General Cromwell, one perceives, is justly suspected of a lenity for Sectaries, Independents, Anabaptists themselves, provided they be ‘men that fear God,’ as he phrases it. Lieutenant-Colonel Lilburn (Freeborn John), Lieutenant-Colonel Fleetwood risen from Captaincy now: these and others, in the Crawford Documents, come painfully to view in this Lincolnshire campaign and afterwards; with discontents, with ‘Petitions,’ and one knows not what; all tending to Sectarian courses, all countenanced by the Lieutenant-General.[1] Most distasteful to Scotch Crawford, to my Lord of Manchester, not to say criminal and unforgivable to the respectable Presbyterian mind.
Reverend Mr. Baillie is now up in Town again with the Scotch Commissioners,—for there is again a Scotch Commission here, now that their Army has joined us: Reverend Mr. Baillie, taking good note of things, has this pertinent passage some six months hence · ‘The Earl of Manchester, a sweet meek man, did formerly permit Lieutenant-General Cromwell to guide all the Army at his pleasure: the man Cromwell is a very wise and active head’—yes, Mr. Robert!—‘universally well beloved as religious and stout; but a known Independent or favourer of Sects,’—the issues of which might have been frightful! ‘But now our countryman Crawford has got a great hand with Manchester, stands high with all that are against Sects;’ which is a blessed change indeed,[2]—and may partly explain this Letter and some other things to us!
Of Major-General Crawford, who was once a loud-sounding well-known man, but whose chance for being remembered much longer will mainly ground itself on a Letter he copied with very different views, let us say here what little needs to be said. He is Scotch; of the Crawfords of Jordan-Hill, in Renfrewshire; has seen service in the German Wars, and is deeply conscious of it;—paints himself to us as a headlong audacious fighter, of loose loud tongue, much of a pedant and braggart, somewhat given to sycophancy too. Whose history
