briety, and modefty, which we hoped God, by our hands, would have introduced; the best of our nation made a prey to the worst; the parliament, court, and army corrupted, the people enflaved, all things vendible, and no man safe, but by fuch evil and infamous means as flattery and bribery; what joy can I have in my own country in this condition? Is it a pleasure to see all that I love in the world, fold and deftroyed? Shall I renounce all my old principles, learn the vile court arts, and make my peace by bribing fome of them? Shall their corruption and vice be my fafety? Ah! no; better is a life among ftrangers, than in my own country upon fuch conditions. Whilft I live, I will endeavour to preserve my liberty; or, at least, not confent to the destroying of it. I hope I fhall die in the fame principle in which I have lived, and will live no longer than they can preferve me. I have in my life been guilty of many follies, but, as I think, of no meannefs. I will not blot and defile that which is paft, by endeavouring to provide for the future. I have ever had in my mind, that when God fhould caft me into fuch a condition, as that I cannot fave my life, but by doing an indecent thing, he fhews me the time is come wherein I should refign it. And when I cannot live in my own country, but by fuch means as are worse than dying in it, I think he fhews me I ought to keep myfelf out of it. Let them please themselves with making the King glorious, who think a whole people may juftly be facrificed for the intereft and pleasure of one man, and a few of his followers: let them rejoice in their fubtilty, who, by betraying the former powers, have gained the favour of this, not only preferved, but advanced themfelves in thefe dangerous changes. Nevertheless (perhaps) they may find the King's glory is their fhame, his plenty the people's mifery; and that the gaining of an office, or a little money, is a poor reward for deftroying a nation, which if it were preferved in liberty and virtue, would truly be the molt glorious in the world! and that others may find they have, with much pains, purchafed their own fhame and mifery; a dear price paid for that which is not worth keeping, nor the life that is accompanied with it: the honour of English parliaments has ever been in mak

ing the nation glorious and happy, not in felling and deftroying the intereft of it, to fatisfy the lufts of one man. Miferable nation! that, from so great a height of glory, is fallen into the most defpicable condition in the world, of having all its good depending upon the breath and will of the vileft perfons in it! cheated and fold by them they trusted! Infamous traffic, equal almoft in guilt to that of Judas! In all preceding ages, parliaments have been the pillars of our liberty, the fure defenders of the oppreffed: they, who formerly could bridle Kings, and keep the balance equal between them and the people, are now become the inftruments of all our oppreffions, and a fword in his hand to destroy us they themselves led by a few interefted perfons, who are willing to buy offices by themselves by the mifery of the whole nation, and the blood of the most worthy and eminent perfons in it. Deteftable bribes, worse than the oaths now in fashion in this mercenary court! I mean to owe neither my life nor liberty to any fuch means; when the innocence of my actions will not protect me, I will ftay away till the ftorm be over-paffed. In fhort, where Vane, Lambert, and Haflerigg cannot live in fafety, I cannot live at all. If I had been in England, I fhould have expected a lodging with them: or, though they may be the first, as being more eminent than I, I muft expect to follow their example in fuffering, as I have been their companion in acting. I am most in amaze at the miftaken informations that were fent to me by my friends, full of expectations, of favours, and employments. Who can think, that they, who imprison them, would employ me, or fuffer me to live, when they are put to death? If I might live, and be employed, can it be expected that I fhould ferve a government that feeks fuch deteftable ways of establishing itself? Ah! no; I have not learnt to make my own peace, by perfecuting and betraying my brethren, more innocent and worthy than myfelf. I must live by just means, and ferve to juft ends, or not at all, after fuch a manifeftation of the ways by which it is intended the King fhall govern. I fhould have renounced any place of favour into which the kindnefs and induftry of my friends might have advanced me, when I found thofe

that

that were better than I, were only fit to be destroyed. I had formerly fome jealoufies, the fraudulent proclamation for indemnity increased the imprisonment of thofe three men; and turning out of all the officers of the army, contrary to promife, confirmed me in my refolutions,

not to return.

To conclude the tide is not to be diverted, nor the oppreffed delivered; but God, in his time, will have mercy on his people; he will fave and defend them, and avenge the blood of thofe who fhall now perish, upon the heads of thofe who, in their pride, think nothing is able to oppofe them. Happy are those whom God fhall make inftruments of his juftice in fo bleffed a work. If I can live to fee that day, I fhall be ripe for the grave, and able to fay with joy, Lord! now letteft thou thy fervant depart in peace, &c. (So Sir Arthur Haflerigg on Oliver's death.) Farewel. My thoughts as to King and state, depending upon their actions, no man fhall be a more faithful fervant to him than I, if he make the good and profperity of his people his glory; none more his enemy, if he doth the contrary. To my particular friends I fhall be conftant in all occafions, and to you a most affectionate fervant.

LETTER XCI.

the knowledge of his Royal Highness, by his bounty and favour in the grant of thofe paffports, rather than any other way I could have taken; and beg of you, that with my humble thanks, his Royal Highnefs may know I enter into his fervice with this advance of wages, which it fhall be always my endeavour, as it is my duty, to deferve. I owe, and should fay a great deal to yourself upon this occafion, but that with my thanks for the thing itself, I am to join my complaints for the manner of it: I mean, that you fhould trouble yourself to reafon me out of any cuftom or action you would have me leave off, or fay any thing upon fuch a fubject, befides, that you with it had been otherwife; which, I defire you to believe, fhall in far greater matters be from your hand perfuafion and command enough to me. My prefumptions may be great with my friends, but they are the cafilieft checked of any man's alive; which is all I fhall fay upon this occafion as to the future; and for the past, I will only affure you that I fhould not in the leaft have offered at what I did, had it not been at the earnest inftance of the Prince of Munter's refident here; and I am to make it my bufinefs abroad, to enter as far as I can into the fecrets, and for that end, into the affections of such minifters as I have to deal with; and as fome men are to be gained directly by their heart, fo are others by their hands: but another fault were eafier to be borne

Sir,

ventry.

I AM to acknowledge both the honour and obligation I received by yours of November the 9th; the last of which feems fo great in that light you give it, and by thofe circumftances I now fee attend it, that had it come from any other hands I fhould have wifhed a thoufand times never to have received it: for, there are very few I defire much to be obliged to; having always thought that a fort of debt which ought as duly to be paid as that of money, with more intereft, and much greater difficulty of cafting up. But knowing that all generous perfons are apt to favour and esteem their own, rather fuch whom they oblige, than fuch as serve them; I am extremely glad to have my name enter into

by our news, fince, of all I write, I am fure you know as much as you please: only, in general, our bifhop lofes not courage nor ftrength upon all the great preparations of enemies, or disappoint. ment of friends. The Dutch feem to be plagued by their own God, and to grow unhappy in their own element, the fea having done them in the last storms moft extravagant harms; fome letters from Amfterdam fay to the value of thirty, and others, of fixty millions; their cafe may grow harder yet, if the frofts do fo from the Munfter fide. Our court here is paffionate towards the league between the two crowns; as I am in the defires of growing in your friendship and favour, and deferving it by any teftimonies I can give of my being, Sir, your most faithful humble fervant.

Bruffels, Dec. 15, S. N. 1665.

LETTER

XCII.

Madam,

Cary?

I KNOW not whether the fhame of having been fo long in your debt, be greater than that of paying it fo ill at laft, but I am fure 'tis much harder to be excufed, and therefore fhall not attempt it, but leave it to Father Placid's oratory, though having failed in the fubftantial part of your bufinefs, I have little reafon to hope he will fucceed better in the ceremonial part of mine. The truth is, there is fo great a difference in common found between, It is done, and, It will be done, that I was unwilling to acknowledge the honour of having received your Ladyfhip's commands, before I had compaffed that of obeying them, which the Marquis here hath fo often affured me would fuddenly fall to my fhare, that I thought we had both equal reafon, his Excellency to do it, and I to believe it. This right I muft yet do him, that I never preffed him in this concern of your Ladythip's but he told me all my arguments were needlefs, for the thing fhould be done; and how to force a man that yields, I never understood: but yet I much doubt that till the refult be given upon the grofs of this affair, which is and has been fometime under view, your part in particular will hardly be thought ripe for either his juftice or favour, which will be rather the style it muft run in, if it be a defire of exemption from a general rule given in the cafe: whatever perfon (after the father's return) fhall be appointed to obferve the courfe of this affair, and purfue the lady's pretenfions here, will be fure of all the affiftance I can at any time give him; though I think it would prove a more public fervice to find fome way of diffolving your fociety, and by that means difperfing fo much worth about the world, than, by preferving you together, confine it to a corner, and fuffer it to fhine fo much lefs, and go out fo much fooner, than otherwife it would. The ill effects of your retreat appear too much in the ill fuccefs of your bufinefs; for I cannot think any thing could fail that your Ladyfhip would folicit; but, I prefume, no

indifferency which I will believe inhabit there; and by your happiness decide the long difpute, whether the greater lies in wanting nothing, or poffefling much.

I cannot but tell you it was unkindly done to refresh the memory of your brother Da Cary's lofs, which was not a more general one to mankind, than it was particular to me: but if I can fucceed in your Ladyfhip's fervice, as well as I had the honour once to do in his friendship, I fhall think I have lived to good purpose here; and for hereafter, fhall leave it to Almighty God, with a fubmiffion as abandoned as you can exercife in the low common concernments of this worthless life, which I can hardly imagine was intended us for fo great a mifery as it is here commonly made, or to betray fo large a part of the world to fo much greater hereafter as is commonly believed. However, I am obliged to your Ladyship for your prayers, which I am fure are well intended me, and fhall return you mine, that no ill thoughts of my faith may poffefs your Ladyship with an ill one of my works too; which I am fure cannot fail of being very meritorious, if ever I reach the intentions I have, of expreffing myself upon all occafions, Madam, your Ladyfhip's moft humble and most obedient fervant.

Bruffels, Feb. 16th, S. N. 1666.

LETTER XCIII.

Sir William Temple to Sir Philip Warwick. Sir William Temple to Sir Philip Warwick.

Sir,

THOUGH it be more eafy and more

ufual to beg favours than to acknow ledge them; yet I find you are refolved to force me upon the lait, without ever giving me time or occafion for the other. How much. I am obliged to you in my laft difpatch, I am told enough by Mr. Godolphin, but more by my own heart, which will never fuffer me to believe, that a perfon to whom I have been fo long, and am fo much a fervant, should be any other than kind to me; for that is my way of judging my absent friends,

T

and

that were better than I, were only fit to be destroyed. I had formerly fome jealoufies, the fraudulent proclamation for indemnity increafed the imprifonment of those three men; and turning out of all the officers of the army, contrary to promife, confirmed me in my refolutions,

not to return.

now

To conclude the tide is not to be diverted, nor the oppreffed delivered; but God, in his time, will have mercy on his people; he will fave and defend them, and avenge the blood of thofe who fhall now perith, upon the heads of thofe who, in their pride, think nothing is able to oppofe them. Happy are those whom God fhall make inftruments of his juftice in fo bleffed a work. If I can live to fee that day, I fhall be ripe for the grave, and able to fay with joy, Lord! letteft thou thy fervant depart in peace, &c. (So Sir Arthur Haflerigg on Oliver's death.) Farewel. My thoughts as to King and ftate, depending upon their actions, no man fhall be a more faithful fervant to him than I, if he make the good and profperity of his people his glory; none more his enemy, if he doth the contrary. To my particular friends I shall be conftant in all occafions, and to you a most affectionate fervant.

LETTER XCI.

the knowledge of his Royal Highne by his bounty and favour in the grant thofe paffports, rather than any ot way I could have taken; and beg of y that with my humble thanks, his Ro Highness may know I enter into his vice with this advance of wages, wh it fhall be always my endeavour, as my duty, to deferve. I owe, and the fay a great deal to yourfelf upon this cafion, but that with my thanks for thing itself, I am to join my compla for the manner of it: I mean, that fhould trouble yourself to reafon me of any custom or action you would me leave off, or fay any thing upon a fubject, befides, that you wish it been otherwife; which, I defire you t lieve, fhall in far greater matters be your hand perfuafion and com enough to me. My prefumptions be great with my friends, but the the eafilieft checked of any man's a which is all I fhall fay upon this oc as to the future; and for the past, only affure you that I should not leaft have offered at what I did, not been at the earneft inftance Prince of Munter's refident here I am to make it my business abro enter as far as I can into the fecre for that end, into the affections minifters as I have to deal with as fome men are to be gained dir their heart, fo are others by their but another fault were eafier to b

Sir,

sventry.

I AM to acknowledge both the honour and obligation I received by yours of November the 9th; the laft of which feems fo great in that light you give it, and by thofe circumftances I now fee attend it, that had it come from any other hands I fhould have wifhed a thoufand times never to have received it: for, there are very few I defire much to be obliged to; having always thought that a fort of debt which ought as duly to be paid as that of money, with more intereft, and much greater difficulty of cafting up. But knowing that all generous perfons are apt to favour and esteem their own, rather fuch whom they oblige, than fuch as ferve them; I am extremely glad to have my name enter into

by our news, fince, of all I writ fure you know as much as you only, in general, our bishop! courage nor ftrength upon all t preparations of enemies, or dif ment of friends. The Dutch fe plagued by their own God, and unhappy in their own element having done them in the laft fto extravagant harms; fome lett Amfterdam fay to the value c and others, of fixty millions; may grow harder yet, if the fr from the Munfter fide. is paffionate towards the leagu the two crowns; as I am in the growing in your friendship a and deferving it by any teftimc give of my being, Sir, your 1 ful humble fervant.

Our c

Bruffels, Dec. 15, S. N. 16