I doe lyke well, that you should doe so. The principall cause ye Lods meeting this day in Councell was to consider of some let's from Irland concerning Londonderry, whereupon they have sent to ye Lods Justices for further informac'on before they can doe any thing in it. I pray for yo Mati ties happy dispatch of yo great affaires there, & safe returne for England, as being Yo' sacred Maties Most humble & most obedient servaunt, WESTMINSTER, 9o Octobre, 1641. EDEN. 13. EDW. NICHOLAS. Sir Edward Nicholas to the King. I receaved (by young S Rob: Pye1) on Satterday last yor Maties com'aunds by apostile of ye 5th posent, & am much ioyed, that there is hope of yo Maties returne sooner then is generally reported here, where it is confidently said (amongst ye most authentique intelligencers in Scottish affaires), that yo' Matie will not be here till Christmas, & I assure yo' Matie they give forth, as if yo' Matie were likely to receaue but an ill harvest of all ye paynes yo' Matie hath taken : But I hope y happy conclusion of yo' businesses there, shall now very shortly, by good effects, contradict and falsify their stories. I humbly conceaue that it may be for yo' Maties honour & advantage, that ye Lo: Mayor of London wayte on yo' Matie att yo' returne, that you may have thereby opportunity to shew yo'self gra'cous to yo people, by speaking a short word now & then to them as you passe amongst them, to cheere & encourage them in their dutifull affecc'ons to yo Royall person; & therefore I beseech yo' Matie, that by yo' next I may receave yo' pleasure, whither I shall intimat to ye Lo. Mayor, that yo' Matie will expect that he & his brethren attend yo' Matie accordingly And I humbly desire to know to whome I shall addresse let for yo' Matie, when you shalbe on 1 Of Lockhamsted, Bucks, Baronet; a title now extinct. yo' iourney hither, for that I beleeve Mr. Thre'or will To the Duke not ride soe fast as yo' Matie. The occasion of this of Riche: (Richmond.) dispatch is ye inclosed from my Lo: Keeper. The Queene sent me word even now that she shall not write by this packet. We hope yo' Maties next 1'" will satisfy yo good servaunts expectac'on here wth the desired newes of yo' Maties happy & speedy returne, wch is ye earnest prayer of Yo' sacred Maties Most humble & most obedient servaunt, THORPE: Munday 11o 8bris 1641. Sir Edward Nicholas to the King. May it please yo' most excellent Matie, Yesterday I sent to yo' Matie in myne a let'r from my Lod Keeper by packet: and this is to give yo Matie advertisem', that ye Lodds of yor Maties Privy Councell met here this morning, to consider of some Irishe businesses, when they agreed upon a let' to be forthwh sent to yo' Matie wth their LoPs advise, for divers reasons expressed in their said let' (a coppy whereof for better expedic'on is here inclosed), to giue order to yo' Maties Justices in Irland to prorogue ye parliam' there (wch is to meete ye 9th of Nober) till ffebruary next: the originall under ye Lods hands shalbe sent to yo' Matie as soone as it can be got signed, if yo' Matie shall approve of their Los advise, you may be pleased for better expedic'on to send one let under yor Maties hand imediatly from Edenburg into Irland by an express messenger to ye Lodds Justices, forthwth to set forth a proclamac'on to that this alreddie. purpose: & another by the way of West Chester or thereabouts, least ye former should miscarry or receave delay. The Lodds of yor Maties Privy Councell here have also this day giuen order to the Justices of Peace (in & neeere London) to take a course, that a more effectuall and strict order be taken for present sending away all ye disbanded souldiers (wch still pester this city): & for shutting up of all houses I have done I would not have that intention hindered, would be best. infected, for that ye sicknes disperseth very much & dangerously hereabouts. There was this day nothing donne by the Comittees of either House worthy yo' Maties notice. There is a strong report (spred by persons of best creddit here for intelligence & knowledge of yo proceedings in Scotl:) that yo' Matie will not be here these 2 moneths, but what ground they have for it, I cannot learne. There is a whispering here, as if yo' Parliam* (when it meetes) would adiourne for some moneths, or tosome other place I tould my Lo: Keeper this day that if ye P'liam' should adiourne to a further day, (thoughe but for a moneth or two) before they passed ye Bill of Tonnage & Poundage to yo' Matie, (the same being Cambridge graunted only to ye first of Decem: next,) it would put yor Matie to a great streight for want of monny to uphold yo' house, & for divers other occasions: and For this, I I humbly offer it to yo' Maties considerac❜on, whether you consult may not be fitt for you to let my Lo: Keeper, & some other of yo' Maties best affected servaunts of others of my either House of P'liam* know, what you would have what to doe them to insist upon in case there should be any in it, leaving moc'on for a further adiournem1, before yo' Maties discretions returne, by reason of ye sicknes, wch growes soe rife to doe as you & dangerous, as will make such a moc'on willingly would haue with the Keeper & seruants it to your shall see the adjurne. it cause, but I hearkened unto. My humble & earnest prayers would have shalbe still for a prosperous dispatch of yo* affaires ment fur- there, & for yo' Maties speedy & safe returne, there thure byes, being noe man so much obliged to yo* Matie for yð As I haue grac'ous favour, as anie meanes. beene sufficientlie slan dered heere, in sume respects, so there also I heere that I haue not mist those good offices, though in an other kynde, as being resolved, at my retorne, to alter the Yor Maties Most humble & most obedient servaunt, WESTMINSTER, 12o 8bris. 1641. Eden: 18: EDW. NICHOLAS. Superscribed "For yo1 Sacred Matie” Written by the King; "Yours apostyled." Written on the back by Sir E. N.: "Sent by Mr. Mung Murrey, and recd back by 'e post boy of Barbican the 23th at Westr at 9 at nyght. His Matie is constant in ye doctrine & discipline of ye Church." forme of the Churche gouernement in England to this heere: therfor I com'and you to asseure all my seruants there that I am constant for the Doctrine & Dise pline of the Churche of England as it was established by Queene Elis. & my Father, & resolues, (by the grace of God) to liue & dey in the maintenance of it. Sir Edward Nicholas to the King. May it please yo' most excellent Matie, I receaved yesterday yo' Maties apostile of ye 9th p'sent by Mr. Barkley, & have (according to yo Maties com'and) addressed this packet to ye Duke of Richmond, & shall soe contynue my addresses, untill I shall understand of Mr. Th'rers returne to Court. Yor Matie com'aunds me to advise wth some of yo best servaunts here, how to p°vent the intenc'ons of some here to presse yor Matie at ye next meeting in P'liam' for ye like Act touching yo elecc❜on of officers & councellors here, as you have graunted in Scotland. I (wth all humility) assure yo' Matie, that I conceave it no lesse difficult for me (now in yo* absence when y° awe of the Parliam* is upon all in generall) to discerne who are yo' Maties best ser- If your owen vaunts here, then it is almost impossible for such yo' observation servaunts, to know what to doe or advise, to pevent ciently tell soe plausible a designe, weh in my poor opinion you, lett my nothing can soe well divert, as yo' Maties speedy direction returne: but of this intend forthwth to speake wih guyde you. the Queene. doe not suffi Wyfes It will be ties well done. This inclosed is ye let from ye Lodds of yo' Mati Privy Counsell, whereof in my last by Mr. Mungo Murrey1 I sent a coppy: their LoPPS, as soon as they rose from Councell, (& before ye let' was drawne) dispersed themselves to their severall homes in ye country, wch is ye cause (as I am tould), that it was 1 Murrey (Mungo) was a confidential servant and gentleman of the bedchamber to the King, who often entrusted him with private correspondence. In February, 1646, whilst the King was in the power of the English Commissioners at Newcastle, Murrey, having obtained leave of absence on pretence of visiting Scotland, was admitted to his Majesty's presence before witnesses for the purpose of kissing his hand. The Commissioners, however, observed something put into his hand by the King; and having followed him, when out of the presence, they searched him, and found a letter in cypher directed to Montreuil the French agent. The letter was immediately sent up to the Parliament, and Murrey committed to prison, but admitted to bail after two days' confinement. this day before it was brought signed to me for yo Matie. The more secrecy and expedic'on there is used in dispatch of yo' Maties let' to ye Lodds Justices (if you shall approove of their LoPPS advise) ye better, & that made me pesume to hasten to yor Matie ye coppy, before ye let itself was signed. I finde that ye Com'ttees of both Houses (by reason of yo contynuaunce of ye sicknes) incline to be very earnest, when yo Parliam' meets next, to perswade a further adiournem* for a tyme, but Mr. Pym, & those of his I have given party, will not heare that ye P'liam shalbe held any order in all where but in London or Westminster: I hope yo this alreddy. Matie (if you shall stay there past ye 18th present) will send some direcc'ons to yo' servaunts here how to apply their endeavours in P'liam', in case there shalbe any debate touching an adiournem. sufficient I haue syned it, & therefor see that it be imedi. ouer, for tell atlie sent my Wyfe that I shall loose no tyme in I have herewth by ye Queenes com'aund sent yo Matie ye draught of a warrant for yo' Matie hand for ye delivery of yo' Maties Collar of Rubies to St Wm Boswell for yor Matics use: I tould S Job Harby, that S Wm was to kepe it till yo' Matie should send for it. The Queene tould me yesterday, that she would write to yo' Matie to be pleased wth yo' owne hand to give S Wm Boswell order what to doe wth ye she desyres. said Collar, for it is apparent, that these merchaunts dare not have a hand in the engaging of it, but they say they will take order that, upon receipt of yo' Maties warraunt, it shalbe safely delivered accordingly. sending to Sr Will: Boswell' as I haue tould you in my If yor Matie shall stay long from hence,2 I humbly pray yo' Matie wilbe pleased to let me understand wh Dispaches. whome you would have me to advise concerning yo former 1 Boswell seems to have been an old confidential servant of the King, who mentions him as his agent in 1634, in a letter to the Queen of Bohemia. See Bromley's Royal Letters, p. 67. He was also in the confidence of the Palatine Princes about the same time. Bromley, p. 79. He was at this period the British Resident at the Hague, but afterwards fell into disgrace, as we find by a subsequent letter of the Queen of Bohemia. 2 On this day the King wrote a letter to the Lord Keeper, desiring him to inform the Parliament that he was unavoidably detained, but that he would make all diligence to return. This was read to the Lords on the 26th. |