nt, was similarly dissolved by the lord-general, who, in person,
bade its members to depart.

"We have heard," cried John Bradshaw, one of its members, "what you have
done this morning at the House, and in some hours all England will hear
it. But you mistake, sir, if you think the Parliament dissolved. No
power on earth can dissolve the Parliament but itself, be sure of that."

The people did hear it,--and sustained Cromwell in his action. Of the
two sets of usurpers, the army and a non-representative Parliament, they
preferred the former.

"We did not hear a dog bark at their going," said Cromwell, afterwards.

It was not the first time in history that the army had overturned
representative government. In this case it was not done with the design
of establishing a despotism. Cromwell was honest in his purpose of
reforming the administration, and establishing a Parliamentary
government. But he had to do with intractable elements. He called a
constituent convention, giving to it the duty of paving the way to a
constitutional Parliament. Instead of this, the convention began the
work of reforming the constitution, and proposed such radical changes
that the lord-general grew alarmed. Doubtless his musketeers would have
dealt with the convention as they had done with the Rump Parliament, had
it not fallen to pieces through its own dissensions. It handed back to
Cromwell the power it had received from him. He became the lord
protector of the realm. The revolutionary government had drifted,
despite itself, into a despotism. A despotism it was to remain while
Cromwell lived.

_THE RELIEF OF LONDONDERRY._

Frightful was the state of Londonderry. "No surrender" was the ultimatum
of its inhabitants, "blockade and starvation" the threat of the
besiegers; the town was surrounded, the river closed, relief seemed
hopeless, life, should the furious besiegers break in, equally hopeless.
Far off, in the harbor of Lough Foyle, could be seen the English ships.
Thirty vessels lay there, laden with men and provisions, but they were
able to come no nearer. The inhabitants could see them, but the sight
only aggravated their misery. Plenty so near at hand! Death and
destitution in their midst! Frightful, indeed, was their extremity.

The Foyle, the river leading to the town, was fringed with hostile forts
and batteries, and its channel barricaded. Several boats laden with
stone had been sunk in the channel. A row of stakes was d