Imagens da página
PDF
ePub

Troops will consist only of Tenants and Servants to some of these great men. I shall in this particular be equall to all, and not favor one Troop more then another, but every one shall take their turne to remove from their old Quarters, and I will doe it wth ye most conveniency to them ye security of ye Kingdome will allow.

*

*

*

*

*

LIII. THE EARL OF ESSEX TO LORD CLIFFORD.

[blocks in formation]

I am very sensible of ye Publick mischief wch ye Kingdome of England may suffer, if some dilligence be not used to hinder ye Irish Wooll from being sent into forrain Parts, tho' I cannot but owne ye Profitt is considerable to ye Governor here, and so considerable, as I believe is scarce known in England, for it amounts not to less than four thousand pås a year, so as it is ye interest of ye Governor to give encouragement to ye exportacion of it, wch will consequently encrease his gaine; but I will never doe any irregular thing for private advantage, wch would be so great a prejudice to my owne country, and therefore ye strictest course that can be setled, to prevent ye exportacion of it into forrain Parts, shall be wth all care executed, while I continue here.

If yr Lop can, upon these hints or advice wth ye ComTMs of his Majesties Customs, establish any Rules proper to hinder this abuse, I shall not faile in my duty to see them exactly pursued; and that it does deserve some consideration, and some better methods for ye future, may evidently appear by some of these Papers, wherein y' Lốp will find, that of two and twenty thousand nine hundred pas Penalties incurr'd (as is prov'd in ye Exchequer) since this

Patent was on foot, there has bin recover'd, and brought to account but seven hundred and seventy pas.

LIV. THE EARL OF ARLINGTON TO THE EARL OF ESSEX. MY LORD,

[blocks in formation]

Whitehall, April 5th, -73. No. 12.

[blocks in formation]

Yor Excy cannot bee ignorant of the grant his Maty has made to my Lady Dutchesse of Cleaveland, of the Phenix Parke for 99 years to her & his children after her, which he did upon a condicon that it should not take effect till the expiracon of the time of yor Excies Lieutenancy, & therefore has refused hetherto to signe the Bill till I had acquainted you with his intencōn therein, wherein I assure myselfe you will give him no contradiction, but if you shall thinke fitt to insist upon any written declaracon of his Maties minde herein, I dare charge myselfe with obtaining it for you, although my humble advice to you is to content y' selfe with what his Maty has verbally been pleased to declare in this matter, which I am confident is abundantly sufficient in y1 behalfe.

I am likewise desired by my Lady Dutchesse of Cleveland to enter a Caveat with yr Excy against a patent passing in that Kingdome of the Lordsp of Portlester, in the County of Meath, being a revercon fallen expectant upon an Estate Taile decreed in the Court of Claimes, & which is within her Grace's grant.

My Lord Grandison likewise in My Lady Dutchesse's behalfe

a It must be remembered that Arlington had a personal interest in this matter, since his only daughter was betrothed to the son of Charles and the Duchess, created Duke of Grafton.

desires that another Caveat bee entered against a Patent by Cott Grace for lands in the King's County, they being formerly disposed of to his Lordssp in trust.

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

LV.-THE EARL OF ESSEX TO THE EARL OF SHAFTESBURY."

MY LORD,

Dublin Castle, Aprill 12th, 1673. In a Lie I lately received from my Lord of Arlington, in relation to ye Phonix Parke, were these words:

[Here follows verbatim quotation from Arlington's letter, No. 54, down to the words" in your behalfe."]

By wch yr Lop may perceive that my interest is more than sufficiently preserved, but by how much ye securer I am in my owne concernmt by so much ye more doe I think myself engaged (if possible) to obstruct ye passing of that Grant, nay tho' it be even wth ye Loss of my owne convenience, for I need not mind yr Lop of a late saying of a wise man and a great Minister-That Magistrates, as well as Merchants, are supported by reputation.

I confess I know this thing to be so universally distastefull to all men here, as I would not omitt, and indeed, in duty to ye King, J ought not to omitt to use all ye interest I have, whilst there is any hope, to prevent ye passing of that Patent, and to tell yr Lop plainly my mind, I will much rather part with it presently then be bribed to consent to so unhansome a thing.

The Emperor Charles ye fifth (as ye History tells us) had a person of extraordinary worth for his Chancell", who, having refused to pass an unreasonable Grant, some of ye Courtiers tooke their opportunitie, when ye Emperor was pleasant and in good

■ Printed in full in Christie's Life of Shaftesbury, vol. ii., App. iv., p. xlix.

humour among some of his merry companions, to prevaile wth him to send a positive command to his Chancell1 for Passing ye Grant, wch still ye Chancell refused. These men of Pleasure (ye very Pest and ruine of all Courts, where in such insinuate themselves) fail'd not to exasperate ye Emperor agt this Minister, telling him how he was affronted by one whom he had raised from nothing, and that, if he suffer'd this, his servant was Emperor, and not himself, wth many other expressions of ye like kind, as is usuall upon such occasions; so as there was a 2a and 3d positive command wth promises of some advantage, and at last wth threats of loosing his Place in -case he refused, but ye Chancell continueing firme in his resolution, still utterly denied putting ye Seale to ye Grant, whereupon those Gentlemen thought they had now clear gained their point, and ridd themselves of this good Minister, whom they alwaies found an Obstructor to their exorbitant designes, urging ye Emperor to make good his word, and send immediately for ye seals, to which this great Prince replied: "Gentlemen, you are all mistaken, for this Chancell is an honest and true man, and so true to me, as I myself can't corrupt him to be other."

Of what force such an instance as this may be wth yr Lop I cannot tell, nor will I ever censure any for having their reasoning differing from my owne, but sure I am that this and other like examples, together wth ye reason of them, have fixed me in a resolution never to give up my consent to any thing that in my conscience I know to be notoriously inconvenient.

I ought to beg y' Lops pardon for this so long Story, wch I have inserted in my Lre, but if you have not met with it before I hope it may not be unpleasant to yr LoP, nor altogether improper upon this occasion, and therefore I presume you will excuse this freedom in, &c.

LVI. THE EARL OF ESSEX TO SIR HENRY CAPEL.

DEARE BROTHER,

Dublin Castle, April 12th, -73.

I have recd yrs of ye 5th of Aprill, wch chiefly relates to ye matter of ye Phenix Parke. I am confident yr self and Mr Godolphin have fully made known to my Lord Arlington how generall a distaste twill give to all this Kingdome, and how extremely inconvenient it will be to ye Governte to have it parted from ye Sword; and therefore I conclude I need say no more upon that subject, having so fully set it forth to you and Mr Godolphin in some of my former Lřes. Yet I cannot but much wonder my temper should not be a litle better known to yr self and other my friends in England in a case of this nature, then that any of you should imagine I could be bribed by my owne private interest to give my consent to a thing so dishonorable to me, wch is that I have ever and shall always utterly detest. Nay, let me tell you that I think a prooff given to ye world of my firmness in so good a resolution is of more value to me then ten times ye Parke; and therefore I had much rather, if it must be parted from ye Sword, it were given even in my time, then any of my friends should appeare to sollicite my convenience in it, so that I hope those who are, I will not say kind to me, but kind to ye King's concernmt, will not give over to obstruct this so unreasonable a grant.

CAMD. SOC.

L

VOL. I.

« AnteriorContinuar »