Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: ROBERT. ELDEST SON OF THE PROTECTOR He was sent, together with his brother Oliver, and perhaps also with Richard, to the free grammar-school of Foisted, then under the management of Mr. Holbeach. This establishment, which had been founded by Lord Rich in the time of Queen Elizabeth, was just now in considerable repute. Doctors John Wallis and Isaac Barrow are said to have received their early education there. But what principally recommended the place to the judgment of Oliver was, no doubt, the circumstance that his sons would there be under the watchful observation of their maternal grandfather, Sir James Bourchier, whose seat was in the same parish. Other neighbouring friends and relatives were the Mashams of Otes. The few scanty notices of this Robert, who was evidently a son after the father's heart, are of a very interesting character. The first occurs in 1638. Cromwell had been making a brief stoppage at Otes, where his cousin Mrs. St. John happened also to be paying a visit. Perhaps, as Mr. Corlyle suggests, he may have been taking one of his sons over to Felsted school, and on returning home took occasion to ride round iy way of Otes and have a talk with his pious kinsmen. The discourse passing at that interview had evidently been of a stimulating and devotional character; so Mrs. St. John reminds him in a subsequent letter. Cromwell's reply to her is one of his most characteristic epistles; but the only use we need make of it here is to quote the reference it contains to one of his sons, presumably Robert,—" Salute all my friends in that family whereof you are yet a member. I am much bound unto them for their love, I bless the Lord for them, and that my son by their procurement is so well. Let him have your prayers, your counsel; let me have them." Seven months ...