vernment could be measured out no other Way than by the Length of his Sword. But when thefe Things were reported to the Ufurper Oliver, he haftened from Whiteball to Westminster, and there declares to the Parliament, that he would have them to take Notice of this, That the fame Government made him a Protector, as made them a Parliament: That as they were intrufted with fome Things, fo was he with others: That there were certain Fundamentals which could not be altered; as, That the Government fhould be in a fingle Perfon and Parliament: That Parliaments should not be perpetual: That in Religious Matters there fhould be Liberty of Confcience, &c. And then he enjoy ned them to fign this Recognition of the Government, viz. I do hereby promise and engage to be true and faithful to the Lord Protetor and Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and fhall not (according to the Tenor f the Indenture, whereby I am reurned to ferve in Parliament) propofe, give my Confent to alter the Government as 'tis fettled in one Perfon and 1 Parliament. The Subfcription to his was refused by feveral Memers; the rest who fubfcribed it vere permitted to fit till January he 24th, 1654; at which time Viver diffolved them, becaufe they elayed to fettle him in the Govern jent. December the 19th, Pen and enables, with a Fleet of Thirty hips, wherein were three thousand forces, put to Sea; and in April llowing arrived at Hifpaniola, and came within Sight of that Golen Town Sanda Domingo, upon which their firft and chief Enterrize was defigned; but through he exceffive Heat of the Clime, Want of fresh Water, and fome o- 1655. In England the Royal Party were A. D. 1655, about the Begin- In England the Protector confli- 230 February the 16th, the Spani- February the 21ft, died that learned Prelate Dr. Ufher, Archbishop of Armagh, and was buried in Weiminfter-Abbey. A. D. 1656, to begin this Year well for fortunate Oliver, fome of his Fleet under the Admirals Blake and Mountague, not far from Cadiz or Cales, fet upon a Fleet of eight Spaniards, one of which they funk, burnt two, one run afhore, and two the English took, one whereof had a great Quantity of Plate and Cochineal in her, the other laden chiefly with Hides. September the 17th, another of Oliver's Parliaments affembled at Wefiminfer, where, before they were admited to enter the Houfe, they muft feverally engage not to act any thing prejudicial to the prefent Government; whereupon fome of them returned home; the reft entring the Houfe, chote Sir Thomas Widdrington their Speaker, and fet themselves to act fuitably to Oliver's Wishes, paffing an A& for renouncing and difanulling the Title of Charles Stuart unto the Government of the Nations of England, Scotland, and Ireland, &c. and making it to be Treafon against the Protector, as it formerly had been against the Kings Perfon; then ordained Monies to be raifed in the three Nations for paying the Armies; and ordered a Year's Rent to be paid the Peotector for every Houfe built upon a new Foundation within Ten Miles of the City of London. Yet notwithstanding the Provifion made to fecure the Protector's Perfon, there were divers Attempts made to kill him, and a printed Paper was published, intituled, Killing no Murther. One Miles Sindercomb, formerly a Soldier in the Army, had determined to shoot, or by one Means or other to rid the World of him; but his Defga being betrayed, he was condemned to be hanged and quartered; to prevent which, he procured his own Death, 'tis faid, by fnuffing up a poyfonous Powder into his Hea; wherefore, as a Self-murtherer, he was dragged at a Horfe's Tail from the Tower to Tower Hill, where teing turned naked into a Hole, a Stake fpiked with Iron was drivea through him. A. D. 1657, this Year conmenced with a Conspiracy of Fina Monarchifts to have pulled cons Oliver; but the Plot was difcover ed, and the Projectors apprehes ded; the chief of whom was Ma jor-General Harrifon, Vice-Adm ral Lawson, Colonel Rich, Majc Danvers, and Captain Vene their Standards, which they in Readiness, had pourtray'd in t a Lion Couchant, Gules, in a Fic Argent, with this Motto, Wems rouze him? Ap April the 20th, Admiral Blake performed another notable Exploit; for at Santa Cruz in Teneriffa, the chief land of the Canaries and belonging to the Spaniards, he fired and funk 16 great Ships, among which was the Admiral, Vice-Admiral, and Rear-Admiral, and two or three Galleons: The Spaniards, befides the Lofs of the whole Fleet, had many hundred of Men flain on the Shore; yet in this notable Action, the Engl had but 48 Men flain, and 120 wounded. The Protector, to gratify the Admiral for this his brave Service, fent him a Diamond Ring worth 500 . and Captain Richard Stainer, who led the firft Squadron, was at his coming into England, for this and his other good Service at Cadiz, honoured with Knighthood. fred the Oath to him in thefe fol- 1657. And now the Parliament, who and others cried, God Save the Lord Protector. Oliver thus efta a Scepter of Gold. And when the Rich, the Earl of Warwick's Grand Speaker, Earl of Warwick, and fon, and the youngest with a Per 1658. as King-like as poffible, and withal check the Commons in Parliaament, he conftituted an Upper Houfe of Parliament inftead of the Houfe of Lords, 62 in Number, most of them his own Creatures; among whom were Colonel Hewson, one by Trade next kin to a Cobler, and Colonel Pride, formerly a Brewer's Servant; who before this had been made two of his Knights Errants. And, to honour the Muthrooms, he elected to fit in his Upper House fome few Noblemen, as the Earl of Warwick, &c. now February the 20th, the Parliament, that had been adjourned, re-affembled; but because they admitted thofe Members to fit with them, who at firft refufed to fubfcribe to Oliver's Initruments; and because they queftioned the Protector's Power in erecting his Upper Houfe (which in Contempt they called The other Houfe Oliver hereupon fent for them to his Upper Houfe Bar, where he made a long Speech to them, and in Conclufion told them, That it did concern as well the Peace and Tranquility of the Nation, as his own Intereft, to terminate that Parliament, and therefore he did at this Time put an End to their fitting. In or near the Year of our Redemption, 1657, a Woman and two Men (one or both her Sons,) were hanged in Gloucestershire for murthering one Mr. Harrifon, an Inhabitant in or near Cambden in the faid County, which Mr. Har rifen (as in fome few Years after it proved) was not murthered by them, or any other; for he returned from beyond Sea, whither he had withdrawn himself privately, to avoid fome Trouble that otherwise he feared would befal him. A. D. 1658, this Year began with a Difcovery of a moft horrible Plot, as Oliver called it; and indeed he had an excellent Art for the Discovery of Plots, having his mercenary Trepans and Inftruments of Faifhood, who counterfeiting themselves forward Royalifts, thereby infinuated themfelves into the Council of the King's Friends, and then betrayed them. And the King himfelf was troubled with one of thefe falfe Creatures about his own Perfon; for Captain Maxning, one of his Secretaries Clerks, was taken in the very Act of receiving Letters from Thurloe, Oliver's Secretary, for the which he was inftantly fhot to Death. But the Loyal Confederates in the late difcovered Plot, were divers of them apprehended, as Dr. Hewit, Colonel Edward Afhton, Mr. Mordaunt the Earl of Peterborough's Brother, and others, who were indicted of High Treafon, for endea vouring to levy War against his Highness and the Government, and to promote Charles Stuart to the Government of thefe Nations, and for holding Corref, ondence with the faid Charles Stuart. Mr. Mer daunt was acquitted; but Dr. Hercit and Sir Henry Slingsby were be headed on Tower Hill, June the 8th, though many Endeavours were used by divers Perfons of Quality, and Minifters, for the faving of their Lives, especially the Doc tor's; Colonel Alton and others were hanged and quartered in Londan. Near about this time there came up the Thames as far as Greenwich, a Whale of a very great Length and Bignefs. June the 25th, the Town of Dunkirk was furrendred by the Spaniards to the French, who im mediately mediately refigned it to the Engih Forces, who had been the main Inftruments in gaining it. This Refignation was made according to former Articles agreed on between the King of France and the Lord Protector of England. But whilft the English were rejoycing abroad, Oliver had Occafion of Sorrow at home; for his moft dearly beloved Daughter Mrs Elizabeth Claypole, on Auguft the 8th departed this Life, whofe Body was interred in the Royal Chapel at Westminster. 'Tis faid of this Gentlewoman, that he was much troubled at the harsh Ufage of the Royal Party, and that upon her Knees fhe begged of her Father to fave Dr. Hewit's Life; but his hard Heart would not yield thereto, though he loved this Daughter fo paffionately, that he never enjoyed himself after her Death; but growing penfive and melancholy, in fhort Time was feized with a Tertian Ague, which ended his Life at Whitehall, September the 3d. He was born in the Town of Huntingdon, April the 25th, 1599, and defcended from a worshipiul Family of the Cromwells, alias Williams; his Mother was the Niece of Sir Robert Steward, and his Wife Elizabeth Daughter of Sir James Bourchier; he was of a very martial Spirit, and of excellent Conduct, and attended with very good Succefs in his Attempts. Nor was he a Soldier only, but also a very good Orator, and deep Politician; and fo great a Diffembler, that he could fhed Crocodilian Tears at Pleasure, when those would at any time advantage among the Religious; an high Pretender he was to Religion, though, as his Actions manifefted, it was only thereby to obtain his ambitious Ead; fo impioufly refolute for the effecting his Defignments, that he 1658. valued not the Violation of the molt folid Promifes, or facred Oaths; nor the fhedding any, though the Blood of the Lord's Anointed. Yet was this Man courted or feared by moft of the Princes in Europe; and the Kings of France and Saveden were entred into fo ftrict a League with him, as had he lived, might have troubled good Part of the World. In Oliver's Stead, Richard Cromwell his eldest Son whom he had appointed his Succeffor, was proclaimed Protector. Shortly after which, feveral Addreffes, protesting both Love and Obedience to Richard's Highness, were prefented from the Armies of the Three Nations, from the London Minifters, from divers Counties, Cities, and chief Towns of England the Foreign Ambaffadors then in England pretended to lament with Mr. Richard for the Death of his Father; defired the Continuance of that League and Amity which was granted and maintained by his late Highnefs Oliver Lord Protector. And November the 23d, were the Funerals of Oliver folemnized (after his Herfe had lain in the greatest State fome Weeks in Somerset House) at a vaft Charge, and in greater Pomp than had formerly been used for the greatest English Kings. His Corpfe had been privately interred many Days before in the Chapel-Royal of Henry the Seventh at Westminster. But the vast Expen ces of thofe Funerals were never difcharged; for thofe Tradefmen, who had Hopes of gaining the most by it, fat down the greatett Lofers at laft. As foon as the Funeral Rites of this old Fox Oliver were accomplifhed, his Son Richard proceeded to the carrying on of Matters of publick Concernment. The |