A то тн Е KIN SIR, G. FTER the delivery of your royal father's perfon into the hands of the army, I undertaking to the queen-mother that I would find some means to get access to him, she was pleased to send me; and by the help of Hugh Peters I got my admittance, and coming well inftructed from the queen (his majesty having been kept long in the dark) he was pleafed to difcourfe very freely with me of the whole ftate of his affairs: But, fir, I will not launch into an hiftory, inftead of an epiftle. One morning waiting on him at Caufham, fmiling upon me, he faid he could tell me fome news of myself, which was, that he had feen fome verfes of mine the evening before (being those to Sir R. Fanfhaw); and asking me when I made them, I told him two or three years fince; he was pleafed to say, that having never seen them before, he was afraid I had written them fince my return into England, and though he liked them well, he would advise me to write no more; alledging, that when men are young, and have little elfe to do, they might vent the overflowings of their fancy that way; but when they were thought fit for more ferious employinents, if |
