Holland was beyond question the natural ally on political and religious
grounds of puritan England. But a mischievous war against her in 1652-3
was caused by the arrogant restrictions of the Navigation Act of 1651.
The successful English demand in 1653 that the Orange family, as
connected closely with that of Stuart, should be excluded from the
Stadtholdership, was in a high degree to the prejudice of the United
Provinces.
In 1654 Cromwell was negotiating with France and Spain. From the latter
he arrogantly asked wholly unreasonable terms, whilst Mazarin, on the
part of France, offered Dunkirk as a bribe. News opportunely arriving
that certain Spanish possessions in America were feebly armed, Cromwell
at once declared war: and now, supplementing unscrupulous policy by false
theology, announced 'the Spaniards to be the natural and ordained enemies
of England, whom to fight was a duty both to country and to religion:'
(Ranke: xii. 6).
The piratical war which followed, in many ways similar to that which the
'wise Walpole' tried to avert in 1739, was hardly less impolitic than
immoral. It alienated Holland, it sanctioned French aggression on
Flanders (xii. 7), it ended by giving Mazarin and Lewis XIV that
supremacy in Western Europe for which England had to pay in the wars of
William III and Anne; whilst, as soon as it was over, France naturally
allied herself with Spain, on a basis which might have caused the union
of the two crowns (xii.
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