"for, to my certain knowledge, the Lord has not been "here thefe many years."

This fhadow of a parliament being diffolved, the officers, by their own authority, declared Cromwell protector of the commonwealth of England. He was to be addreffed by the title of Highness; and his power was proclaimed in London, and other parts of the kingdom. Thus an obfcure and vulgar man, at the age of fiftythree, rofe to unbounded power; firft by following fmall events in his favour, and at length by directing great

ones.

Cromwell chofe his council among his officers, who had been the companions of his dangers and his victories, to each of whom he affigned a penfion of one thousand pounds a year. He took care to have his troops, upon whofe fidelity he depended for fupport, paid a month in advance the magazines were alfo well provided, and the public treasure managed with frugality and care; while his activity, viligance, and refolution were fuch that he discovered every confpiracy against his perfon, and every plot for an infurrection before they took effect.

His management of foreign affairs, though his fchemes were by no means political, yet well correfponded with his character, and for a while were attended with fuccefs. The Dutch having been humbled by repeated defeats, and totally abridged in their commercial concerns, were obliged at laft to fue for peace, which he gave them upon terms rather too favourable. He infifted upon their paying deference to the British flag. He compelled them to abandon the intereft of the king, and to pay eighty-five thousand pounds as an indemnification for former expences, and to restore the English Eaft-India company a part of thofe dominions of which they had been difpoffeffed by the Dutch during the former reign, in that dis. tant part of the world.

He was not lefs fuccefsful in his negotiations with the court of France. Cardinal Mazarine, by whom the affairs of that kingdom were conducted, deemed it neceffa ry to pay deference to the protector: and defirous rather to prevail by dexterity than violence, fubmitted to Crom

well's

well's imperious character, and thus procured ends equally beneficial to both.

The court of Spain was not lefs affiduous in its endea. vours to gain his friendship, but was not fo fuccefsful. This vaft monarchy, which but a few years before had threatened the liberties of Europe, was now reduced fo low as to be scarce able to defend itself. Cromwell, however, who knew nothing of foreign politics, ftill continued to regard its power with an eye of jealoufy, and came into an affociation with France to deprefs it ftill more. He lent that court a body of fix thousand men to attack the Spanish dominions in the Netherlands, and, upon obtaining a fignal victory, by his affiftance at Dunes, the French put Dunkirk, which they had juft taken from the Spaniards, into his hands, as a reward for his attachment.

But it was by fea that he humbled the power of Spain with ftill more effectual fuccefs. Blake, who had long made himself formidable to the Dutch, and whofe fame was fpread over Europe, now became ftill more dreadful to the Spanish monarchy. He failed with a fleet into the Mediterranean, whither, fince the time of the crufades, no English fleet had ever ventured to advance. He there conquered all that dared to oppofe him. Cafting anchor before Leghorne, he demanded and obtained fatisfaction for fome injuries which the English commerce had fuffer

ed from the duke of Tufcany. He next failed to A. D. Algiers, and compelled the Dey to make peace, 1655. and to reftrain his piratical fubjects from farther injuring the English. He then went to Tunes, and, having made the fame demands, he was defired by the Dey of that place to look at the two caftles, Porto Farino, and Goletta, and do his utmost. Blake fhewed him that he was not flow in accepting the challenge: he entered the harbour, burned the shipping there, and then failed out triumphantly to purfue his voyage. At Cadiz he took too galleons valued at near two millions of pieces of eight. At the Canaries he burned a Spanish fleet of fixteen fhips, and, returning home to England to enjoy the fame of his noble actions, as he came within fight of his native country, he expired. This gallant man, though

he

he fought for an ufurper, yet was averfe to his caufe; he was a zealous republican in principle, and his aim was to ferve his country, not to establish a tyrant. "It is ftill 66 our duty, he would fay to the feamen, to fight for our "country into whatever hands thegovernment may fall."

At the fame time that Blake's expeditions were going forward, there was another carried on under the command of admirals Pen and Venables, with about four thousand land forces, to attack the Island of Hifpaniola. Failing, however, in this, and being driven off the place by the Spaniards, they fteered to Jamaica, which was

furrendered to them without a blow. So little was thought of the importance of this conqueft, that, upon the return of the expedition, Pen and Venables were fent to the Tower, for their failure in the principal object of their expedition.

But it must not be fuppofed that Cromwell's fituation was at this time enviable. Perhaps no station, however mean or loaded with contempt, could be more truly dif tressful than his,at a time the nation was loading him with congratulations and addreffes. He had by this time rendered himself hateful to every party: and he ow

ed his fafety to their mutual hatred and diffidence A. D. of each other. His arts of diffimulation had been 1658. long exhaufted; none now could be deceived by them, thofe of his own party and principles difdaining the ufe to which he had converted his zeal and profeffions. The truth feems to be, if we may ufe a phrase taken from common life, he had begun with being a dupe to his own enthusiasms, and ended with being a fharper.

The whole nation filently detefted his adminiftration, but he had not ftill been reduced to the extreme of wretchednefs, if he could have found domeftic confolation. Fleetwood,his fon-in-law, actuated with the wildeft zeal, detefted that character which could ufe religious profeffions for the purposes of temporal advancement. His eldeft daughter, married to Fleetwood, had adopted republican principles fo vehemently, that fhe could not behold even her own father entrusted with uncontrollable power. His other daughters were no lefs fanguine in favour of the royal caufe, but, above all, Mrs. Claypole,

his favourite daughter, who, upon her death-bed, upbraided him with all thofe crimes that led him to tram ple on the throne.

Every hour added fome new difquietude. Lord Fairfax, Sir William Waller, and many of the heads of the prefbyterians, had fecretly entered into an engagement to deftroy him. His adminiftration, fo expenfive both at home and abroad, had exhaufted his revenue, and he was left confiderably in debt. One confpiracy was no fooner detected but another rofe from its ruins; and, to increase his calamity, he was now taught, upon reafoning princi ples, that his death was not only defirable, but his affaffination would be meritorious. A book was published by Colonel Titus, a man who had formerly been attached to his caufe, entitled, Killing no Murder. Of all the pamphlets that came forth at that time, or perhaps of thofe that have fince appeared, this was the most eloquent and masterly. "Shall we, faid this popular declaimer, "who would not fuffer the lion to invade us, tamely "ftand to be devoured by the wolf?" Cromwell read this fpirited treatise, and was never feen to fmile more.

All peace was now for ever banished from his mind. He now found, that the grandeur to which he had facrificed his former peace was only an inlet to fresh inquie. tudes. The fears of affaffination haunted him in all his walks, and were perpetually prefent to his imagination. He wore armour under his clothes, and always kept piftols in his pockets. His afpect was clouded by a fettled gloom; and he regarded every ftranger with a glance of timid fufpicion. He always travelled with. hurry, and was ever attended by a numerous guard. He never returned from any place by the road he went ; and feldom flept above three nights together in the fame chamber. Society terrified him, as there he might meet an enemy; folitude was terrible, as he was there unguarded by every friend.

A tertian ague came kindly at laft to deliver him from this life of horror and anxiety. For the fpace of a week no dangerous fymptoms appeared; and, in the intervals. of the fits, he was able to walk abroad. At length the fever increased, and he became delirious. He was juft

able

able to answer yes, to the demand, whether his fon Richard fhould be appointed to fucceed him. He died on the third day of September, that very day A. D. which he had always confidered as the most for- 1658. tunate of his life; he was then fifty-nine years. old, and had ufurped the government nine years.

Whatever might have been the difference of intereft after the death of the ufurper, the influence of his name was ftill fufficient to get Richard his fon proclaimed protector in his room. But the army, difcontented with fuch a leader, established a meeting at General Fleetwood's, which, as he dwelt in Wallingford houfe, was called the Cabal of Wallingford. The refult of their deliberation was a remonftrance, that the command of the army fhould be intrufted to fome perfon in whom they might all confide; and it was plainly given to understand, that the young protector was not that perfon.

Richard wanted refolution to defend the title that had been conferred upon him; he foon figned his own abdication in form, and retired to live feveral years after his refignation, at firft on the continent, and afterwards upon his paternal fortune at home. He was thought by the ignorant to be unworthy of the happiness of his exaltation; but he knew by his tranquillity in private, that he had made the moft fortunate escape.

The officers being once more left to themfelves, determined to replace the remnant of the old parliament which had beheaded the king, and which Cromwell had fo difgracefully turned out of the house.

The Rump parliament, for that was the name it went by, being now reinftated, was yet very vigorous in its attempts to leffen the power by which it was replaced. The officers of the army therefore came to a refolution, ufual enough in those times, to diffolve that affembly,by which they were fo vehemently oppofed. Accordingly Lambert, one of the generals, drew up a chofen body of troops, and placing them in the streets which led to Weft, minfter-hall, when the fpeaker Lenthall proceeded in his carriage to the house, he ordered the horses to be turned, and very civilly conducted him home. The other members were likewife intercepted, and the army returned to