Crown for
the space of one year from the date of the Treaty.[1]--Cromwell had
lost no time in fulfilling his part of the engagement. To command the
auxiliary English army in Flanders he had selected Sir John Reynolds,
who had served ably heretofore in Ireland, and was now, as we have
seen, member for Tipperary and Waterford in the present Parliament,
and a strong Oliverian. His commission was dated April 25; and by
May 14 he and his 6000 English foot had all been landed at Boulogne.
They were thought the most splendid body of soldiers in Europe, and
were admired and complimented by Louis XIV., who went purposely, with
Lockhart, to review them. The promised fleet of cooperation was to be
under the command of young Admiral Montague, who was still, however,
detained in England.[2]--Meanwhile Blake, in his wider command off
the coasts of Spain itself, or wherever in the Atlantic there could
be a dash at the Spaniard, had added one more to the series of his
naval exploits. To intercept a rich Spanish fleet from Mexico, he had
gone to the Canary Isles; he had found the fleet there, sixteen ships
in all, impregnably ensconced, as it was thought, in the fortified
bay of Santa Cruz in Teneriffe; and, after a council of war, in which
it was agreed that, though the ships could not be taken, they might
be destroyed, he had ventured that tremendous feat April 20, with the
most extraordinary success. He had emerged from Santa Cruz Bay, after
eleven hours of connonading and fighting, all but undamaged himself,
but leaving not a ship of the Spanish fleet extant, and every fort in
ruins. Not till May 28 did the news reach London; but on that day
Thurloe presented a narrative of the glorious action to the House,
who forthwith ordered a special thanksgiving, and a jewel worth L500
to Blake. On the 10th of June the jewel was sent, with a letter of
honour from the Protector, and instructions to leave fourteen of his
ships off Cadiz, and return home himself with the rest of his
fleet.[3]

[Footnote 1: Godwin, IV. 540-542. But see Guizot's _Cromwell and
the English Commonwealth_, II. 377 (Engl. Transl. 1854), with
Latin Text of the Treaty itself in Appendix to same volume.]

[Footnote 2: Godwin, IV. 542-543; Commons Journals of May 5, 1657
(leave to Reynolds to go on the service).]

[Footnote 3: Commons Journals, May 28 and 29, 1657; Godwin, IV.
418-420; Carlyle, III. 264 and 304-305.]

"_Killing no Murder: briefly discoursed, in Three