With these forces Cromwell met the army of
Scotch enthusiasts at Dunbar. There was indeed equal fanaticism in both
armies; but the difference was, the English were soldiers as well as
preachers, and their General used fanaticism as an engine to move
others, not as the rule of his own actions. He wore piety as a mask; he
used it to sharpen his sword, but he never converted it into a pilot.
Supreme power was the port at which he aimed, and profound worldly
wisdom, and the most acute penetration into the character and designs of
others, assisted him to steer his vessel with astonishing security
through the rocks and quicksands that opposed his course.
From the retrospective view which the narrative required, I now turn to
speak of the alarm caused by the young King's march into England. Though
Cromwell was personally in Scotland, he continued to govern in London
through his agents, and they urged the approach of the Royalists as a
pretence for resorting to severer measures with all who were hostile to
their employer.
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