manner of negotiations and endeavours, noticed by us and not noticed, To make England Queen of the Protestant world; her, if there were no worthier Queen. To unite the Protestant world of struggling Light against the Papist world of potent Darkness. To stand upon God's Gospel, as the actual intrinsic Fact of this Practical Earth; and defy all potency of Devil's Gospels on the strength of that. Wherein, again Puritan England felt gradually that this Oliver was her Captain; and in heart could not but say, Long life to him; as we do now.

Let us note one other small private trait of Oliver in these months; and then hasten to the few Letters we have. Dull Bulstrode has jotted down: 'The Protector feasted the Commissioners for Approbation of Ministers.'1 Means the Commission of Triers; 2 whom he has to dinner with him in Whitehall. Old Sir Francis, Dr. Owen and the rest. He sat at table with them; and was cheerful and familiar in their company:' Hope you are getting on, my friends: how this is, and how that is? By such kind of little caresses,' adds Bulstrode, he gained much upon many persons.' Me, as a piece of nearly matchless law-learning and general wisdom, I doubt he never sufficiently respected; though he knew my fat qualities too, and was willing to use and recognise them!

LETTERS CXCVIII.-CCIII

3

Six Letters of somewhat miscellaneous character; which we must take in mass, and with no word of Commentary that can be spared. Straggling accidental lightbeams, accidentally preserved to us, and still transiently illuminating this feature or that of the Protector and his business,-let them be welcome in the darkness for what they are.

LETTER CXCVIII

BESIDES the great Sea-Armament that sailed from Portsmouth last December, and went Westward, with sealed orders, which

1 Whitlocke, April 1655.

2 Antea, p. 324.

3 [For two other short letters written about this time, see Supplement, Nos. 106, 107.]

men begin to guess were for the Spanish West Indies,-the Protector had another Fleet fitted out under Blake, already famous as a Sea-General; which has been in the Mediterranean, during these late months; 1 exacting reparation for damages, old or recent, done to the English Nation or to individuals of it, by the Duke of Florence or by others; keeping an eye on Spain too, and its Plate Fleets, apparently with still ulterior objects.

The Duke of Florence has handsomely done justice; 2 the Dey of Tunis was not so well advised, and has repented of it. There are Letters, dated March last 3 though they do not come till June : 'Letters that General Blake demanding at Tunis reparation for 'the losses of the English from Turkish Pirates, the Dey answered 'him with scorn, and bade him behold his Castles.' Blake did behold them; 'sailed into the Harbour within musket-shot of them; ' and though the shore was planted with great guns, he set upon 'the Turkish ships, fired nine of them,' and brought the Dey to reason, we apprehend.1

SIR,

To General Blake, 'at Sea'

Whitehall, 13th June 1655.

I have received yours of the 25th of March,5 which gives an account of the late transactions between yourself

1 [The fleet had gone out in the autumn of 1654, and in the spring of this present year Blake had succeeded in freeing many Christian slaves at Algiers. A copy of the Protector's Instructions to him in relation to this matter was made by Nicholas after the Restoration and is amongst the Algiers State Papers. The date is given as July 1656, but this is manifestly incorrect, and should no doubt be 1654. Another copy, apparently taken from this one, and with the same mistake of date, is to be found in one of the Charles II. entry books (No. 4, p. 17).]

2[Carlyle gives this probably on Ludlow's authority, but Prof. Laughton says that the assertion is "entirely unsupported by exact evidence, and is virtually contradicted by Blake's silence in his extant letters from Leghorn." (Dictionary of National Biography, art. "Robert Blake.") See also Eng. Hist. Review, 1899, p. 109.]

3 [But see note 5, below.]

Whitlocke, p. 608 (8th June 1655).

[This date is puzzling. On March 14, Blake sent a despatch to Thurloe, in which he states that they dare not at present attack the fleet at Tunis (partly because they are short of supplies), and so have withdrawn, but intend to return as soon as possible and put an end to the business. On April 18-28 he wrote again, speaking of the letter of March 14, as his last (there having been no opportunity of sending to England since), and giving an account of the firing of the ships. The attack was resolved upon on April 3, and carried out on April 4. It is to this latter despatch that Cromwell must refer. Both are printed in Thurloe (vol. iii. pp. 232,

and the Governors of Tunis, concerning the losses which the English have sustained by the piracies of that place; and 'of' the success it hath pleased God to give in the attempt you made upon their shipping, after their positive refusal to give you satisfaction upon your just demands. And as we have great cause to acknowledge the good hand of God towards us in this action, who, in all the circumstances thereof (as they have been represented by you), was pleased to appear very signally with you; so I think myself obliged to take notice of your courage and good conduct therein, and do esteem that you have done therein a very considerable service to this Commonwealth.

1

I hope you have received the former despatches which were sent unto you by the way of Legorne, for your coming into Cadiz Bay with the fleet, as also those which were sent by a ketch immediately from hence; whereby you had also notice of three-months provisions then preparing to be sent, and which' have since been sent away, under the convoy of the frigates the Centurion and Dragon; and 'I' hope they are safely arrived with you, they sailing from hence about the 28th of April. With this comes further Instructions concerning your disposing of the Fleet for the future, whereunto we do refer you. Besides which, we, having taken into consideration the present design we have in the West Indies, have judged it necessary, That not only the King of Spain's fleets coming from thence be intercepted (which as well your former Instructions as those now sent unto you authorise and require you to do), but that we endeavour also, as much as in us lies, to hinder him from sending any relief or assistance thither. You are therefore, during your abode with the Fleet in those seas, to inform yourself, by the best means you can, concerning the going of the King of Spain's fleet for the West Indies; and shall, according to such information as you can gain, use your best endeavours to intercept at sea, and fight with and take them, or otherwise to fire and sink them; as also

[See Cal. S. P. Dom., 1655, pp. 55, 76, 462.]

any other of his ships which you shall understand to be bound for the West Indies with provisions of war, for the aid and assistance of his subjects there; carrying yourself towards other of his ships and people as you are directed by your general Instructions.

'I rest,

'Your loving friend,

'OLIVER P.' *

The Sea-Armament was for the West Indies, then: good news of it were welcome!

Here is a short Letter of Blake's to the Protector, dated just the day before; in cipher;-which the reader, having never perhaps seen another Letter of Blake's, will not be displeased with. Unimportant; but bringing the old Seas, with their Puritan Sea-kings, with their Plate Fleets,' and vanished populations and traffics, bodily before us for moments.

"MAY IT PLEASE YOUR HIGHNESS,-The secret Instructions sent "by your Highness, referring me to a former Instruction, touch"ing the Silver Fleet of Spain coming from America, I have "received; and shall carefully observe the same. We had in"formation at Cadiz that the Fleet was expected about a month "or five weeks hence. We are now off Cape Mary's, intending "to spread with our Fleet what we can, and to range this sea, "according to the wind and the information we can get; plying "over likewise towards Cape Sprat, it being their most likely and "usual course. They of Cadiz are very distrustful of us; and "there being four galeons designed for the Mediterranean, and "six for New Spain, it is doubtful how they may be employed.

"We shall use our best endeavours to put the Instructions in "execution, as God shall afford us an opportunity; desiring your "Highness to rest assured of our diligence, and of the integrity "of,-your most humble and faithful servant,

"ROBERT BLAKE." 1

* Thurloe, iii. 547. [The answer to this letter is in the same volume (p. 611). Same day, letter to Poet Waller, Appendix, No. 28, 7.]

1 Ibid., iii. 541.

June 13th is Wednesday. On the morrow is universal FastDay, Humiliation and Prayer, and public Collection of Money for the Protestants of Piedmont. A day of much pious emotion in England; and of liberal contribution, which continued on the following days. 'Clerks come to every man's house,' says a disaffected witness; 'come with their papers, and you are forced to contribute.' The exact amount realised I never could very authentically learn.' The Dutch Ambassador says 100,000l. The disaffected witness says, 'London City itself gave half-a-million,' -or seemed as it would give. 'The Ministers played their part to the full,'-the Ministers and the People and their Ruler. No French Treaty signed or signable till this thing be managed. At length the French were obliged to manage it; 9th September of this same year the thing was got managed; 2-and by and by was got improved and still better managed, the Protector continuing all his days to watch over it, and over other similar things as they occurred, and to insist on seeing justice done respecting them.3

LETTER CXCIX

THE Scheme of Major-Generals for England is not yet come to maturity; but it is coming: new occasional arrests and barbadoesings continue, as the threads of old Plots are traced farther and farther. Monk keeps Scotland quiet; the hydra is for the present well under foot.

Meanwhile Henry Cromwell is despatched for Ireland, to see with his own eyes how matters stand there. A reverend godly

[The amount subscribed was 38,232/. After expending all that seemed necessary, 17,872/. remained, which was put out at interest to provide pensions or meet any other like demands. (See Dr. W. A. Shaw's article in the English Historical Review, Oct. 1894, p. 662.)]

2 See Thurloe, iii. 549, 623, 745, &c.

3 [But" though Oliver had to some extent got his way, he was far from satisfied either with the extent of the concessions or with the way in which they had been made. On September 10, he ordered Downing (whom he had sent to support Morland) to return home to give an account of the situation, resolving at the same time to hold back from the negotiation with Bordeaux till this matter had been cleared up. A little further consideration, however, convinced him that it was useless to protest further against a settlement which had been accepted by the Vaudois themselves," and on September 19, a hint was given to Bordeaux that if he demanded it, the discussion on the treaty would be resumed. Commonwealth and Protectorate, iii. 421.]