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Presbitery. I feare the ill successe of the ffrench in Italy and fflanders,' will giue them an excuse for those faylings to his Highnesse, which they meant to committ in the most prosperous condicon: and if this indispoticon in the Pr. of Condé be in earnest, they may haue ther excuses multiplied. If my brother Aylesbury3 be come to you, I pray let him receaue this inclosed letter, otherwise keepe it for him. My service to Mr. Nicolls, to whome I sent a packet by Dr. Jonson, which I hope came safe to him; My LLds heare, and our very good Gouernour,5 are your seruants, as I am very heartily,

your most affectionate, humble serut,

JARSY, this 14 of Aug. 1646.

Sr Ric. Browne.

EDW: HYDE.

Sir Edward Hyde to Sir Richard Browne.

S',.

Yours of ye 24. of Jan: from yourselfe and S G. Carterett came [not] to my hands till ye post was gone, and I am now in soe great torment wth ye gowte, that I am not able to keepe off my bed, and soe must use another hand, wch I hope you will pardon. The

1 During the war with Spain, in the minority of Louis XIII.; but these events were not of sufficient importance to require specific illustration.

2 The Prince of Condé was then at the head of the party in opposition to the politics of Mazarin. He was sometimes a courtier, sometimes a politician, and sometimes a rebel in arms.

3 Son of Sir Thomas Aylesbury, Bart. and brother of Sir Edward's second wife, who finally became heiress to her father and brother.

See note to preceding letter.

5 Lord Jermyn.

6 This letter relates to difficulties respecting the reception and sale of prizes. Of the persons referred to, Bennet, afterwards Earl of Arlington, was then Secretary to the Duke, of whom Berkeley had been the Governor; Castelnau was Governor of Brest; Holder was agent for the captors; and Carteret, who had been Deputy Governor of Jersey, was then, or soon after, a Rear Admiral in the French service, though still attached to the Royal cause. Sir Richard Browne, the

Duke of Yorke' is now here, and conceiues all obstruccons are now remoued, wch troubled you at Brest, the Marquis of Castelnoe' hauing made large promises to his Highnes: I would aduice you hereafter (though you may giue me an account apart) to send a very particular state of all the buisinesse and miscarriages there, to the D. of Yorke himselfe, Sir John Berkeley, or Mr. Bennett; since all redresse must be obteyned by ye sole mediacon of his R. Highnes, and you shall doe very well to expresse at large the misdemean and cheates y' Captaines, whom upon all occasions Mr. Holder hath wonderfully magnifyed. You must take spetiall care for ye safe and King's resident at Paris, had been dispatched to arrange affairs at Brest.

The Duke of York had much personal interest at this crisis at the French Court; having very recently distinguished himself in the French King's service, under the command of General Count Harcourt, and against the Prince de Condé's forces, especially on the preceding Christmas day, when, though Condé was finally victorious, the Duke had charged against him in person, being in command of the forlorn hope, consisting of the English cavalry. In this rencontre the Duke's horse was shot under him; but he himself received little hurt. See a printed pamphlet in the British Museum, A bloody fight in France, Lond. 1651-2.

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2 The hopes of Lord Clarendon from the promises of Castelnau were but indifferently founded; for the pamphlet quoted in the preceding note expressly states that at this period the return of the Cardinal Mazarin into France with a force of 7000 men had produced great jealousies at that Court, and that Castelnau and Villeroy, having forwarded his return, with the express purpose to undo him, were suspected of that design, and had in consequence forsaken the Court. Castelnau's deputy had pretended an order from his Court to detain the prizes, in the hope of being bribed by the captors.

3 This little squadron had been recently very active, par ticularly in the chops of the Channel; but the republican newspapers of the day affected to treat them with great contempt. In one of these Intelligencers, of the 8th of the preceding month, preserved in the British Museum, it was roundly stated that Capt. Chapman, in the Recovery, convoying a small vessel for Ireland, had met with the Francis, the Patrick, and the Hunter, and maintained a gallant fight from eleven at noon till night parted them. Prince Rupert is also stated to be at this period at sea, "with six or seven lusty ships," and to have taken several Spanish vessels.

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speedy conueyance of this inclosed from the King to the Gouern of Innisbofine,' and I pray send the other to Sir George Carterett, if he be gone, and excuse this shortnesse, wch my extreame payne produces. I am,

S',

your very affecconat humble seru*,

PARIS, 8 feb: 1652.

Sir Rich. Browne.

EDW. HYDE.

Sir Edward Hyde to Sir Richard Browne.
Sr,

Within 2. howers after my last to you of the 17. were sent away, I receaued both yours of the 5 and 9. of this moneth. I am entirely vnacqainted with the person or the purposes of your Capt: Anthonie,2 nor do I heare that he is in these partes. I should imagyne, that whateuer else he does, he will neuer putt himselfe in the power of the Hollander, whome he hath sufficiently prouoked and damnifyed. I cannot give you any good accounte of the transactions betweene this Crowne and the English Rebells, only that ther is nothinge like that order, of which you say you are aduertised from Rowen, that Pr: Ruperte is requyred to go away with his shippes

It was at this time reported in the London papers that the King intended to set out for Rome, professing openly the Catholic religion, on which terms it had been promised to him that the Duke of Lorraine should make a diversion in his favour in Ireland, by the relief of Galway, and by a general interference in affairs in that quarter.

2 Commander of one of the privateers attached to the Royal cause.

3 The royal fleet and the privateers were now in great distress for a port to shelter them, in consequence of the Parliament having captured the Scilly islands, which had for some time been their principal harbour; Jersey also having fallen.

Though the fleet under Prince Rupert was, strictly speaking, an English one, yet it appears that in a recent attack upon the Spaniards he was avenging a private cause; for when, in the spring of 1652, he sailed from Toulon with four men-of-war and two fire-ships, and instantly commenced

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