Monday, April 05, 2010

kill sin pimple

"It was usual for the pretended saints at that time [of Oliver Cromwell - this is his first or so parliament as Protector, roundabout 1653] to change their names from Henry, Edward, Anthony, William, which they regarded as heathenish, into others more sanctified and godly: Even the New Testament names, James, Andrew, John, Peter, were not held in such regard as those which were borrowed from the Old Testament, Hezekiah, Habbakuk, Joshua, Zerobabel. Sometimes a whole godly sentence was adopted as a name.

Here are the names of a jury said to be enclosed in the county of Sussex about that time.


Accepted, Trevor of Northam.
Redeemed, Compton of Battle.
Faint not, Hewit of Heathfield. 
Make Peace, Heaton of Hare. 
God Reward, Smart of Fivehurst. 
Standfast on High, Stringer of Crowhurst. 
Earth, Adams of Warbleton. 
Called, Lower of the same. 
Kill Sin, Pimple of Witham. 
Return, Spelman of Watling.
Be Faithful, Joiner of Britling.
Fly Debate, Roberts of the same.
Fight the good Fight of Faith, White of Emer.
More Fruit, Fowler of East Hadley.
Hope for, Bending of the same.
Graceful, Harding of Lewes.
Weep not, Biling of the same.
Meek, Brewer of Okeham.

See Brome’s Travels into England, p. 279. “Cromwell,” says Cleveland, “hath beat up his drums clean through the Old Testament. You may learn the genealogy of our Saviour by the names of his regiment. The muster-master has no other list, than the first chapter of St. Matthew.” The brother of this Praise-god Barebone had for name, If Christ had not died for you, you had been damned Barebone. But the people, tired of this long name, retained only the last word, and commonly gave him the appellation of Damn’d Barebone."

From Hume's History of England, Vol 6, a footnote somewhere.