My Lord Canterbury and Lord Hallifax 2 are said to be taken into the new Caball. I am in all due respect and humility, my Lord, Your Excyes most humble and obedient servant, HEN. BALL. No. 54.-FROM HENRY BALL. Whitehall, July 14, 1673. May it please your Excellency, Not knowing of the comeing away of this express till 8 this night, I could not give my Lady O'Bryan an account till just now, which when her Ladyship heard, shee was pleased to send me this inclosed, commanding me to present her service to your Exey, and that shee had not time now to send your Exey what was promised by her Ladyship, and intended by the first express, but will not fayle of doing it by the next. Your Exeyes house continues safe, and no appearance of danger I hope. Sir Robert Carr, I heare, intends to returne suddainly three weekes sooner then he first intended. The Duke of Buckingham, they say, will lay downe his commissions and office, and is said to be much discontented. pleasant rediculous story is this weeke blazed about, that the King had given Nell Gwinn 20,000l., which angrying much my Lady Cleaveland and Mademoiselle Carwell, they made a supper at Berkshire House, whither shee being invited was, as they were drinking, suddainly almost choaked with a napkin, of which shee was since dead; and this idle thing runs so hott that Mr. Philips askt me the truth of it, beleiving it, but I assured him I saw her yester night in the Parke. The people say there has been 100,000l. A 'Gilbert Sheldon, Archbishop of Canterbury. He had been a member of the Cabinet in 1664. (Pepys, March 2, Nov. 8, 1664.) 2 The famous George Savile, now Baron, afterwards successively Earl and Marquis of Halifax. He was now forty years of age. He had been joint plenipotentiary with Buckingham and Arlington in the summer of 1672 to the King of France. Duchess of Cleveland, formerly Lady Castlemaine. given away within these last five weekes, so ready are they to blaze pernitious lyes. I dare not trouble your Exey further then by begging your pardon for all my errours, being most humbly, my Lord, Your Excyes most humble and obedient servant, HENRY BALL. My Lord, No. 55.-FROM JOHN RICHARDS. Whitehall, July 14, '73. Your Excellency is pleased to honour mee with such punctuall correspondence, that nothing can excuse mee from paying my humble acknowledgements at least, and particularly for that of the inst. which came with your Excies other dispatches to my Lord Arlington yesterday; that dispatch in generall consisted of two joint letters from your Excies of the, and one particular from yourselfe of the, the cypher of all which, and all preceding ones, hath proved soe true that I gave noe occasion of complaint more then what all cyphering produces, being sometimes little mistakes, for which I hope your Exey will pardon mee when they happen in his Lordshipp's dispatches. It happens this night to bee very late that our courier goes hence; his Lordshipp being to goe to-morrow morning early to the Fleet with the King, hath spent soe much of his time in other necessary occasions that it could not otherwise bee. The King resolves now to see it under sayle, having taken five meales; and the 17th being the day the King is expected home makes us conclude that will be the day of the fleet's sayling. The delay of it hath beene occasioned by the gathering together the land forces that were to bee put on board, which marched yesterday from Blackheath, and are by this time all in their proper vessells. God grant us good successe, which, as in humane probability, wee may justly hope for from a fleete that hath not had its equall from England, soe wee trust in God it may put a happy end to your Excies negociacion. Sir Robert Long being dead, Sir Robert Howard is sworne in his place. I am told Mr. Bertie (who was Envoye in Denmark) is to succeede this later in the Treasury. My Lord of Derby's marriage with the Earl of Ossory's daughter is over. Fonseca, the Spanish Consul, is still in the Gatehouse, in requitall of the imprisonment of Sir Martin Wescombe at Cadiz; the Spanish Ambassador takes it much to heart, and upon it takes every little occasion of making complaints, as that some 7 or 8 ships of the Spanish Low Countries have beene prest for the service of the Fleet, &c. but his complaints have little in them. I must still end with begging pardon for scribling, and not having time to enlarge, which I am sure the bearer will testify for mce. By the next you shall receive a duplicate of this dispatch, as by this your Excy has one of his Lordshipp's last of the 11th. It is soe late that 'tis not possible to procure his Lordshipp's attestation of it, otherwise it had gone by the ordinary of this night; if this arrive there will bee noe need of it, but I mention it that your Exey may know, if it come not, it is not by our fault. I beg leave to owne myselfe, my Lord, Your Excellencyes most humble and most devoted servant, 56.-FROM JAMES HICKS. May it please your Excellency, London, July 18, 73. I hope myne of the 4 instant, in which I gave you account of our Archers feast held the first of this month, and that your Excy and Sir Joseph Sheldon were then chosen Stewards for the insueing yeare of 1674, and in your absence I was pitched upon and drunck unto by Sir John Robinson to appere and hold for you in your absence, which honor and favour I could not refuse, for the obedience and service I owe, yet hope your health and returns wilbe such, that your personall presence wilbe there to the content and desires of the Bow, who by my pen present you their most humble service and well wishes, &c. Sir, yours of the came to my hand the 8th. Every soule enjoyeth to here of your health with whom I convers, and in perticular Col. Whitey your most humble servant, as well as my selfe and myne. Your servants at Whithall are dilligent in your buissines passing my hands, and I hope you find them soe in your greater concerns. Sir, for news or towne discourse I must not pretend to know much, being I visitt not Tavernes nor Coffey houses, nor doe I converse much with any persons that doe; and to tell you his Royal Highness hath layd downe his Commission, and my Lord Tresurer Clifford given up his staff, I beleive is noe news to you, and the various discourses occasioned thereby, and soe outright and possibly dangerous that the same in at one eare and runn thorough. Sir, to tell you you were returned for England about the tyme my I received yours, and that the Treatie was off, and you had done nothing, I should tell you noe more but what for severall days was reported and by many beleived. About the same tyme nothing was more hotter discoursed then Lord Arlington laying doune his ministeriall office of Secretarie off State, and my Lord Chamberlin his; that my Lord Arlington would be Lord Chamberlin (which semeth a strang chang to me), that Sir Joseph Williamson was to be Secretarie of State, in a day or two after Sir Robert Carr was to be Secretarie of State. Since these discourses vanished, a hott and strange report in Citty and Countrey, that the French and the Dutch were agreed, that the French squadron had left the Prince, and the French King gon to Paris, and much such discours runns up and down as to the affares in Court and of the treatie, but this I have given in return for your inquiry after towne talke, which, with all imaginable respects, is all at present from, Sir, Your Excys most humble and obedient servant, July the 21, '73. JAMES HICKS. Sir, this should have gone towards you the last post, but deferd, hereing reports that the French squadron refused to sayle and engage under the Prince; but what the occasion of that report was, I question not but you have fully from better hands. The fleet of 190 odd saile wee hope are now on the cost of Holland. No. 57. FROM SIR JOHN ROBINSON, BART. Tower, London, 18 July (73). Deare brother, There hath happn'd nothing of moment since my last, otherwise you had heard from me; yesterday was interr'd Sir John Smith with great solemnity; the hospitall boyes, the liveries of his Company, the Artillery Company, the Court of Aldermen, besides mourners and all private freinds; there were twelve banners, and large rings given. There's a rich widow left, which you may consider of. We have gott never a Sheriff yet to match Mr. Linsey; severall have been chosen, but gott of by swearing or paying their mony. The last that gott of was Mr. Colwell, a searcher at the Custome Howse, and he that is now chosen is one Wilcox, a brewer, they say a troublesome person; wheither he will hold or noe, I cannot tell. There was, not long since, an addresse prepared by a Committee of some of the Aldermen and Commoners appointed by Common. Councell to consider of the aggreivances of the Citty, to be presented to his Majesty. It consisted of a great many perticulers, large and CAMD. SOC. |