Historie & policie re-viewed, in the heroick transactions of His Most Serene Highnesse, Oliver, late Lord Protector; from his cradle, to his tomb: declaring his steps to princely perfection; as they are drawn in lively parallels to the ascents of the great patriarch Moses, in thirty degrees, to the height of honour. / By H.D. Esq.

The ninth Ascent. (Book 9)

MOses was most miserably disturbed, and injuriously persecuted, with the fre∣quent misprizions, malitious repinings, and ungrateful murmurings, of the common people: And, indeed, it is not a little won∣derful, to observe, how our Patriarch, has no sooner escaped from the face of Pharaoh, and malice of his Magicians, but, he is brought to a terrible trial of his patience, with his own people: who find themselves, no sooner out of bondage, by his means, but they must present∣ly set their tongues at liberty, to raile against their glorious Captain, and Deliverer.

Now, first they begin their game, upon the sight of Pharaohs pursuite of them; flying upon him thus. Because there were no graves in Egypt,* 1.1 hast thou taken us away to die in the Wildernesse? &c. Nor were they sooner delivered from that danger, being led dry-foot through the middle of the Ocean, which had swallowed up the fury of Pharaoh, and all his Host: but coming on the other side of the Sea, they must murmur again,* 1.2 against poor Moses, because the waters there, were something

bitter, and so he was constrained to deal a double Miracle, the one to sweeten the waters, the other them; so the people were for the present pacified.

Now their thirst was no sooner quenched, but they must be murmuring again, for want of bread, and upbraid their Redeemer, for their very Deliverance, telling him in plain terms, to his face, that he might have done well to have let them alone, when they sate by the flesh-pots of Egypt, and did eat bread to their full, taxing him of a design, to starve them in the Wildernesse.* 1.3 Then was bread most won∣derfully rained down from Heaven, to stop their mutinous mouths, and yet that most mi∣raculous, and celestial food, could not con∣tent them; for at the very next turn, they must make as fierce an out-cry for a little wa∣ter. Nay, the Text tells us, that they were so insolent, as to chide with Moses for it,* 1.4 and the place was called Massah, and Meribah, be∣cause of the chiding of the children of Israel: Yet the Lord being pleased to appease so per∣verse a people,* 1.5 made Moses whom the murmu∣red at, to bestow another miracle upon them, and to broach a Rock, to afford them drink.

And yet after so many stupendious supplies of their wants, and more miraculous forbear∣ances, to punish their repining spirits, the De∣vil of disobedience, and sedition, will not so be satisfied, but this rebellious people, must be still grumbling again against Moses, till the fire of Heaven, had almost consumed them all;* 1.6

and yet at the importunity of good Moses, that all was no sooner quenched, but they must nauseat, and loath, the very bread of Heaven; and cry out, forsooth, for flesh. Nothing we know can satisfie irregular appetites, yet that lust of theirs must be satiated too, by such a shower of Quailes, as never the earth saw, though there, that meat was made a mortal poison to the mutineers. Nay, yet, after all these fair warnings, so many miraculous sup∣plies, and so much long-suffering of the Lords, and his servant Moses with them, they must pick a quarrel with him still; nay, go about to make a general revolt, and to depose him from his Charge, and all, forsooth, because they saw before them, the huge bugbear Gyants of the sons of Anack:* 1.7 for they said unto one another, We are brought hither, to fall by the Sword; Come let us chuse another Cap∣tain, and let us return into Egypt.

This was a dismal mutiny indeed, and for that, the Lord would have extirpated them all, but for the importunate prayer of our in∣jured Moses: Though it was so contrary to his own interest too; for the Lord offered him, to make of himself a people, mightier, and a greater Nation, than they were: but the gracious Lord was so taken off from his ven∣geance, and our Clement Moses was content to continue the Charge, and still charitably to conduct so rebellious, and disobedient a peo∣ple, though their many after mutinies, and base murmurings, drew more and more plagues

upon them, as that of the terrible fiery Ser∣pents, and divers others, too tedious now to relate, being called to hasten to our precious Parallel.

The Parallel.

No other treatment than this, can all good Princes,* 1.8 and Governours expect from the rude Populace, qui ipsam dominationem spernunt, & majestatem blasphemant, who are alwayes ad∣dicted to despise Dominion, and blaspheme Majesty it self, as the Apostle tells us; They are never better pleased, then when they can, as Austin well expresseth it, in Principes petu∣lantem ingenii sui libidinem procacitur exercere:* 1.9 spend the lust of their petulant tongues upon their Princes. The same humour was not a∣misse remarkt, by the acute Historian in his time, Loquax sane & ingeniosus,* 1.10 in contumeliam Praefectorum, populus; inter quos qui vitaverit cul∣pam, non effugit infamiam: The people, saith he, are naturally talkative, and love to shew their little wits, in casting of contumelies a∣gainst their Governours, none of whom, can carry themselves so well, as to be clear from blame, though they are free from fault: and the Philosopher gives some reason for it,* 1.11 Male de illis loquuntur Nequam homines, quia bene lo∣qui nesciunt, faciunt non quod merentur illi, sed quod solent ipsi: wicked people, saith he, speak

ill of their Princes, because they know not how to speak well; and so what they do, is according to their own custom, not the others deserving.

Indeed, we full well know, that this great Beast, the people, is a monster of many heads, and those heads, have as many horns, to gore, and gall, their Governours. Since then this mischievous humour has prevailed in all Ages, and amongst all Nations, and is become now perfectly customary to the mad multitude, from whom, neither the Crowns of Kings, nor Miters of the greatest Prelates, can be secure; Why should our second Moses, his late High∣nesse, trouble himself more about it, than his great Pattern, and Prototype, the former Moses did? They both knew full well, that such wicked, ill-natured, depraved, and perverse people, there would be still in the World, and that by Gods especial permission too, for the exercise of his servants vertues. Vinegar is said to be very necessary, for the purifying, and polishing of some precious Stones, which have their fire (as it were) frozen over, and their luster eclipsed, by some dark substance, or earthy interposition: So great spirits, ought to have some little touch or taste of Acerbities, to enlighten their valours, and il∣lustrate all their other vertues: And so I doubt not, but that we shall without much dif∣ficulty, in this particular, accomplish our hap∣py Parallel.

Has our glorious second Moses been lesse

injured by venemous tongues? lesse persecu∣ted with the misprizions, repinings, and ma∣litious murmurings, of these mutinous Na∣tions, than our first Moses has been, with his stiff-necked Israelites? Or, has his Highnesse shewed lesse patience in bearing, or greater magnanimity in contemning those cursed con∣tumelies, with which some Diabolical creatures have attempted to asperse his Divine vertues, than that his first Pattern or Prototype has done? No, his most Serene Highnesse, could never be disturbed with those petit clouds of vulgar ignominies, no more, than the Supream Sphere of the celestial Bodies, can be moved, by any distempers here below.

His Sacred Highnesse, likewise knew, that he had a greater example, than that of his Ma∣ster Moses too, to follow, in that grand point of temper, towards his people, and that is the Almighty Lord of Heaven himself. Who has borne more injuries from the wicked mouths of men, than his Divine Majesty has done? insomuch, as old Tertullian tells us,* 1.12 That to bear an injury gallantly, is a true ray of the Divinity it self: and Cyprian,* 1.13 as elegantly as he, in his Treatise that he composed of pa∣tience, confirms to us, That this brave bear∣ing of injuries, is not onely the proper ver∣tue of true Nobility, but a most glo∣rious property of the Deity. Est nobis (saith he) cum Deo virtus communis, inde patientia incipit, inde Claritas ejus & dignitas caput sumit; So he is bold to make it not onely to

be the very Essence of God, but the Clarity, and Dignity of his Nature. And indeed, when we deeply consider, the great long-suf∣fering of our good God, for so many Ages, how he has permitted to stand so many Tem∣ples of abominable Idols, that were erected to the very contempt of his holy Name, and in the defiance of his Power: How he has been pleased still to suffer dayes and times to cir∣cumvolve, rivers to glide, winds to blow, the Spring to put on a green, and the Autumn a saffron Robe, grapes and corn to ripen, the Elements to serve, and hold universal Nature in breath, to supply a thousand millions of Sa∣crifices, every day offered to Hell it self; How he has still continued to cast even flowers from Heaven, with a bountiful and free hand upon the audacious heads of his most contumacious enemies, who better deserved to have received so many stroaks, of his angry Thunder-bolts.

So, when we consider, the great long ani∣mity, and patience, of our ever blessed Savi∣our, in bearing the cursed contumelies, and insolencies of the perfidious Jews, which were so horrid, that total Nature it self groaned un∣der them, the Sun could not behold them, but be eclipsed, nor the Stars attend, but in their sad and mourning weeds, and the whole frame of the Universe, suffer a most sharp convul∣sion, both above, and below his Crosse; and yet he in the mean time, as unconcerned in his own sufferings, was pleased to remain upon it quietly, though bloodily affixt to it, and un∣disturbed

as in a chair of State, without any the least emotion.

Who would not now suffer himself to be carryed away, with the study of this most glo∣rious vertue, of Magnanimous longanimity, and suffering unworthy injuries? And sure, next to this un-imitable pattern of the Al∣mighties, which we have seen, that of our first great Master Moses, is most considerable, whose steps, in this too, our most pious second, has so clearly traced, that they may be more truly called the very same, than Parallel: Onely here's the difference remaining,; our first Mo∣ses couragiously and kindly suffered the re∣proaches, frequent murmurings, and mutinous distempers of a company, of poor, wandering and hunger-starved Jews, in a Desart; and our glorious second, has been ever graciously pleased to passe by the more malitious railings, and revilings, of our own too high-fed, pam∣pered, inebriated, brutish people.

I should be infinite, to enumerate the infa∣mous abusive libells, they have cast out against his goodness, with the particular Calumnies & disgraces, they have endeavoured to asperse his Highnesses Serene Person and Govern∣ment withal; and indeed the foulnesse of them, would stain through the cleanest language, that I could wrap them in, I shall therefore passe them by without reciting, as he has done without taking notice of, or revenging them: For he, just as the Royal Prophet David, did chuse to bear those honourable wounds, which

the envenomed tongues of such as Shimei, had thrown upon his reputation, and so was to mount to the Throne of Saul, by his steps of patience; witnessed in suffering Saul.

So I will be bold to conclude, that his late Highnesse, like a perfect true man of honour, did no more trouble himself with those inju∣rious dealings of the wicked World, and re∣ceiving those ill returns, from his most unfaith∣ful, and unworthy back-biters, than does the Sun in the firmament, to behold the Clouds, which he himself had drawn, from the mire and fens of the earth, to make himself a Skarf of. He knew very well, that he should, as he could not choose, but for ever have the up∣per hand of them, and though they might darken his aspect something, for a time, and malitiously hinder themselves from the enjoy∣ment of his most excellent vertues; yet they could never deprive him, of his proper light, or other sober, well-tempered, and more thankful souls, from receiving the favour of his better influences; as we shall continue to prove in the processe of our succeeding As∣cents, and happy Parallels

Notes

• * 1.1

  Eod. 14.1.
• * 1.2

  Exod. 15.24.
• * 1.3

  Exod. 16.3.
• * 1.4

  Exod. 17.2.
• * 1.5

  V. 7.
• * 1.6

  Num. 11.
• * 1.7

  Num. 14.
• * 1.8

  Jud. 8.
• * 1.9

  August.
• * 1.10

  Tacitus.
• * 1.11

  Seneca.
• * 1.12

  Tertul.
• * 1.13

  Cyprian: de patien∣tia.