and the antipathy to it of
many good men, he here took up the rest of the _Petition and
Advice_. Approving, on the whole, of the spirit and contents of
the document, and especially of the apparent rejection in it of that
notion of perpetually-sitting Single-House Parliaments which he
considered the most fatal fallacy in politics, and persistence in
which by the Rump had left him no option but to dissolve that body
forcibly and assume the Dictatorship, he yet found serious defects in
some of the Articles, and want of precision on this point and that.
His criticisms of this kind were masterly examples of his breadth of
thought, his foresight, and his practical sagacity, and made an
immediate impression. For, at this stage of the proceedings, the
belief being that he would ultimately accept the Kingship, the House,
whose sittings had been little more than nominal during the great
Whitehall Conferences, applied itself vigorously, by deliberations in
Committee and exchanges of papers with the Protector, to such
amendments of the _Petition and Advice_ as he had indicated. On
April 30 sufficient intimation of such amendments was ready, and the
former Committee of Ninety-nine were required to let his Highness
know the same and ask him to appoint a time for his positive answer.
For another week, notwithstanding two appointments for the purpose,
all was still in suspense. During that week we are to suppose
Cromwell either in perplexed solitary meditation, or shut up in those
confidential meetings with a few of the most zealous promoters of the
Kingship which Whitlocke describes. "The Protector," says Whitlocke,
"often advised about this and other great businesses with the Lord
Broghill, Pierrepoint, myself, Sir Charles Wolseley and Thurloe, and
would be shut up three or four hours together in private discourse,
and none were admitted to come in to him. He would sometimes be very
cheerful with us, and, laying aside his greatness, he would be
exceeding familiar with us, and by way of diversion would make verses
with us, and every one must try his fancy. He commonly called for
tobacco, pipes, and a candle, and would now and then take tobacco
himself: then he would fall again to his serious and great business."
At length, on Friday, May 8, the Parliament, assembled once more in
the Banqueting House, did receive their positive answer. It was in a
brief speech (Speech _XIV._) ending "I cannot undertake this
Government with the title of