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The Earl of Northumberland to the Earl of Salisbury. |
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1642, May 31. |
I have received your Lordship's letter of the
28th, and shall observe your directions therein so far as lies in my
power. Your going away in that manner was very unexpected
to divers of your friends, and I do not know how it will be possible
in the way of justice to divide your Lordship from the other Lords
that are faulty in the like kind. We have hitherto been very
moderate in censuring this contempt, for we have only cited your
Lordship and the rest to appear against a certain day. The
opinion which the world conceives of this action is the greatest
punishment we shall or can inflict upon you for this offence. The
only way to redeem what you have lost is to do all the good offices
you can whilst you stay at York, and to return hither again with
all convenient speed, which is the earnest desires of those that
wish well unto your Lordship.—London, 31 May, 1641.
Holograph. 1½ pp. (131. 176.) |
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The Earl of Northumberland to the Earl of Salisbury. |
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1642, June 7. |
The citing your Lordship amongst others to
appear by the 8th of this month was impossible to be avoided,
both because the contempt was alike in all, and because our House
was more sensible of your leaving them than they were of the rest
as less expecting it from you than from almost any of the other
Lords. It were not answerable to the respect I have ever professed unto your Lordship to conceal what I conceive to be the
true state of your condition. If you do not something to redeem
the good opinion of the Parliament, you will be in danger to undergo as heavy a censure as those other Lords that have fled away
from the Parliament, and it will not be in the power of any of your
friends to keep the storm from you. I do not apprehend what
greater inconvenience can happen to your Lordship for disobeying
a verbal command of the King's (which you allege for the reason
of your stay) than is likely to fall upon you for not obeying his writ,
seconded by an order of our House. If you had been pleased
well to have considered this matter, I am confident you would have
found reason enough not to have left us; and I do believe that
having discharged that which you supposed a duty, you may see
cause to return in the same manner that you went from hence. I
do heartily wish your Lordship may do that which will be for
your honour as well as for your contentment.—London, 7 June,
1642. |
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P.S. If I can prevail I will persuade with some of my friends
that we may not proceed too hastily against those Lords that are
gone from us, so as we may still have it in our powers to show
favour unto those that shall deserve well of the Parliament.
Holograph. 3 pp. (131. 177.) |
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The Earl of Northumberland to the Earl of Salisbury. |
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1642, June 14. |
I find by your Lordship's letter of the 8th present that from an unwillingness in you to displease the King you
are resolved to stay at York. In my former letters I have freely
told you my opinion of your condition, to which I shall only add
this, that if you will speedily return I dare confidently say that
you shall not suffer any kind of censure from our House for what
is past; but if you be satisfied in your own judgment that it is
fittest for you to remain there at York, I will forbear to trouble
you with any further thoughts of mine upon that occasion, yet
shall never be wanting to do you the best service that I am able;
though truly in this particular there will be little in my power.—
London, 14 June, 1642.
Holograph. 1 p. (131. 179.) |
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The Earl of Northumberland to the Earl of Salisbury. |
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1642, June 15. |
The House of Commons have this day brought
up an impeachment against the 9 Lords that returned in answer
to the Parliament in a letter, and we shall proceed upon this
impeachment to sentence them so soon as they have made their
defence or declined it. I shall beseech your Lordship not to be
discouraged by this quick proceeding, for I can assure you that
we resolve to make a great difference betwixt you and some
others who, we hear, have expressed good affections to the
Parliament and those 9 Lords whom we conceive fit to be made
examples of. If you or any other Lords excepting those 9 do
return unto the Parliament I do not doubt of your being
well received, and what is past will not be remembered. The
messenger is in haste, therefore I can say no more.—London,
15 June, 1642. |
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P.S. The moneys and plate are brought in faster upon our
late propositions for the peace and safety of the kingdom than the
treasurers that are appointed can receive it.
Holograph. Seal. 2 pp. (131. 180.) |
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The Earl of Northumberland to the Earl of Salisbury. |
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1642, June 20. |
Before I received your Lordship's letter this
day, I had done you that service which you therein desired, and
had given you an account thereof. There remains now nothing
more for me to inform you of but that you will receive a very
hearty welcome both from the Parliament and from your own
particular friends, amongst whom none shall ever serve you
with more affection than your most humble servant.—London,
20 June, 1642.
Holograph. 1 p. (131. 181.) |
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The Earl of Dorset to the Earl of Salisbury. |
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1642, June 27. |
Had you pleased to have imparted your departure to me, truly I should have secreted it even from the King
himself, for I do believe that no allegiance binds an honest man
to disclose his friend's trust. I hope your Lordship's concealing
it rather proceeded from care than from the least suspicion you
lodged either of my ability or will to have kept your counsel. |
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Give me leave at this distance, with the same ingenuity and
freedom which personally you admitted me into, to pray you
not to be active in any course that may justly induce his Majesty
to believe you are engaged or will be in any faction against him,
or that you study more to comply with other men's designs than
your own and self-preservation; which in these arbitrary and
perilous times cannot nor will not, at least, undergo any heavy
or hard censure if you keep yourself safe within that circle; for
the most experienced pilot may be to seek how to steer himself
securely when wind and tide blow so contrary ways. Heaven
prevent these storms that threaten ruin, I may fear, as much to
all as any; for this fatal fire once kindled, who knows how to
quench the flames or when or whether the conflagration may
extend? I do not apprehend your well tempered disposition
can be induced to add fuel to the fire; men only either of desperate fames or fortunes can promise themselves any amelioration
of condition by such broken and distracted ways. Those that
enjoy such a portion of honour and such a proportion of estate,
as by God's blessing you do, cannot but really mourn the desperate
face of the times and pray for the sudden emendment of them.
The which truly I cannot despair of when I observe the tractable
and "counsellable" disposition of the King; who though apt to
take extempore resolutions upon the first impressions, yet upon
pause and second thoughts changes to the better, an instance
whereof I was a very glad witness of yesterday. When upon an
intelligence of the Earl of Stamford's too excessive zeal he had
resolved vim vi repellere and concluded on a course that might
have given beginning to a great deal of misery, he was altered
by the more poised and wise advice of those that study how to
preserve things from extremity. |
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Good my Lord, study day and night to keep the more violent
spirits from passing the Rubicon. Let them at London put nothing in execution that may give probable ground of fear (and so
just [ground] of resolve) to hinder them, and they may sleep very
securely from any attempts hatched here at York to their danger.
Let as many as will despair, I am one of those that believe that
an easy and safe way may be found to lead us all forth this dark
and inextricable labyrinth. Let not fears prevail above hope,
nor reflection on past errors represent despair of a real oblivion
"futurely", and I am confident such a beginning is half way to
an end; whereas a continuance, much more a progress, of baneful
misunderstandings, which already have involved too many otherwise considerable persons, will at last confound all. |
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I crave your pardon if I have been impertinently troublesome,
and beseech you to believe the truth, that I have no ends on you
but to do you any acceptable service you shall command me.—
June this 27th, 1642.
Holograph. 4 pp. (131. 182.) |
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Warrant. |
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1642, Sept. 7. |
Warrant to Sir Bainham Throckmorton, Bt.,
John Tailor and John Gunninge, merchants of Bristol, who are
lessees of the woods and ironworks in the Forest of Dean, which
they hold of Sir John Winter. They are forbidden to pay their
half yearly rent of £3375 to the Commissioners of the Exchequer
or to Mr Scawen, Receiver for Gloucestershire, but to retain the
money until the King's pleasure be communicated to them.—
From the Court at Nottingham, this 7th of September, 1642.
1 p. (200. 14a.) |
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The Earl of Northumberland to the Earl of Salisbury. |
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1642, September 26. |
The draught which your Lordship sent
to Serjeant Atkins was returned to me this afternoon with some
doubts he makes upon it, which I hope will soon be satisfied when
I wait upon you. I should be very glad you would appoint the
Serjeant or some other counsel to meet you here upon Wednesday
at night, that I may apply myself the best I can to give them
satisfaction. |
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From the army we have this day received advertisement of an
encounter near Worcester between some of the Cavaliers and our
troop. By all the relations that I have seen it appears that our
men were in disorder, especially our General's own troop of
gentlemen, but in conclusion we gained the town and are now
masters of it. I here send you the copy of a letter written from
my Lord Mandeville to me, which is as perfect a narration of that
day's service as I have yet heard. |
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I beseech you to present my service to my Lady of Salisbury,
and assure my Lady Elizabeth that she has gained so absolute
a dominion over me that she is not more mistress of herself than
she is of your faithful servant.—London, Monday night, September 26, 1642.
Holograph. 1½ pp. (131. 186.) |
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Richard Shipheard, Sander Knight, Roger Waterman,
Tobias Powell, Francis Weekesteed and Thomas
Brise to the Committee for the Prince Elector's
Revenue. |
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[? c. 1642]. |
They pray for payment for work done about the
house lately Lord Cottington's, which his Lordship has left them
destitute of. The country being so much disabled by continual
quartering of soldiers and other taxes, men cannot employ them
as formerly, so that they are utterly impoverished.—Undated.
1 p. (214. 73.) |
