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XLIV. THE EARL OF ESSEX TO THE EARL OF SHAFTESBURY.a

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My Lřes tell me ye Dutchess of Cleaveland has beg'd ye Phoenix Parke to be given her at my return from this emploimt; I am confident if his Majestie knew ye inconvenience that every chief Governor must live wth here, if he be deprived of this Parke, he would not pass ye Grant.

This Castle is, of it self, one of ye most incommodious dwellings that I ever came in, and there is no Place of pleasure belonging to it, nor any House to retire to for a litle Aire upon occasion of sickness, but only those within ye Parke; nor will ye Governor have ye command of a Buck for his owne Table, nor a litle grass to turn out his Horses, if this Park be disposed off; besides a very great part of this ground, and indeed of ye very best Land, has ever, for some hundreds of years, belong'd to ye Sword; so that I cannot but concern my selfe in a thing of this nature, knowing how great a lessning twill be to any who shall succeed me in this Emploiment, who indeed will live rather like a Prisner then a Govern'.

This is not ye first time this Parke has bin in danger to be passed away, for ye Duke of Monmouth (as I hear) had once a promise of it, but very frankly quitted it.

I hope y' Lop will concern y' self in ye stopping of this Grant, for indeed tis one of ye unseemliest things I have known done, and I am sure 'twill be very much for his Majesties service to prevent it.

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a Printed in full in Christie's Life of Shaftesbury, Vol. ii., App. iv., p. xlvii.

XLV. FRANCIS LORD AUNGIER TO THE EARL OF ESSEX.

[E. P.-Vol. ii. fo. 253.]

MAY IT PLEASE YR EXCYE

Lond. Mar. ye 15th, 1673.

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I am but just now return'd out of ye country, where I have spent fower dayes, & therefore am not so well instructed in ye affaires wch have pass'd in Parliamt since my last as to be able to give yr Exeye a particular acct of them. But calling upon Sr Arthur Forbes, I have glean'd from him what I am now to tell yr Excye, viz. 1st That ye Bill for his Maties supply was this day reported from ye Comittee, & ordered to be engrost, but not to have its last reading till Fryday next, by wch time ye House of Comons will see what forturne ye Bill agt ye groweth of Popery is like to have in the Howse of Lords, from whence they will take their future measures. 2ly That there have beene some hints given in ye howse of ye late encouragemt wch has beene given to ye Papists in Ireld by admitting them into ye Com' of Peace & Corporations. And that my Lord Arundell of Warder, Father Patrick, & Co" Richa Talbot were this day named in the Howse as ye Cheife promoters of it, & consequently very unfit persons to be so neare His Maties & His Royal Highnesses persons. But this was only sayd by one member only, & not seconded by any of ye Howse. These particulars Sr Arthur desired me to acquainte yr Excy wth, he being not yett so well recovered as to be able to write himselfe, and he further intreated me in his name to tell yr Excy that since ye Papists are faln upon by y Parliam1, he fears They may grow desperate and endeavour to disturb y govern' There. And therefore he humbly submitts it to yr Exeys consideration, whether in this conjuncture it be not necessary for yr Excye to order y Officers of ye Army to their charges and to mind carefully their guards; wch I

a The Test Act.

presume to write to yr Exeye in Cypher, because he desired me so to doe, & to beseech yr Exey to conceale ye advizer. I have directed my Brother Cuffe to attend yr Excy wth his Cypher, wch will wthout giveing yr Excy any greate trouble unlocke what I have written, for wch notwithstanding I humbly aske yor Exeyes pardon.

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XLVI.-FRANCIS GODOLPHIN TO THE EARL OF ESSEX.

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This morning ye condicon of Ireland fell under ye consideracon of ye H. of Coñons, where, after long debate, but with great calmness & moderacon, 'twas referred to a Comittee to draw up an addresse to bee presented his Matie, That all Irish Papists may bee put out of ye Comissions of ye peace; That they may not bee admitted into Corporacons; That ye Popish BPPs may bee hindred from exercising their jurisdiction in Ireland; That Coll Rich. Talbott may be removed from his comand, & not bee permitted to come within five miles of ye Court. Ye Comission of inspecon was taken notice of with some marks of dislike as tending to ye violacon of ye Acts of Settlement, & thwarting ye design of ye late proclamacon; yo examinacon of that Comission was likewise given in charge of ye Comittee. Complaint was alsoe made that ye protestant interest was weakened by disbanding and withdrawing ye

Brother of Peter Talbot, Titular Archbishop of Dublin; afterwards Earl and Duke of Tyrconnel, Deputy under James II. See Carte's Ormond, vol. iv. pp. 428 et seq. He was 66 a great undertaker for procuring Irish gentlemen to be restored to their estates." His command at this time was that of a troop of horse.

Army, and ye revenue misapplyed in penĉons to popish Recusants; ye Riot of Clonmel was toucht upon, & some irregular actings of Peter Talbot, who is to bee particularly named in yo addresse "; ye King's re to my Lord Berkeley for putting Rom. Cath. into ye Comission of ye peace was read in ye house; and alsoe his Maties Ire to your Excie concerning indempnity, & to prevent prosecution in criminall causes relating to ye late Warr was likewise read; ye suspencon of ye Rules was menconed & let fall; ye Hous of Lords have made several amendments to ye Bill against Popery; wch to-morrow will bee sent downe, viz., provisoes for ye Queen's servants & ye Dukes, & for a great many land & sea officers, wch 'tis doubted ye H. of Comons will hardly agree to.

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XLVII. THE EARL OF ESSEX TO THE EARL OF ARLINGTON.

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I doe and shall always think it my duty to obey his Majesties commands in supporting my Lord Ranelagh's and his Partners contract, as far is just; tho' on ye other hand I am obliged by my Place to hold them to their contract, and see them performe to his Majestie what they have undertaken, nor shall any either threats or civill usage from my Lord Ranelagh incline me to goe out of

my way.

As for ye Caution he gives, that ye Officers shall not cheat ye soldiers, I am enough aware of that, and they all know that any Practice of this kind would immediately forfeit their commands, so

* Carte, p. 477.

as I have a Tie upon those, to oblige them to doe what is just; but as for him, and his Partners, I cannot deale so with them.

Notwithstanding all his compliments, I know he has another Quarrell to me, wch is my holding correspondence with yr Lop, or indeed with ye Secretarys of State, for he has (tho' unsuccessfully) used all ye artifices he could to prevaile upon me to hold my constant correspondence wth him himselfe, and employ him only ir ye solliciting all businesses wch relate to this Kingdome. Somethings, as occasion served (wch I also alwaies acquainted yr Lop wth), I have moved by him, and I find that for anything concerning his owne business, he has bin both sedulous, and successfull enough, but for any Proposalls relating to ye Publick, or ye benefitt of ye whole Kingdome, I have not found any satisfactory returne through his mediation.

I have bin ye more large upon this subject, that I may engage yr Lop upon all occasions to prevent my being imposed upon by orders out of England, for I clearly find as to this person, that as his Interest grows so his ambition encreases, and that in a short time he, by being at hand to direct things at ye Court, will hope to make himself superiour to ye Governor here, of weh if he thinks to make me ye first example he will find he has fixed upon a wrong man.

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