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cured him an extraordinary renown!-
To these we must add his deeds of real
merit, and worthy of the highest praise,

viz.

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 invest the town, Cromwell fent one morning for the French ambaffador 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 case it was taken, contrary to the treaty between them. The ambassador protested 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 Gromwell pulling a paper out of his pocket, Here (fays he) is a copy of the cardinal's order: and I defire you to difpatch immediately an exprefs to let him know, that 'I am not to be impofed 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 person, 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 fecretary, whose 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 P. 96. invention! What falfhood! Excellent is the ufe of State Lond. 1736.

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12mo.

404

P. 119.

viz. his interpofition in behalf of the Vaudois (111), when under perfecution from

their

Papers, were it only to detect fuch hafty, credulous, -Burnet tells us, The trade of (*) Vol. i. pofitive writers. 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 superiour force, braving her enemies, and blocking up, or deftroying their fleets. However, in fuch a case, the merchants, as sufferers, must have leave to complain.

(1) See Memoirs of the

Houfe of

burg, p. 144.

vol. ii. p.

180.

(111) His interpofition in behalf of the Vaudois, &c.] If proteftantifin was meerly an hatred of the pope; if it confifted barely in receiving the communion in both kinds, or chanting Clement Marot's, or our Sternhold'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 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 eftablifhed, 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 amuse or corrupt, then it is worthy of efteem. 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

their fovereign on account of their religion,

and

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 delight to trample under foot, the liberties of mankind, and render all fubject to their own wicked wills. 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 crufh and extirpate a race of men who conftantly oppofe themselves 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 moft 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 pleafed: and if they did not, he must presently break with them. Maza• rine 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 Savoy to put a ftop to that unjuft fury: and Cromwell railed a 6 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 moft naked and punctual relation of the late bloody maffacre, 1655, and a narrative of all the (0) Folic following tranfactions to the year of our Lord 1658 (0).' London

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vol. i. p.

120.

From 1658,

(p) Mor

land, p.

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 houfes 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 stood 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 exercifed upon perfons of every age, fex and condition. Hanging, burning, difmembering, ravishing, and every barbarous and cruel punishment, the most diabolic imagination could invent, was inflicted on them. The Swiss Proteftant 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 cha⚫rity and chriftian compaflion, at all inferiour to those his zealous, earneft, and pathetick expreflions (p)." He immediately ordered a collection through the kingdom for a fupply of their neceffities, which, through the innate generofity of the English, amounted to the fum of thirty eight thoufand, ninety seven pounds, feven fhil

552.

their diftreffes and fufferings. This (with

very

lings and three-pence*. The protector contributed towards this, out of his own pocket, two thousand (q) Morpounds (q).Our forefathers, we fee, were not whol- land, p. 588. ly unacquainted with that fpirit, which the prefent age, with some reason, values itself 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 use 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 redrefs and relief (r). And that he might 554, 562. in the most powerful manner effect it, he gave orders to Mr. Morland, May 23, 1655, to prepare himself, in order to carry a meffage from his highness to the • duke of Savoy, to intreat him to recal that merciless • edict, and to reftore 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 Majefty 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 respectful; containing affurances of his having already mediated in behalf of the protestants 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

from a true

Cromwell's adverfaries, who ftuck at nothing to blacken him, had the boldness to affirm, That most of the money, which was collected for this purpose, was returned, and applied to the levying of a body of Swifs, to be brought over to controul the army, and reduce the people to an implicit obedience to his government t. This is a ridicu- and lawful lous tale, and abundantly confuted by Morland's accounts, in which Member of Parliamen the distribution of the charity appears to have been honeftly and exactly

made.

P. $6.

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