comes to see him. The doctor was extreme civil to me, for he honoured me with a copy of his verses, with a book which I shall show your Grace when I have the honour of seeing you. The doctor desired a gentleman to speak to me (he being one of my own country) that the only thing the doctor should desire was that since the University of Oxford has been so civil and so like a courtier to him, that he has his wish in all things but one thing, which is, that because you are the Chancellor, your Grace would honour him with a letter. He never did desire any more in this world; if you think fit it should be done, I shall be much obliged to your Grace for it, yet I leave it to your discretion to do in it what way you judge best; I humbly beg your Grace's pardon if you think I am too importunate. Since I writ thus much of your letter, I received one from your Grace. I don't know how to express thanks enough for your most obliging letter and supply, I can only say it was done like your Grace; but I do assure you I had not desired more if I had not been very much pressed for it; I shall not desire any more whilst I am abroad. I am much of your mind that it will be best to live in London at my first coming over, and I leave it to your Grace which will be better, Derby house or another. I suppose this will find you at London (the Parliament sitting). I wish it was to be governed by you alone; we should hope for better things. In the meantime I wish you success in all proceedings, for I am with all zeal, your Grace's most humble dutiful friend and faithful servant, Derby.

T. FAIRFAX to ORMOND.

1675, April 20. Venice.-Though we arrived here before we knew of your Grace's largesse, yet (I believe) my Lord of Derby left Rome with as good a reputation as any of his quality that has been here He did me the honour to show me your Grace's kind letter of the 6th of February, since which he has some thoughts of going to Paris, because your Grace's largesse may put him in an equipage to live handsomely, or at least not less than he did before. I must confess I think it very necessary for him to be there to learn something which hitherto we have made but a slender progress in. I hope we may persuade him to something of reason till he comes to be of age; but what may happen after, God knows. I perceive his inclinations much to a country life for the present, but his mind is as unconstant as one would wish. The little reason and experience I have shall be employed wholly to his Lordship's service, while I have the honour to be with him. The greatest happiness I can expect is your Grace's approbation of my endeavours, not only in this but all other things.

THOMAS BICKESTETH to ORMOND.

1675, May 16. Liverpool.-On Thursday last I received your Grace's letter of the third instant, but perceive the reason it came not sooner to my hands was Mr. Roger's absence.

My Lord, no sooner had we the sad news of Sir Gilbert Ireland's death, but the general esteem, value and interest Mr. Banks hath in these parts, with that relation and trust he hath in that great neighbouring family, which is now happily ingrafted in yours, put into our minds the only choice of him for our succeeding burgess in Parliament; and we concluded we should be very safe and happy in the choice of so worthy a person if he would stand. And he being a member of our corporation, was pleased to conceive himself obliged to comply with our desires; in which choice we hope your Grace will be very well satisfied. My Lord, we render our humble and hearty thanks to your Grace that you would be pleased to honour us with your thoughts and care of a member of Parliament for us. On behalf of myself and rest, I crave pardon to subscribe myself, etc.

PETER BROOKE to ORMOND.

1675, May 17. Astley.-My neighbours of Liverpool have desired me to acquaint you that a great reason why they resolved to elect Mr. Banks their burgess, was because they conceived it would be agreeable to your Grace and my Lord of Ossory, and well pleasing to the Earl of Derby. I know Mr. Fleetwood to be a gentleman of excellent accomplishments, but the other being a neighbour and well qualified to serve his country, they hope is beyond exception, and I do humbly pray to hear that your Grace is not offended with them; whereof if I may receive signification under the hand of your servants, it will be a cordial to that corporation. I had not presumed to have directed this coarse paper to so great a person, but that I hear my nephew, Mr. Asheton, is at Oxford, for whom myself and all his relations are ever bound to pray for your Grace. Not long since I received a letter from my Lord of Derby, and saw another to the Countess Dowager, wherein he expresseth a noble passion for his Countess, but I dare not be further troublesome; praying that the blessings of heaven and earth may befall your illustrious family, I am in all humility, your Grace's, etc.

WILLIAM BANKS to ORMOND.

1675, May 29. Winstanley. I think it agreeable to my duty to give your Grace an account that the Corporation of Liverpool have been pleased this week to elect me their burgess, which act of kindness in them was chiefly in respect to my Lord of Derby, upon my relation to his service, and to your Grace's unmerited favour in pleasing to own me by your letter, for which I desire to pay my humble acknowledgments.

T. FAIRFAX to ORMOND.

1675, June 5. Lyons.-I had the honour of your Grace's of the 29th of April, though I wish it had met us at Geneva, that we might have come no nearer Paris. I find my Lord Derby

is not so much wedded to that place but that he is willing to comply with your Grace's desires for his abode anywhere else. As yet we have not exceeded our allowance one farthing, notwithstanding our expenses were more than ordinary at Rome, nor have we received one penny of the largesse your Grace was pleased to grant us, which now we hope to have to put us into clothes and other necessaries. I am thinking of going to Caen in Normandy, if I can persuade my Lord Derby to it; it is very necessary for him to learn some exercises (as dancing especially) before his coming over. I suppose he will give your Grace some reasons for his stay at Paris, though I believe he will do nothing against your Grace's opinion, which humour I shall endeavour to cherish in him as much as I can. However, I shall be mighty glad to have your Grace's further commands to meet us at Paris, which will the more facilitate all our matters.

T. FAIRFAX to ORMOND.

1675, June 12. Paris.-Though we are in this place it is but to attend your Grace's orders for our remove. Our long voyage, together with some expenses in Italy, which for my life I could not hinder, since they were for my Lord of Derby's honour, has put us a little behindhand, which we thought might have been made up by the largesse your Grace was pleased to mention to me; but our merchant here tells me he never had any orders to that purpose. We are all out of clothes and linen, so that we shall make but a hard shift without it. If your Grace does anything in this, I believe we shall need no more of that nature while we are abroad. I am very glad Mr. Henry Stanley came to us (though it augments our charge), for I find him to be a very civil young man, and one that can tell all my Lord Derby's relations of my endeavours in order to his Lordship's service. I should not have given your Grace this frequent trouble, which I was wont to do to my Lord of Arran, but that I find he is not in England.

EARL OF DERBY to ORMOND.

1675, June 12. Paris.-I had the honour of receiving your Grace's at Lyons. I humbly beg your pardon that my time did not permit me to answer your Grace's then. I am mightily obliged to you for the honour your Grace was pleased to offer me, that at my return to lodge at your lodgings. You may be sure that I shall take it for the greatest honour and happiness in the world to be so near you, if it were not for the fear of incommoding your Grace. My intention was to stay here till the latter end of this summer, and then to make a little journey into Normandy to see the towns there, and afterwards to come back again here and to continue the winter in this place, for I thought that it would be more beneficial for me to do all my exercises (for certainly this is the best place to learn them) something well before I go into England, and that with part

of the supply that your Grace was pleased to promise me, might buy coach and horses; and I do assure you I will not spend the least thing above my allowance, for I did not do it when I came to Paris, and I shall take the same care again. I beg your pardon if I stay here till I receive an order from some person about your Grace whether I should stay or not; and whatsoever you command, I shall very willingly obey, for I am certain your Grace knows what is fit for me better than myself.

I received a letter from my wife the last post, that she was put to the charge of 5001 the last ball she danced. I leave it to your Grace to do in it what you think most convenient. I suppose Mr. Fairfax has writ to you concerning my allowance. If you have any commands for me to do in this place, I shall observe it with all care.

EARL OF DERBY to ORMOND.

1675, St. Peter's Day. Paris. I received your Grace's yesterday, with one enclosed concerning my Aunt Athol's business, and here it is signed, though I think there are several circumstances which might have been very well left out, and it says as if I were obliged, whereas I am not at all, not but that I am very well pleased in the whole, for I give your Grace humble thanks for making this agreement, and I shall ever own it for a great happiness, that instead of a difference I hope we shall have a good correspondence together.

Since I find that you are absolutely of the opinion that it is not fit for me to stay here, I shall obey your Grace's commands to go into the country, and am troubled that I cannot fulfil your orders in all things, that is to go to Caen, for there being an epidemical disease all through Normandy, I think it not safe to go there. They say it is not the plague, but it is as bad, for people die of it. Therefore, my intention is to go to Orleans, unless your Grace thinks it not fit that I should be so near Paris. I believe I shall go there either the latter end of this week or the beginning of the other, for I shall make what haste I can to be out of this town, and if your Grace thinks of any place fitter than Orleans, I shall go there upon the first notice.

All the news that is here is the expectation of the Prince of Orange, whether he will be so brisk as to fight with the French: the King being at the head of his army, who is resolved to fight in person, notwithstanding the Prince of Condé's persuasions to the contrary that his person is worth more than all the kingdoms in the world; but the King said he had considered of it, that it was fit he should hazard himself once, though the French does think that it may be reasonably supposed that the Prince of Orange will not think it fit to fight against a king who knows nothing but to overcome, that the sun may easily melt a Holland cheese. I humbly beg your Grace's pardon if this news be old to you; it is the freshest that is here.

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You may easily think that I shall long much to wait upon your Grace when my time is finished, and that I long very much (and shall think it longer for that reason) to see a lady that lodges at Whitehall, by whom I have so great an honour as to be allied to your Grace, for which and all other favours I have had the honour of receving from you, I shall always think myself obliged to be, your Grace's most humble and faithful servant.

ANDREAS OLSZOUSKI, ARCHBISHOP OF GNESME, to ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY.

1675, July 11. Lovice.-Most illustrious and most reverend Lord and my most honoured friend: Some fit persons having at my request undertaken the business of inquiring after the ancient privileges of the most famous and primatial Church of Canterbury in England, I have myself taken the boldness to write concerning that matter to your most illustrious and most reverend Lordship; for although we are strangers, and different in religion, and live at so vast a distance of lands and seas interposed betwixt us, yet the celebrated humanity of your most illustrious and most reverend Lordship makes me very much confide you will not unwillingly give a demonstration thereof by letting me have an authentic copy of the privileges, especially of the Native Legation, by which the Church of Canterbury, before it parted with the Church of Rome, excelled and outshined, and now also outshines all other Sees of England. In the year 1515, by Pope Leo the tenth, was granted to the Archbishops of Gnesme, Primates of Poland, the privilege of legates born, in this form of words, granting they may use and enjoy all and singular privileges, liberties, pre-eminences, exemptions, immunities, honours and graces, and may freely and lawfully do and exercise, and command, ordain, and execute all things whatsoever, which anyway belong to the legates born, or such as have this office and which other legates born, but chiefly the Legate of Canterbury in his provinces, by right, privilege and custom may command, do and execute, etc. But how it came to pass that my predecessors never sought for the privilege itself of the Church of Canterbury giving it a born legation, or whether it was lost by the carelessness of men or injury of the times, I do not know. I find some footsteps in authors, chiefly of the prerogatives of the Archbishops of Canterbury; but I had rather draw out of the fountain itself what I may advantageously derive to my own profit, honour and right, which if I obtain of your most illustrious and most reverend Lordship, I shall during life remain very much bound to the benevolence and office done me, and shall endeavour to show my readiness to acknowledge it if ever any occasion be offered. For the rest I desire to be most heartily commended to your most illustrious and most reverend Lordship, from my soul, wishing you continual health and all kind of prosperity.