protector.Such were the actions of Crom signs of joy, the king hath ordered all the guns to be discharged generally in all the frontier places of this kingdom; a thing which was never done; and likewise his najesty will have me to have the honor to entertain him to day to dinner in publick, and you may believe we shall not forget to remember in a solemn manner, the health of the lord protector" After this, in the year 1657, a league offensive and defensive against Spain, was made between France and England: by which the protector engaged to send six thousand foot into Flanders, on condition that the French should undertake the siege of Mardyke, Gravelin, or Dunkirk, and that if either of the two former places were first taken, it should be put into his hands, to be as a hostage till he should be made master of Dunkirk, which he was to keep, restoring the other to France. These troops were sent into Flanders at the joint expence of the contracting powers, but on their landing were taken into French pay, and took place of all the regiments of Turenne's army, save the two old regiments of guards. Mardyke the first campaign being taken, was delivered up to the English, who greatly complained of their being ill used by the French, in respect of provisions. Cromwell was ill pleased that Dunkirk had not been besieged instead of Mardyke, and therefore peremptorily insisted on its being undertaken early in the year 1658. Mazarine durst not refuse. Turenne had orders to invest it. joined by the English forces. bassador, had the command in was Morgan, an officer of great bravery and experience. The Spaniards, on hearing of the siege, marched to raise it. This produced a battle, in which the victory fell to the allied army, and Dunkirk surrendered on conditions. The next day Lewis XIV. and all his court entered trium He obeyed, and was soon Lockhart, the English amchief of these, under whom a Thurloe, vol. IV. p. 254. b Life of Turenne, vol. I. p. 29%. well abroad;-actions which drew the eye of phantly into the town, and then delivered it up, according to treaty, to the English, June 15, 1658, O. S.-Thus had Oliver his desire, of obtaining a footing on the continent, at the expence almost wholly of France. Lockhart in his letter to Thurloe, written the day before Dunkirk was delivered into his hands, has the following expressions. "Tomorrow before five of the clock at night, his highness's forces under my command, will be possessed of Dunkirk. I have a great many disputes with the cardinal, about several things. I have agreed he shall have all the cannon in the town, that have the armes of France upon them; but some other things, concerning shipping in the harbor, and the quartering the French guards, and lodging the chief officers of the army, is yett in controversie; neverthelesse I must say, I find him willing to hear reason; and though the generallity of court and arms are even mad to see themselves part with what they call un si bon morceau, or so delicatt a bit, yet he is still constant to his promises, and seems to be as glad in the generall (notwithstanding our differences in little particulars) to give this place to his highness, as I can be to receive it. The king is also exceeding oblyging and civil, and hath more trew worth in him than I could have imagined." From this letter, it demonstrably appears that the following anecdote of Dr. Welwood's, though confidently delivered, and frequently, from him, repeated, is an absolute fiction. "There was an article," says he, "between France and the protector, that if Dunkirk came to be taken, it should immediately be delivered up to the English; and his ambassador Lockhart had orders to take possession of it accordingly. When the French army being joined with the English auxiliaries, was in its march to invest the town, Cromwell sent one morning for the French ambassador to Thurloe, vol. VII. p. 173. by-standers, and procured him an extraordinary renown!To these we must add his deeds of real merit, and worthy of the highest Whitehall, and upbraided him publicly for his master's designed breach of promise in giving secret orders to the French general to keep possession 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 assure him that there was no such thing thought of. Upon which Cromwell pulling a paper out of his pocket, Here (says he) is a copy of the cardinal's order: and I desire you to dispatch immediately an express 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 shall be taken, tell him I'll come in person, and demand them at the gates of Paris. There were but four persons said to be privy to the order, the queen mother, the cardinal, the mareschal de Turenne, and a secretary, whose name it is not fit at this time to mention. The cardinal for a long time blamed the queen, as if she might possibly have blabbed it out to some of her women: whereas it was found after the secretary's death, that he had kept a secret correspondence with Cromwell for several years; and therefore it was not doubted but he had sent him the copy of the order abovementioned "." What invention! What falsehood! Excellent is the use of state papers, were it only to detect such hasty, credulous, positive writers.Burnet tells us, "The trade of England suffered more in this, than in any former war ;" and Puffendorf, if I remember right, says, 1500 ships were taken by the Spaniards. It is not improbable. The commerce of England was at a greater height now than formerly. And the Spaniards by the loss they had sustained, were incapable of making any head, unless by privateering, whereby indeed the merchants of England could b." a Memoirs, p. 96. 12mo. Lond. 1736. Vol. I. p. 119. praise, viz. his interposition in behalf of the Vaudois ", when under persecution from their sovereign on account of their religion, and not but be sufferers. This always will be the case of a commercial nation, with superior force, braving her enemies, and blocking up, or destroying their fleets. However, in such a case, the merchants, as sufferers, must have leave to complain. 57 His interposition in behalf of the Vaudois, &c.] If protestantism was merely an hatred of the pope; if it consisted barely in receiving the communion in both kinds, or chanting Cleinent Marot's, or our Sternhold's old psalms, it would justly be liable to the ridicule and contempt with which it has been treated, of late, by some men of genius. Or if indeed it tended to destroy monarchical power, to subvert the laws, and throw all things into confusion; princes would do well to be on their guard against it.But if, on the contrary, protestantism, as such, is merely a revival of the doctrine of Jesus Christ, whereby the knowledge and worship of the one true God of the universe was established, and piety and virtue, in their full extent, recommended, and commanded, under the sanctions of rewards and punishments in another world: if this religion is simple, intelligible, friendly, and benevolent, and void of every thing to amuse or corrupt, then it is worthy of esteem. What is the real state of the case, those only are judges who are well versed in the writings of the New Testament, which the authors above referred to, I presume, do not pretend to be. One strong presumption, however, in favour of protestantism is, its being the constant object of the hatred of those kings and priests who delight to trample under foot, the liberties of mankind, and render all subject to their own wicked wills. A doctrine of liberty can ill be digested by men sensible of designs subversive of it. • See Memoirs of the House of Brandenburg, p. 144. Age of Lewis XIV, vol. II. p. 180. b See Voltaire's the generous relief he afforded them in their Hence have arisen the persecutions of protestants, and in this light have they, I think, generally been viewed. Almost every where, when in power, have the ruling ecclesiastics stirred up princes, to crush and extirpate a race of men who constantly oppose themselves to their designs. The Vaudois, who long before Luther's time (perhaps from the first ages of Christianity) had entertained opinions contrary to those of the church of Rome, and were for the most part a plain honest, well-meaning kind of men, (that had been cruelly used for their opinions only)" had now a new persecution raised against them by the duke of Savoy. So Cromwell sent to Mazarine desiring him to put a stop to that; adding that he knew well they had that duke in their power, and could restrain him as they pleased: and if they did not, he must presently break with them. Mazarine objected to this as unreasonable: he promised to do good offices; but he could not be obliged to answer for the effects they might have. This did not satisfy Cromwell: so they obliged the duke of Savoy to put a stop to that unjust fury: and Cromwell raised a great sum for the Vaudois, and sent over Morland to settle all their concerns, and to supply all their losses."Mr. (afterwards Sir Samuel) Morland, has written "The History of the Evangelical Churches of the valleys of Piemont:" in which, among other things, is "a most naked and punctual relation of the late bloody massacre, 1655, and a narrative of all the following transactions to the year of our Lord 1658b." From authentic papers in this book, it appears that the protestants under the protection of edicts, confirmed the preceding year by their sovereign, and guilty of no crime, were, by an order, dated January 25, 1655, obliged to quit houses and estates, within three days, upon pain of death, in case they did not make it appear that they were become Catholics within twenty days. This, though in the depth of winter, old and a Burnet, vol. I. p. 120, Folio, London, 1658. |