y struggle, originally undertaken to recover the
liberties of the country, terminated in the establishment of a military
despotism. The institutions which had acted as restraints on the power of
preceding sovereigns were superseded or abolished; the legislative, as well
as the executive authority, fell into the grasp of the same individual; and
the best rights of the people were made to depend on the mere pleasure of
an adventurer, who, under the mask of dissimulation, had seized, and by the
power of the sword retained, the government of three kingdoms.[1]

[Footnote 1: Sagredo, who had lately arrived as ambassador extraordinary,
thus describes the power of Cromwell:--"Non fa caro del nome, gli basta
possedere l'autorita e la potenza, senza comparazione majore non solo di
quanti re siano stati in Inghilterra, ma di quanti monarchi stringono
presentamente alcun scetro nel mondo. Smentite le legge fondamentali del
regno, egli e il solo legislatore: tutti i governi escono dalle sue mane, e
quelli del consiglio, per entrarvi, devono essere nominati da sua altezza,
ne possono divenir grandi, se non da lui inalzati. E perche alcuno non
abbia modo di guadagnar autorita sopra l'armata, tutti gli
avanzamenti, senza passar per alcun mezzo, sono da lui direttamente
conosciuti."--Sagredo, MS.]

From domestic occurrences, we may now turn to those abroad. During the last
year, the two armaments which had so long engaged the attention of the
European nations, had sailed from the English ports. Their real, but
secret, destination was to invade the American colonies and surprise
the Plate fleet of Spain, the most ancient and faithful ally of the
commonwealth. To justify the measure, it was argued in the council that,
since America was not named in the treaties of 1604 and 1630, hostilities
in America would be no infraction of those treaties; that the Spaniards had
committed depredations on the English commerce in the West Indies, and were
consequently liable to reprisals; that they had gained possession of these
countries by force against the will of the natives, and might, therefore,
be justly dispossessed by force; and, lastly, that the conquest of these
transatlantic territories would contribute to spread the light of the
gospel among the Indians and to cramp the resources of popery in Europe.[1]
That such flimsy pretences should satisfy the judgment of the protector is
improbable; his mind was swayed by very different motives--the