yet: a young man whose carriage hitherto merits high praise. Anabaptist Colonels preach' against him; Fleetwood, at headquarters, has perhaps a tendency to favour Anabaptist Colonels, and send them over hither to us? Colonel Hewson, here in Ireland, he, with a leaning that way, has had correspondences, has even had an Answer' from the Lord Protector (now lost), whereupon have risen petitionings, colloquies, caballings,-much loud unreason to absorb into oneself, and convert at least into silence! Be not troubled with that Business; we understand the men :' no;—and on the whole, read, and be encouraged, and go on your way.

HARRY,

For my Son, Harry Cromwell.

6

'Whitehall,' 21 April, 1656.

I have received your Letters, and have also seen some from you to others; and am sufficiently satisfied of your burden, and that if the Lord be not with you, to enable you to bear it, you are in a very sad condition.

I am glad to hear what I have heard of your carriage: study still to be innocent; and to answer every occasion, roll yourself upon God,-which to do needs much grace. Cry to the Lord to give you a plain single heart. Take heed of being over-jealous, lest your apprehensions of others cause you to offend. Know that uprightness will preserve you; in this be confident against men.

reach

you, whilst

I think the Anabaptists are to blame in not being pleased with you. That's their fault! It will not you with singleness of heart make the glory of the Lord your aim. Take heed of professing religion without the power: that will teach you to love

all who are after the similitude of Christ. Take care of making it a business to be too hard for the men who contest with you. Being over-concerned may train you into a snare.—I have to do with those poor men; and am not without my exercise. I know they are weak; because they are so peremptory in judging others. I quarrel not with them but in their seeking to supplant others; which is done by some, first by branding them with antichristianism, and then taking away their main

tenance.

Be not troubled with the late Business: we understand the men. Do not fear the sending of any over to you but such as will be considering men, loving all godly interests, and men that' will be friends to justice.-Lastly, take heed of studying to lay for yourself the foundation of a great estate. It will be a snare to you: they will watch you; bad men will be confirmed in covetousness. The thing is an evil which God abhors. I pray you think of me in this.

If the Lord did not sustain me, I were undone: but I live, and I shall live, to the good pleasure of His grace; I find mercy at need. The God of all grace

keep you. I rest,

Your loving father,

OLIVER P.

My love to my dear Daughter (whom I frequently pray for) and to all friends.*

Such a Letter, like a staff dipped in honeycomb and

* Autograph in the possession of Sir W. Betham (Ulster King of Arms), Dublin.

brought to one's lips, is enough to enlighten the eyes of a wearied Sub-Deputy; and cheer him, a little, on his way! To prove that you can conquer every opponent, to found a great estate: not these, or the like of these, be your aims, Son Harry. ‘I pray you think of me in this.' And on the whole, heed not the foolish noises, the fatuous lights; heed the eternal Loadstars and celestial Silences,—and vigilantly march: so shall you too perhaps find mercy at need.'

LETTER CCIX.

NEW Sea-Armaments, and ever new, are fitted out against the Spaniards and their Papist Domdaniel. Penn being dismissed, Councillor Colonel Montague, already in the Admiralty, was made Sea-General last January in his stead; and now Blake and he have their flags flying, somewhere off Cadiz Bay it would appear.

To Generals Blake and Montague, at Sea.

MY LOVING FRIENDS,

Whitehall, 28th April, 1656. You have, as I verily believe

and am persuaded, a plentiful stock of prayers going 'on' for you daily, sent up by the soberest and most approved Ministers and Christians in this Nation; and, notwithstanding some discouragements, very much wrestling of faith for you: which is to us, and I trust will be to you, matter of great encouragement. But notwithstanding all this, it will be good for you and us to deliver up ourselves and all our affairs to the disposition of our All

wise Father; who, not only out of prerogative, but because of His wisdom, goodness and truth, ought to be resigned unto by His creatures, and most especially by those who are children of His begetting through the Spirit. We have been lately taught that it is not in man to direct his way. Indeed all the dispensations of God, whether adverse or prosperous, do fully read that lesson. We can no more turn away the Evil, as we call it, than attain the Good: And therefore Solomon's counsel, of doing what we have to do with all our might, 'and' getting our hearts wholly submitted, if not to rejoicing, at least to contentation with whatsoever shall be dispensed by Him to whom alone the issues of all things do belong, is worthy to be received by us.

Wherefore we have thought fit to send this honest man, Captain Lloyd, who is known to us to be a person of integrity, to convey to you some thoughts, wherein we do only offer to you such things as do arise to us, partly upon intelligence, and partly upon such a measure as we at such a distance take of that great affair wherein you are engaged; desiring to give no rule to you; but building, under God, much more upon your judgments on the place than 'upon' our own; forasmuch as our intelligences, coming much upon the examination of Merchants' ships and such ways, may not be true oftentimes in matter of fact. And therefore we do offer what we have to say rather as queries than 'as' resolutions.

In the affair of Hispaniola, &c.

2 Yes, I should say so ;-as indeed the whole Universe, since it first had any glimmerings of intelligence in it, has said!

We

We are informed that not many of the Plate Fleet are come home; viz. two Galeons and two Pataches;1 and we hear they are not so rich as they gave out. are informed also that the Spaniards' Fleet in Cadiz is in no preparation to come out; and some think they will not come forth, but delay you upon the coast, until your victuals are spent, and you forced to come home. We apprehend that, when General Blake was there last year, they could not have told how to have manned out a Fleet, if the Merchants there and gentlemen interested had not (principally for their own interest in the return of the 'Plate' Fleet) done it.

We are informed that they sent what men they could well spare, by those Six or Seven ships which they sent to the West Indies in March last. We know also that it hath ever been accounted that the Spaniards' great want is men, -as well as money at this time. What numbers are in and about Cadiz you best know. We only discourse probabilities: Whether now it might not be worthy to be weighed by you and your council of war, whether this Fleet of theirs now in Cadiz might not be burnt or otherwise destroyed? Whether Puntal and the Forts are so considerably stronger as to discourage from such an attempt? Whether Cadiz itself be unattemptable; or the Island on which it stands be noways to be separated from relieving the Town by the Bridge, the Island being so narrow in some parts of it?

'Galeone, in the Spanish Dictionary, is defined as an 'Armed ship of burden used for trade in time of war;' Patache as a Tender, or smaller ship to wait upon the Galeone.'

2 Means 'noways to be separated from the Mainland, by ruining its Bridge: Cadiz were thus in reality isolated.