revenge to enter your heart, but be careful to be informed who were my friends in this profecution, and to them apply yourfelf to make them your friends alfo; and on fuch you may rely, and beftow much of your converfation amongst them. And God Almighty of his infinite goodness blefs you and your children's children; and his fame goodness blefs your fifters in like manner, perfect you in every good work, and give you right understandings in all things. Amen. Your most loving father.

Tower, this 11th of May 1641.

You must not fail to behave yourself towards my Lady Clare, your grandmother, with all duty and obfervance; for most tenderly doth fhe love you, and hath been paling kind unto me: God reward her charity for it. And both in this and all the reft, the fame that I counfel you, the fame do I direct alfo to your fifters, that fo the fame may be obferved by you all. And once more do I, from my very foul, befeech our gracious God to blefs and govern you in all, to the faving you in the day of his vifitation, and join us again in the communion of his bleffed faints, where is falnefs of joy and bliss for evermore. Amen, Amen.

bear any further folicitations; for if you trouble me with any more meffages of this nature, I will burn your paper, and hang up your meffenger. This is the immutable refolution, and fhall be the undoubted practice of him who accounts it his chiefeft glory to be his Majesty's most loyal and obedient fubject. From Caftle-Town, this 12th of July 1049.

I HAVE received your letter with indignation, and with fcorn return you this answer: That I cannot but wonder whence you fhould gather any hopes that, I should prove, like you, treacherous to my fovereign; fince you cannot be ignorant of the manifelt candour of my former actings in his late Majefty's fervice, from which principles of loyalty I am no whit departed. I fcorn your Proffer; I difdain your favour; I abhor your treafon; and am fo far from defivering up this ifland to your advantage, that I hall keep it to the utmost of my power, and, I hope, to your deftruction. Take this for your final answer, and for

Charles II. to the Duke of York.
Dear Brother,

HAVE received yours without a date, in which you mention, that Mr. Montague has endeavoured to pervert you in your religion. I do not doubt but you remember very well the commands I left with you at my going away concerning that point, and am confident you will obferve them. Yet the letters that come from Paris fay, that it is the Queen's purpofe to do all the can to change your religion, which, if you hearken to her, or any body elfe in that matter, you muft never think to fee England or me again; and whatsoever mischief shall fall on me or my affairs from this time; I must lay all upon you as being the only cause of it. Therefore confider well what it is, not only to be the cause of ruining a brother that loves you so well, but alfo of your King and country. Do not let them perfuade you either by force

ther dare nor will ufe; and for the feor fair promifes; for the firft they neicond, as foon as they have perverted you, they will have their end, and will care no more for you.

I am also informed, that there is a purport to put you in the Jefuits' college, which I command you upon the fame grounds never to confent unto. And whenfoever any body fhall go to difpute with you in religion, do not anfwer them at all; for though you have the reafon on your fide, yet they being prepared, will have the advantage of any body that is not upon the fame security that they are. If you do not confider what I fay to you, remember the last words of your dead father, which were, to be conftant to your religion, and never to be fhaken in it; which if you do not obferve, this fhall be the last time

you will ever hear from, dear brother, your most affectionate brother.

Cologne, Nov. 10, 1654.

LETTER LXXX.

Oliver Cromwell to his Son H. Cromwell.

Son,

I HAVE feen your letter written unto Mr. Secretary Thurloe, and do find thereby, that you are very apprehenfive of the carriage of fome perfons with you towards yourself and the public affairs. I do believe there may be fome particular perfons, who are not very well pleafed with the prefent condition of things, and may be apt to fhew their difcontent as they have opportunity; but this fhould not make too great impreflions on you. Time and patience may work them to a better frame of fpirit, and bring them to fee that which for the prefent feems to be hid from them; efpecially if they fhall fee your moderation and love towards them, whilst they are found in other ways towards you; which I earnestly defire you to ftudy and endeavour all that lies in you, whereof both you and I too fhall have the comfort, whatfoever the flue and event thereof be.

For what you write of more help, I have long endeavoured it, and fhall not be wanting to fend you fome further addition to the council, as foon as men can be found out who are fit for that truft. I am alto thinking of fending over to you a fit perfon, who may command the north of Ireland, which I believe flands in great need of one, and am of opinion, that Trevor and colonel Mervin are very dangerous perfons, and may be made the heads of a new rebellion; and therefore I would have you move the council, that they be fecured in fome very fafe place, and the further out of their own countries the better. I commend you to the Lord, and rest your affectionate

father.

21 Nov. 1655.

LETTER LXXXI.

your

Lad, Mory Cromwell to Henry Cromwell.

Dear Brother.

YOUR kind letters do fo much engage my heart towards you, that I can

:

never tell how to exprefs in writing the true affection and value I have of you, who truly I think none that knows you but you may justly claim it from. I must confefs myfelf in a great fault in the omitting of writing to you and your dear wife fo long a time; but I fuppofe you cannot be ignorant of the reafon, which truly has been the only caufe, which is this business of my fifter Frances and Mr. Rich. Truly I can truly fay it, for these three months I think our family, and myfelf in particular, have been in the greatest confufion and trouble as ever poor family can be in the Lord tell us his **** in it, and fettle us, and make us what he I fuppofe you would have us to be. heard of the breaking off the business, and according to your defire in your last letter, as well as I can, I fhall give you a full account of it, which is this. After a quarter of a year's admiffions, my father and my Lord Warwick began to treat about the eltate, and it feems my lord did not offer that that my father expected. I need not name particulars, for I fuppofe you may have had it from better hands; but if I may fay the truth, I think it was not fo much eftate as fome private reafons, that my father discovered to none but my filter Frances and his own family, which was a dislike to the young perfon, which he had from fome reports of his being a vicious man, given to play and fuch like things; which office was done by fome that had a mind to break off the match. My fifter, hearing thefe things, was refolved to know the truth of it, and truly did find all the reports to be falfe that were raised of him"; and to tell you the truth, they were fo much engaged in affection before this, that she could not think of breaking of it off; fo that my filter engaged me and all the friends fhe had, who truly were very few, to speak in her behalf to my father; which we did, but could not be heard to any purpofe; only this my father promised, that if he were fatisfied as to the report, the estate fhould not break it off, which fhe was fatisfied with; but after this there was a fecond treaty, and my Lord Warwick defired my father to name what it was he demanded more, and to his ut moft he would fatisfy him; fo my father upon this made new propofitions, which ny Loid Warwick has anfwered as much as he can; but it feems there is five

hundred

hundred pounds a year in my Lord Rich's hands, which he has power to fell, and there are fome people that perfuaded her Highness, that it would be dishonourable for him to conclude of it without thefe five hundred pounds a year be fettled apon Mr. Rich, after his father's death, and my Lord Rich having no efteem at all of his fon, because he is not as bad kimielf, will not agree to it; and thefe people upon this perioade my father, it would be a dohodour to him to yield upon these terms; i wodd few, that be made a fool on by my Lord Rich, d the truth is, how it fuld be, I camer Inderfati, so very few day you privzely, that raged as the maxi

either of things or perfons, but fobbed off with intelligence about as much dif fering from Mabbot, as he from a Diur nall; fo that I can contribute finde to prevent our danger, more than by my and 154 prayers, and keeping the army ple under my charge in a good frame. I with yours may be to kept in England Methinks fome begin their meetings 169 early. It may be they intend wive law; but if they do won kany wybe 19 konek, tomy may mest vin Gileypres

1 do weary wared you band tip for your frestorm wh westbuh g I am fre 1 coat yachting u. we kill yaqiwych toastguys

unto it. I know, in the caufe of grief now before us, I am the unfitteft of any to offer comfort, which I need as much as any; and I know it is as unfit to offer to prefent it you, who, as you need it moft of any, fo you are ableft to afford it others above any however, this one confideration of David's actings 1 could not but lay before you, it having proved an effactual confolation to me in the death of one I but too much loved. But I hope your forrow for what is paft does not drown your care for what is to come; nay, I am confident of it; for you that can in your forrow and business mind me, makes me know your grief hinders us not from enjoying the accustomed effects of your care to the public; and while what we pay the dead does not obftruét what we owe the living, fuch forrow is a debt, and not a fault.

In this nation his Highness has been proclaimed in most of the confiderable places already, and in others he is daily a-proclaiming, and indeed with fignal demonftrations of love to his perion, and of nope of happinefs under his govern

ment.

I heartily join in all the good you fay of him, and hope with you he will be happy if his friends flick to him; amongst all thofe I know you will; and I know all promifes with me are not kept, if you are not reckoned by him in the firit rank, of which I have prefumed to mind him in a letter I took the confidence to write unto him this week.

But I fear, while I thus trouble you, I give the honour of your letters a very difproportionate return; and therefore I will only now fubfcribe myfelf, what I am from the bottom of my heart, dear Sir, your most hunble, mod faithful, and moft obliged affectionate fervant, Ballymello, the 17th of September 1658.

LETTER LXXXIV.

particular account of the fickness and death of his late Highness, my dear father, which was fuch an amazing stroke that it did deeply affect the heart of every man, much more may it do those of a nearer relation. And indeed, for my own part, I am fo aftonished at it, that I know not what to say or write upon this fo fad and grievous occasion. I know it is our duties upon all accounts to give fubmiflion to the will of God, and to be awakened by this mighty noise from the Lord to look into our own hearts and ways, and to put our mouths in the duit, acknowledging our own vilenefs and finfulness before him; that fo, if poffible, we may thereby yet obtain mercy from him for ourfelves and thef poor nations. As this itroke was very ftupendous, fo the happy news of his late Highuefs leaving us to hopeful a foundation for our future peace, in appointing your Highness his fucceffor, coming along with it to us, did not a little allay the other. For my part, I can truly fay I was relieved by it, not only upon the public confideration, but even upon the account of the goodness of God to our poor family, who hath preferved us from the contempt of our enery. I gave a late account to Mr. Secretary Thurloe of what paffed about the proclaiming your Highnef, here, which, I may fay without vanity, was with as great joy and general fatisia Stion, as I believe in the beft affected prices in England. I doubt not but to give your Highness as good an ac count of the rest of the places in Ireland, fo foon as the proclamations are returned. I did alfo give foune account of the fpeedy compliance of the army, obedience your Highneís may juftly require at my hands. Now, that the God and Father of your late father and mine, and your Highness's predeceffor, would fupport you, and by p uring down a double portion of the fame fpirit which was fo eminently upon him, would enable you to walk in his steps, and to do wor thily for his name, caufe, and people,

whofe

I

Protector.

is and thall be the fervent and daily prayer yours, &c.

LETTER

burthen, that he was wrought upon to put Mr. Goodwin difgracefully out of the council, only for being faithful to me; I

LXXXV.

Protector.

May it please your Highness, ISENT a letter to Secretary Thurloe, dated the 11th inftant, to be communicated to your Highness; judging it not very feasonable in fo great and fresh a grief to addrefs myself to your Highnets, without leaving it to the difcretion of fomebody upon the place to chufe the fittest opportunity. And in confidence of your Highness's privity to that, to which I refer, I proceed further humbly to acquaint your Highness, that on Monday morning I caufed an addrefs (a copy whereof is enclosed) to be fent through put the whole army, which is already figned by divers field officers; and when it is perfected, I intend to fend it to remain in your Highness's hands, as a witnefs against the treachery and falfehood of any officer of this army, that may hereafter in the leaft manner warp from his due obedience; fo that I may and do affure your Highness of the faithful and active fubjection of this army to your Highness's government, and shall be content to anfwer it with my life if you And it otherwife. By my abovesaid let ter and this, your Highness may perceive that I loft no time; and also, that I ufed what diligence and industry I could, according to my bounden duty, to make your Highness's entrance eafy, and your government established. Since this I received an exprefs from your Highness by Mr. Underwood, in which your Highnefs graciously pleafed to do me the great honour, as to offer me the charge which I anderwent in his late Highness my late father's life-time, for which I return my most humble and hearty thanks; but must humbly beg that I may deal faithfully, plainly, and freely with your Highnels touching this particular. Since his late Highnefs was pleafed to place me in this ftation, I have met with nothing but toil and difquiet of body and mind, and have thereby fo exceedingly impaired my health, that it is not poffible for me to undergo the like any longer. His late Highness was indeed pleafed to favour me, and bear me out as much as he well could; but was befet with fo many who made it their bufinefs to increafe my

letters to know the cause, but could hear none. They prevailed with him to model the council, fo that the major part were men of a profeffed spirit of contradiction to whatsoever I would have, and took counfel together how to lay wait for me without a caufe. They fo far prevailed, that if any officer could revile and clamour against me, he was received and preferred there; and they undertook to reduce the army by fuch rules as would render me odious, and were prepofterous and abfurd here, though proper for an army in England; and were fo far from afking my opinion (though I was a little concerned), that when I obtruded it, I could get no reply of reafons, but magifterial rules which I must obey. Why fhould I enumerate, when I confider how little time your Highness hath to fpare? In short, my life was made a burthen; and had I not owed a natural and filial obedience, as well as a full fubjection to his late Highness, I could not willingly have undergone it. I humbly beg your Highness's pardon for what I am about to say I may not, unless your Highness commands me against my will, and condemns me to my grave, any longer undergo the charge I did in your father's life-time. I am not able to live always in the fire; the great God, in whofe prefence I fpeak this, he knows my heart. I do not this out of any froward humour, neither am I fo vain as to defign being courted; 1 am willing, nay defirous, to spend my fmall talent, whatfoever it is, in your Highness's fervice, so my talk may be no more than I am able to perform. But I can hardly fubmit to a combination of pragmatical men, who, as they will endeavour to impofe on your Highnefs, as they did upon his late Highneís, fo I may juftly fear they will think it the nearest way to their ends, to mifreprefent me to your Highness, whose good efteem and affection I value above any thing in this world, and which I will not hazard at any rate. 'Tis hard to exprefs my mind by writing, unless I fhould fwell a letter to a volume; and befides, I have much to fay, which is not fit to be written. I know no expedient in the cafe but this (which I do not offer

without