CORKESPONDENCE SIB EDWARD NICHOLAS SIR EDWARD NICHOLAS." To SIR EDW. HYDE. & Jan., N. s., 1653. Six of the Provinces are willing to send some small supply into Add.4 180,182. Scotland; but that of Holland hath taken time to consider of it. .... Those of Holland have great expectation of some good fruits by Doleman'sb negotiation in England. I believe that such a little Treatise or Discourse as you mention,0 shewing that the Sovereign Power in England being invested no- where, and alterable upon every accident by the change of an * As in TOI. i. (ii. p. ii.) all matter taken from Dr. Birch's extracts (Brit. Mus. Add. MS. 4180) out of Nicholas's lost letter-books is marked by an asterisk in the margin Nicholas at this time was at the Hague. b Lieut.-Col. Thomas Dolman or Doleman, sent to England in Dec. 1652, to arrange a treaty with the United Provinces (see an account of him in Aa, Biogr. Woorderiboelt, iv. p. 240). Hyde feared him a3 a man of parts, with credit enough to do mischief (Cat. Clar. St. Pap. ii. pp. 162, 170). Some of his intercepted corre- spondence is in Thurloe, vol. i., together with a letter (p. 576) from Beverning recommending him to De "Witt, and stating that he was supported by the bounty of Cromwell. c See Hyde's letter of 20 Dec. 1652 {Clar. St. Pap. iii. p. 128). CAMD. SOC. VOL. II. B 2 NICHOLAS PAPERS. 1653. officer of the army or the like, being written merely (as you ssiy) on the grounds of general reason and the pure interest of these countries or of France, might do much good both there with you and in these countries, if a good pen would undertake it. To SIR EDW. HYDE. 9 Jan- N- s- I have been with Monsr Wicquefort" and given him thanks from the K. for the letter he sent his Majesty, and have desired the con- tinuance of such advertifements, as you signified His Majesty's pleasure I should do. He was wont to write to La Jermyn, but finds his Ldp hath dealt so ill with him about the King's jewels (whereby he suffers very much, and is like to be undone) as he professeth that he will have no more to do with Ld Jermyn. Sir Kobert Stoneb is now come from England, and now at Breda. It is believed that he hath some private message from the Rebels to some of the most potent in these provinces. But you may remember that some of my former intelligence, said he was to be here an intelligencer for the Kebels, which I made known to several of the States of Holland .... I find that Sir Marm. Langdale (who is no friend of yours) holds a great correspondence with the K. by Mr Wandesford, who writes back as copiously as he used to speak. To SIR EDW. HYDE. -ft Jan. I have your 4th of the 4th of this month0 and conceive you have done wisely to decline the correspondence of Sir Marm. Langdale at a second hand, thro' the consul's conveyance ; for I doubt, if you had it immediately from Sir Marm. Langdale himself, you * Joachim Wicqnefort, brother of the more famous Abraham and Kesident in Holland for the Elector of Hesse. See Cal. Clar. St. Pap. ii. p. 165. b He had a pass for himself and two servants on 22 Nov. 1652 (Cal. St. Pap, 1651-2, p. 577). Hyde had the worst opinion of him (Cal. Clar. St. Pap. ii. pp. 171, 198, 268). '• See Clar. St. Pap. iii. p. 130. NICHOLAS PAPERS. 3 would not long like it, he driving on with much fierceness the 1653. Catholirs designs and extolling excessively those worst of Papists in Ireland, who, I conceive, contributed as much to the miseries both of our and their King as any except the Scots For God's sake desire his Majesty to have a little more patience and not to stir out of France untill he shall have some intimation from hence to come this way, which I hope will be before many months, for that they now here begin to believe they cannot possibly have any secure peace with the worst of Eebels. To SIR EDW. HYDE. if Jan. The French embassy in England is the great business these here have their expectation fixed upon . Lieut. Col. Doleman is (not- withstanding Ld. Culpepper's disesteem of him) a man of good parts and much credit here .... If by any good means PaUa may be gained to the K., he is able to do mucfh here ; but he Is said to be very subtile and false and is wholly of the Spanish party and against the French, as I am credibly assured. To SIE EDW. HYDE. i° Jan. 165|. Mr. Girvase Pierrepoint,b brother to the Marq. of Dorchester, with his wife and one of his sisters, all newly declared themselves Papists and going to Kome .... I pray by whom was the K. moved to send for Sir M, Langdale and to make him of his Council ? Sir M. [is] as eager in pursuing the Papists interest as any new Popish proselyte ever was .... These dull Dutchmen pay me so slowly for my intelligences, as I am afraid I shall lose them, which would be a great pity, for they are excellent men. 8 See vol. i. p. 306. He was now -Pensionary of Holland. b Apparently the same of whom Hyde, 28 Dec. 1652, speaks as an Independent, and as having married ''a physician's daughter about Nottingham " (Cal. Clar. St. Pap. ii. p. 105). He had a pass to go abroad in Sept. 1652 (Cal. St. Pap. 1651-2, p. 573). 4 NICHOLAS PAPERS. 1653 I had a private advertisement from a faithful friend in England, that doth not use to write news, that Massey is an abso- lute creature of the Rebels, and was by them suffered to escape" that he might have the better credit to do them service in foreign parts. Others here, I am told, have had like cautions given them of him, but you there will never give over confiding in Presby- terians. To SIR EDW. HYDE. • •& Feb. I see as yet very little probability of obtaining any treaty from these States towards the supply of Scotland ; but Lt. Gen. Middle- ton* tells me he is endeavouring to get something from his country- men in these and other parts for that work . Mr Holder,0 a very busy and importunate agent for the Presbyters when I first knew him at Beauvais and Breda, and it seems is no less now for the Catholics. He is a prime confident of Sir Marm. Langdale's and of Sir Rich. Grenville's, which last is no more uneasy a man to be pleased or inconvenient to converse with than the former of them. To THE E. OF ROCHESTER. -ft Feb- These States do most absolutely formalize upon giving the K. his due title of K. of Great Britain in their order concerning the free- dom of their ports for all such men of war as have commissions from our Master, merely out of fear to disgust and exasperate the English Rebels, whom they have stiled most injuriously a Republic. To THE E. OF ROCHESTER. M Feb. There died here on Friday last Myn Heer Paw, the greatest enemy • He was committed to the Tower, 27 Nov. 1651, after the defeat at "Worcester, but escaped 30 Aug. 1652 (Gal. St. Pap. 1651-2, pp. 35, 387). h Like Massey, Middleton had escaped from the Tower, 14 Jan. 1652 (ib. p. 101). c See vol. i. pp. 297, 298. NICHOLAS PAPERS. 5 to our Koyal Master and the best friend to the English Rebels of 1653 any man in power in this state. He was sick but a few days. To SIB EDW. HYDE. ¥r Feb. I received lately two letters from the E. of Rochester and as many from your precious agent Mr. Taylora .... They bo.th say that an Emb1 from these States is there much desired and would be very welcome thither ; and that, if these States shall by a public minister recommend the K'a cause to the Emperor and Electors, &c, they believe all the empire will contribute to His Majesty's Restoration. I have hereupon conferred with some of these States about sending an Embr into Germany ; and, albeit these have long since laid aside the thought, thereof, yet some of them have promised me to set it on foot again. To THE E. OF ROCHESTER. 4 March, I65f N. s. Yesterday the Princess Royal had notice of the Duke of Glou- cester's b arrival at Dunkirk on this day sen'night with his tutor and two or three servants, being by the Rebels sent over, who gave the tutor (one Mr Lovelc) 2001. to make provision of cloths and other necessaries and to pay the expense of his exportation and delivered him Bills of Exchange to several merchants in Antwerp to pay him 5C0/. on sight and 5001. more in 3 months. The Duke is by this at Antwerp, whither the Pss. Royal hath sent Mr. Thomas Howard,4 • See vol. i. p. 307. '' The resolution for his release passed the Council 14 Jan., and the warrant was issued on the 17th (Cal. St. Pap. 1652-3, pp. 102, 464). See Clarendon,-Hi**., ed. 1849, v. p. 369. c Richard Lovell, wno had been tutor to Robert Spencer, Earl of Sunderland, grandson of the Countess of Leicester, in whose charge the Dnke had formerly been placed.