The Commonwealth. page 13

As Mazarin saw the growing power of Cromwell, he was glad to get Charles removed from Paris, and he took up his abode at Cologne, but remained the pensioner of France, and was equally capable of annoying England from that place, as the late outbreaks showed. These circumstances no doubt rendered it very difficult for the conclusion of a peace betwixt Cromwell and France, for Cromwell must insist on the withdrawal of the French support from the exiled family, and though France was fully disposed to abate the evil as far as possible, it could not in honour entirely abandon them. Mazarin made every possible concession on other points, and the French ambassador, Bordeaux, urged the progress of the treaty with all earnestness. But besides the grand obstacle, there were others raised by Spain. France and Spain were at war: Spain was supporting the prince of Conde and the French insurgents, and the Spanish ambassador was indefatigable in representing that whilst Spain had been the very first to acknowledge the English commonwealth, France had been constantly supporting the royalist power, and in 1653 offered to seize Calais and make it over to England as the price of the commonwealth making peace with Spain, and common cause against France.

But there were motives which always weighed heavily with Cromwell - religion and the honour of the English flag. He had a deep and enduring repugnance to the catholic faith, as the mother of superstition and cruelty, and Spain was essentially catholic, and at the same time was maintaining an insolent domination in the waters of the West Indies. The fame of her exclusion of the flags of all other nations from her colonies thence, and of her many atrocities committed on our colonies, as at St. Kitts in 1629, at Tortuga in 1637, and Santa Cruz in 1650, was an irresistible provocative to the combative spirit of the protector. He demanded of the Spanish ambassador that Spain should abolish the inquisition, and admit the English flag to the West Indian seas. De Leyda replied that he was asking from his king his two eyes, and as Cromwell would not concede either point, he demanded his passports in June, 1654, and took his leave.

Cromwell lost no time enforcing his views on Spain, which he, no doubt, felt bound conscientiously to do on the great principle of suppressing popish cruelties, and spreading the triumph of protestantism. He sent Blake with a powerful fleet in October of that year into the Mediterranean, and another powerful armament under admirals Penn and Venables, with secret orders, which were not to be opened till they arrived in certain latitudes. This fleet, whose preparation and destination kept all Europe in wonder and anxiety, sailed west, and was, in fact, destined for the West Indies. Blake, with his fleet, passed the straits of Gibraltar, and presented to the inhabitants of the shores of the Mediterranean, a spectacle such as they had not seen since the days of the Crusades - a powerful English fleet. It consisted of thirty sail, and its commission was to seize the French vessels wherever it could find them, especially seek out and attack the fleet under the duke of Guise. It was besides this to demand satisfaction from various offending powers. The grand duke of Tuscany had, whilst the parliament was struggling with Charles, allowed prince Rupert to sell English prizes in his ports. The pope was, as the antichrist, an object to be humbled, or at all events impressed sensibly with the fact that England could at any moment visit him in his capital, and that the British power was in hands both able and ready to do it. There were many injuries to our merchantmen to be avenged on the pirates of Tunis and Algiers. Cromwell's favourite maxim was, that a ship of the line was the most effective ambassador. Blake sailed along the papal shores, exciting a deep terror, but he passed on and cast anchor before Leghorn, and demanded compensation for the offence against English honour and shipping, which was speedily granted. Not being able to discover the duke of Guise, he proceeded to Algiers, and compelled the dey to sign an engagement not to suffer further violences by his subjects on English vessels. Thence he sailed to Tunis, and sent in the same demand, but the haughty barbarian of that place sent him word to give a look at his ports of Porto Farino and Goletta, with their fleets, and take them if he could. Blake sailed away as in despair, but suddenly returning, he entered the harbour of Porto Farino, silencing the castle and batteries as he advanced, and set fire to the whole fleet. Both Tunis and Tripoli now found it the best policy to give the required engagement, and Blake left the Mediterranean, having given these lawless pirates a specimen of the power of England, which was not likely to be soon forgotten.

Blake had orders to look out for the next Spanish Plate fleet coming home, and he lay for some time off Cadiz; but there was now at the court of Madrid colonel Sexby, the leveller, who had long been engaged with Allen, Wildman, and the anabaptists. He had gone over to the continent to raise some force either in conjunction with Charles or with Spain, to invade England and kill Cromwell. Sexby revealed to the Spaniards not only the object of Blake, but the real design of the fleet under Venables and Penn. More than thirty sail were mustered by the Spanish, under Don Pablos de Contreras, which kept close watch on Blake. Blake longed to attack them, but his orders did not sanction it; and after hearing that the Plate fleet was detained at Carthagena, he returned to England to refit, his ships being in a bad condition, and his men suffering from bad provisions.

During the absence of Blake, a great excitement had been occasioned in England by the news of dreadful atrocities committed on the protestants of the mountains of Piedmont. The protestants called the Vaudois were a race who, through all ages, had, in the obscurity of their Alpine valleys, retained the doctrines of the primitive church, and had set at defiance both the persuasions and persecutions of Rome. They were said to be descended from the ancient Waldenses, and were a bold, independent race of mountaineers. It was pretended that the duke of Savoy, whose subjects they chiefly were, had granted them the free exercise of their religion so long as they remained in their ancient places of abode, the valleys of the sources of the Po, in the Savoy Alps; but that being found in Lucerna and other places, these were decided to be beyond their bounds, and they were ordered to conform to the church of Rome, or sell their lands and retire from these territories. They refused to be driven from their homes on account of their religion, and being always an eyesore to the court of Rome, the fury of persecution was let loose upon them. Friars were sent amongst them to convert them, or to denounce their destruction; they disregarded the friars, and then six regiments of soldiers were sent to drive them into the mountains. Amongst these were two regiments of refugee Irish, whose name of kurisers has greatly puzzled Carlyle in his life of Cromwell, the word being simply a corruption of cuirassiers. These fellows, ardent catholics, smarting under the protestant scourge which had driven them from their native land, did their work con amore. From the district of Lucerna they were driven into the higher Alpine fastnesses, and pursued with the most terrible ferocities of fanatic savagery, with fire and sword and extermination. These horrors were aggravated by winter and famine, and the news of this fearful butchery rung through protestant England with a sensation which revived all the memory of the popish horrors in the Marian times. There was one loud outcry for interference on their behalf. Press and pulpit resounded with demands of sympathy and redress: the ministers of all classes waited on Cromwell in a body to solicit his protection of the Vaudois: the army in Scotland and Ireland sent up addresses. No one appeared, however, more excited than Cromwell himself. He immediately gave two thousand pounds, and appointed a day of general humiliation, and a collection on their behalf, which was observed, and thirty-eight thousand two hundred and twenty-eight pounds were speedily raised, and sent by envoys to Geneva, to be conveyed to the sufferers. Nor did Cromwell satisfy himself with having done this. The day of the arrival of the news, June 3rd, 1655, he was about to sign a treaty of peace with France; but he refused to sign it till he had seen whether the French king and Mazarin would heartily unite with him in compelling protection from the duke of Savoy for the sufferers. Mazarin was loth to stir in such a business, but Cromwell soon let him see that there would be no peace for France unless he did, and he consented. Three Latin letters were written by Milton at the order of the protector to different states of Europe, calling on them to co-operate for this great end, and the mighty poet sent forth also his glorious sonnet, commencing,

Avenge, O Lord, thy slaughtered saints, whose bones
Lie bleaching on the Alpine mountains cold!

which remains like a perpetual trumpet-note through all time. The astonished duke of Savoy was soon compelled to give ample guarantee for the religious liberty and security of his protestant subjects.

What a striking contrast to the conduct of the Palmerston ministry in our own time, who suffered Englishmen to endure, even to the cost of their health and intellect, the horrors of an unjust imprisonment from the bigoted royal monster of Naples! This proud and magnanimous display of English spirit by Cromwell, forced even from the prejudiced pen of Hume a warm eulogium. "The conduct of the protector in foreign affairs, though imprudent and impolitic, was full of vigour and enterprise, and drew a consideration to his country, which, from the reign of Elizabeth, it seemed to have totally lost. The great mind of this successful usurper was intent on spreading the renown of the English nation; and while he struck mankind with astonishment at his extraordinary fortune, he seemed to ennoble, instead of debasing, that people whom he had reduced to subjection. It was his boast that he would render the name of an Englishman as much feared and revered as ever was that of a Roman." And the tory historian was even compelled to add, "It must also be acknowledged that the protector, in his civil and domestic administration, displayed as great regard both to justice and clemency, as his usurped authority, derived from no law, and founded only on the sword, could possibly permit. All the chief offices in the courts of judicature were filled: with men of integrity. Amid the virulence of faction, the decrees of the judges were upright and impartial; and to every man but himself, and to himself, except where necessity required the contrary, the law was the great rule of conduct and behaviour."

The expedition to the West Indies, in its commencement, was not so successful as the protector generally experienced. The fleet was bound for Hispaniola, consisting of sixty sail and carried four thousand troops; and in Barbadoes and other English settlements, the force was augmented by volunteers, incited by promise of plunder, to ten thousand. But these fresh forces were of the worst possible description, being prisoners of a. loose description shipped thither; the commanders were divided in opinion, and the attack was so wretchedly managed, that it failed with great loss. St. Domingo, which they intended to take, was deserted on their approach, but instead of entering it at once, they landed their forces forty miles off, and marched them through woods towards the town. The heat of the weather, the want of water, and the consequent disorder of the troops, prepared them for what ensued. They were suddenly attacked in a thick wood, and repulsed with great slaughter. Nothing could bring these ragamuffin forces to renew the attempt, and the commanders sailed away, but afterwards fell on Jamaica and took it. That island was then, however, considered of so little value, that it did not satisfy the government for the loss of Hispaniola, and on their return Venables and Penn were committed to the Tower. Notwithstanding this, however, Cromwell determined to make secure the consequent of Jamaica, and extend, if possible, the West Indian possessions. Vice-admiral Good- son was ordered to take the command at Jamaica, and with him general Fortescue, Serie, governor of Barbadoes, and general Sedgwick, from New England, were appointed commissioners for the management of the island.

Cromwell's letters to these officers that autumn, inform us that there were twenty-eight men-of-war on that station, and people from Barbadoes, from New England, and from England and Scotland were being sent to occupy and settle the island. A thousand Irish girls were sent out. Cromwell pointed out to the commissioners how advantageously the island lay for keeping in check the Spanish main, and the trade with Peru and Carthagena. His comprehensive glance was alive to all the advantages of the conquest, and his resolution engaged to make the most of it. Whatever is the value of Jamaica now, we owe it to him. He believed that he was not only serving the nation but religion by humbling Spain. He wrote to the commissioners, "The Lord himself hath a controversy with your enemies, even with that Roman Babylon of which the Spaniard is the great underpropper. In that respect we fight the Lord's battles, and in that respect the Scriptures are most plain." Spain, of course, proclaimed war against England, to her further loss, and the glory of Cromwell and his invincible puritan admiral, Blake. Penn and Venables resigned their commissions, and were set at liberty. October 24th, the day after the Spanish ambassador quitted London, Cromwell signed the treaty of peace with France, by which Conde and the French malcontents were to be excluded from the British dominions, and Charles Stuart, his brother, the duke of York, Ormond, Hyde, and fifteen others of the prince's adherents, were to be excluded from France.