Cussack in a small Vessel of 13 men had the boldness the last Week to take a Scotch Ship in our River near Sheerness and got off But the Yacht called the Merlin pursuing the said Cussack and took him so that he and his thirteen men are to be treated as Pirates Saturday last Sir Jonathan Atkins Governour of Barbadoes sailed from Portsmouth to take possession of his Charge His Majesty will go to New Market about the end of this Month to divert himself with Hunting Horse races and the other divertisements of the Place and Season Yesterday the Earl of Arlington took possession of his Charge of Lord Chamberlain of his Majesties Houshold his Majesty having delivered him the Staff and this day he hath complemented their Royal Highnesses and hath received the Visits and Congratulations of all his Relations and Grandees of the Court. Sir Joseph Williamson succeeds him in the Charge of Secretary of State for which he hath taken the ordinary Oath and hath this day taken his place in Council As for the Process of your Friend for which I was in great apprehension when I writ to you on the one and twentieth of the last Month it is at present as I hope in a better condition than formerly and although his Adversaries prosecute him with as much vigour and more confidence than ever nevertheless I do not doubt but the Lawyers of Mr. will find out some means to avert the danger for the present in deferring it at least for some Months and then it 's to be hoped that his Enemies will begin to hear reason and that those who had a Design to make use of this ill Conjuncture to satisfie their Malice under the specious pretext of obtaining their pretended Debts and securing their Trade will see perhaps that it is not so easie to maintain a Cheat and ruine by their tricks honest People supported by Justice and Innocence as they imagined after having got that point Your Friends the Emperour and the Pope will have a fair occasion of giving marks of their Friendship to Mr. by joyning their Credit and Interest to his to make the great Design which he hath so long meditated succeed to undermine the Intrigues of that Company of Merchants who trade for the Parliament and the Religion and to Establish that of the associated Catholicks in every place which may be done without any great trouble if the Emperour and the Pope will grant him their assistance and that Spain will not too obstinately oppose him as he hath hitherto done to his own prejudice of which I freely told you my Opinion in my last of the Third Instant A little time will now let us see the Trade of all Affairs of this nature more clearly than at present In the mean time you see the Confidence and Liberty I use with you c. From Mr. Coleman to the Internuncio Octob. 23. 1674. YOU agree with me Lec ' pro Rege that Money is the onely means of bringing the King into the Duke's Interest and of difingaging him from the Parliament and you must also agree with me that nothing can more promote the Interest of the Catholiek Party which is the principal Object of the Duke's Care and Affection and of the Hatred of the Parliament and which must hope or fear according as the one or the other of them increase in Power Now the Power would be unalterably established in the Duke if the King were resolved to give him his Assistance in one or two things so that if Money can prevail with him to act in the Duke's favour and to abandon the Parliament the Catholicks will find themselves at great ease about it And if that be the only way to gain the King that without him the Duke will be in great danger of being ruin'd and all the Catholicks with him it imports much to the Duke's Friends and to the Catholicks that nothing be omitted for the securing to them assistance of Mony as above mentioned But how shall one get it There 's the difficulty For my part I do not doubt notwithstanding the Discourse which we had together when I had the honour to speak with you upon this Subject and when we proceeded upon other Propositions than now we do but that the Pope may do it effectually if he think fit to employ his whole Power because Money which is intirely at his command is more than sufficient to make the Pretensions of the Duke and the Catholicks succeed besides that the Pope hath many other means to attain the favour of Money But before it be endeavoured to perswade the Pope to ingage himself in things of this nature he must first be made to understand that the assistance which he shall give the Duke shall be hindred from becoming ineffectual to the Catholicks either by the lightness of the King or by any other means and that it shall be so ordered as to produce infallibly or at least very probably the Effects which we wish for from it As for the first nothing in the World is more certain than that the King has a good inclination towards the Duke and the Catholicks and would joyn himself willingly and inseparably to their Interests if he did not apprehend some danger from such a Union which however he would not have any cause to fear if he found their Interest and consequently their Power so far advanced above that of their Adversaries that they should neither have the Power nor the Boldness to contest any thing with them or with him upon any matter that concerned them which he could see in a very little time if we could perswade him to treat roundly with Sir Will. Throckmorton and to do two or three things besides which would necessarily follow the first and which he could not easily avoid doing and I am certain Mony could not fail of perswading him to it for there is nothing it cannot make him do though it were as much to his prejudice as this we endeavour to perswade him to will be to his Advantage To convince you that the Duke and his Friends would have so much the Advantage in their Trade over their Competitors in case they might be assisted by Money that there would be nothing for the King to apprehend either of immediate loss or Collateral Damage in present or to come it will be enough that you consider the infinite augmentation of Credit which they have already gain'd by the bare suspending of their Suit for a little time onely for if that has been capable of advancing their Interest to such a degree consider I beseech you how one definitive Sentence in their savour must needs establish both their Reputation and real Power It would do it to that degree that I dare say not one man of those who now balance betwixt them and their Adversaries or that seem to be even of their Enemies Parry believing the Advantage of the Suit on their side would dare to cross or
convene with him for he says himself it 's you must put him the way to make the measures he has taken in Italy to take effect for he knows what power he hath here but he knows not of what Constitution you are in Besides the Propositions he makes for Portership can't be done at this distance but in such terms as the meanest face here you have will easily tell what he means and so our Trade quite spoilt so if our friend with you signifie the least desire he has to have our friend come over he 'le easily clear all difficulties and discover to you the dispositions of both Countreys to our purpose and I no ways doubt but you ll have entire satisfaction however there will be no harm to hear what he can say and to see the plan that 's made for this kinde of Traffique I expect your answer as to this particular and shall ever be as you would have me to be This Letter is indorst with Mr. Coleman's hand thus Answered 7ber 26. but imperfectly and with a promise of a clearer and fuller Answer by the next Post Note this dark suspicious Letter was received but a very few days before the Plot was discovered to his Majesties Privy-Conncil and Mr. Coleman thereupon Committed Among Mr. Coleman's Papers is one of his own hand-writing tituled on the back thus King 's Power to command his own Subjects service against all Acts of Parliament That which is written within seems to be but an imperfect beginning of an Argument to prove this Power of commanding Subjects service against all Acts of Parliament the words are these Any Subject is by his natural Legeance bound to obey and serve his Sovereign c. It is Enacted by the Parliament of the 23 Hen. 6. that no man should serve the King as Sheriff of any County above one year and that notwithstanding any Clause of Non obstante to the contrary that is to say notwithstanding that the King should expressly dispense with the said Statute Howbeit it is agreed in 2 H. 7. that against the express purview of that Act the King may by a special non obstante dispense with that Act for that the Act could not barr the King of the service of his Subject which the Law of Nature did give unto him Lord Cooke 7th Report Calvin's Case fol. 14. The next following Letters were written to Mr. Coleman by the said Internuntio or Nuncio as he stiles himself part from Brusselles and the rest from Rome whither he removed during the Correspondence They were written Originally in French Translated by several Members of Parliament Bruxelles the 14th of August 1674. Translated by Tho. Thinn Esquire SIR YOur Letter of the 24th of July which I received some days since from the person to whom you had Addrest it delivered me from the great uneasiness I was in by not having heard from you in so long a time I was very glad you confirmed what I received from another hand the good condition in which the Dukes Affairs stood in relation to the Process he had with the Parliament wherein I hope he will have an entire Victory Oblige me in acquainting me as often as possible you can how that matter proceeds and particularly whether it will come quickly to a hearing as those of his side intended or whether it is like to be put off to a longer time the Emperor is in tirely his and the Inter-Nuntio has this week received Letters from him wherein he commands him to assure the Duke of the passionate zeal he has for his Service and those of the Catholicks I pray you acquaint the Duke with it and assure him that the Inter-Nuntio has also the same inclinations as he will make appear on all occasions that shall present themselves but it must be the Duke himself must direct in what we may contribute to his Service The Pope also will give his assistance in such things as are proper for him to appear in I beg of you to communicate your News to me as often as you can by such ways as you shall judge most convenient and am in the mean time without reserve SIR Your most Humble and most Obedient Servant ALBANY From Brussels September 28. 1674. Translated by Sir Humphry Winch. SIR I Have received this Week two of your Letters dated the fourth and the seventh of this Month by which I understand in what condition the Dukes Process is I was ravished to find by the last that the Tryal will be put off to another time against the general opinion Without doubt this will extreamly rejoyce the Pope and the Emperor whereof the first imployeth all his power to accommodate the differences between Spain and France and I doubt not but the consideration of contributing by this means to the advantage of the Duke and of the Catholicks will further incite him to solicite this affair upon the relation which the Nuncio will make to the Pope of the importance of its success for the Catholiques of England As for the Emperor he is so zealous for the Dukes service that I am assured he will omit nothing on his side to facilitate whatever he shall find tend to the good issue of this Affair whereof I will write to him particularly Continue only to impart to me all the light that may serve to direct what is to be treated on I hope the next winter will give opportunity for more happy Negotiations even to the Mediation of the Pope who hitherto hath not been able to act at all as you have known from other parts I am without reserve c. Your most Humble c. ALBANY October 19. 1674. Translated by Sir Humphry Winch. SIR I Agree with you that the only means to win the King to the Duke's Interest and to take him off intirely from the Friendship of the Parliament would be Money for the Reasons you alledge in your last Letter of the 2d instant which I have just now received but the means necessary to continue it are so excessive that even according to your own opinion and the discourse we had when you was here what the Pope could contribute would be nothing in comparison of what is needed and in the obligation he hath also to assist other Friends who are in greater straits I likewise doubt whether the Pope would resolve upon what you propound considering the little stress can be laid upon the Kings will it being to be feared that all imployed that way would soon be lost without any advantage to the Duke or his Associates which we have reason to fear from his ordinary manner of proceeding It would therefore be necessary in my opinion to have at least some propable assurances that we might imploy for the advantage of the Catholicks and what otherwise we are obliged frugally to manage for them in other parts before the Proposition be made to the Pope which is not to be undertaken in so general and obscure Terms as you
him the greatest part of the story of the Lord Treasurer concerning the Lord Arlington though he said he took Throckmorton's coming to him very kindly and heard him speak with great attention which opportunity Throckmorton made the best use he could of to press the thing he told him that the Duke had hitherto done his utmost endeavours to hinder the Resolution of the Parliament and to procure a Dissolution of it That he had been in great expectation of the French King's Assistance in which if he had but contributed in any measure the thing might have been done six months since Indeed Throckmorton has no orders from the Duke to ask any thing yet but yet however Throckmorton knew the Affairs a little and that he had great reason to believe the Duke would not be able to resist the Parliament any longer if he were not very speedily assisted by the Fr. King That the Parliament was certainly very opposit to both their Interests but irreparably to that of the French King 's for that as he had told him before the Duke if he would have quitted the Fr. King might have made good Conditions for himself and so he shall yet when he pleases with the Parliament but that for the French King he must expect no such thing for that infallibly the Parliament would engage the King the very first moment to joyn in War with Spain Emperor Holland Prince of Orange and Spanish Governour in Flanders against him that he must not judge of the Power of the King's Play now by what he played for him whilst the Lord Arlington was Trumps and therefore believe it would not be more against him if the Lord Arlington should continue Trumps with the Parliament for that I assured him it would be most powerful and carried against him with great animosity and heat as on the other side if Trumps should be changed by the French King's help and the Duke taken for Lord Arlington at the Parliament he might promise himself somewhat a warmer and usefuller Assistance that he had made him discourses to this purpose heretofore that he had thought to have quite desisted finding so little encouragement and fear of being thought importunate but that the War not now just upon new shuffling of the Cards should warn him once more but that now he had done for he had discharged his Conscience in doing his utmost for the Common Good and if God did not see fit to bless his endeavours with success he would sit down quietly though never contentedly before that the Catholicks and his Interest should be thus abandoned tho there were no other Interest of the Duke's or the French King 's in it And there I began to tickle Pompone upon that Point in which you must know he doth much himself That Throckmorton needed not to say any more to clear himself from any suspicion of private designs or interests in it as from imposing any thing upon them for that themselves knew he never did nor never would benefit a shilling by them and that the event of things had always shewed them that his Intelligence was right and his Advice sound Pompone began to answer with a confirmation of the conclusion of his Discourse and told him that the King had the same opinion of him that he could wish c. but came to his old what Remedy again for that Throckmorton had asked three four or five hundred thousand pounds a thing unpossible to be compassed Throckmorton told him that was a mistake for that half of the latter perhaps might do it and then told him the substance of Coleman's Letter of the 21th past as to time and other circumstances too but Throckmorton told him that after all this if there were 500000 l. or double whether he thought in his conscience it were any better parting with it for the French King than to have the Parliament joyn with Holland c. And whether he believed that double and treble that would not soon be set flying in case of a War supposing these circumstances Then he cryed Huy par Dieu Then Sir said the other Look to it for it will certainly be Then he came to it again and said that the Duke said to Ruvigni that notwithstanding he always told him the King had said free and friendly things on the French King's behalf I answered as you may guess to that but suspecting by all this that Ruvigni might be his Creature and that he was afraid he might be excluded in this business Throckmorton told him you may imagin that I bear Ruvigni no good will I protest to you the contrary and to shew you how little that is in my thoughts tho I must confess I think I could put them in a shorter way of doing it Give Ruvigny but a sufficient Power to do it and a strict Command to execute it and I desire never to know it nor will I trouble you any more to enquire after it and shall think my self sufficiently happy if I have in any wise forwarded the thing for the doing of it effectually which is the only aim I have and therefore cared not by whom it was done had promised Throckmorton he would tell the French King the first opportunity all his discourse and that he would do it with kindness and desired Throckmorton to come again the beginning of the week and he would tell him the King's Answer This is all Throckmorton could do And if they are blind or mad you must have patience But sure something they will do and let it be what it will or how it will if the Duke can do his business by it pray let him not reject it His turning 300000 l. into 400000 makes me believe they intend to do something I must confess I shall be overjoyed to see it to confirm the Duke for if he give ground Arlington and the Parliament have no bounds You must imagine Throckmorton enlarged upon these heads They had some discourse of Coleman too who Pompone said he heard was a Man of Parts c. Throckmorton replied to that what I think he could have wished himself had been said I had yours of the 25th just now If you cannot reade mine better than I do yours which is soil'd one half your Paper blots so I do not wonder that you understand not what I would have you get Ruvigny to write I would have nothing more than what he hath done He hath done his part well nor would I have him say any thing about the Bishop of Dublin tho he is the greatest Knave alive for fear of mistakes and I know you cannot explain your self clearly to Ruvigny in that point The King's Factor is much discontented against Pompone Louvoy and in fine all the rest He gave me yesterday great signs of it and pretty touches too against Duke Lauderdale The French King hath cleared the business again with Sueden and they are resolved again to act you know I suppose what rub in
opposite to ours but we must not despair God is mighty and the innocence of this poor miserable too evident to permit him to be abandoned of all the World If by your means you can gain the Emperour and the Pope to the Duke for his Assistance or to contribute something for the accomodating of the differences between his Friends of Spain and France which cannot give him any Succor because of the infortunate War in which they are ingag'd you will merit much of God and of all the Friends of the poor Catholicks who are reduced almost to despair and are tormented every day by their Enemies and will be constrained to fall every day under the burthen of their miseries if they are not upheld by some means Their condition and that of the Duke are alike in many things but do differ in this that they have many Enemies which may every of them in particular be against the Catholick Cause for the Parliament whereas the Duke being onely engaged for the others shall not be obliged to do any thing at least that he shall not be condemned by the Parliament all the others being of the same nature so that none shall attacque him in the last before this first is determined because that if the Process comes to be determined in his favour our Laws give him a great advantage against them which shall have the boldness to trouble him thereupon This is all that I can say at present of the Affair of the Duke and of the Catholicks which I recommend to you with all my heart assuring you that since Christianism there hath not been any Affair neither more to be pitied or more worthy of all the Cares and Zeal of good People than this of which I now speak to you If you have the same Sentiment you will take a great part in the Affairs of our Friends and you will endeavour to apply all the most proper Remedies to make them succeed From the French King's Confessor to Mr. Coleman Paris September 15. 1674. SIR I AM very much obliged to you for the Letter you were pleased to write me concerning my Sickness Lec ' pro Rege It was long and troublesome and that which troubled me most during the long continuance of it was to find my self unable to take care of that Affair you gave me a memorial of with as much diligence as I could wish But being after all arrived here I resolved to send an Extract of the Memorial because I was not able to carry it my self which has been very lucky thanks be to God as you will see by the Letter I write to his Royal Highness Sir William Throgmorton goes express with it I pray acquaint his Highness that this Knight has managed this Affair with all the Zeal Fidelity and Prudence possible that his Highness may remember him upon occasion as a Person much addicted to him For Mr. Bernard that stayes here and whom you have recommended I pray be not further concerned for him The first occasion that offers he shall find the Esteem I have for his Zeal and Wisdom and for the recommendation of his good Friends I am in the mean while Sir Your most humble and most obedient Servant J. Ferrier From Mr. Coleman to the Pope's Internuncio Aug. 21. 74. YOU expect that the Duke should let you know what your Friends can do for his Service Lec ' pro Rege I told you the last Week my Opinion concerning the Estate of the Pope in case the Process of the Parliament be judged to his disadvantage And I have likewise told you what Opinion all the World hath as to that matter that is to say that it was absolutely lost But for my part not being of so timorous a nature as others I do not believe so but am of opinion that it is not impossible to overcome our Adversaries in spight of all the confidence they have of Success But the Victory which I hope for is to be able to prevent the Business coming before the Parliament that it be not begun at all rather than to gain the point if it shall be brought upon the stage For the Fury of the Persecutors is such that they will make use of all means imaginable as well Evil as Just to gain their point And I have too much reason to suspect the Integrity of our Judges in that Affair for I plainly perceive they naturally incline to the side of our Adversaries And I dare put no confidence in the Assistance of the King after so many Demonstrations as he hath given us of his weakness as to that matter And it is from these three Causes that is to say the Fierceness of our Adversaries the Injustice of our Judges and the Weakness of the King that we are to expect surtable Effects So that we shall have very little hopes of success having so many Difficulties to contend with in case the Parliament should meet Wherefore it will be necessary to provide some Support among his Friends of your Acquaintance if his Affairs should be too far pusht to suffer him to be in quiet here All those who have had any Correspondency with him are at present in great suspence and in pain to know what Success the Business above-mentioned is like to have If the Duke succeeds in what he pretends to they will be more fix'd to him than ever if he fails all his Creditors fall upon him in a moment and he and his Catholick Associates will be absolutely ruin'd for it is he alone upon whom all the rest do intirely depend So that it is for him and his Affairs that all our Friends ought to employ their Care to keep him up that he may subsist We have none with us that regard the Merit but the Success of things So that if the Duke can happily disingage himself of those Difficulties wherewith he is now incumbred all the World will esteem him an able man and all People will intrust him in their Affairs more willingly than they have done formerly And the King himself who hath more influence on the East India Company than all the rest will not onely re-establish him in the Employment he had before but will put the Management of all his Trade into his hands By which means he will have opportunity to enrich himself and all his Catholick Associates with all their Correspondents So that 't is of great consequence that those who owe him the Sums of the Emperour and the Pope assist the Duke with a little Sum of Money to put him in a condition to re-establish himself in the Management of the King's Affairs and to endeavour to Compose the Differences between his two Friends of Spain and France So that they may be in a condition to support him in his just and worthy Design to begin and establish a new Traffick very advantagious to the whole World and particularly the Kingdom of England which at present is unhappily divided for want
propound it For what remains the Nuntio is upon the point of going to Rome having already leave to return The Negotiation of the business you propound will belong to his Successour but he will retain the same passion which he had for the Dukes Service as well at the Emperors Court as at the Popes if he shall have any part in the Affairs of England He will not fail to inform you more particularly of his departure I pray assure the Duke of what I have told you and am without reserve SIR Your most Humble and most Obedient Servant ALBANY October 30. 1674. Translated by Sir Gilbert Talbot SIR ACcording as I sent you word by my last I am upon the point of parting from hence having already received the leave that I waited for I am sorry to part from a place where I might have been instrumental to the Service of the Duke and have made it appear to him what a particular zeal I have for all things that relate to him Howsoever I will not fail to contribute thereunto all that lyeth in my power in the place whither I am going I leave here behind me a Friend of mine who will have the care of my affairs to whom nevertheless I have communicated nothing of the Commerce which is betwixt us Neither will I acquaint therewith the Friend that is to come till at least I understand first from you that you judge it convenient If you have any thing to send to me in order to the Duke's Service you may make use of the same hand which you employed in their address hither to me and he may send them to Rome under the cover of his Brothers I pray you deliver the Inclosed to Monsieur Belair and I am without reserve SIR Your most obedient Servant ALBANY POSTSCRIPT I Think it better that you send the Letter for Monsieur Belair some other way Rome 12 January 1674 5 Translated by Sir J. Knight part of this Letter not Decypherable SIR 'T Is certain that the best Expedient to become Mother of the Kings will and to sever his kindness from the Parliament is that of Money And I doubt not but the Duke may thereby make himself absolute over his thoughts and to draw by his Process and that of the Catholicks those advantages which you take notice of in your last Letter But if the Pope had the means to do as much as would be necessary in this matter which is much beyond his power for the Reasons I told you when I had the happiness to see you and of which I have advised you in many Letters never can he be drawn reasonably to do it but upon more solid grounds and more probable assurances touching the good of Religion and of the Catholicks then what you intimate in the discourses of your last Letter What you propose touching you may there consider it in the Terms wherein at present are it would be for the Interest of the Duke to produce unto light an affair of this nature That which I can with truth assure you and whereof the Duke may be perswaded is that since the Pope and the Emperour have an affection and most peculiar zeal for all that regards him As to my self I lay about with the one and with the other in the same shrine of zeal which I shall always retain for the Duke and perhaps you shall shortly see some proofs thereof It hath been here said that the King for some time hath wanted his health let me know what there is in it And as to our Commerce you may continue until farther order to send me your Letters by the same way which hitherto you have done I am without reserve SIR Yours c. The Cypher which I left with 300 and which you may have from him will serve to open what here you find February 16 1675. Translated by Sir Gilb. Talbot YOur last Letter of the 7th of January which I received from a Gentleman sent from her R. Higness the Dutchess of York to the Dutchess of Modena hath afforded me very great comfort from the favourable prognostick which you make of the Affairs of the D. of York wherein you know how highly I concern myself without all doubt you have received the answer which I sent you some time since to the Letter delivered to me by the hand of your friend And you have understood by that the incongruities which render the execution of that Affair impossible which you proposed to be Treated with the Pope and the Emperor concerning Money and I doubt not but the Duke and you both will come to be of the same opinion with me that it would prove an irrecoverable prejudice to his Highness if that business should be set on foot I was not a little surprized to hear that my Lord Arlington was so deeply engaged in the concerns of the Parliament that he should have so little consideration of preserving his friendship for the King I expect with impatience the news from your Country to know what the negotiation of your Ministers in Holland will produce and what the effect of Admiral Tromps Journey to London I am in the mean time SIR Your most Humble and Obedient Servant ALBANY June 3 1675. Translated November 1. 78 by Sir Ed. Dering SIR YOu have without doubt already understood from the Publick News-books the business of the Cardinal of Norfolk which will serve you as a most evident proof of the affection which the Pope doth bear unto the concerns of England from whence you may draw a most assured consequence of what you may hope when the Affairs of the Duke shall need the assistance of Rome I am very glad to understand that his Affairs do not hitherto receive any prejudice by the Proceedings of the Parliament and I shall be overjoyed to know the particular of his concerns of which you gave me hope by your last which was of the 7th of April since which I have received none from you I expect them with impatience and so much the more because our friend for ought I see excuseth himself from sending me any news of the Duke upon this reason that you had given him hopes that you would inform me most particularly of all that passeth in this matter Oblige me therefore with the communication of your Letters and believe that I am really SIR Your most Humble and most Obedient Servant ALBANY Rome October 19. 1675. Translated November 1 78. by Sir Ed. Dering SIR YOurs of the 30 of August came not to my hands till the last week by the means of our common friend who liveth in this City which I am obliged to tell you that you may not think I have forgot my duty in delaying my Answer so long I am over-joyed to understand by the news you write me the good condition in which the Affairs of the Duke and the Catholicks are at present and for what concerneth the matter of which I have been more particularly informed by
Mr. Coleman to make such strange Steps which must precipitate them into Destruction and above all they will attribute this to France So that Monsieur De Rouvigny is mightily ill satisfied with this Proceeding for it is most certain that the Persecution will be very Terrible against the Duke and the Catholicks and all the Jesuits and above all against France Translated by the Lord Ancram The following Letters were Written by Father Sheldon as he is commonly called Directed all at least except One to Mr. Coleman May 22th 1675. YOu will please Sir with these to receive my Thanks for Two of yours both which came to my hands since the departure of the last Ordinary The Proceedings of the Parliament are sufficiently suspected by the King of France And it were to be wish'd that Holland and the Confederates had not so much cause to flatter themselves that the Parliament may at last be able to effect any thing of that kind which is pretended I suppose Monsieur Rouvigny is not wanting on this Occasion to secure the Interest of the King of France I expect with impatience the Issue of the Ten days which are to produce something that you intend me for a Regallo I hope It will prove a Dissolution for a Prorogation would be of no Use Lord Treasurer I fear is not a Friend to the Catholicks and yet I am told That he has lately found the Endeavours of the Duke to have been of great use to him I shall not long trouble you with those Affairs her R. H. I hope will allow me to Address to her by your mediation and then I am sure the tender of my most humble Duty will be presented to her with Advantage June the 1st I Cannot omit to give you this Trouble to let you know that you have fully satisfied me as concerning the Ten days and I hope your next will add the certainty of it what the Issue may be of Dissolution you may possibly conjecture but I fear a Prorogation would leave all things in the same posture in reference to Religion and then it must needs go ill with the Catholicks but I hope the Duke will not be wanting to improve this occasion and Duke of Lauderdale will sure be of the same Opinion I will not answer for Lord Treasurer I sent you one lately for the Dutchess I cannot tell whether it has come to your hands I shall not fail to serve your Friends at Antwerp and possibly I may go shortly into those Parts and by the way find an opportunity to get an Answer to their Request I should be heartily glad of any occasion to serve you and to acknowledge your Kindness towards me which I esteem in a particular manner being bound upon that account to be always your most Obedient Servant There was not any Key found whereby the first and great part of the following Letter could be decypher'd but towards the end is written some ordinary Matter without Cypher It does not certainly appear whether this were written to Mr. Coleman or some other Person Paris June the 8th THe late Promotion of Cardinals does not please every where The Duke D'Estre Ambassador at Rome being admitted to a private Audience his Holiness having answered him to the point concerning the Dispute betwixt the Ambassadors and the Cardinal Patron was going to ring his Bell but the Ambassador hindred him and began to speak of the Promotion of Cardinals challenging the Pope to have promised him that the Bishop of Marseilles should be promoted to which his Holiness reply'd That he had never engaged his Promise to do it and that the Importunity of the Ambassadors did not at all advance those Pretensions and thereupon rung his Bell and when the Attendants came in the Ambassador said he had not finished his Audience and staid in the Chambre until the Company was about to retire and then advanc'd towards the Pope's Chair and began to press for further Satisfaction in that concern of the Ambassadors upon which the Pope rising up the Ambassador with both hands press'd him down to his Chair and the Pope thereupon told him he was Excommunicated This passage is thus recounted by the chief Officer of the Nuntio here who is now made Cardinal and has Orders from the Pope to complain of so rude a Proceeding Sir John Arundell sets forward on Tuesday by whom I shall write to several of my Friends I am yours from my whole Heart and must desire you to get me an Answer from Sir George Wakeman Paris the 25th of June Lect ' pro Rege THese are only to beg Sir your Excuse for not answering at this time the Particulars of your last Pacquet which I received and have perform'd your Commands in all respects I hope I shall hear often from you and that you will give me some Commissions to Monsieur Pompone when I shall be at a convenient distance to perform them I approve of all that you were pleas'd to write and am confident you hit the Design and hope you will give your Instructions in order to procure that it may be timely prevented The Duke will take I hope other Measures and then you will have some need of the King of France who methinks is not secure unless he advance what you propose Consult with your Friends and advise how France may be Instrumental towards it Limbourg is taken The Prince of Orange after his great Bravour Retreated to the other side of the River upon the appearance of 15000 Horse of the French Monsieur Turenne has Defeated Three Regiments of the Enemy and secur'd the Passage of the Bridge of Strasbourg I shall attend with impatience to receive some Commands from you Paris June the 29th 75. I Know not Sir by what mistake yours of the 3d came Yesterday to my hands with your last of the 14th Though I am at a great distance from Pompone yet if you think it convenient I shall find means to inform him of what you shall Judge fit to impart In your last I had no particulars and yet I have learn't from others that Lord Shaftsbury had not so cold a Reception as you intimate Was not the Duke interessed in it and if so Must it not prove of Consequence to the Catholicks and drive at the same design against the Protestants as is observed by you I am glad to perceive that you are so well with Monsieur Rouvigny and that you concur in Opinions France can never rely upon a sure Foundation till the Duke be able to Secure it and Monsieur Rouvigny I fear is not sufficiently persuaded that it is feasible to set the Duke in such a Posture and therefore it is not attempted But did the King of France interess himself in it much might be effected and to invite him to it it is requisite That he should be inform'd that all difficulties which oppose may easily be remov'd but the Cards are not yet shuffl'd when they are Dealt you will
the Parliament It is reasonable to think so if Common Report may be allowed for Truth What must that produce any Advantage to the Catholicks Does not the Duke expect to be Re-enstall'd Was not that promis'd by those of Prorogation Are there any Appearances of these Expectations from the Parliament We are here inform'd That the Parliament designs to give Money for the Fleet upon Condition the King will reduce the Number of the French Men of War to the account which they formerly kept with Queen Elizabeth The King here has of late been ill dispos'd and subject to a little Vertigo He has laid a Tax upon the men of the Roab which will furnish a vast Sum without any burthen to the People and he has given out Commissions for great Leavies for the next Campaign I shall not over-charge you with News you are better inform'd from other hands Your Town will shortly be the Scene of News and then I hope you will make me Partaker of the Transactions In the mean time I am SIR Your most Obedient Servant L. S. THe Letters next following were written by Sir William Throgmorton to Mr. Coleman And his general manner of Writing was this he wrote a Letter with ink concerning some ordinary trivial matter as about Persons taking Coach to Travel about the fashion of wearing Crape c. writing the lines at a pretty broad distance leaving a space between for interlining In this space and upon the remaining blank of the Paper he wrote with Juice of Lemmon the Secret Matter which now is here printed The use of such Writing was that if the Letters were intercepted or miscarried nothing would appear to the Casual Reader but the frivolous Matter writ in Ink but when they came to the hands of his Correspondent he heated them at a fire and that made the Lemmon Juice appear and become legible But it falls out in this way that if the Writer do not strictly watch he will sometimes write dry the juice which was in the Pen being spent Also by unwary holding too near the fire the Paper is liable to be singed By such accidents there happen to be several Obliterations and Blanks and Breaks in these Letters which interrupts the Current of the Discourse in some places and thereby part of this Evidence is lost Paris 1. December MR. Pompone return'd me my Paper again yesterday Lect. pro Rege and told me that the French King had seen it and was extreamly satisfied with it that nothing pleas'd him more than the assurance I thereby gave him of my Confidence that the Duke was resolved to continue his kind purposes to him that he desire me that I would assure the Duke that nothing should turn him from this towards him and that he should not rejoyce in any thing more than to be able to help him to be or to see him by any means cheif Factor for our Company for that he very well knew that nothing but that could secure his own Stake there what therefore his Sentiments of Lord Arlington were we might guess and how gladly we Would see him dispos'd of as we desire but that he thought his medling in it would rather hinder than advance our design however that he was willing to receive directions in it from the Duke and that he should alwayes be ready to joyn and work with him in any design he should judge for the good of that common Trade That as for the Dissolution of the Parliament to be he he judged it an admirable nay necessary work but that the time being yet pretty far off and that Spain the Emperour and Holland having chosen the King for the Umpire of the Differences between them and him he thinks he may stay a little in that point till he hears from the King upon his Umpirage and sees what course he intends to take for it but that he absolutely relied upon the Duke for the choosing of proper Sides-men in that business for that he put his only confidence in him for it he told me moreover that the French King would gladly have writ to the Duke but for fear of accidents which might turn it to both their disadvantages but that as he absolutely believed the account I gave him of the Company and Trade and the Dukes great affection to him though I had no Order from the Duke for it because he very well knew how I was concern'd for him for he hoped the Duke would put the same confidence in this that I told him from his part that all this was very fine and head but that for all that to delay working for the dissolution of the Parliament might be dangerous and that therefore I desired him to move the French King to consider of it again that for my part he saw I was an unimployed person in it and had no other design but their good as they were common Traders but that by what insight I had in the Trade I thought they ought to lose no time and so hazard little accidents for so great a good for that at this rate of third hand talking they would never understand one another or effect any thing though they did me great honour to offer me so much trust upon my private credit that yet by that means and general Talk they would never be able to carry on the Trade roundly We parted then with this after a long discourse and many arguments that he would again propose the thing to the French King and that he thought my reasons were so convincing and kind to them that he doubted not but the French King would either himself or order him to write and that in four or five dayes I should hear from him Pray direct your Letter to Mr. Mer at the Corner of the street of St. Benet in the Fobourgh of St. German at Paris and in the bottom and give me sum for you I cannot doubt that I could of my friend here and some others make half an O try you what you can there in case the French King should be backward in that point and that that ingredient should be requisite to carry on the work I spoke with Mounsieur Pompone again of whom I had almost the same story I gave you in my former but that truly had not had opportunity to speak to the King yet alone _____ but that he would and much of that they seem to wonder much they hear nothing from the King yet upon this late business his Factor here has had yet no manner of orders what it concerns them as themselves say to have the Duke their friend in this business but yet I begin to doubt they would willingly engage him to be so through the reason of his own interest and as many fair words and what else you please but pence that that is the reason they were writing yet for fear of coming to close dealing that is the Parliament is set far off and they think cannot possibly
come to joyn till the Spring if in the mean time by the Duke his heartiness for them which as I said they think his own interest and their own great expressions of kindness will ingage him to they can get a good accommodation and regulation among all the dissenting Brothers they have their aim if not they think the same price will do four months hence as well to stop them as now though they are infinitely mistaken _____ all I can for to keep that interest on foot against them will certainly be the greatest perhaps the only means of compassing what they so much desire but parting with ready mony you know is a hard thing especially with Merchants if you can think of any thing more for me to say upon this score pray write it in French that I may shew it them that is what you think fit they should see for Pompone desired me that I would let him know when I heard any thing but if I hear nothing from you I think it is the best way to let him alone a little perhaps it may make them the forwarder especially if Sweden and Holland court the King so much to draw him the one way and the other the contrary as I hear they do and if the Duke will but play that Game cunningly he may certainly bring the French King to what he pleases though I must confess I had rather have him have 200000 pounds of the Catholicks than 300000 l. of the French King that is to get the Parliament dissolved for that would shew the French King what the Duke was and would make him much more helpful and complaisant to him but here is the Work you 'l say and I must confess it is such a one too as takes up my thoughts night and day and I would have Coleman think of it too for it would be a great work as it is a difficult one and perhaps is an absolute necessary one I shall in a little time let you know somewhat certain from it but I believe I may venture to promise half 100000 l. from hence sure 100000 l. on your side might be compassed The Man I so often spoke to you of in this business is the best Man in the World he swears it shall not stick at all his Estate but the Duke shall be accommodated And with all this his cheif Friends as Pompone and Colbert and Louvois as much divided about war or peace as is possible Now I say with all this if the Duke would strike the stroke without them you would see what an operation it would be and on my soul I believe a quarter of 100000 l. or less in the glistering mettal to the King of England himself into his own pocket may weigh as much upon an occasion with him as ten times as much into the common Stock or buy Land with and if such a business to the Duke he may make his account on it when he pleases he shall not want it long for that purpose I then resolve not to see Pompone for these reasons you say you had not spoke with the Duke but he had had a long discourse with Ruvigny which you knew not what it was nor what the Duke knew of Lord Arlington in his business nor what perhaps he now would have me do Ruvigny failed to write what he knew and what the Duke told _____ I will not therefore come to them with my fingers in my mouth nor to be caught in that I resolve not to see them till I hear from you again You say not a word how the acceptation of the King for Umpire relishes with you nor what the King intends who shall go and so forth pray be plain in all these points your direction is a Mounsier Mercers au evine de la ruz St. Benvoist Fauxbourg St. Germaine I have asked you but you forget it I writ to you in my first Letters to Mr. Bradshaw about the 100 l. I doubt I must have more ere long but you shall have six weeks time for it What you writ here concerning helping my self to money one way which you mention is a ticklish point the man is of a Jealous humour and if I should do any thing should look like self-interest I should spoil all you may be sure I say all to him imagine but I must not seem to aime at _____ but let it come of it self Adieu I am sure I am tired MOunsieur Pompone came to Town last night but I am of opinion still that I ought not to speak to him again till I here more from Coleman and that for many reasons drawn both from Coleman and his own Letters from observations of things here and from some discourse as I had lately on the Exchange with the King of Englands Factor here He is certainly one of the shrewdest dealing men that I know and that makes me extreamly close with him pretending great ignorance in all sorts of Commerce but for all that his goodness to me as he would have me believe it flows so naturally from him that we are never together as often as he can contrive it he _____ of himself to dine with me which is a freedom you know not usually taken by Merchants and upon all little occasions inviting me but he enters with great seeming confidence and freedom into a Discourse of the most mysterious points of our Trade and how he came by it for he would have me understand the Duke was not by him now whether this be a wheedle of theirs upon him or that he intended it as one upon me I know not but their backwardness makes me suspect Mounsieur Ruvigny has some underhand dealing and that he may keep them here in expectation of it and that he holds them in hand that it is time enough to think of the Parliaments being dissolved if that fails and that the Duke will let nothing slip to secure the Parliament dissolved however for his own sake and at last if all does fail that which we ask they think is a sure Card to make the King and us do what they list when nothing else will Now methinks indeed in my humble judgement I would not have the Duke fail them in this I would have him push with all the vigour and force imaginable to dissolve the Parliament and I would have for on my Conscience without two or 300000 l. do it as with them and then if he would give me leave methinks I could turn it instantly more to his advantage by shewing them how little he wanted two or 300000 l. to help him in that or any thing else and that now if they would come upon terms Now what his design in this may be God knows but I am sure if it be to pump me he shall lose it for I never discover more knowledg of any thing than a man of my converse in the World and Genius which he is well acquainted with must be thought to have or
him at a cheaper rate than for nothing Paris Decemb. 16. 1674. I Am extreamly glad you were satisfied with mine of the 15th and that seems to be so I am sure there is nothing in the World I covet more than that he should be so I shall long for your next and that the Parliament be dissolved for then sure we shall see what the King will do though I believe he has not been so silent to his Factor here for I am confident he had Orders for something two Posts last though for what I cannot possibly learn On my word it behoves your Traders to bestir themselves now for it is that which will cause Enemies and it is Resolution must do the business I am glad you approve of my not seeing Pompone though I should be glad to have something to the purpose to see him withal Methinks I could talk otherwise if my .... were rais'd but a little which it would be to some purpose if the dissolution of the Parliament were compass'd On my word I see not that things go so bad but that such a business would make them very reasonable Men. My Lord Duras is coming to you you know I have always loved him and am much his Servant whether he makes me such a return I know not he is most extraordinarily outwardly civil to me that his inwards is not so I have some reason to doubt I only ask you to look that he does the Duke no prejudice We have had here the same Story of my Lord Arlington's refusal at the Hague that you had in London Pray see what you can do for the Man-Midwife he would be a great help to me it goes to my heart to press you thus always for Mony I assure you I spend not a Shilling that I think the Duke's Service does not require but yet I cannot help it Mony goes like the Devil Once more pray look to Duras for I am confident he would do both of us a prejudice if he could As to the quarter of the 100000 l. I know not what you call reasonable conditions let me know if you please what you mean by yours but I mean for the procuring the dissolution of or facilitating of it and then I assure you that I am very sorry for that is the subject of it For it is as publick as his being here and scandalizes many good People as also her Mother's being with child this _____ appease for God's sake Let us be vertuous if we can but if we cannot let us not to satisfie their Vanity lose our Wit quite but be wise and cautious I swear upon my Soul the reputation of Vertue with that of his Truth will do him more good than ten Millions January 19th 1674 5. I Think I must state the case in Writing again and give it Pompone to shew Fr. K. I doubt the Bishop of Dublin's sending to Louvoy's Father For you must know that the Bishop of Dublin is the lyingst Rogue in the World he has done our business no good for he speaks with Confidence and makes them believe he is the Man in the world with the Duke and tells them whatever he pleases which must make them have a mean opinion of the Duke or if they do or do not absolutely believe him it must make them the more diffident of Sir William Throgmorton The truth is I wonder Pompone doth so well with Sir W. Throg as he doth considering that the Bishop of Dublin speaks the contrary with as much Authority as appears to them as Sir W. Th. does what he says I told you all that was between him and Louvoy his Father six weeks ago for I trace him every where and surely never Man made Falshood Lying and Knavery so much his business as he does I had yours of the 4th and if I think it as proper after a nights consideration as I do yet I may french it to Pompone next time I see him for I like it very well Why should you not get Ruvigny write to Pampone the discourse Coleman had with him and his liking of it It would help Sir William Throgmorton mightily at least it would give him some more Credit I am overjoy'd to hear what you say about dissolving the Parliament though 300000 l. should not be compass'd not that it shall make me a jot the less active or sollicitous for it for I am I assure you of their opinion as much as is possible that nothing will settle businesses lastingly like joining the Fr. King 's and the Duke's interests together And when I told you there might be an advantage made by gaining the Parliament to be dissolved without 300000 l. I did not mean the Fr. King but only that that would make these about the Fr. King seeing the Power the Duke has a little more reasonable and that then they will come with the Duke to terms of accommodation more equal than now they will and let us think or propose what we please it is certain that nothing but a just ballance of things can keep their Interests long linked and therefore I judged it for the Duke's advantage by such an Action to gain that Reputation with them as shall shew them their benefit of coming to such an Accommodation with him which then may keep their Amity link'd fast for all their lives I never was blinder nor wearier in my life So adieu I could not help the 100 l. Bill for ....... Pray tell Mauson I have done his .... as he desired He is with my Wife but I cannot write to him this Post February 6. 1674 75. I Account my self most extraordinary unhappy that my illness hath hindred me from seeing Mounsieur Pompone since businesses go so with Lord Arlington as they do I assure you if it had been nothing but the hazard of my Life lain at stake I should have ventured it to have given you an Answer this Post but it would have allarm'd all the World to see one go out in such a condition by the next Post however I promise you an Answer for I will either speak or write to him If Ruvigny hath but in any measure done his part I promise you I will do mine And if the French King will do nothing I know not how to help it but the truth is he hath so mean an opinion of the King and all his Partners that I doubt he thinks scarce any thing they can do worth 300000 l. It must be therefore I believe something immediately from the Duke that I must tell him that will perswade him to hope for better things when he shall govern Adieu I can say no more Superscribed To Edward Coleman Esq Secretary to her Royal Highness Transcribed 8. Novemb. 78. Ed. Dering Postscript This is Abbot Mountague's Letter which should have come the last Post Paris Febr. 9. THrokmorton was yesterday to speak with Pompone whom he found allarm'd by Ruvigni for the King's Resolution about the Parliament he had told
the way They ofter to furnish them with 24000 Men in the Spring provided they will pay them three months now which I think is almost a Bargain How this may work as to some other Affairs you know of I cannot tell but I think however this should be no hindrance Adieu I am almost tired to death Pray get better Paper and be more careful for I cannot reade half your Letter Superscribed To Mris Coleman Transcribed Novemb. 8 1678. Ed. Dering February the 13th I Told you last Post how Throckmorton had disposed Pompone to speak to the French King and how they were agreed that Throckmorton should come again to know the French Kings Answer which yesterday he did and Pompone told him that the French King had ordered him to write to Ruvigny effectually on this concern that was That Ruvigny should joyn that he should take Measures and Directions from the Duke that he should consult with him about the means to prevent the Parliament and get the Parliament Dissolved and that all things that were possible to be done on the French Kings side to Dissolve the Parliament should be done Throckmorton told him this would do very well that he was resolved to keep his word for that he would not be inquisitive to know the other particulars which he hoped however there were or else they did nothing that he was extreamly glad it was put into Ruvigny his hand for that he believed him a good man and an able man that his late experience too had taught him that he would the better know how to behave himself among so many Knaves that he had now only two things to recommend to him strongly to inculcate unto Ruvigny that is Secresie and Promptness for that Throckmorton did not know whether all that he had said and which was however as much as could be said to it had evinc'd him that the thing did press as much as it did but he did assure him that if either of these were wanting or if he continued beating the bush the business would be lost that for Throckmortons part he had no other design but the common good c. he took him and embraced him and told him the French King was very sensible of that and gave all the imaginable to what he said and therefore begun now and would do all that was possible in his power and as the urgency of the Affairs required This is all Throckmorton for his life could do in this business and perhaps as much too as any other could have done in his circumstances For I am confident he omitted nothing that could press him as you may see by his Papers when the young Gentlewoman comes what the success of this may be God and is certain that Louvy who hath hitherto been against him and for War is now so much turned again hearing some disgrace by him that it is believed he will carry the French King to imbrace Peace presently upon any terms Now if this were so and Louvy a wise man it were the fairest way for us in all the world for nothing it is certain would do us more kindness than to see the Parliament Dissolved But if Louvy be a Fool and a Beast who can assure us of their patience for this way and not call'd to his passion of fear _____ and let any underhand little Engineer write to you on the whole or in part this is all I apprehend for unless this be an underhand way of his I am confident there is nothing and then we are well enough for let the French King beat about as he pleaseth now he shall be forced at last to come to the Duke and his terms too and therefore I am clearly with all submission in my poor judgment for this That if the French King does not help vigorously to gain the Parliament Dissolved that then the Duke should not be against the Parliaments coming for I think it is not morally probable that the Duke will be better armed against the Parliament three or four Months hence than he is now but on the contrary six Months hence in the first place the Parliament will be more incensed and violent against him than now for it is certain they all take it for granted that he does his possible for the Parliaments Dissolution It 's a prejudice to which the longer he is about and cannot comply it in his heart the more it will render the Parliament audacious mean and despised by him for it is clear that whilst the Duke is at shall he he looses ground Peace yet and the French King will not have made terms of Peace for all his dodging Now when the Parliament shall begin to play his prank the French King shall without doubt assist the Duke with all he can in the world against the Parliament But who will ensure that the French King and Peace will not be friends eight or nine Months hence and if so I am sure the French King says then Fight Dog fight Bear what can the Duke clear himself from the Parliament let him but shew as much Resolution in his Mind as he has often done Valour in his Person and not be startled or led away by Knaves or by Mens fearful Councels as he has too many about him of the one and other sorts who mind themselves more than his service and what can hurt him I wish I had ten thousand Lives and I would stake them all for him onely that a Throckmorton and Coleman may go to pot and it may not do so well for the Catholicks and his at first but for the Gods will be done and for the other really I cannot well pity some of them they having been so base and mean in his concern and their own as they have been Let them smart it will turn their good I think if the Duke thought well of it if Coleman speak to Rouvigny upon this now and that he urged him to the utmost in it about 300000 l. it would not be amiss and then Coleman will finde what is not for Throckmorton has done what he could here except he has new matter for it is clear that this which Pompone told Throckmorton is only either a putting him off civilly and that they intend to continue to dodge as they have given Rouvigny Orders and resolve to act only by him suppose which you will I think it will be necessary to Coleman thus to deal with Rouvigny that is openly and home for if they intend to do any thing it will certainly be by Rouvigny and if they intend to do nothing you will by his shuffling discover it I expected what you told me in your last from them both no doubt they will Court the Parliament or the Devil if they think him like to be uppermost but let the Duke consider of it accordingly _____ the Duke nor Rouvigny trust the King with more than needs be you know he is not good at keeping Secrets Dated February le
20 75. I Am not at all surprized at what I hear of Lord Treasurer and Lord Lauderdail but should have bin much had they done otherwise than they have done let us remember Dr. Creytons Cat and we never will confide in them nor rely so much on them as that any thing they can do shall be able to dismay us I hope the Duke is not at all by what has hapned yet Throckmorton has done what has bin in his power with Pompone the whole business as he hath told you in his two former Letters is put into Rouvigny his hands and truly as much as appeared to Sir William Throckmorton with auspicous circumstances enough it is therefore now between the Duke and Rouvigny for it seems to Throckmorton that the thing must be done by Throckmorton or that they have not a design of doing it at all and if it should happen to be the later for Jesus sake be not dejected at it but on the contrary encourage and comfort the Duke all you can for on my Soul and Conscience without affecting the Preacher I dare confidently utter my opinion that God intends it for his good and that if he pleases but now to make use of those rare vertues of courage and constancy with which Heaven has indued him all this will turn to his glory and advantage My humble opinion in this case then if I might give it that if the King of France shall still continue to dodge and give the Duke no vigorous assistance for Dissolving the Parliament that then the Duke shall not continue to shuffle between the Parliament Dissolved and the Parliament as I have given you my Reasons in my former Letters but in Gods name let the Parliament proceed and prosecute his Suit it is true this is not the way one would have chosen if the French King would have been perswaded to understand his own interest but if that cannot be what great prejudice can accrew to the Duke by the Parliament none in the world say I if he pleases but with magnanimity and scorn to shake off those little wretches and their Counsels whom he hath with too much patience hitherto suffered to bait him continually to stoop and sneak to the Parliament and will resolve never to receive them again that have once betrayed him but on the other side put on a countenance but above all a mind full of noble and vertuous resolution and courage which will make him look boldly upon his worst and make good use of his best fortune I say if he pleases but to do this and besides shew all by the regulation of his Family as the vertuous conduct of his own person how much he abhors and detests the debauchery of the Kings house which has made it so odious to all the Nation and the world he will find that he will have all the Wise Sober good people and such as are worth having as well Protestants as Catholicks on his side and he shall live to see Lord Treasurer and D. of Lauderdail and Lord Arlington and all the rest of that crue knock themselves to pieces with the Parliament and his resolution and courage and vertuous behaviour will not only keep the Parliament at a bay but will keep him also in his bounds too For it is by the King his stooping to the Parliament the prejudice and dis-reputation will in great measure redound upon the Duke that the Duke is to apprehend damage from now this the Duke his resolution will in great measure prevent by keeping the Parliament in some sort within his limits and it will over and above when Lord Arlington and Lord Treasurer and D. of Landerdail shall have bruised one another and be at last all crusht by the Parliament necessitate the King to throw himself into the Dukes Arms who by that time will not only be strong in reputation but in reality too by the conjunction with him of all and generous men of whatsoever Party with which then he shall usefully be able to serve the King and himself for be not perswaded that the Protestants and Catholicks make a difference in this point but between such as are Rogues and design a Faction And to shew you that this opinion is not only speculative but that I can give you a proof that the Dukes cause by what is hapned yet is not at all lost or deemed desperate in the opinion of _____ men if you find that the Duke is disposed to take this course and this way defend his Birthright his Honour and his Conscience altogether I will then make you a Proposition of a number of persons who you will not doubt have honour and courage by this their resolution and I assure you are reckoned amongst the soberest and wisest part of the Nation most Protestants or are at least in shew and 4000 l. or 5000 l. a year apiece who ask or expect no Reward or Offices but onely ask that the Duke will give them assurance that he will not be perswaded hereafter to abandon his own interest and them and they will give him all the assurance on their sides desire that themselves and their fortunes shall sink and swim with him and these are such as I dare assure shall perform their promise and not do as Lord Treasurer and D. of Lauderdail and some of them perhaps have good interest with the Parliament too that is are of the same Families we are of his Cabal but I am engaged upon my honour not to discover them till I know the Duke will take that course that they may be useful to him for they are unwilling as you will believe they have reason to expose themselves and fortunes and do the Duke no service neither for to deal plainly with you they are so afraid of some that the Duke has about him who they say betray him and would do them so too that they by no means dare discover themselves what is in their hearts they are for the Dukes cause and his disposition which keeps multitudes of others in the same suspence say they for they all avow that it is not his being for the Catholicks startles them they ask but the Duke to be resolved to continue governing himself with vertue and moderation to throw off such people as they say are about him and betray him and then give them his word and they will stick by him against Lord Arlington and Lord Treasurer and Landerdail and the Parliament and who he pleases I do not doubt but the Duke is courted now by the Lord Arlington his Party and some of the Parliaments too but if ever he receives any that have betrayed he will go nigh to run the King his fortune that is always abused by Knaves when they see it for their purpose and never trusted nor relyed on by honest men I had yours of the 4th just now Mr. Boteman sets out on Sunday A Paper Intituled INSTRUCTIONS SEeing that his most Christian Majesty was
angry that I went to England but that he did not shew it for fear of giving any umbrage and that for the same reason he hath not spoken with me yet he hath since prayed me to assure his Highness of some secret way that his Majesty doth take his part in all interests and will serve him to the utmost of his power and that he is strongly perswaded that my Lord Arlington is not in the esteem of his Majesty nor in that of his Highness although that some do labour to perswade him to it he saith The re-assembling of this Parliament will not be profitable for the King or for his Royal Higness although my Lord Arlington will endeavour to uphold it if therefore his Royal Highness shall judge it necessary to have another Parliament he will assist him with Money to have such an one and as he shall desire and prayeth him to make his Proposals thereupon or upon any other thing that he shall judge either needful or profitable being resolved to do all things possible for his Service The Father hath told me of the Knavery of Monsieur de Sessaube and of the folly of some others of ours but notwithstanding all that and also though his Majesty knoweth very well that his Highness hath sent into Flanders which in truth giveth him a little umbrage notwithstanding his Majesty is resolved to conside intirely in his Highness and to afford him all imaginable assistance but above all he prayeth his Highness that he will indeavour by all ways and means to confirm a perfect intelligence with his Brother he told me morcover that if Monsieur de Rouvigny was not a Man to your liking nor such a one upon whom you may wholly rely that if his Highness would give me the least order to advertise his Majesty thereof he would indeavour to send over another person The following LETTERS were writ by Cardinal Norfolk to Mr. Coleman Rome January 4.76 SIR I Received your two this week one of 19 November by your Friends way here th' other without date by Sir H. Tichb I am glad of the Prorogation so that the Parliament will not now in hast trouble you again or others and if finally the King will resolve well and keep close to it all may yet do well if not God have mercy on ye I wrote last week as I inclose now another to the same and assure the Duke I both can and will serve him and his faithfully to good purpose having already for the short time put all in excellent way of which more hereafter in due time I having now very little for so much I have to do Mr. Hayes at Arundel-house can tell you something particularly of my condition here time giving only leasure to adde I am Yours as you know Rome 8. Feb. Stilo Novo 76. SIR I Suppose you received my Answer to your _____ received since my being here and the Duke my Answer unto his by Sir H. Tich And you may be sure that the Pope will do all he can to serve the Duke in all occasions as I can as assuredly also answer for Cardinal Norfork both for his Affection and Duty hoping before very long to shew it by deeds in a due time and proportion I have in the interim written pretty full to Mr. Hayes at my Brothers as you know to conferre with you what my time is too short to repeat about the old business in which the Portuguese would get the Queen to give Cardinal Norfolk his place to a Portuguese under several specious pretexts as some of your Friends give out here will speedily be done and if the King had not at first hindered would have been done by the Queen Now therefore you are desired to deal with the Duke that he speak privately and efficaciously with the King to hinder it on all scores both at present or at any time hereafter c. as Mr. Hayes can tell you Another business is that Cardinal Norfolk being written unto from Paris by the Prince William of Furstenburg's Brother to move the Pope's and others credits with the Emperour for that Prince's Liberty it 's thought good if the Duke will please to desire the King to send his Command to his late Envoy now with the Emperour to joyn his endeavour with those of the Pope's Minister now at the Emperour for the Liberty of the said Prince William and also for the Peace and that Cardinal Norfolk may know from you or others securely that the King hath sent such express Orders to his Envoy now with the Emperour of which I will accordingly acquaint the Pope who in the interim will send Order there to joyn with the King 's Envoy's endeavours for that and the Peace In the same Order the King may also please to command his said Envoy to joyn his endeavours with another who will quickly be sent by the Pope for the Peace as also the like is desired be sent to my Lord Barkley Temple and Jenkins to joyn with the Pope's Minister for the Peace and please to let me know of all fully that I may accordingly dispose all here for the best that I may likewise my self write by the Pope's Minister to my Lord Barkley and the rest about it Henceforth please to direct yours to me thus A Monsieur Monsieur Chaumont commis du general des Postes en son Office à Bruxells pour faire tenir à Monsieur Thomas Grane and with this Superscription he will send them me safe as I have ordered him and will also send mine to you safe and with less expence putting mine to you on my account as far as Bruxels and if you think it safest and quickest as I think it may be he can direct mine to you by my good Friend Mr. Cook 's way who you know I should have told you that although the French Ambassadour nor his Brother the Cardinal do neither receive or give any Visit or converse with any of the Cardinals of the last Promotion yet the said Cardinal hath sent many Excuses and Complements to me how sorry he is that he cannot at present visit and confer with me as he doth mightily desire c. And I have as often sent the like Compliments to him and finally the other night at a great Assembly at the Queen of Sweden who often in publick speaks mighty well of England and our Nation her Majesty spoke to me ex abrupto in French although she used always before in Italian and presently called on the Cardinal d'Estré who was there with fifteen Cardinals more to hear how well I spoke French as she said better than herself and he approaching to her Majesty and me who were alone talking could not well but speak to us both which when he did to me I answered accordingly and presently the Queen left us alone so that I then began to talk to him of the business you know of which he said much and I answered as much hoping that
Te Deum like to be Sug There were several Letters writ to Mr. Coleman by the late Earl of Berkshire under the borrowed name of Rice The names of principal men and matters are therein expressed in words of Cabal or Cypher which there was not any key found to open and explain But at the Committee of Lords there was the following key made but made by Conjecture onely and therefore it is not warranted for certain But the Reader may use this or his own sense and Conjecture upon the 4 or 5 of the Letters here exhibited March the 7th 1674 5 William Rice Lady D. York Patch Arlington Brother D. York Trees Great men Lord Treasurer Ladys Sister The King Oake The Treasury Lady to be passively neutral c. D. York to be passive in the matter of dissolving Parl. Adversaries The Protestant party The two Trees Parl. and Protestant party Yorkshire and Dorset Atturnies Buckingham and Shaftesbury Bothoakes Lord Treasurer and L. Ladies Neece Duke of Monmouth The Aunt The Duke Octob. 20. 1674. Wife of Shaftesbury The Nonconformist Interest Without Date Dorc. Atturneys Letter Shaftesburys letter to Carlisle Gardiners brother The Duke The two trees The Parl. Protestant Religion or Protestant Relig. Property Ladys Sister The King Ladys house Romish Religion Plenipotentiary Lord Treasurer Champerty Court dissimulation or undermining My Friend D. Buckingham Ladies friend over the Dike The French King A Terme A Session of Parliament New Assize A New Parliament His Mistress The Popish Cause The Grand Jury The Parliament Men September 10. 1674. SIR I Have received yours dated August the 28th and if your Lady pleaseth with Confidence to retaine me in her Cause as you say she will she may rest most secure to be both Faithfully and Uncorruptibly served according to the old English Oath of an Attorney without Fear Favour or Affection from hence therefore I resolve not to stir upon no other bodies Call nor Fees untill I have her special Command to come up to Westminster and full Instructions how to move when I am there which must be your part to see done and prepared in the mean time because I would think a little thereupon between this and then since the impertinentest of officiousnesses is to pretend to be wiser in other folks concerns than they are themselves yet give leave to say that I doubt very much words will not be kept with her by those whom chiefly she doth depend on not to shrink in the day of Battle when bullets begin to fly thick and near and though my Brother Attorney of Dorchest and his whole packed jury saving two of the number who are my Cousin Germains originally are Cowards let not that comfort you at all for if you remember after Clinias was driven into the water he fought like a lyon besides the ills which they have already done to speak the plain truth cannot be safe but by attempting greater wherein the Ladies Neece if good care be not early taken will have a considerable portion I would you saw as I doe because of my Ladies former displeasure towards me which makes them lie at something an opener Garde with me in this particular then they doe perhaps with others of the same profession what postings and meetings there are up and down the Country about this matter to the exaltation of the Neece usque ad Coelum and to the crying down of the Aunt nay and to such an insolence is the little Atturny grown that when applications are made unto him from the Center of all these lines as you well observe and the man for whose sake I first fell into disgrace with the Lady to admit them into his Counsels and interests the urchin still answers quod cùm impiis non vult Conversatio and that he intends to doe his work not by such assistances sed solum ex pondere causae wherefore if any Champarty masculine or feminine of that kind could be proved in open Court it were not amiss but when the thing comes to the touch you 'l see that it will not abide the tryall nor bear water The giving of mony then is all I can apprehend to be dangerous in this Case with a Condition to exclude the Aunt out of the entaile because upon those terms no separate proviso can serve her turn onely conduce towards the invalidating the testimony of her witnesses and Friends I desire to here onely that you have gotten this note safe into your hands shew it unto my Lady at seasonable opportunities and ever esteem me without welt or guard Your faithfullest Friend and Servant William Rice October 20. 1674. I Have Received yours dated the 13th of this month these come to you by a secure hand else I would not venture to write out of paraboles The new Parliament is that which the Dorsetshire Attorney and all his Clients have now in chace Consultations are on foot how to frame addresses for it within the compass of the Law Tell our Lady from me that she hath but one point seriously to intend which is to make herself and not be denyed the Commission mediatrix of the Peace which France as well as Spain are more inclined towards than ever because of the unruliness of the German Confederates for should either the Duke of Buckingham or my Lord of Arlington get that Employment from her nay any one besides there is an end of her storie By reason if the new Parliament cannot be obtained to have their own Creatures trusted with this mediation is the onely hope they have left I mean the wife of Shaftsbury could they and their adherents be authours of the general peace upon the nick of this Conjuncture I am afraid France will not stick so close to the Lady as perchance she believeth they would since to my knowledg they are actually in treatie at present with those two persons whom I last named to this very purpose therefore you see in this cause I do not juggle nor regard either peculiar Interests or friendship for the Duke of Buckingham till he be at the brink of death will never be right to our Cause more both because he doth think the Lady underhand hath used him hardly in the matter of his late persecutions as also that most of our persuasion were in the contrivance of the petition which was delivered in Parliament against my Lady of Shrewsbury and him though perhaps both equally mistaken however I must be sincere always with you for so it is and if my Lord of Arlington can obtain the Commission aforesaid then a rope for the Pope and long live the house of Nassaw you see clearly I trust you therefore I am sure you will not suffer the integrity of a poor Country Cloathier to be abused I tell you again if they can get the acting of the Peace into their hands in one word they will be able to doe their work peractum agere and much better hilted than it was the
very glad to hear it again confirmed by you that the Gardeners brother proveth a good man he saith right the two Trees must down which now there is no more dispute cannot stand without the undermining of the Ladies house but all the craft will be how to get them removed for which the Gardiners Brothers Tools I doubt are not sharp enough besides those who have promised to work with him when the Spade cometh to the Rock 't is to be feared may digg Counter for at present 't is a tough piece of labour and will continue so untill the Ladies Sister doth feel the inconvenience of their standing there as well as she herself has felt it already That the Lady has gotten a Plenipotentiary of her own chusing is good if he doth not find that he must digg against the Rock too for then as well as I love the man he is not to learn this lesson of the Ladies of any Church whatsoever durum erit tibi contrà stimulum calcitare my friend I begin to hope may do well by something I have heard of him whereof more by the next return Send me word I entreat you what Bills are upon the Stocks and whether there be one in hand to exclude the Catholick Lords from Sitting and Voting in the House of Peers that I may prepare accordingly Since the Priests and Monks are all gon when they are beyond Seas again more Masters of their Conceptions than they were here I pray God that they may write no foolish Books to inflame the reckoning which by the way they are like enough to doe unless warned to the contrary by the Lady whose good they ought to tender more then the pleasing of their fancies since the penalty of their follies otherwise will certainly light upon her in the conclusion of things Since the Lady will go to a new triall intend proceed prosper and reign the Gardener will not be long from you to accomplish his word but if the event doth not prove otherwise than is expected I am much cousened for either John Bothoaks must heeds be stark mad or he is sure of having already packed the Cards enough to doe his feat with the Jury before he cometh to sit down at primavisti with the Lady in fine though I knew Cassandra was an Asse for Prophecying always where she was never believed yet I cannot leave this kind of style for my heart Let your new Instruments be never so acceptable to the Jury for a while that is to say till the cheat be enacted they will not have been long in the Ladies hands but they will become like the others heretofore whom they so much distasted since their business is not to accept of her security upon a change of officers but right or wrong to reject it whatever she offers or whomever she imployeth Another soruple too I have which is whether her friend over the dyke will be true to her or no for if so as you well observe Orange Trees will not thrive in our soil farewell till I see you March 24th 1674 5. Coleman to Monsieur Le Chese 29th Sept. 75. SInce Father St. Germain has been so kind to me as to recommend me to your Reverence Lect. pro Rege so advantageously as to Encourage you to accept of my Correspondence I will own to him that he has done me a Favour without consulting me greater than I could have been capable of if he had advis'd with me because I should not then have had the Confidence to have permitted him to ask it in my behalf And I am so sensible of the Honour you are pleas'd to do me that though I cannot deserve it yet at least to show the sence I have of it I will deal as freely and openly with you at this first time as if I had had the Honour of your acquaintance all my life and shall make no Apology for so doing but only tell you that I know your Character perfectly well though I am not so happy as to know your Person and that I have an Opportunity of putting this Letter into the hands of Father St. Germain's Nephew for whose Integrity and Prudence he has undertaken without any sort of hazard In order then Sir to the plainness which I profess I will tell you what has formerly pass'd between your Reverend Predecessor Father Ferrier and my self about Three years ago when the King my Master sent a Troop of his Horse Guards into his most Christian Majestie 's Service under the Command of my Lord Duras he sent with it an Officer call'd Sir William Throckmorton with whom I had a particular intimacy and who had then very newly embrac'd the Catholick Religion to him did I constantly write and by him address my self to Father Ferrier The first thing of great Importance which I presum'd to offer to him not to trouble you with lesser Matters or what pass'd here before and immediately after the fatal Revocation of the King's Declaration for Liberty of Conscience to which we owe all our late Miseries and Hazards was in July August and September 73. when I constantly inculcated the great danger Catholick Religion and his most Christian Majestie 's Interest would be in at our next Sessions of Parliament which was then to be in October following at which I plainly foresaw that the King my Master would be forc'd to something in prejudice of his Alliance with France which I saw so evidently and particularly that we should make Peace with Holland that I urg'd all the Arguments I could which to me were Demonstrations to convince your Court of that mischief and press'd what I could to persuade his Christian Majesty to use his utmost force to prevent that Sessions of our Parliament and propos'd Expedients how to do it but I was answer'd so often and so positively that his Christian Majesty was so well assur'd by his Ambas here our Ambas there the Lord Arlington and even the King himself that he had no such apprehension at all but was fully satisfied of the contrary and look'd upon what I offer'd as a very Zealous mistake that I was forc'd to give over arguing though not believing as I did but confidently appeal'd to time and success to prove who took their measures rightest When it hapned that what I foresaw came to pass the Good Father was a little surpriz'd to see all the Great Men mistaken and a little one in the right and was pleas'd by Sir W. Throckmorton to desire the continuance of my Correspondence which I was mighty willing to comply with knowing the Interests of our King and in a more particular manner of my more immediate Master the Duke and his most Christian Majesty to be so inseparably united that it was impossible to divide them without destroying them all Upon this I shew that our Parliament in the Circumstances it was in manag'd by the timerous Counsels of our Ministers who then govern'd could never be useful
gain by this Proposal but yet it was unfortunately delay'd by the unhappy and tedious Sickness which kept him so long from the King in Franche Comte and made him so unable to wait upon his Ma. after he did return to Paris but so soon as he could compass it he was pleas'd to acquaint his Ma. with it and did write to the Duke himself and did me the honour to write also to me on the 15th of September 74 and sent his Letters by Sir Will. Throck-morton who came Express upon that Errand In these Letters he gave his R. H. fresh assurances of his M. C. M's friendship and of his Zeal and readiness to comply with every thing his R. H had or should think fit to propose in favour of Religion or the Business of the Money and that he had Commanded Monsieur Rouvigny as to the latter to Treat and deal with his R. H. and to receive and observe his Orders and Directions but desir'd that he might not be all concern'd as to the former but that his R. H. would cause what Propositions he should think fit to be made about Religion to be offer'd either to Father Ferrier or Monsieur Pompone These Letters came to us about the middle of our September and his R. H. expected daily when Monsieur Rouvigny should speak to him about the subject of that Letter but he took no notice at all of any thing till the 29th of September the Evening before the King and Duke went to New-Market for a Fortnight and then only said That he had Command from his Master to give his R. H. the most firm assurances imaginable of his Friendship or something to that purpose making his R. H. a general Compliment but made no mention of any particular Orders relating to the Subject of Fa. Ferrier's Letter The Duke wondring at this proceeding and being oblig'd to stay good part of October at New-Market and soon after his coming back hearing of the Death of Fa. Ferrier he gave over all farther prosecuting of the former Project But I believ'd I saw Monsieur de Rouvigny's Policy all along who was willing to save his Master's Money upon an assurance that we would do all we could to stave off the Parliament for our own sakes that we would struggle as hard without Money as with it and we having by this time upon our own Interests prevail'd to get the Parliament Prorogu'd till the 13th of April he thought that Prorogation being to a Day so high in the Spring would put the Confederates so much beyond their measures as that it might procure a Peace and be as useful to France as a Dissolution Upon these reasons which I suppos'd he went upon I had several discourses with him and did open my self to him so far as to say That I could wish his Master would give us leave to offer 300000 l. to our Master for the Dissolution of the Parliament and shew him that a Peace would most certainly follow a Dissolution which he agreed with me in and that we desir'd not the Money from his Master to excite our wills or to make us more industrious to use our utmost powers to procure a Dissolution but to strengthen our Power and Credit with the King and to render us more capable to succeed with his Ma. as most certainly we should have done had we been fortified with such an Argument To this purpose I press'd Monsieur Pompone frequently by Sir W. Throck who return'd from hence again into France on the 10th of Nov. the Day our Parliament should have sat but was Prorogu'd Monsieur Pompone as I was inform'd by Sir Will. did seem to approve the thing but yet had two Objections against it First That the Sum we propos'd was great and could very ill be spar'd by his Master in the Circumstances he was in To which we answer'd That if by his expending this Sum he could procure a Dissolution of our Parliament and thereby a Peace which every body agreed would necessarily follow his M. C. M. would save 5 or 10 times a greater Sum and so be a good Husband by his Expence and if we did not procure a Dissolution he should not be at that Expence at all for that we desir'd him only to Promise upon that Condition which we were content to be oblig'd to perform first The second Objection was That the Duke did not move it nor appear in it himself To that we answer'd That he did not indeed to Monsieur Pompone because he had found so ill an effect of the Negotiation with Father Ferrier when it came into Monsieur Rouvigny's hands but he had concerned himself in it to Fa. Ferrier yet I continued to prosecute and press the Dissolution of the Parliament detesting all Prorogations as only so much loss of time and a means of strengthning all those who depended upon it in opposition to the Crown the Interest of France and Cath. Religion in the Opinion they had taken that our King durst not part with this Parliament apprehending another would be much worse 2. That he could not live long without a Parliament therefore they must suddenly meet and the longer he kept them off the greater his Necessities would grow and consequently their Power to compel him to do what they listed would encrease accordingly and therefore if they could but maintain themselves a while their Day would certainly come in a short time in which they should be able to work their wills Such Discourses as these kept the Confederates and our Malecontents in heart and made them weather on the War in spite of all our Prorogations and therefore I press'd as I have said a Dissolution until February last when our Circumstances were so totally chang'd that we were forc'd to change our Counsels too and be as much for the Parliaments sitting as we were before against it Our change was thus Before that time the Lord Arlington was the only Minister in Credit who thought himself out of all Danger of the Parliament he having been accus'd before them and justified and therefore was zealously for their Sitting and to increase his Reputation with them and to become a perfect Favourite he set himself all he could to persecute Cath. Religion and to oppose the French to shew his Zeal against the first he reviv'd some old Dormant Orders for Prohibiting Ro. Cath. to appear before the King and put them into Execution at his first coming into his Office of Lord Chamberlain and to make sure work against the second as he thought prevail'd with the King to give him and the Earl of Ossery who Married two Sisters of Men Heer Dyke leave to go over into Holland with the said Heeren to make a Visit as they pretended to their Relations but indeed and in truth to propose the Lady Mary eldest Daughter to his R. H. as a Match for the P. of Orange not only without the consent but against the good liking of his R. H. insomuch
that the Lord Arlington's Creatures were forc'd to excuse him with a distinction that the said Lady was not to be look'd upon as the Duke's Daughter by as the Kings and a Child of the State and so the Duke's consent not to be much consider'd in the disposal of her but the interest only of State but this he intended to render himself the Darling of the Parliament and Protestants who would look upon themselves as secur'd in their Religion by such an Alliance and design'd farther by that means to draw us into close Conjunction with Holland and the Enemies of France The Lord Arlington set forth upon this Errand on the 10th of November 74. and return'd not till the 6th of January following during his absence the Lord Treasurer the Lord Keeper and Duke of Lauderdale who were the only Ministers in any considerable Credit with the King and who all pretended to be intirely united to the Duke declaim'd loudly and with great violence against the said Lord and his Actions in Holland and did hope in his absence to have totally supplanted him and rooted him out of the King's Favour and after that they thought they might easily enough have dealt with the Parliament but none of them had courage enough to speak against the Parliament till they could get rid of him for fear they should not succeed but that the Parliament would sit in spite of them and come to hear that they had us'd their endeavours against it which would have been so unpardonable a Crime with our Omnipotent Parliament that no Power would have been able to have sav'd them from Punishment but they finding at his return that they could not prevail against him by such Means and Arts as they had then tryed resolv'd upon new Counsels which were to out-run him in his own course which accordingly they undertook and became as fierce Apostles and as Zealous for Protestant Religion against Popery as ever my Lord Arlington was before them and in pursuance thereof persuaded the King to issue out those severe Orders and Proclamations against Catholicks which came out in Febr. last by which they did as much as in them lay to Extirpate all Catholicks and Catholick Religion out of the Kingdom which Counsels were in my poor Opinion so detestable being levell'd as they must needs be so directly against the Duke by People which he had advanc'd and who had profess'd so much Duty and Service to him that we were put upon new thoughts how to save his R. H. now from the deceits and snares of them upon whom we formerly depended we saw well enough that their design was to make themselves as grateful as they could to the Parliament if it must sit they thinking nothing to be so acceptable to them as the Persecuting of Popery but yet they were so obnoxious to the Parliament's Displeasure in general that they would have been very glad of any Expedient to have kept it off though they durst not engage against it openly themselves but thought this Device of theirs might serve for that purpose hoping that the Duke would be so alarm'd at this proceeding and by his being left by every body that he would be much more afraid of the Parliament than ever and would use his utmost power to prevent its sitting which they doubted not but he would endeavour and they were ready enough to work underhand with him for their own sakes not his in order thereunto but durst not appear openly to encourage the Duke the more to endeavour to Dissolve the Parliament their Creatures us'd to say up and down That this rigorous proceeding against Cath. was in favour of the Duke and to make the Dissolution of the Parliament more easie which they knew he coveted by obviating one great Objection which was commonly made against it which was That if the Parliament should be Dissolv'd it would be said that it was done in favour of Popery which clamour they had prevented by the severity which they had shown against it beforehand As soon as we saw these Tricks put upon us we plainly saw what Men we had to deal with and what we had to trust to if we were wholly at their mercy but yet durst not seem so dissatisfied as we really were but rather magnified the Contrivance as a Device of great Cunning and Skill all this we did purely to hold them on in a belief that we would endeavour to Dissolve the Parliament that they might rely upon his R. H. for that which we knew they long'd for and were afraid they might do some other way if they discover'd that we were resolv'd we would not At length when we saw the Sessions secur'd we declar'd we were for the Parliaments meeting as indeed we were from the moment we saw our selves us'd by all the King's Ministers at such a rate that we had reason to believe they would Sacrifice France Religion and his R. H. too to their own Interest if occasion serv'd and that they were led to believe that that was the only way they had to save themselves at that time for we saw no expedient fit to stop them in their career of Persecution and those other destructive Counsels but the Parliament which had set it self a long time to dislike every thing the Ministers had done and had appear'd violently against Popery whilst the Court seem'd to favour it and therefore we were confident that the Ministers having turn'd their faces the Parliament would do so too and still be against them and be as little for Persecution then as they had been for Popery before this I undertook to manage for the Duke and the King of France's Interest and assur'd Monsieur Rouvigny which I am sure he will testifie if occasion serves that that Sessions should do neither of them any hurt for that I was sure I had Power enough to prevent mischief though I durst not answer for any good they should do because I had but very few Assistants to carry on the work and wanted those helps which others had of making Friends The Dutch and Spaniards spared no pains nor expence of Money to animate as many as they could against France our Lord Treasurer Lord Keeper all the Bishops and such as call themselves old Cavaliers who were all then as one man were not less industrious against Popery and had the Purse at their Girdle too which is an excellent Instrument to gain Friends with and all united against the Duke as Patron both of France and Cath. Religion To deal with all this force we had no Money but what came from a few private hands and those so mean ones too that I dare venture to say that I spent more my particular self out of my own Fortune and upon my single Credit than all the whole body of Catholicks in England besides which was so inconsiderable in Comparison of what our Adversaries could command and we verily believe did bestow in making their Party that it
is not worth mentioning Yet notwithstanding all this we saw that by the help of the Non-Conformists as Presbyterians Independents and other Sects who were as much afraid of Persecution as our selves and of the Enemies of the Ministers and particularly of the Treasurer who by that time had supplanted the Earl of Arlington and was grown sole Menager of all Affairs himself we should be able to prevent what they design'd against us and so render the Sessions ineffectual to their ends though we might not be able to compass our own which were to make some brisk step in favour of his R. H. to show the King that his Ma's Affairs in Parliament were not obstructed by reason of any aversion they had to his R. H's Person or apprehension they had of him or his Religion but from Faction and Ambition in some and from a real Dissatisfaction in others that we have not had such fruits and effects of those great Sums of Money which have formerly been given as they expected If we could have made then but one such step the King vvould certainly have restor'd his R. H. to all his Commissions upon which he would have been much greater than ever yet he was in his whole life or could probably ever have been by any other course in the world than what he had taken of becoming Catholick c. And we were so very near gaining this Point that I did humbly beg his R. H. to give me leave to put the Parliament upon making an Address to the King that His Ma. would be pleas'd to put the Fleet into the hands of H. R. H. as the only Person likely to give a good account of so important a Charge as that was to the Kingdom and shew his R. H. such reasons to persuade him that we could carry it That he agreed with me in it that he believ'd we could yet others telling him how great a dammage it would be to him if he should miss in such an undertaking which for my part I could not then see nor do as yet he was prevail'd upon not to venture though he was persuaded he could carry it I did communicate this design of mine to Monsieur Rouvigny who agreed with me that it would be the greatest advantage to his Master imaginable to have the Duke's Power and Credit so advanc'd as this would certainly do it if we could compass it I shew'd him all the difficulties we were like to meet with and what helps we should have but that we should want one very material one Money to carry on the work as we ought and therefore I do confess I did shamefully beg his Master's help and would willingly have been content to have been in everlasting Disgrace with all the world if I had not with the assistance of 20000 l. Sterling from him which perhaps is not the Tenth part of what was spent on t'other side made it evident to the Duke that he could not have miss'd it Monsieur Rouvigny us'd to tell me That if he could be sure of succeeding in that design his Master would give a very much larger Sum but that he was not in a condition to throw away Money upon uncertainties I answer'd that nothing of this Nature can be so infallibly sure as not to be subject to some possibility of failing but that I durst venture to undertake to make it evident that there was as great an assurance of succeeding in it as any Husbandman can have of a Crop in Harvest who sows his Ground in its Season and yet it would be accounted a very Imprudent piece of wariness in any body to scruple the venturing so much Seed in its proper time because it is possible it may be totally lost and no benefit found of it in Harvest He that minds the Winds and the Rains at that rate shall neither sow nor reap I take our case to be much the same now as it was the last Sessions if we can advance the Duke's Interest one step forward we shall put him out of the reach of all Chances for ever for he makes such a Figure already that cautious Men do not care to act against him or always without him because they do not see that he is much out-power'd by his Enemies yet is he not at such a pitch as to be quite out of Danger or free from Opposition but if he could gain any considerable new Addition of Power all would come over to him as the only steddy Center of our Government and no body would contend with him farther then would Catholicks be at case and his M. C. M's Interest secur'd with us in England beyond all Apprehensions whatsoever In order to this we have two great Designs to attempt the next Sessions 1. That which we were about before viz. To put the Parliament upon making it their humble Request to the King That the Fleet may be put into his R. H's Care And 2. To get an Act for General Liberty of Conscience If we carry these two or either of them we shall in effect do what we list afterwards and truly we think we do not undertake these great Points very unreasonably but that we have good Cards for our Game not but that we expect great Opposition and have reason to beg all the Assistance we can possibly get and therefore if his M. C. M. would stand by us a little in this Conjuncture and help us with such a Sum as 20000 l. Sterling which is no very great matter to venture upon such an undertaking as this I would be content to be Sacrific'd to the utmost Malice of my Enemies if I did not succeed I have propos'd this several times to Monsieur Rouvigny who seems always of my Opinion and has often told me that he has writ into France upon this Subject and has desir'd me to do the like but I know not whether he will be as Zealous in this Point as a Catholick would be because our prevailing in these things will give the greatest Blow to the Protestant Religion here that ever it receiv'd since its Birth which perhaps he would not be very glad to see especially when he believes that there is another way of doing his Master's Business well enough without it which is by a Dissolution of the Parliament upon which I know he mightily depends and concludes That if that comes to be Dissolv'd it will be as much as he need care for proceeding perhaps upon the same manner of Discourse which we did this time Twelve months But with submission to his better Judgment I do think that our case is extremely much alter'd from what it was then in relation to a Dissolution for then the Body of our Governing Ministers all but the Earl of Arlington were entirely united to the Duke and would have govern'd his way if they had been free from all fear and controul as they would have been if the Parliament had been remov'd But they having since that
Minister here upon these latter Arguments which are most strong but onely upon the first Monsieur Rouvigny's Sense and ours differing very much upon them though we agree perfectly upon the rest And indeed though he be a very able man as to his Master's Service in things wherein Religion is not concerned yet I believe it were much more happy considering the posture he is now in that his temper were of such a sort that we might deal clearly with him throughout and not be forc'd to step short in a Discourse of Consequence and leave the most material part out because we know it will shock his particular opinion and so perhaps meet with Dislike and Opposition though never so necessary to the main Concern I am afraid we shall find too much reason for this Complaint in this next Session of Parliament for had we had one here from his most Christian Majesty who had taken the whole Business to heart and who would have represented the state of our case truly as it is to his Master I do not doubt but his most Christian Majesty would have ingaged himself further in the Affair than at present I fear he has done and by his Approbation have given such Counsels as have been offered to his Royal Highness by those few Catholicks who have access to him and who are bent to serve him and advance the Catholick Religion with all their Might and might have more Credit with his Royal Highness than I fear they have found and have assisted them also with his Purse as far as 10000 Crowns or some such Sum which to him is very inconsiderable but would have been to them of greater Use than can be imagined towards gaining others to help them or at least not to oppose them If we had been so happy as to have had his most Christian Majesty with us to this degree I would have answered with my Life for such Success this Sessions as would have put the Interest of the Catholick Religion his R. Highness and his most Christian Majesty out of all danger for the time to come but wanting those helps of recommending those necessary Counsels which have been given his R. H. in such manner as to make him think them worth his accepting and fit to govern himself by and of those Advantages which a little Money well managed would have gained us I am afraid we shall not be much better at the end of this Sessions than we are now I pray God we do not lose ground by my next which will be e're long I shall be able to tell your Reverence more particularly what we are like to expect in the mean time I most humbly beg your holy Prayers for all our Undertakings and that you will be pleased to honour me so far as to esteem me what I am intirely and without reserve Mon tres Reverend Pere le Votre R. Le plus humble plus obeisant Serviteur Coleman's Letter to Monsieur le Chese the French King 's Confessor in the Duke of York's name ON the Second of June last his most Christian Majesty offered me very generously his Friendship and his Purse too for my assistance against the Designs of my Enemies and his and protested to me that his Interests and mine were so strictly bound up together that such as opposed either ought to be look'd upon as the Enemies of the other and told me besides his thoughts of my Lord Arlington and of the Parliament which are that he doth not believe that either the one or the other were favourable to his Interests or to mine and thereupon he desired me to make him such Propositions as I should think sit for this Conjuncture All this happened by the Interposition of F. Ferrier who made use of Sir William Throckmorton a good and honest man who was then at Paris and has corresponded with Coleman one of my Domesticks in whom I put great confidence As I was very well satisfied to see that his most Christian Majesty was altogether of my opinion I returned him an Answer on the twenty ninth of June by the same conveyance by which he writ me that is by Coleman who directed it to F. Ferrier by the said Sir William Throckmorton and I agreed intirely with him as well concerning the Union of our Interests as how useless my Lord A. and the Parliament were to the King my Brother and his most Christian Majesty and that it was very necessary for us to make use of all our Credit joyntly for preventing the Success of the evil Designs that my Lord Ar. and the Parliamentarians have formed against his most Christian Majesty and me which I promised to do faithfully on my part and whereof I have given since that time sufficient testimonies after this I made some Propositions that I thought fit for the accomplishment of what we were oblig'd to undertake assuring him that nothing could support our Interests so strongly with the King my Brother than the making him the same Offers of his Purse by the assistance whereof I had great reason to hope that I should be capable of perswading him to dissolve the Parliament and of frustrating the Intrigues of my Lord Ar. who endeavours continually to advance the Credit of the Prince of Orange and the Dutch and to diminish that of the King your Master notwithstanding all the Protestations he now makes to serve him But as our Propositions were delay'd by the sickness of F. Ferr. our Business did not succeed according to our desire onely the Father writ me word on the fifteenth of the last Month that he had communicated the Propositions that I directed to him from his most Christian Majesty and that they were very acceptable unto him but as they contained two things one that concerned the Catholick Religion and the other the offer of his Purse he gave me to understand that he did not desire I should treat with Monsieur Rovigny upon the former but for the latter he told me at the same time that Monsieur Rovigny had order to concur with me in all that the Conjuncture of Our Affairs should make appear necessary I have expected the Effects thereof until this time but nothing being done and perceiving besides that my Lord Ar. and many others endeavour by a thousand Tricks to break off the good Understanding that is between the King my Brother his most Christian Majesty and me for the deceiving of all Three I have thought fit to acquaint you with all that is past and to ask your Assistance and Friendship for preventing the Knavery of all those that have no other Design than to betray the Concerns of France and England too and by their pretended Services occasion their Disappointment I do refer you farther to Sir William Throckmorton and to Coleman whom I have commanded to acquaint you with the particulars of our Affairs and the true State of England that many others and principally my Lord Ar. endeavoured to represent to you
quite otherwise than it is and these two first are very much addicted to my Interests so that you may treat with them freely and without any apprehension One of the Letters which could not be Decyphered by the Keys found Rome January 12. 1675. IT is certain that the best way to render himself Master of the Kings Will and to take him off from the Amity with the Parliament is that of Money and I doubt not but the Duke may by it make himself absolute upon his spirit and take for his purest and for that of the Catholicks the advantages which you observe in your last Letter but when the Pope himself shall have the means to do that which shall be necessary in his Affair which is very much beyond his power for the reasons I gave when I had the happiness to see you and of which I advertised you in many Letters he can never be pressed with Reason to do it but upon more solid foundations and more probable assurances for the good of Religion and of the Catholicks which are not yet such as are contained in the discourse mentioned in your last Letter that which you propose touching 51666279669961 which is 667177576661676676 cannot be put in execution 566662516 756665667 but with the 777699916699616797669961 of all 51679177 66629664996719 and onely 667191776691 comprising 966699915167 91947151416791 you may then consider if in the Lands where they are at present 5167916654566646267919680204. It would be to purpose for the Interest of the Duke to put in publick an affair of such a nature as this of which I assure you with truth and the Duke may be perswaded is what 66997766916564519167627664617199647671625167976664 91616267963204 will imploy 6681272 and 5108126 and 51677762679 6646 for 51669191649161676266626791616694516464516651668126 6679981204 seeing that Rome and the Emperor have a most particular zeal and affection for all that which regard it As for Gabriel he doth imploy himself both with the one and the other with the same passion he always had for the Dukes service and you will see it may be very shortly marks of it It is said here that the King hath not for some time been in good health advise me how it is and of our Commerce you may continue till farther order to send me your Letters by the same way you have done to this time I am without reserve Your most Humble and affectionate Servant ALBANY The Cypher which I put into the hands of 300 and that you may have from him will serve you to Decipher that which is above There was several Faculties and Instruments found in the hands of one of the Five Jesuits and of Mr. Daniel Arthur which follow in the Original Latin and Translated into English Facultates pro Reverendissimo Domino Joanne Laket Sacerdote Anglo in Regnis Angliae Scotiae alissque Dominiis Legis Magnae Britanniae excepta Hibernia I. ABsolvendi ab Haeresi Apostasiâ à Fide Schismate quescunque etiam Ecclesiasticos tam Seculares quam Regulares non tamen eos qui ex Laicis suerint ubi Sanctum Officum exercetur nisi in Locis Missionum in quibus impune grassantur Haereses deliquerit nec illos qui Judicialiter Abjuraeverint nisi ipsi nati sint ubi impune grassantur Haereses post Judicialem Abjurationem illuc reversi in Haeresin fuerint Relapsi bis in foro Conscientiae tantum II. Absolvendi in omnibus Casibus etiam in Bullâ Coenae III. Dispensandi in tertio quarto simplici mixto Consanguinitatis Affinitatis gradibus in contractis Matrimoniis cum personis Catholicis aut Haeresin relinquentibus idque in foro Conscientiae tantum prolem susceptam Legitimam declarandi IV. Restituendi Jus petendi debitum amissum V. Administrandi omnia Sacramenta etiam Parochalia Ordine Confirmatione exceptis VI. Celebrandi Missam quocunque loco decenti etiam sub dio sub terrâ una hora ante Aurora alia post Meridiem bis in die si Necessitas cogat si tamen in prima Missa non sumpserit ablutionem super Altari portabili etiam fracto aut laeso sine Sanctorum Reliquiis praesentibus Haereticis aliisque Excommunicatis si aliter celebrari non possit etsi non sit periculum Sacrilegii dummodo inservient Misse non sit Hereticus Excommunicatus VII Deserendi sanctissimum Sacramentum occultè ad Infirmos sine lumine ubi est periculum VIII Recitandi Rosarium vel alias Preces si Breviarium secum deferre non possit vel Officium divinum ob aliud legitimum Impedimentum recitare non habent IX Tenendi Legendi quosque Libros prohibitos praeter contentis in Bullâ Coenae praeter opera Caroli Molinei Nicolai Machiavelli Libris de Astrologiâ Judiciariâ vel incidenter vel alio quovis modo tractantes dandi etiam Licentiam Laicis ex justâ causâ ut Libros Catholicorum contra Haereticos Anglico Idiomate scriptos Sacras Scripturas in idem Ideoma sideliter versas legant X. Dispensandi comutandi vota simplicia ex rationabili Causae exceptis Votis Castitatis Religionis XI Benedicendi paramenta alia Vtensilia ad Sacrificium Missae necessarium ubi non intervenit Vnctio XII Dispensandi quando expedire videtur super esu Carnium Ovorum Lactiniorum etiam tempore Quadragessimo XIII Concedendi Indulgentiam plenariam primo conversis ab Haeresi sidelibus quibuscunque in articulo mortis saltem contritis si Consiteri non possint XIV Concedendi singulis Dominicis aliisque Dicbus Festis decem annorum Indulgentiam iis qui ejus Concionibus intervenerint plenaria iis qui previae Sacramentali peccatorum suorum Confessione sacram Eucharistiam sument in Festis Natalis Domini Paschalis Assumtionis Beatissimae Virginis XV. Lucrandi sibi cisdem Indulgentiis XVI Singulis secundis Feriis non impeditis Officio novem Lectionum vel iis impeditis die immediate sequenti celebrando Missam de Requiem in quacunque Altari etiam portabili aborandi animam secundum ejus Intentionem à Purgatorii poenis per modum suffragii quas facultates concedimus septennium duntaxat duraturus Ita tamen ut antea revocari etiam possint ad beneplacitum nostrum sine ullius Causae expressione eaesque manu nostra firmavimus Die 25 Mensis Junii 1678. Per Cardinalis Barbarinus Protector Christ Abbas Blancas Secretarius Faculties and Priviledges granted to the Right Reverend Father John Laket an English Priest to be by him extended unto and executed in the Kingdoms of England and Scotland and all other the Dominions of the King of Great Britain except Ireland I. OF Absolving all sorts of persons from Heresie Apostacy and Schism that Ecclesiasticks or Religious both Secular and Regular as well as others providing they did not live where the Roman Worship was used or practised Yet always allowing that these may be Absolved who in
to know his Opinion of the Project which the Ambassador of Spain had laid to draw the King to make War against France and thereupon told him how it was contriv'd that the House of Lords and Commons should upon that Condition furnish Money and accommodate the Catholicks those of France seeing how far they are from any present Capacity of offering such Advantages and how easie it is for those of Spain to procure them they can scarce allow their Fears to prevail above their Hopes after they have rightly weigh'd the Interest which Religion has in it Yet he did not omit to say That the Duke would not desert France though he could not doubt but that Religion would have the Ascendant Your Friend and my Kinsman Mr. K. well known to the Confessor of the Duke and of the same Profession might methinks be highly serviceable upon this Occasion if he would only sound the Spanish Ambassador upon this Subject and represent to him according as Occasion shall be given the many and great Advantages which would accrew to Spain and of the great Dammages that would ensue to France upon this account but to make it efficacious he must shew the Necessity of engaging the Duke and Catholicks in the Concern of it without which it will never have any steady Effect I need not suggest to you any farther Considerations on this Subject the Prudence of Coleman will direct you and from thence I shall hope to see a good Issue for the Catholicks I have not many Discourses with Sir P. but he is still of the same Opinion as formerly and affirms that no other means can effectually conduce to the Satisfaction of the House of Lords and Commons and those whom they are engaged for If you see no appearance of Success this way be so kind as to shew me some other Scheme upon which we may ground any comfortable Expectations In the mean time we must content our selves with such hopes as we are able to furnish Colombe Septemb. the 24th 75. I Have yours of the 6th and one Weekly from Coleman's Man for all which I return most hearty Thanks and though it be my Misfortune not to have hitherto succeeded in the Pretensions of our Shee-Friends yet upon the delivery of the second Memorial I was promis'd an Infallible Dispatch this Week which will cost me another Journey to Versailles and I hope to send it to you by Mr. Nicholls He and his Charge arriv'd at Paris on Friday last late at Night I was the next Day in Town upon no other Design than to meet Pompone upon the account of that Business He told me some days before That the Interest of the Religion of the Catholicks was likely to be promoted by the Spanish Ambassador and the Friends of the King of Spain I reply'd That it was too great an Undertaking and that it could not take any Effect especially since they did imploy no Endeavours to gain the Duke and his Party to that Interest and though it was reported here that the Duke had frequent Conferences with the Spanish Ambassador yet I did assure that there were no such Applications made and that the Duke was as much attack'd to the King of France as ever It would have become Mr. Sheldon to have said this though he had not been so sure of the Truth of it as he is by the Information of Coleman The Decline of Spain I confess must needs require a long time to regain Power and that first to secure his own Interest before he can be in a posture to promote that of Religion The hopes on * Spain's side are not so remote and you have rais'd my Expectation from thence to no low Degree because Coleman feems not only to approve of it but to think it worth his pains to lay out his Contrivances and Endeavours upon it I with my Kinsman were engag'd and possibly the opportunity may now be favourable at least if he will not enter into the Negotiation he may easily introduce Coleman with those Advantages as may make him be esteem'd a fit Instrument and worthy to be trusted in that Concern and he having such an Introduction I shall not doubt but that he will be able to give a very good account of the Business It draws near the 29 but I hope there is yet time enough to dispose things in order to that Design I do not well comprehend how the Danger is over on the part of the Prorogation unless it be in Reference to that Opposition of the City of London I should be glad to Promise my self that it were in Relation to the Duke who is said to be the Person that obstructed the Prorogation and the Procurer of the Parliaments present Installation The Design of my Lord Treasurer I hope will have no Effect The Alliance with the Prince of Orange some say is sought for by the French King for one of the Dukes of France but this is but a guess yet such a one as gives suspition to Spain that there is like to be some Clandestine doings betwixt Holland and France But why do I so much intrench upon your better Employs I shall only assure you that Mr. Sheldon is your Servant and that Coleman will always find him so to his Power Colombe October the 10th SIR I Have yours of the 20th of September And whereas you seem to intimate that it is almost a Month since you receiv'd any from me I have call'd my Self to an Account and cannot find that I have effectually been so much wanting to my own Satisfaction as not to continue upon you sufficient Provocation to allow me the Favour of your Correspondence I am become so mistrustful upon this reproach of my own Memory that I could almost persuade my self to doubt whether I have inform'd you of a delay that is cast upon the Pretensions of your Shee Friends which I hope will soon be remov'd since it only depends upon a Return from Lisle whose Magistrates were to be consulted in that Concern and upon their Answer I hope you will have Satisfaction to the Address which has been made Have I not likewise bemoan'd my misfortune for having had only a Glimpse of Mr. Grey having disappointed each other by my going to him and his coming to me upon the same Day This I do chiefly resent because I suppose he might have had some particular Commission from you and had not Opportunity to make me partaker of it The Secretary of Monsieur Rouvigny has inform'd me of your good Correspondence with his Master which must needs render you Suspected to the Spanish Ambassador but I shall expect according to your Promise the Issue of my Kinsman's Negotiation What Measures the Spanish Ambassador has taken with the Parliament a little time will discover but unless the Spanish Ambassador ingages the Duke upon the account of the Catholicks the King of Spain will not find his account The Duke I suppose has gain'd no small Credit with