Anti-Oliverian Spirit of the Commons:  Their Opposition to the Other
House:  Cromwell’s Speech of Remonstrance:  Perseverance of the Commons
in their Opposition:  Cromwell’s Last Speech and Dissolution of the
Parliament, Feb. 4, 1657-8.—­State of the Government after the
Dissolution:  The Dangers, and Cromwell’s Dealings with them:  His
Light Dealings with the Disaffected Commonwealth’s Men:  Threatened
Spanish Invasion from Flanders, and Ramifications of the Royalist
Conspiracy at Home:  Arrests of Royalists, and Execution of Slingsby
and Hewit:  The Conspiracy crushed:  Death of Robert Rich:  The Earl of
Warwick’s Letter to Cromwell, and his Death:  More Successes in
Flanders:  Siege and Capture of Dunkirk:  Splendid Exchanges of
Compliments between Cromwell and Louis XIV.:  New Interference in
behalf of the Piedmontese Protestants, and Project of a Protestant
Council De Propaganda Fide:  Prospects of the Church
Establishment:  Desire of the Independents for a Confession of Faith: 
Attendant Difficulties:  Cromwell’s Policy in the Affairs of the
Scottish Kirk:  His Design for the Evangelization and Civilization of
the Highlands:  His Grants to the Universities of Edinburgh and
Glasgow:  His Council in Scotland:  Monk at Dalkeith:  Cromwell’s
Intentions in the Cases of Biddle and James Nayler:  Proposed New Act
for Restriction of the Press:  Firmness and Grandeur of the
Protectorate in July 1658:  Cromwell’s Baronetcies and Knighthoods: 
Willingness to call another Parliament:  Death of Lady Claypole: 
Cromwell’s Illness and Last Days, with the Last Acts and Incidents of
his Protectorship.

CHAP.  II.  Milton’s Life and Secretaryship through the Second Protectorate.  —­Milton still in Office:  Letter to Mr. Henry de Brass, with Milton’s Opinion of Sallust:  Letters to Young Ranelagh and Henry Oldenburg at Saumur:  Morus in New Circumstances:  Eleven more State-Letters of Milton for the Protector (Nos.  CI.-CXI.):  Andrew Marvell brought in as Assistant Foreign Secretary at last (Sept. 1657):  John Dryden now also in the Protector’s Employment:  Birth of Milton’s Daughter by his Second Wife:  Six more State-Letters of Milton (Nos.  CXII.-CXVII.):  Another Letter to Mr. Henry de Brass, and another to Peter Heimbach:  Comment on the latter:  Deaths of Milton’s Second Wife and her Child:  His two Nephews, Edward and John Phillips, at this date:  Milton’s last Sixteen State-Letters for Oliver Cromwell (Nos.  CXVIII.-CXXXIII), including Two to Charles Gustavus of Sweden, Two on a New Alarm of a Persecution of the Piedmontese Protestants, and Several to Louis XIV. and Cardinal Mazarin:  Importance of this last Group of the State-Letters, and Review of the whole Series of Milton’s Performances for Cromwell:  Last Diplomatic Incidents of the Protectorate, and Andrew Marvell in connexion with them:  Incidents of Milton’s Literary Life in this Period:  Young Guentzer’s Dissertatio and Young Kock’s Phalaecians:  Milton’s Edition of Raleigh’s Cabinet Council:  Resumption of the old Design of Paradise Lost and actual Commencement of the Poem:  Change from the Dramatic Form to the Epic:  Sonnet in Memory of his Deceased Wife.