Sir Edward Nicholas to the King. May it please yo' most excellnt Matie, Yesterday I receaved yo' Maties com'ands by an apostile vpon my le' of ye 24th of ye last moneth, & forthwth psented yo' Maties to ye Queene, and sent that to my Lo. Keeper; & wth this yo Matie will receave 2 letts from ye Queene, & one from my Lo. Keeper. turne so It hath bene here confidently said, by those that holde correspondency wth ye Engl. Comittees in Scotland, that ye Ea. of Arguile shalbe at length Chauncellor, & that ye Lod Amont1 shall not be Th'rer; &, if I am not much misinform'd, they are here as peremptorily resolved to presse & put upon yo' Matie a Lo. Th'rer & some other officers before Though I they will settle yo' returne, & nothing can brake cannot re. their designes here but yo' Maties presence; & if soone as I yo' Matie do not hasten to be here some dayes before could wishe, yet I am conye next meeting in Parliam', I doubt there wilbe few fident that that will dare to appeare here to oppose y party fynde ther that now swayeth; & I pray God there be not some was necesdesigne in deteyning yo Matic there till yo' affaires & I hope here be reduced to the same state they there are in. that manie I assure yo' Matie ye opinion of wise men here is, that there ends. to have what officers you desire in that kingdome cannot make soe much for your service there, as yo' absence hence at this tyme will preiudice you in businesses of more importaunce here: and as for the Lo. Montrosse & ye rest, some here (that pretend 1 This was Levingston, Lord Almont, who had the first command under Lesley in the Scottish army, and was afterwards created Earl of Callendar. Charles had certainly intended to give him the office of Lord Treasurer, but was obliged to put it into commission, naming the Earls of Argyle, Glencairn, Lothian, and Lindsey, as Commissioners. 2 Montrose, it is hardly necessary to remind the reader, had very recently quitted the Covenanting party, and joined the King. VOL. IV. G you will setie for it, will miss of This may be but I am to understand ye condic'on of their case) are of trew that you opinion, that ther innocency is such, as they will not fare ye worse for yo' Maties leaving them to ye ordinary course of justice there. say, sure that I miss sumewhat in point of honnor, if they all be hence. I am credibly assured, that ye Citty of London growes very weary of ye insolent carriage of ye not releued Schismaticks, finding their way of governm' to be before I goe wholly arbitrary. Alderman Gourney [Gurney] (according to his right and place) is elected Lo. Mayor notwithstanding ye opposic'on of ye factious party, throughe ye stoutnes and good affecc'on of one of ye new Sheriffs (called Clerck), who while ye factious persons were making a noyse, & would not proceede to ye elecc'on, proposed Ald'man Gourney (who I heare is very well affected & stout), & carry'd it, & ye Schismaticks (who cryed noe elecc'on) were silenced wth hisses, & thereupon ye Sheriff dismist ye Court. I returne the B. of Yo Matie will herewth receave from my Lo. of London ye notes yo' Matie sent for to him; his Lop heerewith to is soe lame in his hand & shoulder, as he was not able to write to yo' Matie, for wch he beggeth yo Maties pardon. His Lop desired me to signify that also how all he hath sent yo' Matie ye same individuall papers & notes wch yor Matie hath formerly seene, because yo Matie is best acquainted wth them: & he saith that London, not onlie his noats, but the voide Bish: ar 1 The new-made Bishops were: BRISTOL . Thomas Westfield, Archdeacon of St. Alban's, CHICHESTER. Henry King, Dean of Rochester, of Christ EXETER Ralph Brownrigg, Prebendary of Durham, NORWICH Joseph Hall, Bishop of Exeter. SALISBURY Brian Duppa, of Christ Church, Oxford, Bishop of Chichester, Tutor to the Prince, translated to Winchester. WORCESTER. John Prideaux, Rector of Exeter College, Oxford, and Canon of Christ Church, died 1650. John Williams, Bishop of Lincoln, Lord Keeper, died 1650. YORK. CARLISLE James Usher, Archbishop of Armagh, ob. 1655. in a noate owen hand; ye Bpricks that are voy de have a cipher set before to bee filled them; his LoP alsoe entreated me to acquaint yo' aparte, all Matie that ye party whome you had in you thoughts with my for ye Bprick of Chichester desires to be spared for that place, if yo* Matie soe please, & at yo' returne he will acquaint yo' Matie with ye reason of it. wherein you ar to obserue two things to him; first that I haue frome my satisfie the I have tould ye Queene what yo' Matie wrote to altered me touching ye Collar of rubies, & by her Maties somewhat co'maund I have sent to speake wth St Job Harby former about that busines, whereof by my next I shall give thoughts, to yo Matie a further accompt. I shall have a care to tymes, & yet send in yo❜ Maties name to all such Lods (as ye Queene I haue not I hope, that shall direct) not to faile to attend ye downe sitting disserued my of ye P❜liam'. selfe, in my elections: that in filling 3 Deaneries, Westmin ster, St. Rocester, fitt to fill, cause I am The Committees of both Houses met this after- secondly, noone att a conference, they were all bare-headed the Bish: 1 during y conference, both Lodds & Co'mons by a haue voided privatt intimac'on, but if ye Lods should have put on to witt their hatts, ye Co'mons were resolved to have donne soe likewise. Their conference was concerning some Paules, & troopers, who flock to ye Committees in soe great we haue numbers, as they have agreed vpon an order to be not thought fortwth printed for sending them away, a coppy of until my wch order is herewth sent. Vpon lets from ye Lo. returne, beHoward, and ye rest of ye Com'ittees (advertising not yet well that yo' Matie will not come from Scotl. this moneth resolued in at soonest) they have leave to come home as they onlie I indesire, wth power to leave any of their company tymes will behinde them if they shall see cause. The Comittee suffer it) to of ye Com❜ons here, upon pretence that some of their iue that of lets have miscarryed, doe now send an expresse ster to him messenger wth their lettrs to their Comittees, & I am tend it should privatly tould that that messenger carries lets that have been B. advertise all their secret designes from ye close councells that have beene held here: & that he sets not forth from hence till too-morrow noone at soonest, 1 Westminster was at present vacant, in consequence of John Williams, Bishop of Lincoln, afterwards Archbishop of York, having been suspended by the Court of Star Chamber. John Earl was the next holder of the Deanery. anie of them: tend (if the Westmin that I in of Chicester. soe as this wil be wth yo Matie before him. I beseech God to send yo' Matie a speedy, safe, & hoble returne, & soe will euer pray, Yo' sacred Matie Most humble & most obedient servaunt, WESTMINSTER, 5: 8bris, 1641. EDEN, 12. EDW. NICHOLAS. "For yor sacred Matie " In the King's writing: "Yours apostyled." 5a 8bris, 1641. Apostila 12°. By Sr Wm Balletine. The Queen to Sir E. Nicholas. Maistre Nicholas, I send you the names of the Lords that I thinke fit to be send for. You must to aduertice the Bishops to be heer, so hauing no more say I reste to Your assured frend, HENRIETTE MARIE R. Cumberland, huntintong, bath, Northampton, Deeuonchier, bristoll, Newcastell, Pawlett, Couentry, Seymer, Cotintong.1 2 If you wood writt to bridgeman to com and to speake to all is frends in that contray is in Lencachier and so to as manie as ar your frends: for mene others I haue spokne my selfe to them already. "For Maistre Nicholas." Indorsed, "R. 5° 8bris 1641, the Queenes lett' to me." The Peers here meant may be easily understood, notwithstanding her Majesty's royal grant of new names. The last, which has suffered the most, is evidently intended for the Lord Cottington. 2 This most probably was Sir Orlando Bridgeman, then Master of the Court of Wards, and Attorney to the Prince of Wales; or it may have been one of his brothers, sons of the Bishop, two of whom were married into Lancashire families. Sir Edward Nicholas to the King. not so well, Since my last of ye 7th present, I receaved yo Maties comaunds apostiled ye 2nd of this moneth, & have presented yo Maties leter to ye Queene, whereof I have hereth sent an aunsweare from her Matie, wch came this day to my hands. I have acquainted her Matie (as you were pleased to comaund) that yo' Matie wished that some of yo' servaunts here would meete to countermyne ye plots here, but ye Queene saith, that cannot be done in yo' Maties absence. I have I written lets to all such Lodds, as I have had direcons to send unto, to attend att ye downe sitting of y Parliam1. Touching yo' Maties Collar of Rubies, y Queene wishes that nothing be donne in it till y next weeke, when S Job Harby saith he shall receave answeare to his le's sent into ye Low Countries, & in yo meane tyme I am privatly to informe myself by what warrant that iewell was put into S do so. Job Harbyes or any other hands. confesse but yet so de much much as may good, ther fore be diligent in it. You shall doe well to Yo' Matie will herewth receave a ler from my Lo: Lieutenant of Ireland.' The insolency & disorders of ye disbanded souldiers in & neer this towne is soe great, as ye Lods of ye Councell (who met this day at Whitehall) have thought fit that some course should be forthwth taken to disperse & send them away, & to that purpose their LoPPS humbly desire to know yo Maties pleasure whether a proclamac'on shal be issued by ye Lods Com'issioners (whome yo' Matie did I think it authorise to set forth proclamac'ons upon certeyne occasions in yo' Maties absence) to ye effect of y inclosed printed order of ye Com'ittees of both Houses, (whereof yor Matie had formerly a coppy sent); but this their LoPPS intend should be without taking any notice of that order, unlesse yo' Matie shall expressly direct that menc'on be made of it; by anie in this partic'lar their Los pray yo' Maties speedy resoluc❜on & order. 1 The Earl of Leicester had received the appointment, but he never went over to take possession of his Government. most fitt. meanes. |