one Monsieur le Borgne. a Rochell marchant; they pretending the King of France his Comission; which I neuer saw; for though I have Monsieur Belle-Ile. one of the brothers heer prisoner he shews noe Comission, but says his brother hath one. at my first Comeing all though it were winter I sent out a little frygatt & a Catch of my owne. & surprised both hime and a vessell. he had taken from me; that lay before his fort; within Pistol shott; & hearing that there was some french men of war vpon our Coast; which gaue forth great braggs what they would doe this summer I procured two very fine frygatts. built heer one of 28 gunns. the other of 18. both well mand. to scoure along our owne Coast. & mett with none but one man of war, whoe was sent me in het her. & finding he had a Portugall Comission. He was freed; I haue in this few months prouided all necessary furniture; for to build a fort at La Heaue the nearest place In my iurisdiction. to the french and have mounted. twenty good gunns. the fort will be vp. & fitted by october. & then I feare noe power eyther of Pyratts or interlopers. a fort I have alsoe fitted to place vp in the Indians country our enemys. which will be built and mannd in the Spring. Soe that I hope to giue his Mate a good accoumpt of this Country; being now in Treaty. With the chiefe persons of Dartmouth & Plimouth, to begin a fishing desygne in these parts. & bring all the fishermen at New found Land hether, if that fayles-this being the fruit fullest place of fishing knowne in the World; which if god gives a blessing to my endeauors will proue of great aduantage to his Mate poeple & subiects, and his owne reuenues. for the fish, will be brought into London from hence. & other parts of the Kings Dominions which now is suplyd by hollanders; whoe takes nothing but mony for it, and that in vast summes whereas his Matis subiects will make their returns in the manifactures of his owne Kingdomes. Nauigation & shipping mightily encreased and in short My lord in a few yeares, when his Mae is master of all the fishing trade in the North

of America he will be master of the King of Spaynes, may without fyghting or makeing war for it. but whether doe I ramble; I beseech yre LoP pardon my boldnes. For the Copper I told his Matie off to speake the Naked truth. I have not mony to open the mine which at first will aske a good summe to entertayne miners & thier prouisions. but this I will performe. if his Mate please to send any or imploy any knowing person hither I will shew hime the place and truly, (as I believe) the richest mine of that sort was euer knowne. Mr Chyuins can shew ye lor? a farther patterne both of the Copper & the Mountayne; some of the stone. the Marchants y Lo? writ about haue obstructed me both in this & the fishing all in their power Good my lord forgiue this boldnes and pardon this Romantick paper. tyme may posibly persuade your Lo? there is more reason & truth in it; then I confess there there is (perchance) manners or wisdome. good my lord pardon for this once the want of both. if you shall iudge it such. in My most honored lord Your humblest seruant T. TEMPLE.

Boston. August the 21th 1663.

MY NOBLE LORD.

I humbly wish this letter may fall into your lo*ps hands as you ride in your Coach. to Hampton Court or Twitnam. that your Leasure alone may beg pardon for my presumption.

XX.

COL. THOMAS TEMPLE TO THE EARL OF CLARENDON.

MOST HONORED, AND MY SINGULAR GOOD LORD.

I receaued yours of the 25 of Aprill (63) wherein to my noe small Comfort, I found the Continuance of your Lors great goodnes, iustice, and noblenes shewd to me in my poore affayrs, (howeuer vndeseruing) in giue

ing me leaue, and tyme, to answer for my selfe, which fauor in all due humility I must euer thankfully acknowledge My lord it hath bin an extreame affliction. to me, (vnder which I still languish,) to be noe otherwise knowne to your Lo? then by the clamarous complaints haue bin presented to you; though altogether vniust; neyther was anything wanting in me to haue freed your lo from farther trouble in this kinde, a thing I infinitely desyred & noe less indeauored; haueing made at my ariuall into these parts; as I thought & belieued; a friendly and finall agreement betwixt Cap. Breedon & my selfe, Concerning all differences, debts, & matters of accoumpts, or security what soeuer betwixt vs which I did chiefly in respect & obedience to your Lops Comands though to my loss and in my owne wrong some thousands of pounds. he haueing receaud as apears by accoumpt 5000 yt yeare of my absence in Peltry and gaue me noe other accoumpt, but that it was all spent in charges. his owne amounted to 500 more, all which I allowd off besides the 1000 I allowd time by his freinds articles in London. and Truly my lord I was very much surprized at the receipt of your lo", and the more when at the same tyme Cap. Breedon had desyred me to vse my interest at the Generall Court to take of the Fine they had imposed vppon hime which contrary to all mens expectations and beliefe I obtayned, though it was Carryed but by two or three voices, and giuen vnto me. which I gaue to his Atturnys heer. neyther doe I insert this heer out of vanity but to shew your lo plainly vpon what tearms Cap. Breedon & I parted. the true state whereoff, and of y° Country as I found it, I made. bold to informe your Lo? off in a letter sent by a Gentleman. one Mr John Richards at the same tyme, but your Lo? being ill. & not to be spoaken with he gaue it into y° gentlemans hand that wayted whoe gaue hime this accoumpt that he had presented it into your Lops own hands.

My lord to answer in Particular to what I am charged withall by Cap. Breed on although I could

easily make it; yett to enter into particulars, (or recrimininations a thing I naturally hate.) I feare it would be both vnseasonable and tedious to your lo whose minitts are pretious, especially in a letter. Therfore I shall humbly beg leaue to make motion to your Lo That you would please to impower some one person or persons heer, eyther by way of Comission or otherwise whoe may iudge and determine all matters betwixt vs eyther in matter of security, or accoumpts; I shall waue all aduantages I might pretend by any articles made with his brother, or others or himselfe. Nay my lord I shall with pardon offer yett more. Cap. Breedon hath left heer two very honest, able and sufficient men his atturnys to looke after his estate; one of them a marchant partner with hime in the Company: furnisht me with goods. The other, a Merchant that kept all our accoumpts betwixt both the Company & my selfe. the fittest men to settle busines betwixt vs. I will be Content if it may stand with your lo"?" pleasure; & ease your farther trouble, to stand to their finall iudgment & determination.

My lord you were gratiously pleased to intimate in yours that you would not Countenance any vnreasonable demands. and since honest and generous mindes haue euer giuen place to reason; to that, and your lo!* Comands I shall euer equally and cheerfully render all humble & readdy obedience. Indeed fortunes liberality haucing denyed me any better way at present; to express my humble accknowledgment, and due thankfullnes; for all those many vndeserved fauors and reall benefitts, you haue Confered vpon me vnless it be in my feruent prayers to allmighty god, to Continue & encrease your prosperity heer; vntill he shall change it into eternall happines. Soe prays my euer honored good lord. Your most humble most obedient & most faythfull deuoted Seruant

Boston, August the 21th 1663.

T. TEMPLE

Endorsed "Coll. Temple from New Englande. Aug. 21 1663."

XXI.

COL. THOMAS TEMPLE TO THE EARL OF CLARENDON.

MY LORD,

After I had writt my letters to your Lo? vpon pervsall of yours to my selfe and Cap. Breedons petition, I thought my selfe obliged to giue your Lo"? this short accompt more, which is.

That I am content to giue any farther security, vpon the land or otherways, as Concerning the Peltry trade which shall be produced. there wauing all former articles.

And for the rest I am charged withall. to haue stopt thier Peltry. at once. 800 an other tyme 1400 the first I did when there was a report heer that M' Newgat & Mr Harison were Comeing to seize vpon the forts. Soe soone as it Came & we had news that Cap. Breedon was Governor. I gaue it euery skin into his Corespondents hands. Mr Vsher his partner.

for the 1400 I stopt which he says they payd for extrauagant expences of mine; first it was not any such summe, but being forced to take vp goods of other men, & they backward to pay them. I writ them once word from the fort that if they did not pay them as they ought I would, & see they payd them off. this is the whole truth.

for his first article, of 2500 that I ow them on the old Companys accoumpt. it is vtterly false. in euery word & sillable. they indeed sent ouer a partner of thiers in that ship brought me yo Lo? letters. whoe sued me heer in Court, in two actions about it, in both which I cast them. and proued them fully payd.

for the forfiture of the morgage or the land. I haue Cap. Breedons bond of 8000 for performance of his Old Articles. which I will make proofe he hath often and sundry ways broaken to my damage aboue the sayd summe. My lord, in short, I shall refer my selfe, eyther to any arbitration, or your lo? owne iudgment.