eceived
most politely, was entertained and driven about both at Rivoli and at
Turin itself, and was admitted to a formal audience on or about the
24th. He there made a speech in Latin to the Duke, the Duchess-mother
being also present, and delivered Cromwell's letter, The speech was a
very bold one. He spared no detail of horror in his picture of the
massacre as he had authentically ascertained it, and added, "Were all
the Neros of all times and ages alive again (I would be understood to
say it with out any offence to your Highness, inasmuch as we believe
that none of these things was done by any fault of yours), they would
be ashamed at finding that they had contrived nothing that was not
even mild and humane in comparison. Meanwhile angels are
horrorstruck, mortals amazed!" The Duchess-mother, replying for her
son, could hardly avoid hinting that Mr. Morland had been rather
rude. She was, nevertheless, profuse in expressions of respect for
the Lord Protector, who had no doubt received very exaggerated
representations of what had happened, but at whose request she was
sure her son would willingly pardon his rebellious subjects and
restore them to their privileges. During the rest of Morland's stay
in Turin or its neighbourhood the object of the Duke's counsellors,
and also of the French minister, was to furnish him with what they
called a more correct account of the facts, and induce him to convey
to Cromwell a gentler view of the whole affair. Morland kept his own
counsel; but, having had a second audience, and received the Duke's
submissive but guarded answer to Cromwell, and also several other
papers, he left Turin on the 19th of July and proceeded, according to
his instructions, to Geneva.[1]

[Footnote 1: Morland, 563-583; and Letters between Pell and Thurloe
given in _Vaughan's Protectorate_.]

Meanwhile Cromwell, dissatisfied with the coolness of the French King
and Mazarin, and also with the shuffling and timidity of the Swiss
Cantons, had been taking the affair more and more into his own hands.
He had despatched, late in July, another Commissioner, Mr. GEORGE
DOWNING, to meet Morland at Geneva, help Morland to infuse some
energy into the Cantons, and then proceed with him to Turin to bring
matters to a definite issue. He had been inquiring also about the
fittest place for landing an invading force against the Duke, and had
thought of Nice or Villafranca. Blake's presence in the Mediterranean
was not forgott