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Cromwell, an East Anglian yeoman and Member of Parliament, descended from the sister of Henry VIII’s notorious chief minister, was the supreme general of the Civil Wars. A military genius, he was also prone to bouts of almost manic energy and depression, and read success and failure alike as manifestations of the will of God.
Under Cromwell’s Protectorate, a virtual secret service was operated under the direction of John Thurloe, Secretary to the Council of State.
There were those who thought the new beverage to be an abomination, the Devil’s drink, that the dark and smoky serving rooms were but precursors of the Hades to which their patrons would inevitably be consigned;
‘He was born too low and reached too high,’ said Wim.
‘If you have money, put it into sugar, tobacco, slaves . . .’ Campbell flinched. ‘As a man of God – and I am a man of God – it would not sit well with my conscience to profit in the trafficking of my fellow Christians.’ ‘But if they are not Christians . . .’ And so started a debate around the table, where Aristotle was called into play, Augustine quoted.
Soon, the rights and wrongs were forgotten in tales of profit, fabulous profit.
Hell was on Earth, the Devil was in man, God had been vanquished and there was no means to perfection but through sin.
The thoughts and words born in men’s minds and given form and life by the printing houses could not be properly controlled.
‘And I wept for a monster who had not known he was one until his master rendered him so.’
‘The Seekers believe that Heaven and Hell are here amongst us, in this world. Hell, I have seen, but Heaven I have yet to encounter.’
‘You have not been to Hell? Perhaps not. It’s full of Christians. Master and servant, overseer and slave. Eighteen hours a day, labouring under the sun, labouring at the sugar cane.’
Nedham would write what he was told to write by whoever was in power and prepared to pay him. Whatever record he made of the proceedings of this court would be embellished with all the mockery, scorn and insinuation of danger required to keep the populace in an attitude of manufactured outrage, that they might not think to question their masters.
My family had travelled the North for generations, finding work on farms and villages, shelter and sustenance in the woods. We troubled no one, and were let to live our own way, to worship our own way, without parish or priest. We were taught to look for the kingdom within ourselves, amongst ourselves, and understood Heaven and Hell as present here on this earth.’
Seeker was still looking past Maria when he finally answered her. ‘Without order, there is nothing at all.’
