and pryses, his Highnesse hauinge all the respecte heare, and I thinke, security, he can desyre: and I heare they do not now bragg so much as they haue done, of ther treaty in Englande, and are not without some apprehension, that the Rebells of Westm.may fauour ther fellow rebells of Burdeaux:' o' letters fro' London importe no new notable effecte of ther alteracon; ther Councell of the Army still sittinge at Whitehall to forme ther new modell of gouerment. I know not what to say to the complainte of your serut, because you will not giue me leaue to take notice of it to the partyes who are most concerned, but I believe ther may be some errour or malice in the reporte, because I am told by a very true frende of yours, that it is the maydes owne fault that shee hath not her dyett ther, and that because shee might not be trusted with the gouerm of the kitchen and the buyinge the meate (in which shee was thought to lauish) shee absolutely with greate indignation refuses to take her dyett, with which they say the lady is much troubled: but I tell you agayne, I haue this only from a frende, and not any of the house. I doubte your mayde is apt to be angry, and when shee is, she may be as vnreasonable, as such angry people vse to be. Upon my conscience you haue not the least reason to suspecte Geo. Carterett's3 frendshipp or kindnesse hostilities against the Spaniards, taking, as his first prize, a ship worth 100,000 crowns, he put forth a declaration in which he stated one of his reasons for this aggression to be in revenge for the injuries committed by the Spaniards against the Palatinate. 1 Alluding to the Condé party, then active in the south of France. 2 Nothing can more whimsically mark the great change in the circumstances of the English courtiers than this rapid transition from national politics to kitchen gossip. 3 Sir George Carteret, before this period, had been, as Deputy to Lord Jermyn, Governor of Elizabeth Castle, in Jersey, besieged by the Parliamentary forces in 1651. His conduct in that post was so admirable as to exact the praise even of his enemies, one of whom said in a letter, preserved in the British Museum, "I hear he hath sent to the Scots King, to acquaint him with the state of affairs, as touching our approach, and condition of the Castle, from whom he to you, but you must not make his frequent writinge the measure of it, and it is very possible (for he hath bene out of all roades) he may haue written, and his letters miscarry, as yours may haue done to him. Sir Edward Hyde to Sir Richard Browne. I giue you hearty thankes for yours of the 17. which came safe, and I distributed the inclosed accordinge to ther directions; and the Kinge is resolued to obserue this order, of sendinge twice a weeke to Paris, wherby all our correspondencyes will I hope be præserued: I send you a pistole inclosed that you may keepe an euen reckoninge with your man for the portage of my letters,' which will quickly spende such a summ, so that I conclude your owne charge in this seruice is no easy burthen; for what will concerne me, I will be carefull to supply, as this wastes. Wee haue yett taken no further resolucon, then to sitt still some tyme heare, both to decerne what conclusion your distempers will produce, and what our frends of Hollande will expects a letter; and if he with it signs a warrant for delivering up the Castle, I believe the Governor (to make his own conditions the better) will soon yield it up; yet, without it, his devout allegiance is such, that he will do nothing." 1 However trifling this caution appears about a sum so insignificant, yet it will be found, in a subsequent note, that the postage of letters was a most important article of expenditure to the exiled Royalists. 2 The distempers here alluded to were the disputes, and consequent civil war, between the Condé and Mazarin partisans. do: you will be careful to receaue all information and aduice from the Dutch Ambassadour1 how affayres goe ther, and transmitt it hither: if our letters fro' the Hague be true, they looke more kindly towards us fro' that climate, then they haue done, and the Ambassadour hath receaued some derection to communicate with his Ma"; but I know he is so iust and kinde, that he will gladly imbrace the orders, and therfore I doubte our information may not be true. The wayes I hope will be so secure shortly betweene us and you, that we may euen visit each other. God preserue you, and me as I am with my whole hearte, S', Your most affectionate humble Serv*, ffriday night this 19. of July, 1652, Euery body sends ther letters to me, & I cannot refuse to transmitt them: you will lett your man dispose them to the seuerall posts. If the Spanish Ordinary be not speedily exspected, I pray putt this under youre cover to Byron. Sir Ri: Browne. 1 Mynheer Borell. One of the journals of that day (Perfect Passages, 23 July, 1552,) says, "Charles Stuart, being gone from the Louvre, continues yet at St. German's, where he hath been saluted by a messenger from the Marquis of Branden. burg, inviting him into Germany. His creature Brown, and the Dutch Ambassador Borell, are often together." Borell had been Pensioner of Amsterdam, and was very much devoted to the Royal cause, having formerly been Ambassador at the English Court. He was also of the Orange party, and on that ground anxious for a war with the Commonwealth. 2 The road between St. Germain's and Paris was at that period totolly unsafe, on account of the military marauders of both armies. 3 Count de Brienne, first Secretary of State to the French King, Sir Edward Hyde to Sir Richard Browne. Yours of the 20. came safe to me, and so the inclosed were disposed accordingly: I am sorry ther should be any hazard of hauinge our letters intercepted,' which I thought by the remooue of the Armyes would haue been now without any doubte, especially since the Carry-all of this place trauelles dayly & securely to Paris: howeuer I will obserue your advice, and write any thinge of importance in cypher: 731. 405 . 532 . 668 . 220. 13.596 .667 . sensible 598.502.544.30. 7. 13. 62 . 23. 407. freind shipp 488.651 . and if God blesses him, will make it 'The disturbances at Paris and its vicinity were now of such a nature as to justify the apprehensions here expressed. The scandal of the day asserted also that Charles was by no means a favourite with many of the highest rank in France; and it is recorded in a Gazette, or Mercurius Politicus, of the 1st July, 1652, in the British Museum, that "Charles Stuart hath secured himself by showing them a pair of heels" (after the victory obtained by the Prince of Condé close to Paris), "and retreating from the Louvre to Court, where the King harbours him, being highly distasted by the Duke of Orleans, Mademoiselle, the Princes, and all the people, so that they have made several books and songs of him." VOL IV. R both with reference to 668. 43.30. 27. 12. 23. 25.41. 34. 36. 22. 43. 27. 30. 15. 56. 13. this Crowne with which his Maty will 407.667.671. 437. 713.722.502. 239.710. and to 95. shall thinke 416. 13. 12. I shall not neede to him bespeake your diligence in calling often 600.505. for 469.86.-You will do me the fauour to send this inclosed to S Jo. Mennes,' who I suppose is still at Calice. I pray do me the fauour to desyre Monsieur Paule to giue you the title of the Duke of Bauaria, and to informe you how longe he hath bene Duke :You will exspecte no newes from this place wher wee haue little to doe, but to study & take the ayre, and to longe for good newes of peace in this kingdome. If the messengers dispatched from hence doe not attende you at those howres they should, it is not for want of derection heare. I haue a serious quarrell with you for somewhat Dr Earles' hath lately aduerticed me of, which in good earnest I take unkindly, and doubte you haue not so good an opinion of 1 Sir John Mennes was Rear-admiral of the Fleet in the reign of Charles the First; and distinguished as one of the most loyal of the officers, when Parliament took those steps which led to the defection of the greatest part of the naval force. He was removed from his station by the Earl of Warwick, in 1642, after the unsuccessful attempt of the King to regain the fleet in the Humber, which failed through some mismanagement on the part of Sir John Pennington. 2 Dr. Earle, afterwards Bishop of Salisbury, author of the Microcosmography, was one of the Loyalists attached to the exiled Court, and Chaplain to the King. He was in habits of friendly intimacy with Hyde, two of whose letters to him may be found in vol. ii. of the Clarendon State Papers, pp. 322, 329. In the latter, Sir Edward facetiously arranges employment for the Doctor's leisure, allowing him two hours to eat his dinner, and "two hours in the projecting where to get one." |