is one of 5007. value, gratefully voted him by the Parliament; among whom, as over England generally, there is great rejoicing on account of him. Where Blake received this Letter and Jewel we know not; but guess it may have been in the Bay of Cadiz. Along with it, 'Instructions' went out to him to leave a Squadron of Fourteen Ships there, and come home with the rest of the Fleet. He died, as we said above, within sight of Plymouth, on the 7th of August following.

'To General Blake, at Sea.'

Whitehall, 10th June, 1657.

SIR,

I have received yours of April last;** and thereby the account of the good success it hath pleased God to give you at the Canaries, in your attempt upon the King of Spain's Ships in the Bay of Santa Cruz.

The mercy therein, to us and this Commonwealth, is very signal;. both in the loss the Enemy hath received, and also in the preservation of our own' ships and men ;t- which indeed was very wonderful; and according to the goodness and loving-kindness of the Lord, wherewith His People hath been followed in all these late revolutions; and doth call on our part, That we should fear before Him, and still hope in His mercy.

We cannot but take notice also how eminently it hath pleased God to make use of you in this service; assisting you with wisdom in the conduct, and courage in the execution thereof;' and have sent you a small Jewel, as a testimony of our own and the Parliament's good acceptance of your carriage in this Action. We are also informed that the Officers of the Fleet, and the Seamen, carried themselves with much honesty and courage; and we are considering of a way to show our acceptance thereof. In the meantime, we desire you to return our hearty thanks and acknowledgments to them.

Thus, beseeching the Lord to continue His presence with you, I remain,

Your very affectionate friend,

"OLIVER P.'

• Blank in MSS.

+ 50 slain outright, 150 wounded: of ours' (Burton, ii.. 142).

Thurloe, vi., 342. • Instructions to General Blake,' of the same date,

Land-General Reynolds has gone to the French Netherlands, with Six-thousand men, to join Turenne in fighting the Spaniards there; and Sea-General Montague is about hoisting his flag to coöperate with them from the other element. By sea and land are many things passing;-and here in London is the loudest thing of all not yet to be entirely omitted by us, though now it has fallen very silent in comparison. Inauguration of the Lord Protector; second and more solemn Installation of him, now that he is fully recognized by Parliament itself. He cannot yet, as it proves, be crowned King; but he shall be installed in his Protectorship with all solemnity befitting such an occasion.

Friday, 26th June, 1657. The Parliament and all the world are busy with this grand affair; the labors of the season being now complete, the last finish being now given to our new Instrument of Government, to our elaborate Petition and Advice, we will add this topstone to the work, and so, amid the shoutings of mankind, disperse for the recess. Friday at two o'clock, 'in a place prepared,' duly prepared with all manner of 'platforms,' 'cloths of state,' and 'seats raised one above the other,' at the upper end of Westminster Hall.' Palaceyard, and London generally, is all a-tiptoe, out of doors. Within doors, Speaker Widdrington and the Master of the Ceremonies have done their best; the Judges, the Aldermen, the Parliament, the Council, the foreign Ambassadors and domestic Dignitaries without end; chairs of state, cloths of state, trumpet-peals, and acclamations of the people-Let the reader conceive it; or read in old Pamphlets the exact relation' of it with all the speeches and phenomena, worthier than such things usually are of being read.*

'His Highness standing under the Cloth of State,' says Bulstrode, whose fine feelings are evidently touched by it, the Speaker in the name of the Parliament presented to him: First, a Robe of purple-velvet; which the Speaker, assisted by Whitlocke and others, put upon his Highness. Then he,' the Speaker, 'delivered to him the Bible richly gilt and bossed,' an affecting symbolic Gift: After that, the Speaker girt the Sword about his

An exact Relation of the manner of the solemn Investiture, &c. (Re. printed in Parliamentary History, xxi. 152-160).

Highness; and delivered into his hand the Sceptre of massy gold. And then, this done, he made a Speech to him on these several things presented;' eloquent mellifluous Speech, setting forth the high and true significance of these several Symbols, Speech still worth reading; to which his Highness answered in silence by dignified gesture only. Then Mr. Speaker gave him the Oath;' and so ended, really in a solemn manner. 'And Mr. Manton, by. prayer, recommended his Highness, the Parliament, the Council, the Forces by land and șea, and the whole Government and People of the Three Nations, to the blessing and protection of God.' And then 'the people gave several great shouts ;' and 'the trumpets sounded; and the Protector sat in his chair of state, holding the Sceptre in his hand :' a remarkable sight to see. 'On his right sat the Ambassador of France,' on his left some other Ambassador; and all round, standing or sitting, were Dignitaries of the highest quality; 'and near the Earl of Warwick, stood the Lord Viscount Lisle, stood General Montague and Whitlocke, each of them having a drawn sword in his hand,'—a sublime sight to some of us!*

And so this Solemnity transacts itself;-which at the moment was solemn enough; and is not yet, at this or any hollowes moment of Human History, intrinsically altogether other. A really dignified and veritable piece of Symbolism; perhaps the last we hitherto, in these quack-ridden histrionic ages, have been privileged to see on such an occasion.-The Parliament is prorogued till the 20th of January next; the new House of Lords, and much else, shall be got ready in the interim.

LETTER CLIII.

SEA-GENERAL MONTAGUE, whom we saw standing with drawn sword beside the chair of state, is now about proceeding to co. operate with Land-General Reynolds, on the despatch of real business.

* Whitlocke, p. 661.

For General Montague, on board the Naseby, in the Downs.

Whitehall, 11th August, 1657.

SIR, You having desired by several Letters to know our mind concerning your weighing anchor and sailing with the Fleet out of the Downs, we have thought fit to let you know, That we do very well approve thereof, and that you do cruise up and down in the Channel, in such places as you shall judge most convenient, taking care of the safety, interest, and honor of the Commonwealth.

I remain,

Your very loving friend,

'OLIVER .P.'*

Under the wax of the Commonwealth Seal, Montague has written, His Highness's letter, Augst. 11, 1657, to comand mee to sayle.

SIR,

For my loving friend John Dunch, Esquire.

'Hampton Court,' 27th August, 1657

I desire to speak with you; and hearing a report from Hursley that you were going to your Father's in Berkshire, I send this express to you, desiring you to come to me at Hampton Court. With my respects to your Father,†—I rest,

Your loving friend,

OLIVER P.‡

This is the John Dunch of Pusey; married, as we saw, to Mayor's younger Daughter, the Sister-in-law of Richard Cromwell the Collector for us of those Seventeen Pusey Letters; of which we have here read the last. He is of the present Parlia. ment, was of the former; seems to be enjoying his recess, travelling about in the Autumn Sun of those old days, and vanishes

* Newspapers (in Cromwelliana, p. 168). Original Letter, in the passession of Thomas Lister Parker, Esq.'

+ Father-in-Law, Mayor.

+ Harris, p. 515

from History at this point, in the private apartments of Hampto Court.

LETTER CLV.

GENERAL MONTAGUE, after a fortnight's cruising, has touched at the Downs again, 28th August, wind at S.S.W.,' being in want of some instruction on a matter that has risen.* 'A Flushinger,' namely, has come into St. Maloes; said to have twenty-five ton of silver in her ;' a Flushinger there, and six other Dutch Ships' hovering in the distance; which are thought to be carrying silver and stores for the Spaniards. Montague has sent Frigates to search them, to seize the very bullion if it be Spanish; but wishes fresh authority, in case of accident.

SIR,

'For General Montague, on board the Naseby, in the Downs.'

Hampton Court, 30th August, 1657.

The Secretary hath communicated to us your Letter of the 28th instant: by which you acquaint him with the directions you have given for the searching of a Flushinger and other Dutch Ships, which, as you are informed, have bullion and other goods aboard them, belong. ing to the Spaniard, the declared Enemy of this State.

There is no question to be made but what you have directed therein is agreeable both to the Laws of Nations and 'to' the particular Treaties which are between this Commonwealth and the United Provinces. And therefore we desire you to continue the same direction, and to require the Captains to be careful in doing their duty therein.

By the new and closer Treaty signed with France in March last, for assaulting the Spanish Power in the Netherlands, it was stipu.

• His Letter to Secretary Thurloe (Thurloe, vi., 489). Thurloe, vi., 489.

23 March, 1656-7; Authorities in Godwin (iv., 540-3)