in particular they were shut up alone for about two hours the night after the order came from Cromwell to take away Overton's commissions, and to put him in arrest. Upon that, Howard, afterward earl of Carlisle, being sent down to inquire into all the plots that those men had been in, heard of this long privacy: but when with that he heard what my father's character was, he made no farther inquiry into it; but said, Cromwell was very uneasy when any good man was questioned for any thing.

This gentleness had in a great measure quieted His public people's minds with relation to him. And his maintaining the honour of the nation in all foreign countries gratified the vanity which is very natural to Englishmen ; of which he was so careful, that though he was not a crowned head, yet his ambassadors had all the respects paid them which our king's ambassadors ever had: he said, the dignity of the crown was upon the account of the nation, of which the king was only the representative head; so the nation being still the same, he would have the same regards paid to his ministers.

Another instance of this pleased him much. Blake with the fleet happened to be at Malaga before he made war upon Spain: and some of his seamen went ashore, and met the hostie carried about; and not only paid no respect to it, but laughed at those who did so one of the priests put the people on resenting this indignity; and they fell upon them, and beat them severely. When they returned to their

I presume the bishop thought his countrymen had no share in that character, though they claim a third in

every thing else; but I believe
whoever reads this book will
think that one of them, at
least, had his full proportion. D.

ship, they complained of this usage: and upon that Blake sent a trumpet to the viceroy, to demand the priest who was the chief instrument in that ill usage. The viceroy answered, he had no authority over the priests, and so could not dispose of him. 81 Blake upon that sent him word, that he would not

All the world was afraid of

him.

inquire who had the power to send the priest to him, but if he were not sent within three hours, he would burn their town: and they, being in no condition to resist him, sent the priest to him, who justified himself upon the petulant behaviour of the seamen. Blake answered, that if he had sent a complaint to him of it, he would have punished them severely, since he would not suffer his men to affront the established religion of any place at which he touched: but he took it ill, that he set on the Spaniards to do it; for he would have all the world to know, that an Englishman was only to be punished by an Englishman: and so he treated the priest civilly, and sent him back, being satisfied that he had him at his mercy.

Cromwell was much delighted with this, and read the letters in council with great satisfaction; and said, he hoped he should make the name of an Englishman as great as ever that of a Roman had been. The states of Holland were in such dread of him, that they took care to give him no sort of umbrage: and when at any time the king or his brothers came to see their sister, the princess royal, within a day or two after they used to send a deputation to let them know that Cromwell had required of the states that they should give them no harbour. King Charles, when he was seeking for colours for the war with the Dutch in the year 1672, urged it for

one, that they suffered some of his rebels to live in their provinces. Borel, then their ambassador, answered, that it was a maxim of long standing among them, not to inquire upon what account strangers came to live in their country, but to receive them all, unless they had been concerned in conspiracies against the persons of princes. The king told him upon that, how they had used both himself and his brother. Borel, in great simplicity, answered: Ha! sire, c'estoit une autre chose: Cromwell estoit un grand homme, et il se faisoit craindre et par terre et par mer. This was very rough. The king's answer was: Je me feray craindre aussy à mon tour: but he was scarce as good as his word'.

Cromwell's favourite alliance was with Sweden. Carolus Gustavus and he lived in great conjunction of counsels. Even Algernoon Sydney, who was not inclined to think or speak well of kings, commended him to me; and said, he had just notions of public liberty; and added, that queen Christina seemed to have them likewise. But she was much changed from that, when I waited on her at Rome; for she complained of us as a factious nation, that did not readily comply with the commands of our princes. All Italy trembled at the name of Cromwell, and seemed under a panic fear as long as he lived. His 82 fleet scoured the Mediterranean: and the Turks durst not offend him; but delivered up Hide, who kept up the character of an ambassador from the

'Borel might upon that occasion represent Cromwell as a tyrant that frighted people into doing unreasonable things; but it is highly improbable that he should be so simple a brute, as to fall into encomiums upon

Oliver before the king, as a means to obtain his ends: but Burnet was always ready to believe and to report any vulgar stuff he heard, to the disparagement of king Charles the second. D.

The ruin of

his family.

king there, and was brought over and executed for it. The putting the brother of the king of Portugal's ambassador to death for murder, was the carrying justice very far; since, though in the strictness of the law of nations it is only the ambassador's own person that is exempted from any authority but his master's that sends him, yet the practice had gone in favour of all that the ambassador owned to belong to him. Cromwell shewed his good understanding in nothing more, than in seeking out capable and worthy men for all employments, but most particularly for the courts of law, which gave a general satisfaction.

men.

Thus he lived, and at last died, on his auspicious s third of September, of so slight a sickness, that his death was not looked for. He had two sons, and four daughters. His sons were weak', but honest Richard, the eldest, though declared protector in pursuance of a nomination pretended to be made by Cromwell, the truth of which was much questioned, was not at all bred for business, nor indeed capable of it. He was innocent of all the ill his father had done: so there was no prejudice lay against him and both the royalists and the presbyterians fancied he favoured them, though he pretended to be an independent. But all the commonwealth party cried out upon his assuming the protectorship, as a high usurpation; since whatever his father had from his parliaments was only personal, and so fell with him: yet in opposition to this, the city of London, and all the counties and

s On that day he had defeated the Scotch at Dunbar, and the next year the king at Worces

ter. Note in the 8vo edit. 1755t But see Henry Cromwell's letters in Thurloe's papers. 0.

cities almost in England, sent him addresses congratulatory, as well as condoling. So little do these pompous appearances of respect signify. Tillotson told me, that a week after Cromwell's death he being by accident at Whitehall, and hearing there was to be a fast that day in the household, he out of curiosity went into the presence chamber where it was held. On the one side of a table Richard with the rest of Cromwell's family were placed, and six of the preachers were on the other side: Thomas Goodwin, Owen, Carril, and Sterry, were of the number. There he heard a great deal of strange stuff, enough to disgust a man for ever of that enthusiastic boldness. God was, as it were, reproached with Cromwell's services, and challenged for taking him away so soon. Goodwin, who had pretended to assure them in a prayer that he was not to die, which was but a very few minutes before he expired, had now the impudence to say to God, Thou hast deceived us, and we were deceived. Sterry, 83 praying for Richard, used those indecent words, next to blasphemy, make him the brightness of the father's glory, and the express image of his person. Richard was put on giving his father a pompous funeral, by which his debts increased so upon him, that he was soon run out of all credit. When the parliament met, his party tried to get a recognition of his protectorship: but it soon appeared, they had no strength to carry it. Fleetwood, who married Ireton's widow, set up a council of officers: and these resolved to lay aside Richard, who had neither genius nor friends, neither treasure nor army to support him. He desired only security for the debts he had contracted; which was promised,