not removed:" but if that were done, he was confident you would have the most glorious reign that ever was. This, says he, I am sure I can order so as to bring to a good effect, if you will. And in the mean time I will try to get secretary Coventrys place, which he has a mind to part with, but not to Sir William Temple; because he is the treasurers creature, and he hates the treasurer, and I have already employed my sister to talk with Mr. Cook, and to mind him to engage Mr. Coventry not to part with it as yet, and he has assured my lady Harvy he will not. And my lord treasurers lady and Mr. Bertee are both of them desirous I should have it. And when I have it I will be damn'd if I do not quickly get to be lord treasurer; and then you and your children shall find such a friend as never was. And for the king, I will find a way to furnish him so easily with money for his pocket and his wenches, that we will quickly out Bab. May, and lead the king by the nose. So when I had heard him out, I told him, I thank'd him, but that I would not meddle with any such thing: and that for my part I had no malice to my lady Portsmouth, or to the treasurer, and therefore would never be in any plot to destroy them. But that I found the character which the world gave of him was true: which was that the devil was not more designing than he was, and that I wondered at it, for sure all these things working in his brain must make him very uneasy, and would at last make him mad. 'Tis possible you may think I say all this out of malice. 'Tis true he has urged me beyond all patience : but what I tell you here is most true; and I will take the sacrament on it whenever you please. 'Tis certain I would not have been so base às to have informed against him for what he said before me, had he not provoked me to it in this violent way that he has, There is no ill thing

which he has not done to me, and that without any provocation of mine, but that I would not love him. Now as to what relates to my daughter Sussex and her behaviour to me, I must confess that afflicts me beyond expression, and will do much more, if what he has done be by your orders. For though I have an entire submission to your will, and will not complain whatever you inflict upon me; yet I cannot think you would have brought things to this extremity with me, and not have it in your nature ever to do cruel things to any thing living. I hope therefore you will not begin with me; and if the ambassador has not received his orders from you, that you will severely reprehend him for this inhuman proceeding. Besides he has done what you ought to be very angry, with him for. For he has been with the king of France, and told him that he had intercepted letters of mine by your order; by which he had been informed that there was a kindness between me and the chevalier de Chatilion; and therefore you bad him take a course in it, and stop my letters; which accordingly he has done. And that upon this you order'd him to take my children from me and to remove my lady Sussex to another monas tery; and that you was resolved to stop all my pensions, and never to have any regard to me in any thing. And that if he would oblige your majesty, he should forbid the chevalier de Chatilion ever seeing me upon the displeasure of losing his place, and being forbid the court: for that he was sure you expected this from him. Upon which the king told him, that he could not do any thing of this nature: for that this was a private matter, and not for him to take notice of. And that he could not imagine that you ought to be so angry, or indeed be at all concerned; for that all the world knew, that now all things of gallantry were

at an end with you and I. And that being so, and so publick, he did not see why you should be offended at my loving any body. This it was a thing so common now-a-days to have a gallantry, that he did not wonder at any thing of this nature. And when he saw the king take the thing thus, he told him if he would not be severe with the chevalier de Chatilion upon your account he supposed he would be so upon his own: for that in the letters he had discovered, he found that the chevalier had proposed to me the engaging of you in the marriage of the Dauphin and Madamoiselle 2: and that was my greatest business into England ». That before I went over I had spoke to him of the thing, and would have engaged him in it; but that he refused it for that he knew very well the indifference you had whether it was so or no, and how little you cared how Madamoiselle was married: that since I went into England it was possible I might engage somebody or other in this matter to press it to you; but that he knew very well, that in your heart you cared not whether it was or no, that this business setting on foot by the chevalier. Upon which the king told him, that if he would shew him any letters of the chevalier de Chatilion to that purpose, he should then know what he had to say to him; but that till he saw those letters, he would not punish him without a proof for what he did. Upon which the ambassador shewed a letter, which he pretended one part of it was a double entendre. The king said he could not see that there was any thing relating to it, and so left him, and said to a person there, sure the ambas

a Madamoiselle was the daughter of Philip duke of Orleans, and Henrietta sister of king Charles II.

b This was Mountague's own proposal, made to the king in his letter to him of Jan. 10th, 1677-8, preserved in the Danby Papers, p. 48.

me.

sador was the worst man that ever was; for because my lady Cleveland will not love him, he strives to ruin her the basest in the world; and would have me to sacrifice the chevalier de Chatilion to his revenge; which I shall not do till I see better proofs of his having meddled in the marriage of the Dauphin and Madamoiselle than any yet the ambassador has shewed This methinks is what you cannot but be offended at, and I hope you will be offended with him for his holle proceeding to me, and let the world see you will never countenance the actions of so base and ill a man. I had forgot to tell you that he told the king of France, that many people had reported, that he had made love to me; but that there was nothing of it; for that he had too much respect for you to think of any such thing. As for my lady Sussex, I hope you will think fit to send for her over, for she is now mightily discoursed of for the ambassador. If you will not believe me in this, make enquiry into the thing, and you will find it to be true. I have desired Mr. Kemble to give you this letter, and to discourse with you at large upon this matter, to know your resolution, and whether I may expect that justice and goodness from you which all the world does. I promise you that for my conduct, it shall be such, as that you nor nobody shall have occasion to blame me. And I hope you will be just to what you said to me, which was at my house when you told me you had letters of mine; you said, Madam, all that I ask of you for your own sake is, live so for the future as to make the least noise you can, and I care not who you love. Oh! this noise that is had never been, had it not been for the ambassadors malice. I cannot forbear once again saying, I hope you will not gratify his malice in my ruin.

(N. B. Ann Palmer, natural daughter by adoption of King Charles II. by Barbara duchess of Cleveland, was married to Thomas Lennard lord Dacres, created earl of Suffolk by king Charles II. History of the Royal Family, p. 256. 8vo. London, 1713;-and Wood's Fasti, vol. II. c. 154.)

END OF VOL. V.

G. WOODFALL, Printer,

Angel Court, Skinner Street, London.