliver's Established Church, but also all else in
his policy that grated most on the pure Republicans, he had been
discharged from his editorship on the 13th of May, 1659, by order of
the Restored Rump, before it had been six days in power, the place
going then to John Canne. But Needham's versatility was matchless,
and on the 15th of August the Rump had thought it best to reappoint
him to the editorship.[1] Since then, having already in succession
been Parliamentarian, Royalist, Commonwealth's man or Rumper, and all
but anti-Republican Protectoratist, the world had known him in his
fifth phase of Rumper or pure Commonwealth's man again. Not only in
his journals, but also in independent pamphlets, he had advocated the
Good Old Cause. One such pamphlet, published with his name in August
1659, under the title of _Interest will not lie_,[2] had been in
reply to some Royalist who had propounded "a way how to satisfy all
parties and provide for the public good by calling in the son of the
late King": against whom Needham's contention was "that it is really
the interest of every party (except only the Papist) to keep him
out." One can understand now why, in the Royalist squib lately
quoted, Needham was named as "the Commonwealth didapper"[3] along
with Milton as "their goose-quill champion," and why the public were
there promised the pleasure of soon seeing the two at Tyburn
together.--But the final performance of Needham's, it is believed,
was a tract called _News from Brussels, in a Letter from a near
attendant on his Majesty's person to a Person of Honour here_. It
purports to be dated at Brussels, March 10, 1659-60, English style,
and was out in London on March 23. The publication is said to have
been managed secretly by Mr. Praise-God Barebone; and, though the
tract was anonymous, it was attributed at once to Needham. Being
"fall of rascalities against Charles II. and his Court," as Wood
says, and prof