efigns; the revealing of which no Question kept many Confpiracies from being atempted, to which effect there is yet aneher Plot against the Protector's Life, intended by Miles Sindercemb,alias Fish, one who formerly had been a Parliament Sollier, under the command of Sir John Reyolds, together with one Cicil; induc'd thereunto, as is faid by Don Alonso, the late Spanish Ambaflador; to the effecting their defigns, they are faid to have hired a House at Hammersmith, adjoining by the Highway fide, to have fhot him in his Coach, as he paffed by; but that failing, they intended to have fhot him in Hide-park, and to that purpose they filed off the Hinges of the Gates for their bettet efcape; and this mifcarying, they intended to have fired VVhite Hall. For thefe Offences Sindercomb was arreign'd at the Upper Bench Bar in VVeftminster Hall, February, 9 1656. where being found Guilty by the Jury, he was condemned to be hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn; but before his Execu tion he was found dead in his Bed, and feveral prefùmptions of a violent Death appearing on him; it was concluded he poyfoned himself. afterwards he was drawn from the Tower unto Tower Hill, at a Horfe's-Tail, with his Head forward, a

there under the Scaffold, turn'd into a hol ftark naked, and a Stake fpiked and plated with Iron,driven throw him into the Earth It is to be obferv'd that whatfoever the vigilency of the Guard of the Tower was over this Gentleman, that he died with as fresh a Colour as Sir Thomas Overbury is faid to have expir'd with.

But to return where we left,that fuccefs ful Sea-man General Blake, the Protector's intended Drake, an honeft ftout incompara ble Sea-man, he failing with his Fleet to Santa Cruza, in the Inland of Teneriff, in which Port lay fixteen great Spanish Veffels, laden with rich Merchandizes from thel dies, he on the 20 of April, 1657, fet up on them, and destroy'd them all, not fixty of his own Men being loft.

But to return, June 20, 1657, the Pro tector with great Magnificence was inftalled at Westminster, the Parliament then fitting and in Weftminfer Hall,a richCloth of Statt was fet up, and under it a Chair of State placed upon an afcent of two Degrees, co ver'd with Carpets, and before it a Table with a Chair appointed for the Speaker of the Parliament, and on each fide of the Hall upon the faid Structure were Seats railed one above another, and decently covered or the Members of Parliament and below

them, Seats on one fide for the Judges of the Land, and on the other fide for the Aldermen of the City of London.

About two of theClock in the Afternoon, the Protector met the Parliament in the painted Chamber, and paffed fueh Bills as were prefented to him; after which they went in order to the Place appointed in Weftminßer Hall; the Protector ftanding under the Cloath of Eftate, the Lord Widdrington Speaker of the Parliament, addrest himself to him in this Speech.

May it please your Highness,

You are now upon a great Theatre, in a large hore of People, you have the Parliament of England, Scotland, and Ireland, before you;. n your Right Hand,my Lords the Judges, and n your Left Hand, the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, nd Sheriffs of London; the most noble and pulous City of England. The Parliament, with the Interpofition of your fufferage, makes Laws, and the Judges,and Governours of Lonlon are the great Difpencers of thofe Laws to he People.

The Occafion of this great Convention and ntercourfe, is to give an Investiture to your Highness in that eminent Place of Lord Proector; a Name you had before, but it is now ettled by the full and unanimous,confent of t

People of these three Nations affembled in Par liament; you have no new Name, but a men date added to the old Name; the 16th of De cember is now changed to the 26th of June I am now commanded by the Parliament, t make oblation to your Highness of four Thing in order to this Inauguration.

The firft is a Robe of Purple, an Emblem Magistracy, and imports Righteousness and Jufticee when you have put on the Veftment, may fay, (and I hope without Offence) that you are a Gown Man. This Robe is of a mixt Co lour, to fhew the mixture of Justice and Mercy which are then most excellent when they are wel tempered together. Fuftice without Mercy, i Vormwood and Bitterness, and Mercy with out fuftice is of too foft a Temper for Govern ment; for a Magiftrate must have two Hand Plectentum & Amplectentum.

The next thing is a Bible, a Book that con tains the Holy Scriptures; in which ye hav the Honour and Happiness to be well verfed This is the Book of Life, confifting of two Tefta ments,theold and the New. In the first we have Christum velatum, Chrift in Types, Shadows and Figures, in the latter we have Chriftum re velatum, Chrift revealed. This Book carries in it the grounds of the trueChriftian Proteftant Religton, it's a Book of Books, it contains in

precepts and examples for goodGoverment.

Alexander fo highly valued the Books of his Mafter Ariftotle, and other great Princes other Books, that they have laid them every Night under their Pillows. These are all but Legends and Romances to this ono Book; a Book to be had always in remembrance: I find it faid in a part of this Book which I fhall defire to read, and it is this. Deut. 17. And it fhall be when he fitteth upon the Throne of his Kingdom, that he fhall write a Copy of this Law in a Book, out of that which is before the Priefts and Levits. And it shall be with him, and he fhall read therein all the Days of his Life, that he may learn to fear the Lord God, and to keep all the Words of this Law and thofeStatutes, to do them. That his Heart be not lifted up aabove his Brethren; and that he turn not afide from the Commandment, to the Right Hand or to the Left, to the end he may prolong his Days in his Kingdom, he and his Children in the mideft of Ifrael.

The next thing that I am going to offer to your Highness is a Seepter not unlike a Staff, for you are to be a Staff to the Weak and Poor; it's of ancient ufe in this kind; it's faid in Scripture, in reference to Judah, the Royal Tribe, That the Scepter fhall not depart frow Judah. It was of like ufe in other Kingdoms and Governments; Homer the Prince of the Gre

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