For nearly two hundred years after his death so little was known of
Cromwell's personal views and motives that he was generally regarded as,
in Hume's words, a hypocritical fanatic. Carlyle's researches were
sufficient to refute the charge of hypocrisy, but not until the
beginning of this century was a sufficient mass of documents and
personal correspondence assembled to make possible a just and balanced
account of Cromwell's life. Sir Charles Firth's biography, first
published in 1900, presents such an account, and in the years that have
passed since the book was written it has become generally recognized as
a standard work, soundly informative as history and worthy of
preservation as literature.Keywords: Cromwell Personal Correspondence
Sir Charles Hundred Years Personal Views Hypocritical Refute Carlyle
Researches Hume Hypocrisy Motives Literature