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The Dutch are defeated.

[B. XIV.

their ships. On the Hollander's part, between twenty and thirty of their ships of war were fired, or sunk, and above one thousand prisoners taken. The victory cost the English dear too; for four hundred common men and eight captains were slain outright, and above seven hundred common men and five captains wounded. But they lost only one ship, which was burned: and two or three more, though carried home, were disabled for farther service. The most sensible part of the loss to the Dutch was the death of their admiral Van Trump, who, in respect of his maritime experience, and the frequent actions he had been engaged in, might very well be reckoned amongst the most eminent commanders at sea of that age, and to whose memory his country is farther indebted than they have yet acknowledged.

This was the last engagement at sea between the two commonwealths: for as the Dutch were, by this last defeat, and loss of their brave admiral, totally dispirited, and gave their commissioners at London order to prosecute the peace upon any conditions, so Cromwell was weary enough of so chargeable a war, and knew he had much to do to settle the government at home, and that he might choose more convenient enemies abroad, who would neither be able to defend themselves as well, or to do him so much harm, as the Hollanders had done, and could do. And therefore when he had drawn the Dutch to accept of such conditions as he thought fit to give them; among which one was, "that they should not suffer any of the king's party, or any enemy to the commonwealth of England, to reside within their dominions :" and

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1654.] Cromwell makes peace with the Dutch. 83 another, which was contained in a secret article, to which the great seal of the States was affixed, by which they obliged themselves never to admit the "prince of Orange to be their stateholder, general, or admiral; and likewise to deliver up the island of Polerone in the East Indies" (which they had taken from the English in the time of king James, and usurped it ever since)" into the hands of the "East India English company again;" and to pay a good sum of money for the old barbarous violence exercised so many years since at Amboyna ; for which the two last kings could never obtain satisfaction and reparation about the middle of April 1654, he made a peace with the States General, with all the advantages he could desire, having indeed all the persons of power and interest there, fast bound to him upon their joint interest.

:

And having now rendered himself terrible abroad, he forced Portugal to send an ambassador to beg peace, and to submit to expiate the offence they had committed in receiving prince Rupert, by the payment of a great sum of money; and brought the two crowns of France and Spain to sue for his alliance. He suspended for a time to choose a new enemy, that he might make himself as much obeyed at home, as he was feared abroad; and, in order to that, he prosecuted all those who had been of the king's party with the utmost rigour; laid new impositions upon them, and, upon every light rumour of a conspiracy, clapped up all those whom he thought fit to suspect into close prisons; enjoined others not to stir from their own houses, and banished all who had ever been in arms for the king, from the cities of London and Westminster;

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General discontents in the nation. [B. XIV.

and laid other penalties upon them, contrary to the articles granted to them when they gave up their arms, and to the indemnity upon making their compositions.

The discontents were general over the whole kingdom, and among all sorts of people, of what party soever. The presbyterians preached boldly against the liberty of conscience, and the monstrous license that sprung from thence; and they who enjoyed that license were as unsatisfied with the government as any of the rest, talked more loudly, and threatened the person of Cromwell more than any. But into these distempers Cromwell was not inquisitive; nor would give those men an opportunity to talk, by calling them in question, who, he knew, would say more than he was willing any body should hear; but intended to mortify those unruly spirits at the charge of the king's party, and with the spectacle of their suffering upon any the most trivial occasion. And if, in this general license of discourse, any man, who was suspected to wish well to the king, let fall any light word against the government, he was sure to be cast in prison, and to be pursued with all possible severity and cruelty and he could not want frequent opportunities of revenge this way. It was the greatest consolation to miserable men, who had, in themselves or their friends, been undone by their loyalty, to meet together, and lament their conditions: and this brought on invectives against the person of Cromwell; wine, and the continuance of the discourse, disposing them to take notice of the universal hatred that the whole nation had of him, and to fancy how easy it would be to destroy him.

1654.] A high court of justice erected.

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And commonly there was, in all those meetings, some corrupted person of the party, who fomented most the discourse, and, for a vile recompense, betrayed his companions, and informed of all, and more than had been said. Whereupon a new plot was discovered against the commonwealth and the person of the protector, and a high court of justice was presently erected to try the criminals; which rarely absolved any man who was brought before them. But to this kind of trial they never exposed any man but those of the king's party; the other, of whom they were more afraid, had too many friends to suffer them to be brought before such a tribunal; which had been first erected to murder the king himself, and continued to root out all who adhered to him. No man who had ever been against the king (except he became afterwards for him) was ever brought before that extravagant power; but such were remitted to the trial of the law by juries, which seldom condemned any.

The very next month after the peace was made, for the better establishment of Cromwell's empire, a high court of justice was erected for the trial of persons accused of "holding correspondence with "Charles Stuart," (which was the style they allowed the king,) "and for having a design

against the life of the protector, to seize upon "the Tower, and to proclaim the king." The chief persons they accused of this were, Mr. Gerard, a young gentleman of a good family, who had been an ensign in the king's army, but was not at present above twenty-two years of age, without any interest or fortune: the other, one Mr. Vowel; who kept a school, and taught many boys about

86 Mr. Gerard and Mr. Vowel tried, [B. XIV.

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Islington. Mr. Gerard was charged with "having "been at Paris, and having there spoken with the "king;" which he confessed; and declared, "that " he went to Paris upon a business that concerned himself," (which he named,) " and when he had despatched it, and was to return for England, he "desired the lord Gerard, his kinsman, to present "him to the king, that he might kiss his hand; "which he did in a large room, where were many present; and that, when he asked his majesty, "whether he would command him any service "into England? his majesty bid him to commend "him to his friends there, and to charge them "that they should be quiet, and not engage them"selves in any plots; which must prove ruinous "to them, and could do the king no good:" which was very true: for his majesty had observed so much of the temper of the people at his being at Worcester, and his concealment after, the fear they were under, and how fruitless any insurrection must be, that he endeavoured nothing more than to divert and suppress all inclinations that way. However, this high court of justice received proof, that Mr. Gerard and Mr. Vowel had been present with some other gentlemen in a tavern, where discourse had been held, "how easy a thing it was to kill the protector, and at the same time to seize upon the Tower of London, and that, if at the same time the king were proclaimed, the city "of London would presently declare for his ma"jesty, and nobody would oppose him."

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Upon this evidence, these two gentlemen were condemned to be hanged; and upon the tenth of July, about two months after they had been in