Page:Public School History of England and Canada (1892).djvu/113

 carrying trade for other nations. So much ill-feeling was created by this measure that a war broke out, in which Van Tromp for the Dutch, and Blake for the English, fought several fierce naval battles. Van Tromp was killed in 1653, and the supremacy of the seas passed over to England, where it has remained ever since.

5. Expulsion of the Long Parliament.—One object of the Dutch war was to make the fleet strong at the expense of the army. The army was dissatisfied with Parliament, partly because it had not been paid, but, chiefly because its officers saw that the members were unwilling to have parliament dissolved and a new one, representing the people, elected. When it was clear that Parliament was not going to allow a new election except on terms that would give the old members the right to say who should sit with them, Cromwell decided to take prompt measures. Marching down to Westminster with a regiment of musketeers, he turned the members out, locked the doors, and put the key in his pocket. “Not a dog barked,” as Cromwell said afterwards, at this daring deed; and the nation felt that what Cromwell had done was necessary and right.

6. Instrument of Government.—And now England had neither king nor parliament, and order had to be maintained by Cromwell and his army, until some form of government could be agreed: upon. An assembly, chosen by the congregations of the Independents, was convened at Westminister by Cromwell, and it proceeded to arrange for a real Parliament. This assembly got the nick-name of “Barebone’s Parliament“from Praise-God Barebones, one of its members. Its members were honest, zealous men, who tried to do much in the way of removing long standing evils, and so made many enemies. Finding that it could not carry out its good intentions, Barebone’s Parliament resigned its power into the hands of Cromwell. Before doing so, however, it drew up a new Constitution called the “Instrument of Government,” and made Cromwell Lord Protector. For the next ten months Cromwell ruled alone, and on his own authority made many good laws. He ended the war with Holland, and made treaties, favourable to English trade, with other countries. He was tolerant to all religious bodies, although he would not let the royalist clergy preach in the churches. He united Scotland to England, and the