LESSON 6 OLIVER CROMWELL AND CHARLES I

NOT long after King James I. took the place of Queen Elizabeth on the throne of England, there lived an English knight at a place called Hinchinbrooke. His name was Sir Oliver Cromwell. The old house in which he dwelt had been occupied by his ancestors before him for a good many years. In it there was a great hall hung round with coats-of-arms and helmets, cuirasses and swords, which his forefathers had used in battle.

This Sir Oliver Cromwell had a nephew, who had been called Oliver after himself, but who was generally known in the family by the name of little Noll. The child was often sent to visit his uncle,who probably found him a troublesome little fellow to take care of.He was forever in mischief and always running into some danger or other, from which he seemed to escape only by miracle. Even while he was an infant in the cradle a strange accident had befallen him. A huge ape, which was kept in the family, snatched up little Noll in his arms, and clambered with him to the roof of the house.There this ugly beast sat grinning at the affrighted spectators, as if it had done the most praiseworthy thing imaginable. Fortunately,however, he brought the child safe down again.

One morning, when Noll was five or six years old, a royal messenger arrived at Hinchinbrooke with tidings that King James was coming to dine with Sir Oliver Cromwell. This was a high honor, to be sure, but a very great trouble; for all the lords and ladies, knights, guards, and squires, who waited on the king, were to be feasted as well as himself. However, Sir Oliver expressed much thankfulness for the king's intended visit, and ordered his butler and cook to make the best preparations in their power. So a great fire was kindled in the kitchen, and the neighbors knew by the smoke which poured out of the chimney that boiling, baking,stewing, roasting and frying were going on merrily.

By and by the sound of trumpets was heard approaching, and a heavy old-fashioned coach, surrounded by guards on horseback,drove up to the house. Sir Oliver with his hat in his hand stood at the gate to receive the king. His majesty was dressed in a suit of green ;he had a feather in his hat, and a triple ruff round his neck,and over his shoulder was slung a hunting-horn instead of a sword.Altogether he had not the most dignified aspect in the world, but the spectators gazed at him as if there was something superhuman and divine in his person. They even shaded their eyes with their hands as if they were dazzled by the glory of his countenance.

"How are ye, man?" cried King James, speaking in a Scottish accent, for Scotland was his native country "By my crown, Sir Oliver, but I am glad to see ye!'

The good knight thanked the king, at the same time kneeling down while his majesty alighted. When King James stood on the ground, he directed Sir Oliver's attention to a little boy who had come with him in the coach. He was six or seven years old, and wore a hat and feather, and was more richly dressed than the king himself. "I have brought my son Charlie to see ye," said the king."I hope, Sir Oliver, ye have a son of your own to be his playmate."

Sir Oliver Cromwell made a reverential bow to the little prince,whom one of the attendants had now taken out of the coach, it was wonderful to see how all the spectators, even the aged men with their gray beards, humbled themselves before this child. They looked as if they were ready to kneel down and worship him. The poor little prince! From his earliest infancy not a soul had dared to contradict him; everybody around him had acted as if he were a superior being, so that, of course, he had imbibed the same opinion of himself. He naturally supposed that the kingdom of Great Britain and all its people had been created solely for his benefit and amusement.

"What a noble little prince he is!" exclaimed Sir Oliver. "No,please Your Majesty, I have no son to be the playmate of his royal highness; but there is a nephew of mine about the house. He is near the prince's age and will be but too happy to wait upon his Royal Highness."

"Send for him, man! send for him!" said the king.

But as it happened, there was no need of sending for Master Noll. While King James was speaking, a rugged, bold faced, sturdy little urchin thrust himself through the throng of courtiers and attendants, and greeted the prince with a broad stare. His doublet and hose, which had been put on new and clean in honor of the king's visit, were already soiled and torn with the rough play in which he had spent the morning. He looked no more abashed than if King James were his uncle, and the prince one of his playfellows.This was little Noll himself.

"Here, please Your Majesty, is my nephew," said Sir Oliver, somewhat ashamed of Noll's appearance and demeanor. "Oliver, make your obeisance to the king's majesty"

The boy made a pretty respect ful obeisance to the king, for in those days children were taught to pay reverence to their elders. King James, who prided himself greatly on his

scholarship, asked Noll a few questions in the Latin grammar, and then introduced him to his son. The little prince in a very grave manner extended his hand, not for Noll to shake, but that he might kneel down and kiss it.

"Nephew," said Sir Oliver, "pay your duty to the prince." "I owe him no duty," cried Noll, thrusting aside the prince's hand with a rude laugh. "Why should I kiss that boy's hand?" All the courtiers were amazed and confounded, and Sir Oliver the most of all. But the king laughed heartily, saying that little Noll had a stubborn English spirit, and that it was well for his son to learn betimes what sort of a people he was to rule over. So King James and his train entered the house, and the prince with Noll and some other children was sent to play in a separate room while his Majesty was at dinner, The young people soon became acquainted, for boys,whether the sons of monarchs or of peasants, all like play and are pleased with one another's society With what games they diverted themselves I cannot tell. Perhaps they played at ball, or blind man's buff, perhaps at leap-frog.

Meanwhile King James and his nobles were feasting with Sir Oliver in the great hall. The king sat in a gilded chair under a canopy at the head of a long table. Whenever any of the company addressed him, it was with the deepest reverence. If the attendants offered him the various delicacies of the festival, it was upon their bended knees. But fate had ordained that good King James should not finish his dinner in peace. All of a sudden there arose a terrible uproar in the room where the children were at play Angry shouts and shrill cries of alarm were mixed up together, while the voices of elder persons were likewise heard, trying to restore order among the children. The king and everybody else at table looked aghast.

"Mercy on us!" muttered Sir Oliver; "that graceless nephew of mine is in some mischief or other." Getting up from table he ran to see what was the matter, followed by many of the guests and the king among them. They all crowded to the door of the playroom.On looking in, they beheld the little Prince Charles with his rich dress all torn, and covered with the dust of the floor. His royal blood was streaming from his nose in great abundance. He gazed at Noll with a mixture of rage and affright, and at the same time with a puzzled expression, as if he could not understand how any mortal boy should dare to give him a beating. As for Noll, there stood his sturdy little figure, bold as a lion, looking as if he were ready to fight not only the prince but king and kingdom too.

"You little villain!" cried his uncle. "What have you been about?Down on your knees this instant and ask the prince's pardon. How dare you lay your hands on the king's majesty's royal son?"

"He struck me first," grumbled the valiant little Noll, "and I've only given him his due."

Sir Oliver and the guests lifted up their hands in astonishment and horror. No punishment seemed severe enough for this wicked little varlet, who had dared to resent a blow from the king's own son. Some of the courtiers were of opinion that Noll should be sent prisoner to the Tower of London, and brought to trial for high treason. Others, in their zeal for the king's service, were about to lay hands on the boy to chastise him in the royal presence. But King James, who sometimes showed a good deal of sagacity,ordered them to desist.

"Thou art a bold boy," said he, looking fixedly at little Noll;"and if thou live to be a man, my son Charlie would do wisely to be friends with thee."

"I never will!' cried the little prince, stamping his foot.

"Peace, Charlie, peace!" said the king; and then added,addressing Sir Oliver and the attendants, "Harm not the urchin,for he has taught my son a good lesson, if Heaven do but give him grace to profit by it. Hereafter, should he be tempted to tyrannize over the stubborn race of Englishmen, let him remember little Noll Cromwell and his own bloody nose."

So the king finished his dinner and departed, and for many a long year the childish quarrel between Prince Charles and Noll Cromwell was forgotten. But when old King James was dead and Charles sat upon his throne, he seemed to forget that he was but a man, and that his meanest subjects were men as well as he. He wished to have the property and lives of the people of England entirely at his own disposal. But the Puritans, and all who loved liberty, rose against him and beat him in many battles. Throughout this war, between the king and nobles on one side and the people of England on the other, there was a famous leader, who did more toward the ruin of royal authority than all the rest. The contest seemed like a wrestling match between King And the king was overthrown.

When the discrowned monarch was brought to trial, that warlike leader sat in the judgment-hall. Many judges were present besides himself but he alone had the power to save King Charles, or to doom him to the scaffold. After sentence was pronounced, he was entreated by his own children, on their knees, to rescue his majesty from death. "No!" said he sternly. "Better that one man should perish than that the whole country should be ruined for his sake. It is resolved that he shall die!"

When Charles, no longer a king, was led to the scaffold, his great enemy stood at a window of the royal palace of Whitehall. He beheld the poor victim of pride and an evil education and misused power, as he laid his head upon the block. He looked on while the executioner lifted the fatal axe and smote off that anointed head at a single blow.

At night, when the body of Charles was laid in the coffin in a gloomy chamber, the general entered, lighting himself with a torch. Its gleam showed that he was now growing old; his visage was scarred with many battle-marks; his brow was wrinkled with care. Probably there was not a single trait that belonged to the little Noll who had battled so stoutly with Prince Charles. Yet this was he! He lifted the coffin-lid and caused the light of his torch to fall upon the dead monarch's face. Then his mind went back overall the marvelous events that had brought the hereditary King of England to this dishonored coffin, and had raised himself to the possession of kingly power.

"Why was it," said Cromwell to himself, or might have said,"why was it that this great king fell, and that poor Noll Cromwell has gained all the power of the realm?" King Charles had fallen,because, in his manhood the same as when a child, he disdained to feel that every human creature was Iris brother. He deemed himself a superior being and fancied that his subjects were created only for a king to rule over. And Cromwell rose, because, in spite of his many faults, he mainly fought for the rights of his fellowmen.

—NATHANTEL HAWTHORNE