submit to have put out. Very well, said
Oliver, then he was afraid he must damage
those two eyes directly.

So, another fleet was despatched under two
commanders, PENN and VENABLES, for
Hispaniola; where, however, the Spainards got
the better of it. Consequently, the fleet came
home again, after taking Jamaica on the way.
Oliver, indignant with the two commanders
who had not done what bold Admiral Blake
would have done, clapped them both into
prison, declared war against Spain, and made
a treaty with France, in virtue of which it
was to shelter the King and his brother the
Duke of York no longer. Then, he sent a
fleet abroad under bold Admiral Blake, which
brought the King of Portugal to his senses—
just to keep its hand in —and then engaged
a Spanish fleet, sunk four great ships, and
took two more, laden with silver to the value
of two millions of pounds: which dazzling
prize was brought from Portsmouth to
London in waggons, with the populace of all
the towns and villages through which the
waggons passed, shouting with all their might.
After this victory, bold Admiral Blake sailed
away to the port of Santa Cruz to cut off the
Spanish treasure-ships coming from Mexico.
There he found them, ten in number, with
seven others to take care of them, and a
big castle, and seven batteries all roaring
and blazing away at him with great guns.
Blake cared no more for great guns than for
pop-guns—no more for their hot iron balls
than for snow-balls. He dashed into the
harbour, captured and burnt every one of
the ships, and came sailing out again
triumphantly, with the victorious English flag
flying at his mast-head. This was the last
triumph of this great commander, who had
sailed and fought until he was quite worn
out. He died as his successful ship was
coming into Plymouth Harbour amidst the
joyful acclamations of the people, and was
buried in state in Westminster Abbey. Not
to lie there, long.

Over and above all this, Oliver found that
the VAUDOIS, or protestant people of the
valleys of Lucerne, were insolently treated by
the Catholic powers, and were even put to
death for their religion, in an audacious and
bloody manner. Instantly, he informed those
powers that this was a thing which Protestant
England would not allow; and he speedily
carried his point through the might of his
great name, and established their right to
worship God in peace after their own
harmless manner.

Lastly, his English army won such
admiration in fighting with the French against the
Spaniards, that, after they had assaulted the
town of Dunkirk together, the French King
in person gave it up to the English, that
it might be a token to them of their might
and valour.

There were plots enough against Oliver
among the frantic religionists (who called
themselves Fifth Monarchy Men), and among
the disappointed Republicans. He had a
difficult game to play, for the Royalists
were always ready to side with either party
against him. The " King over the water,"
too, as Charles was called, had no scruples
about plotting with any one against his life;
although there is reason to suppose that he
would willingly have married one of his
daughters, if Oliver would have had such a
son-in-law. There was a certain COLONEL
SAXBY of the army, once a great supporter of
Oliver's but now turned against him, who
was a grievous trouble to him through all this
part of his career; and who came and went
between the discontented in England and
Spain, and Charles, who put himself in alliance
with Spain on being thrown off by France.
This man died in prison at last; but not until
there had been very serious plots between
the Royalists and Republicans, and an actual
rising of them in England, when they burst
into the city of Salisbury on a Sunday night,
seized the judges who were going to hold the
assizes there next day, and would have hanged
them but for the merciful objections of the
more temperate of their number. Oliver
was so vigorous and shrewd that he soon put
this revolt down, as he did most other
conspiracies, and it was well for one of its chief
managers —that same Lord Wilmot who had
assisted in Charles's flight, and was now EARL
OF ROCHESTER—that he made his escape.
Oliver seemed to have eyes and ears everywhere,
and secured such sources of information
as his enemies little dreamed of. There
was a chosen body of six persons, called
the Sealed Knot, who were in the closest
and most secret confidence of Charles. One
of the foremost of these very men, a SIR
RICHARD WILLIS, reported to Oliver everything
that passed among them, and had two
hundred a year for it.

MILES SYNDARCOMB, also of the old army,
was another conspirator against the
Protector. He and a man named CECIL, bribed
one of his Life Guards to let them have good
notice when he was going out—intending to
shoot him from a window. But owing either
to his caution or his good fortune, they could
never get an aim at him. Disappointed
in this design, they got into the chapel in
Whitehall, with a basketful of combustibles,
which were to explode by means of a slow-
match in six hours; then, in the noise and
confusion of the fire they hoped to kill
Oliver. But the Life Guardsman himself
disclosed this plot; and they were seized, and
Miles died (or killed himself in prison) a
little while before he was ordered for execution.
A few such plotters Oliver caused to
be beheaded, a few more to be hanged, and
many more, including those who rose in arms
against him, to be sent as slaves to the West
Indies. If he were rigid, he was impartial
too, in asserting the laws of England.
When a Portuguese nobleman, the brother of