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general for all things else aswell as for ye Pre- With all my munire, whereof his LoP will consider better, & hart. then I shall give yo' Matie a further accompt of that partic❜lar. My Lo. Keeper tells me that there are many precedents, that ye Peers in P'liam't have chosen their owne Speaker, & that vntill ye Lo. Burleighes later tyme, there is scarce any Record, that ye King hath by l'ts pattents appointed a Speaker for that House. Yo Matie (I beleeve) hath heard that both Houses of Parliam' made an Ordinance Satterday last, that ye Lo. Lieutenant of Irland shall forthwth rayse Volontiers here in Engl. to be transported for suppressing y Rebellion in Irland: yesterday his LoPP acquainting some Parliam' men, that he doubted whether he might rayse men wthout warrt vnder ye Great Seale, his LoP doubt was made knowne in ye Com'ons House, and thereupon it was in that House declared, that an Ordinance of both Houses was a sufficyent warr' for his Lop levying of Volontiers by beating of the drum &c. & an entry of such their Declarac'on was accordingly made in the register of that House. I heare that it is written from Irland, that yo Rebells there giue forth, that they expect yo' Matie every day att Don Luce,' weh is a calumny raysed by them much to yo' Maties dishonor & disadvantage, only to iustify their Rebellion, & were fitt to be vindicated. The Declarac'on remo'strating yo effects of yo' Maties ill Councells, was yesterday by ye Com❜ons House taken againe into considerac'on, & a 4th parte thereof gonne thorrow wall & voted there, & ye rest of it wilbe passed there, as fast as may be, & then it is to be transmitted to ye Lodds. There was yester- Com'and day a considerac'on in ye Upper House concerning the Keeper in my name excluding ye Papists Lodes, & after a long debate that that he business was let fall, only there was an Order made warne all my that ye lawes against Recusants should forthwth be oppose it in put in execuc❜on. Mr. Attorney? (according_yo' House. Maties pleasure signified to him) hath drawne a Pro

1 Dunluce Castle, near the Giant's Causeway, in the county of Antrim, the seat of the Earls of Antrim; now in ruins. 2 Sir Edward Herbert, Knt.

seruants to

the Lords

clamac❜on, to comaund all Parliam* men to attend in Parliam', & having shewed it to my Lo. Keeper, his Lop (as Mr. Attorney tells me) likes yo draught, but saith he conceaveth it not fitt to issue any such ProThis bearer clamac'on, & that he will shortly satisfie yo' Matie therein. I beseech God to send yo' Matie a speedy & happy returne, wherein all yo' Maties best servaunts here ioin in prayer Wth

will fully satisfie you

in that.

Yo' sacred Maties

Most humble & most obedient servaunt,
EDW. NICHOLAS.

The cause concerning ye 13 BP", and the Bill touching BPP, is to be considered of, Friday next.

WESTMINSTER: 10° Nobris 1641, at 12: at noone.

EDEN: 15.

For yor sacred Matie"

"Yours apostyled."

10: 9bris 1641. Apost. 15°. Ret. by Sir H. Hungate, 20°

at one o'clock afternoone.

This was sent by Smith the Messenger.

Sir Edward Nicholas to the King.

May it please yo' most excellent Matie,

By the Queenes com'aund I sent yesterday one Smith expressly wth her Maties let', wch I hope he will pesent safe, & wth dilligence to your Royall hands. Wensday last there was a very greate debate in ye Lodes House, teaching instrucc'ons p'pared by y Com'ons to be sent to ye Englishe Com'ittees att Edenburg; six of those instrucc'ons concerne ye Rebellion in Irland, weh ye Lodes passed & approoved of, the 7th was concerning ill Councellors & Councells,' wch held a very long debate, wherein I may not for

1 Mr. Prynne it was who undertook to enlighten the Lords upon the subject of Evil Counsells. His reasoning was founded upon the anatomy of the human body. He also prophesied great advantages from a change, particularly if the King should not be permitted to select any servants except those approved by Parliament. Vide Parliamentary History, vol. x., p. 33, et seq.

Thanke

beare to advertise yo' Matie: that ye Ea: of Bristoll & his sonne ye (Lo: Digby) did argue wth soe much reason' & iudgem't, as they got ye 7th instrucc❜on to be fairely laid aside, & yesterday att a conference them from of both Houses, the Lodes tould ye Com'ons, that they me. agreed to 6 of ye said instrucc'ons, but ye seventh was of soe great consequence, as they thought fit to leave it to a further tyme: Yo' Matie may be pleased to take notice of ye singular good service that was in that busines donne by those 2 noblemen, & espe- of God I wil cially by the sonne, who (I heare) did beyond lie myseife. admirac❜on.

My Lo: Keeper & Mr. Attor: Gen'rall have deferred the issuing of y Proclamac'on to require all Parliament-mens attendaunce, as conceaving it to be vnseasonable att this tyme, & my Lo: Keeper hath promised that he will give yo Matie satisfacc'on

therein.

By the grace

doe it short

I have herewth sent yo' Matle a speech published here in the name of Mar: Hamilton, that yo' Matie It is a poore may see what artifice is here vsed by his friends to one. insinuate into ye people a good opinion of his Lops piety and integrity. The House of Com'ons was yesterday soe imployed about Irishe affaires, as they meddled not wth their Declarac'on, remonstrating ye ill effects of bad Councells. It is advertised out of Irland that ye rebels are 30. thousand strong, in severall places of that kingdome, & that they approche towards Tredaw, for defence whereof, ye Lods Justices have sent 1000 foote, and 2 troopes of horse: if ye rebells shall defeate those forces, it is thought they wilbe soone for Dublin. The Lods

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1 Lord Digby had been an active enemy of Lord Strafford; but in a speech made to the House of Commons on the 21st of April, 1641, he recanted his former opinions respecting that Earl, even while still describing him as a dangerous and insupportable minister to free subjects." His apparent objects were to preserve his own consistency, yet to save Lord Strafford's life; and an abler man would have found it diffi cult to reconcile them. His speech closed with a solemn protestation against any sentence of death: "and I do, with a clear conscience, wash my hands of this man's blood." 2 Tredagh-the Irish name for Drogheda.

Justices write, that vnlesse there be pesently sent over 10,000 men, & 100 m1in monny, that kingdom wilbe lost whereupon ye Parliam hath ordered to increase y 6,000 foote (formerly directed to be raised) to 10,000: & they intend forthwth to passe an Act for raysing of 200ml for the service of Irland: And where they formerly desired to have only 1000 Scots, now they will desire to have 10,000 Scots to be sent into Irland in such numbers as ye Parliam shall give direcc'ons.

Yo Matie may by these relac'ons perceave of what extreame necessity & importaunce yo' Maties speedy returne is, wch I beseech yo' Matie by all meanes to hasten, for notwithstanding all the discourses in Parliam', I see nothing put into acc'on. That yo' Matie may have a speedy, safe, & honble returne shalbe ever ye earnest prayers of

Yo' Maties

Most humble and most obedient servaunt,
EDW. NICHOLAS.

ties

The last night att 10. a clock, after I had closed this let', I receaved by Mr. Tho: Killegrew yo' Mati comands by 2 apostiles, & am now going to Oatlands wth yo' Maties let' to ye Queene, having sent that to my Lo: Keeper: I shalbe carefull to p'forme what yo Matie by that dispatch hath comaunded me. All honnest men will reioyce at ye welcome newes of yo Maties returne.

WESTMINSTER, 12o Nobris, 1641.

EDEN. 18.

"For yor sacred Matie "

"Yours apostyled."

12° Nobris Apost. 18°. Ret: by Mr. Proger1 22° at 9. morning.

1 Some notice of this Mr. Proger may be seen in the Mémoires de Grammont, where he is spoken of as about the person of Charles the Second, and said to be "confident de ses menues plaisirs." He is the same person who, with five other Englishmen, were concerned in the foul murder at Madrid of the Envoy from the English Parliament to Spain in 1650. Proger (or Progers) was at that time in the service of Hyde's Spanish Embassy.

Sir Edward Nicholas to the King.

He cam

yesterday.

is the onlie

this.

May it please yo' most excellent Matie, I sent a let this morning to yo' Matie by Mr. Jo. Digby, since my wrighting whereof I receaved yo Maties by Mr. Killegrew, & shall carefully obey yo Maties comaunds. This is only to conuey to yo Royall hands a Pardon for ye 13 BPPS,2 ppared by ye Bp of Lincolne, who (it seemes) thought not fitt to trust any of yo' Maties learned Councell wth ye drawing The returnof it; his Lo sent me word that I should hasten it ing of w'ch to yo❜ Matie (albeit you might be on yo' way home) cause of as I tendred y good of yo Maties service, wch made apostyling me send it now, notwthstanding my owne humble opinion is, that since ye hearing of ye busines against these 13 BPP was appointed to be this day, & in all likelihoode will not be put off to a day much farther, that it were better to deferre ye passing of this Pardon till it shalbe seene what wilbe determyned concerning them, for if they shalbe sentenced by ye Parliam', this pardon coming afterwards, and not But if [it] menc'oning their being sentenced, will not be suffi- bee dated cyent, & if they shalbe quitted it wilbe needlesse; therefor I Nay if it shall not be kept very secreat, it may be to filled the their piudice; but yo' Matie com'aunding me in this date) I sup busines to pursue y direcc❜ons of that able & experi- doe some enced BPP, I held it my duty to obey wthout disputing: good. If yo' Matie shall thinke fitt to passe this pardon att this tyme, you may be pleased to signe it, as well on ye back, that it may passe by imediat warrt as on ye fore part of it, & to send it sealed up, wth an expresse com'aund to my Lo. Keeper to seale, who will otherwise I beleeve make some scruple to put ye Great in my name. Seale to it.

1 Son to the Earl of Bristol.

2 In a subsequent letter, Nicholas again refers to the case of the Bishops, and to the fact of their demurring to the impeachment before the Lords, with the exception of Godfrey Goodman, Bishop of Gloucester, who pleaded Not Guilty. This was notified to the Commons by a message from the Lords on the 12th.

before (&

haue not

pose it may

So I haue.

Doe you that

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