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Ea:Arundell

E. South'ton

D.Richmond more full Councell of able, graue & experienced Ea: Derby p'sons of unblemished integrity, whose honor, Ea: Norwich esteeme, fidellity, & prudence may raise y reputaSir Art. c'on of yo' Councell from that greate contempt it lyes Hopton, Mr. under both at home and abroade; & whereby forraigne Prees may be encouraged to assist yo' Matie, & yo Royall party in Engl: to appeare more vigorously for you.

Cha. Exch.

L'd Hatton.

If for want of such a setled & hole Privy Councell, yo' Matie shalbe necessitated (as lately) to call (upon every important occasion) such to Councell who are not sworne, it will not much satisfy yo' party in Engla: nor advantage yo' affres. Besides yo' Privy Councell wilbe att a great disadvantage, when they are to give their advise upon oath, & are by ye same obliged to be secreat, & ye others shalbe att liberty & under noe tye att all.

My humble advise therefore is, that yo' Matie forthwth endeavour by all meanes possible to get a Councell composed of a convenient number of such hoble, experienced, & faithfull p'sons, as may be equall to ye great importaunce of yo" pesent affres, & above y contempt that yo' now Councell lyes under, aswell in yo owne Court, as abroade, wthout wch it will not be possible for you to goe throughe yo greate businesses.

As for my owne particular,1

I humbly beseech yor Mate to give me leave to put you in minde, that att St. Germains y' Matie comaunded me to wayte on you in this place, where you were pleased to tell me you should have occasion to make use of my service as Secre'ie, & to that end

1 De Larrey, a French contemporary writer formerly quoted, says of Sir Edward Nicholas, that he had much better qualities and more zeal for the late Monarch, than the preceding Secretary of State, Windebank. He adds, that he was truly devoted to the Church of England; and having, besides, as much integrity as ability, was as faithful to the son as to the father. "Charles II. recompensed his fidelity, and restored him, in 1658, to the post that his father had given him; if this employment was honourable to him, all the profit redounded to the King, who conferred it on him not till he left France, and when he was a wanderer from Court to Court, and from country to country."

yo Matie comaunded me to gett prepared a signet, and other provisions fitting, we accordingly I p'vided att my owne cost. I was there further tould from yor Matte, that when I came to Jersey, I should be sworne Sec'rie. And since I came hither, yo' Matie tould me I should be sworne, as soon as I came into Irla: Now since yo' Matie goes not for Irla: I humbly desire that I may be sworne before yo' Maties dep❜ture from hence:

1. Because, I know ye busines belonging to a Sec'rie of State ought not to be p'formed by one that is not sworne in ye place.

2. For that ye busines I shall doe (not being sworne), will not have that creddit & esteeme, as is requisitt for ye advantage of affaires of that nature.

3. That it wilbe a great disrepute for me (who have had the honor to serve yo" Royale father 7 yeares in that office) to execute any considerable p'te thereof, & not be established in it by oath, wch only can make a man capable of p'formaunce of the duty of that place, as it ought to be.

Yo' Maties obiection, that if you sweare me, you must doe ye like for Mr. Long,' is rather a discouragement then a satisfac'con to me, who did hope my soe long faithfull service to yo' Royall father would have mov'd yo' Matie to make more difference betweene us, since I have hitherto (I thanke God) carryed a cleere reputac'on in all my wayes.

Wherefore its my most humble suyte, that yo Matie wilbe pleased either to give order that I may be sworne yo Maties Sec'rie (whereby I may be enabled to doe you service), or else that I may have leave with yo' Maties gracious favour, to retire untill my faithfull & disinterested service may be of more use in yor Maties affaires.

"For yor Matie "

Indorsed, "Je lis ce papier au Roy a Jersey, 31 de Janvier. St. V 1649."

1 Mr. Long appears to have been engaged as secretary to Charles in a quasi-private capacity, for his name is not entered upon any of the official lists. The King, influenced most probably by his mother, showed much favour to him.

VOL. IV.

The King to Sir Edward Nicholas.
Charles R.

In regard of our many great & weighty businesses, Wee are resolved & promise wth all convenient speede to increase the number of Our English Privy Councellors in a considerable proporc'on answerable to ye importaunce of our affaires.

Wee are alsoe resolved principally to make use of & rely on, the faithfull advise of our sworne Privy Councell in ye managem' and determinac'on of our important affaires.

Wee likewise resolve & promise, to sweare and establishe St Edw: Nicholas in ye office and place of one of our principall Secritaries of State, the first man Wee admit to or constitute in that office, and as soone as Wee shall dismisse Rob Long from our service. Given at our Court att Castle Elizabeth in our Island of Jersey the 14-24th of ffebr: 1649-50.

The King to Sir Edward Nicholas.

ST. JOHNSTONS: Sept. 3, 1650.1

Mr. Secr: Nicholas, I haue giuen this bearer his dispatch, and haue signed all the Commissions, with 53 blankes wch I desire you to fill up as you shall haue

It is perhaps not irrelevant also to observe, that if the handwriting of the rival Secretaries had been allowed any weight in the discussion of the question, Mr. Long must have proved successful against Sir Edward; his mode of writing being singularly precise and clear, whilst that of Nicholas is often scarcely intelligible.

Written during Charles's visit to Scotland, when the Presbyterians crowned him King Charles sailed from Schevling in Holland, in the preceding June, and landed at Spey, in Scotland, soon after. On the 15th of July he was proclaimed at Edinburgh Cross; and afterwards proceeded to St. Johnstone's, which place had been appointed for the meeting of the Scottish States. It was on the day when the above letter was written, Cromwell's "fortunate day," that the Scots were defeated at Dunbar. Charles went to Scotland in June; and towards the latter end of July, Cromwell took the command of the English Army in that Kingdom.

Marq: Hertford

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occasion, there are two com'issions for 445: 388: that if one should miscarey the other might serue. haue sent you here inclosed a letter of credance to the Prince of Orange,' that if you should haue occasion of his assistance you may use it; but pray have a care that you doe not press him about money, for I haue had so much from him allready that it were a shame to seeke more of him. This bearer will acquaint you with my condition much better than I can doe in a letter, I shall only say this to

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1 Father of William the Third.

2 This not to be mistaken allusion to the men who had just placed the crown upon the writer's head is sufficiently illustrative of the character of Charles. A report that he had been obliged to perform public Kirk-penance by the Presbyterians is mentioned in a ludicrous manner in a Letter from the Elector of Bavaria to the Queen of Bohemia, preserved in Bromley's Royal Letters, p. 153.

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171 m6: 222 : t3: 320 :1 I would haue you and Mr. Atorney to stay in holland as being the place that is the neerest to this Kingdome and where I shall haue occasion of your services: I have no more to say to you at the present but to assure that I am and euer will be

Your most affectionate friend,
CHARLES R.

The King to Mrs. Twisden.2

Mris Twisden,

Hauing assurance of your readines to performe what I desired of you by my Letter of the 7th of February from Jersey, according to your Brothers promise, in order to the conveying to me the George and Seales left me by my blessed Father, I haue againe imployed this bearer (in whom I haue very much confidence) to desire you to deliver the said George and Seales into his hand for me, assuring you, that as I shall haue great reason thereby to acknowledge your owne and your Brothers civilitys

This of course is a plan for his own escape if necessary, and another proof of the small reliance he was placing upon his Northern friends. Whether he doubted their power or their loyalty is not very material; but it is evident that he wished to ensure the means of his own safety, independent of their exertions.

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