Joachim Hane

“ Burnet describes him as 'a Grison by birth, then minister of the French church in the Savoy, and afterwards a brigadier-general in the French armies: a man of intrigue but of no virtue.' Condé, continues Burnet, had sent over 'to offer Cromwell to turn Protestant: and if he would give him a fleet with good troops he would make a descent on Guienne, where he did not doubt he should be assisted by the Protestants; and that he should so distress France, as to obtain such conditions for them and for England as Cromwell himself should dictate. ”

“ What made officers bred abroad necessary to both parties was their knowledge of the scientific side of warfare, a subject of which home-made royalist and parliamentary colonels knew little or nothing. Each party found these scientifically trained soldiers indispensable as engineers and commanders of artillery. When the king first established his headquarters at Oxford, and proceeded to fortify the town, he appears to have had no qualified engineer in his army. ”

“ But Cromwell had been obliged to turn his arms against Scotland instead of against France, and hardly was the Scottish war over, when all the resources of the Commonwealth were strained to the utmost by the war with Holland. In July, 1653, negotiations had begun, and the war seemed nearing its close, but at the same time Bordeaux was nearing its fall. Barrière, Condé's agent, wrote to the prince that the Republic would come to no resolution till it saw how the treaty with the Dutch ended [6] . It was still believed that as soon as Cromwell's hands were free he would intervene in France. ”

“ Hane, the engineer, plaid the morter-piece.' December following Hane was sent to Inverness to report on its possibilities as a fortress, and returned with the news that it was 'not fortifiable without a great deal of charges, nor tenable without a greater number of men than the town can possibly provide accomodation for.' The result was that instead of fortifying the town itself a fort large enough to hold 2000 men was built close by it. ”

“ Both Condé and the city of Bordeaux sent agents to London to solicit English intervention, and from time to time both Cromwell and the Council of State seemed inclined to accede to their requests. Condé's agents offered free trade with Guienne, certain favours towards the French Protestants, and even the cession of the island of Oléron. The City of Bordeaux instructed its agents 'to demand of the Commonwealth of England, as of a just and powerful State, assistance in men, money, and ships to support the city and commons of Bordeaux, now united with our lords the Princes ”

“ In this comfortlesse condition I kept my lodging upon the hill till night, then I went downe into the plaine which was all along the river side, to see whether I could get a peece of bread by begging in the darke (for I had beene now foure dayes without) thinking that no body would be ready to apprehend me if I fell not upon a guard. And as I came to a house, asking but in vaine for a peece of bread for God's sake, I perceived that they were making fire into a baking oven standing in an out house in the garden which together with the house was incompased with a deepe moate round about. ”

“ If, however, Cromwell was to intervene in France and send an army to Guienne, as he was asked to do, he required also some trustworthy information about the Huguenot strongholds and the coast seaports. The state of the defences of Bordeaux and La Rochelle, and the comparative military value of the different places which Condé's agents and the agents of Bordeaux offered him, were questions on which the opinion of a skilled engineer would be of the greatest value. It is probable that Hane's mission was more military than political, and that he was rather a spy than a political intriguer. ”

“ Thus I retourned into the said roome where I found the hangman making his instruments ready for the worke, and myne accusers; who being ravished with joy because they had brought their designe to an expected end, continued to increase the sadness of my spirit with many insolent and hart breaking expressions, and drinking an health to my confusion, another to my speedy journey to the gallows. Now the temptations of that day (which was a day of distresse and unspeakable greife to me) came to their height ”

“ Smith still hath a mind to buy Mr. Rob. tenement, that layeth towards you from his other house; if he intends to build such a house upon as he talketh, he had need of 6 or 7000 pound to begin withall, and then he may have a habitation to spend 2000 pound a yeare in it; but I am sure he will not perfect the building in so short a time as he was speaking to us, for he will have but a few materialls neere hand, and there is not so much as a hedge about the garden, but he will be forced to make new hedges round about. ”

“ Being set on shoare about two of the clock in the afternoon, I did force myselfe to march, though my feet raged as if they had beene full of needles, and every step I sett was like a knife run through my heart, yet to strive for my life I would hazzard the losse of my feete, and have endured the greatest paine in going to Blaye then to fall into the hands of mine enimyes againe. ”

“ Hane was at those places on the dates mentioned, and the second letter contains a still more remarkable parallel. The writer says, 'I intend to go two days hence to Bordeaux,' that is presumably on November 17. Now Hane's narrative states that he went from Rochelle to Bordeaux on November 18. It is very improbable that Thurloe had two correspondents in France whose movements tallied so exactly with those of Hane. In each letter the writer assumes the character of a merchant, and begins by giving various details about the state of trade. ”

“ To prosecute this resolution, as soone as it was darke I laboured to get forward to Burdeaux with as much speed as I could. Finding the guards very vigilant in all villages I made shift to pass by them with going about where occation served, but as I came to an open market towne within two leagues of Burdaux I met with a small river at the hither end of the towne. ”

“ To Cromwell, as to most of his party, one of the worst sins of Charles I was that he had induced the Huguenots to revolt against Louis XIII, and then left them to be crushed by his forces. Englishmen abroad were accustomed to be taunted with their desertion of their co-religionists. 'I have heard,' wrote John Cook, 'fearful exclamations from the French Protestants against the King and the late Duke of Buckingham for the betraying of Rochelle ”

“ And finding my selfe in a wood through which I had passed two dayes before, because it was an extraordinary thick misty night, which was a meanes that I knew not how to deserne the east from the west by moone or starrs whereby I might have directed my course according to my intentions, the day being at hand I durst not venture to march farther for feare of being discovered, but lodged my selfe in a greate thicked of thornes, for I feared to be discovered in the wood. ”

“ A third of these foreign adventurers was Sir Bernard Gascoyne, or Bernardino Guasconi, a Florentine, condemned to death with Lucas and Lisle at Colchester, but spared to be rewarded by Charles II and to be employed by him as English envoy at Vienna. There were many others of less note in the two armies, but it was not merely as fighting men that the services of foreign soldiers were desired and valued. ”

“ The night followeing I went againe round about the wood, trying the guards how I might secretly slip by some of them, which I found to be very difficult, till after midnight I percieved the watchmen of one post were asleepe, or by reason of the cold altogether departed from their station, because I heard none of them (for to be silent or stand still without acting some apish tricks is an impossible thing for most men of that nation, which often tended to my advantage to keepe me from falling into their hands unawarrs in the darke) ”

“ I could looke for ease no where but from death it selfe, who would have beene my most welcome friend, so it had not beene accompanied with so cruell and exquesite torments as my enimyes threatened me withall.
But blessed and for ever blessed be the Lord, who doth great and marvillous things without number; who disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot performe their enterprize; who delivereth the poore from him that is too stronge for him; he woundeth and he healeth again; he bringeth downe to the grave and raiseth up againe ”

“ As soone as they were gone I raised myselfe from my couch and perceiving in the little pertition where the oxen stood that their was a hole broken in the wall some nyne foot from the ground for to let the light in I hasted downe from the stack and went into the said stable and making meanes by a long beame to get up to the hole, after I had looked out of it, I found that it would be very narrowly overlooked by them that stood in the doore of the dwelling house. ”

“ In the summer of 1657 Hane was called to a new sphere of action. Cromwell had allied himself with France, and 6,000 English soldiers had been despatched to Flanders. In September Turenne and Sir John Reynolds laid siege to Mardyke, for which purpose the Protector had promised to provide artillery and mortar-pieces. Hane was sent for from Scotland to take part in the siege. ”

“ I was not gott halfe musket shott from the house before they came to looke for me, and finding me to be gone, they called presently forth the doggs, and sett them with a great and impetuous storme against the wood which was on the other side of the house, suspecting that I had taken that wood for my refuge rather then the open feilds. ”

“ Even so while I lay in the bottom of the hedge struggleing for life, I began to have new consultations againe; though I had hitherto beene frustrated in all my attempts, as longe as I enjoyed breath I thought it my duty to nature to thinke upon others. ”

“ Further said he, 'the reason that you are not yet areasted is, because your comrade told them that you are quite bare of moneys, and that you intend this day to take up some from your marchant; they will not lay hold of you till you have taken so much as you will that they may have the better booty, theirfore they let you goe freely whether you will, for they all think that you suspect nothing of their designe.'
Now I came to see the trueth of the suspition I conceived the day before upon the roade, but being aquainted with the greediness of my adversaryes, I made the use of it. ”

“ My eyes being thus opened by the wonderfull worke of God, I refused to drinck any wine but what I filled my selfe out of the potts which I saw others drinking out of before me. Now the hangman saw himself frustrated in his hopes hee perswaded mee presently after supper to goe to my rest into my bed betymes, because the shipper with whom I was to goe to Rochell would call mee early in the morning. But I being sufficiently convinced of his designe could give noe eare to his perswacions, but spent my time by walking up and downe the roome ”

“ Having opened the cubbard I found nothing else then a loafe of a peck of houshold bread one quarter wherof was eaten, I borrowed the rest, together with a pipkin full of fatt gathered both of boyled and roaste meate holding about a pinte. Having performed what I came in for I went out at the window againe, and being by that meanes provided by the spetiall providence of God and theirby enabled to subsist for some dayes till the tide would fall out later to carry on my designes to get over the water by night. ”

“ I counted my selfe reduced to that extreamity wherein infallibly I should have perisht, being opressed with hunger within and seeing the whole creation against me without, soe that in naturall reason I could not see how or by what meanes I might have the least hope, either for my restoration or for my present sustenance. I sent up to heaven many earnist and importunate requests that the Lord would bee pleased to shorten my mesiry or else to worke some meracle for my dileverance and present releife. ”

“ I, in the meane tyme full of terror and trembling as soone as I perceived that I was discovered, forced myselfe under the winepress which was joyned to one side of the wall, the bed their of lay on two peices of timbre which being some five foot one from another were no thicker then my body so that with hard shift I could worke betwixt the bed and the ground upon my belly to the wall. ”

“ After the watchmen had dined they went to their station againe in the press-house, fastening the doore, and sett themselves on jeering and mocking the theife in the tubb, not knowing the change of my quarters. Againe evening when it became dark they drew themselves to a place not far from the tubb. Their they made themselves merry with useing all manner of idle talke to me as they thought in the tubb, desiring me to content my selfe with my lodging one night longer and I should be releived the next morning betymes. ”

“ Being gotten to the ground I crept in the bottom of these bryers till I came at the back of the barne, then could I goe whether I would without disturbing the watchmen, being at their dinner. Now because it was daylight I durst not venture far to seeke a hiding place for feare of being betrayed againe, I was constrained to fall into a ditch under a thick hedge near the high way that came from Burdeaux. I had not lien long their before the alarum conserning me was made as fresh as ever it was. ”

“ After diner they went all up and downe to inquire whether I had bent my course. One of the men being wiser then the rest my foot prints were easily diserned from other folks who all both great and small made use of wooden shooes which having no high heeles make farre another print then other shooes doe, and doeing after this manner they found indeed I was come into the house, but that I was neither retourned nor gon beyond the house, so they concluded that infallably I must be still in the presse-house hidden under the lumber that was theirin. ”