cured him an extraordinary renown! Dr. Welwood's, though confidently delivered, and frequently, from him, repeated, is an abfolute fiction. There was an article, fays he, between France and the protector, that if Dunkirk came to be taken, it 'fhould immediately be delivered up to the English; and his ambaffador Lockhart had orders to take pof• feffion of it accordingly. When the French army being joined with the English auxiliaries, was in its march to inveft the town, Cromwell fent one morning for the French ambaflador to Whitehall, and upbraided him publicly for his mafter's defigned breach of promife in giving fecret orders to the French general to keep poffeffion of Dunkirk, in cafe it was taken, con· trary to the treaty between them. The ambaffador protefted he knew nothing of the matter, as indeed he did not, and begged leave to affure him that there was no fuch thing thought of. Upon which Cromwell pulling a paper out of his pocket, Here (fays he) is a copy of the cardinal's order: and I defire you to dif patch immediately an exprefs to let him know, that I am not to be imposed upon; and that if he deliver not up the keys of the town of Dunkirk to Lockhart within an hour after it fhall be taken, tell him I'll ' come in perfon, and demand them at the gates of Paris. There were but four perfons faid to be privy to the order, the Queen mother, the cardinal, the marefchal de Turenne, and a secretary, whofe name it is not fit at this time to mention, The cardinal for a long time blamed the Queen, as if fhe might poffibly have blabbed it out to fome of her women: whereas it was ⚫ found after the fecretary's death, that he had kept a fecret correspondence with Cromwell for feveral years; and therefore it was not doubted but he had fent him (Memoirs, the copy of the order above-mentioned (i).' What invention! What falfhood! Excellent is the ufe of State Lond. 1736 P. 96. 12mo. 404 (*) Vol. i. p. 119. Houfe of burg, p. 144. 180. viz. his interpofition in behalf of the Vau dois (111), when under perfecution from their Papers, were it only to detect fuch hafty, credulous, pofitive writers. Burnet tells us, The trade of England fuffered more in this, than in any former war (k); and Puffendorf, if I remember right, fays, 1500 fhips were taken by the Spaniards. 'Tis not improbable. The commerce of England was at a greater height now than formerly. And the Spaniards by the lofs they had fuftained, were incapable of making any head, unless by privateering, whereby indeed the merchants of England could not but be fufferers. This always will be the cafe of a commercial nation, with fuperiour force, braving her enemies, and blocking up, or deftroying their fleets. However, in fuch a cafe, the merchants, as fufferers, must have leave to complain. (111) His interpofition in behalf of the Vaudois, &c.] If proteftantifm was meerly an hatred of the pope; if it confifted barely in receiving the communion in both (1) See Memoirs of the kinds, or chanting Clement Marot's, or our Sternbold's old Pfalms, it would juftly be liable to the ridicule and Branden- contempt with which it has been treated, of late, by (m) See Vol- fome men of genius (1). Or if indeed it tended to detaire's Age of ftroy monarchical power (m), to fubvert the laws, and Lewis XIV. throw all things into confufion, princes would do well vol. ii. p. to be on their guard against it.- -But if, on the contrary, proteftantifm, as fuch, is merely a revival of the doctrine of Jefus Chrift, whereby the knowledge and worship of the one true God of the univerfe was eftablished, and piety and virtue, in their full extent, recommended, and commanded, under the fanctions of rewards and punishments in another world: if this religion is fimple, intelligible, friendly, and benevolent, and void of every thing to amufe or corrupt, then it is worthy of esteem. What is the real ftate of the cafe, thofe only are judges who are well verfed in the writings of the New Teftament, which the authors above referred referred to, I prefume, do not pretend to be. One ftrong prefumption, however, in favour of proteftantifm is, its being the conftant object of the hatred of thofe kings and priefts who de'ight to trample under foot, the liberties of mankind, and render all fubject to their own wicked wil's. A doctrine of liberty can ill be digefted by men fenfible of defigns fubverfive of it. Hence have arifen the perfecutions of proteftants, and in this light have they, I think, generally been viewed. Almost every where, when in power, have the ruling ecclefiaftics ftirred up princes, to crush and extirpate a race of men who conftantly oppofe themfelves to their defigns. The Vaudois, who long before Luther's time, (perhaps from the firft ages of Chriftianity) had entertained opinions contrary to thofe of the church of Rome, and were for the most part a plain, honeft, well-meaning kind of men, (that had been cruelly used for their opinions only) had now a new perfecution raised against them by the duke of Savoy. So Cromwell fent to Mazarine defiring him to put a stop to that; adding that he knew well they had that duke in their power, and could reftrain him as they pleased: and if they did not, he muft prefently break with them. Mazarine objected to this as unreasonable: he promised to do good offices; but he could not be obliged to anfwer for the effects they might have. This did not fatisfy Cromwell: fo they obliged the duke of Saucy to put a stop to that unjust fury: and Cromwell raifed a great fum for the Vaudois, and fent over Morland to fettle all their concerns, and to fupply all their lof- () Burnet fes (n)Mr. (afterwards Sir Samuel) Morland, has written The hiftory of the Evangelical Churches of the valleys of Piement: in which, among other things, is a most naked and punctual relation of the late bloody maffacre, 1655, and a narrative of all the () Folio following transactions to the year of our Lord 1958 (0).' London, Dd 3 From vol. i. p. 120. 1653. (p) Mor land, p. 552. and the generous relief he afforded them in their From authentic papers in this book, it appears that the proteftants under the protection of edicts, confirmed the preceding year by their fovereign, and guilty of no crime, were, by an order, dated January 25, 1655, obliged to quit houses and eftates, within three days, upon pain of death, in cafe they did not make it appear that they were become Catholics within twenty days. This, though in the depth of winter, old and young complied with. Soon after, a body of troops was fent into the villages and diftricts of these unhappy creatures, who plundering and spoiling every thing that came in their way, provoked the fufferers who had notice of it fo much, that they ftood up in their own defence, and put to flight their perfecutors. Orders hereupon were given to afford no quarter. In confequence hereof a terrible scene was exhibited. The utmost cruelties were exercised upon perfons of every age, fex and condition. Hanging, burning, difmembering, ravifhing, and every barbarous and cruel punishment, the most diabolic imagination could invent, was inflicted on them. The Swiss Proteflant Cantons, alarmed at thefe proceedings, interpofed with the duke of Savoy, in behalf of thefe his much wronged fubjects. But in vain. They had little attention paid to them, and were out of hopes of procuring any redrefs.The news however reaching Cromwell, He was fo deeply affected with the poor people's calamities, that he was often heard to fay, that it lay as near, or rather nearer his heart, than if it had concerned his nearest and deareft relations in the • world. Neither indeed were the effects of his charity and chriftian compaffion, at all inferiour to those his zealous, earnest, and pathetick expreffions (p).' He immediately ordered a collection through the kingdom for a fupply of their neceflities, which, through the innate generofity of the English, amounted to the fum of thirty eight thousand, ninety seven pounds, feven shil 6 their diftreffes and fufferings. This (with very lings and three-pence *. The protector contributed towards this, out of his own pocket, two thousand (9) Mor pounds (9).Our forefathers, we fee, were not whol- land, p. 588. ly unacquainted with that fpirit, which the prefent age, with fome reafon, values itfelf fo much upon. With this liberality however Cromwell did not reft fatisfied. He immediately writ to the Kings of Sweden and Denmark, to the States General, and the Proteftant Swiss Cantons, requesting them to ufe their interpofition in behalf of their perfecuted brethren, and declaring that if it fhould prove ineffectual, that he was ready to advife with them about such means as might be most con- () Id. p. ducing to their redress and relief (r). And that he might 554.562. in the moft powerful manner effect it, he gave orders to Mr. Morland, May 23, 1655, to prepare himself, • in order to carry a meflage from his highnefs to the duke of Savoy, to intreat him to recal that merciless edict, and to restore the remnant of his poor diftreffed fubjects to their antient liberties and habitations; as likewife in his way to deliver a letter from his highnefs to the king of France, to follicit his Majesty to ' employ his power and intereft with the duke for the • fame purpose.' The orders were foon obeyed. The letter to the French King was delivered, who returned an answer very refpe&ful; containing affurances of his having already mediated in behalf of the proteftants in Piedmont, and that he would ftill continue fo to do. To this was added, that he had grounds to hope, that his mediation would not be unprofitable. Morland then proceeded on to Turin, where, after being nobly enter Letter Cromwell's adversaries, who stuck at nothing to blacken him, had the boldness to affirm, That moft of the money, which was collected for this purpofe, was returned, and applied to the levying of a body of from a true Swifs, to be brought over to controul the army, and reduce the people to an implicit obedience to his government . This is a ridicu- and lawful lous tale, and abundantly confuted by Morland's accoun's, in which Member of the distribution of the charity appears to have been honestly and exactly made, Parlament p.6. |