victing of Papists, and to quicken the prosecution of them in the Country.

That all Papist Priests borne His Matys Subjects depart the Kingdome, notwithstanding any pretence of attendance on the Queen or any Ambassrs.

That none shall heare Masse either at the Queen's or any Ambass's Chappell but their owne meniall Servants.

No Papist shall Breede his children abroad in any Popish Colledges or Semenarys, but to send for them away that are there.

No Papist to come to Court Except the Queen's Servants upon paine of being sent to the Tower of London, or to the Gatehouse if of inferior quality.

His Maty will likewise declare agt Conventicles, and that his Licences for Preaching are revoked.

This, I hope, will make the Parliamt meete in good humour in Aprill, for it is not doubted but they will sitt then. I shall not enlarge yo' Excys trouble at present any farther then to subscribe myselfe wth all respect.

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CCII. WILLIAM HARBORD TO THE EARL OF ESSEX. MAY IT PLEASE YR EXCELLENCY,

2 Feb. 1674.

*

All things look as if the Parliament would sitt in Aprill, & a very severe proclamation is comming against the Fanaticks & Romanists. I finde the court hopes to gett money, but I am apt to believe that they may mistake their measures; neither doth Duke Lod. desire it, least it should cost them deare one way or other; if Parl. give no money & express or hint at the cause, Kg his necessities, if not this time the next, will oblidge him to yield to any reasonable thing. The warrs are like to last abroad; there is a great rumor of a warr wth Spaine; I should be hartely sorry for. There is a bill

exhibited in the Excheq. in order to a Tryall at Barr against ye young Lady Percy, & yr Excellency is made a party. My La Newport shelters himselfe under D. M.a interest. Captain Buckley is sent to ye Tower for attempting to Challenge my Ld Ossory, I heare that Ormond is sent for over, as also Orrery. This is all the trouble I shall give yr Excellency at present.

Hoping to kisse yr hands suddainly and Renew me, &c.

CCIII.-MEMORANDUM OF SIR WILLIAM TEMPLE.

Hague, Febry 5: S. N: 75. The great discourse and business of thees Provinces turnes at present upon the proposition made last weeke to the Prince from the province of Gelderland wch makes him the offer of that Dukedome. His Hsse receaved it coldly enough and said it was a thing Hee could give no answer to without the advice of the other Provinces wch Hee would aske. In pursuite hereof Hee writt to the Provinces of Holland, Zealand, and Vtrecht, and thereupon an extry Assembly of the States of Holland was convoyned to meet heer on Thursday next, and deliberate what advice to give His Hsse upon this matter. There runns a noyse that the Deputys of Haerlem will propose in this Assembly and upon this occasion that an offer of the same nature with that of Gelderland may be made to the Prince from this Province likewise. Yet I am not very apt to believe it, though as the present constitution stands it would not perhaps bee openly opposed in the States.

But the fruite is not yet ripe enough to bee gathered, though it may bee faire and in reach, and the jealosy would bee perhaps too much to give a countrey wch has so great a foreign affaire upon their back. That it will bee necessary for supporting it to have good health and good temper within. The Pens Fagel pretends to have no parte in all this affaire or counsell, and not to know the Princes

a Duke of Monmouth.

mind upon it, Hee saies it is a thing of the greatest weight that can happen to the Prince, and weh admitts of the most to bee said for and against it, but is positive that if the soveraignty of Holland and Zealand should bee offer'd the Prince by the States Hee would refuse it. Yet if this of Gelderland should bee done and goe no further, it would have perhaps an ill effect towards the Province of Holland by engaging the Prince in the Patronage of a poore Province (wch has ever beene failing in their proportion of payments to the State) and thereby in contests with the Province of Holland, wch has beene of late very peremptory in suffering no abatement to bee made the Province of Gelderland upon account of what they have suffered in the late warr. I thought it became mee to give you this short account of an affaire of so much consequence as this may prove, and whereof you will in a shorte time know both the bottome and the event, neither of wch I will yet pretend to judge of.

At the same time, with this of so much weight in this Province, is happened a pleasant one in Friedland. The young Prince of Nassau being newly chosen Statholder of the Countrey of Drente (as He was before of Frizeland and Groningen) Monsr Rabenhaut, that was Drossart or chief Magistrat of that Countrey, when hee heard of the Princes accepting it, said before some of His officers that Hee had done contre son honeur et son serment; upon report heereof the young Prince of Nassou sente to him formally to know whether Hee had said so or no. Moner Rabenhaut avowed it, and upon their asking it under His hand gave it them. The Prince hereupon sente him worde that Hee was un Coquin et avoit menty. Mons Rabenhaute in returne sente an officer to the Prince with a formall challenge to fight with him on horseback with pistolls, wch was very extry from an Officer to His Capitaine, and more from a man of seventy two years old to a youth of 16 or 17. The Officer who carried the challenge was seased on and laid up, and an account of the whole affaire sente to His Hsse, weh will end, I suppose, in Mons Rabenhautes beeing heard no more of theese countreys, from whence they say Hee is allready privately retired into Germany.

The Duke of Brandenburgh has written a very resolute letter to the Prince to assure His Hsse of His continuing firme in the party notwithstanding what His countrey may suffer from the Swedes, but at the same time demanding the Guaranty given Him by this State and their Allies, wch is allready resolved on by Hollande, Zealand, Vtrecht. In the meane time the Swedish Amb' presses very much towards a composition betweene His Master and that Elector, and seemes touched at nothing so much as the danger of losing the figure that crowne has held so long of Mediator in the present warr, having expostulated very hard with the Deputys at a late Conference about their having taken no notice of His Master in the late resolutions and applications to His Maty as Mediator concerning the place of congress.

They write from Colen that the most Chrn King has accepted Meurs, wch advice comes from the Bp of Strasburgh thither, but the certainty of it must bee expected from His Maty or more directly from France.

CCIV. WILLIAM HARBORD TO THE EARL OF ESSEX.

MAY IT PLEASE YR EXCELLENCY,

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*

6 Feb., 1674, London.

a

It seems y Con: hath advised Essex to desire Trear: his kindness in obtaining from Kg. some helpe towards the purchase of Essex house. I am sure did Essex see how affaires stand here & on how ticlishe a posture he is in, & particularly how he & Viner (?) stand in open defiance to the whole nation, Essex would scarcely imparte with him now; but that is not all, there are some members have abstracted the prodigious gwifts & grants y1 have lately passed to himselfe & others, that I feare he may be blamed & Kg. his affaires suffer thereby, & I would not for the whole world have Essex men

CAMD. SOC.

a Sc. Danby.

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VOL. I.

tioned as a man who attempts to apply any great summe of the publique money to his private advantage. I doe not dout in the least the seeing Essex master of Essex house, & that without clamour or the least discontent; & Essex stands so great in the reputation of all good men here, and Kg. as certainly how much cheaper if not better he is served by Essex than Trear: that I protest before God I had rather loose ten thousand pounds myselfe then have Essex aske and prese for it at this time till we see what Essex will doe, and in what a condition affaires will be in then. I make no dout but that Con: & Ran: will promote Essex his desires in this; but I dare say they intend to make him paye for it, in sacrificing him to Kg. & Kingdome. I beseech Essex most humbly to excuse me, but as Essex & his fame is dearer to me then my selfe or my owne, I can not but begg him also to have a little patience & see a few weekes over before he press this; & I dare saye yt Trear: well as soone harken to me as either to Ran: or Con. if he intends in friendship; but if otherwise then indeed they are much fitter. I doe not think Ran. so safe if the Parl. proceede wisely, for Kg. hath so disobliged the papists by this act of councell that being told so by Elliot, & that if he went back he would loose the protestants too, & then he might looke to himselfe, Kg. said that all the horses in towne should not drawe him off, & that he had so long harkened to those fooleries that he would aske Parl. nothing, but that if they thought fit he would be glad they tooke some care for the defence of the nation; but mortall men are subject to change. I have sent yr Excellency ye Act of Councell Patrick talks of. Almoner Howard & all that crewe are packing up their trunks, & my La Bp. Zealous as Laud. hath been in this refformation, I believe Parl. will blowe him againe.