go incognito in Sr Benjamin Wright's Coach to him: which he did, and was then reconciled; and return'd home, making fuch a relation of their conference to his Companion as he thought fit; and deliver'd the Nuntio's falutation to him. But within two or three days he knew what the Affair was: for, befides that the Nuntio could not perform the Office alone, but was to have the affiftance of two or three fo qualified, there was really care taken that the other Embaffadour might know it. And, before that time, when they both vifited the Prefident de la Hazienda, who carried them into his Library, whilft the other Embaffadour was cafting his Eyes upon fome Books (it being the beft private Library in Madrid) the Lord Cottington told the Prefident, "that he was "himself a Catholick, but that his Companion was an obfi"nate Heretick: of which the Prefident fent him information the next day. But fince himself forbore ever to Communicate this fecret to him, out of an opinion, it is very probable, that he might give some disturbance to his refolution, he likewife took no manner of notice of it to him to the minute of their parting.

vate Man

THIS difficulty being over, there remain'd yet another; The Lord which was, his having permiffion to ftay in that Country; Cottington for which he addrefs'd himself to Don Lewis; mentioned refolves to "his Age; his infirmity of the Gout; which would infallibly "feize upon him, if, in that feafon of the year, he fhould pro- in Spain. "voke it by an extraordinary Motion; in a word, that it "was impoffible for him to make the Journey. Don Lewis told him," he could answer him to part of what he said without "fpeaking to the King; that he must not think of staying "with the Character of an Embaffadour, nor of refiding in "Madrid, in how private a condition foever; if he defired "any thing with these two restraints, he would move the "King in it. The other told him, "that he fubmitted to both. "these conditions; and only defired Licence to refide in Val"ladolid, where he had liv'd many years, when the Court re"main'd there, in the time of King Philip the third.

THIS place was not diflik'd; and within few days, Don Lewis fent him word "that the King approv'd it; and that "he should have a Letter to the chief Magiftrate there, to treat "him with all refpect; and that his Majefty would take care "that he fhould not undergo any diftrefs, but would fupply "him as his neceffities required. And, fhortly after, a Meffage was fent to the Embaladours to let them know, that the King had appointed fuch a day for to give them an Audience The Embaf to take their leave. This new importunity was as extraordi-fadours have nary as the former; however, they perform'd their Ceremo- Audience of nies; and about the beginning of March, after they had been

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in that Court near fifteen Months, they both left Madrid in the fame hour: the Lord Cottington taking his Course for ValThe Lord ladolid; where he had the fame House provided, and made Cottington ready for him by the care of the English Jefuits there, in which Valladolid he had dwelt at the time of his Agency, when the Court reall he dies. fided there; where he died within one year after, in the 77th year of his Age.

lives as

Ha CharaAar.

He was a very wife man, by the great and long experience he had in business of all kinds; and by his natural temper, which was not liable to any transport of Anger, or any other paffion, but could bear contradiction, and even reproach, without being moved, or put out of his way: for he was very steady in pursuing what he proposed to himself, and had a courage not to be frighted with any oppofition. It is true he was illiterate as to the Grammar of any Language, or the principles of any Science, but by his perfectly understanding the Spanish (which he spoke as a Spaniard) the French, and Italian Languages, and having read very much in all, he could not be faid to be ignorant in any part of Learning, Divinity only recepted. He had a very fine and extraordinary understanding in the Nature of Beafts and Birds, and above all in all kind of Plantations and Arts of Husbandry. He was born a Gentleman both by Father and Mother, his Father having a pretty entire Seat near Bruton in Somerset shire, worth above two hundred pounds a year, which had defcended from Father to Son for many hundred years, and is still in the poffeffion of his Elder Brother's Children, the Family having been always Roman Catholick. His Mother was a Stafford, nearly allied to Sr Edward Stafford; who was Vice-Chamberlain to Queen Elizabeth, and had been Embaffadour in France; by whom this Gentleman was brought up, and was Gentleman of his Horfe, and left one of his Executors of his Will, and by him recommended to Sr Robert Cecil, then Principal Secretary of State; who preferr'd him to St Charles Conwallis, when he went Embaffadour into Spain, in the beginning of the Reign of King James; where he remain'd, for the space of eleven or twelve years, in the condition of Secretary or Agent, without ever returning into England in all that time. He raised by his own Virtue and Industry a very fair Eitate, of which, though the Revenue did not exceed above four thousand pounds by the year; yet he had four very good Houses, and three Parks, the value whereof was not reckon'd into that computation. He liv'd very Nobly, well ferv'd, and attended in his Houfe; had a better Stable of Horfes, better provifion for Sports (efpecially of Hawks, in which he took great delight) than moft of his Quality, and liv'd always with great fplendour; for though he lov'd Money very well,and did not warily

enough

enough confider the circumftances of getting it, he spent it well all ways but in giving, which he did not affect. He was of an excellent humour, and very easy to live with; and, under a grave countenance, cover'd the moft of mirth, and caufed more, than any Man of the moft pleasant difpofition. He never used any Body ill, but ufed many very well for whom he had no regard: his greateft fault was, that he could diffemble, and make Men believe that he lov'd them very well, when he cared not for them. He had not very tender Affe&tions, nor Bowels apt to yearn at all objects which deferv'd compaffion: He was heartily weary of the world, and no Man was more willing to die; which is an Argument that he had peace of Confcience. He left behind him a greater esteem of his Parts, than love to his Person.

very courie

oufly.

THE other Embaffadour was difmiffed with much more The other Courtefy: for when they heard that his Family remain'd at Ant- Embaladour werp in Flanders, and that he intended to go thither, and ftay difmifid there till he receiv'd other Orders from the King his Mafter, they gave him all difpatches thither which might be of use to him in thofe Parts. The King of Spain himself ufed many gracious Expreffions to him at his laft Audience, and fent af terwards to him a Letter for the Arch-Duke Leopold; in which he expreffed the good opinion he had of the Embaffadour; and commanded "that, whilft he fhould choose to refide in "thofe Parts, under his Government, he fhould receive all "Respect, and enjoy all Privileges as an Embaffadour: and Don Lewis de Haro writ likewife to the Arch-Duke, and the Count of Fuenfaldagna, "to look upon him as His particular "Friend: all which Ceremonies, though they coft them nothing, were of real benefit and advantage to the Embassadour: for befides the Treatment he receiv'd from the Arch-Duke himfelf in Bruffels, as Embaffadour, fuch directions, or recommendations, were fent to the Magiftrates at Antwerp, that he enjoy'd the privilege of his Chapel, and all the English, who were numerous then in that City, repair'd thither with all freedom for their Devotion, and the exercife of their Religion: which liberty had never been before granted to any Man there, and which the English, and Irish Priests, and the Roman Catholicks of thofe Nations, exceedingly murmured at, and used all the Endeavours they could to have taken away, though in vain.

IN his paffage through France he waited upon the Queen In his pafMother, who received him very gracioufly; and he found fage through there, that the fuccefs which Cromwell had obtained in Scot-France he land (though the King was ftill there, and in a better con-waits on the dition than before) had the fame effect in the Court of Queen is Spain; it gave over all thoughts of the King, as in a con

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dition

dition not only deplorable, but as abfolutely defperate. THERE had, a little before, fallen out an accident that troubled France very much, and no lefs pleased Spain; which The Death was the death of the Prince of Orange; a young Prince of of the Prince great hope and expectation, and of a Spirit that defir'd to be of Orange. in Action. He had found, that the Peace between Spain and

the Low-Countries, which his Father had been fo follicitous to make, even at his expiration, was not like to preserve him in equal luftre to what the three former Princes had enjoy'd; and therefore he wifhed nothing more, than that an opportunity might be offer'd to enter upon the War. He complain'd loudly, that the Court of Spain had not obferv'd, nor perform'd, many of those Conditions which it was oblig❜d to do for the particular benefit of him, and his Family: whereby he continued involv'd in many Debts, which were uneasy to him; and fo, upon all occafions which fell out, he adher❜d to that Party in the States which were known moft to favour the Intereft of France; which inclination the Cardinal, and the other Minifters of that Crown, ufed all poffible care and endeavour to cultivate: and Spain was fo much affected with the apprehenfion of the confequence of that Alteration, and with the Confcience of their own having promoted it, by not having complyed with their obligations, that they refolv❜d to redeem their error, and to reconcile him again, if possible, to them. To this purpose, a very great prefent was prepar'd at Madrid to be fent to him, ten brave Spanish Horfes, the worst of which coft there three hundred pounds Sterling, with many other rarities of great value, and likewise a prefent of Plate, Jewels, and perfum'd Leather, to the Princess Royal his Wife; and a full affurance," that they would forth"with begin to perform all the Articles which were to be "done by them, and finish all within a fhort time.

THE Exprefs, who was appointed to accompany the prefent, and to perform the other functions, was to begin his Journey within two days, when the News arriv'd, by an Exprefs from Bruffels, who came in as fhort a time as could be imagin'd, that the Prince of Orange was dead of the fmall Pox, and had left the Princefs with Child, and very near her His Princefs time; who was brought to bed of a Son within few days afdeliver'd of ter his decease. The Court at Madrid could not conceal its a Son ferily joy, nor diffemble their opinion, that the Enemy whofe inafter.

fluence they moft apprehended, was fortunately taken out of the way. On the other hand, France own'd a great forrow and grief for the lofs of a Man whom they believed to be more than ordinarily affected to them; and who, by a conjunction with their Friends in Holland, might, in a fhort time, be much fuperior to that Party in the States which adher'd to the Spawith Intereft. BUT

Friend in the

BUT no Body receiv'd fo infupportable prejudice, and damage, by this fatal blow, as the King of Great Britain did ; towards whom that brave Prince gave all the teftimony and The King manifeftation of the most entire, faft, and unshaken Affection lost a fure and Friendship, that hath ever been perform'd towards any Prince, Perfon under any fignal Misfortune. Befides the affifting him, upon several emergent occafions, with greater Sums of Money than were eafy to his incumber'd Fortune, his Reputation, and his declar'd Refolution, "that he would venture all he "had in that Quarrel, difpofed many to be more concern'd for his Majefty. Though he could not prevail over that Faction in Holland, which were known to favour Cromwell (and the more out of their averfion to him, and to his Power and Greatness) to induce them to ferve the King, yet he kept the States General from confenting to that infamous Alliance and Conjunction, which, fhortly after his death, they enter'd into with the new Republick; and which they would never have yielded to, if He had liv'd. And, no doubt, the respect both France and Spain had for Him, and his Interpofition, had prevail'd with both to be more reftrain'd than they afterwards appear'd to be, in a total declining all confideration of the King, and rejecting all thoughts of his Restoration. It contributed very much to the negligent Farewel the Embaffadours had receiv'd in Spain: For the news of the Prince's death had arriv'd there fome time before their departure; and it did not only extinguifh all imaginations in France of any poffible hope for our King, but very much leffen'd the Refpect, and Civility, which that Court had always fhew'd to the Queen her felf, as a Daughter of France; towards whom they expreffed not that regard they had formerly done.

BUT there was another accident, which, at this time, gave the Queen more trouble than this; and of which her Majefty made great complaint to the Chancellor of the Exchequer at his return from Spain. Upon the Interview which had been between the King and the Queen at Beauvais, when the King went for Holland, upon the forefight, if not the refolution, that it would be fit for him to adventure his own Person into Scotland, he had left his Brother the Duke of York with the Touching the Queen, with direction "that he should conform himself en- Duke of "tirely to the will and pleasure of the Queen his Mother, York left "matters of Religion only excepted. And there was the lefs doubt of his conformity to her Commands, because, befides his Piety and Duty, which was very entire towards her, he was to depend wholely upon her Bounty for his Support; the Court of France not taking any notice of this increase of her expence, nor paying her own narrow affignation with any punctuality; fo that the was not able, befides the reservednefs

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Queen