CHAPTER IV. OLIVER CROMWELL. Cromwell's "Fortunate Day"- Magnificent Ceremony of His Lying in State His Splendid Funeral - His Body Exhumed and Exposed at Tyburn - Other Accounts of the Disposal of His Remains The Body of Charles Supposed to Have Been Substituted for That of Cromwell - Barkstead's Singular Narrative Descendants of the Protector- Reflections on His Character and Conduct. THE third of September had always been regarded by Cromwell as his "fortunate day." On the two successive anniversaries of that day he had gained his famous victories of Dunbar and Worcester; and yet subsequently on that very day, agreeably with a strange prophecy of Colonel Lindsey, the Protector breathed his last.' 1 In a curious pamphlet, printed in 1679, and entitled "Dayfatality, or some Observations of Days Lucky and Unlucky,' several similar evidences are carefully brought together. "On the sixth of April," says the writer, "Alexander the Great was born; upon the same day he conquered Darius, won a great victory at sea, and died the same day. Neither was this day less fortunate to his father, Philip; for on the same day he took Potidea; Parmenio, his general, gave a great overthrow to the Illyrians; and his horse was victor at the Olympic games. Upon the thirtieth of September Pompey the Great was born; upon that The funeral of the late Protector, as well as the ceremony of lying in state, were conducted with a pomp and magnificence which have rarely been exceeded. According to Heath, the two pageants cost the enormous sum of sixty thousand pounds,' more than double what had ever been expended on the obsequies of any of our legitimate sovereigns. Noble, however, reduces the real expenditure to twenty-eight thousand pounds. The ceremony of lying in state took place in the great hall at Somerset House. On the twentysixth of September, about ten at night, the coffin, attended by the private domestics of the late Protector, was conveyed thither in a mourning coach. A few days afterward, the public were admitted to the memorable sight. Passing through three rooms, covered with black and lined with soldiers, they were introduced into the principal apartment. The ceiling, as well as the walls of this room, were hung with black velvet, ornamented with escutcheons. About five hundred candles threw a brilliant light over the trappings of woe. Under a black canopy was placed a couch covered with crimson velvet, on which lay a waxen image of the deceased, day he triumphed for his Asian conquest; and on that day died." There are numberless other instances from which the author deduces his fantastic theory. 'Walker, in his "History of Independency" (part iv., p. 32), places the expenses at twenty-nine thousand pounds. with a sceptre in one hand and a globe in the other. The effigy was clad in robes of purple and crimson velvet, ornamented with ermine and lace of gold. A cap of purple velvet and ermine covered the head. On a high stool of gold tissue lay an imperial crown, and near it a suit of complete armour. At the feet of the figure was to be seen the crest of the deceased. The gorgeous pageant was surrounded by railings hung with crimson velvet, with which costly material the floor was also carpeted. At each corner of the rails stood upright pillars, on the summits of which were lions and dragons, holding streamers in their paws. Banners, on which were the armorial bearings of the Protector, were affixed on each side of the bed, around which stood the attendants bareheaded. After a few weeks the aspect of the ceremony was somewhat altered. The effigy was removed to another and not less splendid apartment, where, instead of being placed in a recumbent posture as before, it was made to stand on a raised dais, under a canopy of state. With the exception of the cap being exchanged for a crown, the figure was robed as before, and the ornaments and devices were nearly the same. The Protector, in this stage of his apotheosis, was intended to be represented as in a state of glory, the light having been so concentrated as to form a celestial halo around his effigy. Ludlow informs us that "this folly and profusion so far provoked the people, that in the night they threw dirt on the escutcheon that was placed over the great gate of Somerset House." From the day of the Protector's death to that of his public interment, nearly twelve weeks were allowed to elapse. We learn, however, both from Bates and Carrington, that, owing to natural causes, it had been found necessary to inhume his remains long previous to the public performance of his obsequies. The twenty-third of November was appointed for the funeral. On that day, the streets between Somerset House and Westminster Abbey were railed in and strewed with gravel, and on each side of them were a line of soldiers, in red coats and black buttons, with their colours enclosed in cypress. The procession having been formed, the waxen effigy was carried by two gentlemen, who had belonged to the household of the late Protector, to an open hearse or chariot, which had been constructed for its reception. The figure was still habited in the robes of royalty, with a crown on its head, and the globe and sceptre in its hands. The hearse, which was adorned with plumes and escutcheons, was drawn by six horses in trappings of black velvet. A gentleman of the bedchamber took his seat at the head of the effigy, and another at the feet. A velvet pall, extending over the carriage, was borne by several persons of distinction. The procession to the abbey, as far as we can glean from the relations of Heath, Carrington, and other contemporary writers, appears to have been in the following order: A Knight Marshal and his Deputy. The poor men of Westminster, in mourning gowns and hoods, marching two and two. The Servants of Persons of Rank attending the Funeral. The Servants of the late Protector. His Bargemen and Watermen. The Officers and Servants of the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs of London. The Servants of the Ambassadors and foreign Ministers. The Poor Knights of Windsor in gowns and hoods. The Clerks, Secretaries, and other Officers of the War Office, Admiralty, Treasury, Navy Office, and Exchequer. The Officers in command of the Fleet. The Officers in command of the Army. The Commissioners of the Excise, of the Army, and the Navy. The Commissioners for the approbation of Preachers. The Officers, Messengers, and Clerks of the Privy Council, and of the two Houses of Parliament. The Physicians of the Household. The Officers and Aldermen of the City of London. The Masters in Chancery, and the Protector's Council at Law. The Judges of the Admiralty, the Masters of Requests, and the Judges in Wales. The Barons of the Exchequer, the Judges of both Benches, and the Lord Mayor of London. The Relatives of the Protector, and the Members of the House of Commons. The Ambassadors and Ministers of Foreign Courts. |