L

him. -The peace he gave to the Dutch, (though

death of the late King, Don Alonfo de Cardenas, embaffador from Spain, legitimated this baftard republick; and Oliver had no fooner made himself fovereign, under the quality of protector, than all the Kings of the earth proftrated themselves before this idol. To gratify him, the lawful King, [Charles II.] ⚫ with his brothers, were driven out of those kingdoms and provinces, that ought to have ferved him as places of refuge or afylums. Lockart, who was embaffador from the ufurper, was not only received in France • with all the honors that could have been done to the minifter of the first monarch of Christendom, but cardinal Mazarine even refused to fee the King of Great Britain, who had travelled quite through the king⚫ dom to come to him at the foot of the Pyrenean hills, and would not so much as speak to the person that came from him, and waited at the door of the chief minifter: who at the fame time had daily conferences ⚫ with the ufurpers. All that the difpoffeffed King could obtain was, that the cardinal gave him leave that, the Duke of Ormond fhould fpeak to him as he paffed along, and as it were accidentally, as he came from his own quarters to the isle of the Conference.

• The King of Spain, who was brother-in-law to the • deceased King, behaved himself a little better. He fuffered the fon to be in fafety at Bruffels, where he alfo met with fome civilities: and his chief minister Don Lewis de Haro, at the Pyrenean hills, fhewed him that refpect which the cardinal had refused him. The King of France being advanced as far as the frontiers of Flanders, the protector fent Falconbridge his fon-inlaw, to pay him thofe civilities, which fovereigns are ufed to fhew one another on like occafions: and the Duke de Crequy, one of the firft Lords of France, next to the Princes, was fent to London, to thank the ufurper for his civilities: and that nothing might be wanting to the ceremony, the cardinal would have his

A 2

nephew

(b) Embaffader, and his Func

(though it has not wanted cenfurers) was

tions, p. 17.

ho

nephew Mancini accompany the duke. The diffe. rence that is to be seen in the behaviour of these two Kings of France and Spain, who were both nearly related to the King of England, proceeded only from the difference of their intereft. The Spanish embaffador had used his utmost endeavours with the usurper, to engage him in the intereft of the King his mafter; even to the offering him a hundred thousand crowns per month, two hundred thousand by way of advance, and an army of twenty thousand men to reconquer Calice. Cromwell had rejected these offers ; and as he feared more the neighbourhood of France, than he hoped for advantage from the languishing and • remote strength of Spain, he fided with the firft, whose friend he became; by that means obliging the other to be fo to the King of Great Britain, whose three kingdoms he had ufurped (b).'

6

Wicquefort has not exaggerated matters in this account: for by the best authority we are told, That upon Oliver's affuming the government, both those crowns [France and Spain] applied to him. Don Alonfo de Cardenas, the Spanish ambaffador then refiding here, in a private audience, congratulated his accels to the government, expreffing the great fatiffaction his mafter had received therein; in whofe .. name he did affure him of the true and conftant friendfhip of Spayne, in the condition that he then ftood; or if he would go a step farther and take upon him the 6 crown, that his master would venture the crown of (i) Thurloe, Spayne to defend him in it; with many other expreffons of kindnefs and good-will (i).' The distinction with which the English ambaffador in France was treated, will be best explained by a letter of Lockhart's to Thurlee, dated Paris, May 7, 1656. My laft from St. Dennis told your honour, that I was to lodge at Paris that night. As I was going to my coach, Mr. Swift returned from the cardinal (from whom he

vol. i. p.

759.

6

re

1

honourable to himself, and the nation. He

pre

771.

⚫ received extraordinary civilities) and told me his emi-
nence earnestly defired, that I would do him (as he
faid) honor, to receive a vifit from him next day at
St. Dennis. Upon this I refolved to ftay there till
Monday morning. Upon the Lord's day, I received a
very kind welcome from him by the master of the
house, and a letter very full of kind expreffions. Af-
ter my arrival at Paris, I renewed my defire both to
his eminence and count Bryen for audience, which is
promised me to morrow at night; and after I am af-
fured by a perfon of quality fent to me this morning
by the cardinal, that I fhall have the freedom allowed
me to wait upon him as often as I will. Count Bulion
fent alfo to me this morning, to tell me that he was
commanded by the King to wait upon me this day to
congratulate my fafe arrival into France; and was very
earneft with me to appoint him an hour, which I (4) Thurloë,
vol. iv. p.
• left to his own difcretion and conveniency (k).' Lord
Fauconberg's reception in France is thus related by him-
felf, in a letter to H. Cromwell, dated Whitehall, June
8, 1658. I am now returned from the French
court, where I have had the honourableft reception
imaginable. The King did not only keepe bare at
my publique audiences, but, when I made him a pri-
vate vifit, he talked with me in the garden an hour or
two uncovered. From the cardinal the honours I had
were particular and unufual: he waved the ftate of a
publique audience, came out of his own room to
meet me, led me prefently into his cabinet; after an
⚫ hour's discourse in private, he conducted me downe to
the very door, where my coach flood, a ceremony he
difpenfes with not only to all others, but even to the
King himself. The charge of two very handfome ta-
bles were defrayed (for myself and followers) by the
King, all the while I ftayed. In fumme, through all
their actions not the leaft circumftance was omitted,
that might witnefs the truth of thefe refpects they
• beare

་

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P. 158.

(m) Advice to Card. Mazarine,

Retz's Me

12mo.

prescribed the conditions, and they were

forced

(1) Vol. vii. beare his highneffe and the English nation (/).' With what deteftation foever princes may fpeak of ufurpers, we fee they submit to pay them the tribute of adulation, when they suppose it for their interest: and though with abhorrence they speak of these men as meer tyrants and rebels, none are more follicitous to obtain their favour and affiftance. A very edifying example, truly! Mazarine was bitterly reproached by fome of the French for his extream fubmiffion to Cromwell, as we find in the following paffage: these are the people [his friends ⚫ and counsellors] who make you treat with Cromwell in ❝ a manner so mean and injurious to the French nation ; who advise you to lower our flags before his ships, and who are willing to allow him the title of protector at the end of of the proteftants of that kingdom (m).' In fhort, moirs, vol. the courtship of the two crowns to Oliver, was fo great iv. p. 247. and vifible that it expofed them to laughter. The • Dutch ftruck a medal with the bust of Cromwell and his titles on one fide, with Britannia on the other, • and Cromwell thrufting his head in her bofom, with his breeches down and his backfide bare, the Spanish 'embaffador ftooping to kiss it, while the French embaffador holds him by the arm, with these words in• fcribed, Retire toi, l'honneur apartient au Roi mon maitre, (r) Biographia Britan- i. e. Come back, that honor belongs to the King my mafter (n). This medal is yet preferved in feveral Dutch cabinets. It was faid alfo that a picture had been fet to fale at Pont-neuf [in Paris] wherein the lord protector was fitting on a close-ftole at his bufinefs, and the King of Spain on the one fide, and the King of France on the other, offering him paper to vol. iii. p. wipe his breech (o).Indeed the friendship of Oi658. ver was earnestly fought after by most of the Kings and (p) Memoirs of the Houfe Princes of his age. Frederick William, elector of Branof Branden- denburg, whose fame is rendered immortal by the pen of burg, P. 92. his royal defcendant, courted the friendship of Cromwell (p). Whitlock in a letter to his highness dated Up

nica, p.

1564.

(c) Thurloe,

12mo Lond. #758.

forced to accept of them, though at the expence

23.

fal, January 13, 1653, gives him a particular account of the joy the Queen of Sweden expressed on his affuming the protectorate, and in conclufion adds, She told me the would write herself to my lord protector, and defired me in my letters to acquaint your highness, that no perfon had a greater efteem and refpect of your highness than fhe had, which she would be ready to manifeft, and was very joyful for this good news (9) Thurloe, • from England (q).' The King of Denmark fent over a vol. ii. p. perfon to congratulate his highness, the lord protector, and was overjoyed that he was included in the Dutch treaty. The terms given to the King of Portugal, and the manner of demanding fatisfaction for his not executing the treaty figned by his embaffador, will much illuftrate the high character Cromwell bore among his fellow fovereigns, and partly account for it. It is well known that the brother of the Portugal ambaffador, with his master of horfe, were concerned in a murder in London; that they took refuge in his house as in a fanctuary; that being delivered up they were tried, and notwithftanding the plea of public character made by the brother, were condemned, and accordingly executed. The • Portugu fe ambaffador at eight of the clock in the ⚫ morning figned a treaty with the protector, and departed from Gravefend at- ten. His brother was beheaded in the afternoon, and his man hanged at Tyburn (r).' This was on the 10th of July, 1654. (r) Id. p. It may well enough be thought the treaty was not difhonourable to England *. · In one of the articles agreed with the ambaffador it was expreffed, that the

The lord chancellor Hyde, in his fpeech to both houses, May 8, 1661, calls this treaty, in very many respects, the most advantageous to this nation that ever was entered into with any prince or people.' And again, in the fame fpeech, he fays, every article in it but one [a. liberty given to Portugal to make levies of ten thousand men for their fervice] was entirely for the benefit of this nation, for the extraordinary advancement of trade, for the good of religion, and for the honour of the crown,'-Lives of the Lord Chancellors, vol. ii. p. 172. • mer

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439.