how had I defended thee against the God of Battles or how had I acquitted, whom He had judged to destroy ?" He paused from the long wild declamation, which he had poured out in the perturbation of his spirit, half conscious, and perhaps half selfconvicted of criminal ambition, and struggling to convince himself entirely of the truth of the dark creed he had adopted, and thus to satisfy his restless spirit by a half voluntary self-deception. The sentinel, meantime, had stood beside him, with his hand still outstretched as when he first extended it to receive again his sword, gazing partly in admiration, partly in fear and awe, now on the calm and rigid countenance of the dead king, now on the varying and agitated features of his almost remorseful judge; but less astonished at the scene, than would have been expected, in consequence of the prevailing custom of his party to pray and preach, with every species of whining cant or furious raving, on all occasions anywise uncommon or surprising. For several minutes' space Oliver gazed again in silence on the body, and then replacing the lid, gently, and almost tenderly, "Farewell," he said, "farewell on earth for ever! strangely have we been linked together here below, and wonderfully do we part! Hadst thou prevailed, my fate had been more bitter! Farewell, farewell! we meet no more, whether for good or evil, until that final meeting, when God must judge between us two. Till then sleep soundly --and then awake-HE only knows-to what!" He then replaced the screws, and threw the pall across the coffin as before, the soldier Bowtell, holding a torch, which he had taken from the nearest candelabrum, to assist him. This finished, he withdrew a pace or two, wrapped his cloak closely round him, and sat down upon a settle near the bed. The soldier, having replaced the light, stood for a little time in silence, and then said, "I pray you tell me, lieutenant-general, what mode of government shall we now have?" "The same as then was !" he answered, in a sharp decisive tone; and instantly relapsing into silence, sat in deep sullen thought, until the other soldier came back; and then forgetting quite or disregarding his first promise of relieving Bowtell in his turn, he took up the small taper he had brought with him, and left the room in his dark mood, speaking no word to either of the sentinels. CHAPTER VIII. To hold you in perpetual amity, To make you brothers, and to knit your hearts Octavia to his wife. By this marriage, All little jealousies, which now seem great, And all great fears, which now import their dangers, Would then be nothing. Antony and Cleopatra. SOME months had passed after the death of Charles, during which a new form of government had been established.-By a vote of the commons the existence of the upper House was declared dangerous and useless, and without more ado, it was abolished. About the same time, by another vote, monarchy was extinguished, and it was made high-treason to proclaim, or otherwise acknowledge, Charles Stuart, commonly called the Prince of Wales, as King of England. A council of state had been next composed, of forty-one members-among whom were Fairfax, Cromwell, Bradshaw, with St. John and the younger Vane-on whom devolved the duties of the executive, with a proviso that they should resign their powers to the state, as soon as the republic should be settled on a permanent and stable basis. Some disaffection of the army and tumults, which for a short time threatened to be dangerous to the new government, were put down and punished rigorously by the zeal and energy of Cromwell, and all domestic matters wore now a show of happier and fairer promise, than Ardenne had ever hoped to witness; while the republic |