Chap. III. Jbe HISTORY of the PuRITANs. 4-95 and ferved accordingly. As the proteCl:or proceeded with great fieadinefs Oliver · · n. h ' f h' t h 1 r: ProteC/or. and refolut10n agatn,. t e enemtes o IS ~oven11mefinb, . e dwas ~o e,.s ge~ 1657 • nerous and bountiful to thofe of all parties w 10 u m1tte to It; 10r as ~,. he would not declare himfelf of any particular feel:, he gave out, that it ~vas bis only ~vijh, that all ~oould gather into one jheepjold, under one jhepberd, Jefus Chrift, and love one mz~tbe~.. He refp7cl:ed the clergy in their plJces, but confined the~1 to. thetr ~p!ntual funCl:wn. Nor -:vas ~1e jealous of any who did not mead le 111 yol.ttics, and ende~vour to rat_fe d1f~ turb1nces in the 11:ate: Even the prejudtce he had agaml1: the eptfcopal p.uty (f<1ys bia1op Kennet), was more for their being royaliil:s, than being . of the church of England. But when one party of the clergy began . to lift up their heads above their brethren, or to aCl: out of their fphere, he always found means to take them down. He had a watchful eye over the royalil1:s and republicans, who were alwas plotting againil: his perfon and government; but his ereCl:ing a hoz!fo of lords, or upper houfe, fo quickly after his inl1:alment, roufed the malecontents, and had like to ' have fubverted his government in its infancy. . The proteCl:or was in high reputation abroad, and carried viCl:ory with Proteno,·'i his armies and navies wherever they appeared. There had been a ne~ t~eaty with · gotiation with France conce~ning an alliance again!l: Spain! begun at London 1~~~~~; P·. 1655, but not concluded t1ll March 13, 1657, by wh1ch the protector 73 , obliged himfelf to join fix thoufand men with the french army, and to furniib fifty men of war to conquer the maritime towns belonging to Spain in the Low Countries, on this condition, that Dunkirk and Mardyke ibould be put into his hands, and the £1mily of the Stuarts depart the territories of France. That which determined him to join with France rather than Spain, was the numerous parties that were againfi him at home; for if the young king, aG.ll1:ed by France, ibould have made a defcent upon England with an army of french proteftants, it might have been of fatal confequence to his infant government; whereas the fPaniards were at a difiance, and having no proteftant fubjeCl::s, were lefs to be feared. Upon the conclufion of this treaty, king Charles entered in~ to an alliance with the JPaniard, who allowed him a fmall penfion, and promifed him the command of fix thoufand men, as foon as he was poife!fed of any fea-port in England. In confequence of this treaty, moll: of the royalifis inli!l:ed in the JPanijh fervice. But the protector's fix thoufand men in Flanders, behaved with undaunted bravery, and took St. Venant, lvlardyke, and fome other places from thejpaniards this . fummer. Admiral Blake was no lefs fuccefsful at fea, for havibg received advice of Adm. Blake the return of the.fPanijh IP'ift India fleet, he failed to the Canaries with twen~ tltjlrcys the ty five men .of war, and on the 2oth of.d;rpril arrived at the Bav ofSantla ~,pamfhgal~ • :.; C con;. ruz,
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