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here instanced) I have not neglected to doe my Lord Trear. right, wch I take to be a more generous way of shewing my respect to him then by smooth or flattering expressions directed to himselfe; & yr LP may upon all occasions confirme him in ye beliefe that I am very trully his faithfull Servant, as you may likewise depend on me to be, &c.

CLIV.-LORD AUNGIER TO THE EARL OF ESSEX.

MAY IT PLEASE YOR EXCYE,

Lond., June 6th, 1674.

Some commands from ye Duke of Ormond haveing kept me here a fewe dayes longer then I intended, I cannot forbeare, while I am in this place, giveing yo1 Excy my observations. The Duke of Lauderdale is created Earle of Guilford, Viscount Netlebed,a & Baron of Petersham, & it is given out by his friends that this is done to qualifye him for ye Privileidge of being tryed as a Peere, that he may not be run down by a Vote of ye House of Comons. Others imagine It is to qualifye him for some greate Employmt out of his owne Country, and there are those who will have him be Lieut of Ireld. But they who have an opinion of his Judgmt believe he aymes not at it, And some of yo" Exeyes friends thinke this reporte is given out by some of yor Exeyes Enemyes, concluding your Exc may take it tenderly, & upon it take some hastye resolution wch may displease His Matie, & give them opportunitye of making roome for themselves.

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CLV.-CHARLES R. TO THE EARL OF ESSEX.

CHARLES R.,

Right Trusty and Right Welbeloved Cousin and Counceller, Wee greet you well. Whereas, by Our Letters Patents under

a Sic.

Our Great Seale of England, bearing date the first day of December in the 23rd yeare of Our Reigne, Wee have given and granted unto Our Deare and Entirely Beloved Cousin Prince Rupert, his Executors, Administrators, and Assignes, the Sole Power and Priviledge to use exercise and enjoy the new Arts or Inventions of converting into Steele all manner of edged Tooles, Files, and other Instruments forged and formed in soft Iron, or any part of the said Tooles, Files, or other Instruments after they are soe forged or framed; As also for the like converting of all manner of Iron Wier after it is drawne, and alsoe of preparing and softning all Cast and Melted Iron, soe that it may be filed & wrought as forged Iron is; and of tincturing of Copper upon Iron as to him or them shall seem meet; To have and enjoy the same for and during the terme of fourteen yeares according to the Act of Parliament in that case made and provided. Our will and pleasure is, And Wee doe hereby require and Authorise you to give Order for ye passing of Letters Patents under the Great Seale of that Our Kingdome, containing Our Grant unto Our said most Deare Cousin Prince Rupert, his Executors, Administrators, and Assignes of the said Exercise and use of the said Arts and Inventions in that Our Kingdome for the terme of fourteen yeares in the same manner, and as fully and beneficially as is contained in Our said Letters Patents under Our Great Seale of England. And for soe doing this shall be unto you and to all other Our Officers and Ministers whom it may concerne a sufficient Warrant. And soe Wee bid you heartily Farewell. Given at Our Court at Windsor the 11th day of June, 1679, in the Six and Twentieth yeare of Our Reigne.

CLVI.-LORD CONWAY TO THE EARL OF ESSEX.

MAY IT PLEASE YO EXCELCE,

London, 15 June, 1674.

In the evening his Matie cald me into his Bed chamber, and spoke to me of many things to be comunicated to yo' Excelce, and comanded me to remember him to you very kindly, and afterwards did me so much honor in parting from him that every body in the roome wondered what the matter was.

a

After this I waited upon Williamson, who is struck in with Trear. and Lodderdale, or makes them believe so, and that he will abandon Arlington, towards whom Duke is implacable, and will not let him rest till he be sent on an Embassy.b

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CLVII. SIR WILLIAM TEMPLE TO THE EARL OF ESSEX. MY LORD,

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Shene, June 20,’74.

I thinke, of all persons, 1 need make you the least professions, because yr Lp knows, very well, upon what titles you are long since possest of my service and esteeme, and how particular a man I have ever beene in the choyse of those persons to whom I profess them. How I doe it to yr LSP upon all occasions were better told you by any other man; 'tis enough for mee to say how confident I am you will ever keepe them by the same qualities they were at

a Williamson was a cypher in the Government.

b He went with Ossory, in November, to the Hague, to treat for William's betrothal to Mary, and to induce him to make peace with France.

first required, and that how often or seldome wee may meete in the course of our lifes, yet whenever wee doe wee shall bee the same wee parted.

Becaus I see, in a letter of my Lady's to my sister, what opinion she has receaved from the talke has beene heere of Loderdale's succeeding Essex, and suddenly; I shall tell yr LP that I cannot beleeve wee are at all ripe for such resolutions, though some, perhaps, may have had it in design, as of a piece with more of that kinde; there are others would perhaps bee glad to see Essex provoked to doe some peevish thing to anger King-wch might bee made use of to remove him and clap Orrery in, but this I have answered to one of my friends will not bee done, and without it I doe not see how either of the other can. Upon many discourses that concerne yr LSP heere I resolved to take occasion to know the King's thoughts of you in generall before I wente, wch I thought might bee for y satisfaction (and the King's service) to know at a time when I finde you are entertained from other hands with discourses very different. The last time I saw the King, upon His saying, that when hee wente to looke for a person that was both a wise and an honest man, hee did not know where to finde him, I tooke occasion to say, I was sure hee had one in His service that was both, and that deserved to bee valued the more for these qualitys that were so seldome mett with, and named my Lord of Essex. The king said hee was as worthy a man as any hee knew, and served him as well as any man in his service. I said I was sure he was not only very fit and able to serve his Majty there but heere too whenever there was occasion. The King said Hee was of my minde, and should bee very glad to have him heer, but that Hee did not knowe how to spare him in Irelande. I tell y' LSP thus much of the very words that past, by wch and by the rest I am confident you are what you desire to bee in His Majties esteeme, and that is the pointe I think you had best trust to, and to the preserving it by the same

means you have gained it; for the rest to make courte as much and as personally as one can to the King, to live fairly with all the Ministers in the charges of a Courte, but to stande upon one's owne legs and the merits of serving well, and where all thees will not carry one the best I thinke is to bee content to alight and bee quiett at home. The men of Courte and ambition can talke of other ways, but none into wch I believe yr Leps temper and thoughts can runn, and besides, the servitude in them is not to be endured. by a man that has bread enough at home, & I doe not thinke they agree either with the distance you are at or the uncertain changes of our scene at Courte.

Lsp

I wish yr LSP very heartyly the advances of honour and fortune you propose to y'self, and wherever I am shall bee glad of the occasion to express the esteem & passion wherewith, &c.

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CLVIII. THE EARL OF ESSEX TO SIR HENRY COVENTRY.

SB,

Dublin Castle, June 24, '74.

In ye yrs of ye 15th, wch I have but newly received, you gave me an intimation of a warrt or Letter coming to y' Office to renew that part of my Lord of Orrery's old patent concerning ye Comand of ye Militia in Munster. I returne you many thanks for this significa tion. Pretty confident I am that, if ye King will consider it, He will not think fitt to renew this power to his LP. It hath bin, I confess, one of ye most troublesome parts I have had to deale with here, to quiet ye importunities of people for setting up this Militia, & indeed I have bin faine to use all ye Artifice I could in it, so to shift it off as men might not have a jealousy of me that I did not sufficiently favor ye Protestant Interest. I writt a Letter to his Majestie on ye first of December last past, a great part whereof was

a On August 22 Essex writes to thank H. Coventry for using his influence in

this matter.

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