had Republican Anabaptist notions; he had discontents, enthusiasms, which might even ripen into tendencies to correspond with Charles Stuart. Who knows if putting him in a stone waistcoat, and general strait-waistcoat of a mild form, was not the mercifullest course that could be taken with him?

He must stand here as the representative to us of one of the fatallest elements in the new Lord Protector's position: the Republican discontents and tendencies to plot, fermenting in his own Army. Of which we shall perhaps find elsewhere room to say another word. Republican Överton, Milton's friend, whom we have known at Hull and elsewhere; Okey, the fierce dragoon Colonel and zealous Anabaptist; Alured, whom we see here; Ludlow, sitting sulky in Ireland: all these are already summoned up, or about being summoned, to give account of themselves. Honourable, brave and faithful men: it is, as Oliver often says, the saddest thought of his heart that he must have old friends like them for enemies! But he cannot help it; they will have it so. They must go their way, he his.1

Much need of vigilance in this Protector! Directly on the back of these Republican commotions, come out Royalist ones; with which however the Protector is less straitened to deal. Lord Deputy Fleetwood has not yet received his Letter at Dublin, when here in London emerges a Royalist Plot; the first of any gravity; known in the old Books and State-Trials as Vowel and Gerard's Plot, or Somerset Fox's Plot. Plot for assassinating the Protector, as usual. Easy to do it, as he goes to Hampton Court on a Saturday,—Saturday the 20th of May, for example. Provide thirty stout men; and do it then. Gerard, a young Royalist Gentleman, connected with Royalist Colonels afterwards Earls of Macclesfield,-he will provide Five-and-twenty; some Major Henshaw, Colonel Finch, or I know not who, shall bring the other Five. 'Vowel a Schoolmaster at Islington, who taught many young gentlemen,' strong for Church and King, cannot act in the way of shooting; busies himself consulting, and providing arms. Billingsley the Butcher in Smithfield,' he, aided by Vowel, could easily 'seize the Troopers' horses grazing in Islington

1[But Carlyle fails to see, as Cromwell himself failed to see, that the acknowledgment by these sturdy Republicans of the Protector's supreme power-of "government by a single person"-involved the abandonment of all their strongest convictions; the convictions for which they-and he-had struggled and fought. They kept in the old way. He trod a new path, along which they dared not follow him.]

t

fields;' while others of us unawares fall upon the soldiers at the Mews? Easy then to proclaim King Charles in the City; after which Prince Rupert arriving with 'Ten-thousand Irish, English and French,' and all the Royalists rising,—the King should have his own again, and we were all made men; and Oliver once well killed, the Commonwealth itself were as good as dead! Saturday the 20th of May; then, say our Paris expresses, then!

Alas, in the very birthtime of the hour, five of the Conspirators are seized in their beds;' Gerard, Vowel, all the leaders are seized; Somerset Fox confesses for his life; whosoever is guilty can be seized: and the Plot is like water spilt upon the ground!1 A High Court of Justice must decide upon it; and with Gerard and Vowel it will probably go hard.

LETTER CXCV

REFERS to a small private or civic matter: the Vicarage of Christ-Church, Newgate Street, the patronage of which belongs to 'the Mayor, Commonalty and Citizens of London as Governors of the Royal Hospital of St. Bartholomew' ever since Henry the Eighth's time. The former Incumbent, it would seem, had been removed by the Council of State; some Presbyterian probably, who was, not without cause, offensive to them. If now the Electors and the State could both agree on Mr. Turner,—it would 'silence' several questions, thinks the Lord Protector. Whether they did agree? Who 'Mr. Turner,' of such 'repute for piety and learning,' was? These are questions.

To the Right Honourable Sir Thomas Vyner, Knight,
Lord Mayor of London: These

MY LORD MAYOR,

'Whitehall,' 5th July 1654.

It is not my custom, nor shall be (without some special cause moving), to interpose anything to the hindrance of any in the free course of their presenting persons to serve in

1 French Le Bas dismissed for his share in it: Appendix, No. 30.

* Elmes's Topographical Dictionary of London, in voce.

the public ministry. But, well considering how much it concerns the public peace, and what an opportunity may be had of promoting the interest of the Gospel, if some eminent and fit person of a pious and peaceable spirit and conversation were placed in Christ-Church,—and though I am not ignorant what interest the State may justly challenge to supply that place, which by an order of State is become void, notwithstanding any resignation that is made yet forasmuch as your Lordship and the rest of the Governors of St. Bartholomew's Hospital are about to present thereunto, and have a person of known nobility and integrity before you, namely Mr. Turner, I am contented, if you think good so to improve the present opportunity as to present him to the place, to have all other questions silenced; which will not alone be the fruit thereof, but I believe also the true good and union of the parish therein concerned will be thereby much furthered. I rest,

Your assured friend,

OLIVER P.

'P.S.' I can assure you few men of his time in England have a better repute for piety and learning than Mr. Turner.*

I am apt to think the Mr. Turner in question may have been Jerom Turner, of whom there is record in Wood: a Somersetshire man, distinguished among the Puritans; who takes refuge in Southampton, and preaches with zeal, learning, piety and general approbation during the Wars there. He afterwards removed to Neitherbury, a great country Parish in Dorsetshire,' and continued there, 'doing good in his zealous way.' If this were he, the Election did not take effect according to Oliver's program ;-perhaps Jerom himself declined it? He died, still at Neitherbury, next year; hardly yet past middle age. 'He had a strong memory, which he maintained good to the last by temperance,' says old Antony: 'He was well skilled in Greek 'and Hebrew, was a fluent preacher, but too much addicted to

*Lansdowne MSS. 1236, fol. III. The Signature alone of the Letter is Oliver's; but he has added the Postscript in his own hand.

1 Athenæ, iii. 404.

Calvinism, which is to be regretted.

'Pastor vigilantissimus, doctrina et pietate insignis:' so has his Medical Man characterised him; one Dr. Loss of Dorsetshire,' who kept a Note-book in those days. Requiescat, requiescant.1

The High Court of Justice has sat upon Vowel and Gerard; found them both guilty of High Treason; they lie under sentence of death, while this Letter is a-writing; are executed five days hence, 10th July 1654; and make an edifying end.2 Vowel was hanged at Charing Cross in the morning; strong for Church and King. The poor young Gerard, being of gentle blood and a soldier, petitioned to have beheading; and had it, the same evening, in the Tower. So ends Plot First. Other Royalists, Plotters or suspect of Plotting,—Ashburnham, who rode with poor Charles First to the Isle of Wight on a past occasion; Sir Richard Willis, who, I think, will be useful to Oliver by and by, -these and a list of others were imprisoned; were questioned, dismissed; and the Assassin Project is rather cowed down for a while.

3

Writs for the New Parliament are out, and much electioneering interest over England: but there is still an anecdote connected with this poor Gerard and the 10th of July, detailed at great length in the old Books, which requires to be mentioned here. About an hour after Gerard, there died, in the same place, by the same judicial axe, a Portuguese Nobleman, Don Pantaleon Sa, whose story, before this tragic end of it, was already somewhat twisted up with Gerard's. To wit, on the 23d of November last, this same young Major Gerard was walking in the crowd of Exeter 'Change, where Don Pantaleon, Brother of the Portuguese Am

[The next day, July 6, Bulstrode Whitelocke was received by the Protector on his return from his Swedish embassy, when he made a long speech, and the Protector replied to the effect that he and his Council had heard the report of his journey and negotiation with much contentment and satisfaction, and that they thanked God for his safe return and his success, and testified to the faithfulness, diligence and prudence with which he had discharged his trust; that it was in the hearts of them all that his services should prove of advantage to him and his; that the Lord had showed extraordinary mercy to him and to his company in delivering them from danger [of shipwreck], and supporting them under their hardships; that the Treaty brought by him should be carefully considered; and that they bid him a hearty welcome home. Whitelocke, as his manner is, gives the speech set out at length, as if he had reported it at the time, which he certainly could not have done. The Protector also spoke kindly to the ambassador's retinue. See Journal of the Swedish Embassy, ed. Reeve, ii. 453.]

2 State Trials (London, 1810), v. 516-39.

3 Newspapers, Ist-8th June 1654 (in Cromwelliana, p. 143). [Two short letters in the Supplement (Nos. 89, 90) come in here.]

bassador, chanced also to be. Some jostling of words, followed by drawing of rapiers, took place between them; wherein as Don Pantaleon had rather the worse, he hurried home to the Portuguese Embassy; armed some twenty of his followers, in headpieces, breastpieces, with sword and pistol, and returned to seek revenge. Gerard was gone; but another man, whom they took for him, these rash Portugals slew there; and had to be repressed, after much other riot, and laid in custody, by the watch or soldiery. Assize-trial, in consequence, for Don Pantaleon; clear Trial in the Upper Bench Court,' jury half foreigners; and rigorous sentence of death;-much to Don Pantaleon's amazement, who pleaded and got his Brother to plead the rights of Ambassadors, all manners of rights and considerations; all to no purpose. The Lord Protector would not and could not step between a murderer and the Law: poor Don Pantaleon perished on the same block with Gerard; two Tragedies, once already in contact, had their fifth-act together. Don Pantaleon's Brother, all sorrow and solicitation being fruitless, signed the Portuguese Treaty that very day, and instantly departed for his own country, with such thoughts as we may figure.1

SPEECH II

BUT now the New Parliament has got itself elected; not without much interest :-the first Election there has been in England for fourteen years past. Parliament of Four-hundred, thirty Scotch, thirty Irish; freely chosen according to the Instrument, according to the Bill that was in progress when the Rump disappeared. What it will say to these late inarticulate births of Providence, and high transactions? Something edifying, one may hope.

Open Malignants, as we know, could not vote or be voted for, to this Parliament; only active Puritans or quiet Neutrals, who had clear property to the value of 2001. Probably as fair a Representative as, by the rude method of counting heads, could well be got in England. The bulk of it, I suppose, consists of constitutional Presbyterians and use-and-wont Neutrals; it well represents the arithmetical account of heads in England: whether the real divine and human value of thinking-souls in England,—

1 Whitlocke, pp. 550, 577.