The Works of Thomas Carlyle Volume 8 (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: FOR MY HONOURED FRIEND MR. HUNGERFORD THE ELDER, AT HI HOUSE: THESE London, 30th July 1652. Sir, ?/ am very sorry my occasions witt not permit me to returnl to you as I would. I have not yet folly spoken with the Gentleman I sent to wait upon you; when I shall do it, I shall be enabled to be more particular. Being unwilling to detain your servant any longer, ?with my service to your Lady and Family, I take my leave, and rest, your affectionate servant, OLIVER CROMWELL. It is a sad reflection with my Lord General, in this Hungerford and other businesses, that the mere justice of any matter will so little avail a man in Parliament: you can make no way till you have got-up some party on the subject there 2 In fact, red-tape has, to a lamentable extent, tied-up the souls of men in this Parliament of the Commonwealth of England. They are becoming hacks of office; a savour of Godliness still on their lips, but seemingly not much deeper with some of them. I begin to have a suspicion they are no Parliament If the Commonwealth of England had not still her Army Parliament, rigorous devout Council of Officers, men in right life-and-death earnest, who have spent their blood in this Cause, who in case of need can assemble and act again, ?what would become of the Commonwealth of England? Earnest persons, from this quarter and that, make petition to the Lord General and Officers, That they would be pleased to take the matter in hand, and see right done. To which the Lord General and Officers answer always: Wait, be patient; the Parliament itself will yet do it. What the ' state of the Gospel in Wales' is, in Wales orelsewhere, I cannot with any accuracy ascertain; but see well that this Parliament has shown no zeal that way; has shackled rather, and tied-up with its sorrowful red-t.