My very good Lord No. 35. I looke upon his Highness Prince Rupert as a person who besides his greate worth and quality I doe honor and regarde as one in whome wee doe place our greatest hopes of being the chiefe instrument of the Kinges restablishment, and because I am wholly unknowne unto him I humbly pray Y Lo3 who have as I am persuaded a principal interest in his Highnes to lett him know what you doe conceive of mee both in respect of the little experience I have acquird in the world, and my particular devotion to his service of which if his Highnes will please for to make a triall & take mee into his care and owne me procuring mee from his Mas a present reliefe and meanes to subsist either in the place I am in or where I shall bee judgd more usfull for the publick service I will have my whole dependency on his Highnes & apply my selfe so entirely unto him as hee shall have no cause to complaine of this office which I pray your LoP to performe unto him for Your Lop Most humble Servant DE VIC⭑ I pray y' Lo' to procure mee a speedie answere for I am in a condition that will admitt of noe delay In extreme want as you may see by this letter Brux 7 June 1653 * Sir Henry De Vic, of Guernsey, Envoy-Resident at Brussels for nearly twenty years; created a Baronet, Sept. 3, 1649; afterwards Chancellor of the Order of the Garter. [No. 36.] May it please y' Highnes Collogne 6 Feb' St No 1655 Understanding by Mr. Beynl of Ffrancfort that y' Highnes was expected shortly in these partes I would not fayle to present my humble duty and service to you with such advertisements as I have latest had from Engld. This being now my 5th letter sent yo" since y' Hignes commanded me to correspond wth you which I hope are come to your hands, though I have not heard as yet whether y' Highnes hath received any of them The Princess Royal was expected round to Paris Tuesday last being att Peronne friday was senight where the Duke of Yorke and my Lo Gerrard met her R.H. having attended there for her some dayes before. I have herein sent yr Highs an extract of such advertisem's as I have had last from Engl being the most certayne that wee have receaved from that miserable kingdom. Dr Fraissar attended the Princess Royal to Paris and how long he intends to remayne there is not certayne. I heard from Holl that Cromwell being by Newport ye D. ambdor in Engla pressed to acquaint the States wth ye severall Articles between him and France, refuses it, where at the States are much unsatisfyed with Cromwell. Its alsoe written from Holl that Newport having lately spoken wth Cromwell concerning the king of Swedens proceedings against the Pr" Elec' of Brandenburg, that Cromwell answered him, that albeit he wished well to Sweden whilst he prosecuted warre in Poland yet now that he findes he hath turned his armes against the Protestant Princes & Townes he will have noe more to doe wth that king; But though possibly this may be said by him to Newport (of whose person & of whose Masters Cromwell hath noe esteeme att all) Yet I am confident it hath been meerely to cajole them, for its most certayne but Cromw" is extraordinarily carefull & is very intimate with the Sweedishe Ambdor now in Engld & in like manner the K. of Sweden with his (one Rolt) Cromwells envoye now in their Army with him with exceeding great kindness and respect; soe as its evident there is still a very close intelligence betweene the K. of Sweden and Cromwell. By lres from fraunce its advertized that the Articles of Peace & agreement betweene that Crowne and Crom", are by a particular clause & condition to be signed wthin a limitted tyme as well by the Princes of the bloud in france as by the ff' King, or else to be invallid; and some are of opinion that this hath bene one principall means of the D. of Orleans being called to the ff* Court where he is dayly expected; but there is noe speech of his daughter Mademoiselles peace being yet made. We heard that the Hollands have 48 sayl of men of warre, which will be ready to sett sayle for the Baltick Seas as soone as the season will permitt: We heerd that the Erle of Glenearne and other Scotch Lds who made their Peace lately with Monke, upon their leaving the L G" Middleton are lately upon new frends and therefore imprisoned by Monke The letters brought by this dayes post from Bruxelles as well from his Maj" resident there as from many others assure us that orders are now come from Madrid to ye King of Spains [Minister] in Flanders to take effectual orders to psecute the warre against Cromwell and his fellow Rebells in England and to that end to prokure Ires of mark against the Englishe, wherin the admt in Flanders are att present very busy and sollicitous Svrall letters from Spayne also now advertyse that is in his warre agt Crom" resolved to espouse his majtes [my masters] quarrell, whereof I will expect shortly to see good effects, for that we heare the Comittee in Flanders sitt now dayly to consult of all means to oppose and divert Cromwells designs and enterprizes; & will expect shortly to have an order or direcson from ye Arch Duke & his Councell, that all the K of Spaynes Portes in Flanders and [else where] shall be free and secure for any English or others that will repayre into them to serve against Cromwell & the Rebells in Engl. The Princesse Royall was expected to be att Paris Tuesday last and the ff King & the Queene his mother intended to meete her Roy' Highs a league out of Paris to bring her into that Citty. The D. of Modena is sayd to be returned from towards July All Ires by this post from England confirme the news Cromw" being in great fryghte att present, & of the change of his gards, having now every nyght 60 soldiers that gard him where he lodges If I understand that this comes safe to y' Highnes, I shall contynue to send you such occurences as we have here, in obedience to the comand receaved from you by Your Highns Most humble and most obedient Servant EDW NICHOLAS. |