that equipped a flect with a force fufficient, as he hoped, to have feized Hispaniola and Cuba. And Gage had affured him, that fuccefs in that expedition would make all the reft fall into his hands. Stoupe, being on another occafion called to his clofet, faw him one day very intent in looking on a Map, and in meafuring diftances. Stoupe faw it was a Map of the Bay of Mexico, and obferved who printed it. So, there being no difcourfe upon that fubject, Stoupe went next day to the Printer to buy the Map. The Printer denied he had printed it. Stoupe affirmed he had feen it. Then, he faid, it must be only in Cromwell's hand; for he only had fome of the Prints, and had given him a ftrict charge to fell none till he had leave given him. So Stoupe perceived there was a defign that way. And when the time of fetting out the fleet came on, all were in a gaze whither it was to go: Some fancied it was to rob the Church of Loretto, which did occafion a fortification to be drawn round it: Others talked of Rome itself; for Cromwell's preachers had this often in their mouths, that if it were not for the divisions at home he would go and fack Babylon: Others talked of Cadiz, tho' he had not yet broke with the Spaniards. The French could not penetrate into the fecret. Cromwell had not finished his alliance with them: So he was not bound to give them an account of the expedition. All he faid upon it was, that he fent out the fleet to guard the feas, and to restore England to its dominion on that element. Stoupe happened to fay in a company, he believed the defign was on the Weft-Indies. The Spanish Ambaffadour, hearing that, fent for him very privately, to ask him upon what ground he faid it: And he offered to lay down 10cool. if he could make any dif covery of that. Stoupe owned to me he had a great mind to the money; and fancied he betrayed nothing if he did difcover the grounds of thefe H 4 conjectures, conjectures, fince nothing had been trufted to him: But he expected greater matters from Cromwell, and fo kept the fecret; and said only, that in a diverfity of conjectures that feemed to him more probable than any others. But the Ambailadour made no account of that; nor did he think it worth the writing to Don John, then at Bruxells, about it. Stoupe whit it over as his conjecture to one about the Prince of Conde, who at first hearing it was perfuaded that must be the defign, and went next day to fuggeft it to Don John: But Don John relied fo much on the Ambaffadour, that this made no impreffion. And indeed all the Minifters whom he employed knew that they were not to difturb him with troublesome news: Of which King Charles told a pleasant story. One whom Don John was fending to fome Court in Germany coming to the King to afk his commands, he defired him only to write him news: The Spaniard afked him, whether he would have true or falfe news: And, when the King feemed amazed at the queftion, he added, if he writ him true news the King must be fecret, for he knew he muft write news to Don John that would be acceptable, true or falfe: When the Minifters of that Court fhewed that they would be ferved in fuch a manner, it is no wonder to fee how their affairs have declined. This matter of the fleet continued a great fecret. And fome months after that Stoupe being accidentally with Cromwell, one came from the fleet thro' Ireland with a letter. The bearer looked like one that brought no welcome news. And as foon as Cromwell had read the letter, he difmifled Stoupe, who went immediately to the Earl of Leicefter, then Lord Lifle, and told him what he had feen. He being of Cromwell's Council went to Whitehall, and came back, and told Stoupe of the defcent made on Hifpariola, and of the misfortune that had happened. It Was was then late, and was the post-night for Flanders. So Stoupe writ it as news to his correfpondent, fome days before the Spanish Ambassadour knew any thing of it. Don John was amazed at the news, and had never any regard for the Ambaffadour after that; but had a great opinion of Stoupe, and ordered the Ambaffadour to make him theirs at any rate. The Ambaffadour fent for him, and asked him, now that it appeared he had gueffed right, what were his grounds: And when he told what they were, the Ambaffadour owned he had reafon to conclude as he did upon what he faw. And upon that he made great ufe of Stoupe : But he himself was never efteemed after that fo much as he had been. This deferved to be fet down fo particularly, fince by it it appears that the greatest defign may be difcovered by an undue carelesness. The Court of France was amazed at the undertaking, and was glad that it had mifcarried; for the Cardinal faid, if he had fufpected it, he would have made peace with Spain on any terms, rather than to have given way to that which would have been fuch an addition to England, as must have brought all the wealth of the world into their hands. The fleet took Jamaica: But that was a fmall gain, tho' much magnified to cover the failing of the main defign. The war after that broke out, in which Dunkirk was indeed taken, and put in Cromwell's hand: But the trade of England fuffered more in that, than in any former war: So he loft the heart of the city of London by that means. Cromwell had two fignal occafions given him His zeal to fhew his zeal in protecting the Proteftants for the abroad. The Duke of Savoy raised a new perfe- religion. cution of the Vaudois: So Cromwell fent to Mazarin, defiring him to put a stop to that; adding, that he knew well they had that Duke in their power, and could reftrain him as they pleafed : And if they did not he must presently break with them. Proteftant them. Mazarin objected to this as unreasonable : He promifed to do good offices: But he could not be obliged to anfwer for the effects they might have. This did not fatisfy Cromwell: So they obliged the Duke of Savoy to put a stop to that unjuft fury: And Cromwell raised a great fum for the Vaudois, and fent over Morland to fettle all their concerns, and to fupply all their loffes. There was alfo a tumult in Nifmes, in which fome diforder had been committed by the Huguenots : And they, apprehending fevere proceedings upon it, fent one over with great expedition to Cromwell, who fent him back to Paris in an hour's time with a very effectual letter to his Ambassadour, requiring him either to prevail that the matter might be pafs'd over, or to come away immediately. Mazarin complained of this way of proceeding, as too imperious: But the neceffity of their affairs made him yield. These things raised Cromwell's character abroad, and made him be much depended on. His Ambaffadour in France at this time was Lockhart, a Scotchman, who had married his niece, and was in high favour with him, as he well deferved to be. He was both a wife and a gallant man, calm and virtuous, and one that carried the generofities of friendship very far. He was made governour of Dunkirk, and Ambaffadour at the fame time. But he told me, that when he was fent afterwards Ambaffadour by King Charles, he found he had nothing of that regard that was paid him in Cromwell's time. A great Stoupe told me of a great defign Cromwell had defign for intended to begin his Kingfhip with, if he had the inter- affumed it: He refolved to fet up a Council for eft of the the Proteftant religion, in oppofition to the conreligion. gregation de Propaganda fide at Rome. He in Proteftant tended it fhould confift of feven councellours, and four fecretaries for different provinces. Thefe were the firft, France, Switzerland, and the Val leys; leys: The Palatinate and the other Calvinifts were the fecond: Germany, the North, and Turkey were the third: And the Eaft and Weft-Indies were the fourth. The fecretaries were to have 500 1. falary apiece, and to keep a correfpondence every where, to know the ftate of religion all over the world, that fo all good defigns might be by their means protected and affifted. Stoupe was to have the firft Province. They were to have a fund of 10000l. a year at their difpofal for ordinary emergences, but to be farther fupplied as occafions fhould require it. Chelsea college was to be made up for them, which was then an old decayed building, that had been at first raised to be a college for writers of controverfy. I thought it was not fit to let such a project as this be quite loft: It was certainly a noble one: But how far he would have pursued it must be left to conjecture. well's life. Stoupe told me a remarkable paffage in his em- Some pafployment under Cromwell. Stoupe had defired fages in all that were under the Prince of Conde to let him Cromknow fome news, in return of that he writ to them. So he had a letter from one of them, giving an account of an Irishman newly gone over, who had faid he would kill Cromwell, and that he was to lodge in King-ftreet Weftminster. With this Stoupe went to Whitehall. Cromwell being then at Council, he fent him a note, letting him know that he had a business of great confequence to lay before him. Cromwell was then upon a matter that did fo entirely poffefs him, that he, fancying it was only fome piece of foreign intelligence, fent Thurlo to know what it might be. Stoupe was troubled at this, but could not refufe to fhew him his letter. Thurlo made no great matter of it: He said, they had many fuch advertisements fent them, which fignified nothing but to make the world think the Protector was in danger of his life: And the looking too much after these things had an appearance of fear, which did ill become fo |