I am willing to heare the buffiness, but to ftay proceeding upon a bare information, I thinke it not fit, fince there is no queftion of lyfe; I being able to repay, what injuftice elfe can be inflicted on them.

defired, that your majesty will take this bufinefs into your own princely hand; and that, in the mean time, the poor plaintiffs may not be executed before they be heard by your majefty; which infallibly they will, if your majefty command not fome stay of the profecution in Ireland, until you fhall have heard it yourself; with this, that, if they make not good their complaints, they may be expofed to all the feverity and exemplary punishment, that fo great a boldness of abufing and mifinforming your majefty fhall deferve. This is the juftice the faid earl and the complainants do most humbly beg of your majesty; and I befeech your majefty to take into confideration, according to the weight and confequence of it.

Your majefty may please further to understand, that Mr. Porter received yesterday another letter from captain Shaw, from Genep, where the Infant's army then lay; wherein, after confirmation of what he had formerly written, concerning the entertainment which Picolomini gave to John Taylor, he writes, that Picolomini told Taylor, your majefty fhould not be obliged to any but to the emperor for the Palatinate; and that, if your majefty find it convenient to use Picolomini in this business, there is no man of more power, nor of better affections; and that, as foon as he fhall have time, he will come purposely hither to have the honour to kiss your majefty's hands, being extremely ambitious to do your majesty service: and this, Shaw thinks, would more advance the treaty than 5ocol. fpent in fending

It is verrie fit he should.

ambaffadors. Your majefty may please to confider, whether it will not be fit, that Mr. Porter take notice of the fair refpects of Picolomini to your majefty, and thank him for them from your majefty; giving him likewife occafion to exprefs himself more particularly in the business of the Palatinate.

Hafle the balance, and then you shall know more of my mynde.

I do further moft humbly befeech your majesty to give me leave to reprefent unto you the ftate of your treafury, which is now exceeding low, and yet we are clamoured upon, for monies due to ambaffadors and agents abroad, and many other molt neceffary payments, having not one penny to give fatisfaction, nor any of us, at our meetings, (which are too feldom, but twice these three months) entering into confideration where to raise monies, which is the chief work of a treasurer. We are to meet but once the week, whereas the bufinefs requires a daily and conftant attendance. If your majesty

con

continue it in this way, your fervice will infinitely fuffer; and it cannot be fo ill managed in any one hand, as it now is by thus many which I hold it my duty in all humbleness to make known to your majefty, moft humbly craving pardon if I err, and leave to reft your majefty's, &c.'

From this, as well as from other papers in this collection, we learn how much Charles was under the influence of his queen, who unquestionably prompted him to many of the arbitrary acts, which ended in his deftruction. We find likewife what daring rifques his ministers ran to gratify the arbitrary will of an imperious mafter.

Charles however who had no doubt received many leffons on king-craft, was not deficient in cunning to colour and disguise his tyrannical measures. He difplayed, on many occafions, a great deal of fubtlety. Such fubtlety as coft bim, (and will coft every one who practifes it) the confidence of those with whom he had intercourse.

A fpecimen of this fort of cunning appears in the following inftructions:

• Inftructions for Captain Arthur Brett, fent to Rone by our dearest Confort, the Queen.

• Charles R.

"Our dearest confort the queen having made choice of you, as a perfon of truft and integrity, to be employed at Rome for her special affairs, where, in your negotiation, many things may occur, which may nearly concern us and our state, we have thought fit, upon this accident, to take occafion to instruct you in fome particulars; left, while you endeavour to do her service, you fall unawares and for want of premonition, upon fomewhat wherein you may differve us.

You are therefore, firft, to underftand, that, in these times of differences in religion, you are by no means to meddle with any thing that refers to that fubject; remembering, that you are fent to Rome merely for matters of ftate and intelligence; and that you are to keep yourself strictly within that circle, and to attend that service only, except in fuch particulars concerning church government as you fhall find herein committed to your charge.

Next you are to understand, that, in all your negotiations there, either with the Pope or his nephews, or with any cardinals or other his minifters, you are to ftile yourself the queen's fervant only, and not to take upon you any quality, nor pretend to derive any power from us; but rather upon all occafions, efpecially in publick, to difavow it, and to keep us free from the fufpicion of any fuch correspondence. Nevertheless, though for your person and quality you are to govern yourself in this manner, this must not flacken your diligences in any fervice

B 4

that

that may concern us; to the advancement whereof you are to have a special eye, and to bend your best endeavours to that end. Which that you may the better perform, you shall hold a ftrait intelligence with our fecretary Windebank, and direct all your letters and dispatches to him only; acquainting him, from time to time, with all occurrents and news that fhall come to your knowledge, either concerning that or any other foreign ftate; and from him you fhall receive our commandments and anfwers as occafion fhall be prefented.'

The inftructions then proceed to point out the fubject of his negociation, which was chiefly to engage the Pope to withdraw his cenfure against the oath of allegiance, in confideration. who cof the Roman Catholics were to be tolerated. The inftructions farther authorize him to infinuate, that Charles would not be unwilling to join with the Pope as a temporal prince, in any thing that might conduce to the peace of Christendom and of the Church. And all these negociations were to be carried on without the agents pretending to derive any power from Charles, but on the contrary difavowing it on all occafions. What fhallow craft!

We took notice in the foregoing article of the fervility of the courtiers in this reign, which might tend perhaps, among other things, to make the king think higher than he would otherwise have done of his princely prerogatives. Among other instances of this kind, the following paffage in a letter from the secretary to the king deferves notice.

I most humbly thank your majesty for the return of my last letter apoftiled with your own princely hand, though it were far from the leaft defert of that honour. Concerning the business of the customs of Ireland, that which I then prefumed to reprefent to your majefty I had taken before in writing from Darcy's own mouth; yer, according to your majefty's commandment, I have required him to set it down himself. I am infinitely afflicted that any thing hath fallen from my pen to your majesty's dislike; and do in all humility crave your

In this ye mistooke me, for I nether blamed your penn nor Darcies witt; but what I faid, was to express my judgement of the man, & his propofitions; for nether thinke him jo right for my fervice, nor his propofitions of fuch importance as be pretends.

majesty's pardon, that I took the boldness to make known the poor man's apprehenfions

(for they were his own) to your majefty and I will be careful here

after, that my intentions to do good lead me not into the like error, being rather willing to lafe

Apofyld the 31 of fan. 1636. my life than your majefly's gracious opinion,

'I moft

I most humbly befeech your majefty to pafs by this offence, and that I may nevertheless continue in your princely estimation." Nothing furely can be couched in a more fervile ftrain; and we cannot help thinking that to address any mortal being with fuch abject spirit and fuch diftant awe is a reproach to manhood. The following letter from the fame fecretary to the king makes us acquainted among other particulars, with the fhifts to which the king's neceffities drove him.

I doe not conceave that it is needefull that my agent Bo. fhould come over with my jewells for certainlie I fhall have much ufe of him Therefore lett Joo Harvie fupply that

I now prefume to prefent unto your majefty herewith two letters from the lord Afton; the one to Mr. Hopton, wherein is the advice of the king of Spain's dangerous fickness; the other to myself. There is likewife another from Sir William Bofwell, concerning the redemption of your majefty's jewels; wherein your majetty may pleafe to take into confideration his defire of bringing them over himself; and to vouchsafe me your refolution. I do not yet conceive that your majefty's fervice can fuffer by his coming, this fummer being not likely to be fo active as the laft, the prince of Orange being now quiet, and defirous to let the world fee, that he hath had glory enough for this year, in the regaining of Skinkfconce; and therefore I humbly befeech your majefty to confider, whether he could have made choice of a fitter time: befides, his wife is here in fome indifpofition, and he would be glad of your majefty's leave to fee her.

dewtie.

Another paper there is containing the certificate of the bishop of Durham concerning his diocefe, which was wanting in the account which my lord his Grace of York presented to your majefty the last year; whereof your majefty was pleafed to take notice, and to command my lord of York to call for it.

I doe belive, that whefever writt theafe advertisements, feekes more to raife, then to pronofticat formes, wherefore you need to be littell trobled with theafe threatnings.

The other paper, containing an abstract of letters out of Ireland, your majefty will perceive reflects deeply upon me: nevertheless, but that the author, whom I know not, (thus much of thofe letters having been feft to to me by one who, it feems, wifhes me well) fpeaks upon certain knowlege, I had not troubled your Majefty with it. All that I can fay in this particular is, that, as I will not excufe myfelf from many errors in this great place, to which your majefty of your mere and princely goodness hath been pleafed to call me, fo I will be thus confident upon mine own innocency, that, feeing I am not

guilty to myself of ever having done any thing wilfully amifs, or corruptly, to your majefty's differvice, I will not diftruft your majesty's fupport, nor be affrighted with the malicious threats of any fubject whatsoever. What hath raised this ftorm I cannot conjecture, unless it be my appearing in the business of the farm of the cuftoms in Ireland; which, your majesty may please to remember, yourself committed to me, together with the papers, and gave me fpecial commandment to advise with Sir James Galloway what to do in it; or the ftaying of Darcy here; which your majefty may likewife please to recollect was not my original moving, but as I remember, my lord of Holland firft fpake with your majefty in it, and then my lord Wilmot: who prefented to your majefty fundry papers of Darcy promifing great fervices, which came to nothing.

I humbly crave your majefty's pardon for this trouble, and leave to reft your majesty's, &c. FRAN. WINDEBANK.' You know ye made a reference for Da. Ramfay concerning a lunatike, I know not how it is bot now Da. tels mee, that it is refufed bim, though he offers fecuritie to perform all conditions requyred by the inftructions. Now my abfolute pleasure is, that he doing this fully, that he have the grant of this lunatike, for I am fure that my father bes grante manie, I fome.

C. R. the 25. 4 afternoone.

We find that Charles unfortunately thought it a fufficient juftification of his conduct to alledge, that his father had done fo before him, without confidering whether his father's acts were justifiable or not upon the principles of a free conftitution, and without recollecting that no prerogative can, under fuch a conftitution, be fupported, farther than it tends to establish and fecure fuch principles, and thereby promote the true end of government by providing for the welfare and happiness of the governed.

The next letter which claims particular regard, is as follows: Mr. Secretary WINDEBANK to his MAJESTY.

It may pleafe your Majesty,

The last night the refident of Savoy came to me and acquainted me with fome propofitions he had made to your majesty, in his audience yesterday, for fupplies of powder, levies of men, and hiring of fome of your fubjects' fhips now in the Mediterranean fea, for his majefty's fervice: but, before he entered upon the difcourfe, he fhewed me fome of the duke's letters lately written to him, in which he took it very highly that your majefty had made difficulty heretofore, upon former like demands of the duke, to give him fatisfaction. For the two first, namely, the powder and levies of men, he told me your majefty had now given him fo full and fair an answer, that he

doubted