neuer the lesse thought fitt to aduenture a kindsman of his owne name, an experienced soldier, with some few others, and some powder, to goe in Captain Dillon's fregat, tanquam explorator, at whose returne hee hopes within 2. or 3. weekes to be able to giue a full account of the state of affaires in that kingdome, and what likelyhood there may bee of attemptinge any thinge there for his Maties service and aduantage, which failinge, this noble person and his company are ready to transport themselves into Schottland, or what other part of his Maties dominions may be thought expedient. BREST 30 Aprill 1654. Sir Edward Hyde to Sir Richard Browne. The last weeke I receaued yours of the 23. of the last moneth, & by this post your other of the 1 of this moneth, to both which I shall neede reply no more, then to assure you that what I wrote to you was not out of the least unkinde purpose towards you, or doubte of your punctuallity in accounte, or opinion that you had receaued so much as people give out (yett, as you say the Duke of Yorkes officers can make a shrew computac'on, and are not very nice of publishing what they conceave may aduance his May service) but I was willinge to be ready to answer any questions the Kinge himselfe might be induced to aske; and the truth is his necessityes are so greate, and so like to encrease, that all wayes must be thought on to draw supply to him, and therfore make what you can ready, and I had rather you should prevent him by sendinge Bills before he expectes them, then that I should be required to : 1 Between this and the preceding letter there is an interval of twelve months; during which time the King and his friends, having left Paris in June, 1654, had been resident in Flanders and Germany. The reader will find a curious anecdote relating to these changes in their place of exile in Clarendon's History, vol. iii. p. 413, and another at p. 422. call upon you: if you procure Bills upon any honest able marchant at Antwerpe, payable to Patrick Garlande,' or his order, and send them to me, I can easily draw it from thence to Cullen, or to any place wher the Kinge will neede it. I can make no other conclusyon by the discourses of peace or warr betweene Crumwell and that Crowne, but that the Cardinall will do all that is in his power to prevent a warr, which very many believe he will not be able longe to doe, and the Spanyard is very much abused, if he be not sure of a firme coniunction with him. I doubte the tyme of our deliverance is not so neere at hande as was expected. God will send it at last : you may be very confident that I will never cease to be, S', Your very ER: 22: Apr: (1655). affectionate Servt, EDW. HYDE. Sir Edward Hyde to Sir Richard Browne. I haue receaued yours of the 10. of the last moneth, and shewed it to the Kinge, who hath sent derection to S Geo. Ratcliffe to returne the 2000l. to him 1 Sir Patrick Garland, who was long in confidence with Sir Edward Hyde. 2 Mazarin personally admired Cromwell, and was therefore the more likely to be averse to a war between France and England. Ratcliffe, instead of Lord Byron, had once been thought of by Charles the First as Governor to the Duke of York in his infancy. He was a Privy Counsellor, and lived at Oxford during the siege, before which the Queen had desired him either to bring the Duke to her at Paris, or carry him to Ireland; but this Ratcliffe refused, on the plea that he dared not to convey any of the King's sons out of the kingdom without an express order from the King. In the "Life of James the Second," evidently written with authority from that Prince, speaking of this affair it is remarked, "which nicety, or I may rather call it indiscretion of his, might have cost his Highness dear, as being the occasion of his being put into the Rebells' hands." When the Duke of York was taken prisoner at Oxford by the Parliamentary army, Fairfax as soone as he receaues it, and I assure you it will come very seasonably hither, wher ther is as much pouerty as you haue knowne at Paris. I doubte Mr. Crumwell hath putt a periodd to your receipts, but it is not impossible that Dunkirke' and Ostende muy prooue as hospitable to our shippinge as Brest hath bene, for they say, upon closinge with ffrance, the Rebells will have a briske warr with the Spanyard, and looke euery day to heare that they are possessed of some considerable place in the Indyes, which is at last believed at Bruxells; wher they finde how they haue beene fooled. I am newly returned hither, hauinge beene kept in my way hither at the Hague by a greate sicknesse, for above a moneth, but God be thanked I am now well recovered, beyonde the hope of many of my frends, and contrary to the wishes of those who are not so: I hope I may live to see better dayes: I haue not heard from George Carterett these very many monthes, though I am sure he hath many letters of myne upon his handes, so that you may tell him, I thinke he despayres, and hath given me ouer: God send us a good meetinge, wher you shall receaue all seruice from Your most affectionate huble Servt, COLL: this 8 of June (1655). Sr Ri: Browne. ordered Ratcliffe to continue with him, until the pleasure of the Parliament should be known; and he was only discharged from his attendance on the Earl of Northumberland being appointed Parliamentary Governor to the Duke. In consequence of his early acquantance, Ratcliffe retained much influence over James, to the great dislike of the Queen, and also in opposition to Lord Byron. He was at Jersey with Charles, and afterwards joined him in Flanders. He was also very active in caring for the Duke's interests, when it was reported that the King was dead in Scotland, three years before this period. See Clarendon's Life, p. 124. 1 Many prizes had already been carried into Dunkirk by the Jersey privateers; and in 1650 the Duke of York had been supported solely by the tenths which the captors paid him. See further a letter on this subject to the Spanish minister, in the Clarendon State Papers, vol. iii. p. 276. Sir Edward Hyde to Sir Richard Browne. Though it be now many moneths since I heard from you, I had not at this tyme troubled you, if by letters which I receaved the last weeke, I had not cause to believe that one which I writt above a moneth since to you, is miscarryed: I then told you how seasonable your 200 pistolls would come to the Kinge, who hath bene and is still in straight enough, since which tyme it is receaued, but not till within these 3 dayes, it being returned very unskilfully to be payd at Amsterdam upon double usance. I told you likewise in that, that his May would haue you giue a deputac'on to Mons Marces1 to collecte and receaue the dutyes dew to him in 2 or 3 of the lesser and more obscure portes in Britanny, untill he should haue receaued the summ of 200 pistolls which are owinge to him, and he was well content to receave them this way: I thought it more proper that the deputac'on should be given by you, then an immediate grante of it from his Ma" to him, therfore I pray (if my former letter miscarryed) lett him know that you haue receaued such derections, and lett him have a proper instrument accordingly. I doubte it will be very longe before he will out of those portes receaue that summ, but the request is the more modest, and could not well be denyed, his May lookinge upon the man as one who hath done him many services. You can exspecte little newes from us, who have only courage enough to looke for better tyme; the apprehensions the whole Empyre hath that it shall not longe inioy ther peace, and the terrour the Kinge of Sweade" gives them by his inroade into Poland, wher he carryes all before him, proove of no small præiudice to our master, 1 Vide p. 308. 2 Gustavus, the successor of Christina, whose disputes with the King of Poland were a source of great confusion and disturbance to Germany. who is therby much disappointed of the mony he was promised from those Princes, so that the truth is wee are no richer than you haue knowen us at Paris: yett trust me wee are farr from despayre, and do promise our selves with reason enough, that wee shall shortly have good frendes, and see a good turne in our fortune, especially if the newes with strange confidence repeated at present heare be true, of Cromwells death: which I doubte is not upon ground enough. The Kinge and his sister are in a private at ffrankeforte,' from whence wee expecte them in 4 or 5 dayes: the Qu: of Sweden is this very minute passinge through the towne, wher shee stayes not, but lodges this night at Bone, the house of the Elector of Cullen [Cologne]. If you are very rich, and can lend me 20. or 30. pistolls, or such a summ, and returne it to honest Church, he will transmitt it to me, and it will come very seasonably to supply, I write now to you rather to lett you know that yours of the 16. of the last moneth is come to my hands, then to returne a full answer to it, which I cannot do till the next, and then I shall not fayle to do it, except by our intelligence out of ffrance I 1 This journey to Frankfort has been already noticed. It excited some attention both in England and upon the Continent: for, in one of the papers of the day, a letter from Paris observes, after alluding to the newly-signed treaty with Cromwell, "In the mean time, it seems, the Princess Royall of Orange is expected here in January, she intending to bestow a visit upon the little Queen, her mother, and bring her all news from Frankfort fair; what further end there may be in the voyage is not known."" VOL. IV. X |
