Part 78

"Prices."--Bright MS.

This sentence by itself would make the Durham MS. a treasure.

"He is of great account with his mercer and in no man's books so much: who is so sure a friend to him that he will not lose him."--Durham MS.

"He is a great derider of schollers and censures their steeple hats for not being set on so good a blocke as his."--Durham MS.

"He will pull it out in the streets."--Durham MS.

"Counter."--Durham MS.

Bp. Gauden, of Worcester, died in the beg. of Sept., 1662.

MR. EARLES TO MR. HYDE.

"Well Sir! I will grumble no more, since you have vouchsaft to answer me at last, I was afraid you had thought you could not be enimy to the Court of Honour enough, except you renounc'd all civilitye. I could be verie angry with Mr. Vaughan for defrauding me of your punctuale letter, by not taking his leave of you, but he tells me, he was at your chamber in the Temple every day, and not finding you there, knew not where to seek you. Well I hope one day you will meet with some trustye messenger whose pockett may be capable of the great arcana of your letter. I am not altogether without some intelligence how things passe, though by no such authenticall men as you are, yet such as G. Morley, who though he was not a man of such imployment, yet was one of less leasure then you for this fortnight, being to make a much longer speech then you, and in as good companye, for which I heare he is not thankd, as perchance nor you neyther. May you not trust with a carier, the telling me how he did, or how my Lord of Falkland does, since he is resolved I shall understand nothing of him by himselfe. I will not unthriftily spill my letters any more there, where they returne me no fruit. My father is your servant, for Sir Cph Widington, I hope he will compose this quarell without a suite. Is T. Triplett at London yett, or have you any great occasion to draw him up. These are all safe things to be convey'd by a porter to a carier, and by him to me, though my Lord Marshalls himself had feed them to intercept, or brake open your letters. Well when you are most idle, for I must confesse the thinking of me is not worth any time, wherein you may doe any thing els, say something to me. I that have leasure for us both, (as indeed what business here can fill a man's leasure that does not hunt nor drinke nor play at cardes) am content with so much patience from you as to read me when you will not write to

Your most humble servant JO. EARLES." "Bishopston." "Bish. Dec. 9."

"Pray remember my service to Mrs. Hyde and Mr. Harding."

An Original endorsed by Mr. Hyde.

LETTERS OF CLARENDON TO EARLE, A.D. 1647.

SIR EDWARD HYDE TO DR. JOHN EARLES.

"Sir,

"Though I believe you have received two or three letters from me since you writ any, yet since your's of your new year's eve came to my hands since I writ last, I reckon it my turn to write againe; and shall either convert you to a more sedulous correspondence, or make you so much ashamed (which is a modesty lazy men are very inclinable to), that you shall give over writing at all. I always send you word of the date of those which I receive from you, so that you can only tell whether I have had that which you say was pretty long and troublesome; for I have not thought any one half long enough, nor troublesome; otherwise than (which on my conscience was not your sense) under the notion of the vile caracters, which is almost cipher without a key: besides that commonly the ink and paper do so throughly incorporate, that the letters are hardly discernable. It is possible the Scots may take their money, if the other will pay it; but if upon that consideration they leave the Kingdom, or suffer the King to leave them, I will no more pretend to divination. Let not those apprehensions startle you nor be troubled that they seem sometimes to make Propositions which you do not like; it being safe and profitable to them to offer anything which they foresee must be denied by their jealous brethren. Look upon their Covenant, their avowed gloss upon that Covenant published to the world, and tell me if any contradications in Philosophy be more diametrically opposite and impossible to be reconciled to the ends of the Independents than those extremes. I wish I were as sure that the King would not desert himself and his pious and honourable principles (of which, truly I have a great confidence) as that the Scots will stick to him, when they are fully convinced that he is not to be removed.

"Must I believe H. Cressy's resolution to be peremptory whilst he remains in such company? Truly I am exceedingly troubled for it.

"What scruples or scandals could work this odious alteration (for methinks, apostacy is too cholerick a word towards a friend) which you could not remove? It is a great loss to the Church, but a greater to his friends, dead and alive; for the dead suffer where their memory and reputation is objected to question and reproach.

"Is it a necessary consequence to the conscience, that if a man turn to that Church, he must take orders in it? Methinks there is a duty incumbent to the function, that might well terrify a man that feels not a very strong impulsion, though he were never so well satisfied in the religion itself.

"If we can not keep him a Minister of our Church, I wish he would continue a layman in their's, which would somewhat lessen the defection, and it may be, preserve a greater proportion of his innocence.

"I am very glad (for my own sake) that you have the happiness to be known to my Lord Newcastle. I commit the managing what concerns me, both in substance and circumstance, wholly to your direction and dexterity: I told you how far I was advanced by my Lord Withrington. I pray remember my service to Mr. Hobbs by the same token that Sydney Godolphin hath left to him by his Will, a legacy of £200, and desire him for old aquaintance sake, and for your intercession, to bestow one of his books upon me, which I have never seen since it was printed, and therefore know not how much it is the same, which I had the favour to read in English. I thank you for your wishing your self here. I am sure I would purchase you at any price I could pay or promise, if it were as fit for the prince, as it would be for me. In the mean time I pray God he thinks your company as good as they know it to be who cannot get it. But will the good Bishop of Salisbury never come to relieve you? What does he? Where is he? What do you answer to the other thousand questions I have asked you?

"God send you a good New Year that may yield you a decent plenty, till it may give you an honest peace, and me meat enough against hunger, and cloathes enough against cold.

"And then if the Stationers do not sue out a commission of Bankruptcy against me for their arrears for paper and ink, I shall not fear any other creditors, nor the exception in the first where I will not give my place for the best amongst the compounders, nor the worst (that is the greatest) amongst the committee: less the title of being.

Sir, yours, etc." "Jersey, the 1st of January." A Copy of Mr. Edgeman, 1646-1649.

SIR EDWARD HYDE TO DR. JOHN EARLES.

"Well, admit you do spend three hours every day, that you may spend one with the prince, allow two hours to your dinner, and two hours in the projecting where to get one, you have still a fair time to yourself, and one half hour in a week, without question, to tell me that you are alive, and that in this dismal time of mutation, you are so far from change, that you continue even the same to me.

"I am not willing to tell you, that though you owe me no letters, you have three or four of mine unanswered, but I must tell you the last packet from Paris brought me none from you though I found by some I received, that mine thither had not miscarried; so you were not without provocation.

"Indeed you are to blame to trust me so much with myself in this terrible conflict; with which most men are so unworthily appalled: for truly your advice and approbation is of singular comfort and encouragement to me. And now I pray tell me what is that 'Charitas Patriae' which all moral and divine authors have so much magnified. That I must not concur in the acts of impiety and injustice of my country, though never so generally practised, or do a thing in itself wicked to save or preserve my country from any suffering, is I doubt not very clear. But is that Charitas Patriæ utterly to be abolished and extinguished, for its practise of that impiety and injustice? Should I wish their irreligion destroyed by an army of Turks, or their licence subdued by a power that would make them slaves? Was it well said of Alcibiades, that he is truly a lover of his country, not that refuseth to invade the country he hath wrongfully lost but desires so much to be in it, as by any means he can he will attempt to recover it? Was not Jocasta more Christian to her Son Polynices; Petendo patriam perdis; ut fiat tua, vis esse nullam.