best and utmost meanes as well privatly as publickly & in Our Name to hinder & oppose any audience, countenance, or treaty in any kind to be afforded the said Augier or other whatsoeuer craving the same of ore Brother the French King, the Princes of the Blood, or any of the Protestant Party, ore Friends & Allyes, without Warrant under owre owne hand. And if, notwithstand, Augier or any other shall prevaile, That you then in Ore Name solemnely protest there against the highest violacon of theire Allyance & Friendship with Vs, against wch Wee shall seeke such reparacon as by God's assistance Wee shall be enabled. For all wch as these ore Letters shalbe yre sufficient Warrant & Proteccon, So we shall expect hereof yo' faithfull & bounden discharge as occasion therefore shalbe offred vnto you. Giuen at ore Court at Nottingham the 12th day of Septemb' in the Eighteenth yeare of ore Reigne 1642.

"To our trusty & welbeloved Richard Browne, Esq. Our Residt with or Brother the French King."

Indorsed,

"From his May 20th day of Sept 1642.”

CHARLES R.

Trusty & welbeloved Wee greet you well. Wee beleeve that before this Letter the Capucins of Somersett house, or some from them, wilbe arrived at Paris & haue represented there how disgracefully they were lately entreated at London. Wee are exceedingly displeased that soe high an affront hath

1 This letter was written a month after the King had raised his standard at Nottingham.

2 An allusion to the complaints, so long existing, against the Queen's Popish attendants. So strong was the feeling on this subject, that the King, unable to resist it, was under the necessity of conceding to Parliament their demands that he should by royal proclamation require all statutes concerning Popish recusants to be put in execution, that the seven condemned Popish priests should be banished, and that all Romish priests should be ordered to depart the Kingdom in twenty days.

been put upon the Treaty between Vs & the French King Our Brother, & upon Our owne Authority. But forasmuch as this barbarous Act is the child of that monstrous Rebellion wch goes big with confusion & destruccon to our Person & Posterity as well as our Laws & Rights. Wee wilbe cleere of any imputacon thereof, disavowing the same, the authors, actors & abettors thereof, as Wee doe disavow & detest all their traytrous machinacons against Vs & the Peace of Our Kingdoms, leauing them obnoxious to the iust indignacon & revenge wch God shall inflict upon them in his due time. And to this effect Wee will & command you in Our Name to make yore addresse to Our said deare Brother the French King for his satisfaccon & the discharge of Our conscience & affeccon to Him in this regard. And soe Wee bid you farewell. Giuen at Our Court at Oxford the 5th day of Aprill in the Nineteenth yeare of Oure Reigne.

1643.

"To our trusty and welbeloued Richard Browne, our resident with our deere Brother the French King." From his Matie 5th April, 1643.

The extracts which now follow are from letters written by Sir RICHARD BROWNE whilst Ambassador at Paris. They generally, but not always, indicate to whom they were addressed; but the topics sufficiently explain themselves. In a few instances, a general abstract of the subject of the letter precedes the particular extract given.

21 Oct. 1642.

Rich Browne, Esq; Ambass' at Paris writes to S Edwd Nicholas, Secretary of State-That by his May late speech at . . . . Shrewsbury & by other advices, he heares the possibility of a thing wch he hopes will never come to pass, that his May will be constrained to sell or engage his fairest parks or lands: that there is at Deptford certain pastures called Sayes Court, reserved in his May hand for the special service of his household, for wch being so near London, there may in these intruding times,

be persons ready to deale: he beseeches St Edw. to move his May that they may not be sold, but if (wch God defend) his Ma" shod have just cause to part from them, that he wo let some sufficient persons (whom he shall find out) to deale for them, have the first offer, not above 260 acres ; no man shall give a clearer light than he will, for they have been long in the custody of his ancestors, by whom the dwelling house thereon was built at their own charge, & it is the only seat he has, & is the place wherein he was borne.

That

To Sir Edward Nicholas.

7 Nov. 1642.

[in cypher] doth continue his assistance to the Irish, furnishing money to buy arms, wch they send away for Ireland; that he has made reiterated complaints by his Matys express order, & in his name, with so little success that it is useless to endeavour any more. The Irish priests as well as the soldiers flock very fast into their country & pretend bishopricks and other benefices by donation from Rome. Col. Tirel is here lately come out of Portugal and hastens into Ireland. Col. Belinge (late prisoner in England) hath obtained his liberty, & is now in this town.

To the same.

9-19 Nov. 1642.

The Prince of Condé lately sent for me & told me the Counsells of France had hitherto beene contrary to his Ma"-excused and asked pardon for his complyinge: bad mee assure his May he would henceforward do all that lay in his power to serve him, that he would in confidence advertise me (and only me) of all that passeth, and (yf neede so require) hee would himselfe endeavour assistance for his Maty.

Use may be made hereoff yf cherisht & kept secrett, especially in regard the French King is

not like to live longe, & the Princes of the blood will probably have their share in govornm' then yf not sooner.

To the same.

13-23 Jan. 1642-3.

The whole numbers of the Scotch who doe allready serve or have contracted to serve this Crowne, are,

Earl of Erwin his new Regt of Guard consisting of 30 companies

4500

My Lord Gray one Regt of foote

1000

My Lord Lundy one Regt of foote

1000

Colonel Fullerton one Regt of foote.

Earl of Laudian (is sayd) shall have auncient company of Gens d'Armes

100

9600

The rest expected, butt much difficulty to find men in Scotland.

I have seene letters lately written from a person of great quality in Scottland, bearinge the Earl of Laudian's speedy comminge over hither with his Matys leave to treate the renewinge of the auncient allyances betweene the Crowns of Scotland and France; uppon which Treaty many particular interests depend, as, the reestablishinge the Marquis Hamilton in the Dutchy of Chatelraut, of the Marq. Douglas in that of Turenne, of restoringe the Captainship of the Scottish Archers and Guardesdu-corps to one of that nation, &c. . . . . relative to which negotiations [cypher] and Mons' de la Ferte Imbault pretends to have in favour of him erected a

VOL. IV.

Z

new office of Colonel de la Nation Escossoise, of the same nature and in all points of profitt and honour equall to that of the Suisses.

Mr. Chambers hath very honestly beene with mee and tells mee unlesse the Earle Laudian come (as he pretends) with his Maties leave, and that his Ma doe well approve of the employment whertoo hee is dessigned, he shall not bee very forward so farre to quit his allegeance to his lawfull Soveraigne as to accept theroff.

I beseech y' Hon' lett me receive y' orders how I shall carry myself in this business.

Mons' de la Ferte Imbaull is nott only a vehement stickler for the Scotch, butt in a manner also agent for the Parliament here. I have by me the authentique copie of a letter written lately to him by a Peere.. 1 in the name of the Upper House to sollicit a businesse here. In all his discourse he rayseth their reputation to what heighth hee can, and depresseth his Maties causelessly, dishonestly, and maliciously.

To the same.

11-21 March, 1642-3. Passports to treat for a general Peace to assemble at Munster.- The Earle of Laudian with Sr T. Dishington solicite very earnestly here for the sendinge an Ambass' into England, to treat of an accommodation, by order as is presumed of the Parl' in England, and Mr. Fert Imbault is noe lesse earnest to bee the man. These three are all one and violent Parliamentarians.

[An inclosure in cypher.]

To the same.

2-12 June, 1643

By the letters I recommended to Mr. de Gressy's safe delivery, your Hon' will have understood in

In this part of the original, the words "my lord of Holland" are scratched through with a pen.