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I com'and

Keeper, my

and my

Matie ye substance of 2 messages delivered yesterday, you to speake from ye Com'ons to ye Peers. The ordinance therein with the L menc'oned touching y disarming of Recusants is L. Bankes, this day ordered to be printed (as I heare). There learned hath bene some of yo' Maties deer killed in Windsor forrest neer Egham by ye inhabitants of that towne & of ye parishes adioyning, who hunted in ye day best to be tyme by 80 & 100 in a company: S' Ar. Maynwaring1 theas inso- hath bene amongst them, and wth good words & in promises hath made them forbeare for ye pesent. tyme to cum. When both Houses shal be adiourned till Octob' I

Councell,
to see what
course is

taken to stop

lencies

grant your

desyre.

beleeve here wil be little or noe busines in this towne, where ye sicknes & small pox increaseth, I willinglie and therefore if yo' Matie please to give me leave, I humbly desire to reside att Oatlands or att my house att Thorpe (wch is but 3 myles from Oatlands), whether I can take order that all packets shall wthout any delay or piudice be brought to me. I assure yo Matie I would not p'sume to crave this favour, if I receaued I could imagine that any inconvenience or delay 2: the 6 of might thereby happen to ye services yor Matie hath this monthe, bene pleased to comitt to ye care of,

yours of the

Vpon w'ch, &

other rea

sons, to stay this dispache untill the 8: euen now I receaued your of the

4: w'ch requyres no answer.

Eden, 8 Sept.

Yr Matie

Most humble and most obedient servaunt,

EDW. NICHOLAS.

WESTMINSTER, 31° Aug. 1641. Apostyled 70 7bris.
EDEN. 5 Sep.

Indorsed, "For yo' sacred Matie "
And by the King, "Yours apostyled."

to the said Members to come and attend us here in Scotland, to see the ratification of the said Treaty, and what else belongs thereunto." The Parliamentary Debates say, that "these reasons seemingly contented both Houses, for we hear no more of the matter from either of the Journals; " but Sir Edward Nicholas explains the business with more probability.

He had property in Chertsey, in the vicinity; and on the 17th of September was appointed, along with many others, to hold an inquest in the bounds of Windsor Forest, within the bailiwick of Surrey. The people had been enraged by the proceedings of the Justice in Eyre, the Earl of Holland. See Manning and Bray's Hist. Surrey, vol. I. Introduction, pp. xii. xiii.

Sir Edward Nicholas to the King.
May it please yo' Matie,

Since my let' of ye 26th of this moneth it hath bene here ordered by both Houses of Parliam', that out of ye monny accruing to y' Matie by vertue of y last Act of Tonnage & Poundage,' there shal be paid for the use of the Navy 10 m. Ib. for this moneth of Aug: and 15 m. for each of ye other 3 monethes to ye first of Decembr' next, amounting in all to 55 m. lb. and upon a message sent by ye Parliam to ye Com'issions of ye Treasury, they have given warraunt accordingly.

There hath bene a conference between yo 2 Houses about some course to be taken for preserving of the myne of saltpeetre, but there is noe order as yet settled for it.

You must

comand my

The sentence whereby London Derry was adiudged forfeited to y' Matie, is by ye House of Com'ons (as learned I heare) declared Nul, & that land thought fit to be restored backe to ye Citty of London.2

Councell, in my name, that they doe what they

may that

vote passe

The Parliam here (upon a conference of both Houses) hath resolved to make a recesse on wensday the same ye 8th of Seper to ye 26th of Octob❜ next, unlesse not the before that day there shal hapen some emergent Higher busines, wch it is thought wil be as ye intelligence from Scotland shall please us here.

The Qu. Mothers remaines still att Dover, ex

1 This was taken into consideration by the House of Commons on the 26th of August, in consequence of long arrears due to naval officers, and the provisions in the magazines having been found to be decayed. Part of the money was also to be expended in fitting out ten men of war and ten merchant ships for the defence of the narrow seas; the charge of which would amount to 57,000l., of which only 12007. as yet was to be appropriated out of the tonnage and poundage. The farmers of the Customs were ordered to make good the deficiency, to the amount of 15,000l. per month.

2 This refers to the proceedings of the Star Chamber against the City for non-performance of conditions in the charter granted to them by James the First.

worth, vol. iv., p. 376.

Vide Rush

3 i. e. the Queen Dowager of France. The departure of

House.

You may as

one that

pecting (as my Lo. Marshall writes to me this morning) ye returne of a messenger from Flanders, soe as tuesday next wil be ye soonest that her Matie wil embarque.

All things are like to be now very still here, every seure euery mans expectac'on being fixed upon yo' Maties & the now all diffi- Parliaments proceeding there, wch I beseech God culties ar to direct & governe, as may be most for ye honor & as I have prosperity of yo' Matie & of your royall posterity & co'manded all y' kingdomes, and this shall ever be y dayly you more at prayers of, large.1

pased heere,

Vane to tell

Yo' Matles

Most humble & obedient servaunt, EDW. NICHOLAS. As I was making up this packet I receaved an order of the Upper House of Parliam' to Sir Jo. the Queen Mother from England, where she had arrived in 1638, had been strongly urged forward by the Parliament party. In a curious reprint of Grebner's astrological book, with its observations on the life and death of Charles, it is said that on her coming, "all men were against her, for it was observed that wherever or unto whatever Country this miserable old Queen came, there followed immediately after her either the plague, war, famine, or one misfortune or another."-Yet the same writer, when speaking of her departure, says, a sad spectacle it was, and produced tears from mine eyes and many other beholders, to see an aged leane decrepit poore Queen, ready for her grave, necessitated to depart hence, having no place of residence in this world left her, but where the curtesie of her hard fortune assigned it. She had beene the onely statelie and magnificent woman in Europe."-She had, whilst in England, an allowance of 1007. per day; and the Parliament gave her 10,000%. for travelling expenses on her departure.

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1 Up to this period, notwithstanding the affair of Strafford, the king appears to have put perfect trust in the elder Vane, to whom his indulgence and favour had at all times been remarkable. Sir Philip Warwick, in his Memoirs, states a curious instance of it; where, speaking of the economy of Charles's Court, he says that "besides the women who attended on his beloved Queen and Consort, he scarce admitted any great officer to have his wife in the famiiy. Sir Henry Vane was the first that I knew in that kind, who, having a good diet as Comptroller of the Household, and a tenuity of fortune, was winked at; so as the Court was filled, not crammed."

Penington' fo. ye stay of ships bound for Ireland, a coppy whereof I send inclosed, but whether there be any such ships in ye Downes, I cannot learne yo certeynty. The Queenes Matie tells me she will not wryte till Munday by Mr. Murray.

WESTMINSTER, 28° Aug. 1641.
EDEN. 3 Sep.

The King to the Lord Keeper.

My Lo. Keeper,

Ye answer that I can giue to yours of 31. of Aug. is only, that I am very well satisfyed wth it: wherefore ye cheefe subiect of this is, that hauing understood, that ye Lower House, in passing ye Bill of Tunnage and Poundage, forgot to reserue that aduantage to ye merchant in diuers comodities wch I haue usually granted, therefore I co'maund you tell ye Citty, in my name, that thoughe their owne burgesses forgot them in P'liam't, yet I meane to supply that defect out of my affecc'on to them, soe that they may see that they need noe mediators to me, but my owne good thoughts; for as yet I assure you that I have not bene sued to in this particular by any on their behalfe. Soe I rest, Your assured frend,

C. R.

EDEN. 7 Sep. 1641. I have com'anded Nicholas to speake to you concerning the insolencies com'itted in ye forest.

The above is in Sir E. N.'s handwriting, and is thus indorsed: "707bris, 1641. Coppy of his Maties letr to my Lo. Keeper, to be communicated to the Citty."

1 Sir John Pennington was a distinguished naval officer of the period, and was appointed by the King, a few months afterwards, to the command of the fleet; but against this the Parliament remonstrated in favour of the Earl of Warwick, and Sir John was obliged to resign. There was another Pennington, at this time, extremely active; but his name was Isaac, and he is very harshly spoken of by the royalist writers, as a man who had enriched himself most flagitiously in the service, or rather through the influence and power, of the Parliament. He was a merchant in the City.

Sir Edward Nicholas to the King.

In the King's hand:

This dis

pache 1 re

morning,but

that I haue

because none

Tell him

May it please yo' Matie,

Monday 20 Sep.

ceaued this I have by my Lo. Carr receaved yo' Maties tell my Wyfe com'aunds of ye 8th of this moneth, apostiled upon found falte my let of ye 31th of Aug. last, & have presented y with you, Maties to my Lo. Keeper, whoe hath alreddy com'uniof hers was cated to my Lo. Mayor the effect of yo' Maties within it. grac'ous intenc'on towards ye merchants that were not provided for by ye Act of Tonnage & Poundage, that I am sa- wch was most dutifully & gratefully receaved by tisfyed with ye Lo. Mayor, who will make known yo' Maties indeed I am great goodnes to all ye merchants of this Citty. with you for My Lo. Keeper hath appointed my Lo. Bankes, tinuall ac- Mr. Attorney, S Art. Maynewaring & myself, to counts ye attend his LoPP att his house in ye country on Munmy busi- day next, to consider of ye ryot com'itted in yo Maties forrest of Windsor, & of some fitting course to prevent ye killing of any more deere there.

his letter, as

the con

giue mee of

nesses.

I have herewth sent yor Matie a list of ye names of ye Com'ittees of ye Com'ons House, & ye instrucc'ons given to them, wch I have gotten wth some difficulty. The Com'ittees of ye Lods met yesterday in ye afternoone in ye Painted Chamber, & those of ye Com'ons in ye Excheq' Chamber apart by themselves, & afterwards iointly. All their busines was to peruse & annsweare les, wch they receaved from my Lo. G'rall,' & their Comittees in Scotland, & to take order for monnyes for paymt of the army, trayne of artillery, and garrisons. They have given order to my Lo. Adm" to send shipps to ye Holy Islands to fetch thence ordinance and

1 Earl of Essex.

2 The Lord General stated in his letters that it was the intention of the Scottish Parliament to keep 5000 in array, until the whole of the English army was disbanded, and the "fortifications at Berwick and Carlisle slighted."

On the coast of Northumberland.

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