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Excellenc presides, whose influenc we must have to sho, and imploring the guidanc and blessing of God on y's, wch shall bee the constant prayers of,

Lysnegor, Oct. 29.

My most Honord La,

Yr Excelleyes most obliged votary & Serv1,
THO. DUNING.

My humble opinion is, that they overvalue the Nonconformists heer whoe think a tolleration needfull, because they generally did conforme till of late, and the indulging only 2 ladys opened the present gap by giving countenanc to others, and it requires but the courage of denying their intercessions to stop it.

XXIV. ANONYMOUSa TO THE EARL of Essex.

[Undated.]

Your Excy will soone understand (if you doe not already) that his Maty is not verry well pleased with the New Rules, &c., concerning Corporations. The best office that your friends could doe you was to lay the Saddle on the right horse by telling his Matie this truth (which he believes), that ye same were prepared by the Councell before your comeing over, and that what you did was at their Instance and by their advice, who have shoulders broad enough to beare it. Remember, that if the Lyon say the Foxes Eares are hornes, thair is noe disputeing the case. Though your Excy hath power in many cases, insteede of obeying, to represent the inconveniences of his Maty's Comands, yet under petence thereof to serve the turnes of Private interests cannot be verry acceptable. Felix quem faciunt, &c., verbum sapienti.

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There is no clue to the writer. The letter is in a formal hand. The terms of expression, perhaps, point to Halifax.

XXV. THE EARL OF ESSEX TO THE EARL OF Arlington.

MY LORD,

Dublyn Castle, Octo. 29th, '72. I give y1 Lop ye trouble of this private Lře upon 2 or 3 particulars, wch your LoP may keep to yr self, or otherwise, as you shall

see cause.

In the first place, I cannot but a litle complaine of a Petition of one Patrick Groome of Grim, setting forth a judgment obtein'd agt him for matters acted in ye late War, that a Petition should be admitted of in England, and Order given there upon, before he had made any complaint or address to me here, especially since his Majtie granted his Order before my departure from England (as my Lord Clifford well knowes), that no particular complaint of injustice or oppression be admitted here agt any, unless it appear yt ye Partie made first his address unto ye Lieutenant. I can assure yr Lop yt my Lord of Strafford, who had ye like engagement from ye King, never fail'd to imprison any whom he perceiv'd were about to make their complaint in England before they had made their address to him. And tho' I have given all ready compliance to his Majties commands herein, yet give me leave to tell y' Lop yt unless this article be kept intirely wth him who governs here, he will be scorn'd by all, and have but an uncomfortable employment. If ye Govern shall give a Judgmt in any case, ye Partie yt thinks himself agriev'd may appeale to his Majtie, and ye cause as it stood here, wth its proofs, is to be transmitted into England, and ye judgmt may there be revers'd, and this without any dishonor to ye Lieut, for there is no man but may erre, but if once men find a way open to pass by ye Lieut, and have their cause heard at first instance in another place, for my Part I thinke it does litle less then destroy ye Governmt here. I desire y LoP to excuse the having bin so large upon this subject, but truly ye matter is so essentiall yt I could say no less upon it. What I have said I speake only to yr Lop in particular, and leave it wholly to yr LoP to doe what you thinke fitt in it.

a See next Letter.

XXVI. THE EARL OF ARLINGTON TO THE EARL OF ESSEX.

MY LORDE,

Whitehall, Nov. 12, '72.

a

By last night's post i received foure of yr Exly's; one of yo 26, two of ye 29, and one of Nov. 2. The substance of all wch i will by ye first occasion i have comuniquate to his Maty and receive his pleasure upon them, that I may with all speede impart it to yr Ex, wch i hope may bee by ye next post. In ye meane time i herewith enclose y remarques made upon ye rules for Corporations, wch i promised you in my last, having now ye King's leave to sende them to you; i doe not answer for ye sufficiency of them, having but cursorily reade them over, but i suppose, if his Maty bee satisfied upon them, most of his exceptions will cease, and consequently those of standers by, who, according to their accustumed liberty, censure this matter as they doe all other, wch I hope yr Ex will easily teach y' selfe to beare, as well as i doe, when you satisfy y1 selfe that you doe y duty by serving the King according to his directions; and, having been soe long in that country, you cannot but knowe that nothing can bee done favorably to one party without loosing for that time ye good will of ye other, and consequently enduring all ye ill effects of it, at least from their tounges. Ye right, I am perswaded, lyes in ye midle following, which I am perswaded will at long runne bee ye best course, although for ye present it have not ye approbation of either.

Yr Ex remarque upon his Mat's admission of a petition here, wch regularly should have been first prevented there, hath much reason in it; i promise you that for ye future I will warrt ye observance of

On Nov. 5, Arlington had written that the issuing of the rules was to be suspended until the meeting of the Privy Council, where, as we learn from the anonymous Letter XXIV, there was strong opposition. The paper of exception was answered by Essex at once and at very great length. A formal letter of suspension from the King accompanied Arlington's letter. See Letter XXXIV.

CAMD. SOC.

G

VOL. I.

that rule as well as I can, but ye truth is that particular seeming soe greate a point of State, it seemed to require a present remedy, and, perhaps, those in favor of whome it was to be applied doe too much suspect yo generality of the Counsel to bee too earnestly bent against them, wch made them come hither.

XXVII.-THE EARL OF ESSEX TO THE EARL OF
ARLINGTON.

Dublyn Castle, Nov. 30th, 1672.

[Has received, and will presently answer, the exceptions to the Rules for Corporations; agrees with Arlington as to the "middle course." "If men should be admitted to have reparation for all the trespasses and injuries done in the time of the war here, it would turn the world upside down."]

XXVIII. THE EARL OF SHAFTESBURY TO THE EARL OF

ESSEX.

Exeter House, 13 Dec. 1672.

I returne my most humble thanks to yr Excellency for ye favour and honour of y' congratulacón. I will assure your Excellency the King could not have put a man in this place more your servant. And yet, puting your letter & postscript togeather, I cannot but apprehend that I have been represented from hence to you as one that hath spoken against your LP, or some of your proceedings.

If soe, give me leave to say, your intelligence out of England is not soe good as your Excellency ought to have. For I am sure the direct contrary is only true. I am the more jealous that this

a Essex's letter is dated Nov. 30. Nov. 17.

Shaftesbury was made Lord Chancellor on

hath been soe, because I have been served in the like manner with severall other persons, & upon severall other occasions, by some worthy persons here that are exceeding skilful in these lesser arts, but can doe noe business. Besides, my starrs have not been very propitious as to Irish affairs or Governors." But I rely upon your goodnesse and wisdom to over-rule those starrs. And that you would believe it impossible for me not to be infinitely ambitious of your friendship whilst you please to allow it me. And that I shall never omitt any thing that may make it appeare how sincerely I am, &c.

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XXIX.—THE EARL OF ESSEX TO THE EARL OF Arlington.

MY LORD,

Dublyn Castle, Dec. 14th, 1672.b

Tho' my recoverie be not yet so perfect as to enable me to undertake a thorough consideration of those Affairs wch have bin comitted to me by His Majtie relating to ye Governmt of this Kingdome, yet I thinke it my duty to make y' Lop at present this short returne to his Majties Lre of ye 5th of Novemb1 concerning ye suspension of those Rules for Corporacions wch have bin publisht since my coming hither.

In ye first place I beseech yr LoP to acquaint his Majtie that I am resolv'd, wth all obedience, to observe his Majties Commands concerning ye suspension of these Rules, tho' it be attended wth many difficulties.

The Magistrates of all ye considerable Corporacions in Ireland have bin elected according to these Rules, and if I should exactly pursue his Majties commands according to ye Tenor of his Lre, wch

He is no doubt referring to Ormond, Essex's predecessor, whom he had, in conjunction with Buckingham, vehemently attacked.

b On same date Arlington writes to warn Essex that the Dutch are meditating an attack upon Ireland.

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