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Coll. Hamilton being dead of his wound, the King has given his regiment to my La Widdrington.1

The enclosed letter is the King's instructions to your Excie concerning a point about the English and Dutch East India Company, which my Lord mentioned in his last.

I am, with all truth and respect, my Lord,

Your Excies most faithfull humble servant,
WM. BRIDGEMAN.

Indorsed, R, acknowledged 17.

No. 14.-FROM HENRY BALL.

Whitehall, June 9, 1673.

May it please your Excellency, Since my last on Fryday nothing has past in the Signett Office but a grant and allowance of 12,000l. to John Forth, Sir William Bucknall and others, the farmers of his Majesty's Customes of Irelande, in consideration of their losses sustained by the Dutch Warr before Christmas last, to be defalked out of their rents then due.

Since our fleet's comeing to the buoy of the Nore, the commonalty will not believe but that wee were beaten home, that the Earle of Ossory was wounded, Sir Edward Spragge killed, etc. and in generall all the phanatickes believe it still, Beach the Quaker assureing me this day 'twas soe.

There is great disturbance happened lately in the Heralds' Office, where Mr. Leigh and Mr. Sandford, being in particular favour with the Earle Marshall,2 have represented severall greivances among them, and particularly that of the Kings of Armes granting coates and never bringing a register of them into the office; upon which

Second Lord Widdrington; his father had died fighting at the Battle of Wigan for the King, 1 August, 1651. This Lord was a Koman Catholic.

2 The Earl of Norwich, so created in 1672, and at the same time made Earl Marshal; afterwards by inheritance Duke of Norfolk.

my Lord ordered that Sir Edward Walker1 should grant no armes or supporters without my Lord's leave, and also the other Kings, which Sir Edward opposes, and petitioned his Majesty for a reference of the dispute to the Lord Privy Seale,2 which was granted him, upon whose report something more is to be done; but to prevent further broyles Sir Edward is contented to make up this breach with my Lord, and this weeke to end all, and the next to goe into the countrey. But Sir Edward Bishe has not scaped so, for being by my Lord ordered in May to bring in all his grants and late visitations by the last of that month, and upon report from the office of his not doing it, my Lord on Satturday last sent his order to the office for the suspending Sir Edward from his profitts and execution of his place, and from going visitations, till he brings them in; and in the meane the heralds and pursuivants to visitt for him, and the profitt there of to goe towards the building the office; which Sir Edward thinkes is very hard, though he acknowledges himselfe in

some errours.

Sir Peter Wyche3 writes word that the Earle of Peterborough has told him that his Majesty had writt to him he would no longer expect the Emperour's answer, but ordered his Lordship to returne, so that Sir Peter hopes my Lord of Bath will stand his friend to gett him an allowance to goe to attend the Ambassy, or else the same he now has. My Lord is returning home with all hast.

The King and Duke went this morning to the campe at Blackheath, where is yet but 3 regiments of foot. Satturday was the day for the generall review, but by reason the Yorkshire men nor severall other of the recruites are not yet come, it's said 'twill be referred till the 18th instant My Lord Mulgrave cannot bragge of

Sir Edward Walker was Garter King of Arms.

2 The Earl of Anglesey, appointed May 29, 1673.

There is a letter of Evelyn addressed, June 20, 1665, to Sir Peter Wyche, Knight, as Chairman of a Committee appointed by the Royal Society to consider of the improvement of the English Tongue, in Evelyn's Diary and Correspondence, iii. 159.

much interest in Yorkshire, where halfe his complyment are not yet raised; people talke strangely of the Duke of Buckingham's takeing the holy Sacrament of a Monday to bring in men. The people continue their aversness to Popery, and dayly comes pamphletts and bookes against it, one of which is enclosed, as also a strang ugly thing about Baxter, which makes a very great noyse, that Dr. Parker should licence the bookeseller's advertisement att the end of it, which I hope he did not, but a tricke of those fellowes.1 They say he has been examined and checked severely for it by the Councell. If your Excellency would have me send you such pamphletts I'll be sure to procure them, and till your Excellencyes order therein shall send any that are materiall.

The following new commissions are lately past: Sir Jeremy Smith, Adjutant Generall in the expedition against Holland; Sir Ralfe Wharton, Major to the Earle of Northampton; Sir John Godolphin, Cornett to the Duke of Monmouth's troope of Horse Guards; Sir William King, Lieutenant Collonell to my Lord Power's regiment, and Richard Magennis his Major; my Lord Widdrington, Collonell of Collonell James Hamilton's regiment; Francis Hamond a company in the Duke of Buckingham's regiment; and Captain Edward Sackville a company under Collonell Russell. A warrant is sent to the Master of the Ordnance for permitting the French squadron to buy what shott they shall need.

A warrant is prepairing for allowing to Mr. Milward and Sir Thomas Strickland 400l. per annum apeice, in consideration of their loss by the disposall of the Privy Seale.3

There was published at this time a book called "Mr. Baxter baptized in blood," giving an account, which was fabulous, of a Church of England minister, named Baxter, being murdered in New England by Anabaptists with circumstances of great barbarity; and this book was licensed by Dr. Parker, afterwards Bishop of London. A. Marvell comments severely on Dr. Parker's licensing of this book in his Rehearsal Transprosed, Part 2, p. 100 (ed. 1674).

2 Richard, Lord Power, or le Poer, of Ireland, who was created Viscount Decies and Earl of Tyrone in October of this year, 1673. He died in the Tower of London in 1690. (Lodge's Peerage of Ireland, edit. Archdall, ii. 306.)

3 Mr. Milward and Sir Thomas Strickland had been, with Sir Edward Dering,

There is yet no disposition of the office of Treasurer, which the people say will not be yet, but my Lord will certainly quitt it.

His Majesty intends this weeke to goe down to the fleete, and some say Prince Rupert will come up, and the Earle of Ossory, the last of which is expected to-day, I suppose about the marriage of his daughter with the young Earl of Derby, who is going to travell presently after.1

His Lordship's loss by his plate in his Ketch is valued in all att 1,500l. My Lord has been pleased to gett his Majesty to pass Mr. H. Bulstrode's pardon, and it's accordingly passing, att the request of his friends here, by the meanes of Mr. Henry Brouncker. I dare not press further upon your Excellency's patience, and most humbly begg your Excellency's favorable interpretation of my letters, and accept my zeale to serve your Excellency, as I shall not fayle most. faithfully so to continue to doe, being with all humility and respect imaginable, may it please your Excellency,

Your Excellency's most humble and most obedient servant,
HENRY BALL.

R

15

No. 15.-FROM THOMAS NEWCOMBE.2

May it please your Excellency,

I had given your Excellency troubles of this nature, many before this time, were it not that I feared I might be impertinent. I have Commissioners of the Privy Seal, since 1669, when Lord Roberts, Lord Privy Seal, was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Strickland was M.P. for Westmerland, and Milward for Stafford. See, later, Sir R. Southwell's letter of June 13, p. 34.

The Earl of Derby was a minor, only eighteen, and Lord Ossory's daughter, granddaughter of the Duke of Ormond, was only fourteen, when this marriage took place. Lord Derby was immediately sent abroad to travel with a Scotch tutor, James Forbes, whom Dryden has libelled as Phaleg in the second part of Absalom and Achitophel.

2 Thomas Newcombe was entered on the Stationers' Register as proprietor of the Gazette, but probably Williamson was real owner. The Gazette had been begun at Oxford, November 13, 1665.

now to acquaint your Excellency, that your concern of the Gazette goes on very well, and will turn to very good account. That Mr. Yard is very carefull and diligent, and if I am not misinformed is very well resented both at the Court and in the City.

Since your Excellency left us, and the Prince's going to sea, his highness Prince Rupert hath written two letters to the Lord Arlington, touching two engagements with the Dutch, both which were printed, and I received them from the hands of Mr. Bridgman, who sent for me; the first past without any discourse; upon delivery of the second, Mr. Bridgman asked me who I used to make my acknowledgments to. I told him, to your Excellency, it being as I apprehended a perquisite appertaining to the Gazette; at my next coming he told me, that my Lord Arlington had told him I should account to him Mr. Bridgman. I begg your Excellencies orders what I shall doe in it, without which I stirr not a foot; and I pray, if it consist with your pleasure, by the next; since your Excellency knows, Hawkes are hungry and fly at all, but moulting or muting time is coming, and then the poore things loose their game, though not their stomachs, because their wings faile them.

1

I am to returne your Excellency my humblest hearty thanks for your care of my son in sickness and health, and that you vouchsafe to own him; I know not how hee pays his acknowledgments, but

1

Muting, changing, means the same as moulting, but the word is very rare in this meaning. Richardson in his Dictionary gives one example from Beaumont and Fletcher:

"Not one of my dragon's wings left to adorn me:

Have I muted all my feathers?"

The Little Thief, Act iv. sc. 1.

To mute has another special meaning as applied to birds, and especially to hawks, which is mentioned in all dictionaries, viz. to make dung. The following curious passage is given in Halliwell's Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words from "Wits, Fittes, and Fancies," 1595: "One used an improper term to a falconer saying that his hawk dunged. The falconer told him that he should have said muted. Anon after, the fellow stumbled and fell into a cowshare, and the falconer asking him how he came so berayed, he answered in a cowmute."

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