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CHAPTERI.JOHNDRYDEN:HISLIFEANDCRITICALSTUDIES
InJuly1649,CharlesStuartJrlandedinScotlandand,amonthlater,
Cromwell’sarmycrossedtheTweedRiverandenteredtheScottishter-
ritory.On2ndSeptember,thetwoarmiesclashedatDunbar.Cromwell’s
cavalrysucceededagaininbreakingtheScottishlines.3000Scottish
soldierswerekilledand10000wounded,whereasCromwelllostonly
20people.CharlesIIhadtowithdrawhisarmytothenorthandCrom-
wellcouldtheneasilyoccupyEdinburgh.On1stJanuaryCharlesStu-
artwasofficiallycrownedintheoldScottishcapital,Scone.Hehoped
togainthequicksupportofEnglishroyalists,promisingarevolution
oncetheScottishtroopscrossedtheborder.Thepromises,however,
appearedungrounded.CromwellwasstillchasingtheScottisharmies,
andon3rdSeptember1651hemanagedtodefeattheenemyoncemore
attheSevernRiverforcingCharlestofleetoFrance.Between1651
and1653,Cromwellwagednewwarcampaigns,attackingPortugaland
Holland,whichweresuccessfulbutcostly.Moreover,somemembers
oftheRumpParliamentattemptedtolimitthefreedomofspeechand
thought.Thefreedomwasmostlyrequiredbyrepresentativesofvar-
iousreligioussectsandorganisations.Cromwell,whowasastaunch
proponentoftoleranceforallreligions,opposedtheideasproposedby
themembersoftheRumpParliament.Hispolicywasagainstanylimi-
tationsoffreedomofreligiousbeliefs,whichheoncestatedinoneofhis
speeches:KIhadratherthatMahometanismwerepermittedamongstus
thanoneofGod’schildrenshouldbepersecuted.’7Inthisway,Crom-
wellgainedsupportofthecrowdsandsectarianswhorecognisedhim
astheirprotector.
Poets,suchasMilton(whowasthenCromwell’sLatinSecretary),
supportedtheLordProtectorwithpraisingverses.In1652,hepub-
lishedasonnetentitled:TotheLordGenerallCromwell,Ontheproposals
ofcertainministersattheCommitteeforPropagationoftheGospel:
Cromwell,ourchiefofmen,whothroughacloud,
Notofwaronly,butdetractionsrude,
Guidedbyfaithandmatchlessfortitude,
Topeaceandtruththygloriouswayhastploughed,
7
W.CAbbott,ed.,TheWritingsandSpeechesofOliverCromwellwithanIntroduc-
tion,NotesandaSketchofHisLife,Vol.II1650–1658(Cambridge,1937),p.520.
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