I doe really beleive Mr. de Barillon has power to relinquish it, rather then let the warr be declared, if he sees our Master doe really resolve the warr upon the refusing it, or has the power of the peace upon the yeelding it; so that the tounes that will be restored are the enclosed I send with the alterations; I made noe mention of Siccily, (sic) because the French have abandoned it. But I made use of it as an argument to have Condé and Ipres restored, which the French all along valued soe much, to the King our Master, and in effect they restore but foure considerable places to the King our Master, if they keepe Conde and Ipres, and pretend to have Cassell and Popeyreing with Charlemont and Jenan, which Mr. de Louvoy tells me Mr. Barillon had already acquainted our Master with]] I told the King that our Master could not with any honour at home or abroade consent to any other peace then the list you sent me conteyned; only promised his goode offices that Conde might remaine to him, in case he gave him satisfaction to all the other points. His answer to me after two houres discourse, and showing me in the map, how necessary Ipres was to him; Je vois que nous ne persuaderons pas l'un l'autre; J'envoyeray mes ordres a Barillon sur Ipres et sur des autre choses (sic). Don Je ne doute point que le Roi vostre maistre ne soit content. This autre chose I beleive was the money, of which according to your Lordship's directions, having not such an answer to the peace as I thought would satisfye I made no mention [[and if what Mr. de Barillon has to say dos satisfye, and you send me any farther order to insist upon the money, I desire that we may be both in a story you will please to let me know for how long time he seemed to consent to the payment of six millions, for in all discourses they seeme, if the peace were made, to promise millions. But you can be sure of nothing without coming to a certainty; as for Fribourgh they pretend not to restore it without Philesbourgh. But I believe their designe is to have Philisbourgh demolished, or else keepe it till the Emperour shall encline Mr. de Bradenbourgh to be easyer, then they think he will be upon the affaires of Sweden, of which they seeme to take greate care. I did enough explaine to the King how much ours was pressed in point of time, and he will be it yet more, if he dos not quickly resolve one way or other; for by the beginning of May or the Tenth the King will be againe in the feild. I told the King at parting, that if our master was so freindly as to manage Conde for him, and to be contented with Ipres and Gaunt added to the other places, our nation would be as little satisfyed as if he had left him all Flaunders, and yet here, he and his ministers seemed as dissatisfyed, as if he had taken all Flaunders from them. For that now is all theire discourse and complaint, only to avoide making that return they should for the obligation they have to him of all theire successe and goode fortune, and which I beleive will not long continue if he falls out in good earnest with him; which I doe not see how his Majesty can avoide if they can refuse to satisfye him upon soe inconsiderable things as Ipres and Fribourgh, which I cannot beleive them mad or ungratefull enough to doe, if he pleaseth to be very firm and positive with the Embassador. For I have driven it as far as goode manners and respect which I know the King will alwaies have me keepe would permitt me to doe. It is impossible to expresse the desire everybody has of peace, and I am confident if there be a warr, never any thing went more against the graine of a whole nation then it dos heare, as I am afraide it will be in England if there be a peace. I had forgot to tell your Lordship, that the first dayes conversation I had with Mr. de Louvoy he seemed very inclinable to all the propositions provided Conde were relinquished, and proposed that there might be

three people named, one for the King our Master, another for the King of Fraunce, another for the States Generall, to signe the peace immediately, and then lett all the particulars be examined and made an end at Nimegue, and sometimes be proposed for a cessation of armes. But I told him the condition of my Master's affaires, and the temper of the Parlament would admitt of noething but either peace immediately or warr immediately; afterwards there was a long Councell held, and then the King gave me the answer I send you. Mr. de Louvoy and the King were both very inquisitive whether in case the peace was the Parlament were like to be prorogued. To that I saide I knew noething. But I saide all that was necessary to prepare them in case of a peace to the six millions for three yeares, which]] I think is very inconsiderable in comparaison of the advantage they have received, and the prejudice our Master has suffered for [[his firmnesse to theire interest, one of the greatest men of the Court next the ministers and that wisheth the peace told me before I had received your orders, that if Gaunt and Ipres could make the peace, he was sure the King would restore them ; but that they would chicanne as long as they could for Ipres. But I concluded with Mr. de Louvoy that a delatory answer was worse for the King our Master, then a deniall of what he asked. I hope this messenger will have made goode hast; for I have not lost an houres time since my answer from the King, and I hope his Ambassadour has such orders, as will one way or other bring matters to a conclusion. I beg your Lordship's favour to make my excuse to his Majesty for this imperfect account ]]."-Endorsed "11th Aprill '78" by the Earl of Danby, this brief endorsement being followed by these words in the tremulous handwriting of the aged first Duke of Leeds, to wit, "Answer to mine of 25th March on which I was impeached, " and his opinion after that, how inconsiderable that sum which was "desired."

Of this important letter the aged first Duke of Leeds published portions, to wit about a sixth of the entire epistle, in his Copies and Extracts of some Letters, &c.. whilst he omitted the other five-sixths of the writing. Selecting for publication those passages of the epistle that would accord with his disengenuous account of his part in the miserable affair of the French money, he omitted all the parts of the letter that are in conflict with his account of the negotiations.

Students may see what parts of the letters were published and what parts were withheld by his Grace, without troubling themselves to refer to the Duke's book, as I have bracketted with double rectangular brackets the portions of the letter, that are omitted from the book. There is nothing in the portions of the letter printed in the book to indicate that they are brief extracts from a long despatch. On the contrary, to make readers mistake the garbled passages for an entire letter, the Duke selected scraps of sentences and weaved them together with words not found in the MS. For example, the last sentence of the printed matter runs thus in the Duke's book, page 83, to wit, "This word autre chose I believe was the money; of which, according to your Lordship's directions, "having not such an answer to the Peace as I thought would satisfie, "I made no mention [at all, but] I think [the sum] is very incon"siderable, in comparison of the advantage they have received, and "the prejudice our Master has suffered for their sakes,”-the passage being made up of two scraps of writing, taken from different parts of the letter, that are weaved together with the help of the bracketed words "at all, but" and "the sum."

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The EARL OF DANBY to the EARL OF CARNARVON.

1679, August 29. The Tower.-"You must forgive mee for troubling you whenever I have a good occasion, though I have nothing but the old story to repeate of my obligations and acknowlegements. You have given mee so great incouragement, that I am growne confident enough to tell you I hope to receive more of your favours, and I am not sorry that the time draws on apace for giveing you that trouble, and itt is a comfort to me that I shall bee sure to receive the happinesse of seeing you, whatever may be the event of my businesse. Our alarms have been very great with the King's illnesse, and the very thoughts of this kingdom's distraction, if wee should bee so miserable as to have the King dye, has more perplext mee than all the considerations about my selfe; but I thanke God I heare the worst that is expected now is an ague, and hee has misst his fitt the last time, so that tis hop't hee will be free from the whole distemper. My daughter Coke has made herselfe so strict a prisoner with mee, that I feare she will bee able to furnish you with litle more newes than I can, but shee is one that will bee so very well pleased to be with my Lady Carnarvan, and your Lordship, that I doubt not but you will find subject matter enough to passe the time pleasantly while you are together, and the thoughts of that satisfaction makes my prison more greivous then any thing else could do. Pray present my most humble service to my Lady and my brother Henry, and bee confident your Lordship has not a truer freind and with greater esteeme in the world then your Lordship's most faithful brother, and humble servant.-Danby."

The EARL OF DANBY to LORD NORREYS.

168, March 18th [The Tower].-"The being of the Court att Oxford gives your Lordship so much a greater share of trouble then to any other Lord there, that itt would no[t] be justifiable to give you this, were my concerne of lesse consequence then to gett some litle share of liberty. But, as my case stands, I hope you will not only forgive me, but give mee leave to rely upon you as one of my principall pillars, both in the conducting and executing parts of my businesse. I have sent my son Latimer to waite upon you with my desires in relation to my Petition to the Lords, and I do make itt my further request to your Lordship, that you will please to bee one of my baile (if itt shall bee granted). My Lord Newcastle, Lord Rutland and Lord Lindsey (if hee bee able to bee att Oxford) will be 3 more; and if the house should bee so unreasonable as not to think that enough, ther will bee my Lord Chesterfield, my Lord Alesbury and Lord Noell or any of them to be added. I do likewise beg that your Lordship will present my Petition to the House, unlesse my Lord Great Chamberlaine expect to do itt, which I have commanded my son to find out, least hee should take exception to my not tending itt to him. I have consulted my Lord Arundell about those things which my son will show you in writing, and hee agrees with mee in opinion, that the first opportunity of delivering my Petition ought not to be lost, whenever my freinds are strong enough in the house to support itt; which my son has order to take care of, in letting your Lordship know when ther is a majority of my freinds in the house, that is to say of Temporall Lords, without reckoning any Bishops. Í have given to your Lordship so much trouble in these instructions which I have given my son, that I had need give you no more in this, but to assure your Lordship that you cannot find mee more troublesome att

present, then you will find mee both sensible of my obligation and serviceable to the best power of your Lordships most

faithfull brother and humble servant-Danby."

The EARL OF DANBY'S PETITION.

[1689, March], The Tower. The humble Petition of Thomas Osborne, Earl of Danby, prisoner in the Tower of London, to the Lords Spirituall and Temporall in Parliament assembled: Showing that the Petitioner "hath beene detained a Prisoner in the Tower for above three and "twenty months last past, during which time of his restraint hee hath "undergone severall sicknesses," and praying that their Lordships may be "pleased to baile" their said petitioner. Signed-Dauby.

THE EARL OF DANBY to CHARLES THE SECOND.

[1682, The Tower].-"I understand that since the death of the late Lord Chancellor, the Grant, which your Majestie was pleased to bestow upon me in recompense of my place as Treasurer, has been sent back to your Majestie.-And notwithstanding its having passt all the other Offices, and that the Chancellor had received your Majesties particular comand in my hearing for the spedy dispatch of itt, and that accordingly hee sent mee word he had putt the seale to itt, but that hee only desired to keepe itt for his owne indempnity, untill I was att liberty to receive itt myselfe from him.-Yett whither through feare, or from what other cause I know not, itt seemes that hee hath only putt his receipt to itt, (from whence itt is to beare its date), but not the seale; and therefore my humble suite to your Majestie is, that as you were pleased to send mee word both by my Lord Bathe and by my wife (when I was absented by your Majesties comand) that I shoul loose nothing you had given mee, wherever I should go, or in what place soever I should bee, nor that I should not fare att all the worse for the malicious prosecutions of the Parliament; your Majestie would now bee pleased either to comand this Lord Keeper to putt the seale to itt, or if your Majestie shall not yett thinke that convenient, that you will be pleased to lett mee have the Grant in my owne keeping, till your Majestie shall thinke fitt to do so; since I rely so far upon your Majesties justice, as not to suffer mee to be defrauded of the benefitt of itt, either by the fraud or feare of the late Chancellor; and since no man has left your Majesties service with your favour, but has gone off with considerable marks of your bounty att his leaving itt, I hope that my sufferings will bee so considered by your Majestie, as to give mee a more then ordinary plea to itt, who am with all truth and obedience, your Majesties most dutifull subject.-Danby."

HENRY GUY'S Schemes for injuring the HON. RALPH MONTAGU.

[1683?]. Two curious undated papers (creditable neither to their author, Henry Guy, Secretary of the Treasury, nor to the Earl of Danby (for the gratification of whose animosity against the Hon. Ralph Montagu they were drawn) of two several schemes for injuring Montagu, (1) by compassing his prosecution in the Court of King's Bench, for returning from his ambassadorship without the King's leave, and (2) by depriving him of the office of Keeper of the Great Wardrobe, or at least of the larger part of the emoluments of the said

Office, which he held from 1671 to 1685. In the one paper, the Secretary for the Treasury writes, "If the said partie shall accept of such Commission," to wit, the commission of ambassador in a foreign country, "and returne from his Embassie without particular leave from "the King, which ought to appear in writing, this is a verry high mis"demeanor; for the punishment of which misdemeanor, an information "would heretofore have layne in the Starrchamber; and will now lye "in the King's Bench; whereuppon he shall be fined at the discretion "of the Judges according to the nature of the offence." This paper is endorsed by the Earl of Danby's pen. "Papers (sic) from Mr. Guy to show how Mr. Montagu's Pattent may be avoided -an endorsement quite inappropriate to the writing, but suitable to the other and longer paper, which is headed with these words, "Observations uppon the Patent granted." In this sketch of a scheme for injuring Mr. Montagu by an inquiry into the history and emoluments of the Keepership of the Great Wardrobe, Mr. Guy observes, "Now the first thing advisable "is that enquiry may be made concerning the nature of the Great "Wardrobe, and what is intended by it; uppon which much may depend, "and what were the ancient wages, fees and profitts belonging to the "said office; which may be found out by some of the officers of "the Exchequer, or the King's house, and by inspection into some of "the antient grants, or accounts; for noe more passeth by this patent, "then what was due ab antiquo; and these words 'due,'' accustomed,' "and appurteyning' governe the whole patent. Now in probabilitie "the fees, perquisites or allowances have been of late altered or "augmented, which his Majestie or the Lord Treasurer (who is "supervisor of all officies which lay a charge uppon the revenue) may "restraine, qualifie or take away; and perhaps if a strict account be "taken of the management of this office, and the due rights belonging "to it, it would be incovenient to the Patentee." There is no need to quote more of this sordid document to enable readers to realise the nature of the project for injuring the holder of a lucrative office, whom the Earl of Danby had come to detest.

The EARL OF DANBY to the EARL OF CARNARVON.

168, February 9th [The Tower].-"I have seene a letter of your Lordships to my son Dumblan (sic) of which I have ben putt to receive the explanation from himselfe. I find hee hath troubled your Lordship to use your interest with my Lord Privy Seale to bee absent from sitting any more upon the Commission of Delegates betwixt him and Emarton, and hee tells mee hee did presume to pray, that as an argument to prevaile with my Lord Privy Seale, your Lordship would please to say, that itt would lay an obligation upon some of your freinds, as well as upon your selfe, and particularly upon mee; and upon that score hee saies itt is, that you desire to heare from mee, whither I will give you authority to say so much on my part. To which I must in the first place give your Lordship my thanks for your willingnesse to concerne your selfe so far for your nephew as to write in his behalfe, itt being indeed of great moment to his cause, if my Lord Privy Seale would withdraw himselfe from itt; and as itt cannot bee doubted but that itt would bee an obligation to mee, so I should be as redy to owne itt such, if that would be any motive to his doing itt. I thank God my animosity is not so great against any man, but I can easily forgive any injury done mee, when my adversaries i will ceases, and I am not under circumstances to refuse any reall favours, nor do I want gratitude