rely on, and what you communicate to, lord Jermyn; for if I am truly informed by my lord Hatton and others who honor your excellency, lord Jermyn hath no kindness at all for you, and Mr. Long is his lordships creature and intelligencer."-The same gentleman, in a letter, dated Beauvais, March 15, 1650, and written also to lord Ormonde, informs him, "The king will, when he arrives in Holland, increase the number of his counsellors as soon as he can: and truly unless he shall do so and unite those that are of his council, I cannot expect any prosperity. I pray be pleased in all your letters to advise his majesty to settle a faithful and united council to manage his great affairs; for, without it, none of his party will, with so great hazard as they must run, dare to appear.I do little business, nor have any heart to it, being his majesty hath not a formed council, and acts many things of importance by hands that few honest men will trust"."-Lord Ormonde, in answer to Sir Edward, expresses some hopes of the king's restoration; but adds, "that which most staggers my faith in this is, the domestick division in so little a company as those are that profess to serve him; yet that is not without apparent remedy, if men may be persuaded to pursue but their own interest with the calmness befitting rational persons; and to such a reconciliation it shall be my most industrious labour to dispose all that have confidence in my friendship."-But calmness and reason were unknown to these exiles: for the party opposite to Hyde and Ormonde were equally as loud in their turns, and scrupled not to accuse them of the worst crimes.-Colonel Bamfylde, who followed Charles abroad, but kept up a correspondence with Thurloe at a Ormonde's Papers, vol. I. p. 327. * Id. p. 364. fd. p. 406. home, and gave notice of what came to his knowledge, informs him as follows. "His councille are his mother, the duke of Yorke, prince Rupert, the duke of Buck-ingham, the marquis of Ormonde, the earl of Roches-ter, the lords Percye, Jermin, Inchequin, Taff lately made, and Sir Edward Hyde. The foure first, together with Jermin, are of a faction directly opposite to Hyde and the other party, who for the present intirely govern in his councils; and theyr designs seem to be as different as their inclinations. Ormonde, Hyde, and their party, have, contrary to the sense of the reste, advised and prevailed with theyr king totally to abandon both the party and the principles of the presbyterians, and to rely entirely upon his old episcopal party, which, they persuade him, comprehends the nobility, gentry, and bulke of the kingdom of England, who would not rise with him in his late march into England, because he was believed to goe upon grounds disagreeable to -theyr affections, interests, and the goode of the nation, and inconsistent with the antient constitutions both of -church and state: and to this purpose about a year and a half since, or a little more, there was employed over to him one Sir Gilbert Talbott, with letters of credit, and to strengthen them with a considerable sum of money from divers persons of consideration in this commonwealth to his majestie, with assurance, that if he would retire to his first principles, and intrust the management of his affairs to such hands aboute him, as his friends might securely confide in, they would adventure both theyr lives and fortunes for his recovery. To second this, immediately after, one colonel Phillips was employed to him by others to the same purpose: and albeit I believe there was much of reality in theise messages, yet I doe not doubt, but the persons and their designs were represented by Hyde and Ormonde (whoe procured themselves to be represented as fittest for truste) with greater advantages than either could produce for the strengthening of theyr own credit with their master; by which means they weaned their king from the government of his mothers councill, and have ever since bound him abso lutely up to theyr owne sence"-Mr. Manning (who was afterwards shot for betraying the king), in a letter, dated June 1, 1655, says, "I need not tell you by whom prince Rupert was turned from court.- By the last letters it doth seem, as if prince Rupert had an intention to see Cologne before Modena; and if he can break Hydes neck here, it may alter his design, and make him stay with the king, which he hath most mind of."-In another letter, written from Cologne, July 28, of the same year, it is said, "Wednesday last Middleton and Belcarris were made friends by Charles Stuart himself, and all hushed. The same day that the calumny was taken off, Belcarris propounded to the king from the body of the Scots presbyterians, that if the duke of York or prince Rupert might be solely left to be their leaders and managers of that affair, and that Hyde may not be privy to any thing of it, or that party, that then all their interest for money, men, and arms, should be employed against you. And now he proceeds to treat concerning a reconciliation between Charles Stuart and the queen .". That there were great prejudices against Hyde, he himself confesses. "There was another design," says he, "set on foot, by which they [his adversaries] concluded they should sufficiently mortify the chancellor [himself], who, they thought, had still too much credit with his master. When the king went into Scotland, Mr. Robert Long, who had been mentioned before, was secretary of state; who, having been always a creature of the queens, and dependent upon the lord Jermyn, had so behaved himself towards them, during his short stay in Scotland (for he was one of those who was removed from the king there, and sent out of that kingdom), that when his majesty returned from Worcester to Paris, they would by no means suffer that he should wait upon his majesty; and accused him of much breach of trust, and dishonesty, and, amongst the rest, that he should say, which could be proved, that it was impossible for any man to serve the king honestly, and to preserve the good opinion of the queen, and to keep the lord Jermyns favour. The truth is, that gentleman had not the good fortune to be generally well thought of, and the king did not believe him faultless; and therefore was contented to satisfy his mother, and would not permit him to execute his office, or to attend in his councils. Whereupon he left the court, and liv'd privately at Roan; which was the reason that the chancellor had been commanded to execute that place, which intitled him to so much trouble. Upon this conjunction between the lord Jermyn and the keeper [Herbert], the last of whom had in all times inveigh'd against Mr. Long's want of fidelity, they agreed, that there could not be a better expedient found out to lessen the chancellors credit, than by restoring Long to the execution of the secretary's function. Whereupon they sent for him, and advised him to prepare a petition to the king, that he might be again restored to his office and attendance, or that he might be charged with his crimes, and be farther punished, if he did not clear himself, and appear innocent. This petition was presented to the king, when he was in council, by the queen; who came thither only for that purpose, and desired that it might be read; which being done, the king was surprized, having not in the least received any notice of it; and said that her majesty was the principal cause that induced his majesty to remove him from his place, and that she then believed that he was not fit for the trust. She said, she had now a better opinion of him, and that she had been misinformed. The king thought it unfit to receive a person into so near a trust, against whose fidelity there had been such publick exceptions; and his majesty knew that few of his friends in England would correspond with him; and therefore would not be perswaded to restore him. This was again put all upon the chancellors account, and the influence he had upon the king. Thereupon Mr. Long accused the chancellor of having betrayed the king; and undertook to prove that he had been over in England, and had private conference with Cromwell; which was an aspersion so impossible, that every body laugh'd at it: yet because he undertook to prove it, the chancellor pressed that a day might be appointed for him to produce his proof: and at that day, the queen came again to the council, that she might be present at the charge. There Mr. Long produced Massonet, a man who had serv'd him, and afterwards been an under-clerk for writing letters and commissions, during the time of the kings being in Scotland, and had been taken prisoner at Worcester; and, being released with the rest of the kings servants, had been employed, from the time of the kings return, in the same service under the chancellor; the man having, before the troubles, taught the king, and the duke of York, and the rest of the kings children to write, being indeed the best writer, for the fairness of the hand, of any man in that time. Massonet said, that after his release from his imprisonment, and whilst he staid in |