This text has been selected for inclusion in the EEBO-TCP: Navigations collection, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication ( http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
SIR,
I Receiv'd lately one of yours, but it was of a very old date: we have our eyes here now all fixd upon Rome, greedily expecting the Ratification, and lately a strong rumor ran it was com, in so much Mr Clerk who was sent hither from the Prince being a ship∣board, (and now lies sick at my Lord of Bristolls house of a Calen∣ture) hearing of it, he desired to speak with him, for he had som∣thing
to deliver him from the Prince, my Lord Ambassador being com to him, Mr Clerk delivered a letter from the Prince; the con∣tents wherof were, that wheras he had left certain Proxies in his hand to be deliverd to the King of Spain after the Ratification was com, he desir'd and requir'd him not to do it till he should re∣ceive further order from England; my Lord of Bristoll hereupon went to Sir Walter Aston, who was in joynt Commission with him for concluding the match, and shewing him the Letter, what my Lord Aston said I know not, but my Lord of Bristoll told him that they had a Commission Royall under the broad Seal of England to conclude the match; he knew as well as he how earnest the King their Master hath bin any time these ten years to have it don; how ther could not be a better pawn for the surrendry of the Palatinat, than the Infanta in the Prince his arms, who would never rest till she did the work to merit love of our Nation: He told him al∣so how their owne particular fortunes depended upon't, besides if he should delay one moment to deliver the Proxy after the Ratifi∣cation was com according to agreement, the Infanta would hold her self so blemish'd in her honor, that it might overthrow all things. Lastly, he told him that they incurr'd the hazard of their heads if they should suspend the executing his Majesties Commission upon any order but from that power which gave it, who was the King him∣self; hereupon both the Ambassadors proceeded still in preparing matters for the solemnizing of the mariage: the Earl of Bristoll had caus'd above thirty rich Liveries to be made of watchet Vel∣vet, with silver lace up to the very capes of the Cloaks, the best sorts wherof were valued at 80 l. a Livery: My Lord Aston had also provided new Liveries, and a fortnight after the said politic re∣port was blown up, the Ratification came indeed complete and full; so the mariage day was appointed, a Terrass cover'd all over with Tapestry was rais'd from the Kings Palace to the next Church, which might be about the same extent, as from White-Hall to West∣minster Abbey, and the King intended to make his sister a Wife, and his daughter (wherof the Queen was deliver'd a little before) a Christian upon the same day; the Grandes and great Ladies had been invited to the mariage, and order was sent to all the Port Towns to discharge their great Ordnance, and sundry other things were prepar'd to honor the solemnity: but when wee were thus at the hight of our hopes, a day or two before; there came Mr. Killegree, Gresley, Wood and Davies, one upon the neck of another with a new Commission to my Lord of Bristoll immediatly from his Majesty, countermanding him to deliver the Proxy aforesaid, untill a full
and absolut satisfaction were had for the surrendry of the Palatinat under this Kings hand and Seal, in regard he desir'd his Son should be married to Spain, and his Son in law remarried to the Palatinat at one time; hereupon all was dasht to peeces; and that frame which was rearing so many years, was ruin'd in a moment. This news strook a damp in the hearts of all people here, and they wisht that the Postillons that brought it, had all broke their necks in the way.
My Lord of Bristoll hereupon went to Court to acquaint the King with his new Commission, and so propos'd the restitution of the Palatinat, the King answer'd 'twas none of his to give, 'tis true he had a few Towns there, but he held them as Commissioner only for the Emperor, and he could not command an Emperor; yet if his Majesty of great Britain would put a Treaty a foot, hee would send his own Ambassadors to joyn; In the interim, the Earl was commanded not to deliver the foresaid Proxy of the Prince, for the desposorios or espousall untill Christmas: (And herein it seems his Majesty with you was not well inform'd, for those powers of Proxies expir'd before) the King here said further that if his Uncle the Emperor, or the Duke of Bavaria would not be conformable to reason, he would raise as great an Army for the Prince Palsgrave▪ as he did under Spinola when he first invaded the Palatinat; and to secure this, he would ingage his Contratation House of the West Indies, with his Plate Fleet, and give the most binding instrument that could be under his hand and Seal. But this gave no satisfa∣ction, therfore my Lord of Bristoll I beleeve hath not long to stay here, for he is commanded to deliver no more Letters to the Infan∣ta, nor demand any more audience, and that she should be no more stiled Princess of England, or Wales. The foresaid Caution which this King offer'd to my Lord of Bristoll, made me think of what I read of his Grandfather Philip the second, who having been maried to our Queen Mary, and it being thought she was with child of him, and was accordingly prayed for at Pauls Cross, though it proved af∣terward but a tympany, King Philip prepos'd to our Parliament that they would pass an Act that he might be Regent during his or her minority that should be born, and he would give good caution to surrender the Crown, when he or she should com to age: the motion was hotly canvas'd in the house of Peers, and like to pass, when the Lord Paget rose up and said, I, but who shall sue the Kings bond? so the busines was dasht. I have no more news to send you now, and I am sory I have so much, unless it were better; for we that have busi∣nes to negotiat here are like to suffer much by this rupture:
welcom be the will of God, to whose benediction I commend you, and rest
Madrid, Aug. 25. 1623.
Your most humble Servitor, J. H.