And
having observed his orders in sending away the an-
swer, he was very few days at Brussels, when a ser-
vant of the bishop arrived with orders that the
monk should accompany him back into England :
and so they both arrived in London in less time than
could be expected.
having observed his orders in sending away the an-
swer, he was very few days at Brussels, when a ser-
vant of the bishop arrived with orders that the
monk should accompany him back into England :
and so they both arrived in London in less time than
could be expected.
Edward Hyde - Earl of Clarendon
And there-
fore their own ships they sent out as they used to
do 1 , and those for the coast of Guinea better prepared
and stronger than of course. Nor was the royal
company less vigilant to carry on that trade, but
about the same time sent a stronger fleet of mer-
chants' ships than they had ever before done ; and
for their better encouragement the king lent them
two of his own ships for a convoy.
The iso- And at this time they gave the king an advantage
lent beha- . . . . , , 1*11
viour of the in point of justice, and which concerned all other
the coast"of nations in point of traffick and commerce. It had
Guinea, j^^ | je g UI1 by them in the East Indies; where
they had * planted themselves in great and strong
towns, and had many harbours well fortified, in
which they constantly maintained a great number
of good and strong ships ; by which they were ab-
solute masters of those seas, and forced the neigh-
bour kings and princes to enter into such terms of
amity with them as they thought fit to require.
And if they found that any advantageous trade was
driven in any port by any other nation, they pre-
sently sent their ships to lie before that port, and
denounced war against the prince to whom that
port belonged ; which being done, they published a
declaration, " that it should not be lawful for any
s they had] after they had
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 295
" nation whatsoever to trade in the territories of J665.
" that prince with whom they then were in war. "
And upon this pretence they would not suffer an
English ship, belonging to the East India company,
to enter into a port to lade and take in a cargason
of goods, that had been provided by their factors
there before there was any mention or imagination
of such a war, and of which there was no other in-
stance of hostility than the very declaration. And
at this time they transplanted this new prerogative
to Guinea : and having, as they said, for there was
no other evidence of it, a war with one of those
princes, they would not suffer the English ships to
enter into those harbours where they had always
traded. The king received animadversion of this
unheard of insolence and usurpation, and added this
more just complaint to the former, and required his
resident " to demand a positive renunciation of all
" pretence to such an odious usurpation, and a revo-
" cation of those orders which their officers had
" published. " To this complaint and demand they
deferred to make answer, till their ambassador had
presented a grievance to the king.
One of those ships of war, which the king had An English
lent to the royal company for the convoy of their seizes a
fleet to Guinea, had in the voyage thither assaulted on u t c he 01
and taken a fort belonging to the Dutch near Cape
Verde; which was of more incommodity to them
than of benefit to the English. Of this invasion
their ambassador made a loud complaint, and de-
manded, " that the captain might be punished se-
" verely ; and in the mean time that the king would
" give a present order to him, the ambassador, for
" the redelivery of the place and all that was in it,
u 4
296 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1 665. " and he would send it to his masters, who would
~" forthwith send a ship to demand it. " The king
had in truth heard nothing of it ; and assured the
ambassador, " that the captain, if he had done any
" such thing, had not the least commission or au-
" thority for the doing it ; and that he was sure he
" was upon his way homeward, so that he might be
" expected speedily ; and then he should be sure to
" undergo such punishment as the nature of his
" offence required, when the matter should be ex-
" amined, and they should then receive full repara-
" tion. " This answer, how reasonable soever, satis-
fied them not : nothing would serve their h turn but
a present restitution, before his majesty could be
informed of the provocation or ground that had pro-
duced so unwarrantable an action. They gave pre-
sent orders for the equipping a very great fleet, and
the raising many land soldiers, making greater pre-
parations for war than they had made in many years
The Dutch before. They likewise prepared a strong fleet for
strmTg'fleet Guinea, and granted a commission (which was pub-
for Guinea. lighed in pT ^ n ^ to the comman( jer in chief, " to
" make war upon the English in those parts, and to
" do them all the mischief he i could. "
Prince Rupert, who had been heretofore with the
fleet then under his command, in the beginning of
the king's reign, upon the coast of Guinea, (and by
the report and testimony he gave of that coast the
royal company had received greater k encourage-
ment,) now ] upon this insolent demeanour of the
Dutch, and publishing the commission they had sent
h their] Not in MS. k greater] great
' he] they l now] and now
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 297
to their commander in chief, offered m his service to 1665.
the king, " to sail into those parts with such a fleet ~"
" as his majesty thought fit to send, with which he
" made little doubt to secure trade, and abate the
" presumption of the Dutch. " And hereupon a fleet The English
was likewise preparing for that purpose, to be com-n^eCiTe. "
manded by prince Rupert.
The parliament had before declared, when they
made their address to the king against the Dutch
for obstructing the trade, " that they would with
" their lives and fortunes assist his majesty against
" all oppositions whatsoever, which he should meet
" with in the removal of those obstructions ;" which
they believed would terrify, but in truth made the
Dutch merry : and in some of their declarations or
answers to Downing's memorials, they mentioned
it with too much pride and contempt. And in this The pariia-
posture the disputes were when the parliament met'
again in November, which came together for the
most part without a desire either to give money or
make war. And Downing, who laboured heartily
to incense us and to provoke them, in all his de-
spatches declared, " that all those insolences pro-
" ceeded only from the malignity of the States of
" Holland, which could vent itself no further than
" in words ; but that the States General, without
"whose concurrence no war could be made, abhor-
" red the thought of it :" and there is no doubt that
was true. And the Dutch ambassador, who re-
mained at London, and was a very honest weak
man, and did all the offices he could to prevent it,
did not think it possible it could come to pass ; " and
m offered] he offered
298 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. " that there might be some scuffles upon the coast of
~~ " Guinea, by the direction of the West India com-
" pany, of whose actions the States General took no-
" tice, but would cause justice to be done upon
" complaint, and not suffer the public peace to be
" disturbed upon their pretences. " And so the king
forbore to demand any supply from the parlia-
ment, because an ordinary supply would rather
discredit his demands than advance them, and he
could not expect an extraordinary supply but when
the war was unquestionable. And the States Ge-
neral at this time were made a property by the
States of Holland, (who had given private orders
for their own concernments,) and presented an
humble desire to the king by their ambassador,
" that prince Rupert's fleet might stay in harbour,
" as theirs likewise that was prepared for Guinea
" should do, till some means might be found for
" the accommodation of all differences. " Whereas
before they pretended, that they would send their
Guinea fleet through the Channel, convoyed by
their admiral with a fleet of fifty sail ; which re-
port had before stopped prince Rupert, when he
was under sail for Guinea, to wait and expect that
piece of bravery. But this address from the States
General made all men believe there would be an
accommodation, without so much as any hostility in
Guinea.
The uea- But it was quickly discovered, that they were
hariour of the honester men when they gave the worst words.
the Dutch. For before the states General sent to the king to
stop prince Rupert in harbour, " and that their
" fleets should likewise remain in their harbours,"
the States of Holland, or that committee that was
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 299
qualified by them, had with great privacy sent orders 1 665.
to De Ruyter, who was in the Mediterranean, " to
" make all possible haste with his fleet to go to the
" coast of Guinea, and not only to retake the fort near
" Cape Verde that the English had taken from them,
" but likewise to take what places he could which
" were in possession of the English, and to do them
" what damage he could in those parts :" so that
they might well offer that their fleet should now
remain in their harbours in Holland.
When De Ruyter had been sent into the Medi-
terranean, the pretence was, that it was against the
pirates 0f Algiers and Tunis, who had in truth
preyed very much upon the Dutch, taken very many
of their ships, and had abundance of their subjects
in chains. And when that fleet was sent into the
Mediterranean, their ambassador had desired the
king, " that his majesty's fleet that was then in those
" parts might upon all occasions join with De Ruy-
" ter, when opportunity should be offered thereby
" to infest the Turks ;" which the king consented
to, and sent orders accordingly. But the Dutch
had no such purpose : his business was to ransom
their captives with money, and not to exact the deli-
very of them by force ; and to make an accommo-
dation for the time to come as well as he could.
And when the English fleet was at any time in
pursuit of any of the Turks' vessels, and expected
that the Dutch, by whom they must pass, would
have given a little stop to their flight, which they
might easily have done; they rather assisted than
obstructed their escape. And having made a very
dishonourable peace with the pirates, he made haste
to prosecute his orders for the coast of Guinea.
300 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. As soon as the king knew of this impudent af-
h front, and that De Ruyter was in truth gone out of
an tefzed. * the Mediterranean, he thought he might justly seize
upon any ships of theirs, to satisfy the damage that
he could not but sustain by De Ruyter in Guinea :
and so, it being the season of the year that the
Dutch fleet returned with their wines from Bour-
deaux, Rochelle, and other parts of France, such of
them as were forced by the weather to put into the
English harbours were seized upon. And the duke
of York, having put himself on board with a fleet of
about fifty sail, upon the report of the Dutch being
come out to defend their ships, took many others,
even upon their own coasts ; which they chose ra-
ther to suffer, than to venture out of their ports
to relieve them. However, there was not any one
of all those ships suffered to be unladen, or any pre-
judice done to them ; but they were all preserved
unhurt, till notice might arrive from Guinea what
The Dutch De Ruyter had done there. But undoubted intelli-
hostmtieT gence arrived in a very short time after, that De
in Gumea. R uv t er j^ declared and begun the war upon the
coast of Africa, not only by a forcible retaking the
fort which had been taken from them, and which
his majesty had offered to deliver, but by seizing
upon several English ships in those parts, and by
assaulting and taking other his majesty's forts and
places, and exercising all the acts of hostility which
his commission authorized him n to do.
They refuse . And in a very short time after, the East India
the iVand company complained and informed the king, " that
" wnen their officer had demanded the redelivery of
" him] Omitted in MS.
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 301
the isle of Poleroone according to the article of 1665.
" the late treaty, and delivered the letters and or-
" ders from the States General and States of Hol-
" land, which their ambassadors had given at Lon-
" don, to the governor and captain of that island ;
" he , after making him stay two or three days
" there with his ship and the men he had brought
" with him, told him, that upon a better perusal of
" the orders which he had brought, he found that
" they were not sufficient ; and therefore till he
" should receive fuller orders, he could not give up
" the place. " And so the officer and ship, which
had been sent at a great charge, were P necessitated
to return without any other ^ effect than the affront
and indignity to his majesty.
When there was now no remedy, and the war
was actually made upon the king upon what provo-
cation soever, there was nothing to be done but to
resort to the parliament, which had been so earnest
to enter into it. A fleet must be prepared equal to
what the Dutch would infallibly make ready against
the spring, and worthy of the presence of the duke
of York, who was impatient to engage his own per-
son in the conduct of it ; and the king had given
his promise to him that he should, when he had,
God knows, no purpose that there should be a war.
It was quickly 1 " discovered, that there was not the
same alacrity towards a war now, after it was
begun, in the parliament, as there had been when
they made their vote : and they would have been
glad that any expedient might have been found for
he] who f i other] Not in MS.
P were] was T quickly] now quickly
302 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1 665. a reconciliation, and that the captain might have
been called in question, who first gave offence by
taking the fort from the Dutch near Cape Verde,
which some had pressed for when he came home,
before any more mischief was u done ; and the not
calling him in question made many believe, that he
had done nothing without warrant or promise of
protection.
The Dutch still disclaimed all thought or purpose
of war, and seemed highly offended with their go-
vernor of Poleroone, and protested, " that the not-
" delivery of the place proceeded only from want of
" an order from the governor of Batavia, which or-
" der came the next day after the English ship was
" departed : but that they had given notice of it to
" the English factory at Bantam, that the same or
" another English ship might return and receive it ;
" and they were confident that it was then in the
" hand of the English. " But it was now too late to
expect any honourable peace, at least without mak-
ing very notable preparations for a war, which could *
not be done without ready money. And whatever
orders had been given for the preservation of the
Dutch ships, it quickly appeared that much of them
had been embezzled or disposed of, before they
were brought to any judicatory, or adjudged to be
prize ; and there was too much cause to fear, that
the rest would be disposed of to other purposes than
the support of the war; though nothing was more
positively spoken, than that the war would main-
tain itself.
The parliament still promised fairly, and entered
u was] Omitted in MS. * could] Omitted in MS.
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 303
upon consultation how and what money to raise. 1665.
And now the king commanded the chancellor and Z
Measures
the treasurer to meet with those members of the takento
_ . dispose the
house of commons, with whom they had used to parliament
consult, and to whom the king had joined others sup
upon whom he was told he might more depend, and for a war>
to adjust together what sum should be proposed, and
how and in what manner to propose and conduct it.
It was about the month of January. And though
the duke took indefatigable pains, by going himself
sometimes to Portsmouth and sometimes to Chat-
ham, to cause the ships and all provisions to be
ready, that he might be at sea before the Dutch ;
yet let what advance could be made, as indeed
there was great, nothing could be said to be done,
till a great stock of ready money could be provided ;
and it would be long after the parliament had done
their part, before ready money would be got ; and
therefore no more time must be lost, without taking
a particular resolution.
The meeting of those persons the king appointed A meeting
was at Worcester-house, where the chancellor and L-dTami
treasurer (who were known to be averse from the comm
war) told the rest, " that there was no more debate for that
purpose.
" now to be, war or no war : it was come upon us,
" and we were now only to contrive the best way of
" carrying it on with success ; which could only be
" done by raising a great present sum of money,
" that the enemy might see that we were prepared
" to continue it as well as to begin. " They who
were most desirous of the war, as sir Harry Bennet
and Mr. Coventry, (who were in truth the men who
brought it upon the nation,) with their friends, were
of the opinion, " that there should not be a great
3P4 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. " sum demanded at present, but only so much as
~~ " might carry out the fleet in the spring, and that Y
" sufficient provisions might be made for the sum-
" mer service : and then, when the war was once
" thoroughly entered into, another and a better sup-
" ply might be gotten about Michaelmas, when
" there was reason to hope, that some good success
" would dispose all men to a frank prosecution of
" the war. " Whereas these gentlemen had hitherto
inflamed the king with an assurance, " that he
" could not ask more money of the parliament than
" they would readily give him, if he would be en-
" g a g e d in this war which the whole kingdom so
" much desired. "
The chancellor and the treasurer were of opinion,
" that the house of commons could never be in a
" better disposition to give, than they were at pre-
" sent ; that hereafter they might grow weary, and
" apt to find fault with the conduct, especially when
" they found the country not so well pleased with
** the war as they were now conceived to be : where-
" as, now the war was begun, and the king engaged
" in it as much as he could be after ten battles, and
" all upon their desire and their promise ; they
" could not refuse to give any thing proposed with-
" in the compass of that reason, which all under-
" standing men might examine and judge of. That
" it was evident enough, that the true ground of all
" the confidence the Dutch had was from their opin-
" ion of the king's necessities and want of money,
" and their belief that the parliament would supply
" him very sparingly, and not long to continue such
y that] Not in MS.
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 305
" an expense, as they very well knew that a war at 1665.
" sea would require : and they would be much con- ~"
" firmed in this their imagination, if at the begin-
" ning they should see the parliament give him such
" a sum of money, as seemed to be implied by what
" had been said. That they therefore thought it
" absolutely necessary, that the king should propose
" as much, that is, that his friends should move for
" such a sum, as might upon a reasonable computa-
" tion, which every man would be ready to make,
" and of which wise men upon experience would ea-
" sily make an estimate, carry on the war for a full
" year ; that is, for the setting out the present fleet
" and paying it off upon its return, and for the set-
" ting out another fleet the next spring. If this were
" now done, his majesty would not be involved in
" importunate necessities the next winter ; but he
" might calmly and deliberately consult upon such
" further supplies, as the experience of what would
" be then past should suggest to be necessary : and
" that this would give his majesty such a reputation
" with all his neighbours, and such terror to his
" enemies, that it would probably dispose them to
" peace. "
They told them, " the best method to compute
" what the expense might amount to in a year,
" would be by reflecting upon the vast disproportion
" of the charge we were now already engaged in,
" and what had been estimated four months since,
" when the war was designed. That it was well
" known to Mr. Coventry, who had been always
" present at those conferences, that it had been said
" by the most experienced sea-officers, and those
" who had fought all the late battles against the
VOL. II. X
1665. " Dutch, that a fleet of forty or fifty such ships, as
the king's were, would be strength sufficient to
" beat all the ships the Dutch had out of the narrow
" seas ; and one very eminent man amongst them
" said, he would not desire above fifty ships to fight
" with all they had, and that he was confident
" that a greater number than fifty could never
" be brought to fight orderly or usefully : and yet
" that there were at present no fewer than four-
" score good ships preparing for the duke. And
" the charge in many other particulars appeared al-
" ready to amount to double the sum that was first
" computed. "
They concluded, " that a less sum than two mil-
" lions and a half" (which is five and twenty hun-
dred thousand pounds sterling) " ought not to be
" proposed, and being once proposed ought to be in-
" sisted on and pursued without consenting to any
" diminution ; for nobody could conceive that it
" would do more than maintain the war one year,
" which the parliament could not refuse to provide
" for in the beginning, as there was a so much in
" truth of it already expended in the preparations
" and expedition the duke had made in November,
" when he went to sea upon the fame of the Dutch
" fleet's intention to convoy their Guinea ships
" through the channel. "
There was not a man in the company, who did
not heartily wish that that sum or a greater might
be proposed and granted : but they all, though they
agreed in few other things, protested, " that they
" could not advise that so prodigious a sum should
as there was] and there being already
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 307
"be as much as named; and that they did not lf>65.
" know any one man, since it could not be thought"
" fit that any man who had relation to the king's
" service should move it, who had the courage to
" attempt it, or would be persuaded to it. "
The two lords continued very obstinate, " that a
" less sum should not be named for the reasons they
" had given," which the other confessed to be just;
and they acknowledged too, "that the proposition
" ought not to be made by any man who was b re-
" lated to the court, or was thought to be in any
" grace there that might dispose him, nor yet by
" any gentleman, how well soever thought of, who
" was of a small estate, and so to pay little of so
" great a sum he was so liberal to give. " They
therefore desired them " to name some of those
" members, who were honest worthy men, and
" looked upon as lovers of their country, and of
" great fortunes, unsuspected to have any designs
" at court; and if they were not enough acquainted
" with them, the lords would find some way by
" themselves or others to move them to it. " Where-
upon they named five or six persons very well
known, of whom the house had a very good esteem,
but without any hope that any c of them would be
prevailed with to undertake it. The lords said,
" they would try what might be done, and give
" them notice the next day, that if it were possible
" it might be the business of the following day. "
The chancellor and the treasurer chose three
Norfolk gentlemen of those who had been named,
because they were good friends and grateful to each
b was] Omitted in MS. c any] either
X 2
308 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. other, and desired them the next day " that they
~~ " might confer together. " They told them, " they
" knew well the state of affairs ; the parliament had
" engaged the king in a war, that could not be car-
" ried on without a vast expense : and therefore if
" at the entrance into it there should be a small or
" an ordinary supply given, it would blast all their
" hopes, and startle all other princes from joining,
" with whom the Dutch were not in favour, and
" who would be inclined to the king, if they saw
" such a provision for the war as would be sufficient
" to continue it for some time. And therefore they
" desired to confer with them, who upon all occa-
" sions manifested good affections to the king, and
" whose advice had a great influence upon the house,
" upon the whole matter how it might be conduct-
" ed. " They all consented to what had been said,
and promised their own concurrence and utmost en-
deavours to compass what the king should desire.
The lords said, " they promised themselves more
" from them, and that they would not only concur,
" but propose what should be necessary to be grant-
" ed. " And thereupon they enlarged upon the
charge which was already in view, and upon what
was to be expected, and concluded " that two mil-
" lions and a half were necessary to be insisted on ;"
and desired, " that when the debate should be en-
" tered upon, which they hoped might be the next
" day, one of them would propose this sum and the
" other would second it. "
They looked long one upon another, as if they
were surprised with the sum. At last one of them
said, " that the reasons were unanswerable for a li-
" beral supply ; yet he did not expect that so prodi-
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 309
" gious a sum, which he believed had never yet 1665.
" been mentioned in parliament to be granted at :
" one time, would be proposed : however, he did
" not think it too much, and that he would do the
" best he could to answer any objections which
" should be made against it, as he doubted many
" would ; but he confessed he durst not propose it. "
Another was of the same mind, and with many good
professions desired to be excused as to the first pro-
posing it. The third, who was sir Robert Paston, a
person of a much greater estate than both the other,
who had yet very good fortunes, and a gentleman
of a very ancient extraction by his father, (and his
mother was daughter to the earl of Lindsey,) de-
clared very frankly, " that he was satisfied in his
" conscience, that it would be very good for the
" kingdom as well as for the king that such a sum
" should be granted : and therefore if they thought
" him fit to do it, he would propose it the next
" morning, let other men think what they would of
" him for it. "
The lords gave him the thanks they ought to do,
and said what was necessary to confirm him, and to
thank the other gentlemen for their promise to se-
cond him, and gave notice to the rest of the resolu-
tion, that they might call for the debate the next
day ; which was entered into with a general cheer-
fulness, every man acknowledging the necessity and
the engagement of the house, but no man adventur-
ing to name the proportion that should be given.
When the house was in a deep silence expecting sir Robert
that motion, sir Robert Paston, who was no fre-
quent speaker, but delivered what he had a mind
say very clearly, stood up, mentioned shortly the
x 3
310 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1G65. obligation, the charge of the war, and "that the
~~" present supply ought to be such as might as well
" terrify the enemy as assist the king ; and therefore
" he proposed that they might give his majesty two
" millions and a half, which would amount to five
" and twenty hundred thousand pounds. " The si-
lence of the house was not broken ; they sat as in
amazement, until a gentleman, who was believed to
wish well to the king, without taking notice of what
had been proposed, stood up, and moved that they
might give the king a much less proportion. But
then the two others, who had promised to second,
renewed the motion one after the other ; which
seemed to be entertained with a consent of many,
and was contradicted by none : so that, after a
short pause, no man who had relation to the court
speaking a word, the speaker put it to the question,
" whether they would give the king five and twenty
" hundred thousand pounds for the carrying on the
which is " war against the Dutch ;" and the affirmative
byThe made a good sound, and very few gave their nega-
house. j. j ve a ] OU( j ) an( j it was notorious very many sat si-
lent. So the vote was presently drawn up into an
order ; and the house resolved the next day to be in
a committee, to agree upon the way that should be
taken for the raising this vast sum, the proportion
whereof could no more be brought into debate.
This brave vote gave the king the first liking of
the war : it was above what he had expected or in-
deed wished to be proposed. And they, who had
been at the first conference, and delivered the reso-
lution of the two lords as impossible to be com-
passed, not without insinuation as if it were affected
only to indispose the house to the war, (yet they did
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 311
not think fit to vary from the proportion, till they 1665.
saw the success of the proposition, which the lords'"
were engaged to procure a fit person to make,) when
they found the conclusion to be such as could be
wished, they commended the counsel, and fell into
another extreme, that in the thing itself and in the
consequence did very much harm ; which shall be
next mentioned, after I have said that there ap-
peared great joy and exaltation of spirit upon this
vote, and not more in the court than upon the ex-
change, the merchants generally being unskilfully
inclined to that war, above what their true interest
could invite them to, as in a short time afterwards
they had cause to confess.
The king sent to the lord mayor to call a com-
mon council, and commanded the chancellor, trea-
surer, and other lords of his council, to go thither ;
who, upon the credit of this vote of the house of
commons for this noble supply, prevailed with the
city presently to furnish the king with the loan of
two hundred thousand pounds ; which being within
few days paid into the hands of the treasurer of the
navy, all preparations for the fleet, and of whatever
else was necessary for the expedition, were pro-
vided with marvellous alacrity : and the parliament
made what haste was possible to despatch the bill,
by which their great present might be collected from
the people.
It hath been said before, that in most vacant
places, upon the death of any members, ways were
found out to procure some of the king's domestic
servants to be d elected in their places ; so that his
d to be] Not in MS.
x 4
312 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. majesty had many voices there at his . devotion;
~ which did not advance his service. These men con-
fidently ran out of the house still to inform the
king of what was doing, commended this man, and
discommended another who deserved better; and
would many times, when his majesty spake well of
any man, ask his majesty " if he would give them
" leave to let that person know how gracious his
" majesty was to him, or to bring him to kiss his
" hand. " To which he commonly consenting, every
one of his servants delivered some message from
him to a parliament-man, and invited him to court
as if the king would be willing to see him. And by
this means the rooms at court, where the king was,
were always full of the members of the house of
commons ; this man brought to kiss his hand, and
the king induced to confer with that man, and to
thank him for his affection, which never could con-
clude without some general expression of grace or
promise, which the poor gentleman always inter-
preted to his own advantage, and expected some
fruit from it that it could never yield : all which,
being contrary to all former order, did the king no
good, and rendered those unable to do him service
who were inclined to it.
sir H. Ben- The new secretary, and sir Charles Berkley, who
net and sir . . .
c. Berkiey by this time was entered very far into the kings
amuse *? r favour and his confidence, were the chief, and by
R. paston. their places had access to him in all places and
hours : and they much disliked the officiousness of
the others, as if they presumed to invade their pro-
vince. They thought it but their due, that the king
should take his measures of the house of commons
by no other report but theirs, nor dispense his graces
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 313
there through any other conduit. They took this 1665.
occasion to caress sir Robert Paston, who was a~~
stranger to them, and to magnify the service he had
done the king, and the great sense the king had of
it, and that he e did long to give him his own thanks:
they invited him to come to the court, and sir
Charles Berkley told him as from the king, " that
" his majesty resolved to make him a baron. " And
by these daily courtships and importunities the gen-
tleman, who was well satisfied with what he had
done, and never proposed any advantage to himself
from it, was amused, and thought he was not to
refuse any honour the king thought him worthy of,
nor to neglect those graces which were offered to
him by persons of their interest. Yet he made not
haste to go to the court, believing that it might
make him less capable of serving the king, and that
any favour his majesty should do him would be
more seasonable hereafter than at present, lest he
might be thought to have made that motion in the
house upon promise of the other reward. Yet after
continued invitations he went thither, and those
gentlemen presented him to the king, who spake very
graciously to him, told him, " he had done him great
" service, which he would never forget," and many
other princely expressions, and " that he should be
" glad to see him often," but no particular to that
purpose which had been mentioned to him.
When he went next, he found his majesty's coun-
tenance the same : but they, who had courted and
amused him so much, grew every day more dry and
reserved towards him ; of which he complained to a
e that he] Not in MS.
314 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. friend of his who he knew had interest in the chan-
cellor, and desired him to acquaint him with all that
had passed, who had not till then heard that he had
been at court, and when he was informed of the
whole relation was very much troubled, well know-
ing, that how acceptable soever those kinds of
courtships were for few days, they were attended
with many inconveniences when the end was not
correspondent with the beginning. He knew well
the resolution the king had taken to create no more
noblemen, the number whereof already too much
exceeded : however, he was very sorry, that a person
of that quality and merit should be exposed to any
indignity, for having endeavoured in such a con-
juncture to do his majesty a signal service, and suc-
ceeded so well ; and spake with the king at large of
it, and gave his majesty a full account of the mo-
desty and temper of the gentleman, of his quality
and interest, and what had been said and promised
to him. The king was troubled, owned all that he
had said himself to him, as being very hearty, and
" that he would never forget the service he had
" done, but requite it upon any opportunity ;" but
protested, " that he had never made any such pro-
" mise, nor given sir Charles Berkley any authority
" to mention any such thing to him, which would
" prove very inconvenient ;" and therefore wished,
" that his friend would divert him from prosecuting
" such a pretence, which he knew to be contrary to
" his resolution. "
The chancellor knew not what to say, but truly
advertised his friend of all the king had said, who
again informed sir Robert Paston, who thought
himself very hardly treated, and went to sir Charles
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 315
Berkley, who had not the same open arms, yet as- 1665.
sured him, " that he had said nothing to him but by ~~
" the king's direction, which he must aver. That he
" did not use to interpose or move the king in any
" of his affairs : but if he would desire the chancel-
" lor to take notice of it, who he knew had a great
" affection for him, and upon whose desire he had
" performed that great service, he was confident it
" would be attended with the success he wished, to
" which he would contribute all his endeavours ;"
intimating, " that if he had not what he desired, he
'* might impute it to the chancellor. " Upon which
sir Robert, who was well assured of the chancellor's
kindness, concluded that his court friends had de-
luded him, or expected money, which he would not
give: and so the matter ended with prejudice to
the king.
Notwithstanding these and the like very incon-
venient activities, which lost more friends than were
gotten by them, the noise of this stupendous supply,
given to the king at one time, made good impres-
sions upon all who had any affections for the king,
and was wondered at in those places where money
was most plenty. In Holland it wrought even to
consternation, and the common people cried aloud
for peace, and the States pretended to have great
hope as well as desire of it, and sent their ambas-
sador, who remained still in England, new orders
to solicit it.
In the mean time the king neglected not to apply The condu
what endeavours he could use, to dispose his allies England in
to act such parts as their own interest might
sonably invite them to. From France he expected
only neutrality, by reason he knew he had renewed
316 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. the alliance with the States; but never suspected,
~ that it was in such a manner as would hinder the
neutrality. Spain could do little good or harm, nor
durst it to engage against Holland : yet all was
done that was necessary towards a good correspond-
ence with it. The two northern kings would find
themselves concerned, at least to wish better to one
side than to the other ; and had been both so dis-
obliged by the Dutch, that had it not been for the
irreconcileable jealousy they had of each other, they
might have been united to the interest of England.
But Denmark had in the late war given what they
could not keep nor recover, and yet could hardly be
without; and Sweden looked with too much con-
tempt upon the weakness and unactivity of their
neighbour, to give back any thing they had got :
and this restrained them both from provoking an
enemy that might give strength to the other.
Yet Denmark had the year before by Hannibal
Zested, who went ambassador into France and made
England his way, made many complaints to the
king " of the oppression the crown of Denmark un-
" derwent by the Dutch, and the resolution it had
" to shake off that yoke as soon as an opportunity
" should be offered ;" and made a request to the king,
" that he would endeavour to make the alliance so
" fast between Denmark and Sweden, that the jea-
" lousy of each other might hinder neither of them
" from doing any thing that was for their own in-
" terest, without prejudice to the other. " And when
the difficulty was alleged, in regard that Sweden
would never be persuaded to part with Elsineur,
and those other places which had been given up in
the late treaty; Hannibal Zested consented that
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 317
what was done in that treaty should be again con- ] 665.
firmed, and said " his master was willing and desir-
" ous that the king of England should undertake
" and be caution for the observation of this treaty ;"
implying, " that if this were done, and thereby the
" fear of any further attempt from Sweden were ex-
" tingufshed, Denmark would not be long without
" redeeming itself from the vexation which it en-
" dured from Holland, which, upon former neces-
" sities and ill bargains, upon the matter had an ex-
" emption from paying all duties upon their own
" great trade through the Sound, as much to the
" prejudice of all other princes as of the poor crown
" of Denmark. " This having so lately passed from
a minister of that crown, the king thought it a good
time to endeavour to do that office between the two
crowns, and thereby to unite them both to the king
in this conjunction against the Dutch ; at least that
they might both remain good friends to his majesty,
and supply him with all those provisions without
which his navy could not be supported, and as far
as was possible restrain the Dutch from those sup-
plies, by making such large contracts with the Eng-
lish, that there would not be enough left for the
other.
Upon this ground he sent Mr. Henry Coventry of Ambassa-
his bedchamber to the Swede, whose friendship he Denmark
much more valued as more able to assist him, and ^ Swe "
upon whose word he could more firmly depend.
And to Denmark he sent sir Gilbert Talbot, who
was acceptable to that crown by his having per-
formed many offices of respect to the prince of Den-
mark, when he had been incognito in England,
318 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. and waited upon him f to several parts of the king-
~ dom which he had a mind to see, and so caused him
to be entertained in several gentlemen's houses in
his journey, of which the prince seemed very sensi-
ble when he departed. That which was expected
from that negotiation, except the confidence could
be created between the two crowns, was only to
preserve Denmark a friend, that he might not fa-
vour the Dutch, and might recall all his subjects out
of their service ; and that we might have the same
freedom of trade, and the security of his ports for
our men of war.
Proposals Whilst the king took this care for the advance-
bishop of ment of his affairs abroad, there was an advantage
offered him, that looked as if it came from Heaven.
rfutTif the There came one day a gentleman, who looked rather
like a carter, who spoke ill English, and desired that
he might have a private audience with the chancel-
lor ; who presently sent for him, and in a short time
knew him to be a Benedictine monk, who had been
sometimes with him at Cologne, and belonged to the
English abbey at Lamspring in Westphalia, where a
very reverend person of the family of Gascoigne in
Yorkshire was abbot, with whom the chancellor had
much acquaintance, and esteemed him very much ;
and he had, during the time the king stayed in Co-
logne, sent this monk several times thither, who was
likewise a gentleman, but by living long in Germany
had almost forgot the language as well as the man-
ners of his own country. His business now was to
deliver him a letter (whereof he knew little of the
contents) from the bishop of Munster, upon the
{ him] Not in MS.
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 319
edge of whose dominions that English abbey was 1665.
seated, which had likewise a territory that extended
to the principality of the other, and received much
favour and protection from the other ; who desired
the abbot to give him an honest man, that would
carry a letter from him to the court of England :
upon which this monk was deputed, the rather be-
cause he was known to the chancellor. The matter
of the letter was no more, than " that if the war
" against Holland was to be resolutely prosecuted
" by the king of England, he (the bishop) conceived
" that a conjunction with those allies, who could
" infest the Dutch by land as his majesty would do
" by sea, might not be unacceptable to his majesty ;
" and in that case, upon the answer to this letter,
" he would send a fit person to make some proposi-
" tions to the king and to treat with him. " The
instructions the monk had, were " to make all pos-
" sible haste back, and that as soon as he returned
" on that side the sea, he should send the answer he
** had received, by the post, so directed as was ap-
" pointed ; and then that himself should stay at
" Brussels till he received further orders. "
The chancellor quickly informed the king of this
despatch, to whom the monk was likewise known ;
and his majesty immediately assembled those lords
with whom he consulted in the most secret cases.
Every body knew so much of the bishop of Mun-
ster, that he was a warlike prince, having had
command in armies before he dedicated himself to
the church, and that he had a great animosity
against Holland, which had disobliged him in the
highest point, by encouraging his subjects to rebel
against him, and those of his city of M unster to
320 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. shut their gates against him: and when he endea-
~ voured to reduce them by force, and to that purpose
had besieged them with his army, the Dutch sent an
army to relieve it, and declared that they would
protect that city. And by this means, and by the
mediation of the neighbour princes, who had no
mind that the peace of their country should be
disturbed by such an incursion, the bishop was hin-
dered from taking that vengeance upon his rebel
subjects which he intended, and compelled to ac-
cept of such conditions as did not please him. And
all this was but two years before, and boiled still in
his breast, that was naturally very hot. But he was
a poor prince, unable to give any disturbance to the
United Provinces, whose dominions extended within
a day's march of his. However, every man was of
opinion, that the proposition ought to be very kindly
received, and the bishop invited to send his agent.
And to that purpose the chancellor wrote to him,
and the monk was despatched the next day.
And
having observed his orders in sending away the an-
swer, he was very few days at Brussels, when a ser-
vant of the bishop arrived with orders that the
monk should accompany him back into England :
and so they both arrived in London in less time than
could be expected.
The gentleman who came from the bishop was a
very proper man, well-bred, a baron of that country,
but a subject to the bishop : he brought with him a
letter of credit from the bishop to the king, and full
authority to treat and conclude according to his in-
structions, which he likewise presented to his ma-
jesty. He brought likewise a letter to the chancel-
lor from the elector of Mentz, in which he recom-
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 321
mended to him the person whom the bishop of Mun- 1GC5.
ster should send, and declared " that he believed"
" the bishop of Munster would be able to perform
" whatsoever he should undertake :" which letter
was a very great encouragement to the king: for
his majesty knew the elector of Mentz very well to
be a very wise prince and notoriously his friend, and
that he would not say so much of the ability of the
bishop to perform, except he knew particularly his
design, and what he would undertake to do.
The baron's instructions were to propose, " that
" his majesty would cause one hundred thousand
" pounds to be immediately paid, by bills of ex-
" change at Hamburgh or Cologne or Francfort, to
" such persons as the bishop should appoint to re-
" ceive it ; and should promise to pay fifty thou-
" sand pounds by the month in the same places
" for three months to come : afterwards he hoped
" the army would provide for its own support. This
" being undertaken on his majesty's part, the bishop
" would be engaged, within one month after the
" first bills of exchange for the one hundred thousand
" pounds should be delivered into the hands of his
" agent the baron, that he would be in the dominions
" of the States General with an army of sixteen
" thousand foot and four thousand horse ; with
" which he was very confident he should within few
"days be possessed of Arnheim, and shortly after
" of Utrecht : and if the king's fleet came before
" Amsterdam, that army of the bishop should march
" to what place or quarter his majesty should
" direct. "
The baron was asked, " how it could be possible
" for the bishop, though a gallant prince and very
VOL. II. Y
CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. " active, to draw together such an army in so short
" a time out of his small province ; and how he was
" sure that his neighbours, who two years before
" had compelled him to make so disadvantageous a
" peace with the Dutch, would not again use the
" same violent importunity to obstruct his proceed-
" ings. " To which he answered, " that the bishop
" would never undertake to bring such an army to-
" gether in so short a time, in which they could not
" be levied, but that he knows they are already le-
" vied, and upon an assurance of money can be
" brought together in the short time proposed : for
" the other, the interposition of his neighbours, he
" had not then, when they prevailed, half that army
" which he was sure he should now have ; besides,
" those neighbours were now as much incensed
" against the Dutch as his master was, and would
" all engage with him against them ; and that
" many of the army that is designed were at
" present quartered in their dominions ; and that
" the bishop intended not to march in his own pri-
" vate capacity, but as general of the empire, for
" which the elector of Mentz had undertaken to
" procure him a commission. " He was demanded
" how his master stood with France, and whether
" he did not fear that it would either prevent the
" enterprise by mediation, or disappoint it by send-
" ing aid to Holland. " He answered, " his mas-
" ter was confident France would not do him any
" harm : that he had sent an agent, from whom he
" should be sure to receive letters by every post. "
And within few days after, he shewed a letter that
he had received from that agent, in which he said,
" that Monsieur de Lionne bade him assure the bi-
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 323
" shop, that his Christian majesty would do nothing 1665.
" to his prejudice. "
This being the state of that affair, the king consi-
dered what he was to do. The propositions made
by the bishop were such, as it was not possible for
him to comply with. But then it was presumed by
every body, that very much would be abated of the
money that was demanded : for it was not an aux-
iliary army that was to be raised for the king's ser-
vice, whose conquests were to be applied to his be-
nefit, but an army raised to revenge the injuries
which himself had received, and what he should get
must be to his own account ; and his majesty's hos-
tility at sea would as much facilitate his enterprise
at land, as the marching of his army might probably
disturb and distract their preparations for the sea.
Yet it could not be expected, that the bishop could
draw this army together (and the attempt was not
to be made with less force) without a good supply
of money, nor keep it together without pay.
The advantage, that would with God's blessing
attend this conjunction, spread itself to a very large
prospect. That the people generally in the pro-
vinces were very unsatisfied with this war, was a
thing notorious ; and that the province of Holland
which began it, and was entirely governed by De
Wit, did even compel the other provinces to concur
with them, partly upon hope that a further progress
would be prevented by treaty, or that a peace would
follow upon the first engagement. But when they
should see an army of twenty thousand men, which
they suspected not, to invade their country at land,
and in that part where they were most secure, and
from whence so much of their necessary provisions
Y 2
CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. were daily brought; they must be in great conster-
~~ nation, and draw all their land army together,
which they had not done in near twenty years, and
could not be done to any effect without vast charge,
which would put the people into a loud distraction.
Finally, there was great reason to cherish the de-
sign : and therefore the king resolved by an unani-
mous advice to undertake any thing towards it, that
could be in his power to perform.
There was one difficulty occurred, that had not
been thought of nor so much as apprehended by the
baron, which was the return of the money, whatso-
ever should be assigned to that service ; for of the
three places proposed by him, besides the secrecy
that was requisite, all the trade of London could not
assign one thousand pounds in the month to be paid
upon Cologne and Francfort ; nor could Hamburgh
itself be charged with twenty thousand pounds in
three months' time : which when the agent knew,
he seemed amazed, and said, " they had believed
" that it had been as easy to have transmitted
" money to those three towns, as it was for them
" to receive it from thence. "
In conclusion, the king gave his answer in
writing, what sum of money he would cause to be
paid at once for the first advance, that the bishop
might begin his march, and what he would after-
wards cause to be paid by the month ; which being
less than the baron's instructions would admit him
to accept, he sent an express with it to the bishop :
and " till his return," he desired, " that the king
" would appoint some person of experience to confer
** with him ; and they might together inform them-
" selves of the best expedients to return money into
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 325
" Germany, since his majesty had hitherto only un- 1 665.
" dertaken to pay his assignations in London. " ~
What success this treaty afterwards had will be re-
lated in its place.
These advantages from abroad being in this man-
ner deliberated and designed, it may be very season-
able to look back, and consider what preparations
were made at home towards the carrying on f this
war, for which the parliament had provided so boun-
tifully : and if ordinary prudence had been applied
to the managery, if any order and method had been
consulted and steadily pursued for the conducting
the whole, the success would have been answerable,
and at least any inconvenience from the sudden
want of money would have been prevented. But
whoever was at any near % distance in that time
when those transactions were in agitation, as there
are yet many worthy men who were, or shall be
able to procure a sincere information of the occur-
rences of that time, will be obliged to confess, that
they who contrived the war had the entire conduct-
ing it, and were the sole causes of all the ill effects
of it ; which cannot be set down particularly with-
out wounding those, who were by their confidence
in ill instruments made accessary to those mischiefs,
in which themselves suffered most. Nor is it the
end of this true relation to fix a brand upon- the me-
mory of those, who deserve it from the public and
from very many worthy men, but is to serve only
for a memorial to cast my own eyes upon, when I
cannot but reflect upon those proceedings ; and by
my consent shall never come into any hands but
1 on] Omitted in MS. f- near] Not in MS.
Y 3
326 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. theirs, who for their own sakes will take care to
"preserve it from any public view or perusal.
The state It cannot be denied and may very truly be aver-
red, that from the hour of the king's return, and
being possessed of the entire government, the na-
val affairs were never put into any order. That
province, being committed to the duke as lord high
admiral of England, was entirely h engrossed by his
servants, in truth by Mr. Coventry, who was newly
made his secretary, and who made use of his
other servants, who were better known to him, to
infuse into his highness the opinion, " that whoever
" presumed to meddle in any thing that related to
" the navy or the admiralty, invaded his jurisdiction,
" and would lessen him in the eyes of the people ;
" and that he ought to be jealous of such men, as of
" those who would undermine his greatness ; and
" that as he was superior to all men by being the
" king's brother, so being high admiral he was to
" render account to none but to the king, nor suffer
" any body else to interpose in any thing relating to
" it. " Whereas in truth there is no officer of the
crown more subject to the council-board than the
admiral of England, who is to give an account of all
his actions and of every branch of his office con-
stantly to the board, and to receive their orders :
nor hath he the nomination of the captains of the
ships, till upon the presentation of their names he
receives their approbation, which is never denied.
Nor was there any counsellor who had ever sat at
the board in the last king's time, to whom this was
not as much known as any order of the table.
h entirely] so entirely
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 327
But there was no retrieving this authority, not 1665.
only from the influence Mr. Coventry, and they of ~
the family who adhered to him, had upon the duke,
but from the king's own inclination, who thought
that those officers, who immediately depended upon
himself and only upon himself, were more at his
devotion than they who were obliged to give an
account to any other superior. And from the time
that he came first into France, he had not been ac-
customed to any discourse more than to the under-
valuing the privy-council, as if it shadowed the king
too much, and usurped too much of his authority,
and too often superseded his own commands. And
the queen his mother had, upon these discourses,
always some instances of the authority which in
such a case the council had assumed against the
king's judgment ; the exception to which, according
to the relation which nobody could question, seemed
to be very reasonable. This kind of discourse, be-
ing the subject of every day, made so great impres-
sion that it could never be defaced, and made the
election and nomination of counsellors less consi-
dered, since they were to be no more advised with
afterwards than before.
Another argument, that used to be as frequently
insisted upon by the queen, and with more passion
and indignation, was of the little respect and reve-
rence that by the law or custom of England was
paid to the younger sons of the crown ; and though
there was nobody present in those conversations who
knew any thing of the law or custom in those cases,
yet all that was said was taken as granted. And
not only the duke but the king himself had a mar-
vellous prejudice to the nation in that part of good
Y 4
328 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. manners: and it was easily agreed, that the model
~" of France was in those and other cases much more
preferable, and which was afterwards observed in
too many.
This being then the state and temper of the royal
family when the king returned, which then consisted
of the duke of Gloucester, and two princesses more
than it now hath ; the very next morning after the
fleet came to Scheveling, the duke went on board
and took possession of it as lord high admiral : and
so his secretary provided new commissions for all
the officers who were in present command, for which
it is probable they all paid very liberally ; for with
him the custom began to receive five pounds for
every warrant signed by the duke, and for which
uo secretary to any lord admiral formerly had ever
received above twenty shillings. Mr. Coventry, who
was utterly unacquainted with all the rules and cus-
toms of the sea, and knew none of the officers, but
was much courted by all, as the secretary to the
admiral always is, made choice of captain Pen,
whom the king knighted as soon as he came on
board ; who from a common man had grown up un-
der Cromwell to the highest command, and was in
great favour with him till he failed in the action of
St. Domingo, when he went admiral at sea, as Ven-
ables was general at land, for which they were both
imprisoned in the Tower by Cromwell, nor ever em-
ployed by him afterwards : but upon his death he
had command again at sea, as he had at this time
under Mountague when he came to attend the king.
With this man Mr. Coventry made a fast friendship,
and was guided by him in all things.
All the offices which belonged to the ships, to the
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 329
navy,' to the yards, to the whole admiralty, (except 1665.
the three superior officers, which are not in the dis-~
posal of the admiral,) were now void, and to be
supplied by the duke, that is, by Mr. Coventry;
who by the advice of sir William Pen, who was
solely trusted by him in the brocage, conferred them
upon those (without observing any other rule) who
would give most money, not i considering any honest
seaman who had continued in the king's service, or
suffered long imprisonment for him. And because
an incredible sum of money did k and would rise
this way, some principal officers in the yards, as the
master smith and others, and the keepers of the
stores, yielding seven, eight hundred, or a thousand
pounds ; he had the skill to move the duke to be-
stow such money as would arise upon such place
upon sir Charles Berkley, for another to another, and
for some to be divided between two or three : by
which means the whole family was obliged, and re-
tained to justify him ; and the duke himself looked
upon it as a generosity in Mr. Coventry, to accom-
modate his fellow servants with what he might have
asked or kept for himself. But it was the best hus-
bandry he could have used : for by this means all
men's mouths were stopped, and all- clamour se-
cured ; whilst the lesser sums for a multitude of
offices of all kinds were reserved to himself, and
which, in the estimation of those who were at no
great distance, amounted to a very great 1 sum, and
more than any officer under the king could possibly
get by all the perquisites of his place in many years.
By this means,- the whole navy and ships were
' not] nor k did] was ' great] Omitted in MS.
330 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. filled with the same men who had enjoyed the same
"~ places and offices under Cromwell, and thereby were
the better able to pay well for them ; whereof many
of the most infamous persons which that time took
notice of were now become the king's officers, to
the great scandal of their honest neighbours, who
observed that they retained the same manners and
affections, and used the same discourses they had
formerly done.
Besides many other irreparable inconveniences
and mischiefs which resulted from this corruption
and choice, one grew quickly visible and notorious,
in the stealing and embezzling all manner of things
out of the ships, even when they were in service :
but when they returned from any voyages, incredible
proportions of powder, match, cordage, sails, anchors,
and all other things, instead of being restored to the
several proper officers whiclr were to receive them,
were embezzled and sold, and very often sold to the
king himself for the setting out other ships and for
replenishing his stores. And when this was disco-
vered (as many times it was) and the criminal per-
son apprehended, it was alleged by him as a defence
or excuse, " that he had paid so dear for his place,
" that he could not maintain himself and family
" without practising such shifts :" and none of those
fellows were ever brought to exemplary justice, and
most of them were restored to their employments.
The three superior officers of the navy were pos-
sessed of their offices by patents under the great
seal of England before the king's return ; and they
are the natural established council of the lord high
admiral, and are to attend him when he requires it,
and always used of course to be with him one cer-
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 331
tain day in a week, to render him an account of all 1665.
the state of the office, and to receive his orders and ~
to give their advice. And now, because these three
depended not enough upon him, but especially out
of animosity against sir George Carteret, who, be-
sides being treasurer of the navy, was vice-cham-
berlain of the king's household, and so a privy
counsellor; Mr. Coventry proposed to the duke,
" that in regard of the multiplicity of business in
" the navy, much more than in former times, and the
" setting out greater fleets than had been accus-
" tomed in that age when those officers and that
" model for the government of the navy had been
" established, his royal highness would propose to
" the king to make an addition, by commissioners,
" of some other persons always to sit with the other
" officers with equal authority, and to sign all bills with
" them ;" which was a thing never heard of before,
and is in truth a lessening of the power of the admiral.
It is very true, there have frequently been commis-
sioners for the navy ; but it hath been in the same
place m of the admiral and to perform his office : but
in the time of an admiral commissioners have not
been heard of. One principal end in this was, to
draw from the treasurer of the navy (whose office
Mr. Coventry thought too great, and had implacable
animosity against him from the first hour after he
had made his friendship with Pen) out of his fees
(which, though no greater than were granted by his
patent and had been always enjoyed by his pre-
decessors, were indeed greater than had used to be
in times of peace, when much less money passed
m place] Not in MS.
332 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. through his hands) what should be enough to pay
those commissioners ; for it was not reasonable they
should serve for nothing, nor that they should be
upon the king's charge, since the treasurer's perqui-
sites might be enough for all.
The duke liked the proposition well, and, with-
out conferring with any body else upon it, proposed
it to the king at the council-board, where nobody
thought fit to examine or debate what the duke pro-
posed ; and the king approved it, and ordered, " that
" the commissioners should receive each five hun-
" dred pounds by the year :" but finding afterwards
that the treasurer of the navy's fees were granted
to him under the great seal, his majesty did not
think it just to take it from him, but would bear it
himself, and appointed the treasurer to pay and pass
those pensions in his account. The commissioners
named and commended by the duke to the king
were the lord Berkley, sir John Lawson, sir William
Pen, and sir George Ayscue ; the three last n the
most eminent sea-officers under Cromwell, but it
must not be denied but that they served the king
afterwards very faithfully. These the king made
his commissioners, with a pension to each of five
hundred pounds the year, and in some time after
added Mr. Coventry to the number with the same
pension : so that this first reformation in the time
of peace cost the king one way or other no less
than three thousand pounds yearly, without the
le,ast visible benefit or advantage. The lord Berkley
understood nothing that related either to the office
or employment, and therefore very seldom was pre-
" last] Not in MS. lated either] neither understood
" understood nothing that re- any thing that related
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 333
sent in the execution. But after he had enjoyed 1665.
the pension a year or thereabout, he procured leave"
to sell? his place, and procured a gentleman, Mr.
Thomas Harvey, to give him three thousand pounds
for it : so soon this temporary commission, which
might have expired within a month, got the reputa-
tion of an office for life by the good managery of an
officer.
This was the state of the navy before the war The state of
. i .
with Holland was resolved upon. Let us in the the "oZ. *
next place see what alterations were made in it, or
what other preparations were made, or counsels en-
tered upon, for the better conduct of this war : and
a clear and impartial view or reflection upon what
was then said and done, gave discerning men an un-
happy presage of what would follow. There was no
discourse now in the court, after this royal subsidy
of five and twenty hundred thousand pounds was
granted, but, " of giving the law to the whole trade
" of Christendom ; of making all ships which passed
" by or through the narrow seas to pay an imposi-
" tion to the king, as all do to the king of Denmark
" who pass by the Sound ; and making all who pass
" near to pay contribution to his majesty ;" which
must concern all the princes of Christendom : and
the king and duke were often desired to discounte-
nance and suppress this impertinent talk, which
must increase the number of the enemies. Commis-
sioners were appointed to reside in all or the most
eminent port-towns, for the sale of all prize-goods ;
and these were. chosen for the most part out of those
P sell] sell in
334 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. members of the house of commons, who were active
~ to advance the king's service, or who promised to
be so, to whom liberal salaries were assigned.
There were then commissioners appointed to
appeals ap. judge all appeals, which should be made upon and
pointed. a g ams t a ll sentences given by the judge of the ad-
miralty and his deputies ; and these were all privy
counsellors, the earl of Lautherdale, the lord Ash-
ley, and the secretaries of state, who were like to
The injus- be most careful of the king's profit. But then the
tice of their
sentences, rules which were prescribed to judge by were such
as were warranted r by no former precedents, nor s
acknowledged to be just by the practice of any
neighbour nation, and such as would make all ships
which traded for Holland, from what kingdom so-
ever, lawful prize ; which was foreseen would bring
complaints from all places, as it did as soon as the
war begun. French and Spaniard and Swede and
Dane were alike treated; whilst their ambassadors
made loud complaints every day to the king and
the council for the injustice and the rapine, without
remedy, more than references to the admiralty, and
then to the lords commissioners of appeal, which in-
creased the charge, and raised and improved the
indignity. Above all, the Hanse -Towns of Ham-
burgh, Lubeck, Bremen, and the rest, (who had
large exemptions and privileges by charter granted
by former kings and now renewed by this,) had the
worst luck ; for none of them could ever be distin-
guished from the Dutch. Their ships were so like,
and their language so near, that not one of their
r warranted] Omitted in MS. ? nor] and
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 335
vessels were met with, from what part of the world 1665.
soever they came, or whithersoever they were t
bound, but they were brought in u ; and if the evi-
dence was such as there could be no colour to retain
them, but that they must be released, they always
carried with them sad remembrances of the com-
pany they had been in.
There was one sure rule to make any ship prize,
which was, if above three Dutch mariners were
aboard it there need no x further proof for the for-
feiture ; which being no where known could not be
prevented, all merchants' ships, when they are ready
for their voyage, taking all seamen on board of what
nation soever who are necessary for their service :
so that those Dutchmen who run from their own
country to avoid fighting, (as very many did, and
very many more would have done,) and put them-
selves on board merchants' ships of any other coun-
try, where they were willingly entertained, made
those ships lawful prize in which they served, by a
rule that nobody knew nor would submit to.
It was resolved that all possible encouragement TOO much
should be given to privateers, that is, to as many ^"g^i
as would take commissions from the admiral to set * pnva "
iccrs.
out vessels of war, as they call them, to take prizes
from the enemy ; which no articles or obligations
can restrain from all the villany they can act, and
are a people, how countenanced soever or thought
necessary, that do bring an unavoidable scandal, and
it is to be feared a curse, upon the justest war that
was ever made at sea. A sail ! A sail ! is the word
with them ; friend or foe is the same ; they possess
1 were] Omitted in MS. * no] Omitted in MS.
in] Not in MS.
336 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. all they can master, and run with it to any obscure
"place where they can sell it, (which retreats are
never wanting,) and never attend the ceremony of
an adjudication. Besides the horrible scandal and
clamour that this classis of men brought upon the
king and the whole government for defect of justice,
the prejudice which resulted from thence to the
public and to the carrying on the service is unspeak-
able: all seamen run to them. And though the
king now assigned an ample share of all prizes
taken by his own ships to the seamen, over and
above their wages ; yet there was great difference
between the condition of the one and the other : in
the king's fleet they might gain well, but they were
sure of blows, nothing could be got there without
fighting ; with the privateers there was rarely fight-
ing, they took all who could make little resistance,
and fled from all who were too strong for them.
And so those fellows were always well manned,
when the king's ships were compelled to stay many
days for want of men, who were raised by press-
ing and with great difficulty. And whoever spake
against those lewd people, upon any case whatso-
ever, was thought to have no regard for the duke's
profit, nor to desire to weaken the enemy.
In all former wars at sea, as there was great care
taken to appoint commissioners for the sale of all
prize-goods, who understood the value of those com-
modities they had to sell, yet were compelled to sell
better bargains than are usually got in public mar-
kets ; so there was all strictness used in bringing
all receivers to as punctual an account, as any other
of the king's receivers are bound to make, and to
compel them to pay in all the money they receive
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 337
into the exchequer, that it might be issued out to the 1665.
treasurer of the navy or to other officers for the""
expense of the war. And it had been a great argu-
ment in the first consultations upon this war, " that
" it would support itself; and that after one good ,
" fleet should be set out once to beat the Dutch,"
(for that was never thought worthy of a doubt,)
" the prizes, which would every day after be taken,
" would plentifully do all the rest ; besides the great
" sum that the Dutch would give to purchase their
" peace, and the yearly rent they would give for
" the liberty of fishing ;" with all which it was not
thought fit to allow them " to keep above such a
" number of ships of war, limited to so many ton and
" to so many guns ;" with many particulars of that
nature, which were carefully digested by those who
promoted the war. But now, after this supply given
by the parliament, there was no more danger of
want of money : and many discourses there were,
" that the prize-money might be better disposed in
" rebuilding the king's houses, and many other good
" uses which would occur ;" and the king forbore
to speak any more of appointing receivers and trea-
surers for that purpose, when all or most other offi-
cers, who were judged necessary for the service,
were already named ; and the lord treasurer, who
by his office should have the recommendation of
those officers to the king, had a list of men, who for
the reputation and experience they had were in his
judgment worthy to be trusted, to be presented to
the king when he should enter upon that subject.
But one evening a servant of the lord Ashley
ley obtains
came to the chancellor with a bill signed, and de- a grant a P -
sired in his master's name, " that it might be sealed hf
VOL. II. Z
338 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. " that night. " The bill was, " to make and consti-
surer of " tute the lord Ashley treasurer of all the money
prize- ^at should be raised upon the sale of all prizes,
money.
" which were or should be taken in this present
" war, with power to make all such officers as should
" be necessary for the service ; and that he should
" account for all monies so received to the king him-
" self, and to no other person whatsoever, and pay
" and issue out all those monies which he should re-
" ceive, in such manner as his majesty should ap-
" point by warrant under his sign manual, and by no
" other warrant ; and that he should be free and ex-
" empt from accounting into the exchequer. " When
the chancellor had seen the contents, he bade the
messenger tell his lord, " that he would speak with
" the king before he would seal that grant, and that
" he desired much to speak with himself. "
The chan- The next morning he waited upon the king, and
monstrates informed him " of the bill that was brought to him,
seatihg this " an d doubted that he had been surprised : that it
grant. was no t; on iy such an original as was without any
" precedent, but in itself in many particulars de-
" structive to his service and to the right of other
" men. That all receivers of any part of his re-
" venue were accountable in the exchequer, and
" could receive their discharge in no other place :
" and that if so great a receipt, as this was already,"
(for the fleet of wine and other ships already seized
were by a general computation valued at one hun-
dred thousand pounds,) " and as it evidently would
" be, should pass without the most formal account ;
" his majesty might be abominably cozened, nor
'" could it any other way be prevented- And in the
" next place, that this grant was not only deroga-
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON, 339
" tory to the lord treasurer, but did really degrade 1665.
" him, there being another treasurer made more ab-
" solute than himself, and without dependence upon
" him. " And therefore he besought his majesty,
" that he would reconsider the thing itself and hear
" it debated, at least that the treasurer might be
" first heard, without which it could not be done in
" justice :" to which he added, " that he would speak
" with the lord Ashley himself, and tell him how
" much he was to blame to affect such a province,
" which might bring great inconveniences upon his
" person and his estate. "
He quickly found that the king had not been
surprised in what he had done, " which," he said,
" was absolutely in his own power to do ; and that
" it would bring prejudice only to himself, which he
" had sufficiently provided against. " However, he
seemed willing to decline any thing that looked like
an affront to the treasurer, and therefore was con-
tent that the sealing it might be suspended till he
had further considered.
The lord Ashley came shortly to the chancellor,
and seemed " to take it unkindly that his patent
" was not sealed :" to which he answered, " that he
" had suspended the immediate sealing it for three
" reasons ; whereof one was, that he might first
" speak with the king, who he believed would re-
" ceive much prejudice by it ; another, that it would
" not consist with the respect he owed to the lord
" treasurer, who was much affronted in it, to seal it
" before he was made acquainted with it. And in
" the last place, that he had stopped it for his,
" the lord Ashley's, own sake : and that he believed
*' he had neither enough considered the indignity
z 2
1665. " that was offered to the lord treasurer, to whom he
~~ " professed so much respect, and by whose favour
" and powerful interposition he enjoyed the office he
" held, nor his own true interest, in submitting his
" estate to those incumbrances which such a receipt
" would inevitably expose it to. And that the ex-
" emption from making any account but to the king
" himself would deceive him : and as it was an un-
" usual and unnatural privilege, so it would never
" be allowed in any court of justice, which would
" exact both the account and the payment or lawful
" discharge of what money he should receive ; and
" " if he depended upon the exemption he would live
" to repent it. "
He answered little to the particulars more than
with some sullenness, " that the king had given
" him the office, and knew best what is good for his
" own service ; and that except his majesty retracted
" his grant, he would look to enjoy the benefit of it.
" That he did not desire to put an affront upon the
" lord treasurer ; and if there were any expressions
" in his commission which reflected upon him, he
" was content they should be mended or left out :
" in all other respects he was resolved to run the
" hazard. "
The treasurer himself, though he knew that he
was not well used, and exceedingly disdained the
behaviour of his nephew, (for the lord Ashley had
married his niece,) who he well knew had by new
friendships cancelled all the obligations to him, would
not appear to oppose what the king resolved, but sat
The king unconcerned, and took no notice of any thing. And
obliges him . , . . .
to seal it. so within a short time the king sent a positive order
to the chancellor to seal the commission ; which he
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 341
could no longer refuse, and did it with the more 1665.
trouble, because he very well knew, that few men ~
knew the lord Ashley better than the king himself
did, or had a worse opinion of his integrity. But
he was now gotten into friendships which were most
behooveful to him, and which could remove or re-
concile all prejudices : he was fast linked to sir Harry
Bennet and Mr. Coventry in a league offensive and
defensive, the same friends and the same enemies,
and had got "an entire trust with the lady, who very
well understood the benefit such an officer would be
to her. Nor was it difficult to persuade the king
(who thought himself more rich in having one thou-
sand pounds in his closet that nobody knew of, than
in fifty thousand pounds in his exchequer) how
many conveniences he would find in having so
much money at his own immediate disposal, with-
out the formality of privy seals and other men's
warrants, and the indecency and mischief which
would attend a formal account of all his generous
donatives and expense, which should be known only
to himself.
Though the king seemed to continue the same Measures
, . . taken to
gracious countenance towards the chancellor which prejudice
he had used, and frequently came to his house when ^ainsMhe
he was indisposed with the gout, and consulted all chancellor -
his business, which he thought of public importance,
with him with equal freedom ; yet he himself found,
and many others observed, that he had not the same
credit and power with him. The nightly meetings
had of late made him more' the subject of the dis-
course ; and since the time of the new secretary they
had taken more liberty to talk of what was done in
z 3
342 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. council, than they had done formerly ; and the duke
~~of Buckingham pleased himself and all the com-
pany in acting all the persons who spake there in
their looks and motions, in which piece of mimicry
he had an especial faculty ; and in this exercise the
chancellor had a full part. In the height of mirth,
if the king said " he would go such a journey or do
" such a trivial thing to-morrow," somebody would
lay a wager that he would not do it ; and when he
asked why, it was answered, " that the chancellor
" would not let him :" and then another would pro-
test, " that he thought there was no ground for that
" imputation ; however, he could not deny that it
" was generally believed abroad, that his majesty
" was entirely and implicitly governed by the chan-
" cellor. " Which often put the king to declare in
some passion, " that the chancellor had served him
" long, and understood his business, in which he
" trusted him : but in any other matter than his
" business, he had no other credit with him than
" any other man ;" which they reported with great
joy in other companies.
A proposal j n the former session of the parliament, the lord
made to the
king for ]. Ashley, out of his indifferency in matters of religion,
conscience, and the lord Arlington out of his good-will to the
Roman catholics, had drawn in the lord privy seal,
whose interest was most in the presbyterians, to
propose to the king an indulgence for liberty of
conscience : for which they offered two motives ;
the one, " the probability of a war with the Dutch ;"
though it was not then declared ; " and in that case
" the prosecution of people at home for their several
" opinions in religion would be very inconvenient,
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 343
" and might prove mischievous. " The other was, 1665.
" that the y fright men were in by reason of the "~
" late bill against conventicles, and the warmth the
" parliament expressed with reference to the church,
" had so prepared all sorts of non-conformists, that
" they would gladly compound for liberty at any
'* reasonable rates : and by this means a good yearly
" revenue might be raised to the king, and a firm
" concord and tranquillity be established in the
" kingdom, if power were granted by the parliament
" to the king to grant dispensations to such whom
" he knew to be peaceably affected, for their exer-
" cise of that religion which was agreeable to their
" conscience, without undergoing the penalty of the
" laws. " And they had prepared a schedule, in
which they computed what every Roman catholic
would be willing to pay yearly for the exercise of
his religion, and so of every other sect ; which, upon
the estimate they made, would indeed have amounted
to a very great sum of money yearly.
The king liked the arguments and the project The king
very well, and wished them to prepare such a bill ; ap
which was done quickly, very short, and without
any mention of other advantage to grow from it,
than " the peace and quiet of the kingdom? , and an
" entire reference to the king's own judgment and
" discretion in dispensing his dispensations. " This
was equally approved : and though hitherto it had
been managed with great secrecy, that it might not
come to the knowledge of the chancellor and the
treasurer, who they well knew would never consent
to it; yet the king resolved to impart it to them.
>' the] in the z kingdom] quiet by mistake in MS.
z 4
844 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. And the chancellor being then afflicted with the
""gout, the committee that used to be called was ap-
pointed to meet at Worcester-house : and thither
likewise came the privy seal, and the lord Ashley,
who had never before been present in those meet-
ings.
The chan- The king informed them of the occasion of their
treasure" conference, and caused the draught for the bill to
t*he private* ^ e rea d to them ; which was done, and such reasons
committee. gi ven by those who promoted it, as they thought
fit ; the chief of which was, " that there could be no
" danger in trusting the king, whose zeal to the
" protestant religion was so well known, that no-
" body would doubt that he would use this power,
" when granted to him, otherwise than should be
*' for the good and benefit of the church and state. "
The chancellor and the treasurer, as had been pre-
saged, were very warm against it, and used many
arguments to dissuade the king from prosecuting it,
" as a thing that could never find the concurrence
" of either or both houses, and which would raise a
" jealousy in both, and in the people generally, of
" his affection to the papists, which would not be
" good for either, and every body knew that he had
" no favour for either of the other factions. " But
what the others said, who were of another opinion,
prevailed more ; and his majesty declared, " that the
" bill should be presented to the house of peers as
" from him, and in his name ; and that he hoped
" none of his servants, who knew his mind as well
" as every body there did, would oppose it, but
"either be absent or silent:" to which both the
lords answered, " that they should not be absent
" purposely, and if they were present, they hoped
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 345
" his majesty would excuse them if they spake ac- 1665.
" cording to their conscience and judgment, which"
" they could not forbear to do ;" with which his
majesty seemed unsatisfied, though the lords of the '
combination were better pleased than they would
have been with their concurrence.
Within few days after, the chancellor remaining The biiiprc.
still in his chamber without being able to go, the the house of
bill was presented in the house of peers by the lord lords '
privy seal, as by the king's direction and approba-
tion, and thereupon had the first reading : and as
soon as it was read, the lord treasurer spake against
it, " as unfit to be received and to have the counte- The trea-
. . . surer and
" nance of another reading in the house, being a de- bishops op-
" sign against the protestant religion and in favour fheVrst 1
" of the papists," with many sharp reflections upon readin S'
those who had spoken for it ; and many of the bi-
shops spake to the same purpose, and urged many
weighty arguments against it. However it was
moved, " that since it was averred that it was
" with the king's privity, it would be a thing un-
" heard of to deny it a second reading :" and that
there might be no danger of a surprisal by its being
read in a thin house, it was ordered " that it should
" be read the second time" upon a day named "at ten
" of the clock in the morning ;" with which all were
satisfied.
In the mean time great pains were taken to per-
suade particular men to approve it : and some of
the bishops were sharply reprehended for opposing
the king's prerogative, with some intimation " that
" if they continued in that obstinacy they would a
a vvonld] should
346 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. repent it;" to which they made such answers as
in honesty and wisdom they ought to do, without
being shaken in their resolution. It was rather in-
sinuated than declared, " that the bill had been per-
" used," some said " drawn, by the chancellor," and
averred " that he was not against it :" which being
confidently reported, and believed or not believed as
he was more or less known to the persons present,
he thought himself obliged to make his own sense
known. And so on the day appointed for the se-
cond reading, with pain and difficulty he was in his
place in the house : and so after the second reading
The trea- of the bill, he was of course to propose the commit-
bL'hopTop- ment of it. Many of the bishops and others spake
fiercely against it, as a way to undermine religion ;
an( j ^he lord treasurer, with his usual weight of
words, shewed the ill consequence that must attend
it, and " that in the bottom it was a project to get
" money at the price of religion ; which he believed
" was not intended or known to the king, but only
" to those who had projected it, and, it may be, im-
" posed upon others who meant well. "
The lord privy seal, either upon the observation
of the countenance of the house or advertisement of
his friends b , or unwilling to venture his reputation
in the enterprise, had given over the game the first
Lord Ash- d a y 9 an( j nO w spake not at all : but the lord Ashley
ley speaks
for it. adhered firmly to his point, spake often and with
great sharpness of wit, and had a cadence in his
words and pronunciation that drew attention. He
said, " it was the king's misfortune that a matter of
" so great concernment to him, and such a preroga-
b friends} friend
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON.
fore their own ships they sent out as they used to
do 1 , and those for the coast of Guinea better prepared
and stronger than of course. Nor was the royal
company less vigilant to carry on that trade, but
about the same time sent a stronger fleet of mer-
chants' ships than they had ever before done ; and
for their better encouragement the king lent them
two of his own ships for a convoy.
The iso- And at this time they gave the king an advantage
lent beha- . . . . , , 1*11
viour of the in point of justice, and which concerned all other
the coast"of nations in point of traffick and commerce. It had
Guinea, j^^ | je g UI1 by them in the East Indies; where
they had * planted themselves in great and strong
towns, and had many harbours well fortified, in
which they constantly maintained a great number
of good and strong ships ; by which they were ab-
solute masters of those seas, and forced the neigh-
bour kings and princes to enter into such terms of
amity with them as they thought fit to require.
And if they found that any advantageous trade was
driven in any port by any other nation, they pre-
sently sent their ships to lie before that port, and
denounced war against the prince to whom that
port belonged ; which being done, they published a
declaration, " that it should not be lawful for any
s they had] after they had
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 295
" nation whatsoever to trade in the territories of J665.
" that prince with whom they then were in war. "
And upon this pretence they would not suffer an
English ship, belonging to the East India company,
to enter into a port to lade and take in a cargason
of goods, that had been provided by their factors
there before there was any mention or imagination
of such a war, and of which there was no other in-
stance of hostility than the very declaration. And
at this time they transplanted this new prerogative
to Guinea : and having, as they said, for there was
no other evidence of it, a war with one of those
princes, they would not suffer the English ships to
enter into those harbours where they had always
traded. The king received animadversion of this
unheard of insolence and usurpation, and added this
more just complaint to the former, and required his
resident " to demand a positive renunciation of all
" pretence to such an odious usurpation, and a revo-
" cation of those orders which their officers had
" published. " To this complaint and demand they
deferred to make answer, till their ambassador had
presented a grievance to the king.
One of those ships of war, which the king had An English
lent to the royal company for the convoy of their seizes a
fleet to Guinea, had in the voyage thither assaulted on u t c he 01
and taken a fort belonging to the Dutch near Cape
Verde; which was of more incommodity to them
than of benefit to the English. Of this invasion
their ambassador made a loud complaint, and de-
manded, " that the captain might be punished se-
" verely ; and in the mean time that the king would
" give a present order to him, the ambassador, for
" the redelivery of the place and all that was in it,
u 4
296 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1 665. " and he would send it to his masters, who would
~" forthwith send a ship to demand it. " The king
had in truth heard nothing of it ; and assured the
ambassador, " that the captain, if he had done any
" such thing, had not the least commission or au-
" thority for the doing it ; and that he was sure he
" was upon his way homeward, so that he might be
" expected speedily ; and then he should be sure to
" undergo such punishment as the nature of his
" offence required, when the matter should be ex-
" amined, and they should then receive full repara-
" tion. " This answer, how reasonable soever, satis-
fied them not : nothing would serve their h turn but
a present restitution, before his majesty could be
informed of the provocation or ground that had pro-
duced so unwarrantable an action. They gave pre-
sent orders for the equipping a very great fleet, and
the raising many land soldiers, making greater pre-
parations for war than they had made in many years
The Dutch before. They likewise prepared a strong fleet for
strmTg'fleet Guinea, and granted a commission (which was pub-
for Guinea. lighed in pT ^ n ^ to the comman( jer in chief, " to
" make war upon the English in those parts, and to
" do them all the mischief he i could. "
Prince Rupert, who had been heretofore with the
fleet then under his command, in the beginning of
the king's reign, upon the coast of Guinea, (and by
the report and testimony he gave of that coast the
royal company had received greater k encourage-
ment,) now ] upon this insolent demeanour of the
Dutch, and publishing the commission they had sent
h their] Not in MS. k greater] great
' he] they l now] and now
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 297
to their commander in chief, offered m his service to 1665.
the king, " to sail into those parts with such a fleet ~"
" as his majesty thought fit to send, with which he
" made little doubt to secure trade, and abate the
" presumption of the Dutch. " And hereupon a fleet The English
was likewise preparing for that purpose, to be com-n^eCiTe. "
manded by prince Rupert.
The parliament had before declared, when they
made their address to the king against the Dutch
for obstructing the trade, " that they would with
" their lives and fortunes assist his majesty against
" all oppositions whatsoever, which he should meet
" with in the removal of those obstructions ;" which
they believed would terrify, but in truth made the
Dutch merry : and in some of their declarations or
answers to Downing's memorials, they mentioned
it with too much pride and contempt. And in this The pariia-
posture the disputes were when the parliament met'
again in November, which came together for the
most part without a desire either to give money or
make war. And Downing, who laboured heartily
to incense us and to provoke them, in all his de-
spatches declared, " that all those insolences pro-
" ceeded only from the malignity of the States of
" Holland, which could vent itself no further than
" in words ; but that the States General, without
"whose concurrence no war could be made, abhor-
" red the thought of it :" and there is no doubt that
was true. And the Dutch ambassador, who re-
mained at London, and was a very honest weak
man, and did all the offices he could to prevent it,
did not think it possible it could come to pass ; " and
m offered] he offered
298 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. " that there might be some scuffles upon the coast of
~~ " Guinea, by the direction of the West India com-
" pany, of whose actions the States General took no-
" tice, but would cause justice to be done upon
" complaint, and not suffer the public peace to be
" disturbed upon their pretences. " And so the king
forbore to demand any supply from the parlia-
ment, because an ordinary supply would rather
discredit his demands than advance them, and he
could not expect an extraordinary supply but when
the war was unquestionable. And the States Ge-
neral at this time were made a property by the
States of Holland, (who had given private orders
for their own concernments,) and presented an
humble desire to the king by their ambassador,
" that prince Rupert's fleet might stay in harbour,
" as theirs likewise that was prepared for Guinea
" should do, till some means might be found for
" the accommodation of all differences. " Whereas
before they pretended, that they would send their
Guinea fleet through the Channel, convoyed by
their admiral with a fleet of fifty sail ; which re-
port had before stopped prince Rupert, when he
was under sail for Guinea, to wait and expect that
piece of bravery. But this address from the States
General made all men believe there would be an
accommodation, without so much as any hostility in
Guinea.
The uea- But it was quickly discovered, that they were
hariour of the honester men when they gave the worst words.
the Dutch. For before the states General sent to the king to
stop prince Rupert in harbour, " and that their
" fleets should likewise remain in their harbours,"
the States of Holland, or that committee that was
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 299
qualified by them, had with great privacy sent orders 1 665.
to De Ruyter, who was in the Mediterranean, " to
" make all possible haste with his fleet to go to the
" coast of Guinea, and not only to retake the fort near
" Cape Verde that the English had taken from them,
" but likewise to take what places he could which
" were in possession of the English, and to do them
" what damage he could in those parts :" so that
they might well offer that their fleet should now
remain in their harbours in Holland.
When De Ruyter had been sent into the Medi-
terranean, the pretence was, that it was against the
pirates 0f Algiers and Tunis, who had in truth
preyed very much upon the Dutch, taken very many
of their ships, and had abundance of their subjects
in chains. And when that fleet was sent into the
Mediterranean, their ambassador had desired the
king, " that his majesty's fleet that was then in those
" parts might upon all occasions join with De Ruy-
" ter, when opportunity should be offered thereby
" to infest the Turks ;" which the king consented
to, and sent orders accordingly. But the Dutch
had no such purpose : his business was to ransom
their captives with money, and not to exact the deli-
very of them by force ; and to make an accommo-
dation for the time to come as well as he could.
And when the English fleet was at any time in
pursuit of any of the Turks' vessels, and expected
that the Dutch, by whom they must pass, would
have given a little stop to their flight, which they
might easily have done; they rather assisted than
obstructed their escape. And having made a very
dishonourable peace with the pirates, he made haste
to prosecute his orders for the coast of Guinea.
300 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. As soon as the king knew of this impudent af-
h front, and that De Ruyter was in truth gone out of
an tefzed. * the Mediterranean, he thought he might justly seize
upon any ships of theirs, to satisfy the damage that
he could not but sustain by De Ruyter in Guinea :
and so, it being the season of the year that the
Dutch fleet returned with their wines from Bour-
deaux, Rochelle, and other parts of France, such of
them as were forced by the weather to put into the
English harbours were seized upon. And the duke
of York, having put himself on board with a fleet of
about fifty sail, upon the report of the Dutch being
come out to defend their ships, took many others,
even upon their own coasts ; which they chose ra-
ther to suffer, than to venture out of their ports
to relieve them. However, there was not any one
of all those ships suffered to be unladen, or any pre-
judice done to them ; but they were all preserved
unhurt, till notice might arrive from Guinea what
The Dutch De Ruyter had done there. But undoubted intelli-
hostmtieT gence arrived in a very short time after, that De
in Gumea. R uv t er j^ declared and begun the war upon the
coast of Africa, not only by a forcible retaking the
fort which had been taken from them, and which
his majesty had offered to deliver, but by seizing
upon several English ships in those parts, and by
assaulting and taking other his majesty's forts and
places, and exercising all the acts of hostility which
his commission authorized him n to do.
They refuse . And in a very short time after, the East India
the iVand company complained and informed the king, " that
" wnen their officer had demanded the redelivery of
" him] Omitted in MS.
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 301
the isle of Poleroone according to the article of 1665.
" the late treaty, and delivered the letters and or-
" ders from the States General and States of Hol-
" land, which their ambassadors had given at Lon-
" don, to the governor and captain of that island ;
" he , after making him stay two or three days
" there with his ship and the men he had brought
" with him, told him, that upon a better perusal of
" the orders which he had brought, he found that
" they were not sufficient ; and therefore till he
" should receive fuller orders, he could not give up
" the place. " And so the officer and ship, which
had been sent at a great charge, were P necessitated
to return without any other ^ effect than the affront
and indignity to his majesty.
When there was now no remedy, and the war
was actually made upon the king upon what provo-
cation soever, there was nothing to be done but to
resort to the parliament, which had been so earnest
to enter into it. A fleet must be prepared equal to
what the Dutch would infallibly make ready against
the spring, and worthy of the presence of the duke
of York, who was impatient to engage his own per-
son in the conduct of it ; and the king had given
his promise to him that he should, when he had,
God knows, no purpose that there should be a war.
It was quickly 1 " discovered, that there was not the
same alacrity towards a war now, after it was
begun, in the parliament, as there had been when
they made their vote : and they would have been
glad that any expedient might have been found for
he] who f i other] Not in MS.
P were] was T quickly] now quickly
302 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1 665. a reconciliation, and that the captain might have
been called in question, who first gave offence by
taking the fort from the Dutch near Cape Verde,
which some had pressed for when he came home,
before any more mischief was u done ; and the not
calling him in question made many believe, that he
had done nothing without warrant or promise of
protection.
The Dutch still disclaimed all thought or purpose
of war, and seemed highly offended with their go-
vernor of Poleroone, and protested, " that the not-
" delivery of the place proceeded only from want of
" an order from the governor of Batavia, which or-
" der came the next day after the English ship was
" departed : but that they had given notice of it to
" the English factory at Bantam, that the same or
" another English ship might return and receive it ;
" and they were confident that it was then in the
" hand of the English. " But it was now too late to
expect any honourable peace, at least without mak-
ing very notable preparations for a war, which could *
not be done without ready money. And whatever
orders had been given for the preservation of the
Dutch ships, it quickly appeared that much of them
had been embezzled or disposed of, before they
were brought to any judicatory, or adjudged to be
prize ; and there was too much cause to fear, that
the rest would be disposed of to other purposes than
the support of the war; though nothing was more
positively spoken, than that the war would main-
tain itself.
The parliament still promised fairly, and entered
u was] Omitted in MS. * could] Omitted in MS.
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 303
upon consultation how and what money to raise. 1665.
And now the king commanded the chancellor and Z
Measures
the treasurer to meet with those members of the takento
_ . dispose the
house of commons, with whom they had used to parliament
consult, and to whom the king had joined others sup
upon whom he was told he might more depend, and for a war>
to adjust together what sum should be proposed, and
how and in what manner to propose and conduct it.
It was about the month of January. And though
the duke took indefatigable pains, by going himself
sometimes to Portsmouth and sometimes to Chat-
ham, to cause the ships and all provisions to be
ready, that he might be at sea before the Dutch ;
yet let what advance could be made, as indeed
there was great, nothing could be said to be done,
till a great stock of ready money could be provided ;
and it would be long after the parliament had done
their part, before ready money would be got ; and
therefore no more time must be lost, without taking
a particular resolution.
The meeting of those persons the king appointed A meeting
was at Worcester-house, where the chancellor and L-dTami
treasurer (who were known to be averse from the comm
war) told the rest, " that there was no more debate for that
purpose.
" now to be, war or no war : it was come upon us,
" and we were now only to contrive the best way of
" carrying it on with success ; which could only be
" done by raising a great present sum of money,
" that the enemy might see that we were prepared
" to continue it as well as to begin. " They who
were most desirous of the war, as sir Harry Bennet
and Mr. Coventry, (who were in truth the men who
brought it upon the nation,) with their friends, were
of the opinion, " that there should not be a great
3P4 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. " sum demanded at present, but only so much as
~~ " might carry out the fleet in the spring, and that Y
" sufficient provisions might be made for the sum-
" mer service : and then, when the war was once
" thoroughly entered into, another and a better sup-
" ply might be gotten about Michaelmas, when
" there was reason to hope, that some good success
" would dispose all men to a frank prosecution of
" the war. " Whereas these gentlemen had hitherto
inflamed the king with an assurance, " that he
" could not ask more money of the parliament than
" they would readily give him, if he would be en-
" g a g e d in this war which the whole kingdom so
" much desired. "
The chancellor and the treasurer were of opinion,
" that the house of commons could never be in a
" better disposition to give, than they were at pre-
" sent ; that hereafter they might grow weary, and
" apt to find fault with the conduct, especially when
" they found the country not so well pleased with
** the war as they were now conceived to be : where-
" as, now the war was begun, and the king engaged
" in it as much as he could be after ten battles, and
" all upon their desire and their promise ; they
" could not refuse to give any thing proposed with-
" in the compass of that reason, which all under-
" standing men might examine and judge of. That
" it was evident enough, that the true ground of all
" the confidence the Dutch had was from their opin-
" ion of the king's necessities and want of money,
" and their belief that the parliament would supply
" him very sparingly, and not long to continue such
y that] Not in MS.
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 305
" an expense, as they very well knew that a war at 1665.
" sea would require : and they would be much con- ~"
" firmed in this their imagination, if at the begin-
" ning they should see the parliament give him such
" a sum of money, as seemed to be implied by what
" had been said. That they therefore thought it
" absolutely necessary, that the king should propose
" as much, that is, that his friends should move for
" such a sum, as might upon a reasonable computa-
" tion, which every man would be ready to make,
" and of which wise men upon experience would ea-
" sily make an estimate, carry on the war for a full
" year ; that is, for the setting out the present fleet
" and paying it off upon its return, and for the set-
" ting out another fleet the next spring. If this were
" now done, his majesty would not be involved in
" importunate necessities the next winter ; but he
" might calmly and deliberately consult upon such
" further supplies, as the experience of what would
" be then past should suggest to be necessary : and
" that this would give his majesty such a reputation
" with all his neighbours, and such terror to his
" enemies, that it would probably dispose them to
" peace. "
They told them, " the best method to compute
" what the expense might amount to in a year,
" would be by reflecting upon the vast disproportion
" of the charge we were now already engaged in,
" and what had been estimated four months since,
" when the war was designed. That it was well
" known to Mr. Coventry, who had been always
" present at those conferences, that it had been said
" by the most experienced sea-officers, and those
" who had fought all the late battles against the
VOL. II. X
1665. " Dutch, that a fleet of forty or fifty such ships, as
the king's were, would be strength sufficient to
" beat all the ships the Dutch had out of the narrow
" seas ; and one very eminent man amongst them
" said, he would not desire above fifty ships to fight
" with all they had, and that he was confident
" that a greater number than fifty could never
" be brought to fight orderly or usefully : and yet
" that there were at present no fewer than four-
" score good ships preparing for the duke. And
" the charge in many other particulars appeared al-
" ready to amount to double the sum that was first
" computed. "
They concluded, " that a less sum than two mil-
" lions and a half" (which is five and twenty hun-
dred thousand pounds sterling) " ought not to be
" proposed, and being once proposed ought to be in-
" sisted on and pursued without consenting to any
" diminution ; for nobody could conceive that it
" would do more than maintain the war one year,
" which the parliament could not refuse to provide
" for in the beginning, as there was a so much in
" truth of it already expended in the preparations
" and expedition the duke had made in November,
" when he went to sea upon the fame of the Dutch
" fleet's intention to convoy their Guinea ships
" through the channel. "
There was not a man in the company, who did
not heartily wish that that sum or a greater might
be proposed and granted : but they all, though they
agreed in few other things, protested, " that they
" could not advise that so prodigious a sum should
as there was] and there being already
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 307
"be as much as named; and that they did not lf>65.
" know any one man, since it could not be thought"
" fit that any man who had relation to the king's
" service should move it, who had the courage to
" attempt it, or would be persuaded to it. "
The two lords continued very obstinate, " that a
" less sum should not be named for the reasons they
" had given," which the other confessed to be just;
and they acknowledged too, "that the proposition
" ought not to be made by any man who was b re-
" lated to the court, or was thought to be in any
" grace there that might dispose him, nor yet by
" any gentleman, how well soever thought of, who
" was of a small estate, and so to pay little of so
" great a sum he was so liberal to give. " They
therefore desired them " to name some of those
" members, who were honest worthy men, and
" looked upon as lovers of their country, and of
" great fortunes, unsuspected to have any designs
" at court; and if they were not enough acquainted
" with them, the lords would find some way by
" themselves or others to move them to it. " Where-
upon they named five or six persons very well
known, of whom the house had a very good esteem,
but without any hope that any c of them would be
prevailed with to undertake it. The lords said,
" they would try what might be done, and give
" them notice the next day, that if it were possible
" it might be the business of the following day. "
The chancellor and the treasurer chose three
Norfolk gentlemen of those who had been named,
because they were good friends and grateful to each
b was] Omitted in MS. c any] either
X 2
308 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. other, and desired them the next day " that they
~~ " might confer together. " They told them, " they
" knew well the state of affairs ; the parliament had
" engaged the king in a war, that could not be car-
" ried on without a vast expense : and therefore if
" at the entrance into it there should be a small or
" an ordinary supply given, it would blast all their
" hopes, and startle all other princes from joining,
" with whom the Dutch were not in favour, and
" who would be inclined to the king, if they saw
" such a provision for the war as would be sufficient
" to continue it for some time. And therefore they
" desired to confer with them, who upon all occa-
" sions manifested good affections to the king, and
" whose advice had a great influence upon the house,
" upon the whole matter how it might be conduct-
" ed. " They all consented to what had been said,
and promised their own concurrence and utmost en-
deavours to compass what the king should desire.
The lords said, " they promised themselves more
" from them, and that they would not only concur,
" but propose what should be necessary to be grant-
" ed. " And thereupon they enlarged upon the
charge which was already in view, and upon what
was to be expected, and concluded " that two mil-
" lions and a half were necessary to be insisted on ;"
and desired, " that when the debate should be en-
" tered upon, which they hoped might be the next
" day, one of them would propose this sum and the
" other would second it. "
They looked long one upon another, as if they
were surprised with the sum. At last one of them
said, " that the reasons were unanswerable for a li-
" beral supply ; yet he did not expect that so prodi-
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 309
" gious a sum, which he believed had never yet 1665.
" been mentioned in parliament to be granted at :
" one time, would be proposed : however, he did
" not think it too much, and that he would do the
" best he could to answer any objections which
" should be made against it, as he doubted many
" would ; but he confessed he durst not propose it. "
Another was of the same mind, and with many good
professions desired to be excused as to the first pro-
posing it. The third, who was sir Robert Paston, a
person of a much greater estate than both the other,
who had yet very good fortunes, and a gentleman
of a very ancient extraction by his father, (and his
mother was daughter to the earl of Lindsey,) de-
clared very frankly, " that he was satisfied in his
" conscience, that it would be very good for the
" kingdom as well as for the king that such a sum
" should be granted : and therefore if they thought
" him fit to do it, he would propose it the next
" morning, let other men think what they would of
" him for it. "
The lords gave him the thanks they ought to do,
and said what was necessary to confirm him, and to
thank the other gentlemen for their promise to se-
cond him, and gave notice to the rest of the resolu-
tion, that they might call for the debate the next
day ; which was entered into with a general cheer-
fulness, every man acknowledging the necessity and
the engagement of the house, but no man adventur-
ing to name the proportion that should be given.
When the house was in a deep silence expecting sir Robert
that motion, sir Robert Paston, who was no fre-
quent speaker, but delivered what he had a mind
say very clearly, stood up, mentioned shortly the
x 3
310 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1G65. obligation, the charge of the war, and "that the
~~" present supply ought to be such as might as well
" terrify the enemy as assist the king ; and therefore
" he proposed that they might give his majesty two
" millions and a half, which would amount to five
" and twenty hundred thousand pounds. " The si-
lence of the house was not broken ; they sat as in
amazement, until a gentleman, who was believed to
wish well to the king, without taking notice of what
had been proposed, stood up, and moved that they
might give the king a much less proportion. But
then the two others, who had promised to second,
renewed the motion one after the other ; which
seemed to be entertained with a consent of many,
and was contradicted by none : so that, after a
short pause, no man who had relation to the court
speaking a word, the speaker put it to the question,
" whether they would give the king five and twenty
" hundred thousand pounds for the carrying on the
which is " war against the Dutch ;" and the affirmative
byThe made a good sound, and very few gave their nega-
house. j. j ve a ] OU( j ) an( j it was notorious very many sat si-
lent. So the vote was presently drawn up into an
order ; and the house resolved the next day to be in
a committee, to agree upon the way that should be
taken for the raising this vast sum, the proportion
whereof could no more be brought into debate.
This brave vote gave the king the first liking of
the war : it was above what he had expected or in-
deed wished to be proposed. And they, who had
been at the first conference, and delivered the reso-
lution of the two lords as impossible to be com-
passed, not without insinuation as if it were affected
only to indispose the house to the war, (yet they did
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 311
not think fit to vary from the proportion, till they 1665.
saw the success of the proposition, which the lords'"
were engaged to procure a fit person to make,) when
they found the conclusion to be such as could be
wished, they commended the counsel, and fell into
another extreme, that in the thing itself and in the
consequence did very much harm ; which shall be
next mentioned, after I have said that there ap-
peared great joy and exaltation of spirit upon this
vote, and not more in the court than upon the ex-
change, the merchants generally being unskilfully
inclined to that war, above what their true interest
could invite them to, as in a short time afterwards
they had cause to confess.
The king sent to the lord mayor to call a com-
mon council, and commanded the chancellor, trea-
surer, and other lords of his council, to go thither ;
who, upon the credit of this vote of the house of
commons for this noble supply, prevailed with the
city presently to furnish the king with the loan of
two hundred thousand pounds ; which being within
few days paid into the hands of the treasurer of the
navy, all preparations for the fleet, and of whatever
else was necessary for the expedition, were pro-
vided with marvellous alacrity : and the parliament
made what haste was possible to despatch the bill,
by which their great present might be collected from
the people.
It hath been said before, that in most vacant
places, upon the death of any members, ways were
found out to procure some of the king's domestic
servants to be d elected in their places ; so that his
d to be] Not in MS.
x 4
312 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. majesty had many voices there at his . devotion;
~ which did not advance his service. These men con-
fidently ran out of the house still to inform the
king of what was doing, commended this man, and
discommended another who deserved better; and
would many times, when his majesty spake well of
any man, ask his majesty " if he would give them
" leave to let that person know how gracious his
" majesty was to him, or to bring him to kiss his
" hand. " To which he commonly consenting, every
one of his servants delivered some message from
him to a parliament-man, and invited him to court
as if the king would be willing to see him. And by
this means the rooms at court, where the king was,
were always full of the members of the house of
commons ; this man brought to kiss his hand, and
the king induced to confer with that man, and to
thank him for his affection, which never could con-
clude without some general expression of grace or
promise, which the poor gentleman always inter-
preted to his own advantage, and expected some
fruit from it that it could never yield : all which,
being contrary to all former order, did the king no
good, and rendered those unable to do him service
who were inclined to it.
sir H. Ben- The new secretary, and sir Charles Berkley, who
net and sir . . .
c. Berkiey by this time was entered very far into the kings
amuse *? r favour and his confidence, were the chief, and by
R. paston. their places had access to him in all places and
hours : and they much disliked the officiousness of
the others, as if they presumed to invade their pro-
vince. They thought it but their due, that the king
should take his measures of the house of commons
by no other report but theirs, nor dispense his graces
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 313
there through any other conduit. They took this 1665.
occasion to caress sir Robert Paston, who was a~~
stranger to them, and to magnify the service he had
done the king, and the great sense the king had of
it, and that he e did long to give him his own thanks:
they invited him to come to the court, and sir
Charles Berkley told him as from the king, " that
" his majesty resolved to make him a baron. " And
by these daily courtships and importunities the gen-
tleman, who was well satisfied with what he had
done, and never proposed any advantage to himself
from it, was amused, and thought he was not to
refuse any honour the king thought him worthy of,
nor to neglect those graces which were offered to
him by persons of their interest. Yet he made not
haste to go to the court, believing that it might
make him less capable of serving the king, and that
any favour his majesty should do him would be
more seasonable hereafter than at present, lest he
might be thought to have made that motion in the
house upon promise of the other reward. Yet after
continued invitations he went thither, and those
gentlemen presented him to the king, who spake very
graciously to him, told him, " he had done him great
" service, which he would never forget," and many
other princely expressions, and " that he should be
" glad to see him often," but no particular to that
purpose which had been mentioned to him.
When he went next, he found his majesty's coun-
tenance the same : but they, who had courted and
amused him so much, grew every day more dry and
reserved towards him ; of which he complained to a
e that he] Not in MS.
314 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. friend of his who he knew had interest in the chan-
cellor, and desired him to acquaint him with all that
had passed, who had not till then heard that he had
been at court, and when he was informed of the
whole relation was very much troubled, well know-
ing, that how acceptable soever those kinds of
courtships were for few days, they were attended
with many inconveniences when the end was not
correspondent with the beginning. He knew well
the resolution the king had taken to create no more
noblemen, the number whereof already too much
exceeded : however, he was very sorry, that a person
of that quality and merit should be exposed to any
indignity, for having endeavoured in such a con-
juncture to do his majesty a signal service, and suc-
ceeded so well ; and spake with the king at large of
it, and gave his majesty a full account of the mo-
desty and temper of the gentleman, of his quality
and interest, and what had been said and promised
to him. The king was troubled, owned all that he
had said himself to him, as being very hearty, and
" that he would never forget the service he had
" done, but requite it upon any opportunity ;" but
protested, " that he had never made any such pro-
" mise, nor given sir Charles Berkley any authority
" to mention any such thing to him, which would
" prove very inconvenient ;" and therefore wished,
" that his friend would divert him from prosecuting
" such a pretence, which he knew to be contrary to
" his resolution. "
The chancellor knew not what to say, but truly
advertised his friend of all the king had said, who
again informed sir Robert Paston, who thought
himself very hardly treated, and went to sir Charles
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 315
Berkley, who had not the same open arms, yet as- 1665.
sured him, " that he had said nothing to him but by ~~
" the king's direction, which he must aver. That he
" did not use to interpose or move the king in any
" of his affairs : but if he would desire the chancel-
" lor to take notice of it, who he knew had a great
" affection for him, and upon whose desire he had
" performed that great service, he was confident it
" would be attended with the success he wished, to
" which he would contribute all his endeavours ;"
intimating, " that if he had not what he desired, he
'* might impute it to the chancellor. " Upon which
sir Robert, who was well assured of the chancellor's
kindness, concluded that his court friends had de-
luded him, or expected money, which he would not
give: and so the matter ended with prejudice to
the king.
Notwithstanding these and the like very incon-
venient activities, which lost more friends than were
gotten by them, the noise of this stupendous supply,
given to the king at one time, made good impres-
sions upon all who had any affections for the king,
and was wondered at in those places where money
was most plenty. In Holland it wrought even to
consternation, and the common people cried aloud
for peace, and the States pretended to have great
hope as well as desire of it, and sent their ambas-
sador, who remained still in England, new orders
to solicit it.
In the mean time the king neglected not to apply The condu
what endeavours he could use, to dispose his allies England in
to act such parts as their own interest might
sonably invite them to. From France he expected
only neutrality, by reason he knew he had renewed
316 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. the alliance with the States; but never suspected,
~ that it was in such a manner as would hinder the
neutrality. Spain could do little good or harm, nor
durst it to engage against Holland : yet all was
done that was necessary towards a good correspond-
ence with it. The two northern kings would find
themselves concerned, at least to wish better to one
side than to the other ; and had been both so dis-
obliged by the Dutch, that had it not been for the
irreconcileable jealousy they had of each other, they
might have been united to the interest of England.
But Denmark had in the late war given what they
could not keep nor recover, and yet could hardly be
without; and Sweden looked with too much con-
tempt upon the weakness and unactivity of their
neighbour, to give back any thing they had got :
and this restrained them both from provoking an
enemy that might give strength to the other.
Yet Denmark had the year before by Hannibal
Zested, who went ambassador into France and made
England his way, made many complaints to the
king " of the oppression the crown of Denmark un-
" derwent by the Dutch, and the resolution it had
" to shake off that yoke as soon as an opportunity
" should be offered ;" and made a request to the king,
" that he would endeavour to make the alliance so
" fast between Denmark and Sweden, that the jea-
" lousy of each other might hinder neither of them
" from doing any thing that was for their own in-
" terest, without prejudice to the other. " And when
the difficulty was alleged, in regard that Sweden
would never be persuaded to part with Elsineur,
and those other places which had been given up in
the late treaty; Hannibal Zested consented that
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 317
what was done in that treaty should be again con- ] 665.
firmed, and said " his master was willing and desir-
" ous that the king of England should undertake
" and be caution for the observation of this treaty ;"
implying, " that if this were done, and thereby the
" fear of any further attempt from Sweden were ex-
" tingufshed, Denmark would not be long without
" redeeming itself from the vexation which it en-
" dured from Holland, which, upon former neces-
" sities and ill bargains, upon the matter had an ex-
" emption from paying all duties upon their own
" great trade through the Sound, as much to the
" prejudice of all other princes as of the poor crown
" of Denmark. " This having so lately passed from
a minister of that crown, the king thought it a good
time to endeavour to do that office between the two
crowns, and thereby to unite them both to the king
in this conjunction against the Dutch ; at least that
they might both remain good friends to his majesty,
and supply him with all those provisions without
which his navy could not be supported, and as far
as was possible restrain the Dutch from those sup-
plies, by making such large contracts with the Eng-
lish, that there would not be enough left for the
other.
Upon this ground he sent Mr. Henry Coventry of Ambassa-
his bedchamber to the Swede, whose friendship he Denmark
much more valued as more able to assist him, and ^ Swe "
upon whose word he could more firmly depend.
And to Denmark he sent sir Gilbert Talbot, who
was acceptable to that crown by his having per-
formed many offices of respect to the prince of Den-
mark, when he had been incognito in England,
318 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. and waited upon him f to several parts of the king-
~ dom which he had a mind to see, and so caused him
to be entertained in several gentlemen's houses in
his journey, of which the prince seemed very sensi-
ble when he departed. That which was expected
from that negotiation, except the confidence could
be created between the two crowns, was only to
preserve Denmark a friend, that he might not fa-
vour the Dutch, and might recall all his subjects out
of their service ; and that we might have the same
freedom of trade, and the security of his ports for
our men of war.
Proposals Whilst the king took this care for the advance-
bishop of ment of his affairs abroad, there was an advantage
offered him, that looked as if it came from Heaven.
rfutTif the There came one day a gentleman, who looked rather
like a carter, who spoke ill English, and desired that
he might have a private audience with the chancel-
lor ; who presently sent for him, and in a short time
knew him to be a Benedictine monk, who had been
sometimes with him at Cologne, and belonged to the
English abbey at Lamspring in Westphalia, where a
very reverend person of the family of Gascoigne in
Yorkshire was abbot, with whom the chancellor had
much acquaintance, and esteemed him very much ;
and he had, during the time the king stayed in Co-
logne, sent this monk several times thither, who was
likewise a gentleman, but by living long in Germany
had almost forgot the language as well as the man-
ners of his own country. His business now was to
deliver him a letter (whereof he knew little of the
contents) from the bishop of Munster, upon the
{ him] Not in MS.
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 319
edge of whose dominions that English abbey was 1665.
seated, which had likewise a territory that extended
to the principality of the other, and received much
favour and protection from the other ; who desired
the abbot to give him an honest man, that would
carry a letter from him to the court of England :
upon which this monk was deputed, the rather be-
cause he was known to the chancellor. The matter
of the letter was no more, than " that if the war
" against Holland was to be resolutely prosecuted
" by the king of England, he (the bishop) conceived
" that a conjunction with those allies, who could
" infest the Dutch by land as his majesty would do
" by sea, might not be unacceptable to his majesty ;
" and in that case, upon the answer to this letter,
" he would send a fit person to make some proposi-
" tions to the king and to treat with him. " The
instructions the monk had, were " to make all pos-
" sible haste back, and that as soon as he returned
" on that side the sea, he should send the answer he
** had received, by the post, so directed as was ap-
" pointed ; and then that himself should stay at
" Brussels till he received further orders. "
The chancellor quickly informed the king of this
despatch, to whom the monk was likewise known ;
and his majesty immediately assembled those lords
with whom he consulted in the most secret cases.
Every body knew so much of the bishop of Mun-
ster, that he was a warlike prince, having had
command in armies before he dedicated himself to
the church, and that he had a great animosity
against Holland, which had disobliged him in the
highest point, by encouraging his subjects to rebel
against him, and those of his city of M unster to
320 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. shut their gates against him: and when he endea-
~ voured to reduce them by force, and to that purpose
had besieged them with his army, the Dutch sent an
army to relieve it, and declared that they would
protect that city. And by this means, and by the
mediation of the neighbour princes, who had no
mind that the peace of their country should be
disturbed by such an incursion, the bishop was hin-
dered from taking that vengeance upon his rebel
subjects which he intended, and compelled to ac-
cept of such conditions as did not please him. And
all this was but two years before, and boiled still in
his breast, that was naturally very hot. But he was
a poor prince, unable to give any disturbance to the
United Provinces, whose dominions extended within
a day's march of his. However, every man was of
opinion, that the proposition ought to be very kindly
received, and the bishop invited to send his agent.
And to that purpose the chancellor wrote to him,
and the monk was despatched the next day.
And
having observed his orders in sending away the an-
swer, he was very few days at Brussels, when a ser-
vant of the bishop arrived with orders that the
monk should accompany him back into England :
and so they both arrived in London in less time than
could be expected.
The gentleman who came from the bishop was a
very proper man, well-bred, a baron of that country,
but a subject to the bishop : he brought with him a
letter of credit from the bishop to the king, and full
authority to treat and conclude according to his in-
structions, which he likewise presented to his ma-
jesty. He brought likewise a letter to the chancel-
lor from the elector of Mentz, in which he recom-
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 321
mended to him the person whom the bishop of Mun- 1GC5.
ster should send, and declared " that he believed"
" the bishop of Munster would be able to perform
" whatsoever he should undertake :" which letter
was a very great encouragement to the king: for
his majesty knew the elector of Mentz very well to
be a very wise prince and notoriously his friend, and
that he would not say so much of the ability of the
bishop to perform, except he knew particularly his
design, and what he would undertake to do.
The baron's instructions were to propose, " that
" his majesty would cause one hundred thousand
" pounds to be immediately paid, by bills of ex-
" change at Hamburgh or Cologne or Francfort, to
" such persons as the bishop should appoint to re-
" ceive it ; and should promise to pay fifty thou-
" sand pounds by the month in the same places
" for three months to come : afterwards he hoped
" the army would provide for its own support. This
" being undertaken on his majesty's part, the bishop
" would be engaged, within one month after the
" first bills of exchange for the one hundred thousand
" pounds should be delivered into the hands of his
" agent the baron, that he would be in the dominions
" of the States General with an army of sixteen
" thousand foot and four thousand horse ; with
" which he was very confident he should within few
"days be possessed of Arnheim, and shortly after
" of Utrecht : and if the king's fleet came before
" Amsterdam, that army of the bishop should march
" to what place or quarter his majesty should
" direct. "
The baron was asked, " how it could be possible
" for the bishop, though a gallant prince and very
VOL. II. Y
CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. " active, to draw together such an army in so short
" a time out of his small province ; and how he was
" sure that his neighbours, who two years before
" had compelled him to make so disadvantageous a
" peace with the Dutch, would not again use the
" same violent importunity to obstruct his proceed-
" ings. " To which he answered, " that the bishop
" would never undertake to bring such an army to-
" gether in so short a time, in which they could not
" be levied, but that he knows they are already le-
" vied, and upon an assurance of money can be
" brought together in the short time proposed : for
" the other, the interposition of his neighbours, he
" had not then, when they prevailed, half that army
" which he was sure he should now have ; besides,
" those neighbours were now as much incensed
" against the Dutch as his master was, and would
" all engage with him against them ; and that
" many of the army that is designed were at
" present quartered in their dominions ; and that
" the bishop intended not to march in his own pri-
" vate capacity, but as general of the empire, for
" which the elector of Mentz had undertaken to
" procure him a commission. " He was demanded
" how his master stood with France, and whether
" he did not fear that it would either prevent the
" enterprise by mediation, or disappoint it by send-
" ing aid to Holland. " He answered, " his mas-
" ter was confident France would not do him any
" harm : that he had sent an agent, from whom he
" should be sure to receive letters by every post. "
And within few days after, he shewed a letter that
he had received from that agent, in which he said,
" that Monsieur de Lionne bade him assure the bi-
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 323
" shop, that his Christian majesty would do nothing 1665.
" to his prejudice. "
This being the state of that affair, the king consi-
dered what he was to do. The propositions made
by the bishop were such, as it was not possible for
him to comply with. But then it was presumed by
every body, that very much would be abated of the
money that was demanded : for it was not an aux-
iliary army that was to be raised for the king's ser-
vice, whose conquests were to be applied to his be-
nefit, but an army raised to revenge the injuries
which himself had received, and what he should get
must be to his own account ; and his majesty's hos-
tility at sea would as much facilitate his enterprise
at land, as the marching of his army might probably
disturb and distract their preparations for the sea.
Yet it could not be expected, that the bishop could
draw this army together (and the attempt was not
to be made with less force) without a good supply
of money, nor keep it together without pay.
The advantage, that would with God's blessing
attend this conjunction, spread itself to a very large
prospect. That the people generally in the pro-
vinces were very unsatisfied with this war, was a
thing notorious ; and that the province of Holland
which began it, and was entirely governed by De
Wit, did even compel the other provinces to concur
with them, partly upon hope that a further progress
would be prevented by treaty, or that a peace would
follow upon the first engagement. But when they
should see an army of twenty thousand men, which
they suspected not, to invade their country at land,
and in that part where they were most secure, and
from whence so much of their necessary provisions
Y 2
CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. were daily brought; they must be in great conster-
~~ nation, and draw all their land army together,
which they had not done in near twenty years, and
could not be done to any effect without vast charge,
which would put the people into a loud distraction.
Finally, there was great reason to cherish the de-
sign : and therefore the king resolved by an unani-
mous advice to undertake any thing towards it, that
could be in his power to perform.
There was one difficulty occurred, that had not
been thought of nor so much as apprehended by the
baron, which was the return of the money, whatso-
ever should be assigned to that service ; for of the
three places proposed by him, besides the secrecy
that was requisite, all the trade of London could not
assign one thousand pounds in the month to be paid
upon Cologne and Francfort ; nor could Hamburgh
itself be charged with twenty thousand pounds in
three months' time : which when the agent knew,
he seemed amazed, and said, " they had believed
" that it had been as easy to have transmitted
" money to those three towns, as it was for them
" to receive it from thence. "
In conclusion, the king gave his answer in
writing, what sum of money he would cause to be
paid at once for the first advance, that the bishop
might begin his march, and what he would after-
wards cause to be paid by the month ; which being
less than the baron's instructions would admit him
to accept, he sent an express with it to the bishop :
and " till his return," he desired, " that the king
" would appoint some person of experience to confer
** with him ; and they might together inform them-
" selves of the best expedients to return money into
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 325
" Germany, since his majesty had hitherto only un- 1 665.
" dertaken to pay his assignations in London. " ~
What success this treaty afterwards had will be re-
lated in its place.
These advantages from abroad being in this man-
ner deliberated and designed, it may be very season-
able to look back, and consider what preparations
were made at home towards the carrying on f this
war, for which the parliament had provided so boun-
tifully : and if ordinary prudence had been applied
to the managery, if any order and method had been
consulted and steadily pursued for the conducting
the whole, the success would have been answerable,
and at least any inconvenience from the sudden
want of money would have been prevented. But
whoever was at any near % distance in that time
when those transactions were in agitation, as there
are yet many worthy men who were, or shall be
able to procure a sincere information of the occur-
rences of that time, will be obliged to confess, that
they who contrived the war had the entire conduct-
ing it, and were the sole causes of all the ill effects
of it ; which cannot be set down particularly with-
out wounding those, who were by their confidence
in ill instruments made accessary to those mischiefs,
in which themselves suffered most. Nor is it the
end of this true relation to fix a brand upon- the me-
mory of those, who deserve it from the public and
from very many worthy men, but is to serve only
for a memorial to cast my own eyes upon, when I
cannot but reflect upon those proceedings ; and by
my consent shall never come into any hands but
1 on] Omitted in MS. f- near] Not in MS.
Y 3
326 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. theirs, who for their own sakes will take care to
"preserve it from any public view or perusal.
The state It cannot be denied and may very truly be aver-
red, that from the hour of the king's return, and
being possessed of the entire government, the na-
val affairs were never put into any order. That
province, being committed to the duke as lord high
admiral of England, was entirely h engrossed by his
servants, in truth by Mr. Coventry, who was newly
made his secretary, and who made use of his
other servants, who were better known to him, to
infuse into his highness the opinion, " that whoever
" presumed to meddle in any thing that related to
" the navy or the admiralty, invaded his jurisdiction,
" and would lessen him in the eyes of the people ;
" and that he ought to be jealous of such men, as of
" those who would undermine his greatness ; and
" that as he was superior to all men by being the
" king's brother, so being high admiral he was to
" render account to none but to the king, nor suffer
" any body else to interpose in any thing relating to
" it. " Whereas in truth there is no officer of the
crown more subject to the council-board than the
admiral of England, who is to give an account of all
his actions and of every branch of his office con-
stantly to the board, and to receive their orders :
nor hath he the nomination of the captains of the
ships, till upon the presentation of their names he
receives their approbation, which is never denied.
Nor was there any counsellor who had ever sat at
the board in the last king's time, to whom this was
not as much known as any order of the table.
h entirely] so entirely
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 327
But there was no retrieving this authority, not 1665.
only from the influence Mr. Coventry, and they of ~
the family who adhered to him, had upon the duke,
but from the king's own inclination, who thought
that those officers, who immediately depended upon
himself and only upon himself, were more at his
devotion than they who were obliged to give an
account to any other superior. And from the time
that he came first into France, he had not been ac-
customed to any discourse more than to the under-
valuing the privy-council, as if it shadowed the king
too much, and usurped too much of his authority,
and too often superseded his own commands. And
the queen his mother had, upon these discourses,
always some instances of the authority which in
such a case the council had assumed against the
king's judgment ; the exception to which, according
to the relation which nobody could question, seemed
to be very reasonable. This kind of discourse, be-
ing the subject of every day, made so great impres-
sion that it could never be defaced, and made the
election and nomination of counsellors less consi-
dered, since they were to be no more advised with
afterwards than before.
Another argument, that used to be as frequently
insisted upon by the queen, and with more passion
and indignation, was of the little respect and reve-
rence that by the law or custom of England was
paid to the younger sons of the crown ; and though
there was nobody present in those conversations who
knew any thing of the law or custom in those cases,
yet all that was said was taken as granted. And
not only the duke but the king himself had a mar-
vellous prejudice to the nation in that part of good
Y 4
328 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. manners: and it was easily agreed, that the model
~" of France was in those and other cases much more
preferable, and which was afterwards observed in
too many.
This being then the state and temper of the royal
family when the king returned, which then consisted
of the duke of Gloucester, and two princesses more
than it now hath ; the very next morning after the
fleet came to Scheveling, the duke went on board
and took possession of it as lord high admiral : and
so his secretary provided new commissions for all
the officers who were in present command, for which
it is probable they all paid very liberally ; for with
him the custom began to receive five pounds for
every warrant signed by the duke, and for which
uo secretary to any lord admiral formerly had ever
received above twenty shillings. Mr. Coventry, who
was utterly unacquainted with all the rules and cus-
toms of the sea, and knew none of the officers, but
was much courted by all, as the secretary to the
admiral always is, made choice of captain Pen,
whom the king knighted as soon as he came on
board ; who from a common man had grown up un-
der Cromwell to the highest command, and was in
great favour with him till he failed in the action of
St. Domingo, when he went admiral at sea, as Ven-
ables was general at land, for which they were both
imprisoned in the Tower by Cromwell, nor ever em-
ployed by him afterwards : but upon his death he
had command again at sea, as he had at this time
under Mountague when he came to attend the king.
With this man Mr. Coventry made a fast friendship,
and was guided by him in all things.
All the offices which belonged to the ships, to the
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 329
navy,' to the yards, to the whole admiralty, (except 1665.
the three superior officers, which are not in the dis-~
posal of the admiral,) were now void, and to be
supplied by the duke, that is, by Mr. Coventry;
who by the advice of sir William Pen, who was
solely trusted by him in the brocage, conferred them
upon those (without observing any other rule) who
would give most money, not i considering any honest
seaman who had continued in the king's service, or
suffered long imprisonment for him. And because
an incredible sum of money did k and would rise
this way, some principal officers in the yards, as the
master smith and others, and the keepers of the
stores, yielding seven, eight hundred, or a thousand
pounds ; he had the skill to move the duke to be-
stow such money as would arise upon such place
upon sir Charles Berkley, for another to another, and
for some to be divided between two or three : by
which means the whole family was obliged, and re-
tained to justify him ; and the duke himself looked
upon it as a generosity in Mr. Coventry, to accom-
modate his fellow servants with what he might have
asked or kept for himself. But it was the best hus-
bandry he could have used : for by this means all
men's mouths were stopped, and all- clamour se-
cured ; whilst the lesser sums for a multitude of
offices of all kinds were reserved to himself, and
which, in the estimation of those who were at no
great distance, amounted to a very great 1 sum, and
more than any officer under the king could possibly
get by all the perquisites of his place in many years.
By this means,- the whole navy and ships were
' not] nor k did] was ' great] Omitted in MS.
330 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. filled with the same men who had enjoyed the same
"~ places and offices under Cromwell, and thereby were
the better able to pay well for them ; whereof many
of the most infamous persons which that time took
notice of were now become the king's officers, to
the great scandal of their honest neighbours, who
observed that they retained the same manners and
affections, and used the same discourses they had
formerly done.
Besides many other irreparable inconveniences
and mischiefs which resulted from this corruption
and choice, one grew quickly visible and notorious,
in the stealing and embezzling all manner of things
out of the ships, even when they were in service :
but when they returned from any voyages, incredible
proportions of powder, match, cordage, sails, anchors,
and all other things, instead of being restored to the
several proper officers whiclr were to receive them,
were embezzled and sold, and very often sold to the
king himself for the setting out other ships and for
replenishing his stores. And when this was disco-
vered (as many times it was) and the criminal per-
son apprehended, it was alleged by him as a defence
or excuse, " that he had paid so dear for his place,
" that he could not maintain himself and family
" without practising such shifts :" and none of those
fellows were ever brought to exemplary justice, and
most of them were restored to their employments.
The three superior officers of the navy were pos-
sessed of their offices by patents under the great
seal of England before the king's return ; and they
are the natural established council of the lord high
admiral, and are to attend him when he requires it,
and always used of course to be with him one cer-
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 331
tain day in a week, to render him an account of all 1665.
the state of the office, and to receive his orders and ~
to give their advice. And now, because these three
depended not enough upon him, but especially out
of animosity against sir George Carteret, who, be-
sides being treasurer of the navy, was vice-cham-
berlain of the king's household, and so a privy
counsellor; Mr. Coventry proposed to the duke,
" that in regard of the multiplicity of business in
" the navy, much more than in former times, and the
" setting out greater fleets than had been accus-
" tomed in that age when those officers and that
" model for the government of the navy had been
" established, his royal highness would propose to
" the king to make an addition, by commissioners,
" of some other persons always to sit with the other
" officers with equal authority, and to sign all bills with
" them ;" which was a thing never heard of before,
and is in truth a lessening of the power of the admiral.
It is very true, there have frequently been commis-
sioners for the navy ; but it hath been in the same
place m of the admiral and to perform his office : but
in the time of an admiral commissioners have not
been heard of. One principal end in this was, to
draw from the treasurer of the navy (whose office
Mr. Coventry thought too great, and had implacable
animosity against him from the first hour after he
had made his friendship with Pen) out of his fees
(which, though no greater than were granted by his
patent and had been always enjoyed by his pre-
decessors, were indeed greater than had used to be
in times of peace, when much less money passed
m place] Not in MS.
332 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. through his hands) what should be enough to pay
those commissioners ; for it was not reasonable they
should serve for nothing, nor that they should be
upon the king's charge, since the treasurer's perqui-
sites might be enough for all.
The duke liked the proposition well, and, with-
out conferring with any body else upon it, proposed
it to the king at the council-board, where nobody
thought fit to examine or debate what the duke pro-
posed ; and the king approved it, and ordered, " that
" the commissioners should receive each five hun-
" dred pounds by the year :" but finding afterwards
that the treasurer of the navy's fees were granted
to him under the great seal, his majesty did not
think it just to take it from him, but would bear it
himself, and appointed the treasurer to pay and pass
those pensions in his account. The commissioners
named and commended by the duke to the king
were the lord Berkley, sir John Lawson, sir William
Pen, and sir George Ayscue ; the three last n the
most eminent sea-officers under Cromwell, but it
must not be denied but that they served the king
afterwards very faithfully. These the king made
his commissioners, with a pension to each of five
hundred pounds the year, and in some time after
added Mr. Coventry to the number with the same
pension : so that this first reformation in the time
of peace cost the king one way or other no less
than three thousand pounds yearly, without the
le,ast visible benefit or advantage. The lord Berkley
understood nothing that related either to the office
or employment, and therefore very seldom was pre-
" last] Not in MS. lated either] neither understood
" understood nothing that re- any thing that related
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 333
sent in the execution. But after he had enjoyed 1665.
the pension a year or thereabout, he procured leave"
to sell? his place, and procured a gentleman, Mr.
Thomas Harvey, to give him three thousand pounds
for it : so soon this temporary commission, which
might have expired within a month, got the reputa-
tion of an office for life by the good managery of an
officer.
This was the state of the navy before the war The state of
. i .
with Holland was resolved upon. Let us in the the "oZ. *
next place see what alterations were made in it, or
what other preparations were made, or counsels en-
tered upon, for the better conduct of this war : and
a clear and impartial view or reflection upon what
was then said and done, gave discerning men an un-
happy presage of what would follow. There was no
discourse now in the court, after this royal subsidy
of five and twenty hundred thousand pounds was
granted, but, " of giving the law to the whole trade
" of Christendom ; of making all ships which passed
" by or through the narrow seas to pay an imposi-
" tion to the king, as all do to the king of Denmark
" who pass by the Sound ; and making all who pass
" near to pay contribution to his majesty ;" which
must concern all the princes of Christendom : and
the king and duke were often desired to discounte-
nance and suppress this impertinent talk, which
must increase the number of the enemies. Commis-
sioners were appointed to reside in all or the most
eminent port-towns, for the sale of all prize-goods ;
and these were. chosen for the most part out of those
P sell] sell in
334 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. members of the house of commons, who were active
~ to advance the king's service, or who promised to
be so, to whom liberal salaries were assigned.
There were then commissioners appointed to
appeals ap. judge all appeals, which should be made upon and
pointed. a g ams t a ll sentences given by the judge of the ad-
miralty and his deputies ; and these were all privy
counsellors, the earl of Lautherdale, the lord Ash-
ley, and the secretaries of state, who were like to
The injus- be most careful of the king's profit. But then the
tice of their
sentences, rules which were prescribed to judge by were such
as were warranted r by no former precedents, nor s
acknowledged to be just by the practice of any
neighbour nation, and such as would make all ships
which traded for Holland, from what kingdom so-
ever, lawful prize ; which was foreseen would bring
complaints from all places, as it did as soon as the
war begun. French and Spaniard and Swede and
Dane were alike treated; whilst their ambassadors
made loud complaints every day to the king and
the council for the injustice and the rapine, without
remedy, more than references to the admiralty, and
then to the lords commissioners of appeal, which in-
creased the charge, and raised and improved the
indignity. Above all, the Hanse -Towns of Ham-
burgh, Lubeck, Bremen, and the rest, (who had
large exemptions and privileges by charter granted
by former kings and now renewed by this,) had the
worst luck ; for none of them could ever be distin-
guished from the Dutch. Their ships were so like,
and their language so near, that not one of their
r warranted] Omitted in MS. ? nor] and
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 335
vessels were met with, from what part of the world 1665.
soever they came, or whithersoever they were t
bound, but they were brought in u ; and if the evi-
dence was such as there could be no colour to retain
them, but that they must be released, they always
carried with them sad remembrances of the com-
pany they had been in.
There was one sure rule to make any ship prize,
which was, if above three Dutch mariners were
aboard it there need no x further proof for the for-
feiture ; which being no where known could not be
prevented, all merchants' ships, when they are ready
for their voyage, taking all seamen on board of what
nation soever who are necessary for their service :
so that those Dutchmen who run from their own
country to avoid fighting, (as very many did, and
very many more would have done,) and put them-
selves on board merchants' ships of any other coun-
try, where they were willingly entertained, made
those ships lawful prize in which they served, by a
rule that nobody knew nor would submit to.
It was resolved that all possible encouragement TOO much
should be given to privateers, that is, to as many ^"g^i
as would take commissions from the admiral to set * pnva "
iccrs.
out vessels of war, as they call them, to take prizes
from the enemy ; which no articles or obligations
can restrain from all the villany they can act, and
are a people, how countenanced soever or thought
necessary, that do bring an unavoidable scandal, and
it is to be feared a curse, upon the justest war that
was ever made at sea. A sail ! A sail ! is the word
with them ; friend or foe is the same ; they possess
1 were] Omitted in MS. * no] Omitted in MS.
in] Not in MS.
336 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. all they can master, and run with it to any obscure
"place where they can sell it, (which retreats are
never wanting,) and never attend the ceremony of
an adjudication. Besides the horrible scandal and
clamour that this classis of men brought upon the
king and the whole government for defect of justice,
the prejudice which resulted from thence to the
public and to the carrying on the service is unspeak-
able: all seamen run to them. And though the
king now assigned an ample share of all prizes
taken by his own ships to the seamen, over and
above their wages ; yet there was great difference
between the condition of the one and the other : in
the king's fleet they might gain well, but they were
sure of blows, nothing could be got there without
fighting ; with the privateers there was rarely fight-
ing, they took all who could make little resistance,
and fled from all who were too strong for them.
And so those fellows were always well manned,
when the king's ships were compelled to stay many
days for want of men, who were raised by press-
ing and with great difficulty. And whoever spake
against those lewd people, upon any case whatso-
ever, was thought to have no regard for the duke's
profit, nor to desire to weaken the enemy.
In all former wars at sea, as there was great care
taken to appoint commissioners for the sale of all
prize-goods, who understood the value of those com-
modities they had to sell, yet were compelled to sell
better bargains than are usually got in public mar-
kets ; so there was all strictness used in bringing
all receivers to as punctual an account, as any other
of the king's receivers are bound to make, and to
compel them to pay in all the money they receive
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 337
into the exchequer, that it might be issued out to the 1665.
treasurer of the navy or to other officers for the""
expense of the war. And it had been a great argu-
ment in the first consultations upon this war, " that
" it would support itself; and that after one good ,
" fleet should be set out once to beat the Dutch,"
(for that was never thought worthy of a doubt,)
" the prizes, which would every day after be taken,
" would plentifully do all the rest ; besides the great
" sum that the Dutch would give to purchase their
" peace, and the yearly rent they would give for
" the liberty of fishing ;" with all which it was not
thought fit to allow them " to keep above such a
" number of ships of war, limited to so many ton and
" to so many guns ;" with many particulars of that
nature, which were carefully digested by those who
promoted the war. But now, after this supply given
by the parliament, there was no more danger of
want of money : and many discourses there were,
" that the prize-money might be better disposed in
" rebuilding the king's houses, and many other good
" uses which would occur ;" and the king forbore
to speak any more of appointing receivers and trea-
surers for that purpose, when all or most other offi-
cers, who were judged necessary for the service,
were already named ; and the lord treasurer, who
by his office should have the recommendation of
those officers to the king, had a list of men, who for
the reputation and experience they had were in his
judgment worthy to be trusted, to be presented to
the king when he should enter upon that subject.
But one evening a servant of the lord Ashley
ley obtains
came to the chancellor with a bill signed, and de- a grant a P -
sired in his master's name, " that it might be sealed hf
VOL. II. Z
338 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. " that night. " The bill was, " to make and consti-
surer of " tute the lord Ashley treasurer of all the money
prize- ^at should be raised upon the sale of all prizes,
money.
" which were or should be taken in this present
" war, with power to make all such officers as should
" be necessary for the service ; and that he should
" account for all monies so received to the king him-
" self, and to no other person whatsoever, and pay
" and issue out all those monies which he should re-
" ceive, in such manner as his majesty should ap-
" point by warrant under his sign manual, and by no
" other warrant ; and that he should be free and ex-
" empt from accounting into the exchequer. " When
the chancellor had seen the contents, he bade the
messenger tell his lord, " that he would speak with
" the king before he would seal that grant, and that
" he desired much to speak with himself. "
The chan- The next morning he waited upon the king, and
monstrates informed him " of the bill that was brought to him,
seatihg this " an d doubted that he had been surprised : that it
grant. was no t; on iy such an original as was without any
" precedent, but in itself in many particulars de-
" structive to his service and to the right of other
" men. That all receivers of any part of his re-
" venue were accountable in the exchequer, and
" could receive their discharge in no other place :
" and that if so great a receipt, as this was already,"
(for the fleet of wine and other ships already seized
were by a general computation valued at one hun-
dred thousand pounds,) " and as it evidently would
" be, should pass without the most formal account ;
" his majesty might be abominably cozened, nor
'" could it any other way be prevented- And in the
" next place, that this grant was not only deroga-
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON, 339
" tory to the lord treasurer, but did really degrade 1665.
" him, there being another treasurer made more ab-
" solute than himself, and without dependence upon
" him. " And therefore he besought his majesty,
" that he would reconsider the thing itself and hear
" it debated, at least that the treasurer might be
" first heard, without which it could not be done in
" justice :" to which he added, " that he would speak
" with the lord Ashley himself, and tell him how
" much he was to blame to affect such a province,
" which might bring great inconveniences upon his
" person and his estate. "
He quickly found that the king had not been
surprised in what he had done, " which," he said,
" was absolutely in his own power to do ; and that
" it would bring prejudice only to himself, which he
" had sufficiently provided against. " However, he
seemed willing to decline any thing that looked like
an affront to the treasurer, and therefore was con-
tent that the sealing it might be suspended till he
had further considered.
The lord Ashley came shortly to the chancellor,
and seemed " to take it unkindly that his patent
" was not sealed :" to which he answered, " that he
" had suspended the immediate sealing it for three
" reasons ; whereof one was, that he might first
" speak with the king, who he believed would re-
" ceive much prejudice by it ; another, that it would
" not consist with the respect he owed to the lord
" treasurer, who was much affronted in it, to seal it
" before he was made acquainted with it. And in
" the last place, that he had stopped it for his,
" the lord Ashley's, own sake : and that he believed
*' he had neither enough considered the indignity
z 2
1665. " that was offered to the lord treasurer, to whom he
~~ " professed so much respect, and by whose favour
" and powerful interposition he enjoyed the office he
" held, nor his own true interest, in submitting his
" estate to those incumbrances which such a receipt
" would inevitably expose it to. And that the ex-
" emption from making any account but to the king
" himself would deceive him : and as it was an un-
" usual and unnatural privilege, so it would never
" be allowed in any court of justice, which would
" exact both the account and the payment or lawful
" discharge of what money he should receive ; and
" " if he depended upon the exemption he would live
" to repent it. "
He answered little to the particulars more than
with some sullenness, " that the king had given
" him the office, and knew best what is good for his
" own service ; and that except his majesty retracted
" his grant, he would look to enjoy the benefit of it.
" That he did not desire to put an affront upon the
" lord treasurer ; and if there were any expressions
" in his commission which reflected upon him, he
" was content they should be mended or left out :
" in all other respects he was resolved to run the
" hazard. "
The treasurer himself, though he knew that he
was not well used, and exceedingly disdained the
behaviour of his nephew, (for the lord Ashley had
married his niece,) who he well knew had by new
friendships cancelled all the obligations to him, would
not appear to oppose what the king resolved, but sat
The king unconcerned, and took no notice of any thing. And
obliges him . , . . .
to seal it. so within a short time the king sent a positive order
to the chancellor to seal the commission ; which he
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 341
could no longer refuse, and did it with the more 1665.
trouble, because he very well knew, that few men ~
knew the lord Ashley better than the king himself
did, or had a worse opinion of his integrity. But
he was now gotten into friendships which were most
behooveful to him, and which could remove or re-
concile all prejudices : he was fast linked to sir Harry
Bennet and Mr. Coventry in a league offensive and
defensive, the same friends and the same enemies,
and had got "an entire trust with the lady, who very
well understood the benefit such an officer would be
to her. Nor was it difficult to persuade the king
(who thought himself more rich in having one thou-
sand pounds in his closet that nobody knew of, than
in fifty thousand pounds in his exchequer) how
many conveniences he would find in having so
much money at his own immediate disposal, with-
out the formality of privy seals and other men's
warrants, and the indecency and mischief which
would attend a formal account of all his generous
donatives and expense, which should be known only
to himself.
Though the king seemed to continue the same Measures
, . . taken to
gracious countenance towards the chancellor which prejudice
he had used, and frequently came to his house when ^ainsMhe
he was indisposed with the gout, and consulted all chancellor -
his business, which he thought of public importance,
with him with equal freedom ; yet he himself found,
and many others observed, that he had not the same
credit and power with him. The nightly meetings
had of late made him more' the subject of the dis-
course ; and since the time of the new secretary they
had taken more liberty to talk of what was done in
z 3
342 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. council, than they had done formerly ; and the duke
~~of Buckingham pleased himself and all the com-
pany in acting all the persons who spake there in
their looks and motions, in which piece of mimicry
he had an especial faculty ; and in this exercise the
chancellor had a full part. In the height of mirth,
if the king said " he would go such a journey or do
" such a trivial thing to-morrow," somebody would
lay a wager that he would not do it ; and when he
asked why, it was answered, " that the chancellor
" would not let him :" and then another would pro-
test, " that he thought there was no ground for that
" imputation ; however, he could not deny that it
" was generally believed abroad, that his majesty
" was entirely and implicitly governed by the chan-
" cellor. " Which often put the king to declare in
some passion, " that the chancellor had served him
" long, and understood his business, in which he
" trusted him : but in any other matter than his
" business, he had no other credit with him than
" any other man ;" which they reported with great
joy in other companies.
A proposal j n the former session of the parliament, the lord
made to the
king for ]. Ashley, out of his indifferency in matters of religion,
conscience, and the lord Arlington out of his good-will to the
Roman catholics, had drawn in the lord privy seal,
whose interest was most in the presbyterians, to
propose to the king an indulgence for liberty of
conscience : for which they offered two motives ;
the one, " the probability of a war with the Dutch ;"
though it was not then declared ; " and in that case
" the prosecution of people at home for their several
" opinions in religion would be very inconvenient,
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 343
" and might prove mischievous. " The other was, 1665.
" that the y fright men were in by reason of the "~
" late bill against conventicles, and the warmth the
" parliament expressed with reference to the church,
" had so prepared all sorts of non-conformists, that
" they would gladly compound for liberty at any
'* reasonable rates : and by this means a good yearly
" revenue might be raised to the king, and a firm
" concord and tranquillity be established in the
" kingdom, if power were granted by the parliament
" to the king to grant dispensations to such whom
" he knew to be peaceably affected, for their exer-
" cise of that religion which was agreeable to their
" conscience, without undergoing the penalty of the
" laws. " And they had prepared a schedule, in
which they computed what every Roman catholic
would be willing to pay yearly for the exercise of
his religion, and so of every other sect ; which, upon
the estimate they made, would indeed have amounted
to a very great sum of money yearly.
The king liked the arguments and the project The king
very well, and wished them to prepare such a bill ; ap
which was done quickly, very short, and without
any mention of other advantage to grow from it,
than " the peace and quiet of the kingdom? , and an
" entire reference to the king's own judgment and
" discretion in dispensing his dispensations. " This
was equally approved : and though hitherto it had
been managed with great secrecy, that it might not
come to the knowledge of the chancellor and the
treasurer, who they well knew would never consent
to it; yet the king resolved to impart it to them.
>' the] in the z kingdom] quiet by mistake in MS.
z 4
844 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. And the chancellor being then afflicted with the
""gout, the committee that used to be called was ap-
pointed to meet at Worcester-house : and thither
likewise came the privy seal, and the lord Ashley,
who had never before been present in those meet-
ings.
The chan- The king informed them of the occasion of their
treasure" conference, and caused the draught for the bill to
t*he private* ^ e rea d to them ; which was done, and such reasons
committee. gi ven by those who promoted it, as they thought
fit ; the chief of which was, " that there could be no
" danger in trusting the king, whose zeal to the
" protestant religion was so well known, that no-
" body would doubt that he would use this power,
" when granted to him, otherwise than should be
*' for the good and benefit of the church and state. "
The chancellor and the treasurer, as had been pre-
saged, were very warm against it, and used many
arguments to dissuade the king from prosecuting it,
" as a thing that could never find the concurrence
" of either or both houses, and which would raise a
" jealousy in both, and in the people generally, of
" his affection to the papists, which would not be
" good for either, and every body knew that he had
" no favour for either of the other factions. " But
what the others said, who were of another opinion,
prevailed more ; and his majesty declared, " that the
" bill should be presented to the house of peers as
" from him, and in his name ; and that he hoped
" none of his servants, who knew his mind as well
" as every body there did, would oppose it, but
"either be absent or silent:" to which both the
lords answered, " that they should not be absent
" purposely, and if they were present, they hoped
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 345
" his majesty would excuse them if they spake ac- 1665.
" cording to their conscience and judgment, which"
" they could not forbear to do ;" with which his
majesty seemed unsatisfied, though the lords of the '
combination were better pleased than they would
have been with their concurrence.
Within few days after, the chancellor remaining The biiiprc.
still in his chamber without being able to go, the the house of
bill was presented in the house of peers by the lord lords '
privy seal, as by the king's direction and approba-
tion, and thereupon had the first reading : and as
soon as it was read, the lord treasurer spake against
it, " as unfit to be received and to have the counte- The trea-
. . . surer and
" nance of another reading in the house, being a de- bishops op-
" sign against the protestant religion and in favour fheVrst 1
" of the papists," with many sharp reflections upon readin S'
those who had spoken for it ; and many of the bi-
shops spake to the same purpose, and urged many
weighty arguments against it. However it was
moved, " that since it was averred that it was
" with the king's privity, it would be a thing un-
" heard of to deny it a second reading :" and that
there might be no danger of a surprisal by its being
read in a thin house, it was ordered " that it should
" be read the second time" upon a day named "at ten
" of the clock in the morning ;" with which all were
satisfied.
In the mean time great pains were taken to per-
suade particular men to approve it : and some of
the bishops were sharply reprehended for opposing
the king's prerogative, with some intimation " that
" if they continued in that obstinacy they would a
a vvonld] should
346 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1665. repent it;" to which they made such answers as
in honesty and wisdom they ought to do, without
being shaken in their resolution. It was rather in-
sinuated than declared, " that the bill had been per-
" used," some said " drawn, by the chancellor," and
averred " that he was not against it :" which being
confidently reported, and believed or not believed as
he was more or less known to the persons present,
he thought himself obliged to make his own sense
known. And so on the day appointed for the se-
cond reading, with pain and difficulty he was in his
place in the house : and so after the second reading
The trea- of the bill, he was of course to propose the commit-
bL'hopTop- ment of it. Many of the bishops and others spake
fiercely against it, as a way to undermine religion ;
an( j ^he lord treasurer, with his usual weight of
words, shewed the ill consequence that must attend
it, and " that in the bottom it was a project to get
" money at the price of religion ; which he believed
" was not intended or known to the king, but only
" to those who had projected it, and, it may be, im-
" posed upon others who meant well. "
The lord privy seal, either upon the observation
of the countenance of the house or advertisement of
his friends b , or unwilling to venture his reputation
in the enterprise, had given over the game the first
Lord Ash- d a y 9 an( j nO w spake not at all : but the lord Ashley
ley speaks
for it. adhered firmly to his point, spake often and with
great sharpness of wit, and had a cadence in his
words and pronunciation that drew attention. He
said, " it was the king's misfortune that a matter of
" so great concernment to him, and such a preroga-
b friends} friend
EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON.
