they fled."

During the action, a New England vessel seized the boats, provision, and
ammunition of the governor and his party. Among the prisoners was this
functionary, who had been "shot in many places." Several of the
prisoners were condemned to death by a court-martial; and four of the
principal, one of them a councillor, were executed on the spot. Captain
William Stone, likewise sentenced, owed his escape to the intercession
of some women, and of some of Bennet and Clayborne's people.[229:B] John
Hammond, (the same who had been, two years before, expelled from the
Virginia Assembly,) also one of the condemned, fled in disguise, and
escaped to England in the ship Crescent. The master of this vessel was
afterwards heavily fined by the Virginia assembly for carrying off
Hammond without a pass. Of the four that were shot, three were
Romanists; and the Jesuit fathers, hotly pursued, escaped to Virginia,
where they inhabited a mean low hut.[230:A]

Thus Maryland became subject to the Protectorate. The administration of
the Puritan commissioners was rigorous, and the Maryland assembly
excluded Papists from the pale of religious freedom. Such were even
Milton's views of toleration;[230:B] but Cromwell, the master-spirit of
his age, soared higher, and commanded the commissioners "not to busy
themselves about religion, but to settle the civil government." He
addressed the following letter, dated at Whitehall, in January, 1654, to
Richard Bennet, Esq., Governor of Virginia:--

"SIR:--Whereas, the differences between the Lord Baltimore and
the inhabitants of Virginia, concerning the bounds by them
respectively claimed, are depending before our council and yet
undetermined; and whereas, we are credibly informed you have,
notwithstanding, gone into his plantation in Maryland, and
countenanced some people there in opposing the Lord
Baltimore's officers; whereby and with other forces from
Virginia, you have much disturbed that colony and people, to
the engendering of tumults and much bloodshed there, if not
timely prevented:

"We, therefore, at the request of the Lord Baltimore and
divers other persons of quality here, who are engaged by great
adventures in his interest, do, for preventing of disturbances
or tumults there, will and require you, and all others
deriving any authority from you, to forbear disturbing the
Lord Baltimore, or his officer