BEFORE THE RESTORATION.

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their own accord, put their lives in jeopardy for the liberties chap.and religion of England, and whose right and duty it was ~to watch over the welfare of the nation which they hadsaved.

A force thus composed might, without injury to its effi-ciency, be indulged in some liberties which, if allowed toany other troops, would have proved subversive of all dis-cipline. In general, soldiers who should form themselvesinto political clubs, elect delegates, and pass resolutions onhigh questions of state, would soon break loose from allcontrol, would cease to form an army, and would becomethe worst and most dangerous of mobs. Nor would it be safe,in our time, to tolerate in any regiment religious meetings,at which a corporal versed in Scripture should lead the devo-tions of his less gifted colonel, and admonish a backslidingmajor. But such was the intelligence, the gravity, and theself-command of the warriors whom Cromwell had trained,that in their camp a political organization and a religiousorganization could exist without destroying military organiza-tion. The same men, who, off duty, were noted as dema-gogues and field preachers, were distinguished by steadiness,by the spirit of order, and by prompt obedience on watch,on drill, and on the field of battle.

In war this strange force was irresistible. The stubborncourage characteristic of the English people was, by thesystem of Cromwell, at once regulated and stimulated. Otherleaders have maintained order as strict. Other leaders haveinspired their followers with zeal as ardent. But in his campalone the most rigid discipline was found in company with thefiercest enthusiasm. His troops moved to victory with theprecision of machines, while burning with the wildest fa-naticism of Crusaders. From the time when the army wasremodelled to the time when it was disbanded, it never found,either in the British islands or on the Continent, an enemy