Cromwell's Rump on Political Succession

Cromwell had stopped attending the council of state. He met with his senior officers and what allies in parliament they had left to hash out a plan for the rump to elect a forty man caretaker government until new elections could be held, and then disband themselves. But as he sat in a meeting at whitehall the next day, a breathless messenger showed up with news that the rump was considering a bill on political succession. Cromwell didn't believe the first messenger, but then two more messengers came and told him exactly the same thing. When cromwell got down to the commons, he took his seat and let the debate continue uninterrupted. Just as the speaker was about