Cromwell Poisoned (Vol. ii., p. 393.).—Your correspondent P. T. queries if there be any other statement than that which he adduces respecting Cromwell having been poisoned. I would refer him to the Athenæ Oxoniensis of Anthony à Wood, vol. ii. p. 303.,[[2]] in which it is stated that Dr. George Bate's friends gave him credit for having given a baneful dose to the Protector, to ingratiate himself with Charles II. Amidst all the mutations of those changeful times, and whether Charles I., Cromwell, or Charles II. were in the ascendant, Dr. George Bate always contrived to be the chief state physician. In Whitelock's Memorials of the English Affairs (1732), p. 494, it appears that the Parliament, in 1651, ordered Dr. Bate to go into Scotland to attend the General (Cromwell), and to take care of his health; he being his usual physician in London, and well esteemed by him. He wrote a work styled Elenchus Motuum nuperorum in Angliâ. This was severely scrutinised in another, entitled Elenchus Elenchi; sive Animadversiones in Georgii Batei, Cromwelli Paricidæ, aliquando Protomedici, Elenchi Motuum nuperorum in Angliâ. Autore Robt. Pugh; Parisiis, 1664.

Dr. Bate, who died 19th April, 1669, was buried at Kingston upon Thames.

§ N.

Nov. 9. 1850.

Footnote 2:[(return)]

I allude to the old edition, 2 vols. Lond. 1691-2, folio; not having any other at hand.

"Never did Cardinal bring Good to England" (Vol. ii., pp. 424, 450.).—Beruchino is right in his suggestion that Dr. Lingard may accidentally have omitted a reference to the place from whence he really derived this saying; for Hall tells us in his Chronicle (ed. 1809, p. 758.), that

"Charles, Duke of Suffolke, seeing the delay, gave a great clappe on the table with his hande and said, 'By the masse, now I see that the olde saied sawe is true, that there was never Legatt nor Cardinall that did good in Englande.'"

Whether Charles Brandon was a reader of Piers Ploughman, I know not; but the following passage from that poem proves he was giving expression to a feeling which had long been popular in this country. I quote from Mr. Wright's edition, published by Pickering:

"I knew nevere Cardinal