doms and republics are, to restore us to our pristine authority, and the fupreme administration of the English affairs; we thought it convenient in the firft place to make it known to your majefty; and to fignify moreover as well our extraordinary affection to your majefty, fo potent a proteftant prince, as alfo our most fervent zeal to promote the peace between your majesty and the king of Denmark, another most powerful proteftant king, not to be reconciled without our affiftance, and the good offices of our affection. Our pleasure therefore is, that our extraordinary envoy, Philip Meadows, be continued in the fame employment with your majefty, with which he has been hitherto intrufted from this republic. To which end we impower him by these our letters to make propofals, act, and negotiate with your majesty, in the fame manner as was granted him by his last recommendations: and whatsoever he shall tranfact and conclude in our name, we faithfully promife and engage, by God's affiftance, to confirm and ratify. The fame God long fupport your majefty, the pillar and fupport of the proteftant interests. Westminster, May 15, 1659. WILLIAM LENTHAL, Speaker of the Parliament of the Commonwealth of England. The Parliament of the Commonwealth of England, &c. To the moft ferene Prince, FREDERICK King of Denmark. Moft ferene King, and moft dear Friend; Seeing it now is come to pafs, that by the will and pleasure of the most merciful and powerful God, the fupreme moderator of all things, we are restored to our priftine place and dignity, in the administration of the public affairs, we thought it convenient in the first place, that a revolution of this government should not be concealed from your majefty's notice, a prince both our neighbour and confederate; and withal to fignify how much we lay to heart your ill fuccefs: which you will eafily perceive by our zeal and diligence, that never fhall be wanting in us to promote and accomplish a reconciliation between your majesty and the king of Sweden. And therefore we have commanded our our extraordinary envoy with the most ferene king of Sweden, Philip Meadows, to attend your majefty, in our name, in order to these matters, and to impart, propound, act, and negotiate fuch things as we have given him in charge to communicate to your majefty: and what credit you shall give to him in this his employment, we request your majesty to believe it given to ourselves. God Almighty grant your majesty a happy and joyful deliverance out of all your difficulties and afflicting troubles, under which you stand fo undauntedly supported by your fortitude and magnanimity. Westminster, May 15, 1659. WILLIAM LENTHAL, Speaker of the Parliament of the Commonwealth of England. A MANI. A MANIFESTO OF THE LORD PROTECTOR OF THE Commonwealth of ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, IRELAND, &c. Published by CONSENT and ADVICE of his COUNCIL. WHEREIN IS SHEWN The Reasonableness of the Caufe of this Republic against the Depredations of the Spaniards. Written in Latin by JOHN MILTON, and firft printed in 1655; That the motives whereby we have been lately induced to make an attack upon certain islands in the West Indies, which have been now for fome time in the hands of the Spaniards, are exceeding just and reasonable, every one will eafily fee, who confiders in what a hostile manner that king and his fubjects have all along, in those parts of America, treated the English nation; which behaviour of theirs as it was very unjust at the beginning, fo ever fince with the fame injuftice they have perfevered in it, in a direct contrariety to the common law of nations, and to particular articles of alliance made betwixt the two kingdoms. It must indeed be acknowledged, the English for fome years past have either patiently borne with these injuries, or only defended themselves; which may poffibly give occafion to fome to look upon that late expedition of our fleet to the West Indies, as a war voluntarily begun by us, inftead of confidering that this war was firft begun and raised by the Spaniards themselves, as in reality it will be found to be, and (though this republic have done all that lay in their power to establish peace and commerce in thofe parts) hitherto kept up and carried on by them with the greatest eagerness. That the Spaniards themselves are the occafion of this war, will evidently appear to every one who confiders how, as oft as they find opportunity, without any just cause, and without being provoked to it by any injury received, they are continually murdering, and fometimes even in cold blood butchering, any of our countrymen in America they think fit; while in the mean time they feize upon their goods and fortunes, demolish their houses and plantations, take any of their fhips they happen to meet with in those feas, and treat the failors as enemies, nay, even as pirates. For they give that opprobrious name to all, except those of their own nation, who venture to fail in thofe feas. Nor do they pretend any other or better right for fo doing, than a certain ridiculous gift of the pope on which they rely, and because they were the first discoverers of fome parts of that western region: by virtue of which name and title, which they arrogate to themselves, they maintain that the whole power and government of that western world is lodged only in their hands. Of which very abfurd title we shall have occafion to speak more fully, when we come to confider the causes affigned by the Spaniards for their thinking themselves at liberty to exercise all forts of hostilities against our countrymen in America, to fuch a degree, that whoever are driven upon those coafts by ftrefs of weather or fhipwreck, or any other accident, are not only clapt in chains by them as prifoners, but are even made flaves; while they, notwithstanding all this, are fo unreafonable as to think, that the peace is broken, and very much violated by the English, and that even in Europe, if they attempt any thing against them in thofe parts, with a view to make reprisals, and to demand reftitution of their goods. But though the king of Spain's ambaffadors in our country, depending on a Spanish faction which had always a very confiderable influence in the laft king's council, as well as his father's, did not fcruple to make a great many unreasonable complaints and ridiculous demands upon the most trivial accounts, whenever the English did any thing of this kind; yet those princes, though too much attached to the Spaniards, would by no means have the hands of their fubjects bound up, when the Spaniards thought they should have the free use of theirs. On the contrary, they allowed their fubjects to repel force by force, and to confider such of the Spaniards, as could not be brought at any rate to keep the peace in thofe parts, as enemies. So that about the year 1640, when this affair was debated in the last king's council, and when the Spanish ambaffador defired that fome fhips bound for America, lying in the mouth of the river, and just ready to weigh anchor, fhould be stopt, as being capable of doing mifchief to the Spaniards in that part of the world; and when at the fame time he refused the English, who afked it of him by fome members of the council appointed for that purpose, the privilege of trading to the West Indies, it was nevertheless refolved upon, that these ships should purfue their intended voyage, which accordingly they did. Thus far the aforefaid princes were not wanting to their fubjects, when they made war in thofe places privately for their own intereft, though, by reafon of the power of the above mentioned Spanish faction, they would not efpouse their caufe publicly, in the way they ought to have done, and in a manner fuitable to the ancient glory of the English nation. And certainly, it would have been the most unbecoming and difgraceful thing in the world for us, who by the kind providence of God had in our poffeffion fo many fhips equipped and furnished with every thing requifite to a war by fea, to have fuffered these fhips rather to have grown worm-eaten and rot at home for want of ufe, than to have been employed in avenging the blood of the English, as well as that of the poor Indians, which in those places has been fo unjustly, fo cruelly, and fo often fhed by the hands of the Spaniards: fince God has made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, having determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation. And furely God will one time or other take vengeance on the Spaniards, who have shed fo much innocent blood, who have made fuch terrible havoc among the poor Indians, flain fo many thousands of them with the utmost barbarity, done them fo many injuries, and haraffed and perfecuted them in fuch a miferable manner, whatever time that may happen, and by whofe hand foever it may be executed. |