" His fright, however, was but momentary. He was
resolved to live. He had succeeded in raising himself to a
position of vast power, but had failed in attaining the great
object of his ambition--the crowned sovereignty of the nation he
had stirred to its centre, and conquered to its furthest limits.
Brought face to face with death, his indomitable will, which had
shaped untoward circumstances to his accord with a force like
unto fate itself, now determined to conquer his shadowy enemy
which alone intercepted his path to the throne. Therefore as he
lay in bed he said to those around him with that sanctity of
speech which had cloaked his cruellest deeds and dissembled his
most ambitious designs, "I would be willing to live to be further
serviceable to God and his people."
As desires of waking hours are answered in sleep, so in response
to his nervous craving for life he had delusive assurances of
health through the special bounty of Providence. He was
therefore presently able to announce he "had very great
discoveries of the Lord to him in his sickness, and hath some
certainty of being restored;" as Fleetwood, his son-in-law, wrote
on the 24th of August in this same year.
Accordingly, when one of the physicians came to him next morning,
the High Protector said, "Why do you look sad?" To which the man
of lore replied evasively, "So it becomes anyone who had the
weighty care of his life and health upon him." Then Cromwell to
this purpose spoke: "You think I shall die; I tell you I shall
not die this bout; I am sure on't.
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