times to speake moderately. I pesume you will giue this busines a thorough sifting there in councell, and send some directions to St Rich: Browne how to proceede here; that it may appeare who sett him on worke here, and who giues him these exact coppies, weh he pretends to haue under y King's owne hand, and those other peeces of the King's, wch he so braggs of, and promises he will bring them to light, so soone as he obtaines leaue to publish them. I hope some course wilbe taken that he may be discharged of his titles of relation to the King, and that his Ma" will hereupon giue order, that a true coppy may be printed in french of his Father's Booke, declared by him to be authentique, waving both the editions either of Huguenot or Papist, and that this command be grounded upon the ill editions of both these persons and partys.

Indorsed, "6° Novem: 1649.

translac'on of the King's book."

Concerning Marseis his

Sir Edward Nicholas to King Charles the Second. May it please yo' Matie 1

I came to yo' Maie out of duty to serve you if I could, not out of designe to gaine preferment, & thoughe I understood well, that yo Maties Privy Councell here was neither of number or weight equall to y'importaunce of yo' Maties affaires, yet yo' Mate being then resolved to goe for Irland (where I conceaved there would be an addition of Councellors answearable to y' weight of yo' affe) I did y' more willingly tender my humble services here.

But since its not now councellable for yo' Matie upon y' change of yo' busines in Irla: to goe thither, I held it my duty humbly to advise you, that I find yo' affa of soe great importaunce, & of such a nature, as (in my poore iudgem') it will not be possible for you to man'age y same wout a steddy, setled, &

res

Written by Sir Edward Nicholas, and alluded to in a note, anie, p. 184.

Ea:Arundell

E. South'ton

Sir Art.

D.Richmond more full Councell of able, graue & experienced Ea: Derby p'sons of unblemished integrity, whose honor, Ba: Norwich esteeme, fidellity, & prudence may raise y reputac'on of yo' Councell from that greate contempt it lyes Hopton, Mr. under both at home and abroade; & whereby forL'd Hatton. raigne Prees may be encouraged to assist yo' Matie, & yo' Royall party in Engl: to appeare more vigorously for you.

Cha. Exch.

If for want of such a setled & hole Privy Councell, yo' Matie shalbe necessitated (as lately) to call (upon every important occasion) such to Councell who are not sworne, it will not much satisfy yo' party in Engla: nor advantage yo' aff. Besides yo' Privy Councell wilbe att a great disadvantage, when they are to give their advise upon oath, & are by ye same obliged to be secreat, & y others shalbe att liberty & under noe tye att all.

My humble advise therefore is, that yo' Matie forthwith endeavour by all meanes possible to get a Councell composed of a convenient number of such hoble, experienced, & faithfull p'sons, as may be equall to ye great importaunce of yo' p'sent affe, & above y contempt that yo' now Councell lyes under, aswell in yo' owne Court, as abroade, wthout wch it will not be possible for you to goe throughe yo greate businesses.

As for my owne particular,'

I humbly beseech yo' Mae to give me leave to put you in minde, that att St. Germains y' Male comaunded me to wayte on you in this place, where you were pleased to tell me you should have occasion to make use of my service as Secre", & to that end

De Larrey, a French contemporary writer formerly quoted, says of Sir Edward Nicholas, that he had much better qualities and more zeal for the late Monarch, than the preceding Secretary of State, Windebank. He adds, that he was truly devoted to the Church of England; and having, besides, as much integrity as ability, was as faithful to the son as to the father. "Charles II. recompensed his fidelity, and restored him, in 1658, to the post that his father had given him; if this employment was honourable to him, all the profit redounded to the King, who conferred it on him not till he left France, and when he was a wanderer from Court to Court, and from country to country.”

yo' Mati comaunded me to gett prepared a signet, and other provisions fitting, we accordingly I p'vided att my owne cost. I was there further tould from yo' Mae, that when I came to Jersey, I should be sworne Sec'rie. And since I came hither, yo' Mate tould me I should be sworne, as soon as I came into Irla: Now since yo' Maie goes not for Irla: I humbly desire that I may be sworne before yo' Mate dep'ture from hence:

1. Because, I know y busines belonging to a Sec'rie of State ought not to be p'formed by one that is not sworne in ye place.

2. For that y busines I shall doe (not being sworne), will not have that creddit & esteeme, as is requisitt for y advantage of affaires of that nature.

3. That it wilbe a great disrepute for me (who have had the honor to serve yo' Royale father 7 yeares in that office) to execute any considerable p'te thereof, & not be established in it by oath, we only can make a man capable of p'formaunce of the duty of that place, as it ought to be.

Yo' Matie obiection, that if you sweare me, you must doe y like for Mr. Long,' is rather a discouragement then a satisfac'con to me, who did hope my soe long faithfull service to yo' Royall father would have mov'd yo' Ma to make more difference betweene us, since I have hitherto (I thanke God) carryed a cleere reputac'on in all my wayes.

Wherefore its my most humble suyte, that yo' Mate wilbe pleased either to give order that I may be sworne yo' Maties Sec'rie (whereby I may be enabled to doe you service), or else that I may have leave with yo' Mate gracious favour, to retire untill my faithfull & disinterested service may be of more use in yo' Mati affaires.

For yor Matie"

Indorsed, "Je lis ce papier au Roy a Jersey, 31 de Janvier, St. V 1649."

Mr. Long appears to have been engaged as secretary to Charles in a quasi-private capacity, for his name is not entered upon any of the official lists. The King, influenced most probably by his mother, showed much favour to him.

VOL. IV.

The King to Sir Edward Nicholas.
Charles R.

In regard of our many great & weighty businesses, Wee are resolved & promise wth all convenient speede to increase the number of Our English Privy Councellors in a considerable proporc'on answerable to ye importaunce of our affaires.

Wee are alsoe resolved principally to make use of & rely on, the faithfull advise of our sworne Privy Councell in y managem' and determinac❜on of our important affaires.

Wee likewise resolve & promise, to sweare and establishe S' Edw: Nicholas in y office and place of one of our principall Secritaries of State, the first man Wee admit to or constitute in that office, and as soone as Wee shall dismisse Rob' Long from our service. Given at our Court att Castle Elizabeth in our Island of Jersey the 14-24th of ffebr: 1649-50.

The King to Sir Edward Nicholas.

ST. JOHNSTONS: Sept. 3, 1650.1 Mr. Secr: Nicholas, I haue giuen this bearer his dispatch, and haue signed all the Commissions, with 53 blankes weh I desire you to fill up as you shall haue It is perhaps not irrelevant also to observe, that if the handwriting of the rival Secretaries had been allowed any weight in the discussion of the question, Mr. Long must have proved successful against Sir Edward; his mode of writing being singularly precise and clear, whilst that of Nicholas is often scarcely intelligible.

Written during Charles's visit to Scotland, when the Presbyterians crowned him King. Charles sailed from Schevling in Holland, in the preceding June, and landed at Spey, in Scotland, soon after. On the 15th of July he was proclaimed at Edinburgh Cross; and afterwards proceeded to St. Johnstone's, which place had been appointed for the meeting of the Scottish States. It was on the day when the above letter was written, Cromwell's "fortunate day," that the Scots were defeated at Dunbar. Charles went to Scotland in June; and towards the latter end of July, Cromwell took the command of the English Army in that Kingdom.

Marq: Hertford

I

occasion, there are two com'issions for 445: 388: that if one should miscarey the other might serue. haue sent you here inclosed a letter of credance to the Prince of Orange,' that if you should haue occasion of his assistance you may use it; but pray have a care that you doe not press him about money, for I haue had so much from him allready that it were a shame to seeke more of him. This bearer

will acquaint you with my condition much better

than I can doe in a letter, I shall only say this to

you, that you cannot imaien 245 x3 : 160: m8: 8:

191 w5: 175 m9 t6: p: 64: :

party

their

49 : v6:

104: 47: 213: 7: indeed it has done me a great

have confirmed

deale of good, for nothing could 138: 81: 109:

14: 122: 170: 13: 220: 242: 245 : bb :

254: 73: n8: 349: 153: then being 19: 26:

hippocrisy 2

139: 69 t3: 151: w5: 83: c4 20: q6: 75:

:

the D: of Yorke's

h: 8: v2: I shall send 245: 575 comission and

Lo: Gerrard's

:

374 49 by Oudart, who I will dispatch within this 2 or 3 days. I had allmost forgot a bussines of great importance, it is to speke to the Pr: of Orange

to send hether 218: 30: 4: 169: 44: 38: n7:

herring

bass wth

five

or

12 e8 ggw: 5: 262: 111 x2: 190:

1 Father of William the Third.

This not to be mistaken allusion to the men who had just placed the crown upon the writer's head is sufficiently illustrative of the character of Charles. A report that he had been obliged to perform public Kirk-penance by the Presby terians is mentioned in a ludicrous manner in a Letter from the Elector of Bavaria to the Queen of Bohemia, preserved in Bromley's Royal Letters, p. 153.