Necessity hath no law. Feigned necessities, imaginary necessities… are the greatest cozenage that men can put upon the Providence of God, and make pretenses to break known rules by.

Cromwell contrasts the old maxim “necessity hath no law” (the claim that urgent need can override ordinary rules) with what he calls “feigned” or “imaginary” necessities. The thrust is moral and theological: people often invoke “necessity” as a convenient pretext to excuse actions they already want to take, especially actions that violate clear, established duties (“known rules”). By calling this the “greatest cozenage,” he frames such reasoning as self-deception and as an attempt to enlist divine providence as a cover for wrongdoing. The quote thus warns against opportunistic casuistry—using emergency rhetoric to justify breaches of principle.