Oliver Cromwell

Oliver Cromwell

Greatest and wisest of our rulers stands
The noble hearted Cromwell. He came forth
Just “in the nick of time” when such a man
Was needed by his country and the world.
A man of action, firm, and just, and true; 5
No theoriser, but who clearly saw
What was most needed in the time he lived,
And dared to do it well: so for all time
His figure looms up as the greatest man
Who ever ruled in England. Fools may rave 10
About his selfishness, hypocrisy,
And vile ambition: they know not the man
Whose only care was for the public good,—
Which pure religion he believed alone
Could give to any nation. We must judge 15
This noble Englishman by all his deeds
Done in most trying times. The people were
Too faction-ridden then to elect
Calmly fit representatives to mould
Against Republic from the chaos vile 20
Into which tyranny in Church and State
Had ground society. Cromwell’s righteous rule
Produced both peace at home and power abroad,
And show’d how great small England could become
With wisdom and with firmness at the helm. 25
When you hear men repeat the worn-out lies
About the Lord Protector, tell them quick
They jabber idly on a subject they
Have yet to study; if they can, to learn
The greatness of the man they so malign. 30
Blank verse [in M/S], p. 63-64.

George Markham Tweddell