on Thursday morninge, he trauells with a small trayne, and hath it in his power to assume the title of Ambassadour, which I suppose he will choose to declyne, and do his businesse in a priuate way, which will procure a speedyer dispatch.-God præserueyou. I am, S1, your very affectionate huble Servt, PALLAIS ROYALE, this 24 of Decemb. Christmasse Eue, 1652. E. H. Commend me to Mr. Holder, and lett him know I have now receaued his of the 13. Sir Edward Hyde to Sir Richard Browne. ཙ I haue receaued yours of the 22th from Nantes, and am very gladd that you haue passed that parte of your iourny so well; I hope the rest will be as successfull, though I do not exspecte you should finde as good weather to bringe you home, as you Geheral; upon which, as stated in the Clarendon State Papers, iii., 121, "my Lord declined that title, and so his patent is drawn up for the Earl of Rochester."-See also iii. 57. 1 It was hoped that he might succeed in inducing the German Princes to advance money for the King's private expenditure; and also might so manage with the Dutch as to render them disposed to undertake some decided step in his favour. The King must at this time have been in sore distress. A letter from Paris in the Several Proceedings, of 13th December, asserts that "the titular King of Scots is reduced to so low a condition that he is forced to eate his meals in taverns here at Paris, having not the commodity of dining at home." And not three months before this date, even Hyde had thus expressed himself in a letter to Sir Edward Nicholas : "It is no wonder you should desire to be eased, as much as may be, of all kinds of charges. I am sure I have as much reason as any man living to join with you in thrift; yet I cannot avoid the constant expense of seven or eight livres the week for postage of letters, which I borrow scandalously out of my friends pockets, or else my letters must more scandalously remain still at the post-house; and I am sure all those which concern my own private affairs would be received for ten sous a week, so that all the rest are for the King, from whom I have not received one penny since I came hither, and am put to all this charge; and yet it is to no purpose to complain, though I have not been master of a crown these haue had to carry you out: The Spanyard' desyred me to giue you my thankes for your care of him, which I do very heartily, and conceaue by this tyme he is gotten into his owne Country, and I do not thinke he will euer visitt ffrance agayne, which he hath no reason to loue, but for the English which he founde heare. Ther hath beene yett no letter from the Mareschall de Melleray, which ther was no reason to exspecte, if you had not mentioned it, as somewhat you thought intended; I am exceedinge gladd that he proceeded so roundly with the English Rebells, as to arrest both the shipps and goods,2 I wish they did so in all other partes of ffrance, that they might proceede a little more briskely towards ther greate worke, then yett they appeare to doe, but if I am not deceaued, the English will quicken them shortly, if they haue any spiritts left. You must not suspecte your frends kindnesse and affection to you, when I tell you, that your arrett is not yett dispatched: you know how little seruice I can do in that kinde by any personall sollicitation of my owne, more then by callinge upon Sir Ri: Foster, which I haue often done, and in truth I thinke him to be as carefull in all that concernes you, and in this particular, as a frende can be: But the truth is, he hath beene ill since you went, and your Aduocate hath bene neuer with him, not at many months, and cold for want of clothes and fire, and owe for all the meate which I have eaten these three months, and to a poor woman who is not longer able to trust." A part of the private history of the time, to which no certain clue remains. Some plans had been put in agitation on the part of the Condeans to persuade both England and Spain to aid them with their arms; and as at this period there were two powerful political parties at Madrid, the man alluded to may have been a secret agent in the politics of the day. 2 An event not elsewhere recorded; unless it refers to the seizures of some ships at Dunkirk, afterwards restored to Cromwell by the French Government. Sir Richard Foster was Keeper of the King's privy purse, though he seldom was lucky enough to have anything to keep in it. See the Clarendon State Papers, vol. iii. p. 46. home when he went to finde him, and the setlinge the kings businesse with the Surintend't (which is yett farr from being setled) hath so worne out the good old man, that he hath not bene yett able to settle yours, which he promises me to dispatch out of hande: I forgott likewise to tell you, that this man is gone from him, which leaues him so much the worse. I receaued this weeke a letter from St Ger. Lucas, under a cover to you, dated from a place called I thinke . . . . . I suppose it is somewher in Britany, and I belieue you haue some addresse to him, therefore I trouble you with the inclosed.-All heare are your Seru's: God præserue you. I am very heartily, S', Your most affectionate humble Servt, PALLAIS ROYALL 29 of Novemb. 1652. The Kinge would have you giue Mr. Richards all assistance in executinge the orders for the Patricke & Francis, formerly granted to S Ge Carterett: the 10th & 15th are to be payd to the proper receauers. I haue receaued yours of the 26. of Decemb. and am very gladd that you were then upon your way to Brest, wher sure your presence will be more necessary than at Nantes, though it may be, your company was not much desyred ther: you will I suppose finde the seamen and Capt: weary of that Porte, and therefore you are like to be the more wellcome to them, with the proposicon from the 1 Two of the Jersey privateers. Marechall de Melleray,' and if they were once induced to goe to Porte Lewes, I would mooue the Kinge to take notice of it, and to write to the Marechall: I hope you haue founde good store of mony for your selfe at Brest, from the pryzes which haue bene brought in, & that you finde that trybe of Captayns as towardly as Mr. Holder reported them to be, who hath a wonderfull esteeme of them: Though I do not loue to infuse any iealosyes or distrust in any man, of his frends, and those of whome he hath a good opinion, yett I haue reason to warne you, to be a little upon your guarde, and not too freely to imparte all you know or 12. sayes to him, how ridiculous soeuer, and to all these virtues he thinkes himselfe wiser than Solomon. Ther are some other reasons for this caution, which I cannot expresse at large, which make me belieue that 501.529. 589. 645. 538. 667.731. as 501. ought to be. We are all heare in the same beggarly condicon' you left us, which I 1 Melleray was at this moment a great object of jealousy to Cardinal Mazarin, who caused a letter to be sent to him from the King, inviting him to Court, and adding an offer of the command in Champagne; but the Marshal, knowing well that this was an intrigue to get him and his son, both of them suspected as friendly to the Condé party, into the power of the Court faction, excused himself on pretence of illness, &c. He was Governor of Nantes. 2 Yet the subjoined extract is taken from one of the Intelligencers published in London, of the date of November, 1652: "The King of Scots lies yet in the Palace Royal, whither the French King and Queen came to give him a visit, and in abundance of ceremony, to thank him for that great thinke by longe custome will grow a seconde nature to us: I should be glad to heare that S Geo. Carterett were come to Brest.-God præserue you, and bringe us well togither agayne:-I am very heartily, : I haue yours of the 34 and the 6. of this moneth and you had receaued an answer to the first before the last had come to my hands, if it had bene in my power to haue returned you such a one as could haue satisfyed my selfe. I was as full of the sense of the iniury and indignity that is offred to your Captaynes at Brest, and truly so is the Kinge, as they could wish, but you know iniuryes and acts of iniustice are not as soone remedyed and repayred heare, as dicouered: The King wished young La Ꮮ Jermin, Mr. Atturny and my selfe, to consider what was to be done, and wee were all of opinion, knowinge what Princes all Gouernors are at present in ffrance, that it would not be fit to mooue the Courte, which no doubte knows nothing of this arrest and restrainte, nor it may be of the bargayne and conpains he had taken in labouring the healing up of those sad breaches between his Majesty and his people; which Christian office has gained him at Court the title of Magnæ Britanniæ et Hiberniæ Rex, Fidei Defensor, Pericli Dissipator Gallici, Pacisque Compositor Generalissimo. "Tis rumoured that the King of Denmark should send him 100,0007. in gold for a present, with the promised assistance of him and his subjects in the disputing of his cause against all opposers. The Duke of Yorke is still in high favour, and is cryed up for the most accomplished gentleman, both in arms and courtesie, that graces the French Court. The English begin to be admitted dayly into places of high trust and command; and those shaded Cavaliers, whom the world thought worthy of nothing but exilement, begin to be looked upon according to their worth and known gallantry." |