Imagens da página
PDF
ePub

1

take their securities on prooff made that they have accepted any insolvent, ye Officer that accepts them should lose his Employm1.

Thirdly, that in case it be proved any wooll be exported into forrain Parts contrary to Law, there be no Remittall of ye Penaltie incurr'd thereby, nor any composition to be made for ye same, but ye securitie prosecuted to ye utmost extremitie; & in case he shall not be able to satisfy ye bonds enter'd into, that his body ly in prison till he pays ye debt to ye full.

Lastly, that ye Com's of his Maties Customs in England doe constantly, at every six months end, make a returne to ye Lieut here of all ye wooll landed in England, wch returne should particularly mention ye Time when, ye Posts where, each proportion of wooll was landed, & ye persons in whose names ye entry was made. That ye Lieut doe take ye like Acct, from ye Officers of ye Customs here, of all wooll exported, so that, comparing them wth ye Licenses wch he has granted, He may discover any fraud of this kind.

I know very well it has bin ye usuall practice of those who carried this commoditie to Flanders & Holland to stop as they pass by England & get Certificates from some Officers of yo Customs of their landing of it there, but to prevent this, wch I looke upon as ye main contrivance they have to doe their worke, his Maties principall Comrs of ye Customs may take care to entrust this business in those Ports in England where usually wooll is landed to some Officer of known creditt that may give them a due Acct of it. These are ye most materiall Rules that for ye present I can think of, to wch, if upon Perusall & advice wth such persons in England as are proper to be spoken wth upon this subject, any thing further shall be added, my part shall not be wanting in ye due execution thereof.

[merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

LXXXVII.-SIR W. TEMPLE TO THE EARL OF ESSEX.

MY LORD,

London, Octbr 25.

Finding myself possest heer in Town of one from yr Excy of the 2nd, and that you seemed therein not displeased with the notices transmitted to you in some of my former letters, I resolved before I left this place in such a conjuncture to give y1 Lõp a short account of what humors and dispositions the scene next weeke is like to beginn with, that so you may the better judge of what you shall hear acted upon it, and from what springs most of the motions will arise. The vote past last Munday was a good deal surprising to the Courte, and extreamly sensible to the Duke," who saies that if the King should hinder the Princess from coming into England Hee would go and marry her in France. her in France. But many of the House imagine the thing was not very displeasing to the King, becaus S Ro. Howard promoted it; and with expressions of His not onely desiring the Duke should not marry a Roman Catholique, but wishing none of that profession might ever be marryed to any of the Royal Family. Mr. Powell began the business and was seconded by Thomas, and followed with such warmth by the whole House, as none spoke against but some of the Duke's servants, and Sec. Coventry a little to temper it.

The same humor seems still to continue in the House, and some of them say, though they cannot hinder the Duke from marrying her, yett they will address to the King to hinder her from coming into England. They talke likewise of desiring the King to marry, or if not, that after a peace with the Dutch, Hee will send over to the P. of Orange to come & marry the Duke's daughter. They

a For an address to the King praying that the intended marriage of the Duke of York with Mary of Modena should not be consummated, and that he should marry no one but a Protestant.-Oct. 20, 1673.

seem very fierce in the points of Religion, and aime at removing all, without exception, twenty miles from the King who have refused the late oaths, and to have the penall laws putt strictly in execution, and the care of it left in the hands of certain Lds and Commoners, so as the King may not have it in his power to dispense with them, or remitt the penaltys.

They talke of putting St John Coventry, Sr Sol" Swale," and another of their members, who are turned Papists, upon the last test, & in case of their refusal to putt them out of the House. They are so hott and so unanimous in nothing as the resolutions of breaking the Warr with Holland, and alliance with France, but disagree in the manner. Some would beginn with desiring the King to recall all his Forces from France; others with entring upon the Warr itself, or the carriage of the French in the Fleet, and of this the House of Lords desire P. Rupert may give them the relation; but there seem to bee already four partys formed in the House of Commons one would runn up to the height and fall upon the Ministers, especially Buck., Arlingʻ, Loddadate, and their carriage, particularly in the business of the Warr, so as absolutely to breake all the present sett both of men and business at Courte, and bring some of themselves in their room, and of these S William Coventry's brother' is the head, and is thought will bee very busy this Session; but his carriage in the last and extream ambition, so generally believ'd, has lost him a good deal of credit in the House of Commons, and so Hallifax too, who is in the same designe, and so they say will Garaway bee, and Thomas, and Socheverell, La Cavendish, and Will Russell. Another party is more moderate, would onely secure the business of Religion, breake the War with Holland, but both thees with all the good measures that can be to the King, and no violent ones to the Ministers, and of this Strangways and Powel seem the heads, but strong in the numbers of the

Sir Solomon Swale was Member for Aldborough, in Yorkshire; he was expelled from the House, June 19, 1678.

bi.e., Sir Henry Coventry.

House. Another, upon pretence of not exasperating the King, are for voting money, but with pretence of not perfecting it unles Peace bee made, though this bee understood to bee a way of securing the business of money under a show of moderation and popular aimes, and of this St John Holland is the head. The last party is made chiefly to carry on the business of the devorce, and this is headed wholly by Shaftesbury and S R. Howard, who carry it on both with the King, and Lords and Commons. The King seems sometimes very earnest in it, and sometimes cold, and in all thees matters is either so uncertaine or disgusted that those who are neerest him know not yett what will be the issue. But hitherto seems resolved to goe on with France, will not receave overtures from Spaine or Holland, and talks of setting out the Fleet next year without money from Parliam' if it fails, and in this minde none seem now to bee left but the Duke and Arling., wch may doe the last very great wrong in Parliam', since Buck. pretends to have wholly left that seat, and will, they say, take an occasion to come into the House of Lords and clear himself, and throw it all upon Arling. The Queen saies shee reckons upon being sent away, and is prepared for it; but all the women are against it, as you will easily beleeve. The Duke is unmoov'd by all conferences about Religion, and ends all in saying hee is fixed. The Duke of Ormond is in great credit with all partys and firmely principled for Religion and against the War, and so is P. Rupert, but, for the rest, engaged in no partys.

The Court's business in the House seems to bee much wanting in point of men to manage it of credit and abilitys, for besides Mr Secretary Coventry and Mr Atturney, who are reckon'd to speake as from their places wholly, there is none of much talk that undertake it but Sr Ro. Carr & Sr Rich. Temple, who are the worst heard that can bee in the House, especially the last. My Lord Treasurer seems to bee yett but discovering the coosts, and

a As he did.-See Letter CVI.

b Finch. He became Lord Keeper of the Seals immediately after this debate.

not resolved what course to steere, and is, I doubt, something disadvantaged by the beleef of beeing so much in with Buckingham. My Lord Clifford's death hath, I thinke, been a very great loss to the Duke and to the Papists. I doubt Arling. can never quitt France, and you will judge, I suppose, the reason. My Lord Arlington's beeing Chamberlain is a little dead for the present, My Lord Chamberlain beeing, when it comes to it, very loath to parte with the Staff, though saies his worde is past, and hee will doe it if hee bee prest, and the conditions proposed at first bee performed.

Yr Lop is much wished for by yr friends heere at this time, and if you were so, I should not have refused an election wch has been offered mee in the House against this Session, though I have done it absolutely upon the reasons I so often talkt over in Irelande. I am ever with passion and truth, &c.

*

*

*

*

*

LXXXVIII.-THE EARL OF ESSEX TO THE EARL OF

ARLINGTON.

MY LORD,

Dublin Castle, Oct. 28, 73. I have herewth enclosed a Lie to ye Lords of his Maties Privy Councell in England giving an Acct of all my Proceedings here in relation to ye Adress of ye House of Coñons. Tis sent with a flying Seale that y1 Lõp may peruse it, & if you think fitt shew it to his Matie, & then either deliver it to ye Councell, or lay it aside as you

He sold his Secretaryship to Sir Joseph Williamson on September 17, 1674, and was made Lord Chamberlain, in succession to Ormond.

b The letter to the Privy Council recounts the measures he has taken to carry out fully the terms of the address.

« AnteriorContinuar »