0^ cV."-, O, .^^ ^ "-n^o^ c^ I 1-^ i 1 m ADVERTISEMENT OME years ago the following pages would have been reckoned one of the greatest pres- ents which the learned world could have received. The Life of the famous Lord Her- hert of Cherbury, written by himself, would have excited the curiosity of the whole republic of letters. Perhaps a less proportion of expectation may attend this its late appearance. Not that the abilities of the noble writer have fallen into disesteem. His Reign of Henry the Eighth is allowed to be a masterpiece of his- toric biography. But they were his speculative works which, raising a multitude of admirers or censors from their acuteness and singularity, made Lord Herbert's a name of the first importance. The many great men who illustrated the succeeding period have taken off some of the public attention ; for it is only a genius of the first force whose fame dilates with ages, and can buoy itself up above the indifference which steals upon mankind as an author becomes less and less the subject of conversation. Speculative writers, however pene- trating, however sublime their talents, seldom attain the seal of universal approbation^ because, of all the 16 ADVERTISEMENT. , various abilities which Providence has bestowed on man, reasoning is not the power which has been brought to standard perfection. Poetry and eloquence have been so far perfected that the great masters in those branches still remain unequalled. But where is that book of human argumentation, where that system of human opinions^ which has not been partly confuted or exploded ? Novelty itself in matters of metaphysical inquiry offen proves, in effect, a confutation of antece- dent novelties. Opponents raise the celebrity of the doctrines they attack : newer doctrines stifle that celeb- rity. This is a truth which the bigots of Lord Her- bert's age would not have liked to hear ; but what has happened to many other great men has been his fate too : they who meant to M^ound his fame extended it ; when the cry of enthusiasts was drawn off to fresher game, his renown grew fainter. His moral character recgvered its lustre, but has fewer spectators to gaze at it. This introduction to his life may not be improper, though at first it may mislead the reader, who will hence perhaps expect from his own pen some account of a person's creed, whom a few sottish zealots once represented as having none at all. His lordship's thorough belief and awful veneration of the Deity will clearly appear in these pages ; but neither the unbeliever nor the monk will have farther satisfaction. This life of a philosopher is neither a deduction of his opinions nor a table of philosophy. I will anticipate the read- er's surprise, though it shall be but in a M'ord : to his astonishment he Mdll find that the history of Don Quixote was the life of Plato. The noble family which gives these sheets to the world is above the little prejudices which make many ADVERTISEMENT. 17 a race defraud the public of what was designed for it by those who alone had a right to give or withhold. It is above suppressing what Lord Herbert dared to tell. Foibles, passions, perhaps some vanity, surely some wrongheadedness, — these he scorned to conceal, for he sought truth; wrote on truth, was truth. He honestly told when he had missed or mistaken it. His descend- ants, not blind to his faults, but through them conduct- ing the reader to his virtues, desire the world to make this candid observation with them : '^ That there must have been a wonderfLil fund of internal virtue, of strong resolution, and manly philosophy, which, in an age of such mistaken and barbarous gallantry, of such absurd usages and false glory, could enable Lord Herbert to seek fame better founded, and could make him reflect that there might be a more desirable kind of glory than that of a romantic duellist." None shut their eyes so obstinately against seeing what is ridiculous as they who have attained a mastery in it ; but that was not the case of Lord Herbert. His valor made him a hero, be the heroism in vogue what it would ; his sound parts made him a philosopher. Few men in truth have figured so conspicuously in lights so various ; and his descendants, though they cannot approve him in every walk of glory, would perhaps injure his memory if they suffered the world to be ignorant that he was formed to shine in every sphere into which his impetuous tem- perament or predominant reason conducted him. As a soldier, he won the esteem of those great cap- tains the Prince of Orange and the Constable de Mont- morency ; as a knight, his chivalry was drawn from the purest fonts of the Fairy Queen. Had he been ambitious, the beauty of his person would have carried him as far as any gentle knight can aspire to go. As 18 ADVERTISEMENT. a public minister, he supported the dignity of his coun- try, even when its prince disgraced it ; and that he was qualified to M^rite its annals as well as to ennoble them, the history I have mentioned proves, and must make us lament that he did not complete, or that we have lost, the account he purposed to give of his embassy. These busy scenes were blended with and terminated by meditation and philosophic inquiries. Strip each period of its excesses and errors, and it will not be easy to trace out or dispose the life of a man of quality into a succession of employments which would better be- come him. Valor and military activity in youth ; busi- ness of state in the middle age ; contemplation and labors for the information of posterity in the calmer scenes of closing life. - This was Lord Herbert : the deduction he will give himself. The MS. was in great danger of being lost to the world. Henry Lord Herbert, grandson of the author, died in 1691 without issue, and by his will left his estate to Francis Herbert of Oakly Park (father of the present Earl of Powis), his sister's son. At Lymore, in Mont- gomeryshire (the chief seat of the family after Crom.- well had demolished Montgomery Castle), was preserved the original manuscript. Upon the marriage of Henry Lord Herbert with a daughter of Francis, Earl of Brad- ford, Lymore, with a considerable part of the estate thereabouts, was allotted for her jointure. After his decease Lady Herbert usually resided there ; she died in 1714. The MS. could then not be found ; yet while she lived there, it was known to have been in her hands. Some years afterwards it was discovered at Lymore among some old papers, in very bad condition ; several leaves being torn out and others stained to such a degree as to make it scarcely legible. Under these ADVERTISEMENT. 19 circumstances inquiry was made of the Herberts of llibbisfortl (desc^ended from Sir Henry Herbert, a younger brother of the author lord) in rehition to a duplicate of the memoirs, which was confidently said to be in their custody. It was allowed that such a duplicate had existed, but no one could recollect what was become of it. At last, about the year 1737, this book was sent to the Earl of Powis by a gentleman, whose father had purchased an estate of Henry Herbert of Eibbisford (son of Sir Henry Herbert above-men- tioned), in whom was revived in 1694 the title of Cher- bury, which had been extinguished in 1691. By him (after the sale of the estate) some few books, pictures, and other things were left in the house and remained there to 1737. This manuscript was amongst them ; which, not only by the contents (as far as it was pos- sible to collate it with the original), but by the simili- tude of the writing, appeared to be the duplicate so much sought after. Being written when Lord Herbert was past sixty. the work was probably never completed. A few notes have been added, to point out tlie most remarkable persons mentioned in the text. The style is remarkably good for that age, which, coming between the nervous and expressive manliness of the preceding century and the purity of the present standard, partook of neither. His lordship's observations are new and acute ; some very shrewd, as that to the Due de Guise ; his dis- course on the Reformation very wise. To the French confessor his reply was spirited ', indeed, his behavior to Luynes, and all his conduct, gave ample evidence of his constitutional fire. But nothing is more marked than the air of veracity or persuasion which runs through the whole narrative. If he make us wonder, and won- 20 ADVERTISEMENT. der make us doubt, the charm of his ingenuous integrity dispels our hesitation. The whole relation throws singular light on the manners of the age, though the gleams are transient. In those manners nothing is more striking than the strange want of police in this country. I will not point out instances, as I have already perhaps too much opened the contents of a book which, if it give other readers half the pleasure it afforded me, they will own themselves extraordinarily indebted to the noble person by whose favor I am permitted to communicate to them so great a curiosity. THE LIFE OP EDWARD LORD HERBERT OF CHERBURY. DO believe that if all my ancestors had set down their lives in writing, and left them to posterity, many documents necessary to he known of those who both participate of their natural inclinations and humors, must in all proba- bility run a not much different course, might have been given for their instruction; and certainly it vnll be found much better for men to guide themselves by such observations as their father, grandfather and great-grandfather might have delivered to them, than by those vulgar rules and examples which cannot in all points so exactly agree unto them. Therefore, whether their life M^ere private, and contained only precepts necessary to treat with their children, ser- vants, tenants, kinsmen, and neighbors, or employed abroad in the university, or study of the law, or in the court, or in the camp, their heirs might have benefited themselves more by them than by any else ; for 22 THE LIFE OF which reason I have thought fit to relate to my po's- terity those passages of my life which I conceive may best declare me, and be most useful to them. In the delivery of which I profess to write with all truth and sincerity, as scorning ever to deceive or speak false to any, and therefore detesting it much more where I am under obligation of speaking to those so near me ; and if this be one reason for taking my pen in hand at this time, so as my age is now past threescore, it will be fit to recollect my former actions, and examine what had been done well or ill, to the intent I may both reform that which was amiss, and so make my peace with God, as also comfort myself in those things which, through God's great grace and favor, have been done according to the rules of conscience, virtue, and honor. Before yet I bring myself to this account, it will be necessary I say somewhat concerning my ancestors, as far as the notice of them is come to me in any credible way; of whom yet I cannot say much, since I was but eight years old when my grandfather died, and that my father lived but about four years after; and that for the rest I have lived for the most part from home, it is impossible I should have that entire knowledge of their actions which might inform me sufficiently. I shall only therefore relate the more known and undoubted parts of their lives.* My father was Richard Herbert, Esq., son to Ed- ward Herbert, Esq., and grandchild to Sir Eichard * Tliongh his lordship, accordinpr to his scrnpulotis exactness, would set down nothing rehitiiig to his ancestors bnt what was of undonbted notoriety, yet it is probable that he had some memorials of his family in writing; for Dugdale in his Baronage, Vol. IT. p. 25fi, edit, of 1676, quotes a curious passage relating to the family's assumption of the name of Her- bert from a manuscript book which he had seen in the hands of our author, Lord Herbert. EDWARD LOED HERBERT. 23 Herbert, Kut., who was a younger son of Sir Richard Herbert, of Colebrook, in Monmouthshire, of all whom I shall say a little. And first of my father, whom I remember to have been black-haired and bearded, as all my ancestors of his side are said to have been, o-f a manly or somewhat stem look, but withal very handsome and well compact in his limbs, and of a great courage, whereof he gave proof, when he was so barbarously assaulted by many men in the church- yard at Llanerfyl, at what time he would have ap- prehended a man who denied to appear to justice ; fjr defending himself against them all, by the help only of one John ap Howell Corbet, he chased his adversaries until a villain, coming behind him, did over the shoulders of others wound him on the head behind with a forest bill until he fell down, though recovering himself again, notwithstanding his skull was cut through to the pia mater of the brain, he saw his adversaries fly away, and after walked home to his house at Llyssyn, where, after he was cured, he offered a single combat to the chief of the family, by whose procurement it was thought the mischief was committed; but, he disclaiming wholly the action as not done by his consent, which he offered to testify by oath, and the villain himself flying into Ireland, whence he never returned, my father desisted from prosecuting the business any farther in that kind, and attained, notwithstanding the said hurt, that health and strength that he returned to his former exercises in a country life, and became the father of many chil- dren. As for his integrity in his places of deputy lieu- tenant of the county, justice of the peace, and custos rotulorum, which he, as my grandfother before him, held, it is so memorable to this day that it was said his 24 THE LIFE OF enemies appealed to him for justice, which they also found on all occasions. His learning was not vulgar, as understanding well the Latin tongue, and being well versed in history. My grandfather was of a various life : beginning first at court, where, after he had spent most part of his means, he became a soldier, and made his fortune with his sword at the siege of St. Quintens in France and other wars, both in the north and in the rebellions happening in the times of King Edward the Sixth and Queen Mary, with so good success that he not only came off still with the better, but got so much money and wealth a& enabled him to buy the greatest part of that livelihood which is descended to me; though yet I hold some lands which his mother, the Lady Ann Herbert, purchased, as appears by the deeds made to her by that name, which I can show ; and might have held more, which my grandfather sold underfoot at an under value in his youth, and might have been recovered by my father had my grandfather suffered him. My grandfather was noted to be a great enemy to the outlaws and thieves of his time, who robbed in great numbers in the mountains in Montgom- eryshire, for the suppressing of whom he went often both day and night to the places where they were ; con- cerning which, though many particulars have been told me, I shall mention one only. Some outlaws being lodged in an alehouse upon the hills of Llandinam, my grandfather and a few servants coming to apprehend them, the principal outlaw shot an arrow against my grandfather, which stuck in the j)ommel of his saddle ; whereupon my grandfather coming up to him with his sword in his hand, and taking him prisoner, he showed him the said arrow, bidding him look what he had done, whereof the outlaw was no farther sensible EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 25 than to say he was sorry that he left his better bow at home, which he conceived would have carried his shot to his body ; but the outlaw, being brought to justice, suffered for it. My grandfather's power was so great in the country that divers ancestors of the better families now in Montgomeryshire were his ser- vants and raised by him. He delighted also much in hospitality, as having a very long table twice covered every meal with the best meats that could be gotten, and a very great family. It was an ordinary saying in the country at that time when they saw any fowl rise, *' Fly where thou wilt, thou wilt light at Black hall," which was a low building, but of great capacity, my grandfather erected in his age ; his father and himself in former times having lived in Montgomery Castle. Notwithstanding yet these expenses at home, he brought up his children well, married his daughters to the better sort of persons near him, bringing up his younger sons at the university ', from whence his son Matthew went to the Low Country wars, and after some time spent there came home and lived in the country at Dolegeog, upon a house and fair living which my grandfather bestowed upon him. His son also, Charles Herbert, after he had pased some time in the Low Coun- tries, likewise returned home, and was after married to an inheritrix, whose eldest son, called Sir Edward Herbert, Knt., is the king's attorney-general. His son George, who was of New College in Oxford, was very learned, and of a pious life, died in a middle age of a dropsy. . Notwithstanding all which occasions of expense, my grandfather purchased much lands, without doing any- thing yet unjustly or hardly, as may be collected by an offer I have publicly made divers times, having 26 THE LIFE OF given my "bailiff in charge to proclaim to the country, that if any lands w^ere gotten by evil means, or so much as hardly, they should he compounded for, or restored again ; but to this day, never any man yet complained to me in this kind. He died at the age of fourscore or thereabouts, and was buried in Montgom- ery church, without having any monument made for him, which yet for my father is there set up in a fair manner. My great-grandfather, Sir Eichard Her- bert, was steward in the time of King Henry the Eighth, of the lordships and marches of North Wales, East Wales, and Cardiganshire, and had power, in a martial law, to execute offenders ; in the using thereof he was so just that he acquired to himself a singular reputation, as may appear upon the records of that time, kept in the paper-chamber at Whitehall, some touch whereof I have made in my " History of Henry the Eighth " ; of him I can say little more than that he likewise was a great suppressor of rebels, thieves, and outlaws, and that he was just and con- scionable; for if a false or cruel person had that power committed to his hands, he would have raised a great fortune out of it, whereof he left little, save what his father gave him, unto posterity. He lieth buried likewise in Montgomery; the upper monu- ment of the two placed in the chancel being erected for him. My great-great-grandfather. Sir Richard Herbert of Colebrook, was that incomparable hero who (in the history of Hall and Grafton,as it appears) twice passed through a great army of northern men alone, with his poll-axe in his hand, and returned without any mortal hurt, which is more than is famed of Ama- dis de Gaul, or the Knight of the Sun. I shall, besides this relation of Sir Richard Herbert's prowess in the EDWAKD LORD HERBERT. 27 "bittle at Banbury or Edgecott Hill, — being the place where the late battle was fought, — deliver some tra- ditions concerning him, which 1 have received from good hands ; one is, that the said Sir Richard Herbert, being employed, together with his brother William, Earl of Pembroke, to reduce certain* rebels in North Wales, Sir Richard Herbert besieged a principal person of them at Harlech Castle in Merionethshire ; the captain of this place had been a soldier in the wars of France, whereupon he said he had kept a castle in France so long that he made the old women in Wales talk of him ', and that he would keep the castle so long that he would make the old women in France talk of him } and indeed, as the place M^as almost impregnable but by famine, Sir Richard Herbert was constrained to take him in by composition, he surrendering himself upon condition that Sir Richard Herbert should do what he could to save his life, which being accepted, Sir Rich- ard brought him to King Edward the Fourth, desiring his highness to give him a pardon, since he yielded up a place of importance, which he might have kept longer, upon this hope ', but the king replying to Sir Richard Herbert that he had no power by his commis- sion to pardon any, and therefore might, after the rep- resentation hereof to his majesty, safe deliver him up to justice, Sir Richard Herbert answered he had not * It was an insurrection in tlie ninth year of Edward the Fourth, headed by Sir John Coniers and Roliert Riddesdale, in favor of Henry the Sixth. This William, Earl of Pembroke, and his brother Sir Richard Herbert being sent against them, were to be joined by the Earl of Dev- onshire, but, a squabble happening between the two earls about quarters, tlie Earl of Devonshire separated from Pembroke, who, engaging the. enemy at Danesmoore near Edgecott in Northamptonshire, was defeated and taken prisoner, with his brother, and both were put to death, with Richard Wid\ ille, Earl Rivers, father of the queen, by command of the Dakcof Clarence and the Earl of Warwick, vvlio had revolted from Edward. 28 THE LIFE OF yet done the best he could for him, and therefore most humbly desired his highness to do one of two things, either to put him again in the castle where he was, and command some other to take him out, or, if his highness would not do so, to take his life for the said captain's, that being the last proof he could give that he used his uttermost endeavor to save the said cap- tain's life. The king, finding himself urged thus far, gave Sir Richard Herbert the life of the said captain, but withal he bestowed no other reward for his service. The other history is that Sir Richard Herbert, together with his brother the Earl of Pembroke, being in Anglesey apprehending there seven brothers which had done many mischiefs and murders, in these times the Earl of Pembroke thinking it fit to root out so wicked a progeny, commanded them all to be hanged j whereupon the mother of them, coming to the Earl of Pembroke, upon her knees desired him to pardon two, or at leastwise one, of her said sons, affirm- ing that the rest were sufficient to satisfy justice or example, which request also Sir Richard Herbert sec- onded ; but the earl, finding them all equally guilty, said he could make no distinction betwixt them, and therefore commanded them to be executed together j at which the mother was so aggrieved that with a pair of woollen beads on her arms, for so the relation goeth, she on her knees cursed him, praying God's mischief might fall to hiin in the first battle he should make : the earl after this, coming with his brother to Edgecott field, as is before set down, after he had put his men in order to fight, found his brother Sir Richard Herbert in the head of his men, leaning upon his poll-axe in a kind of sad or pensive manner, whereupon the earl said, '' What, doth thy great 'EDWARD LOED HERBERT. 29 body," for he was higher hy the head than any one in the army, '^ apprehend anything that thou art so mel- ancholy, or art thou weary with marching, that thou dost lean thus upon thy poll-axe ? " Sir Richard Her- bert replied that he was neither of both, whereof he should see the proof presently ; '' only I cannot but apprehend on your part, least the curse of the woman Mdth the woollen beads fall upon you." This Sir Eichard Herbert lieth buried in Abergavenny, in a sumptuous monument for those times, which still re- mains, whereas his brother, the Earl of Pembroke, being buried in Tintern Abbey, his monument to- gether with the church lie now wholly defaced and ruined. This Earl of Pembroke had a younger son, which had a daughter which married the eldest son of the Earl of Worcester, who carried away the fair castle of Ragland, with many thousand pounds yearly from the heir male of that house, which was the second son of the said Earl of Pembroke, and ances- tor of the family of St. GiUians, whose daughter and heir I after married, as shall be told in its place. And here it is very remarkable that the younger sons of the said Earl of Pembroke, and Sir Richard Her- bert left their posterity after them, who in the person of myself and my wife united both houses again, which is the more memorable, that when the said Earl of Pembroke and Sir Richard Herbert were taken prison- ers in defending the just cause of Edward the Fourth, at the battle above said, the earl never entreated that his own life might be saved, but his brother's, as it appears by the said history. So that joining of both houses together in my posterity ought to produce a per- petual obligation of friendship and mutual love in them one to another, since by these two brothers so brave 30 THE LIFE OF an example thereof was given, as seemiug not to live or die but for one another. My mother was Magdalen Newport, daughter of Sir Richard Newport and Margaret his wife, daughter and l^eir of Sir Thomas Bromley, one of the privy council and executor of King Henry tlie Eighth, who surviving her husband gave rare testimonies of an incomparable piety to God, and love to her children, as being most assiduous and devout in her daily, both private and public, prayers, and so careful to provide for her pos- terity that though it M^as in her power to give her es- tate (which was very great) to whom she would, yet she continued still unmarried, and so provident for them that after she had bestowed aU her daughters with sufficient portions upon very good neighboring fami- lies, she delivered up her estate and care of house- keeping to her eldest son Francis, when now she had for many years kept hospitality with that plenty and order as exceeded aU either of her country or time ; for, besides abundance of provision and good cheer for guests, which her son Sir Francis Newport continued, she used ever after dinner to distribute, vidth her own hands, to the poor, who resorted to her in great num- bers, alms in money, to every one of them, more or less, as she thought they needed it. By these ances- tors I am descended of Talbot, Devoreux, Gray, Corbet, and many other noble families, as may be seen in their matches, extant in the many fair coats the Newports bear. I could say much more of my ancestors of that side likewise, but that I should exceed my proposed scope. I shall therefore only say somewhat more of my mother, my brothers, and sisters ; and for my mother, after she lived most virtuously and lovingly with her husband for many years, she after his death EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 31 erected a fair monument for him in Montgomery church; brought up her children carefully, and put them in good courses for making their fortunes, and, briefly, was that woman Dr. Donne hath described in his funeral sermon of her printed. The names of her children were, Edward, Richard, William, Charles, George, Henry, Thomas; her daughters were, Eliza- beth, Margaret, Frances; of all whom I will say a little before I begin a narration of my own life, so I may pursue my intended purpose the more entirely. My brother Richard, after he had been brought up in learning, went to the Low Countries, where he con- tinued many years with much reputation, both in the wars, and for fighting single duels, which were many, insomuch that between both, he carried as I have been told, the scars of four and twenty wounds upon him to his grave, and lies buried in Bergen-opzoom. My brother William, being brought up likewise in learning, went afterwards to the wars in Denmark, where, fight- ing a single combat, and having his sword broken, he not only defended himself with that pifece which re- mained, but, closing with his adversary, threw him down, and so held him until company came in; and then went to the wars in the Low Countries, but lived not long after ; my brother Charles was fellow of New College, in Oxford, where he died young, after he had given great hopes of himself every way. My brother* George was so excellent a scholar that he was made * He had studied foreign languages in hopes of rising to be secretary of state, but, being disappointed in his views at court, he took orders, became prebend of Lincoln, and rector of Bemerton near Salisl)ury. He died between 1630 and 1640. His poems were printed at London in 1635, under tlie title of " The Temple" ; and his "Piiest to the Temple," in 1653. Lord Bacon dedicated to him a translation of some psalms into Englisli verse. o 2 THE LIFE OF the public orator of the University in Cambridge, some of whose English works are extant, which, though they be rare in their kind, yet are far short of express- ing those perfections he had in the Greek and Latin tongue, and all divine and human literature ; his wife was most holy and exemplary, insomuch that about Salisbury, where he lived beneficed for many years, he was little less than sainted : he was not exempt from passion and choler, being infirmities to which all our race is subject, but, that excepted, without reproach in his actions. Henry, after he had been brought up in learning as the other brothers were, was sent by his friends into France, where he attained the language of that country in much perfection, after which time he came to court, and was made gentleman of the king's privy-chamber, and master of the revels, by which means, as also by a good marriage, he attained to great fortunes, for himself and posterity to enjoy : he also hath given several proofs of his courage in duels, and otherwise, being no less dexterous in the ways of the court, as having gotten much by it. My brother Thomas was a posthumous, as being born some weeks after his father's death; he, also being brought up a while at school, was sent as a page to Sir Edward Cecil,* lord general of his majesty's auxiliary forces to the princes in Grennany, and was particularly at the siege of Juliers, Anno Dom. 1610, where he show^ed such forwardness as no man in that great army before him was more adventurous on all occasions. Being returned from thence, he went to the East Indies under the command of Captain Joseph, who, in his way tliither, meeting with a great Spanish * Afterwards Viscount Wimbledon. See an account of him in " The Uoyal and Noble Authors." EDWAED LORD HERBERT. 33 ship, was imfortimately killed in fight with them; whereupon, his men being disheartened, my brother Thomas encouraged them to revenge the loss, and renewed the fight in that manner (as Sir John Smyth, governor of the East India Company, told me at several times) that they forced the Spanish ship to run aground, where the English shot her through and through so often that she ran herself aground, and was left wholly unserviceable. After which time he with the rest of the fleet came to Suratte, and from thence went with the merchants to the G-reat Mogul, where, after he had stayed about a twelvemonth, he returned with the same fleet back again to England. After this he went in the navy w^hich King James sent to Argier, under the command of Sir Robert Man-» sell, where our men being in great want of money and victuals^ and many ships scattering themselves to try whether they could obtain a prize w^hereby to relieve the whole fleet, it was his hap to meet with a ship, which he took, and in it to the value of eighteen hundred pounds, which it was thought saved the whole fleet from perishing : he conducted also Count Mans- feldt to the Low Countries in one of the king's ships, which being unfortunately cast away not far from the shore, the count together with his company saved themselves in a long boat or shallop, the benefit whereof my said brother refused to take for the present, as resolving to assist the master of the ship, who endeav- ored by all means to clear the ship from the danger ; but, finding it impossible, he was the last man that saved himself in the long boat ; the master thereof yet refusing to come away, so that he perished together with the ship. After this, he commanded one of the ships that were sent to bring the prince from Spain, 34 THE LIFE OF where, upon his return, there heing a fight hetween the Low Countrymen and the Dunkirkers, the prince, who thought it was not for his dignity to suflfer them to fight in his presence, commanded some of his ships to part them, whereupon my said hrother with some other ships got betwixt them on either side, and shot so long that both parties were glad to desist. After he had brought the prince safely home, he was ap- pointed to go with one of the king's ships to the nar- row seas : he also fought divers times with great courage and success with divers men in single fight, sometimes hurting and disarming his adversary, and sometimes driving him away : after all these proofs given of himself, he expected some great command, but, finding himself as he thought undervalued, he retired to a private and melancholy life, being much discontented to find others preferred to him ; in which sullen humor having lived many years, he died and was buried in London, in St. Martin's near Charing Cross, so that of all my brothers none survives but Henry. I shall now come to myself. I was born at Eyton in Shropshire (being a house which together with fair lands descended upon the Newports by my said grand- mother), between the hours of twelve and one of the clock in the morning; my infancy was very sickly, my head continually purging itself very much by my ears, whereupon also it was so long before I began to speak that many thought I sliould be ever dumb : the very farthest thing I remember is that when I under- stood what was said by others I did yet forbear to speak, lest I should utter something that was imperfect or impertinent ; when I came to talk, one of the farthest inquiries I made M^^as how I came into this EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 35 world. I told my nurse, keeper, and others, I found myself here indeed, but from what cause or beginning or by what means I could not imagine 5 but for this as I was laughed at by nurse and some other women that were then present, so I was wondered at by others, who said they never heard a child but myself ask that question ; upon which, when I came to riper years, I made this observation, which afterwards a little com- forted me, that as I found myself in possession of this life without knowing anything of the pangs and throes my mother suffered, when yet doubtless they did no less press and afflict me than her, so I hope my soul shall pass to a better life than this without being sensible of the anguish and pains my body shall feel in death. For, as I believe then I shall be trans- mitted to a more happy estate by God's great grace, I am confident I shall no more know how I came out of this world than how I came into it. And certainly since in my mother's womb this plastica or formatrix which formed my eyes, ears, and other senses, did not intend them for that dark and noisome place, but as being conscious of a better life, made them as fitting organs to ajoprehend and perceive those things which should occur in this world, so I believe since my coming into this world my soul hath formed or produced certain faculties which are almost as use- less for this life as the above-named senses were for the mother's womb ; and these faculties are hope, faith, love, and joy, since they never rest or fix upon any transitory or perishing object in this world, as extend- ing themselves to something farther than can be here given, and indeed acquiesce only in the perfect, eternal, and infinite : I confess they are of some use here, yet I appeal to everybody whether any worldly felicity did W THE LIFE OF so satisfy their hope here, that they did not wish and hope for something more excellent ; or whether they had ever that faith in their own wisdom, or in the help of man, that they were not constrained to have recourse to some diviner and superior power than they could find on earth, to relieve them in their danger or necessity ; whether ever they could place their love on any earthly beauty, that it did not fade and wither, if not frustrate or deceive them j or whether ever their joy was so con- summate in anything they delighted in, that they did not want much more than it, or indeed this world can afford, to make them happy. The proper objects of these faculties, therefore, though framed or at least, appearing in this world, is God only, upon whom faith, hope, and love were never placed in vain, or remain long unrequited: but to leave these discourses and come to my childhood again ; I remember this defluc- tion at my ears above-mentioned continued in that violence that my fi-icnds did not think fit to teach me so much as my alphabet until I was seven years old, at which time my defluction ceased, and left me free of the disease my ancestors were subject unto, being the epilepsy. My schoolmaster, in the house of my said lady grandmother, began then to teach me the alpha- bet, and afterwards grammar, and other books com- monly read in schools, in which I profited so much that upon this theme, *' Audaces fortuna juvat," I made an oraticm of a sheet of paper, and fifty or sixty verses in the space of one day. I remember in that time I was corrected sometimes for going to cuffs with two school-fellows, being both older than myself, but never for telling a lie or any other fault, my natural disposition and inclination being so contrary to all falsehood that, being demanded whether I had com- EDWARD LOED HErvBERT. 37 mitted any fault whereof I might be justly suspected, I did use ever to confess it freely, and thereupon choos- ing rather to suffer correction than to stain my mind with telling a lie, which I did judge then no time could ever deface; and I can affirm to all the world truly, that from my first infancy to this hour I told not will- ingly anything that was false, my soul naturally hav- ing an antipathy to lying and deceit. After I had attained the age of nine, during all which time I lived in my said lady grandmother's house at Eyton, my parents thought fit to send me to some place where I might learn the Welsh tongue, as believing it neces^ sary to enable me to treat with those of my friends and tenants who understood no other language, whereupon I was recommended to Mr. Edward Thellwall, of Place- ward, in Denbighshire ; this gentleman I must remem- ber with honor, as having of himself acquired the exact knowledge of Greek, Latin, French, Italian, and Span- ish, and all other learning, having for that purpose neither gone beyond seas, nor so much as had the benefit of any universities. Besides, be was of that rare temper in governing his choler that I never saw him angry during the time of my stay there, and have heard so much of him for many years before. When occasion of offence was given him I have seen him seldom redden in the face, and after remain for a while silent, but when he spoke his words were so calm and gentle, that I found he had digested his choler, although yet I confess I could never attain that perfection, as being subject ever to choler and passion more than I ought, and generally to speak my mind freely, and in- deed rather to imitate those who, having fire within doors, choose rather to give it vent than suffer it tt» bum the house. I commend yet much more the manner o 8 THE LIFE OF t)f Mr. Thellwall, and certainly he that can forhear speaking for some while will remit much of his pas- sion, but as I could not learn much of him in this kind, so I did as little profit in learning the Welsh or any other of those languages that worthy gentleman under- stood, as having a tertian ague for the most part of nine months, which was all the time I stayed in his house; having recovered my strength again, I was sent, being about the age of ten, to be taught by one Mr. Newi;on, at Diddlebury, in Shropshire, where, in the space of less than two years, I not only recovered all I had lost in my sickness, but attained to the knowledge of the Greek tongue and logic, insomuch that at twelve years old my parents thought fit to send me to Oxford to University College, where I remember to have disputed at my first coming in logic, and to have made in Greek the exercises required in that col- lege, oftener than in Latin. I had not been many months in the university, but news was brought me of my father's death, his sick- ness being a lethargy, caros, or coma vigilans, which continued long upon him; he seemed at last to die without much pain, although in his senses. Upon ophiion given by physicians that his disease was mor- tal, my mother thought fit to send for me home, and presently after my father's death to desire her brother. Sir Francis Newport, to haste to London to obtain my wardship for his and her use jointly, which he ob- tained. Shortly after I was sent again to my studies in Oxford, w^here I had not been long but that an overture for a match with the daughter and heir of Sir William Herbert, of St. Gillians, was made, the occa- sion whereof was this : Sir William Herbert being heir male to the old Earl of Pembroke above-mentioned, by EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 39 a younger son of his (for the eldest son had a daughter who carried away those great possessions the Earl of Worcester now holds in Monmouthshire, as I said be- fore), having one only daughter surviving, made a will whereby he estated all his possessions in Monmouth- shire and Ireland upon his said daughter, upon con- ditions she married one of the surname of Herbert, otherwise the said lands to descend to the heirs male of the said Sir William ; and his daughter to have only a small portion out of the lands he had in Anglesey and Carnarvonshire. His lands being thus settled, Sir William died shortly afterwards. He was a man much conversant with books, and especially given to the study of divinity, insomuch that he writ an exposition upon the revelations which is printed, although some thought he was as far from finding the sense thereof as he was from attaining the philosopher's stone, which was another part of his study ; howsoever he was very understanding in all other things, he was noted yet to be of a very high mind, but I can say little of him, as having never seen his person, nor otherwise had much information concerning him. His daughter and heir, called Mary, after her father died, continued unmarried till she was one-and-twenty, none of the Herberts ap- pearing in all that time who either in age or fortune was fit to match her : ^vbout this time I had attained the age of fifteen, and a match at last being proposed, yet, notwithstanding the disparity of years betwixt us, upon the eight-and-twentieth of February, 1598, in the house of Eyton, where the same man. Vicar of , married my father and mother, christened and married me, I espoused her. Not long after my marriage, I went again to Oxford, together with my wife and mother, who took a house and lived for some cer- 40 THE LIFE OF tain time there ; and I now followed my book more close than ever, in which course I continued till I attained about the age of eighteen, when my mother took a house in London, between which place and Montgomery Castle I passed my time till I came to the age of one-and-twenty, having in that space divers children, I having now none remaining but Beatrice, Kichard, and Edward. During tliis time of living in the university or at home, I did without any master or teacher attain the knowledge of the French, Italian, and Spanish languages, by the help of some books in Latin or English translated into those idioms, and the dictionaries of those several languages ; I attained also to sing my part at first sight in music, and to play on the lute with very little or almost no teaching. My in- tention in learning languages being to make myself a citizen of the world as far as it M^ere possible ; and my learning of nmsic was for this end, that I might enter- tain myself at home, and together refresh my mind after my studies, to which I was exceedingly inclined, and that I might not need the company of young men, in whom I observed in those times much ill example and debauchery. Being gotten thus far into my age, I shall give some observations concerning ordinary education, even from the first infancy till the departure from the university, as being desirous together with the narration of my life to deliver such rules as I conceive may be useful to my posterity. When children go to school they should have one to attend them who may take care of their manners as well as the schoolmaster doth of their learning, for among boys all A'ice is easily learned, and here I could wish it constantly observed, that neither the m^aster EDWARD LORD HERBERT. .41 should correct him for faults of his manners, nor his governor for manners for the faults in his learning. After the alphabet is taught, I like well the shortest and clearest grammars, and such books into which all the Greek and Latin words are severally contrived, in which kind one Comenus hath given an example ; this being done, it would be much better to proceed with Greek authors than wdth Latin, for as it is as easy to learn at first the one as the other, it would be much better to give the first impressions into the child's memory of those things which are more rare than usual : therefore I would have them begin at Greek first, and the rather that there is not that art in the world wherein the Greeks have not excelled and gone before others ; so .that when you look upon philosophy, astronomy, math- .ematics, medicine, and briefly all learning, the Greeks have exceeded all nations. When he shall be ready to go to the university,^t will be fit also his governor for Planners go along with him, it being the frail nature of youth as they grow to ripeness in age to be more capable of doing ill, unless their manners be well guided, and themselves by degrees habituated in virtue, with which if once they acquaint themselves they will find more pleasure in it than ever they can do in vice, since everybody loves virtuous persons, whereas the vicious do scarce love one another ; for this purpose it will be necessary that you keep the company of grave, learned men, who are of good reputation, and hear rather what they say, and follow what they do than follow the examples of young, wild, and rash persons ; and certainly of those two parts which are ito be acquired in youth, whereof one is goodness and virtuous manners, the other learning and knowledge, I shall so much prefer the first before the second, as I 42 THE LIFE OF shall ever think virtue, accompanied with ordinary discretion, will make his way better both to happiness in this world and the next, than any puffed knowledge which would cause him to he insolent and vainglo- rious, or minister, as it were, arms and advantages to him for doing a mischief; so that it is pity that wicked dispositions should have knowledge to actuate their ill intentions, or courage to maintain them, that fortitude which should defend all a man's virtues being never well employed to defend his humors, passions, or vices. I do not approve for elder brothers that course of study which is ordinary used in the university, which is, if their parents perchance intend they shall stay three, four, or five years, to employ the said time as if they meant to proceed masters of art and doctors in some science, for which purpose their tutors commonly spend much time in teaching them the subtilities of logic, which, as it is usually pr«lbtised, enables them for little more than to be excellent wranglers, wliich art, though it may be tolerable in a mercenary lawyer, I can by no means commend in a sober and well-gov- erned gentleman. I approve much those parts of logic which teach men to deduce their proofs from firm and undoubted principles, and show men to distinguish betmxt truth and falsehood, and help them to discover fallacies, sophisms, and that which the schoolmen call vicious argumentations, concerning which I shall not here enter into a long discourse. So much of logic as may serve for this purpose being acquired, some good sum of philosophy may be learned, which may teach him both the ground of the Platonic and Aristotelian philosophy. After M^hich it will not be amiss to read the '■'' Idea Medicinae Philosophicse," written by Severinus Danus, there being many things EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 43 considerable concerning the Paracelsian principles writ- ten in that book which are not to be found in former writers; it will not be amiss also to read over Fran- ciscus Patricias and Tilesius, who have examined and controverted the ordinary peripatetic doctrine, all which may be performed in one year, that term being enough for philosophy as I conceive, and six months for logic, for I am confident a man may have quickly more than he needs of these two arts. These being attained, it will be requisite to study geography with exactness, so much as may teach a man the situation of all countries in the whole world, together with which it will be fit to learn something concerning the govern- ments, manners, religions, either ancient or new, as also the interests of states and relations in amity, or strength in which they stand to their neighbors ; it wdll be necessary also at the same time to learn the use of the celestial globe, the studies of both globes being complicated and joined together. I do not conceive yet the knowledge of judicial astrology so necessary, but only for general predictions ; particular events being neither intended by nor collected out of the stars. It will be also fit to learn arithmetic and geometry in some good measure, but especially arithmetic, it being most useful for many purposes, and among the rest for keeping accounts, whereof here is much use : as for the knowledge of lines, superficies, and bodies, though it be a science of much certainty and demonsti'ation, it is not much useful for a gentleman unless it be to under- stand fortifications, the knowledge whereof is worthy of those who intend the wars, though yet he must remem- ber that whatsoever art doth in way of defence, art likewise in way of assailing can destroy. This study hath cost me much labor, but as yet I could never find 44 THE LIFE OF liow any place could be so fortified but that there were means in certain opposite lines to prevent or subvert all that could be done in that kind. It will become a gentleman to have some knowledge in med- icine, especially the diagnostic part, whereby he may take timely notice of a disease, and by that means timely prevent it, as also the prognostic part, whereby he may judge of the symptoms either increasing or decreasing in the disease, as also concerning the crisis or indication thereof. This art will get a gentleman not only much knowl- edge but much credit, since seeing any sick body he will be able to tell in all human probability whether he shall recover, or if he shall die of the disease, to tell what signs shall go before and what the conclusion will be ; it will become him also to know not only the ingredients but doses of certain cathartic or purging, emetic or vomitive medicines, specific or choleric, melancholic or phlegmatic constitutions, phlebot- omy being only necessary for those who abound in blood : besides, I would have a gentleman knoM^ how to make these medicines himself, and afterwards pre- pare them with his own hands, it being the manner of apothecaries so frequently to put in the succedanea that no man is sure to find with them medicines made with the true drugs which ought to enter into the composi- tion when it is exotic or rare ; or when they are ex- tant in the shop, no man can be assured that the said drugs are not rotten, or that they have not lost their natural force and virtue. I have studied this art very much also, and have in case of extremity ministered physic with that success which is strange, whereof I shall give two or three examples : Eichard Griffiths of Sutton, my servant, being sick of a malignant pestilent EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 45 fever, and tried in vain all our coiin+ry physicians conld do, I was entreated to see him, when as yet he had neither eaten, drank, slept, nor known anybody f(jr the space of six or seven days, whereupon demanding whether the physicians had given him over, and it being answered unto me that they had, I said it would not be amiss to give him the quantity of a hazel-nut of a certain rare receipt which I had, assuring that if anything in the world could recover him, that would ; of which I was so confident that I would come the next day at four of the clock in the afternoon unto him, and at that time I doubted not but they should find signs of amendment, provided they should put the doses I gave them, being about the bigness of a nut, down his throat, which being done with much difficulty, I came the morrow after at the hour appointed, when to the wonder of his family he knew me and asked for some broth, and not long after recovered. My cousin Athelston Owen,also of Rhue Sayson, having an hydro- cephale also in that extremity that his eyes began to start out of his head, and his tongue to come out of his mouth, and his whole head finally exceeding its natural proportion, insomuch that his physicians likewise left him, I prescribed to him the decoction of two diuretic roots, which after he had drank four or five days, his head by degrees returned to its ancient figure, and all other signs of health appeared, whereupon also he wrote a letter to me that he was so suddenly and per- fectly restored to his former health, that it seemed more like a miracle than a cure } for those are the very words in the letter he sent me. Having thus passed over all human literature, it will be fit to say something of moral virtues and theological learning. As for the first, since the Christians and the 46 THE LIFE OF heathens are in a manner agreed concerning the deii- 'nitions of virtues, it would not be inconvenient to he- gin with those definitions which Aristotle in liis '' Morals" hath given, as being cn her head ; whereupon I desiring EDWARD LORD HERBERT. '63' her to advise better upon the business, and to take some few days' respite for that purpose, she seemed to depart from me not very we[\ contented. About a week or ten days afterwards, I demanded again what she thought concerning the motion I made, to which yet she said no more, but that she thought she had al- ready answered me sufficiently to the point. I told her then that I should make another motion to her, which was that in regard I was too young to go beyond sea before I mamed her, she now would give me leave fjr a while to see foreign countries ; howbeit, if she would assure her lands as I would mine, in the manner above- mentioned, I would never depart from her. She an- swered that I knew her mind before concerning that point, yet that she would be sorry I went beyond sea ; nevertheless, if I would needs go, she could not help it. This, whether a license taken or given, served my turn to prepare without delay for a journey beyond sea, that so I might satisfy that curiosity I long since had to see foreign countries; so, that I might leave my wife so little discontented as I could, I left her not only pos- terity to renew the family of the Herberts of St. Gril- liaii's, according to her father's desire to inherit his lands, but the rents of all the lands she brought with her, reserving mine own, partly to pay my brothers' and sisters' portions, and defraying my charges abroad. Upon which terms, though I was sorry to leave my wife, I thought it no such unjust ambition to attain the knowledge of foreign countries, especially since I had in great part already attained the languages, and that I intended not to spend any long time out of my country. And now coming to court, I obtained a license to go beyond sea, taking with me for my companion Mr. 64 THE LIFE OF Aureliau To^^msend, a gentleman that spoke the lan- guages of French, Italian, and Spanish in great perfec- tion, and a man to wait in my chamber who spoke French, two lackeys, and three horses. Coming thus to Dover, and passing the seas thence to Calais, I journeyed without any memorable adventure, till I came to Fau- bourg St. Germain in Paris, where Sir George Carew, then ambassador for the king, lived. I was kindly re- ceived by him, and often invited to his table. Next to his house dwelt the Duke of Ventadour, who had married a daughter of Monsieur de Montmorency, Grand Con- stable de France; many visits being exchanged be- tween that duchess and the lady of our ambassador, it pleased the duchess to invite me to her father's house, at the castle of Merlou, being about twenty-four miles from Paris ; and here I found much welcome from that brave old general,* who, being informed of my name, said he knew well of what family I was, telling the first notice he had of the Herberts was at the siege of St. Quintence, where my grandfather, with a command of foot under William Earl of Pembroke, wds. Pass- ing two or three days here, it happened one evening that a daughter of the duchess, of about ten or eleven years of age, going one evening from the castle to walk in the meadows, myself mth divers French gentlemen * Henry de Montmorency, second son of the Great Constable Anne de Mortmorency who was killed at the battle of St. Denis, 1567, and brother of Duke Francis, another renowned warrior and statesman. Henry was no less distinguished m both capacities, and gained great glory at the battles of Dreux and St. Denis. He was made constable by Henry the Fourth, thougb he could neither read nor write, and died in the habit of St. Francis, 1614. lie was father of the gallant but unfortu- nate Duke Henry, the last of that illuytrious and ancient line, who took for iheir niotfo " Dieu ayde au premier Chretien ! " The Duchess of Ven- tadour, mentioned above, was Margaret, second daughter of the consta- ble, and wife of Anne de Levi, Duke of Ventadour. EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 65 attended lier and some gentlewomen that were with her ; this young lady wearing a knot of ribbon on her head, a French chevalier took it suddenly and fas- tened it to his hatband ; the young lady offended here- with demands her ribbon, but he refusing to restore it; the young lady, addressing herself to me, said, ^^ Mon- sieur, I pray get my ribbon from that gentleman "j hereupon going towards him, I courteously, with my hat in my hand, desired him to do me the honor that I may deliver the lady her ribbon or bouquet again 5 but he roughly answered me, '^ Do you think I will give it you when I have refused it to her ? " I replied, '^ Nay, then, sir, I will make you restore it by force " ; where- upon, also putting on my hat and reaching at his, he to save himself ran away, and after a long course in the meadow, finding that I had almost overtook him, he turned short, and, running to the young lady, was about to put the ribbon on her hand, when I, seizing upon his arm, said to the young lady, " It was I that gave it." " Pardon me," quoth she, "it is he that gives it me." I said then, " Madam, I will not con- tradict you, but if he dare say that I did not con- strain him to give it, I will fight with him." The French gentleman answered nothing thereunto for the present, and so conducted the young lady again to the castle. The next day I desired Mr. Aurelian Town- send to tell the French cavalier that either he must confess that I constrained him to restore the ribbon, or fight with me ; but the gentleman, seeing him unwill- ing to accept of this challenge, went out from the place, whereupon I following him, some of the gen- tlemen that belonged to the constable taking notice hereof acquainted him therewith, who, sending for the French cavalier, checked him well for Ms sauciness 66 THE LIFE OF in taking the ribbon away from his grandchild, and after- wards bid him depart his house ; and this was all that I ever heard of the gentleman, with whom I proceeded in that manner because I thought myself obliged thereunto by the oath* taken when I was made Knight of the Bath, as I formerly related upon this occasion. I must remember also that three other times I engaged myself to challenge men to fight vtath me who I con- ceived had injured ladies and gentlewomen. One M'^as in defence of my cousin. Sir Francis Newport's daughter, who was married to John Barker, of Hanion, whose younger brother and heir sent him a challenge, M^hich to this day he never answered, and would have beaten him afterwards but that I was hindered by my uncle, Sir Francis Newport. I had another occasion to challenge one Captain Vaughan, who I conceived offered some injury to- my sister, the Lady Jones, of Abarm arias : I sent him a challenge, which he accepted, the place between us being appointed beyond Greenwich, with seconds on both sides ; hereupon I coming to the King's Head in Greenwich, with intention the next morning to be in the place, I found the house beset with at least a hundred persons, partly sent by the lords of the privy council, who gave order to apprehend me : I, hearing thereof, desired my servant to bring my horses as far as he could from my lodging, but yet within sight of me ; which * This oath is one remnant of a superstitious and romantic age, whiclj an age calling itself enlightened still retains. The solemn service at the investiture of knights, which has not the least connection vrith anything holy, is a piece of the same profane pageantry. The oath being no longer supposed to hind, it is strange mockery to invoke Heaven on so trifling an occasion. It would he more strange if every kniglit, like the too consci' entious Lord Herbert, thought himself hound to cut a man's throat every time a miss lost her topknot ! EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 67 being done, and all this company coming to lay hold on me, I and my second, who was my cousin, James Price, of Hanaclily, sallied out of the doors, with our swords drawn, and in spite of that multitude made our way to our horses, where my servant, very honestly opposing himself against those who would have laid hands upon us while we'got upon horseback, was him- self laid hold on by them and evil treated ; which I perceiving, rode back again, and with my sword in my hand rescued him, and afterwards seeing him get on horseback, charged them to go anywhere rather than to follow me ; riding afterwards with my second to the place appointed, I found nobody there, which, as I heard afterwards, happened because the lords of the council, taking notice of this difference, apprehended him, and charged him in his majesty's name not to fight with me, since otherwise I believed he would not have failed. The third that I questioned in this kind was a Scotch gentleman, who taking a ribbon in the like manner from Mrs. Middlemore, a maid of honor, as was done from the young lady above-mentioned, in a back room behind Queen Anne's lodgings in Greenwich, she like- wise desired me to get her the said ribbon. I repaired, as formerly, to him in a courteous manner to demand it, but he refusing, as the French cavaher did, I caught him by the neck, and had almost thrown him down, when company came in and parted us. I offered Hke- wise to fight with this gentleman, and came to the place appointed by Hyde Park, but this also was interrupted by order of the lords of the council, and I never heard more of him. These passages, though different in time, I have related here together, both for the similitude of argu- ment, and that it may appear how strictly I held my- 68 THE LIFE OF self to my oath of knighthood ; since for the rest I can truly say that though I have lived in the armies and courts of the greatest princes in Christendom, yet I never had a quarrel with a man for mine own sake, so that although in mine own nature I was ever choleric and hasty, yet I never without occasion given quarrelled with anybody, and as little did anybody attempt to give me offence, as having as clear a reputation for my courage as whosoever of my time. For my friends often I have hazarded myself, but never yet drew my sword for my own salij^ singly, as hating ever the doing of injury, contenting myself only to resent them when they were offered me. After this digression I shall return to my history. That brave constable in France testifying now more than formerly his regard of me, at his departure from Merlou to his fair house at Chantilly, five or six miles distant, said he left that castle to be commanded by me, as also his forests and chases which were Avell stored with wild boar and stag, and that I might hunt them when I pleased ; he told me also that if I would learn to ride the great horse, he had a stable there of some fifty, the best and choicest as was thought in France, and that his esquire called Monsieur de Disan- cour, not inferior to Pluvinel or Labroue, should teach me. I did with great thankfulness accept his offer, as being very much addicted to the exercise of riding great horses ; and as for hunting in his forests I told him I should use it sparingly, as being desirous to preserve his game ; he commanded also his esquire to keep a table for me, and his pages to attend me, the chief of whom was Monsieur de Mennon, who, proving to be one of the best horsemen in France, keeps now an academy in Paris ; and here I shall recount a little passage be- EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 69 twixt him and his master, that the inclination of the French at that time may appear, there being scarce any man thought worth the looldng on, that had not killed some other in duel. Mennon desiring to marry a niece of Monsieur Dis- ancour, who it was thought should be his heir, was thus answered by him : '' Friend, it is not time yet to marry, I will tell you what you must do ; if you will be a brave man, you must first kill in single combat two or three men, then afterwards marry, or the world will neither have got nor lost by you " ; of which strange counsel Disancour was no otherwise the ajithor than as he had been an example at least of the fonner part, it being his fortune to have fought three or four brave duels in his time. And now as every morning I mounted the great horse, so in the afternoons I many times went a hunting, the manner of which was this : the Duke of Montmorency having given order to the tenants of the town of Merlou, and some villages adjoining, to attend me when I went a hunting, they upon my summons usually repaired to those woods where I intended to find my game, with drums and muskets, to the number of sixty or eighty, and sometimes one hundred or more j)ersons ; they en- tering the wood on that side with that noise, discharg- ing their pieces and bearing their said drums, we on the other side of the said wood having placed mastiffs and greyhounds to the number of twenty or thirty, which Monsieur de Montmorency kept near his castle, ex- pected those beasts they should force out of the wood ; if stags or wild boars came forth we commonly spared them, pursuing only the wolves, which were there in great number, of which are found two sorts : the mastiff wolf, thick and short, though he could not indeed run 70 THE LIFE OF fast, yet would figlit with our dogs ; t"he greyhound wolf, long and swift, who many times escaped our best dogs, though when he were overtaken easily killed hy us, without making much resistance; of hoth these sorts I killed divers with my sword, while I stayed there. One time also it was my fortune to kill a wild hoar in this manner : the hoar being roused from his den fled before our dogs for a good space, but; finding them press him hard, turned his head against our dogs, and hurt three or four of them very dangerously. I came on horseback up to him, and with my sword thrust him twice or thrice without entering his skin, the blade be- ing not so stiff as it should be ; the boar hereupon turned upon me, and much endangered my horse, which I perceiving rode a little out of the way, and, leaving my horse with my lackey, returned with my sword against tlie boar, who by this time had hurt more dogs ; and here happened a pretty kind of fight, for M^hen I thrust at the boar sometimes with my sword, which in some places I made enter, the boar would run at me, whose tusks yet, by stepping a little out of the way, I avoided, but he then turning upon me, the dogs came in and drew him off, so that he fell upon them, which I per- ceiving ran at the boar with my sword again, which made him turn upon me, but then the dogs pulled him from me again, while so relieving one another by turns, we killed the boar. At this chase Monsieur Disancour and Mennon were present, as also Mr. Townsend, yet so as they did endeavor rather to withdraw me from than assist me in the danger. Of which boar some part being well seasoned and larded, I presented to my uncle, Sir Francis Newport, in Shropshire, and found most excellent meat. Thus having passed a whole summer, partly in these EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 71 exercises, and partly in visits of the Duke of Montmo- rency at his fair house in Chantilly, which for its extraor- dinary fairness and situation I shall here describe. A little river descending from some higher grounds in a country which was almost all his own, and falling at last upon a rock in the middle of a valley, which to keep its way forwards, it must on one or other side thereof have declined. Some of the ancestors of the Montmorencys, to ease the river of this labor, made divers channels through this rock to give it a free pas- sage, dividing the rock by that means into little islands, upon which he built a great strong castle, joined to- gether with bridges, and sumptuously furnished with hangings of silk and gold, rare pictures and statues ; all which buildings, united as I formerly told, were encompassed about with water, which was paved with stone (those which were used in the building of the house were drawn from thence). One might see the huge carps, pike, and trout, which were kept in several divisions, gliding along the waters very easily; yet nothing in my opinion added so much to the glory of this castle as a forest adjoining close to it, and upon a level with the house ; for being of a very large extent, and set thick both with tall trees and underwoods, the whole forest, which was replenished with wild boar, stag, and roe- deer, was cut out into long walks every way; so that, although the dogs might follow their chase through the thickets, the huntsmen might ride along the said walks, and meet or overtake their game in some one of them, they being cut with that art that they led to all the parts in said forest ; and here also I have hunted the wild boar divers times, both then and afterwards, when his son the Duke of Montmorency succeeded him in the possession of that incomparable place. 72 THE LIFE OF And there I cannot but remember the direction the old constable gave me to return to his castle out of this admirable labyrinth, telling me I should look upon what side the trees were roughest and hardest, which being found I might be confident that part stood north- ward, which being observed I might easily find the east, as being on the right hand, and so guide my way home. How much this house, together with the forest, hath been valued by great princes, may appear by two little . narratives I shall here insert : Charles the Fifth, the great emperor, passing, in the time of Francis the First, from Spain into the Low Countries by the way of France, was entertained for some time in this house by a Duke of Montmorency who was likewise Con- stable de France, after he had taken this palace into his consideration with the forests adjoining, said he would willingly give one of his provinces in the Low Coun- tries for such a place, there being as he thought no- where such a situation. Henry the Fourth also was desirous of this house, and offered to exchange any of his houses, with much more lands than his estate thereabouts was worth ; to wliich the Duke of Montmorency made this wary an- swer: " Sieur, la maison est a vous, mais que je sois le concierge"; which in English sounds thus, ''Sir, the house is yours, but give me leave to keep it for you.'' When I had been at Merlou about some eight months, and attained as was thought the knowledge of horsemanship, I came to the Duke of Montmorency at St. Ilee,* and after due thanks for his favors, took * Sc orig. But it is probably a blunder of the transcriber for CLan- tiUy. ^ EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 73 my leave of him to go to Paris, whereupon the good old prince embracing me and calling me son, bid me farewell, assuring me nevertheless he should be glad of any occasion hereafter to testify his love and esteem for me, telling me, farther, he should come to Paris himself shortly, where he hoped to see me; from hence I returned to Merlou, where I gave Monsieur Disan- cour such a present as abundantly requited the charges of my diet, and the pains of his teaching. Being now ready to set forth, a gentleman from the Duke of Mont- morency came to me, and told me his master would not let me go without giving me a present, which I might keep as an earnest of his affection ; whereupon also a genet, for which the duke had sent expressly into Spain, and which cost him there five hundred crowns, as I M'^as told, was brought to me. The great- ness of this gift, together with other courtesies received, did not a little trouble me, as not knowing then how to requite them. I would have given my horses I had there, which were of great value, to him, but that I thought them too mean a present, but the duke also suspecting that I meant to do so prevented me ; say- ing, that as I loved him, I should think upon no requi- tal, while I stayed in France, but when I came into England, if I sent him a mare that ambled naturally, I should much gratify him. I told the messenger I should strive both that way and every way else to de- clare my thankfulness, and so dismissed the messenger with a good reward. Coming nowto Paris, through the recommendation of the lord ambassador, I was received to the house of that incomparable scholar Isaac Casaubon, by whose learned conversation I much benefited myself, besides, I did apply myself much to know the use of my arms, 74 THE LIFE OF and to ride the great horse, playing on the lute, and singing according to the rules of the French masters. Sometimes also I went to the court of the French king, Henry the Fourth, who upon information of me in the garden at the Tuileries, received me with all courtesy, emhracing me in his arms, and holding me some while there. I went sometimes also to the court of Queen Margaret at the Hostel, called hy her name ; and here I saw many halls or masks, in all which it pleased that queen publicly to place me next to her chair, not without the wonder of some, and the envy of another who was wont to have that favor. I shall recount one accident which happened while I was there. All things heing ready for the ball, and every one being in their place, and I myself next to the queen, expecting when the dancers would come in, one knocked at the door somewhat louder than became, as I thought, a very civil person ; when he came in, I remember there was a sudden whisper among the la- dies, saying, '' C'est Monsieur Balagny," or '"T is Mon- sieur Balagny " ; whereupon also I saw the ladies and gentlewomen one after another invite him to sit near them, and which is more, when one lady had his com- pany awhile, another would say, ''You have en- joyed him long enough, I must have him now " ; at which bold civility of theirs, though I were astonished, yet it added unto my wonder, that his person could not be thought at most but ordinary handsome ; his hair, which was cut very short, half gray, his doublet but of sackcloth cut to his shirt, and his breeches only of plain gray cloth ; informing myself by some stand- ers-by who he was, I was told that he was one of the gallantest men in the world, as having killed eight or EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 75 nine men in single fight, and that for this reason the ladies made so much of him, it being the manner of all French women to cherish gallant men, as thinking they could not make so much of any else with the safety of their honor. This cavalier, though his head was half gray, he had not yet attained the age of thirty years, whom I have thought fit to remember more particularly here because of some passages that happened afterwards betwixt him and me at the siege of Juliers, as I shall tell in its place. Having passed thus all the winter, until about the latter end of January, without any such memorable accident as I shall think fit to set down particularly, I took my leave of the French king, Queen Margaret, and the nobles and ladies in both courts ; at which time the Princess of Conti desired me to carry a scarf into England, and present it to Queen Anne on her part, which being accepted, myself and Sir Thomas Lucy (whose second I had been twice in France, against two cavahers of our nation, who yet were hindered to fight with us in the field, where we attended them), we came on our way as far as Dieppe, in Normandy, and there took ship about the beginning of February, when so furious a storm arose, that with very great danger we were at sea all night ; the master of our ship lost both the use of his compass and his reason ; for not knowing whith- er he was carried by the tempest, all the help he had was by the lightnings, which, together with thunder, very frequently that night terrified him, yet gave the advantage sometimes to discover whether we M^ere upon our coast, to which he thought by the course of his glasses we were near approached; and now towards day we found ourselves, by great providence of God, ■wdfcliin view of Dover, to which the master of our ship 76 THE LIFE OF did make. The men of Dover rising by times in the morning to see whether any ship were coming towards them, were in great numbers upon the shore, as be- lieving the tempest, which had thrown down barns and trees near the town, might give them the benefit of some wi'eck, if perchance any ship were driven thither- wards : we coming thus in extreme danger straight upon the pier of Dover, which stands out in the sea, our ship was unfortunately split against it ; the master said, ^'Mes amis, nous sommes perdus"; or, '* My friends, we are cast away " ; when myself, who heard the ship crack against the pier, and then found by the master's words it was time for every one to save them- selves, if they could, got out of my cabin (though very sea-sick), and, climbing up the mast a little way, drew my sword and flourished it ; they at Dover, having this sign given them, adventured in a shallop of six oars to relieve us, which being come wdth great danger to the side of our ship, I got into it first with my sword in my hand, and called for Sir Thomas Lucy, saying, that if any man ofiered to get in before him, I should resist him with my sword ; whereupon a faithful servant of his, taking Sir Thomas Lucy out of the cabin, who was half dead of sea-sickness, put him into my arms, whom after I had received, I bid the shallop make away for shore, and the rather that I saw another shallop com- ing to relieve us ; when a post from France, who car- ried letters, finding the ship still rent more and more, adventured to leap from the top of our ship into the shallop, where falling fortunately on some of the stronger timber of the boat, and not of the planks, ■w^hich he must needs have broken, and so sunk us, had he fallen upon them, escaped together with us two unto the land. I must confess myself, as also the seamen EDWAED LORD HERBERT. 77 tliat were in the shallop, thought once to have killed him for this desperate attempt, hut, finding no harm followed, we escaped together unto the land, from whence we sent more shallops^ and so made means to save both men and horses that were in the ship, which yet itself was wholly split and cast away, insomuch that in pity to the master^ Sir Thomas Lucy and my- self gave thirty pounds towards his loss, which yet was not so great as we thought, since the tide now ebbing he recovered the broken parts of his ship. Coming thus to London and afterwards to court, I kissed his majesty's hand, and acquainted him with some particulars concerning France. As for the present I had to deliver to her majesty from the Princess of Conti, I thought fit rather to send it by one of the ladies that attended her, than to presume to demand audience of her in person ; but her majesty, not satisfied herewith; commanded me to attend her, and demanded divers questions of me concerning that princess and the courts in France, saying she would speak more at large with me at some other time, for which purpose she commanded me to wait on her often, wishing me to advise her what present she might return back again. Howbeit not many weeks after I returned to my wife and family again, where I passed some time, partly in my studies, and partly riding the great horse, of which I had a stable well furnished ; no horse yet was so dear to me as the genet I brought from France,' whose love I had so gotten that he would suffer none else to ride him, nor indeed any man to come near him, when I was upon him, as being in his nature a most furious horse ; his true picture may be seen in the chapel chamber in my house, where I am painted riding him, and this motto by me, 78 THE LIFE OF " Me totum Bonitas bonum suprema Reddas ; me intrepidiim dabo vel ipse." This horse, as soon as ever I came to the stable, would neigh, and M'^hen I drew nearer him would lick my hand, and (when I suffered him) my cheek, but yet would permit nobody to come near his heels at the same time. Sir Thomas Lucy -would have given me £200 for this horse, which, though I would not accept, yet I left the horse with him when I went to the Low Countries, who not long after died. The occasion of my going thither was thus^ hearing that a war about the title of Cleves, Juliers, and some other provinces betwixt the Low Countries and Germany should be made by the several pretenders to it, and that the French king himself would come with a great anny into those parts. It was now the year of our Lord 1610, when my Lord Chandos* and myself resolved to take shipping for the Low Countries, and from thence to pass to the city of Juliers, which the Prince of Orange resolved to besiege : making all haste thither, we found the siege newly begun; the Low Country army assisted by four thousand English under the command of Sir Edward Cecil. We had not been long there when the Marshal de Chartres instead of Henry the Fourth, who was killed by that villain Ravaillac, came with a brave French army thither, in which Monsieur Balagny, I formerly mentioned, was a colonel. My Lord Chandos lodged himself in the quarters where Sir Horace Vere was ; I went and quartered with Sii* Edward Cecil, where I was lodged next to * Grey Bridges Lord Chandos, made a Knight of the Bath at the creation of Charles Duke of York, 1604; and called, for his hospitality and magnificence, the King of Cotswold. EDWARD LOED HERBERT. 79 him in a hut I made there, going yet both by day and night to the trenches, we making our approaches to the town on one side and the French on the other. Our Unes were drawn towards tlie point of a bulwark of the citadel or castle, thought to be one of the best fortifications in Christendom, and encompassed about with a deep wet ditch ; we lost many men in making these approaches, the town and castle being very well provided both with great and small shot, and a garrison iu it of about four thousand men besides the burghers. Sir Edward Cecil (who was a very active general) used often during this siege to go in person in the night- time to try whether he could catch any sentinels per- dues; and for this purpose still desired me to accom- pany him, in performing whereof both of us did much hazard ourselves, for the first sentinel retiring to the second and the second to the third, three shots were commonly made at us before we could do anything ; though afterwards chasing them with our swords almost home unto their guards, we had some sport in the pursuit of them. One day Sir Edward Cecil and myself coming to the approaches that Monsieur de Balagny had made towards a bulwark or bastion of that city. Monsieur de Balagny, in the presence of Sir Edward Cecil and divers English and French captains then present, said, '' Monsieur, on dit, que vous etes un des plus braves de votre nation, et je suis Balagny, allons voir qui fera le mieux," — ^' They say you are one of the bravest of your nation, and I am Balagny, let us see who will do best " ; whereupon leaping suddenly out of the trenches with his sword drawn, I did in the like man- ner suddenly follow him, both of us in the mean while striving who should be foremost, which being perceived 80 THE LIFE OF by those of the bulwark and cortine opposite to us, three or four hundred shot at least, great and small, were made against us. Our running on forwards in emulation of each other was the cause that all the shots fell betwixt us and the trench from which we sallied. When Monsieur Balagny, finding such a storm of bullets, said, '^Par Dieu il fait bien chaud," — ''It is very hot here." I answered briefly thus, '' Vous en irez premier, autrement je n'irai jamais," — '' You shall go first, or else I will never go " ; hereupon he ran with all speed, and somewhat crouching towards the trenches, I followed after leisurely and upright, and yet came within the trenches before they on the bulwark or cortine could charge again, which passage afterwards being related to the Prince of Orange, he said it was a ' strange bravado of Balagny, and that we went to an unavoidable death. I could relate divers things of note concerning myself, during the siege, but do forbear, lest I should relish too much of vanity ; it shall suffice that my passing over the ditch unto the wall, first of all the nations there, is set down by William Crofts, master of arts, and soldier, who hath written and printed the history of the Low Countries. There happened during this siege a particular quarrel betwixt me and the Lord of Walden,* eldest son to the Earl of Suffolk, lord treasurer of England at that time, which I do but unwillingly relate, in regard of the great esteem I have of that noble family, howbeit to- avoid misreports I have thought fit to set it down truly. That lord having been invited to a feast in Sir Horace * Theopliilus Lord Howard of Walden, eldest son of Thomas Earl of Suffolk, whom he succeeded in the title, and was Knight of the Garter, Constable of Dover Castle, and captain of the band of pensioners.— Note to English Edition. EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 81 Vere's quarters, where (after the Low Country manner) there was liberal drinking, returned not long after to Sir Edward Cecil's quarters, at which time, I speaking merrily to him, upon some slight occasion, he took that offence at me, which he would not have done at another time, insomuch that he came towards me in a violent manner, which I perceiving did more than half- way meet him ; hut the company were so vigilant upon us that before any blow passed we were separated ', how- beit, because he made towards me, I thought fit the next day to send him a challenge, telling him that if he had anything to say to me, I would meet him in such a place as no man should interrupt us. Shortly after this, Sir Thomas Payton came to me on his part, and told me my lord would fight with me on horseback with single sword, '^ and," said he, " I will be his second ; where is yours V I replied that neither his lordship nor myself brought over any great horses with us ; that I knew he might much better borrow one than myself: howbeit, as soon as he showed me the place, he should find me there on horseback or on foot ; whereupon, both of us riding together upon two geldings to the side of a wood, Payton said he chose that place, and the time, break of day the next morning ; I told him I would fail neither place nor time, though I knew not where to get a better horse than the nag I rode on ; *^ and as for a second, I shall trust to your nobleness, who I know wdU see fair play betwixt us, though you come on his side " : but he urging me again to provide a second, I told him I could promise for nonte but my- self, and that if I spoke to any of my friends in the army to this purpose, I doubted lest the business might be discovered and prevented. He was no sooner gone from me, but night drew 82 THE LIFE OF on, myself resolying in the mean time to rest under a fair oak all niglit ; after this, tying my horse hy the hridle unto another tree, I had not now rested two hours, when I found some fires nearer to me than I thought was possible in so solitary a place, whereupon, also having the curiosity to see the reason hereof, I got on horseback again, and had not rode very far when, hy the talk of the soldiers there, I found I was in the Scotch quarter, where, finding in a stable a very fair horse of service, I desired to know whether he might be bought for any reasonable sum of money ; but a soldier replying, it was their captain's. Sir James Are- skin's chief horse, I demanded for Sir James, but the soldier answering he was not within the quarteir, I demanded then for his lieutenant, whereupon the sol- dier courteously desired him to come to me. This lieu- tenant was called Montgomery, and had the reputation of a gallant man. I told him that I would very fain buy a horse, and if it were possible the horse I saw but a little before ; but he telling me none was to be sold there, I oflFered to leave in his hands one hundred pieces, if he would lend me a good horse for a day or two, he to restore me the money again when I deliv- ered him the horse in good plight, and did besides bring him some present as a gratuity. The lieutenant, though he did not know me, suspected I had some private quan-el, and that I desired this horse to fight on, and thereupon told me, '' Sir, whoso- ever you are, you seem to be a person of worth, and you shall have the best horse in the stable ; and if you have a quarrel and want a second, I offer myself to ser\^e you upon another horse, and if you will let me go along with you upon these terms, I will ask no pawni of you for the horse." I told him I would use no sec- EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 83 ond, and I desired him to accept one hundred pieces, which I had there about me, in pawn for the horse^ and he should hear from me shortly again ; and that though I did not take his noble offer of coming along with me, I should evermore rest much obliged to him ; whereupon giving him my purse with the money in it, I got upon his horse and left my nag besides with him. Kiding thus away about twelve o'clock at night to the wood from whence I came, I ahghted from my horse, and rested there until morning ; the day now breaking I got on horseback, and attended the Lord of Walden with his second. The first person that ap- peared was a footman, who, I heard afterwards, was sent by the Lady of Walden, who, as soon as he saw me, ran back again with all speed ; I meant once to pursue him, but that I thought it better at last to keep my place. About two hours after, Sir William St. Leiger, now Lord President of Munster, came to me, and told me he knew the cause of my being there, and that the business was discovered by the Lord Walden's rising so early that morning, and the suspicion that he meant to fight with me, and had Sir Thomas Payton with him, and that he would ride to him, and that there were thirty or forty sent after us, to hinder us from meeting; shortly after many more came to the place where I was, and told me I must not fight, and that they were sent for the same purpose, and that it was to no purpose to stay there, and thence rode to seek the Lord of Walden. I stayed yet two hours longer, but, finding still more company came in, rode back again to the Scotch quarters, and delivered the horse back again, and received my money and nag from Lieutenant Montgomery, and so withdrew myself to the French quarters, until I did find some convenient time to send again to the Lord Walden. 84 THE LIFE OF Being among the French, I rememhered myself of the bravado of Monsieur Balagny, and, coming to him, told him I knew how brave a man he was, and that as he had put me to one trial of daring, when I was last with him in his trenches, I would put him to another ; saying, 1 heard he had a fair mistress, and that the scarf he wore was her gift, and that I would maintain I had a worthier mistress than he, and that I would do as much for her sake as he or any else durst do for his. Balagny hereupon looking merrily upon me, said, that for his part, he had no mind to fight on that quarrel. I, looking hereupon som.ewhat disdainfully on him, said he spoke more like a paillard than a cavalier, to which he answering nothing I rode my ways, and afterwards went to Monsieur Terant, a French gentle- man that belonged to the Duke of Montmorency, for- merly mentioned ; who telling me he had a quarrel with another gentleman, I offered to be his second, but he saying he was provided already, I rode thence to the English quarters, attending some fit occasion to send again to the Lord Walden. I came no sooner thither than I found Sir Thomas Somerset,* with eleven or twelve more at the head of the English, who were then drawing forth in a body or squadron, who seeing me on horseback^ with a footman only that attended me, gave me some affronting words for my quarrelling witli the Lord of Walden ; whereupon I alighted, and giv- ing my horse to my lackey, drew my sword, which he no sooner saw but he drew his, as also all the company with him. I running hereupon amongst them, put by some of their thrusts, and making towards him in par- * He was third son of Edward Earl of Worcester, Lord Privy Seal to Queen Elizabeth and King James. Sir Thomas was Master of tlie Horse to Queen Anne, was made a Knight of the Bath in 1604, and Viscount Somerset of Cassel in Ireland. EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 85 ticular put by a thrust of his. and had certainly run him through, but that one Lieutenant Prichard, at that instant taking me by the shoulder, turned me aside ; but I recovering myself again ran at him a second time, which he perceiving retired himself with the company to the tents which were near, though not so fast but I hurt one Proger, and some others also that were with him 5 but they being all at last got within the tents, I, finding now nothing else to be done, got to my house again, having received only a slight hurt on the out- side of my ribs, and two thrusts, the one through the skirts of my doublet, and the other through my breeches, and about eighteen nicks upon my sword and hilt, and so rode to the trenches before Juliers, where our soldiers were. Not long after this, the town being now surrendered, andeverybody preparing to go their ways, I sent again a gentleman to the Lord of Walden to offer him the meeting with my sword, but this was avoided not very handsomely by him (contrary to what Sir Henry Rich, now Earl of Holland, persuaded him). After having taken leave of his excellency Sir Edward Cecil, I thought fit to return on my M^ay homewards as far as Dusseldorff. I had been scarce two hours in my lodgings, when one Lieutenant Hamilton brought a let- ter from Sir James Areskin (who was then in town likewise) unto me, the effect whereof was, that in regard his Lieutenant Montgomery had told him that I had the said James Areskin' s consent for borrowing his horse, he did desire me to do one of two things, which was either to disavow the said words, which he thought in his conscience I never spoke, or if I would justify them, then to appoint time and place to fight with him; having considered awhile what I was to do in this 86 THE LIFE OF case, I told Lieutenant Hamilton that I thought myself bound in honor to accept the more noble part of his proposition, which was to fight with him, when yet perchance it might he easy enough for me to say that I had his horse upon other terms than was affirmed; whereupon also giving Lieutenant Hamilton the length of my sword, T told him that as sobn as ever he matched it, I would fight with him, wishing him farther to make haste, since I desired to end the business as speedily as could be. Lieutenant Hamilton, hereupon returning back, met in a cross street (I know not by what miraculous adventure) Lieutenant Montgomery, conveying divers of the hurt and maimed soldiers at the siege of St. Juliers unto that town, to be lodged and dressed by the chirurgeons there. Hamilton, hereupon calling to Montgomery, told him the effects of his cap- tain's letter, together with my answer, which Mont- gomery no sooner heard, but he replied (as Hamilton told me afterwards), ^^ I see that noble gentleman choos- eth rather to fight than to contradict me j but my teUing a he must not be an occasion why either my captain or he should hazard their lives : I will alight from my horse, and tell my captain presently how all that matter past " ; whereupon also, he relating the busi- ness about borrowing the horse, in that manner, I formerly set down, which, as soon as Sir James Areskin heard, he sent Lieutenant Hamilton to me presently again, to tell me he was satisfied how the business passed, and that he had nothing to say to me, but that he was my most humble servant, and was sorry he ever questioned me in that manner. Some occasions detaining me in DusseldorfiF, the next day Lieutenant Montgomery came to me, and told me he was in danger of losing his place, and desired EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 87 me to make means to his excellency, the Prince of Or- ange, that he might not be cashiered, or else that he was undone. I told him that either I would keep him in his place, or take him as my companion and Mend, and allow him sufficient means till I could provide him another as good as it ; which he taking very kindly, but desiring chiefly he might go with my letter to the Prince of Orange, I obtained at last he should be re- stored to his place again. And now taking boat, I passed along the river of Rhine to the Low Countries, where, after some stay, I went to Antwerp and Brussels, and having passed some time ia the court there, went from thence to Calais, where taking ship I arrived at Dover, and so went to Lon- don. I had scarce been two days there, when the lords of the council, sending for me, ended the difference be- twixt the Lord of Walden and myself. And now, if I may say it without vanity, I was in great esteem both in court and city, many of the greatest desiring my company, though yet before that time I had no ac- quaintance with them. Richard, Earl of Dorset,* to whom otherwise I was a stranger, one day invited me to Dorset House, where, bringing me into his gallery and showing me many pictures, he at last brought me to a frame covered with green taffeta, and asked me who I thought was there } and therewithal, presently drawing the curtain, showed me my own picture, whereupon, demanding how his lordship came to have it, he answered that he had heard so many brave things of me that he got a copy of a picture which one Larkin, a painter, drew for me, the original whereof I * Richard Sackville, Earl of Dorset, grandson of the treasurer, and husband of the famous Anne Clifford, Countess of Dorset and Pem- broke. 88 THE LIFE OF intended before my departure to the Low Countries for Sir Thomas Lucy j hut not only the Earl of Dorset, but a greater person* than I will here nominate, got another copy from Larkin, and placing it afterwards in her cabinet (without that ever I knew any such thing was done) gave occasion to those that saw it after her death, of more discourse than I could have wished ; and indeed I may truly say, that taking of my picture was fatal to me, for more reasons than I shall think fit to deliver. There was a lady also, wife to Sir John Ayres, Knight, who finding some means to get a copy of my picture from Larkin, gave it to Mr. Isaac, f the painter in Blackfriars, and desired him to draw it in httle after his manner, which being done, she caused it to be set in gold and enamelled, and so wore it about her neck, which I conceive coming afterwards to the knowledge of Sir John Ayres, gave him more cause of jealousy than needed, had he known hoM^ innocent I was from pretending to anything which might wrong him or his lady, since I could not so much as imagine that either she had my picture, or that she bore more than ordi- nary affection to me; it is true^that as she had a place in court, and attended Queen Anne, and was be- sides of an excellent wit and discourse, she had made herself a considerable person. I had not been long in London, when a violent burn- ing fever seized upon me, which brought me almost to my death, though at last I did by slow degrees recover my health ; being thus upon my amendment, the Lord * This was certainly Queen Anne, as appears in the very respectful terms in which he speaks of her a little farther, and from otlier passages, when he mentions the secret and dangerous enemies he had on this account. t Isaac Oliver. EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 89 Lisle,* afterwards Earl of Leicester, sent me word that Sir John Ayres intended to kill me in my bed, and wished me to keep a guard upon my chamber and person; the same advertisement was confirmed by Lucy, Countess of Bedford, f and the Lady Hobby, f shortly after. Hereupon I thought fit to entreat Sir William Herbert, now Lord Powis, to go to Sir John Ayres, and tell him that I marvelled much at the infor- mation given me by these great persons, and that I could not imagine any sufficient ground hereof; how- beit, if he had anything to say to me in a fair and noble way, I would give him the meeting as soon as I had got strength enough to stand upon my legs; Sir William hereupon brought me so ambiguous and doubtful an answer from him, that, whatsoever he meant, he would not declare yet his intention, which was really, as I found afterwards, to kill me any way that he could. Finding no means thus to surprise me, sent me a letter to this efiect ; that he desired to meet me somewhere, and that it might so fall out as I might return quietly again. To this I replied, that if he de- sired to fight with me upon equal terms, I should, upon assurance of the field and fair play, give him meeting when he did anyway specify the cause, and that I did not think fit to come to him upon any other terms, having been sufficiently informed of his plots to assassinate me. After this, finding he could take no advantage against me, then in a treacherous way he resolved to assassinate * Robert Sidney, Earl of Leicester, younger brother of Sir Philip Sid- ney. f Lucy Harrington, wife of Edward Earl of Bedford, a great patroness of the wits and poets of tliat age, t Pi-obably Anne, second wife of Sir Edward Hobby, a patron of Cam- den. 90 THE LIFE OF me in tins manner: hearing I was to come to White- hall on horsehack with two lackeys only, he attended my coming back in a place called Scotland Yard, at the hither end of Whitehall, as you come to it from the Strand, hiding himself here with four men armed on purpose to kill me. I took horse at Whitehall Gate, and passing by that place, he being armed with a sword and dagger, without giving me so much as the least warning, ran at me furiously, but instead of me wounded my horse in the brisket, as far as his sword could enter for the bone ; my horse hereupon starting aside, he ran him again in the shoulder, which, though it made the horse more timorous, yet gave me time to draw my sword ; his men thereupon encompassed me, and wounded my horse in three places more ; this made my horse kick and fling in that manner as his men durst not come near me, which advantage I took to strike at Sir John Ayres with aU my force, but he warded the blow both with his sword and dagger : instead of doing him harm, I broke my sword within a foot of the hilt ; hereupon, some passenger that knew me, and observing my horse bleeding in so many places^ and so many men assaulting me, and my sword broken, cried to me several times, ''Eide away, ride away"; but I scorning a base flight, upon what terms so- ever, instead thereof alighted as well as I could from my horse. I had no sooner put one foot upon the ground, but Sir John Ayres, pursuing me, made at my horse again, which the horse perceiving, pressed on me on the side I alighted, in that manner that he threw me down, so that I remained flat upon the ground, only one foot hanging in the stiiTup, with that piece of a sword in my right hand. Sir John Ayres hereupon ran about the horse, and was thrusting EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 91 his sword into me, when I finding myself in this danger, did with both my arms reaching at his legs pull them towards me, till he fell down backwards on his head. One of my footmen hereupon, who was a little Shrop- shire boy, freed my foot out of the stirrup, the other, which was a great fellow, having run away as soon as he saw the first assault ; this gave me time to get upon my legs, and to put myself in the best posture I could with that poor remnant of a weapon. Sir John Ayres by this time Hkewise was got up, standing betwixt me and some part of Whitehall, with two men on each side of him, and his brother behind him, with at least twenty or thirty persons of his friends or attendants of the Earl of Suffolk ; observing thus a body of men standing in opposition against me, though to speak truly I saw no swords drawn but by Sir John Ayres and his men, I ran violently against Sir John Ayres, but he, knowing my sword had no point, held his sword and dagger over his head, as believing I could strike rather than thrust, which I no sooner perceived but I put a home thrust to the middle of his breast, that I threw him down with so much force, that his head fell first to the ground, and his heels upwards ; his men hereupon assaulted me, when one Mr. Mansel, a Gla- morganshire gentleman, finding so many set against me alone, closed with one of them ; a Scotch gentleman, also closing with another, took him off also ; all I could well do to those two which remained was to ward their thrusts, which I did with that resolution that I got ground upon them. Sir John Ayres was now got up a third time, when I making towards him with intention to close, thinking that there was other- wise no safety for me, put by a thrust of his with my left hand, and so coming within him, received a stab 92 THE LIFE OF with his dagger on my right side, which ran down my ribs as far as my liip, which I, feehng, did with my right elbow force his hand, together with the hilt of the dagger so near the upper part of my right side, that I umde him leave hold. The dagger now sticking in me, Sir Henry Gary, afterwards Lord of Falkland and Lord Deputy of Ireland, finding the dagger thus in my body, snatched it out ; this while I being closed with Sir John Ayres, hurt him on the head, and threw him down a third time, when kneeling on the ground, and bestriding him, I struck at him as hard as I could with my piece of a sword, and wounded him in four several places, and did almost cut off his left hand ; his two men this while struck at me, but it pleased Grod even miraculously to defend me, for when I hfted up my sword to strike at Sir John Ayres, I bore off their blows half a dozen times ', his friends, now finding him in this danger, took him by the head and shoulders, and drew him from betwixt my legs, and carrying him along with them through Whitehall, at the stairs whereof he took boat. Sir Herbert Croft (as he told me afterwards) met him upon the water vomiting all the way, which I beheve M'as caused by the violence of the first thrust I gave him ; his servants, brother, and friends being now retired also, I remained master of the place and his weapons, having first wrested his dagger from him, and afterwards struck his sword out of his hand. This being done, I retired to a friend's house in the Strand, where I sent for a surgeon, who, searching my wound on the right side, and finding it not to be mortal, cured me in the space of some ten days, during which time I received many noble visits and messages from some of the best in the kingdom. Being now fully EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 93 recovered of my hurts, I desired Sir Robert Harley* to go to Sir John Ay res, and tell him, that though I thought he had not so much honor left in him that I could he any way ambitious to get it, yet that I desired to see him in the field with his svt'^ord in his hand ; the answer that he sent me was, that he would kill me with a musket out of a window. The lords of the privy council, who had first sent for my sword, that they might see the little fragment of a weapon with which I had so behaved myself, as per- chance the like had not been heard in any credible way, did afterwards command both him and me to appear before them ; but I, absenting myself on purpose, sent one Humphrey Hill with a challenge to him in an ordinary, which he refusing to receive, Humphrey Hill put it upon the point of his sword, and so let it fall before him and the company then present. The lords of the privy council had now taken order to apprehend Sir John Ayres, when I, finding nothing else to be done, submitted myself likewise to them. Sir John Ayres had now published everywhere that the ground of his jealousy, and consequently of his assault- ing me, was drawn from the confession of his wife, the Lady Ayres. She, to vindicate her honor, as well as free me from this accusation, sent a letter to her aunt, the Lady Crook, to this purpose, that her husband, Sir John Ayres, did lie falsely, but most falsely of all did lie when he said he had it from her confession, for she had never said any such thing. This letter the Lady Crook presented to me most opportunely, as I was going to the council table before the lords, who, having examined Sir John Ayres con- cerning the cause of his quarrel against me, found him * Kniglit of tlie Bath and Master of the Mint. 94 THE LIFE OF still persist on his M^fe's confession of the fact ; and and now, he being withdrawn, I was sent for, when the Duke of Lenox,* afterwards of Richmond, telling me that was the ground of his quarrel, and the only excuse he had for assaulting me in that manner, I desired his lordship to peruse the letter, which I told him was given me as I came into the room ; this letter being publicly read by a clerk of the council, the Duke of Lenox then said that he thought Sir John Ayres the most miserable man living, for his wife had not only given him the lie, as he found by her letter, but his father had disinherited him for attempting to kill me in that barbarous fashion, which was most true, as I found afterwards. For the rest, that I might content myself with what I had done, it being more almost than could be believed, but that I had so many witnesses thereof; for all which reasons he commanded me, in the name of his majesty, and all their lordships, not to send any more to Sir John Ayres, nor to receive any message from him in the way of fighting, which commandment I observed : howbeit, I must not omit to tell that some years afterward Sir John Ayres returning from Ireland by Beaumaris, where I then was, some of my servants and followers broke open the doors of the house where he was, and would, I believe, have cut him into pieces, but that I, hearing thereof, came suddenly to the house and recalled them, sending him word also that I scorned to give him the usage he gave me, and that I would set him free of the town, which courtesy of mine, as I was told afterwards, he did thankfully acknowl- edge. About a month after that Sir John Ayres attempted * Lodowic Stuart, Duke of Lenox and Richmond, was Lord Steward of the Household and Knight of the Garter. EDWAED LORD HERBEKT. 95 to assassinate me, the news thereof was carried, I know not how, to the Duke of Montmorency, who presently despatched a gentleman with a letter to me, which I keep, and a kind offer that if I would come unto him I should he used as his own son ; neither had this gen- tleman, as I know of, any other business in England. I was told besides by this gentleman that the duke heard I had greater and more enemies than did pub- licly declare themselves, which indeed was true, and that he doubted I might have a mischief before I was aware. My answer hereunto by letter was that I rendered most humble thanks for his great favor in sending to me ; that no enemies how gi-eat or many soever could force me out of the kingdom ; but if ever there were occasion to serve him in particular, I should not fail to come ; for performance whereof, it happening there were some overtures of a civil war in France the next year, I sent over a French gentleman, who attended me, unto the Duke of Montmorency, expressly to tell him that if he had occasion to use my service in the designed war I would bring over one hundred horse at my own cost and charges to him ; which that good old duke and constable took so kindly that (as the Duchess of Antedor,* his daughter, told me afterwards when I was ambassador) there were few days until the last of his life that he did not speak of me with much affection. I can say little more memorable concerning myself from the year 1611, when I was hurt, until the year of our Lord 1614, than that I passed my time sometimes in the court, where I protest before God I had more favors than I desired, and sometimes in the country, without any memorable accident ; but only that it * Ventadour. 96 THE LIFE OF happened one time going from St. Gillian's to Aber- gavenny, in the way to Montgomery Castle, Richard Griffiths, a servant of mine, being come near a bridge over Husk not far from the town, thought fit to water his horse, but the river being deep and strong in that place where he entered it, he was carried down the stream ; my servants that were before me, seeing this, cried aloud Dick Griffiths w^as dro-wnaing, which I no sooner heard, but I put spurs to my horse, and coming up to the place, where I saw him as high as his middle in water, leaped into the river a little below him, and swimming up to him bpre him up with one of my hands and brought him into the middle of the river, where, through God's great providence, was a bank of sand ; coming hither, not without some difficulty, we rested ourselves, and advised whether it were better to return back unto the side from whence we came, or to go on forwards ; but Dick Griffiths saying we were sure to swim if we returned back, and that perchance the river might be shallow the other way, I followed his counsel, and, putting my horse below him, bore him up in the manner I did formerly, and, swimming through , the river, brought him safe to the other side. The horse I rode upon I remember cost me forty pounds, and was the same horse which Sir John Ayres hurt under me, and did swim exceedingly well, carrying me and his back above water ; whereas that little nag upon which Richard Griffiths rode swam so low that he must needs have drowned if I had not supported him. I will tell one history more of this horse, which I bought of my cousin Fowler of the grange, because it is memorable. I was passing over a bridge not far from Colebrook, which had no barrier on the one side, and a hole in the bridge not far from the middle, my EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 97 horse, thougli lusty yet being very timorous, and seeing besides but very little on the right eye, started so much at the hole, that upon a sudden he had put half his body lengthMdse over the side of the bridge, and was ready to fall into the river, with his forefoot and hinder foot on the right side, when I, foreseeing the danger I was in if I fell down, clapped my left foot together with the stirrup and spur flat-long to the left side, and so made him leap upon all four into the river, whence after some three or four plunges he brought me to land. The year 1614 was now entering, when I understood that the Low Country and Spanish army would be in the field that year ; this made me resolve to offer my service to the Prince of Orange, who upon my coming did much welcome me, not suffering me almost to eat anywhere but at his table, and carrying me abroad the afternoon in his coach to partake of those entertain- ments he delighted in when there was no pressing occasion. The Low Country army being now ready, bis excellency prepared to go into the field; in the way to which he took me in his coach, and sometimes in a wagon after the Low Country fashion, to the great envy of the English and French chief commanders who expected that honor. Being now arrived near Emerick, one with a most humble petition came from a monastery of nuns, most humbly desiring that the soldiers might not violate their honor nor their monas- tery, whereupon I was a most humble suitor to his ex- cellency to spare them, which he granted ; ^' but," said he, '' we will go and see them ourselves "; and thus his excellency, and I and Sir Charles Morgan only, not long after going to the monastery, found it deserted in great part. Having put a guard upon this monastery, 98 THE LIFE OF his excellency marched with his army on until we came near the city of Einerick, which, upon summoning, yielded ; and now leaving a garrison here, we resolved to march beyond Rice ; * this j)lace having the Spanish army under the command of Monsieur Spinola on the one side, and the Low Country army on the other, being able to resist neither, sent word to both armies, that whichsoever came first should have the place. Spinola hereupon sent word to his excellency that, if we intended to take Rice, he would give him battle in a plain nea rbefore the town. His excellency, noth- ing astonished hereat, marched on, his pioneers making his way for the army still, through hedges and ditches, until he came to that hedge and ditch which was next the plain; and here, drawing his men into battle, resolved to attend the coming of Spinola into the field ; while his men were putting in order, I was so desirous to see whether Spinola with his army appeared, I leaped over a great hedge and ditch, attended only with one footman, purposing to change a pistol-shot or two with the first I met. I found thus some single horse in the field, who, perceiving me to come on, rode away as fast as they could, believing perchance that more would follow me ; having thus passed to the fur- ther end of the field, and finding no show of the enemy, I returned back that I might inform his excellency there was no hope of fighting as I could perceive. In the mean time his excellency, having prepared all things for battle, sent out five or six scouts to discover whether the enemy were come according to promise; these men, finding me now coming towards them, thought I was one of the enemies, which being per- ceived by me, and I as little knowing at that time * Rees, in the Duchy of Cleves near Emerick. EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 99 who they were, rode up with my sword in my hand, and pistol, to encounter them ; and now heing come within reasonable distance, one of the persons there that knew me told his fellows who I was, whereupon I passed quietly to his excellency and told him what I had done, and that I found no appearance of an army ; his excellency then caused the hedge and ditch before him to be levelled, and marched in front with his army into the middle of the field, from whence, sending some of his forces to summon the town, it yielded without resistance. Oar army made that haste to come to the place ap- pointed for the battle, that all our baggage and pro- vision were left behind, insomuch that I was without any meat but what my footman spared me out of his pocket ', and my lodging that night was no better, for extreme rain falling at that time in the open field, I had no shelter, but was glad to get on the top of a wagon which had straw in it, and to cover myself with my cloak as well as I could, and so endure that stormy night. Morning being come, and no enemy appearing, I went to the town of Rice, into which his excellency, having now put a garrison, marched on with the rest of his army towards Wezel, before which Spinola with his army lay, and in the way intrenched himself strongly, and attended Spinola's motions. For the rest, nothing memorable happened after this, be- twixt those two great generals, for the space of many weeks. I must yet not omit with thankfulness to remember a favor his excellency did me at this time : for a soldier having killed his fellow-soldier, in the quarter where they were lodged, which is an unpardonable fault, in- somuch that no man would -speak for him, the poor 100 THE LIFE OF fellow comes to me and desires me to beg his life of his excellency, whereupon I demanding whether he had ever heard of a man pardoned in this kind, and he saying no, I told him it was in vain then for me to speak ; when the poor fellow, writhing his neck a little, said, " Sir, hut were it not better you shall cast away a few words, than I lose my hfef" This piece of elo- quence moved me so much that I went straight to his excellency, and told him what the poor fellow had said, desiring him to excuse me if upon these tenns I took the boldness to speak for him. There was present at that time the Earl of Southampton,* as also Sir Ed- ward Cecil, and Sir Horace V ere, as also Monsieur de Chastillon, and divers other French commanders; to whom his excellency, turning himself, said in French, '' Do you see this cavalier? With all that courage you know, hath yet that good nature to pray for the life of a poor soldier : though I had never pardoned any before in this kind, yet I will pardon this at his request " : so commanding him to be brought me, and disposed of as I thought fit, whom therefore I released and set free. It was now so far advanced in autumn, both armies thought of retiring themselves into their garrisons, when a trumpeter comes into the Spanish army to ours, witli a challenge from a Spanish cavalier to this efi'ect, that if any cavalier in our army would fight a single combat for the sake of his mistress, the said Spaniard would meet him, upon assurance of the camp in our army. This challenge, being brought early in the morning, was accepted by nobody till about ten or eleven of the clock, when the report thereof coming to me, I went straight * Henry Wriotliesley, third Earl of Southampton. He had heen at- tainted with tlie Earl of Essex, hut was restored by King James and made Kuirht of the Garter. EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 101 to his excellency, and told him I desired to accept the challenge. His excellency thereupon, looking earnestly upon me, told me he was an old soldier, and that he had observed two sorts of men who used to send chal- lenges in this kind. One was, of those who, having lost perchance some part of their houor in the field against the enemy, would recover it again by a single fight. The other was, of those who sent it only to discover whether our army had in it men affected to give trial of themselves in this kind ; howbeit, if this man was a person without exception to be taken against him, he said there was none he knew upon whom he would sooner venture the honor of his army than myself; and this also he spoke before divers of the English and French commanders I formerly nominated. Hereupon, by his excellency's permission, I sent a trumpet to the Spanish army with this answer, that if the person who would be sent were a cavalier without reproach, I would answer him with such weapons as we should agree upon, in the place he offered ; but my trumpeter was scarcely arrived, as I believe, at the Spanish army when another trumpeter came to ours fi-om Spinola, saying the challenge was made without his consent, and that therefore he would not permit it. This mes- sage being brought to his excellency, with whom I then was, he said to me presently, '' This is strange ; they send a challenge hither, and w^heu they have done, recall it. I should be glad if I knew the true causes of it." " Sir," said I, '^ if you will give me leave, I will go to their army and make the like challenge as they sent hither ; it may be some scruple is made concern- ing the place appointed, being in your excellency's camp, and therefore I shall offer them the combat in their own." His excellency said, " I should never have 102 THE LIFE OF persuaded you to this course, but since you voluntarily offer it, I must not deny that which you think to be for your honor." Hereupon, taking my leave of him, and desiring Sir Humphrey Tufton,* a brave gentleman, to bear me company, thus we too, attended only with two lackeys, rode straight towards the Spanish camp before Wezel ; coming thither without any disturbance, by the way, I was demanded by the guard, at the entering into their camp, with whom I would speak. I told them with the Duke of Newbourg, whereupon a soldier was presently sent with us to conduct us to the Duke of Newbourg's tent, who, remembering me well, since he saw me at the siege of Juliers, very kindly embraced me ; and therewithal demanding the cause of my coming thither, I told him the effect thereof in the manner I formerly set down ; to which he replied only, he would acquaint the Marquis Spinola therewith, who coming shortly after to the Duke of Newbourg's tent, with a great train of commanders and captains following him, he no sooner entered, but he turned to me and said that he knew well the cause of my coming, and that the same reasons which made him forbid the Spanish cavalier to fight a combat in the Prince of Orange's camp did make him forbid it in his, and that I should be better welcome to him than I would be, and there- upon entreated me to come and dine with him. I, find- ing nothing else to be done, did kindly accept the offer, and so attended him to his tent, where a brave dinner being put upon his table, he placed the Duke of New- bourg uppermost at one end of the table, and myself at the other, himself sitting below us, presenting with his own hand still the best of that meat his carver offered him. He demanded of me then in Italian, '^ Di * Third son of Sir John Tufton, and brother of Nicholas Earl of Thanet. EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 103 chemoriva Signer Francesco Vere?" — '^Of what died Sir Francis Vere ? " I told him, ''Per aver niente a fare/' — " Because he had nothing, to do." Spinola replied, '' E basta per un Grenerale," — " And it is enough to kill a general " ; and indeed that brave commander, Sir Francis Yere, died not in time of war but of peace. Taking my leave now of the Marquis Spinola, I told him that if ever he did lead an army against the infidels, I should adventure to be the first man that would die in that quarrel, and together demanded leave of him to see his army, which he granting, I took leave of him, and did at leisure view it ; observing the difference in the proceedings betwixt the Low Country army and fortifications as well as I could; and so, returning shortly after to his excellency, related to him the suc- cess of my journey. It happened about this time that Sir Henry Wotton mediated a peace by the king's com- mand, who coming for that purpose to Wezel, I took occasion to go along with him into Spinola's army, whence, after a night's stay, I went on an extreme rainy day through the woods to Kysarswert, to the great wonder of mine host, who said all men were robbed or killed that went that way ; from hence I went to CuUin,* where among other things I saw the monastery of St. Herbert ; from hence I went to Heidel- berg, where I saw the Prince and Princess Palatine, from whom, having received much good usage, I went to Ulm, and so to Augsburg, where extraordinary honor was done me, for coming into an inn where an ambas- sador from Brussels lay, the town sent twenty great flagons of wine thither, whereof they gave eleven to the ambassador, and nine to me : and withal some such compliments that I found my fame had preventedf * Cologne. t "Prevented/' in modern acceptation, "preceded." 104 THE LIFE OF iny coming thither. From hence I went through Switzerland to Trent, and from thence to Venice, where I was received hy the English ambassador, Sir Dudley Carlton,* with much honor ; among other favors showed me, I was brought to see a nun in Mu- rano, who hemg an admirable beauty, and together singing extremely well, who was thought one of the rarities not only of that place but of the time. We came to a room opposite unto the cloister, whence she, coming on the other side of the grate betwixt us, sung so extremely well that when she departed, neither my lord ambassador nor his lady, who were then present, could find as much as a word of fitting language to return her for the extraordinary music she gave us; when I, being ashamed that she should go back with- out some testimony of the sense we had both of the harmony of her beauty and her voice, said in Italian, '^ Moria pur quando vuol, non bisogna mutar ni voce ni facia per esser un angelo," — '^ Die whensoever you will, you neither need to change voice nor face to be an angel." These words, it seemed, were fatal, for going thence to Rome, and returning shortly afterwards, I heard she was dead in the mean time. From "Venice after some stay I went to Florence, where I met the Earl of Oxfordf and Sir Benjamin Budierjt having seen the rarities of this place likewise, and particularly that rare chapel made for the house of * Ambassador to Venice, Savoy, and Holland, Secretary of State, and Viscount Dorchester. + Henry Vere, Earl of Oxford. He died at the Hague in 1625, of a sickness contracted at the siege of Breda, where, being a very corpulent man, he had overheated himself. X Sir Benjamin Budyard was a man in great vogue in that age, a wit, and poet, and intimate friend of William Earl of Pembroke, with whose poems Sir Benjamin's are printed. EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 105 Medici, beautified on all the inside with a coarser kind' of precious stone, as also that nail which was at one end iron, and the other gold, made so by virtue of a tincture into which it was put. I went to Siena, and from thence, a little before the Christmas holidays, to Rome. I was no sooner alighted at my inn, but I went straight to the English college, where, demanding for the regent or master thereof, a grave person not long after appeared at the door, to whom I spake in this manner: '^ Sir, I need not tell you my country when you hear my language ; I come not here to study con- troversies, but to see the antiquities of the place ; if without scandal to the religion in which I was bom and bred up, I may take this liberty, I should be glad to spend some convenient time here ; if not, my horse is yet unsaddled, and myself willing to go out of the town." The answer returned by him to me was, that he never heard anybody befDre me profess himself of any other religion than what was used in Rome; for his part, he approved much my freedom, as collect- ing thereby I was a person of honor ; for the rest, that he could give me no warrant for my stay there, how- beit that experience did teach that those men who gave no affronts to the Roman Catholic religion re- ceived none ; whereupon also he demanded my name. I telling him I was called Sir Edward Herbert, he replied that he had heard men oftentimes speak of me both for learning and courage, and presently invited me to dinner. I told him that I took his courteous offer as an argument of his affection; that I desired him to excuse me if I did not accept it ; the uttermost liberty I had (as the times then were in England) being already taken in coming to that city only, lest they should think me a factious person ; I thought fit 106 THE LIFE OF to tell him that I conceived the points agreed upon on both sides are greater bonds of amity betwixt us, than that the points disagreed on could break them ', that, for my part, I loved everybody that was of a pious and virtuous life, and thought the errors on what side soever were more worthy pity than hate; and hav- ing declared myself thus far, I took my leave of him courteously, and spent about a month's time in seeing the antiquities of that place, which first found means to establish so great an empire over the persons of men, and afterwards over their consciences : the articles of confession and absolving sinners being a greater Arcanum Imperii for governing the world, than all the arts invented by statists formerly were. After I had seen Rome sufficiently, I went to Tivoli, anciently called Tibur, and saw the fair palace and garden there, as also Frascati, anciently called Tuscu- lanum ; after that, I returned to Rome, and saw the Pope in consistory, which being done, when the Pope being now ready to give his blessing, I departed thence suddenly, which gave such a suspicion cf me, that some were sent to apprehend me, but I going a by- way escaped them, and went to my inn to take horse, where I had not been now half an hour, when the mas- ter or regent of the English college telling me that I was accused in the inquisition, and that I could stay no longer with any safety, I took this warning very kindly; howbeit I did only for the present change my lodging, and a day or two afterwards took horse and went out of Rome towards Siena, and from thence to Florence. After I had stayed awhile, from hence I went by Ferrara and Bologna towards Padua, in which univer- sity having spent some time to hear the learned readers^ EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 107 and particularly Cremonini, I left my English horses and Scotch saddles there, for on them I rode all the way from the Low Countries. I went by boat to Venice : the Lord Ambassador, Sir Dudley Carlton, by this time had a command to reside awhile in the court of the Duke of Savoy, wherewith also his lordship acquainted me, demanding whether I would go thither ; this offer was gladly accepted by me, both as I was desirous to see that court, and that it was in the way to the Low Country, where I meant to see the war the summer ensuing. Coming thus in the coach with my lord ambassador to Milan, the governor thereof invited my lord ambas- sador to his house, and sometimes feasted him during his stay there : here I heard that famous nun singing to the organ in this manner ; another nun beginning first to sing, performed her part so well that we gave her much applause for her excellent art and voice; only we thought she did sing somewhat lower than other women usually did ; hereupon also, being ready to depart, we heard suddenly, for we saw nobody, that nun which was so famous, sing an eight higher than the 'Other had done; her voice was the sweetest, strongest, and clearest that ever I heard, in the using whereof also she showed that art as ravished us into admiration. From Milan we went to Novara, as I remember, where we were entertained by the governor, being a Spaniard, with one of the most sumptuous feasts that ever I saw, being but of nine dishes, in three several services; the first whereof was three oUas podiidas consisting of all choice boiled meats, placed in three large silver chargers, which took up the length of a great table ; the meat in it being heightened up arti- 108 THE LIFE OF ficially, pyramid wise, to a sparrow, wliicli was on the top : the second service was like the former, of roast meat, in which all manner of fowl, from the pheasant and partridge, to other fowl less than them, were heightened up to a lark : the third was in sweet- meats dry of all sorts, heightened in like manner to a round comfit. From hence we went to Yercelly, a town of the Duke of Savoy's, frontier to the Spaniard, with whom the duke was then in war ; from whence, passing by places of least note, we came to Turin, where the Duke of Savoy's court was. After I had refreshed myself here some two or three days, I took leave of my lord ambas- sador with intention to go to the Low Countries, and was now upon the way thither, as far as the foot of Mount Cenis, when the Count Scarnafigi came to me from the duke * and brought a letter to this effect ; that the duke had heard I was a cavalier of great worth, and desirous to see the wars, and that if I would serve him I should make my own conditions : finding so courteous an invitation, I returned back, and was lodged by the Duke of Savoy in a chamber furnished M4th silk and gold hangings, and a very rich bed, and defrayed at the duke's charges, in the English ambas- sador's house. The duke also confirmed unto me what the Count Scarnafigi had said, and together bestowed divers compliments on me. I told his highness that when I knew in what service he pleased to employ me, he should find me ready to testify the sense I had of his princely invitation. It was now in the time of Carnival, when the duke, who loved the company of ladies and dancing as much as any prince whosoever, made divers masks and balls, * Charles Emanuel. EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 109 in which his own daughters among divers other ladies danced ; and here it was his manner to place me always with his own hand near some fair lady, wishing us both to entertain each other with some discourse, which was a great favor among the Italians ; he did many other ways also declare the great esteem he had of me without coming to any particular, the time of the year for going into the field being not yet come ; only he exercised his men often, and made them ready for his occasions in the spring. The duke, at last resolving how to use my service, thought fit to send me to Languedoc in France, to con- duct four thousand men of the reformed religion (who had promised their assistance in his war) unto Piedmont. I willingly accepted this offer ; so taking my leave of the duke, and bestowing about seventy or eighty pounds among his officers, for the kind entertainment I had re- ceived, I took my leave also of my lord ambassador, and Sir Albertus Moreton, who was likewise employed there, and prepared for my journey, for more expedi- tion of which I was desired to go post. An old Scotch knight of the Sandelands, hearing this, desired to bor- row my horses as far as Heidelberg, which I granted on condition that he would use tht^m well by the way, and give them good keeping in that place afterwards. The Count Scarnafigi was commanded to bear me company in this journey, and to carry with him some jewels, which he was to pawn in Lyons in France, and with the money gotten for them to pay the soldiers above nominated ; for though the duke had put ex- treme taxations on his people, insomuch that they paid not only a certain sum for every horse, ox, cow, or sheep that they kept, but afterwards for every chimney, and finally every single person by the poll, which 110 THE LIFE OF amounted to a pistole, or fourteen shillings, a head or person, yet he wanted money : at which I did not so much wonder as at the patience of his suhjects; of whom I demanded how they could bear their taxa- tions. I have heard some of them answer, *' We are not so much offended with the duke for what he takes from us, as thankful for what he leaves us." The Count Scamafigi and I, now setting forth, rode post all day wdthout eating or drinking by the way, the count telling me still we should come to a good inn at night. It was now twilight when the count and I came near a solitary inn, on the top of a mountain. The hostess, hearing the noise of horses, came out, with a child new born on her left arm, and a rush candle in her hand ; she presently, knowing the Count de Scama- figi, told him, ^' Ah, signor, you are come in a very ill time ; the duke's soldiers have been here to-day, and have left me nothing." I looked sadly upon the count, when he, coming near to me,, whispered me in the ear, and said, "It maybe she thinks we will use her as the soldiers have done : go you into the house, and see whether you can find anything ; I will go round about the house, and perhaps I shall meet with some duck, hen, or chicken." Entering thus into the house, I found, for all other furniture of it, the end of an old form, upon which sitting down, the hostess came towards me with a rush candle, and said, " I protest before Grod that it is true which I told the count, here is nothing to eat ; but you are a gentleman, methinks it is pity you should want ; if you please, I will give you some milk out of my breasts, into a wooden dish I have here." This unexpected kindness made that impression on me, that I remember I was never so tenderly sen- sible of anything; my answer was, "God forbid I EDWARD LORD HERBERT. Ill should take away the milk from the child I see in thy arms, howbeit I shall take it all my life for the greatest piece of charity that ever I heard of." And therewithal giving her a pistole, or a piece of gold of fourteen shillings, Scarnafigi and I got on horseback again and rode another post, and came to an inn where we found very coarse cheer, yet hunger made us relish it. In this journey I remember I went over Mount Gabelet by night, being carried down that precipice in a chair, a guide that went before bringing a bottle of straw with him, and kindling pieces of it from time to time, that we might see our way. Being at the bottom t>f a hill, I got on horseback and rode to Burgundy, re- solving to rest there awhile ; and the rather (to speak truly) that I had heard divers say, and particularly Sir JohnFinnet* and Sir Eichard Newport, f that the host's daughter there was the handsomest woman that ever they saw in then- lives. Coming to the inn, the Count Scarnafigi wished me to rest two or three hours, and he would go before to Lyons to prepare business for my journey to Languedoc. The host's daughter being not within, I told her father and mother that I desired only to see their daughter, as having heard her spoken of in England with so much advantage, that divers told me they thought her the handsomest creature that ever they saw. They answered she was gone to a marriage, and should be presently sent for, wishing me in the mean while to take some rest upon a bed, for they saw I needed it. Waking now about two hours afterguards, I found her sitting by me, attending when I would open mine eyes. I shall touch a little of her description ; her hair, being of a shining black, was naturally curled * Master of tlie Ccremoniis. t Afterwards created a baron, and ancestor of the Earls of Bradford. 112 THE LIFE OF in that order that a curious woman would have dressed it, for one curl rising by degrees above another, and every bout tied with a small ribbon of a naccarine, or the color that the Knights of the Bath wear, gave a very graceful mixture, while it was bound up in this manner from the point of her shoulder to the crown of her head ; her eyes, which were round and black, seemed to be models of her whole beauty, and in some sort of her air, while a kind of light or flame came from them, not unlike that which the ribbon which tied up her hair exhibited. I do not remember ever to have seen a prettier mouth or whiter teeth; briefly, aU her outward parts seemed to become each other, neither was there anything that could be misliked, unless one should say her complexion was too brown, which, yet from the shadow, was heightened with a good blood in her cheeks. Her gown M^as a green Turkey grogram, cut all into panes or slashes, from the shoulder and sleeves unto the foot, and tied up at the distance of about a hand's -breadth everywhere with the same rib- bon with which her hair w^as bound ; so that her attire seemed as bizarre as her person. I am too long in de- scribing a host's daughter, howbeit I thought I might better speak of her than of divers other beauties held to be the best and fairest of the time whom I have often seen. In conclusion, after about an hour's stay, I de- parted thence, without offering so much as the least in- civility; and indeed after so much weariness, it was enough that her sight alone did somewhat refresh me. From hence I went straight to Lyons ; entering the gate, the guards there, after their usual manner, de- manded of me who I was, whence I came, and whither I went. To which, while I answered, I observed one of them look very attentively upon me, and then again EDWAED LORD HERBERT. 113 upon a paper lie had in his hand ; this, having heen done divers times, bred in me a suspicion that there was no good meaning in it, and I was not deceived in my conjecture ; for the queen mother of France having newly made an edict that no soldiers should be raised in France, the Marquis de Eambouillet,* French ambas- sador at Turin, sent word of my employment to the Marquis de St. Chaumont, then governor of Lyons, as also a description of my person. This edict was so severe as they who raised any men were to lose their heads. In this unfortunate conjuncture of affairs noth- ing fell out so well on my part as that I had not raised as yet any men; howbeit, the guards requiring me to come before the governor, I went with them to a church where he was at vespers ; this while I walked in the lower part of the church, little imagining what danger I was in, had I levied any men. I had not walked there long, when a single person came to me appareled in a black stuff suit, Mithout any attendants upon him, when I, supposing this person to be any man rather than the governor, saluted him without much ceremony. His first question was, whence I came. I answered from Turin. He demanded then, whither I would go. I answered, I was not yet resolved. His third questiou was, what news at Turin; to which I answered, that I had no news to tell, as supposing him to be only some busy or inquisitive person. The mar- quis hereupon called one of the guards that conducted me thither, and after he had whispered something in his ear, wished me to go along with him, which I did * This gentleman, I believe, was husband of Madame de Rambouillet, whose assemblies of the wits and poets were so much celebrated in that age. They were parents of the famous Julie d'Angennes, Duchess de Montausier, well known by Voiture's letters to her. 114 THE LIFE OF willingly, as believing this man would bring me to the governor. This man silently leading me out of the church brought me to a fair house, into which I was no sooner entered, but he told me I was commanded to prison there by him I saw in the church, who was the governor. I replied I did not know him to be governor, nor that that was a prison, and that if I were out of it again neither the governor nor all the town could bring me to it alive. The master of the house hereupon spoke me very fair, and told me he would conduct me to a better chamber than any I could find in an inn, and thereupon conducted me to a very handsome lodg- ing not far from the river. I had not been here half an hour when Sir Edward SackviUe,* now Earl of Dorset, hearing only that an Englishman was committed, sent to know who I was, and why I w^as imprisoned. The governor, not knowing whether to lay the fault upon my short answers to him, or my commission to levy men contrary to the queen's edict, made him so doubtful an answer, after he had a little touched upon both, as he dismissed him unsatisfied. Sir Edward SackviUe, hereupon coming to the house where I was, as soon as ever he saw me, embraced me, saying, ''Ned Herbert, what doest thou here?" I answered, ''Ned SackviUe, I am glad to see you, but I protest I know not why I am here." He again said, " Hast thou raised any men yet for the Duke of Sa- voy?" I replied, "Not so much as one." "Then," said he, "I will warrant thee, although I must tell thee, the governor is much offended at thy behavior and lan- guage in the church." I replied it was impossible for me to imagine him to be goverpof that pame without a guard, and in such mean clo|;hes as he then wore. " I * Well known by hJ8 4uel with the Lord Brace. EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 115 will go to him again, and tell Mm what you say, and doubt not but you shall be suddenly freed." Hereupon returning to the governor he told of what family I was, and of what condition, and that I had raised no men, and that I knew him not to be governor ; whereupon the marquis wished him to go back, that he would come in person to free me out of the house. This message being brought me by Sir Edward Sack- ville, I returned this answer only, that it was enough if he sent order to free me. While these messages passed, a company of handsome young men and women, out of I know not what civility, brought music under the window and danced before me, looking often up to see me ; but Sir Edward Sackville being now returned with order to free me, I only gave them thanks out of the window, and so went along with them to the gov- ernor. Being come into a great hall, where his lady was, and a large train of gentlewomen and other per- sons, the governor, with his hat in his hand, demanded of me whether I knew him. When his noble lady, answering for me, said, '^ How could he know you, when you were in the church alone, and in this habit, being for the rest wholly a stranger to you ? " Which civility of hers, although I did not presently take notice of it, I did afterwards most thankfully acknowledge when I was ambassador in France. The governor's next questions were the very same he made when he met me in the church ; to which I made the very same answers before them all, concluding that as I did not know him he could think it no incongruity if I answered in those terms : the governor yet was not satisfied here- with, and his noble lady, taking my part again, gave him those reasons for my answering him in that man- ner that they silenced him from speaking any farther. 116 THE LIFE OF The governor turning back, I likewise, after an humble obeisance made to his lady, returned with Sir Edward Sackville to my lodgings. This night I passed as quietly as I could^ but the next morning advised with him what I was to do. I told him I had received a great affront, and that I intended to send him a challenge, in such courteous language that he could not refuse it. Sir Edward Sackville by all means dissuaded me fi'om it ; by which means I per- ceived I was not to expect his assistance therein, and, indeed, the next day he went out of town. Being alone now, I thought on nothing more than how to send him a challenge, which at last I penned to this effect; that whereas he had given me great offence without a cause, I thought myself bound as a gentleman to resent it, and therefore desired to sec Mm with his sword in his hand in any place he should appoint ; and hoped he would not interpose his author- ity as an excuse for not complying with his honor on this occasion, and that so I rested his humble servant. Finding nobody in town for two or three days, by whom I might send this challenge, I resolved for my last means to deliver it in person, and observe how he took it, intending to right myself as I could, when I found he stood upon his authority. This night it happened that Monsieur Terant, for- merly mentioned, came to the town ; this gentleman knowing me well, and remembering our acquaintance both at France and Juliers, wished there were some occasion for him to serve me. I presently hereupon, taking the challenge out of my pocket, told him he would oblige me extremely if he were pleased to deliver it, and that I hoped he might do it without danger, since I knew the French to be so brave a EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 117 "nation that they would never refuse or dislike any- thing that was done in an honorable and worthy way. Terant took the challenge from me, and after he had read it, told me that the language was civil and dis- creet ; nevertheless he thought the governor would not return me that answer I expected ; howsoever, said he, I will deliver it. Returning thus to my inn, and intend- ing to sleep quieter that night than I had done three nights before, about one of the clock after midnight, I heard a great noise at my door which awakened me, certain persons knocking so hard as if they would break it, besides through the chinks thereof I saw light ; this made me presently rise in my shirt, when, drawing my sword, I went to the door and demanded who they were ; and together told them that if they came to make me prisoner, I would rather die with my sword in my hand ; and therewithal opening the door, I found upon the stairs half a dozen men armed with halberts, whom I no sooner prepared to resist but the chief of them told me that they came not to me from the governor, bat from my good friend the Duke of Montmorency, son to the duke I formerly mentioned, and that he came to town late that night, in his way from Languedoc (of which he was governor) to Paris ; and that he desired me, if I loved him, to rise presently and come to him, assuring me farther that this was most true; hereupon wishing them to retire them- selves, I dressed myself and went with them. They conducted me to the great hall of the governor, where the Duke of Montmorency and divers other cavaliers had been dancing with the ladies. I went presently to the Duke of Montmorency, who, taking me a little aside, told me that he had heard of the passages be- 118 THE LIFE OF twixt the governor and me, and that I had sent him a challenge; howbeit, that he conceived men in his place were not bound to answer as private persons for those things they did by virtue of their office : never- theless, that I should have satisfaction in as ample manner as I could reasonably desire. Hereupon bring- ing me with him to the governor, he freely told me that noM' he knew who I was, he could do no less than assure me that he was sorry for what was done, and desired me to take this for satisfaction ; the Duke of Montmorency hereupon said presently, '^ C'est assez," — ^^ It is enough." I then, turning to him, demanded whether he would have taken this satisfaction in the like case. He said, '^ Yes." After this, turning to the governor, I demanded the same question, to which he answered, that he would have taken the same satis- faction, and less too. I, kissing my hand, gave it him, who embraced me, and so this business ended. After some compliments passed between the Duke of Montmorency, who remembered the great love his father bore me, which he desired to continue in his person, and putting me in mind also of our being educated together for a while, demanded whether I would go with him to Paris. I told him that I was engaged to the Low Countries, but that wheresoever I was, I should be his most humble sers'^ant. My employment with the Duke of Savoy, in Langue- doc, being thus ended, I went fi'om Lyons to Geneva, w^iere I found also my fame had prevented my coming ; for the next morning after my arrival, the state taking- notice of me, sent a messenger in their name to con- gratulate my being there, and presented me with some flagons of wine, desiring me, if I stayed there any while, to see their fortifications, and give my opinion EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 119 of them; which I did, and told them I thought they were weakest wliere they thought themselves the strongest, which was on the hilly part, where indeed they had made great fortifications ; yet, as it is a rule in war that whatsoever may be made by art may be destroyed by art again, I conceived they had need to fear the approach of an enemy on that part rather than any other. They replied that divers great soldiers had told them the same, and that they would give the best order they could to serve themselves on that side. Having rested here some while to take physic (my health being a little broken with long travel), I departed after a fortnight's stay to Basle, where, tak- ing a boat upon the river I came at length to Stras- bourg, and from thence went to Heidelberg, where I was received again by the prince elector and prin- cess with much kindness, and viewed at leisure the fair library there, the gardens, and other rarities of that place ; and here I found my horses I lent to Sandilands in good plight, which I then bestowed upon some servants of the prince, in way of retribu- tion for my welcome thither. From hence, Sir George Calvert* and myself went by water for the most part to the Low Countries, where, taking leave of each other, I went straight to his excellency, who did ex- traordinarily welcome me, insomuch that it was ob- served that he did never outwardly make so much of any one as myself. It happened this summer that the Low Country army was not drawn into the field, so that the Prince of Orange passed his time at playing at chess mth me after dinner, or in going to Reswick with him to see * Afterwards Lord Baltimore. See an account of him in the catalogue of " Royal and Noble Authors," Vol. II. 120 THE LIFE OF his great horses, or in making love, in which also he used me as his companion, yet so that I saw nothing openly more than might argue a civil famiharity. When I was at any time from hitn, I did by his good leave endeavor to raise a troop of horse for the Duke of Savoy's service, as having obtained a commission to that purpose for my brother William, then an officer in the Low Country. Having these men in readiness, I sent word to the Count Scamafigi thereof, who was now ambassador in England, telling him that if he would send money my brother w^as ready to go. Scamafigi answered me, that he expected money in England, and that as soon as he received it, he would send over so much as would pay an hundred horse ; but a peace betwixt him and the Spaniard being concluded not long after at Asti, the whole charge of keeping this horse fell upon me, without ever to this day receiving any recompense. Winter now approaching, and nothing more to be done that year, I went to the Brill to take shipping for England. Sir Edward Conway, who was then gov- ernor at that place, and afterwards secretary of state, taking notice of my being there, came to me, and invited me every day to come to him, while I attended only for a wind j which serving at last for my journey. Sir Edward Conway conducted me to the ship, into which as soon as I was entered he caused six pieces of ordnance to be discharged for my farewell. I was scarce gone a league into the sea, when the wind turned contrary, and forced me back again ', returning thus to the BriU, Sir Edward Conway welcomed me as before ; and now after some three or four days, the wind serving he conducted me again to the ship, and bestowed six volleys of ordnance upon me. I was now about half- EDWARD LOED HERBERT. 121 way to England, when a most cruel storm arose, which tore our sails and spent our masts, insomuch that the master of our ship gave us all for lost, as the wind was extreme high and together contrary ; we were can-ied at last, though wdth much difficulty, back again to the Brill, where Sir Edward Conv/ay did cons^ratuiate my escape, saying, he believed certainly that, considering the weather, I must needs be cast away. After some stay here mth my former welcome, the wind being now fair, I was conducted again to my ship by Sir Edward Conway, and the same volleys of shot given me, and was now scarce out of the haven when the wind again turned contrary, and drove me back. This made me resolve to try my fortune here no longer ; hiring a small bark, therefore, I went to the sluice, and from thence to Ostend, where finding company I went to Brussels. In the inn where I lay here an ordinary was kept, to which divers noblemen and prin- cipal officers of the Spanish army resorted; sitting among these at dinner, the next day after my arrival, no man knowing me, or informing himself who I was, they fell into discourse of divers matters in Italian, Spanish, and French, and at last three of them, one after another, began to speak of King James my master in a very scornful manner. I thought with myself then, that if I was a base fellow, I need not take any notice thereof, since no man knew me to be an Englishman, or that I did so much as understand their language ; but my heart burning within me, I, putting off my hat, arose from the table, and turning myself to those that sat at the upper end, who had said nothing to the king my master's prejudice, I told them in Italian : '' Son Tngiese (I am an Englishman), and should be unworthy to live if I suffered these words to be spoken of the king 122 THE LIFE OF my master " ; and therewithal, turning myself to those who had injured the king, 1 said, '' You have spoken falsely, and I will fight with you all." Those at the upi^er end of the table, finding I had so much reason on my part, did sharply check those I questioned, and, to be brief, made them ask the king's forgiveness, wherewith also, the king's health being drank round about the table, I departed thence to Dunkirk, and thence to Graveling, wdiere I saw, though unknown, an English gentlewoman enter into a nunnery there. I M^ent thence to Calais ; it was now extreme foul weather, and I could find no master of a ship willing to adven- ture to sea ; howbeit my impatience was such that I demanded of a poor fisherman there whether he would go ', he answered his ship was worse than any in the haven, as being open above and without any deck, besides that it was old ; " but," saith he, '' I care for my life as little as you do, and if you will go, my boat is at your service." I was now scarce out of the haven when a high groM^n sea had almost overwhelmed us, the waves coming in very fast into our ship, which we laded out again the best w^e could ; notwithstanding which we expected every minute to be cast away. It pleased God yet, before we were gone six leagues into the sea, to cease the tempest, and give us a fair passage over to the Downs ; where, after giving God thanks for ray de- livery from this most needless danger that ever I did run, I went to London. I had not been here ten days when a quartan ague seized on me, which held me for a year and a half without intermission, and a year and a half longer at spring and fall ; the good days I had during all this sickness I employed in study, the ill being spent in as sharp and long fits as I think ever EDWAED LORD HERBERT. 123 any man endured, which brought me at last to be so lean and yellow, that scarce any man did know me. It happened during this sickness, that I walked abroad one day towards Whitehall, where meeting with one Emerson, who spoke very disgraceful words of Sir Robert Harley, being then my dear friend, my weak- ness could not hinder me to be sensible of my friend's dishonor; shaking him therefore by a long beard he wore, I stepped a little aside and drew my sword in the street, Captain Thomas Scriven, a friend of mine, being not far off on one side, and divers friends of his on the other side ; all that saw me wondered how I could go, being so weak and consumed as I was, but much more that I would offer to fight : howsoever, Emerson, instead of drawing his sword, ran away into Suffolk House, and afterwards informed the lords of the council of what I had done ; who, not long after send- ing far me, did not so much reprehend my taking part with my friend, as that I would adventure to fight be- ing in such a bad condition of health. Before I came wholly out of my sickness, Sir George Villiers, after- wards Duke of Buckingham, came into the king's favor ; this cavalier, meeting me accidentally at the Lady Stanop's* house, came to me, and told me he had heard so much of my worth, as he would think himself happy if, by his credit with the king, he could do me any service ; I humbly thanked him, but told him that for the present I had need of nothing so much as health, but that if ever I had ambition, I should take the boldness to make my address by him. I was no sooner perfectly recovered of this long sick- ness but the Earl of Oxfv)rd and myself resoh^ed to * Catherine, daugliter of Francis Lord Hastings, first wife of Philip Loid Stanhope, afterwards created Earl of Chesterfield. 124 THE LIFE OF raise two regiments for the service of the Yeiietians. While we were making ready for this journey, the king, having an occasion to send an ambassador into France, required Sir George Viliiers to present him with the names of the fittest men for that employment that he knew ; whereupon eighteen names, among w^hich mine was, being written in a paper, were presented to him. The king presently chose me, yet so as he desired first to have the approbation of his privy council, who, confirming his majesty's choice, sent a messenger to my house among gardens, near the Old Exchange, requir- ing me to come presently to them ; myself, little know- ing then the honor intended me, asked the messenger whether I had done any fault* that the lords sent for me so suddenly ; wishing him to tell the lords that I was going to dinner, and would afterwards attend them. I had scarce dined, when another messenger was sent ; this made me hasten to Whitehall, where I was no sooner come, but the lords saluted me by the name of lord ambassador of France. I told their lordships, there- upon, that I was glad it was no worse, and that I doubted that by their speedy sending for me some com- plaint, though false, might be made against me. My first commission was, to renew the oath of alli- ance betwixt the two crowns, for which purpose I was extraordinary ambassador, w^hich being done, I was to reside there as ordinary. I had received now about six or seven hundred pounds towards the charges of my journey, and locked it in certain cofi'ers in my bouse, when the night following, about one of the clock, I could hear divers men speak and knock at the door, in that part of the house where none did lie but myself, my wife and her attendants, my servants being lodged in another house not far off; as soon as I heard the EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 125 noise, I suspected presently tliey came to rob me of my money ; howsoever I thought fit to rise, and go to the window to know who they M^ere ; the first word I heard was, ^'Darest thou come do\^ra, Welshman f" which I no sooner heard, but, taking a sword in one hand, and a little target in the other, I did in my shirt run down the stairs, open the doors suddenly, and charged ten or twelve of them with that fury that they ran away, some throwing away their halberts, others hurting their fellows to make them go fiister in a nar- row way they were to pass ; in which disordered man- ner I drove them to the middle of the street by the Exchange, where, finding my bare feet hurt by the stones I trod on, I thought fit to return home, and. leave them to their flight. My servants, hearing the noise, by this time were got up, and demanded whether I would have them pursue those rogues that fled away ; but I answering that I thought they were out of their reach, we returned home together. While I was preparing myself for my journey, it happened that I, passing through the Inner Temple one day, and encountering Sir Robert Yaughan in this country, some harsh words passed betwixt us, which occasioned him at the persuasion of others, whom I wiU not nominate, to send me a challenge; this was brought me at my house in Blackfriars by Captain Charles Price upon a Sunday about one of the clock in the afternoon ; when I had read it, I told Charles Price that I did ordinarily bestow this day in devotion, nevertheless, that I would meet Sir Eobert Vaughan presently, and gave him thereupon the length of my sword, demanding whether he brought any second with him ; to which Charles Price replying that he M^ould be in the field with him, I told my brother Sir Henry 126 THE LIFE OF Her'bert, then present, thereof, who readily offermg himself to he my second, nothing was wanting now but the place to he agreed upon hetwixt us, which was not far from the waterside near Chelsea. My hrother and I, taking boat presently, came to the place, where after we had stayed about two hours in vain, I desired my brother to go to Sir Robert Yaughan's lodging, and tell him that I now attended his coming a great while, and that I desired him to come away speedily ; hereupon my brother went, and after a while returning back again, he told me they were not ready yet } I attended then about an hour and a half longer, but as he did not come yet, I sent my brother a second time to call him away, and to tell him I caught cold, nevertheless that I would stay there till sunset ; my brother yet could not bring him along, but returned himself to the place, where we stayed together till half an hour after sunset, and then returned home. The next day the Earl of Worcester,* by the king's command, forbid me to receive any message or letter from Sir Robert Vaughan, and advertised me withal, that the king had given him charge to end the business betwixt us, for which purpose he desired me to come before him the next day about two of the clock ; at which time, after the earl had told me, that being now made ambassador and a public person, I ought not to entertain private quarrels ; after which, without much ado, he ended the business betwixt Sir Robert. Vaughan and myself : it was thought by some, that this would make me lose my place, I being under so great an obligation to the king for my employment in France ; but Sir George Villiers, afterwards Duke of Buckiug- * Edward Somerset, Earl of Worcester, Lord Privy seal and Kniglit of the Garter. EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 127 ham, told me he would warrant me for this one time, but I must do so no more. I was now almost ready for my journey, and had received already as choice a company of gentlemen for my attendants as I think ever followed an ambassador ; when some of my private friends told me that I was not to trust so much to my pay from the exchequer, but that it was necessary for me to take letters of credit with me, for as much money as I could well procure. Informing myself hereupon who had furnished the last ambassador, I was told Monsieur Savage, a Frenchman ; coming to his house, I demanded whether he would help me with moneys in France, as he had done the last ambassador ; he said he did not know me, but would inform himself better who I was ; departing thus from him, I went to Signor Burlamacchi, a man of great credit in those times, and demanded of him the same; his answer was, that he knew me to be a man of honor, and I had kept my word with everybody ; whereupon, also going to his study, gave me a letter of credit to one Monsieur de Langherac in Paris, for £2000 sterling. I then demanded what security he expected for this money ; he said he would have nothing but my prom- ise ; I told him he had put a great obligation upon me, and that I would strive to acquit myself of it the best I could. Having now a good sum of money in my coffers, and this letter of credit, I made ready for my journey. The day I went out of London I remember, was the same in which Queen Anne was carried to burial, which was a sad spectacle to all that had occasion to honor her. My first night's journey was to Gravesend, where being at supper in my inn, Monsieur Savage, formerly men- tioned, came to me, and told me, that whereas I had 128 THE LIFE OF spoken to liim for a letter of credit, he had made one which he thought would be to my contentment; I demanded to whom it was directed; he said to Mon- sieur Talleinant and Rambouillet in Paris ; I asked then what they were worth ; he said above one hundred thousand pounds sterling ; I demanded how much this letter of credit was ; he said for as much as I should have need of; I asked what security he required; he said nothing but my word, which he had heard was inviolable. From Gravesend, by easy journeys, I went to Dover, where I took shipping, with a train of a hundred and odd persons, and arrived shortly after at Calais, where I remember my cheer was twice as good as at Dover, and my reckoning half as cheap ; from whence I went to Boulogne, Monstreville, Abbeville, Amiens, and in two days thence to St. Denis near Paris, where 1 was met with a great train of coaches, that were sent to receive me, as also by the Master of the Ceremonies, and Monsieur Mennon, my fellow-scholar, with Mon- sieur Disancour, who then kept an academy, and brought with him a brave company of gentlemen on great horses to attend me into town. It was now somewhat late when I entered Paris, upon a Saturday night ; I was but newly settled in my lodging, when a secretary of the Spanish ambassador there told me that his lord desired to have the first audience from me, and therefore .requested he might see me the next morning ; I replied it was a day I gave wholly to devotion, and therefore entreated him to stay until some more convenient time : the secretary replied that his master did hold it no less holy ; howbeit that his respect to me was such that he would prefer the desire he had to serve me before all other con- EDWARD LORD HERBERT, 129 siderations ; howsoever, I put him off lintil Monday following. Not long after I took a house in Faubourg St. Germain, Rue Toumon, which cost me £ 200 sterling yearly ; having furnished the house richly, and lodged all my train, I prepared for a journey to Tours and Touraine, where the French court then was : being come hither in extreme hot weather, I demanded au- dience of the king and queen, which being granted, I did assure the king of the great affection the king my master bore him, not only out of the ancient alliance betwixt the two crowns, but because Henry the Fourth and the king my master had stipulated with each other, that whensoever any one of them died, the survivor should take care of the other's child : I assured him, farther, that no charge was so much imposed upon me by my instructions, as that I should do good offices betwixt both kingdoms, and therefore that it were a great fault in me if I behaved myself otherwise than with all respect to his majesty : this being done, I pre- sented to the king a letter of credence from the king my master : the king assured me of a reciprocal affec- tion to the king my master, and of my particular wel- come to his court J his words were never many, as being so extreme a stutterer that he would sometimes hold his tongue out of his mouth a good while before he could speak so much as one word ; he had besides a double row of teeth, and was observed seldom or never to spit or blow his nose, or to sweat much, though he were very laborious, and almost indefatigable in his ex- ercises of hunting and hawking, to which he was much addicted : neither did it hinder him, though he was burst in his body, as we call it, or herniosus ; for he was noted in those sports, though oftentimes on foot, to tire 130 THE LIFE OF not only his courtiers, "but even his lackeys, heing equally insensihle, as was thought, either of heat or cold; his understanding and natural parts were as good as could he expected in one that was hrought up in so much ignorauce, which was on pui-pose so done that he might be the longer governed; howbeit, he acquired in time a great knowledge in affairs, as con- versing for the most part with wise and active persons. He was noted to have two qualities incident to all who were ignorantly hrought up, suspicion and dissimula- tion; for as ignorant persons walk so much in the dark, they cannot he exempt irom fear of stumbling ; and as they are likewise deprived of, or deficient in those true principles, by which they should govern both public and private actions in a wise, solid, and demon- strative way, they strive commonly to supply these im- perfections with covert arts, which, although it may be sometimes excusable in necessitous persons, and be indeed frequent among those who negotiate in small matters, yet condemnable in princes, who, proceeding upon foundations of reason and strength, ought not to submit themselves to such poor helps ; howbeit, I must observe that neither his fears did take away his courage when there was occasion to use it, nor his dissimulation extend itself to the doing of private mischiefs to his subjects, either of one or the other religion : his favor- ite was one Monsieur de Luynes, who in his nonage gained much upon the king by making hawks fly at all little birds in his gardens, and by making some of those little birds again catch butterflies ; and had the king used him for no other purpose, he might have been tolerated; but as, when the king came to a riper age, the government of public affairs was drawn chiefly from his counsels, not a few errors were committed. EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 131 The queen-mother^ princes, and nobles of that king • dom repined that his advices to the king should he so prevalent, which also at last caused a civil war in that kingdom. How unfit this man was for the credit he had with the king may be argued by this, that when there was question made about some business in Bo- hemia, he demanded whctlier it was an inland country or lay upon the sea ; and thus much for the present of the king and his favorite. After my audience with the king, I had another from the queen, being sister to the King of Spain. I had little to say unto her but some compliments on the king my master's part, but such compliments as her sex and quality were capable of. This queen was exceedingly fliir, like those of the House of Austria, and together of so mild and good a condition she was never noted to have done ill offices to any, but to have mediated as much as was possible for her, in satisfacticjn of those who had any suit to the king, as far as their cause would bear. She had now been married divers years without having any children, although so ripe for them that nothing seemed to be wanting on her part. I remem- ber her the more particularly that she showed publicly at my audiences that favor to me as not only my ser- vants but divers others took notice of it. After this my first audience, I went to see Monsieur de Luynes and the principal ministers of state, as also the princes and princesses, and ladies then in the court, and par- ticularly the Princess of Conti, from whom I carried the scarf formerly mentioned ; and this is as much as I shall declare in this place concerning my negotiation with the king and state; my purpose being, if God sends me life, to set them forth apart, as having the copies of all my despatches in a great trunk in my house 132 THE LIFE OF in London; and considering that in the time of my stay tliere, there were divers civil wars in that country, and that the prince, now king, passed, with my Lord of Buckingham and others, through France into Spain, and the business of the elector palatine in Bohemia, and the battle of Prague, and divers other memorable accidents, both of state and war, happened during the time of my employment, I conceive a narration of them may be worth the seeing to them who have it not from a better hand. I shall only, therefore, relate here, as they come into my memory, certain little passages, which may serve in some part to declare the history of my life. Coming back fi'om Tours to Paris, I gave the best order I could concerning the expenses of my house, family, and stable, that I might settle all things as near as was possible in a certain course ; allowing, according to the manner of France, so many pounds of beel", mutton, veal, and pork, and so much also in turkeys, capons, pheasants, partridges, and all other fowls, as also pies and tarts after the French manner, and after all this a dozen dishes of sweetmeats every meal con- stantly : the ordering of these things was the heavier to me, that my wife flatly refused to come over into France, as being now entered into a dropsy, which also had kept her without children for many years ; I was constrained, therefore, to make use of a steward, who was understanding and diligent, but no very honest man; my chief secretary was William Boswell, now the king's agent in the Low Countries ; my secretary fvir the French tongue was one Monsieur Ozier, who afterwards was the king's agent in France ; the gentle- man of my horse was Monsieur de Meny, M^ho after- wards commanded a thousand horse in the wars C;f Germany, and proved a very gallant gentleman; Mr. EDWARD LOED HERBERT. 133 Crofts was one of my principal gentlemen, and afterwards made the king's cup-bearer ; and Thomas Caage, that excellent wit, the king's carver; Edmund Taverner, whom I made my under secretary, was afterwards chief secretary to the lord chamberlain ; and one Mr. Smith, secretary to the Earl of Northumberland : I nominate these, and could many more, that came to very good f irtunes afterwards, because I may verify that which I said before concerning the gentlemen that attended me. When I came to Paris the English and French were in. very ill intelligence with each other, insomuch that one Buckley, coming then to me, said he was assaulted and hurt upon Pontneuf, only because he was an Englishman; nevertheless, after I had been in Paris about a month, all the English were so welcome thither that no other nation was so acceptable amongst them, in- somuch that my gentlemen having a quarrel with some debauched French, who in their drunkenness quarrelled with them, divers principal gentlemen of that nation of- fared themselves to assist my people with their swords. It happened one day that my cousin Oliver Herbert, and George Radney, being gentlemen who attended me, and Henry Whittingham, my butler, had a quarrel with some French, upon I know not what frivolous occasion ; it happened my cousin Oliver Herbert had fjr his opposite a fencer belonging to the Prince of Conde, who was dangerously hurt by him in divers places; but as the house or hostel of the Prince of Conde was not far off, and himself well beloved in those quarters, the French, in great multitudes arising, drove away the three above-mentioned into my house, pursuing them within the gates ; I, perceiving this at a window, ran out Mdth my sword, which the people no sjouer saw, but they lied again as fast as ever they 134 THE LIFE OF entered; howsoever, the Prince of Ccnde his fencer was in that danger of his Hfe that Oliver Herbert was forced to fly France, which, that he might do the bet- ter, I paid the said fencer two hundred crowns, or sixty pounds sterhng, for his hurt and cures. The phxgue being now hot in Paris, I desired the Duke of Montmorency to lend me the castle of Merlou, where I lived in the time of the most noble father, Mdiich he willingly granted ; removing thither, I enjoyed that sweet place and country, wherein I found not a few that M^elcomed me out of their ancient acquaintance. On the one side of me was the Baron de Montaterre, of the reformed religion, and Monsieur de Bouteville on the other, who, though young at the time, proved after- wards to be that brave cavaUer which all France did so much celebrate ; in both their castles likewise were ladies of much beauty and discretion, and particularly a sister of Bouteville, thought to be one of the chief perfections of the time, whose company yielded some divertisement when my public occasions did suffer it. Winter being now come, I returned to my house in Paris, and prepared for renewing the oath of alliance betwixt the two crowns, for which, as I said formerly, I had an extraordinary commission ; nevertheless, the king put off the business to as long a time as he well could. In the mean while Prince Henry of Nassau, brother to Prince Maurice, coming to Paris, was met and much welcomed by me, as being obliged to him, no less than to his brother in the Low Countries. This prince and all his train were feasted by me at Paris with a hundred dishes, costing, as I remember, in all a hundred pounds. The French king at last resolving upon a day for per- forming the ceremony betwixt the two crowns above- EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 135 mentioned, myself and all my train put ourselves into that sumptuous equipage that I remember it cost me one way or another above one thousand pounds. And truly, the magnificence of it was such, as a little French book was presently printed thereof: this being done, I resided here in the quality of an ordinary ambassador. And now I shall mention some particular passages concerning myself, without entering yet any way into the whole frame and context of my negotiation, reserv- ing them, as I said before, to a particular treatise. I spent my time much in the visits of the princes, coun- cil of state, and great persons of the French kingdom, who did ever punctually requite my visits : the like I did also to the chief ambassadors there, among whom, the Venetian, Low Country, Savoy, and the united princes in Germany ambassadors did bear me that respect, that they usually met in my house, to ad- vise together concerning the great affairs of that time ; for, as the Spaniard then was so potent that he seemed to affect an universal monarchy, all the above-men- tioned ambassadors did in one common interest strive to oppose him : all our endeavors yet could not hinder but that he both publicly prevailed in his attempts abroad, and privately did corrupt divers of the princi- pal ministers of state in this kingdom. I came to discover this by many ways, but by none more effect- ually than by the means of an Italian, who returned over by letters of exchange the moneys the Spanish ambassador received for his occasions in France ; for I perceived that when the said Italian was to receive an extraordinary great sum for the Spanish ambassador's use, the whole face of affairs was presently changed, insomuch that neither my reasons, nor the ambassa- dors above-mentioned, how valid soever, could prevail; 136 THE LIFE OF though yet aftei-wards we found means together to re- duce affaks to their former train, till some other new great sum coming to the Spanish ambassador's hand, and from thence to the aforesaid ministers of state, altered all. Howbeit, divers visits passed betwixt the Spanish ambassador and myself, in one of which he told me that though our interests were divers, yet we might continue friendship in our particular persons ; for, said he, ''it can be no occasion of offence betwixt us that each of us strive the best he can to serA^e the king his master." I disliked not his reasons, though yet I could not omit to tell him that I would maintain the dignity of the king my master the best I could ; and this I said, because the Spanish ambassador had taken place of the English in the time of Henry the Fourth in this fashion, they both meeting in an antechamber to the secretary of state, the Spanish ambassador leaning to the wall in that posture that he took the hand of the English ambassador, said publicly, " I hold this place in the right of the king my master " ; which small punctilio, being not resented by our ambassador at that time, gave the Spaniard occasion to brag that he had taken the hand fi-om our ambassador. This made me more watchful to regain the honor which the Spaniard pretended to have gotten herein, so that, tiiough the ambassador in his visits often repeated the words above-mentioned, being in Spanish, " Que cada uno haga lo que pudiere por su amo," — '^ Let every man do the best he can for his master," — I attended the occasion to write my master ; it happened one day that both of us going to the French king for our sev- eral affairs, the Spanish ambassador between Paris and Estampes, being upon his way, before me in his coach, with a train of about sixteen or eighteen persons on EDWARD LORD HERBEI^T. 137 horseback, I, following him in my coach with about ten or twelve horses, found that either I must go the Spanish pace, which is slow, or if I hasted to pass him, that I must hazard the suifering of some affront like unto that our former ambassador received ; proposing here- upon to my gentlemen the whole business, I told them that I meant to redeem the honor of the king my master some way or other, demanding farther whether they would assist me ; which they promising, I bid the coachman drive on; the Spanish ambassador seeing me approach, and imagining what my intention was, sent a gentleman to me, to tell me he desired to salute me, which I accepting, the gentleman returned to the ambassador, who alighting from his coach attended me in the middle of the highway, which being perceived by me I alighted also, when some extravagant com- pliments having passed betwixt us, the Spanish am- bassador took his leave of me, went to a dry ditch not far off, but indeed to hold the upper hand of me while I passed by in my coach, which being observed by me I left my coach and, getting upon a spare horse I had there, rode into the said dry ditch, and, telling him aloud that I knew well why he stood there, bid him afterwards get to his^ coach, for I must ride that way ; the Spanish ambassador, who understood me well, went to his coach grumbling and discontented, though yet neither he nor his train did any more than look one upon another in a confused manner ; my coacli this while passing by the ambassador on the same side I was, I shortly after left my horse and got into it : it happened this while, that one of my coach horses having lost a shoe, I thought fit to stay at a smith's forge, about a quarter of a mile before ; this shoe could not be put on so soon but that the 138 . THE LIFE OF Spanish ambassador overtook us, and might indeed have passed us, but that he thought I would give him another affront ; attending therefore the smith's leisure, he stayed in the highway to our no little admiration, until my horse M^as shod; we continued our journey to Estampes, the Spanish ambassador following us still at a good distance. I should scarce have mentioned this passage but that the Spaniards do so much stand upon their Pun- donores ; for confirming whereof I have thought fit to remember the answer a Spanish ambassador made to Philip the Second, King of Spain, who, finding fault with him for neglecting a business of great importance in Italy, because he could not agree with the French ambassador about some such Pundonore as this, said to him, '^ Como a dexado una cosa de importancia per una ceremonia ! " — " How, have you left a business of importance for a ceremony ? " The ambassador boldly repMed to his master, "Como por una ceremonia? Vuesa majestas misma no es sino una ceremonia," — " How, for a ceremony? Your majesty's self is but a ceremony." Howsoever the Spanish ambassador taking no notice publicly of the advantage I had of him herein, dis- sembled it, as I heard, until he could find some fit occasion to resent this passage, which yet he never did to this day. Among the visits I rendered to the grandees of France, one of the principal I made was to that brave general the Duke of Lesdigueres, who was now growTi very old and deaf; his first words to me were, "Mon- sieur, you must do me the honor to speak high, for I am deaf" ; my answer to him was, '' You was born to command and not to obey } it is enough if others have EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 139 ears to hear you " : this compliment took him much, and indeed I have a manuscript of his military precepts and observations, which I value at a great price. I shall relate now some things concerning myself, which, though they may seem scarce credible, yet be- fore God are true. I had been now in France about a year and a half, when my tailor, Andrew Henly of BasU, who now lives in Blackfriars, demanded of me half a yard of satin to make me a suit more than I was accustomed to give, of which I required a reason, say- ing, I was not fatter now than when I came to France ; he answered, ''■ It was true, but you are taller " : where- unto when I would give no credit, he brought his old measures, and made it appear that they did not reach to their just places ; I told him I knew not how this happened, but howsoever he should have half a yard more, and that when I came into England I would clear the doubt, for a little before my departure thence, I remember William Earl of Pembroke and myself did measure heights together at the request of the Countess of Bedford, and he was then higher than I by about the breadth of my little finger : at my return therefore into England I measured again with the same earl, and to both our great wonders found myself taller than he by the breadth of a little finger; which growth of jnine I could attribute to no other cause but to my quartan ague formerly mentioned, which, when it quitted me, left me in a more perfect health than I for- merly enjoyed. I weighed myself in balances often with men lower than myself by the head, and in their bodies slenderer, and yet was found lighter than they, as Sir John Davers, Knight, and Richard Griffiths, now living, can mtness, with both whom I have been weighed ; I had also, and 140 THE LIFE OF have still, a pulse on the crown of my head ; it is well known to those that wait in my chamber that the shirts, waistcoats, and other garments I wear next my body are sweet, beyond what either easily can be be- lieved, or hath been observed in any else, which sweet- ness also was found to be in my breath above others, before I used to take tobacco, which towards my latter time I was forced to take against certain rheums and catarrhs that trouble me, which yet did not taint my breath for any long time ; I scarce ever felt cold in my life, though yet so subject to catarrh that I think no man ever was more obnoxious to it ; all which I do in a familiar way mention to my posterity, though other- wise they might be thought scarce worth the writing. The effect of my being sent into France by the king my master being to hold all good intelligence betwixt both crowns, my employment was both noble and pleasing, and my pains not great, France having no design at that time upon England, and King James being that pacific prince all the world knew. And thus, besides the times I spent in treaties and negotia- tions I had either with the ministers of state in France, or foreign ambassadors residing in Paris, I had spare time, not only for my book, but for visits to divers grandees, for little more ends than obtaining some in- telligence of the affairs of that kingdom and civil con- versation, for which their free, generous, and cheerful company was no little motive ; persons of all quality being so addicted to have mutual entertainment with each other, that in calm weather one might find all the noble and good company in Paris of both sexes, either in the garden of the Tuileries, or in the park of Bois de Vincennes, they thinking it almost an incivility to refuse their presence and free discourse to any who were EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 141 capaWe of coming to those places, either under the recommendation of good parts, or but so much as hand- some clothes and a good equipage ; when foul weather was, they spent their time in visits at each other's houses, where they interchanged civil discourses, or heard music, or fell to dancing, using, according to the manner of that country, all the reasonable liberties they could with their honor ; while their manner was, either in the garden of the Tuileries or elsewhere if any one, discoursing with a lady, did see some other of good fashion approach to her, he would leave her and go to some other lady, he who conversed with her at that time quitting her also and going to some other, that so addresses might be made equal and free to all without scruple on any part, neither was exception made or quarrel begun upon these terms. It happened one day that I being ready to return from the Tuileries, about eight of the clock in the summer, M^th intention to write a despatch to the king about some intelligence I had received there, the queen at- tended with her principal ladies, without so much as one cavalier, did enter the gardens; I stayed on one side of an alley there to do my reverence to her and the rest, and so return to my hous3, when the queen, per- ceiving me, stayed awhile as if she expected I should at- tend her, but as I stirred not more than to give her that great respect I owed her, the Princess of Conti, who was next, called me to her, and said I must go along with her ; but I excusing myself upon occasion of a present despatch which I was to make unto his majesty, the Duchess of Antador, who followed her, came to me, and said I must not refuse her, whereupon, leading her by her arms, according to the manner of that country, the Princess of Conti, offended that I had denied her that 142 THE LIFE OF civility, which I had yielded to another, took me off, after she had demanded the consent of the duchess, but the queen then also staying, I left the princess, and with all due humility, went to the queen and led her by the arms, walking thus to a place in the garden where some orange-trees grew, and here, discoursing wdth her majesty bareheaded, some small shot fell on both our heads ; the occasion whereof was this, the king being in the garden, and shooting at a bird in the air, which he did with much perfection, the descent of his shot fell just upon us ; the queen was much startled .herewith, when I, coming nearer to her, demanded whether she had received any harm ; to which she answering no, and therewith taking two or three small pellets from her hair, it was thought ht to send a gardener to the king, to tell him that her majesty was there, and that he should shoot no more that way, which was no sooner heard among the nobles that attended him, but many of them leaving him came to the queen and ladies, among whom was Monsieur Le Grand,* who, finding the queen still discoursing with me, stole behind her, and, letting fall gently some comfits he had in his pocket upon the queen's hair, gave her occasion to apprehend that some shot had fallen on her again ; turning hereupon to Monsieur Le Grand, I said that I marvelled that so old a courtier as he was could find no means to entertain ladies but by making them afraid ', but the queen shortly after returning to her lodging, I took my leave of her and came home : all which passage I have thought fit to set down, the accident above-mentioned being so strange that it can hardly be paralleled. It fell out one day that the Prince of Conde coming to my house, some speech happened concerning the * Roger, Due de Bellegarde., Gi'and Escuyer. EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 143 king my master, in whom, though he acknowledged much leaniing, knowledge, clemency, and divers other virtues, yet he said he had heard that the king was much given to cursing ; I answered that it was out of his gentleness; but the prince demanding how cursing could be a gentleness, I rephed, yes, for though he could punish men himself, yet he left them to Grod to punish ; which defence of the king my master was afterwards much celebrated in the French court. Monsieur de Luynes,* continuing still the king's favor- ite, advised him to war against his subjects of the re- formed religion in France ; saying he would neither be a great prince as long as he suffered so puissant a party to remain within his dominions, nor could justly style himself the most Christian king, as long as he permitted such heretics to be in that great number they were, or to hcdd those strong places which by public edict were assigned to them, and therefore that he should extirpate them as the Spaniards had done the Moors, who are all banished into other countries, as we may find in their histories : this counsel, although approved by the young king, was yet disliked by other grave and wise persons about him, and particularly by the Chan- cellor Sillery and the President Jannin, who thought better to have a peace which had two religions, than a war that had none. Howbeit, the design of Luynes was applauded, not only by the Jesuit party in France but by some princes and other martial persons, inso- much that the Duke of Guise, f coming to see me one day, said that they should never be happy in France till those of the religion were rooted out ; I answered that I wondered to hear him say so ; and the duke de- * Charles Albert, Duke of Luynes. t Charles, son of Ileniy Duke of Guise, who was killed at Blois. 144 THE LIFE OF manding why, I replied that whensoever those of the religion were put down, the turn of the great persons and governors of provinces of that kingdom would be next; and that though the present king were a good prince, yet that their successors may be otherwise, and that men did not know how soon princes might prove tyrants when they had nothing to fear ; Mdiich speech of mine was fatal, since those of the religion were no sooner reduced into that weak condition in which now they are, but the governors of provinces were brought lower, and curbed much in their power and authority, and the Duke of Guise first of them all ; so that I doubt not but my words were well remembered. How- soever, the war now went on with much fervor, neither could I dissuade it, though using, according to the in- structions I had from the king my master many argu- ments for that purpose. I was told often that if the reformation in France had been like that in England, where they observed we retained the hierarchy, together with decent rites and ceremonies in the church, as also holidays in the memory of saints, music in churches, and divers other testimonies, both of glorifying God and giving honor and reward to learning, they could much better have tolerated it ; but such a rash and vio- lent reformation as theirs was ought by no means to be approved ; whercunto I answered that though the causes of departing from the church of Eome were taught and delivered by many sober and modest per- sons, yet that the reformation in great part was acted by the common people, M^hereas ours began at the prince of state, and therefore was more moderate, which reason I found did not displease them ; I added farther, then, that the reformed religion in France would easily enough admit a hierarchy, if they had EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 145 sufficient means among them to maintain it, and that if their churches were as fair as those which the Roman Catholics had, they would use the more decent sorts of rites and ceremonies, and together like well of organs and choirs of singers, rather than make a breach or schism on that occasion; as for holidays, I doubted not but the principal persons and ministers of their re- ligion would approve it much better than the common people, who, being laborers and artisans for the most part, had the advantages for many more days than the Roman Catholics for getting their living ; howsoever, that those of the religion had been good cautions to make the Roman Catholic priests, if not better, yet at least more wary in their lives and actions; it being evident that since the refonnation began among thoso of the religion, the Roman Catholics had divers ways reformed themselves, and abated not only much of the power they usurped over laics, but were more pious and continent than formerly. Lastly, that those of the religion acknowledged solely the king's author- ity in government of all affairs, whereas the other side held the regal power, not only inferior in divers points, but subordinate to the papal, nothing of which yet served to divert Monsieur de Luynes or the king from their resolutions. The king having now assembled an army, and made some progress against those of the religion, I had in- structions sent me from the king my master to medi- ate a peace, and if I could not prevail therein, to use some such words as may both argue his majesty's care of them of the religion, and together to let the French king know that he would not pennit their total ruin and extirpation. The king was now going to lay siege to St. Jean d'Angely, when myself was newly 146 THE LIFE OF recovered of a fever at Paris, in which, hesides the help of many able physicians, I had the comfort of divers visits from many principal grandees of France, and particularly the Princess of Conti, who would sit hy my bedside two or three hours, and with cheerful discourse entertain me, though yet I was brought so low that I could scarce return anything by w^ay of answer but thanks. The command yet which I received from the king my master quickened me, insomuch that by slow degrees I went into my coach, together with my train, towards St. Jean d'Angely. Being arrived within a small distance of that place, I found by divers cir- cumstances that the effect of my negotiation had been discovered ft-om England, and that I was not welcome thither ; howbeit, having obtained an audience from the king, I exposed what I had in charge to say to him, to which yet I received no other answer but that I should go to Monsieur de Luynes, by whom I should know his majesty's intention. Repairing thus to him, I did find outwardly good reception, though yet I did not know how cunningly he pro- ceeded to betray and fi'ustrate my endeavors for those of the religion ; for hiding a gentleman called Mon- sieur Amaud behind the hangings in his chamber, who was then of the religion, but had promised to revolt to the king's side ; this gentleman, as he himself con- fessed afterwards to the Earl of Carlisle, had in charge to relate unto those of the religion how little help they might expect from me, when he should tell them the answers which Monsieur de Luynes made me. Sitting thus in a chair before Monsieur de Luynes, he demanded the effect of my business ; I answered that the king my master commanded me to mediate a peace betwixt his majesty and his subjects of the religion, and that I de- EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 147 sired to do it in all those fair and equal terms wMch iniglit stand with the honor of France, and the good in- telligence betwixt the two kingdoms; to which he re- tmiied this rude answer only, ^' What hath the king your master to do with our actions ? Why doth he meddle with our affairs ? " My reply was, that the king my master ought not to give an account of the reason whicli induced him hereunto, and as for me, it was enough to obey him ; howbeit if he did ask me in more gentle terms, I should do the best I could to give hhn satis- faction. To which, though he answered no more than the w^ord '■' Bien," or " Well," I pursuing my in- struction said that the king my master, according to the mutual stipulation betwixt Henry the Fourth and himself, that the survivor of either of them should procure the tranquillity and peace of the other's estate, had sent this message ; and that he had not only testified this his pious inclination heretofore in the Lite civil wars of France, but was desirous on thi.3 occasion also to show how much he stood affected t.) the good of the kingdom : besides, he hoped that -when peace was established here, the French king might be the more easily disposed to assist the Palatine, who was an ancient friend and ally of the French crown. His reply to this was, " We will have none of your advices." Whereupon I said that I took those words for answer, and was sorry only that they did not understand sufficiently the affec- tion and good will of the king my master ; and since they rejected it upon those terms I had in charge to tell him, that we knew very well what we had to do. Luynes, seeming offended herewith, said, "■ Nous ne vous craignons pas," or, ^' We are not afraid of you " ; I re- plied hereupon, that ^' if you had said you had not loved 148 THE LIFE OF us, I should have heheved you, but should have returned you another answer " ; in the mean while that I had no more to say than what I told him formerly, which was that we knew what we had to do. This, though somewhat less than was in my instructions, so angered him that in much passion he said, ^' Par Dieu, si vous n'etiez monsieur Tamhassadeur, je vous traiterais d'un' autre sorte," — '^ By God, if you were not monsieur am- bassador, I would use you after another fashion." My answer M^as, that as I was an ambassador, so I was also a gentleman; and therewithal laying my hand upon the hilt of my sword, told him there was that which should make him an answer, and so arose from my chair; to which Monsieur de Luynes made no reply, but, arising hkewise from his chair, offered civilly to accompany me to the door; but I telling him there was no occasion for him to use ceremony after so rude an entertainment, I departed from him. From thence returning to my lodging, I spent three or four days afterwards in seeing the manner of the French disci- pline in making approaches to towns ; at what time I remember, that, going in my coach within reach of cannon, those in the town imagining me to be an enemy, made many shots against me, which so af- frighted my coachman that he durst drive no farther, whereupon, alighting, I bid him put the horses out of danger; and, notwithstanding many more shots v/ere made against me, went on to the trenches, where one Seaton, a Scotchman, conducting me, showed me their works, in which I found little differing from the Low Country manner. Having satisfied myself in this manner, I thought fit to take my leave of the - king, being at Cognac, the city of St. Jean d'Angely being now surrendered unto him ; coming thus to a village EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 149 not far from Cognac, about ten of the clock at night, I found all the lodgings possessed by soldiers, so that, alighting in the market-place, I sent my servants to the inns to get some provision, who bringing me only six rye loaves, which I was doubtful whether I should bestow on myself and company or on my horses. Monsieur de Fonts, a French nobleman of the religion, attended with a brave train, hearing of my being there, offered me lodging in his castle near adjoining : I told him it was a great courtesy at that time, yet I could not with my honor accept it, since I knew it would en- danger him, my business to those parts being in favor of those of the religion, and the chief ministers of state in France being jealous of my holding intelligence with him ; howbeit, if he would procure me lodging in the t:>wn, I should take it kindly. Whereupon sending his servants round about the town, he found at last in the house of one of his tenants a chamber, to which when he had conducted me, and together gotten some little accommodation for myself and horses, I desired him to depart to his lodgings, he being then in a place which his enemies, the king's soldiers, had possessed : all which was not so silently carried but that the said nobleman was accused afterwards at the French court upon suspicion of holding correspondence M'ith me, whereof it was my fortune to clear him. Coming next day to Cognac, tlie Marshal de St. Geran, my noble friend, privately met me, and said I was not in a place of surety there, as having offended Monsieur de Luynes, who was the king's favorite, desiring me withal to advise what I had to do : I told him I was in a place of surety wheresoever I had my sword by my side, and that I intended to demand audi- ence of the king ; which also being obtained, I found 150 THE LIFE OF not so cold a reception as I thought to meet with, in- somuch that I parted Mdth his majesty to all outward appearance in very good terms. From hence returning to Paris shortly after, I found myself welcome to all those ministers of state there and nohlemen, who either envied the greatness, or loved not the insolencies of Monsieur de Luynes ; by whom also I was told that the said Luynes had intended to send a brother of his into England with an embassy, the eifect whereof should be chiefly to complain against me, and to obtain that I should be repealed ; and that he in- tended to relate the passages betwixt us at St. Jean d'Angely in a much different manner from that I re- ported, and that he would charge me with giving the first ofience. After thanks for this advertisement, I told them my relation of the business betwixt us, in the manner I delivered, was true, and that I would justify it with my sword, at which they, being nothing scandalized, wished me good fortune. The ambassador into England following shortly after, with a huge train in a sumptuous manner, and an accusation framed against me, I was sent for home, of which I was glad, my payment being so ill that I was run far into debt with my merchants, who had assisted me now with three or four thousand pounds more than I was able at the present to discharge. Coming thus to court, the Duke of Buckingham, who was then my noble friend, informed me at large of the objections represented by the French ambassa- dor ; to which, when I had made my defence in the manner above related, I added that I was ready to make good all that I had said with my sword ; and shortly after I did, in the presence of his majesty and the Duke of Buckingham, humbly desire bave to send EDWARD LOED HERBERT. 151 a trumpet to Monsieur de Luynes, to offer him the combat upon terms that passed betwixt us ; which was not permitted, otherwise than that they would take my offer into consideration. Howsoever^ notice being pub- licly taken of this my desire, much occasion of speech was given, every man that heard thereof much favoring me, but the Duke of Luynes's death following shortly after, the business betwixt us was ended, and I com- manded to return to my former charge in France. I did not yet presently go, as finding much difficulty to obtain the moneys due me from the exchequer, and therewith, as also by my own revenues, to satisfy my creditors in France. The Earl of Carlisle * this while being employed extraordinary ambassador to France, brought home a confirmation of the passages betwixt Monsieur de Luynes and myself; Monsieur de Arnaud, who stood behind the hangings, as above related, hav- ing verified all I said, insomuch that the king my mas- ter was well satisfied of my truth. Having by this time cleared all my debts, when de- manding new instructions from the king my master, the Earl of Carlisle brought me this message, that his majesty had that experience of my abilities and fi.lelity, that he would give me no instructions, but leave all things to my discretion, as knowing I would proceed with that circumspection as I should be better able to discern, upon emergent occasions, what was fit to be done, than that I should need to attend direc- tions from hence ', which, besides that they would be slow, might perchance be not so proper, or correspondent to the conjuncture of the great affairs then in agitation, both in France and Grermany, and other parts of Chris- * James Hay, Earl of Carlisle, Knight of the Garter, Master of the Great Wardrobe, and Ambassador in Germany and France. 152 THE LIFE OF tendom, and that these things therefore must be left to my vigilance, prudence, and fidelity. Whereupon I told his lordship that I took this as a singular expres- sion of the trust his majesty reposed in me; howheit that I desired his lordship to pardon me, if I said I had herein only received a greater power and latitude to err ', and that I durst not trust my judgment so far as that I would presume to answer for all events in such factious and turbulent times, and therefore again did humbly desire new instructions, which I promised punctually to follow. The Earl of Carlisle, returning hereupon to the king, brought me yet no other answer back than that I formerly mentioned, and that his ma- jesty did so much confide in me that he would limit me with no other instructions, but refer all to my discretion, promising together, that if matters proceeded not as well as might be wished, he would attribute the default to anything rather than to my not performing my duty. Finding his majesty thus resolved, I humbly took leave of him, and my friends at court, and went to Monsieur Savage, when, demanding of him new letters of credit, his answer M^as, he could not furnish me as he had before, there being no limited sum expressed there, but that I should have as much as I needed ; to which, though I answered that I had paid all, yet as Monsieur Savage replied that I had not paid it at the time agreed on, he said he could furnish me with a letter only for three thousand pounds, and neverthe- less that he was confident I should have more if I re- quired it, which I found true, for I took up afterwards upon my credit there as much more, as made in the whole five or six thousand pounds. Coming thus to Paris, I found myself welcomed by all the principal persons, nobody that I found there EDWARD LORD HERBERT. 153 being either offended with the passages betwixt me and Monsieur de Luynes, or that were sorry for his death, in which number the qaeen's majesty seemed the most eminent person, as one who long since had hated him ; whereupon, also, I cannot but remember this passage, that in an audience I had one day from the queen I demanded of her how far she would have assisted me with her good offices against Luynes. She replied, that what cause soever she might have to hate him, either by reason or by force, they would have made her to be of his side ; to which I answered in Spanish, '' No ay feurce por las Reynas," — '' There is no force fur queens " ; at which she smiled. And now I began to proceed in all public affairs- according to the liberty with . which my master was pleased to honor me, confining myself to no rules but those of my own discretion. My negotiations in the mean while proving so successful that, during the re- mainder of my stay there, his majesty received much satisfaction concerning my carriage, as finding I had preserved his honor and interest in all great affairs then emergent in France, Germany, and other parts of Christendom ; which work, being of great concernment, I found the easier, that his majesty's ambassadors and agents everywhere gave me perfect intelligence of all tiat happened within their precincts, insomuch that from Sir Henry Wotton, his majesty's ambassador at Venice, who was a learned and witty gentleman, I re- ceived all the news of Italy ; as also fi-om Sir Isaac Wake, who did more particularly acquaint me with the business of Savoy,* Valentina, and Switzerland ; from Sir Francis Nethersole, his majesty's agent in Ger- many, and more particularly with the united princes * Tlie Valteline. 154 THE LIFE OF there, on the behalf of his son-in-law, the palatine or King of Bohemia, I received all the news of Germany ; from Sir Dudley Carlton, his majesty's ambassador in the Low Countries, I received intelligence concerning all the affairs of that state ; and from Mr. William Trumball, his majesty's agent at Brussels, all the affairs on that side : and lastly, from Sir Walter Aston, his majesty's ambassador in Spain, and after him from the Earl of Bristol and Lord Cottingtossession of some of her chambers at a venture, and trust to her husband's kind usage. But we, who, at the cost of our friends, had a proof of his kindness, wore too wary to be drawn in by the fair words of a woman; and therefore told her we would not settle THOMAS ELLWOOD. 323 anywhere till lier husband came home, and then would have a free prison, wheresoever he put us. Accord- ingly, walking all together into the court of the prison, in which was a well of very good water, and having beforehand sent to a Friend in the town, a widow w^oman, whose name was Sarah Lambarn, to bring us some bread and cheese, we sat down upon the ground round about the well, and when we had eaten, we drank of the water out of the well. Our great concern was for our friend Isaac Penington, because of the tenderness of his constitution ; but he was so lively in his spirit, and sa cheerfully given up to suifer, that he rather encouraged us than needed any encouragement from us. In this posture the jailer, when he came home, £)und us, and having before he came to us consulted his wife, and by her understood on what terms wc stood, when he came to us he hid his teeth, and, put- ting on a show of kindness, seemed much troubled that we should sit there abroad, especially his old friend Mr. Penington ; and thereupon invited us to come in, and take what rooms in his house we pleased. Wo asked upon what terms ; letting him know withal that we determined to have a free prison. He, like the sun and wind in the fable, that strove which of them should take from the traveller his cloak, having, like the wind, tried rough, boisterous, violent means to our friends before, but in vain, resolved now to imitate the sun, and shine as pleasantly as he could upon us ; wherefore he told us we should make the terms our- selves, and be as free as we desired : if we thought fit, when we were released, to give him anything, he would thank us for it ; and if not, he would demand nothing. Upon these terms we went in and disposed 324 THE LIFE OF ourselves, some in the dwelling-house, others in the malt-house, where they chose to he. During the assize we were brought before Judge Morton, a sour, angry man, who very rudely reviled us ; but would not hear either us or the cause, but referred the matter to the two justices who had com- mitted us. They, when the assize wsis ended, sent for us to be brought before them at their inn, and fined us, as I remember, six shillings and eightpence apiece ; which we not consenting to pay, they committed us to prison again for one month from that time, on the act for banishment. When we had lain there that month, I, with another, went to the jailer to demand our liberty, which he readily granted, telling us the door should be opened when we pleased to go. This answer of his I reported to the rest of my friends there, and thereupon we realized among us a small sum of money, which they put into my hand for the jailer ; whereupon I, taking another with me, went to the jailer with the money in my hand, and reminding him of the terms upon which we accepted the use of his rooms, I told him that although we could not pay chamber rent or fees, yet, inasmuch as he had now been civil to us, we were willing to acknowledge it by a small token, and there- upon gave him the money. He, putting it into his pocket, said, '^ I thank you and your friends for it; and to let you see I take it as a gift, not a debt, I will not look on it to see how much it is." The prison door being then set open for us, we went out, and departed to our respective homes. But before I left the prison, considering one day with myself the different kinds of liberty and confinement, freedom and bondage, I took my pen and wrote the following enigma or riddle : — THOMAS ELLWOOD. 325 Lo ! here a riddle to the wise, In which a mystery there lies ; Read it therefore with that eye Which can disceru a mystery. THE RIDDLE, Some men are free, while they in prison lie ; Others, who ne'er saw prison, captives die. CAUTION. He that can receive it may ; H^ that cannot, let him say. And not be hasty, but suspend His judgment till he sees the end. SOLUTION. He only 's free indeed, that 's free from sin, And he is fastest bound, that 's bound therein. CONCLUSION. This is the liberty I chiefly prize ; The other, without this, I can despise. Some little time before I went to Aylesbury prison I was desired by my quondam master, Milton, to take a house for him in the neighborhood where I dwelt, that he might go out of the city for the safety of him- self and his family, the pestilence then growing hot in London. I took a pretty box for him in Giles Chal- fout, a mile from me, of which I gave him notice, and intended to wait on him and see him well settled in it, but was prevented by that imprisonment. But now being released, and returned home, I soon made a visit to him, to welcome him into the country. After some common discourses had passed between us, he called for a manuscript of his ; which, being brought, he de- Q 26 THE LIFE OF livered to me, bidding me take it home with me and read it at my leisure 5 and when I had so done, return it to him with my judgment thereupon. Wlien I came home, and had set myself to read it, I found it was that excellent poem which he entitled '' Paradise Lost." After I had, with the best atten- tion, read it through, I made him another visit, and returned him his book, -with due acknowledgment of the favor he had done me in communicating it to me. He asked me how I liked it, and what I thought of it, which I modestly but freely told him ; and after some further discourse about it, I pleasantly said to him, '^ Thou hast said much here of Paradise Lost, but what hast thou to say of Paradise Found f " He made me no answer, but sat some time in a muse; then brake off that discourse and fell upon another subject. After the sickness was over and the city well cleansed, and become safely habitable again, he returned thither. And when afterwards I went to wait on him there, which I seldom failed of doing whenever my occasions drew me to London, he showed me his second poem, called '' Paradise Begained," and in a pleasant tone said to me, '' This is owing to you, for you put it into my head by the question you put to me at Chalfont, which before I had not thought of." But from this digression I return to the family I then lived in. We had not been long at home, about a month per- haps, before Isaac Penington was taken out of his house in an arbitrary manner, by military force, and can-ied prisoner to Aylesbury jail again, where he lay three quarters of a year, with great hazard of his life, it being the sickness year, and the plague being not only in the town but in the jail. Meanwhile liis wife and family were turned out of THOMAS ELLWOOD. 327 his house, called the Grange, at Peter's Chalfont, by them who had seized upon his estate ; and the family being by that means broken up, some went one way, others another. Mary Penington herself, with her younger children, went down to her husband at Ayles- bury. Guli, with her maid, went to Bristol, to visit her former maid Anne Hersent, who was married to a merchant of that city, whose name was Thomas Biss ; and I went to Aylesbury with the children ; but not finding the place agreeable to my health, I soon left it, and returning to Chalfcmt took a lodging, and was dieted in the house of a friendly man ; and after some time went to Bristol, to conduct Guli home. Mean- while jNIary Penington took lodgings in a farmhouse called Bottrels, in the parish of Giles Chalfont, where, when we returned from Bristol, we found her. We had been there but a very little time before I was sent to prison again, upon this occasion : there was in those times a meeting once a month at the house of George Salter, a Friend, of Hedgerley, to which we sometimes went ; and Morgan Watkins being with us, he and I, with Guli and her maid, and one Judith Parker, wife of Dr. Parker, one of the College of Physicians at London, with a maiden daughter of theirs (neither of whom were Quakers, but, as acquaintance of Mary Penington, were with her on a visit), walked over to that meeting ; it being about the middle of the first month, and the weather good. This place was about a mile from the house of Am- brose Bennet, the justice, who the summer before had sent me and some other Friends to Aylesbury prison, from the burial of Edward Parret of Amersham ; and he, by what means I know not, getting notice not only of the meeting, but, as was supposed, of our being there, 328 THE LIFE OF came himself to it, and as he came, catched up a stack- wood stick, hig enough to knock any man down, and hrought it with him hidden undec. his chmk. Being come to the house, he stood for a while without the door, and out of sight, listening to hear what was said, for Morgan was then speaking in the meeting. But certainly he heard very imperfectly, if it was true which we heard he said afterwards among his compan- ions, as an argument that Morgan was a Jesuit, viz. that in his preaching he trolled over his Latin as flu- ently as ever he heard any one. Whereas Morgan, good man, was better versed in Welsh than in Latin, which, I suppose, he had never learned ; I am sure he did not understand it. When this martial justice, who at Amersham had, with his drawn sw^ord, struck an unarmed man, who he knew would not strike again, had now stood some time abroad, on a sudden he rushed in among us, with the stackwood stick held up in his hand ready to strike, crying out, ''Make way there"; and an ancient wo- man not getting soon enough out of his way, he struck her with the stick a shrewd blo-w^ over the breast. Then pressing through the crowd to the place where Morgan stood, he plucked him from thence, and caused so great a disorder in the room that it brake the meeting up ; yet would not the people go away or disperse them- selves, but tarried to see what the issue would be. Then taking pen and paper, he sat down at the table among us, and asked several of us our names, which we gave, and he set down in writing. Amongst others he asked Judith Parker, the doctor's wife, what her name was, which she readily gave ; and thence taking occasion to discourse him, she so overmastered him by plear reason, delivered in flue language, that he, glad THOMAS ELL WOOD. 329 to be rid of her, struck out her name and dismissed her; yet did not she remove, but Icept her place amongst us. AVlien he had taken what number of names he thought fit, lie singled out half a dozen ; whereof Morgan was one, I another, one man more, and three women, of which the woman of the house was one, although her husband then was, and for divers years before had been, a prisoner in the Fleet for tithes, and had nobody to take care of his family and his business but his wife. Us six he committed to Aylesbury jail, which, when the doctor's wife heard him read to the constable, she attacked him again, and having put him in mind that it was a sickly time, and that the pestilence was reported to be in that place, she, in handsome terms, desired him to consider in time how he would answer the cry of our blood, if, by his sending us to be shut up in an infected place, we should lose our lives there. This made him alter his purpose, and by a new mittimus he sent us to the house of correction at Wycombe. And although he cpmmitted us upon the act for banishment, which limited a certain time for imprisonment, yet he in his mittimus limited no time, but ordered us to be kept till we should be delivered by due course of law ; so little regardful was he, though a lawyer, of keeping to the letter of the law. We were committed on the 13th day of the month called March, 1665, and were kept close prisoners there till the 7th day of the month called June, which was some days above twelve weeks, and much above what the act required. Then were we sent for to the jus- tice's house, and the rest being released, Morgan, Watkins, and I were required to find sureties for our appearance at the next assizes ; M^hich we refusing to do, were committed anew to our old prison, the house 330 THE LIFE OF of correction at Wycombe, there to lie until the next assizes ; Morgan being in this second mittimus repre- sented as a notorious offender in preaching, and I, as being upon the second conviction, in order to banish- ment. There we lay till the 25th day of the same month ; and then, by the favor of the Earl of Ancram, being brought before him at his house, we were dis- charged from the prison, upon our promise to appear, if at liberty and in health, at the assizes : which we did, and were there discharged by proclamation. During my imprisonment in this prison, I betook myself for an employment to making of nets for kitchen service, to boil herbs, etc., in, which trade 1 learned of Morgan Watkins ; and selling some, and giving others, I pretty well stocked the Friends of that country with them. Though in that confinement I was not very well suited with company for conversation, Morgan's natural temper not being very agreeable to mine, yet we kept a fair and brotherly correspondence, as became friends, prison -fellows, and bedfellows, which M^e were. And indeed it was a good time, I think, to us all, for I found it so to me : the Lord being graciously pleased to visit my soul with the refreshing dews of his divine life, M'hereby my spirit was more and more quickened to him, and truth gained ground in me over the tempta- tions and snares of the enemy ; which frequently raised in my heart thanksgivings and praises unto the Lord. And at one time more especially the sense I had of the prosperity of truth, and the spreading thereof, filling my heart with abundant joy, made my cup overflow, and the following lines dropped out : — For truth I suffer bonds, in truth I live. And unto truth this testimony give. THOMAS ELLWOOD. 331 That truth shall over all exalted he, And in dominion reign for evermore ; The child 's already born that this may see. Honor, praise, glory be to God therefore. And underneath, thus : — Though death and hell should against truth combine. Its glory shall through all their darkness shine. This I saw with an eye of faith, beyond the reach of human sense ; for. As strong desire Draws objects nigher In apprehension than indeed they are, I, w^ith an eye That pierced high. Did thus of truth's prosperity declare. After we had been discharged at the assizes, I re- turned to Isaac Penington's family at Bottrel's in Clial- font, and, as I remember, Morgan Watkins with me, leaving Isaac Penington a prisoner in Aylesbury jail. The lodgings we had in this farmhouse (Bottrel's) prov- ing too strait and inconvenient for the family, I took larger and better lodgings for them in Berrie Hous3 at Amersham, whithsr we went at the time call(id Michaelmas, having spent the summer at the other place. Some time after was that memorable meeting ap- pointed to be holden at London, through a divine open- ing in the motion of life, in that eminent servant and prophet of God, George Fox, for the restoring and bringing in again of those who had gone out from truth, and the holy unity of Friends therein, by the means and ministry of John Perrot. This man came pretty early amongst Friends, and C>Q 2 THE LIFE OF too early took upon him the ministerirJ office ; and he- ing, though little in person^ yet great in opinion of liim- self, nothing less would serve liini than to go and convert the Pope; in order whereunto, he having a better man than himself, John Lufc, to accompany him, travelled to Kome, where they had not hcen long ere they were taken up, and clapped into prison. Luff, as I rememher, was put into the inquisition, and Perrot in their bedlam or hospital for madmen. Luff died in l^rison, not without well-grounded suspicion of being murdered there ; but Perrot lay there some time, and now and then sent over an epistle to be printed here, written in such an affected and fantastic style, as might have induced an indifferent reader to believe they had suited the place of his confmement to his condition. After some time, through the mediation of Friends (who hoped better of him than he proved) with some person of note and interest there, he was released, and came back to England. And the report of his great sufferings there, far greater in report than in reality, joined with a singular show of sanctity, so far opened the hearts of many tender and compassionate Friends towards him, that it gave him the advantage of in- sinuating himself into their affections and esteem, and made way for the more ready propagation of that pecuhar eiTor of his, of keeping on the hat in time of prayer, as well public as private, unless they had an immediate motion at that time to put it off. NoM^, although I had not the least acquaintance with this man, not having ever exchanged a M^ord with him, though I knew him by sight; nor had I any esteem for him, for either his natural parts or ministerial gift, but rather a dislike of his aspect, preaching, and way of writing; yet this error of his being broached in THOMAS ELLWOOD. 333 the time of my infancy and weakness of judgment as to truth, while I lived privately in London and had little converse with Friends, I, amongst the many who were caught in that snare, was taken with the notion, as what then seemed to my M'^eak understanding suit- ahle to the doctrine of a spiritual dispensation. And the matter coming to warm debates, both in w^ords and writing, I, in a misguided zeal, was ready to enter the lists of contention about it ; not then seeing what spirit it proceeded from and was managed by, nor foreseeing the disorder and confusion in worship which must naturally attend it. But as I had no evil inten- tion or sinister end in engaging in it, but was simply betrayed by the specious pretence and show of greater spirituality, the Lord, in tender compassion to my soul, was graciously pleased to open my understanding, and give me a clear sight of the enemy's design in this work, and drew me oflF from the practice of it, and to bear testimony against it as occasion offered. But when that solemn meeting w^as appointed at London for a travail in spirit on behalf of those who had thus gone out, that they might rightly return, and be sensibly received into the unity of the body again, my spirit rejoiced, and with gladness of heart I went to it, as did many more of both city and country ; and, with great simplicity and humility of mind, did honestly and openly acknowledge our outgoing, and taite condemnation and shame to ourselves. And some that lived at too remote a distance, in this nation as well as beyond the seas, upon notice of that meet- ing and the intended service of it, did the like by writ- ing, in letters directed to and openly read in the meeting, which for that purpose was continued many days. Thus, in the motion of life, were the healing waters 334 THE LIFE OF stirred, and many, through the virtuous power thereof^ restored to soundness; and indeed not many lost. And though most of those who thus returned were such as with myself had before renounced the error and forsaken the practice, yet did we sensibly find that forsaking without confessing, in case of public scandal, was not sufficient; but that an open ac- knowledgment of open offences, as well as forsaking them, was necessary to the obtaining of complete remission. Not long after this, George Fox was moved of the Lord to travel through the country, from county to county, to advise and encourage Friends to set up Monthly and Quarterly Meetings, for the better order- ing of the affairs of the church,, in taking care of the poor, and exercising a true gospel discipline, for a due dealing with any that might walk disorderly under our name, and to see that such as should marry among us did act fairly and clearly in that respect. When he came into this county, I was one of the many Friends that were with him at the meeting for that purpose. And afterwards I travelled with Guli and her maid into the West of England, to meet him there and to visit Friends in those parts ; and we went as far as Topsham, in Devonshire, before we found him. He had been in Cornwall, and was then return- ing, and came in unexpectedly at Topsham, where we then were providing, if he had not then come thither, to go that day towards Cornwall. But after he was come to us we turned back with him through Devon- shire, Somersetshire, and Dorsetshire, having generally very good meetings where he was ; and the work he was chiefly concerned in went on very prosperously and well, without any opposition or dislike ; save that THOMAS ELLWOOD. 335 in the general meeting of Friends in Dorsetshire, a quarrelsome man, who had gone out from Friends in John Perrot's business, and had not come rightly in again, but continued in the practice of keeping on his hat in the time of prayer, to the great trouble and offence of Friends, began to cavil and raise disputes, which occasioned some interruption and disturbance. Not only George and Alexander Parker, who were with him, but divers of the ancient Friends of that county, endeavored to quiet that troublesome man, and make him sensible of his error ; but his unruly spirit M^ould still be opposing what was said unto him, and justifying himself in that practice. This brought a great weight and exercise upon me, who sat at a dis- tance in the outward part of the meeting ; and after I had for some time borne the burthen thereof, I stood up in the constraining power of the Ijord, and, in great tenderness of spirit, declared unto the meeting, and to that person more particularly, how it had been with me in that respect ; how I had been betrayed into that wrong practice ; how strong I had been therein, and how the Lord had been graciously pleased to show me the evil thereof, and recover me out of it. This com- ing unexpectedly from me, a young man, a stranger, and one who had not intermeddled with the business of the meeting, had that effect upon the caviller, that if it did not satisfy him, it did at least silence him, and made him for the present sink down and be still, with- out giving any further disturbance to the meeting. And the Friends were well pleased with this unlooked- for testimony from me ; and I was glad that I had that opportunity to confess to the truth, and to acknowledge once more, in so public a manner, the mercy and goodness of the Lord to me therein. 336 THE LIFE OF By tlie time we came back from this journey the summer was pretty far gone ; and the following winter I spent with the children of the family, as before, without any remarkable alteration in my circumstances, until the^next spring, when I found in myself a dis- position of mind to change my single life for a married state. I had alM'ays entertained so high a regard for marriage, as it was a divine institution, that I held it not lawful to make it a sort of political trade to rise in the world by. And therefore, as I could not but in my judgment blame such as I found made it their business to hunt after and endeavor to gain those who were accounted great fortunes, not so much regarding what she is as what she has, but making wealth the chief, if not the only thing aimed at, so I resolved to avoid, in my own practice, that course, and how much soever my condition might have prompted me, as well as others, to seek advantage that way, never to engage on the account of riches, nor at all to marry till judicious affection drew me to it, which I now began to feel at work in my breast. The object of this affection was a Friend whose name was Mary Ellis, whom for divers years I had had an acquaintance with in the way of common friend- ship only, and in whom I thought I then saw those fair prints of truth and solid virtue, which I after- wards found in a sublime degree in her; but what her condition in the world was as to estate, I was wholly a stranger to, nor desired to know. I had once, a year or two before, had an opportunity to do her a small piece of service, which she wanted some assistance in ; wherehi I acted with all sincerity and freedom of mind, not expecting or desiring any advantage by her, or re- ward from her, being very m- ell satisfied in the act itself, that I had served a friend, and helped the helpless. THOMAS ELL WOOD. 337 That little intercourse of common kindness between us ended without the least thought (I am verily per- suaded on her part, and well assured on my own) of any other or further relation than that of a free and fair friendship ; nor did it at that time lead us into any closer conversation or more intimate acquaintance one with the other, than had been before. But some time (and that a good while) after, I found my heart secretly dra-wm and inclining towards her ; yet was I not hasty in proposing, but waited to feel a satisfactory settlement of mind therein, before I made any step thereto. After some time, I took an opportunity to open my mind therein unto my much-honored friends Isaac and Mary Penington, who then stood parentiim loco, in the place or stead of parents to me. They, having solemnly weighed the matter, expressed their unity therewith ; and indeed their approbation thereof was no small confirmation to me therein. Yet took I further deliberation, often retiring in spirit to the Lord, and crying to him for direction, before I addressed myself to her. At length, as I was sitting all ahme, wait- ing upon the Lord for counsel and guidance in this, in itself and to me, so important affair, I felt a word sweetly arise in me, as if I heard a voice, which said, ^' Go, and prevail." And faith springing in my heart with the word, I immediately arose and went, nothing doubting. When I was come to her lodgings, which were about a mile from me, her maid told me she was in her chamber ; for having been under some indisposition of body, which had obliged her to keep her chamber, she had not yet left it; wherefore I desired the maid to acquaint her mistress that I was come to give her a 338 THE LIFE OF visit, whereupon I was invited to go up to her. And after some little time spent in common conversa- tion, feeling my spirit weightily concerned, I solemnly opened my mind unto her, with respect to the particular business I came about ; which I soon perceived was a great surprisal to her; for she had taken in an aj^pre- hension, as others had done, that mine eye had been fixed elsewhere, and nearer home. I used not many words to her ; but I felt a divine power went along with the words, and fixed the matter expressed by them so fast in her breast that, as she afterwards acknowledged to me, she could not shut it out. I made at that time but a short visit ; for having told her I did not expect an answer from her now, but desired she would, in the most solemn manner, weigh the proposal made, and in due time give me such an answer theremito as the Lord should give her, I took my leave of her and departed; leaving the issue to the Lord. 1 had a journey then at hand, which I foresaw would take me up two weeks* time. Wherefore, the day be- fore I was to set out, I went to visit her again, to ac- quaint her with my journey, and excuse my absence ; not yet pressing her for an answer, but assuring her that I felt in myself an increase of affection to her, and hoped to receive a suitable return from her in the Lord's time; to whom, in the mean time, I committed both her, myself, and the concern between us. And indeed I found, at my return, that I could not have left it in a better hand, for the Lord had been my advocate in my absence, and had so far answered all her objec- tions, that when T came to her again, she rather ac- quainted me with them than urged them. From that time forwards we entertained each other Mdth affection- THOMAS ELLWOOD. 339 ate kindness, in order to marriage; whicli yet we did not hasten to, but went on deliberately. Neither did I use those vulgar ways of courtship, by making frequent and rich presents; not only for that my outward con- dition would not comport with the expense, but be- cause I liked not to obtain by such means, but preferred an unbribed affection. While this affair stood thus with me I had occasion to take another journey into Kent and Sussex ; which yet I would not mention here, but for a particular acci- dent which befell me on the way. The occasion of this journey was this : Mary Penington's daughter Guli, intending to go to her uncle Springett's, in Sussex, and from thence amongst her tenants, her mother desired me to accompany her, and assist her in her business with her tenants. We tarried at London the first night, and set out next morning on the Tunbridge road ; and Seven Odk lying in our way, we put in there to bait : but truly we had much ado to get either provisions or room for our- selves or our horses, the house was so filled with guests, and those not of the better sort. For the Duke of York being, as we were told, on the road that day for the Wells, divers of his guards, and the meaner sort f»f his retinue, had nearly filled all the inns there. I left John Gigger, who waited on Guli in this journey, and was afterwards her menial servant, to take care for the horses, while I did the like, as well as I could, for her. I got a little room to put her into, and having shut her into it, went to see what relief the kitchen would afford us ; and with much ado, by praying hard and paying dear, I got a small joint of meat from the spit, which served rather to stay than satisfy our stomachs, for we were all pretty sharp set. 340 THE LIFE OF After this short repast, being weary of our quarters, we quickly mounted, and took the road again, willing to hasten from a place where we found nothing hut rudeness : a knot of [rude people] soon followed us, designing, as we afterwards found, to put an ahuse upon us, and make themselves sport with us. We had a spot of fine smooth sandy way, whereon the horses trod so softly, that we heard them not till one of them was upon us. I was then riding abreast with Guli and discoursing with her; when on a sudden, hear- ing a little noise, and turning my eye that way, I saw a horseman coming up on the further side of her horse, having his left arm stretched out, just ready to take her about the waist, and pluck her off backwards from her own horse, to lay her before him upon his. I had but just time to thrust forth my stick between him and her, and bid him stand off ', and at the same time reining my horse to let hers go before me, thrust in between her and him, and, being better mounted than he, my horse run him off. But his horse being, though weaker than mine, yet nimble, he slipped by me, and got up to her on the near side, endeaAairing to offer abuse to her, to prevent which I thrust in upon him again, and in our jostling we drove her horse quite out of the way, and almost into the next hedge. While we were thus contending, I heard a noise of loud laughter behind us, and, turning my head that way, I saw three or four horsemen more, who could scarce sit their horses for laughing, to see the sport their companion made with us. From thence I saM' it was a plot laid, and that tliis rude fellow was not to be dallied with ; wherefore I bestirred myself the more to keep him oft', admonishing him to take warning in time, and give over his abusiveness, lest he repented too lat^. THOMAS ELLWOOD. 341 He had in his hand a short thick truncheon, which he held up at me ; on which laying hold with a strong gripe, I suddenly wrenched it out of his hand, and threw it at as great a distance behind me as I could. While he rode back to fetch his truncheon, I called up honest John Gigger, who was indeed a right honest man, and of a temper so thoroughly peaceable that he had not hitherto put in at all. But now I roused him, and bid him ride so close up to his mistress's horse on the further side, that no horse might thrust in between, and I would endeavor to guard the near side. But he, good man, not thinking it perhaps decent enough for him to ride so near his mistress, left room enough for another to ride between. And, indeed, so soon as our brute had recovered his truncheon, he came up directly thither, and had thrust in again, had not I, by a nimble turn, chopped in upon him and kept him at bay. I then told him I had hitherto, spared him, but wished hiin not to provoke me further. This I spake with such a tone, as bespake a high resentment of the abuse put upon us, and, withal, pressed so close upon him with my horse that I suffered him not to come up any more to Guli. This, his companions, who kept an equal distance behind us, both heard and saw, and thereupon two of them, advancing, came up to us. I then thought I might likely have my hands full, but Providence turned it otherwise : for they, seeing the contest rise so high, and probably fearing it would rise higher, not knowing where it might stop, came in to part us ; which they did by taking him away, one of them leading his horse by the bridle, and the other driving him on with his whip, and so carried him off. One of their company stayed yet behind. And it so 342 THE LIFE OF happening that a great shower just then fell, we be- took ourselves for shelter into a thick and well-spread oak which stood hard by. Thither also came that other person, who wore the duke's livery ; and while we put on our defensive garments against the weather, which then set in to be wet, he took the opportunity to discourse with me about the man that had been so rude to us, endeavoring to excuse him, by alleging that he had drunk a little too liberally. I let him know that one vice would not excuse another ; that although but one of them was actually concerned in the abuse, yet both he and the rest of them were abettors of it, and acces- sories to it; that I was not ignorant whose livery they wore j and was well assured their lord would not maintain them in committing such outrages upon travel- lers on the road, to our injury and his dishonor; that I understood the duke was coming down, and that they might expect to be called to an account for this rude action. He then begged hard that we would pass by the offence, and make no complaint to their lord, for he knew, he said, the duke would be very severe, and it would be the utter ruin of the young man. When he had said what he could, he went off before us, without any ground given him to expect favor ; and when we had fitted ourselves for the weather, we fol- lowed after at our own pace. When we came to Tunbridge, I set John Gigger foremost, bidding him lead on briskly through the town, and, placing Guli in the middle, I came close up after her, that I might both observe and interpose, if any fresh abuse should be offered her. We were ex- pected, I perceived, for though it rained very hard, the street was thronged with men, who looked very ear- nestly upon us, but did not put any affront upon us. THOMAS ELLWOOD. 343 We had a good way to ride beyond Timbridge, and beyond the Wells, in byways among the woods, and were the later for the hindrance we had had on the way. "And when, being come to Harbert Springett's house, Guli acquainted her uncle what danger and trouble she had gone through on the way, he resented it so high that he would have had the persons been prose- cuted for it. But since Providence had interposed, and so well preserved and delivered her, she chose to pass by the offence. When Guli had finished the business she went upon we returned home, and I delivered her safe to her glad mother. From that time forward I continued my visits to my best-beloved friend until we married, which was on the 28th day of the eighth month, called October, in the year 1669. We took each other in a select meeting of the ancient and grave Friends of that country, holden in a Friend's house, where in those times not only the Monthly Meeting for business, but the public meeting for worship was sometimes kept. A very solemn meeting it was, and in a weighty frame of spirit we were, in which we sensi- bly felt the Lord with us, and joining us ; the sense whereof remained with us all our lifetime, and was of good service, and very comfortable to us on all occasions. My next care, after marriage, was to secure my wife what moneys she had, and with herself bestowed upon me. For I held it would be an abominable crime in me, and savor of the highest ingratitude, if I, though but through negligence, should leave room for my father, in case I should be taken away suddenly, to break in upon her estate and deprive her of any part of that which had been and ought to be her own. 344 THE LIFE OF Wherefore with the first opportunity (as I remember the very next day, and before 1 knew particularly what she had) I made my will, and thereby secured to her whatever I was possessed of, as well all that which she brought, either in moneys or in goods, as that little which I had before I married her } which indeed was but little, yet more (by all that little) than I had ever given her ground to expect with me. She had indeed been advised by some of her rela- tions to secure before marriage some part., at least, of what she had, to be at her own disposal. Which, though perhaps not wholly free from some tincture of self-interest in the proposer, was not in itself the worst of counsel. But the worthiness of her mind, and the sense of the ground on which she received me, would not suffer her to entertain any suspicion of me ; and this laid on me the greater obligation, in point of grati- tude as well as of justice, to regard and secure to her, which I did. I had not been long married before I was solicited by my dear friends Isaac and Mary Penington, and her daughter Guli, to take a journey into Kent and Sussex, to account with their tenants and overlook their estates in those counties, which before I was married I had had the care of; and accordingly the journey I under- took, though in the depth of winter. My travels into those parts were the more irksome to me from the solitariness I underwent, and want of suitable society. For my business lying among the tenants, who were a rustic sort of people, of various persuasions and humors, but not Friends, I had little opportunity of conversing with Friends ; though I con- trived to be with them as much as I could, especially on the first day of the week. THOMAS ELLWOOD. 345 But that which made my present journey more heavy to me was the sorrowful exercise which was newly fallen upon me from my father. He had, upon my first acquainting him with my inclination to marry, and to whom, not only very much approved the match, but voluntarily offered, without my either asking or expecting, to give me a handsome portion at present, with assurance of an addition to it hereafter. And he not only made this offer to me in private, but came down from London into the country on purpose to be better acquainted with my friend, and did there make the same proposal to her, offering also to give secu- rity to any friend or relation of hers for the perform- ance 5 which offer she most generously declined, leaving him as free as she found him. But after we were inan'ied, notwithstanding such his promise, he wholly declined the performance of it, under pretence of our not being married by the priest and liturgy. This nsage and evil treatment of us thereupon was a great trouble to me ; and when I endeavored to soften him in the matter he forbid me speaking to him of it any more, and removed his lodging that I might not find him. The grief I conceived on this occasion was not for any disappointment to myself or to my wife ; for neither she nor I had any strict or necessary depen- dence upon that promise ; but my grief was for the cause assigned by him as the ground of it, which was, that our marriage was not by priest or liturgy. And surely, hard would it have been for my spirit to bear up under the weight of this exercise, had not the Lord been exceeding gracious to me, and supported me with the inflowings of his love and life, wherewith he vis- ited my soul in my travail : the sense whereof raised 346 THE LIFE OF in my heart a thankful rememhrance of his manifold kindnesses in his former dealings with me. About this time (as I remember) it was that some bickerings happening between some Baptists and some of the people called Quakers, in or about High Wy- combe, in Buckinghamshire, occasioned by some re- flecting words a Baptist preacher had publicly uttered in one of their meetings there against the Quakers in general, and William Penn in particular, it came at length to this issue, that a meeting for a public dispute was appointed to be holden at West Wycombe, be- tween Jeremy Ives, who espoused his brother's cause, and William Penn. To this meeting, it being so near me, I went, rather to countenance the cause than for any delight I took in such work ; for indeed I have rarely found the advantage equivalent to the trouble and danger arising from those contests : for which cause I would not choose them, as, being justly engaged, I M^ould not refuse them. The issue of this proved better than I expected. For Ives having undertaken an ill cause, to argue against the divine light and universal grace conferred by God on all men ; when he had spent his stock of arguments, which he brought with him on that subject, finding his work go on heavily and the auditory not well satisfied, stepped down from his seat and departed, with purpose to break up the assembly. But, except some few of his party who followed him, the people generally stayed, and were the more attentive to what was afterwards delivered amongst them ; which Ives, understanding, came in again, and, in an angry railing manner expressing his dislike that we went not away when he did, gave more disgust to the people. After the meeting was ended, I sent to my friend THOMAS ELLWOOD. 347 Isaac Penington (by his son and servant, who returned home, though it was late, that evening) a short account of the business, in the following distich : — Prsevaluit Veritas : iiiimici terga dedere : Nos sumus in tuto. Laus tribiienda Deo. Which may be thus Englished : — Truth hath prevail'd : the enemies did fly : We are in safety. Praise to God on high. But both they and we had quickly other work found us : it soon became a stormy time. The clouds had been long gathering, and threatened a tempest. The parliament had sat some time before, and hatched that unaccountable law, which was called the Conventicle Act : if that may be allowed to be called a law, by whomsoever made, which was so directly contrary to the fundamental laws of England, to common justice, equity, and right reason , as this manifestly was. No sooner had the bishops obtained this law for sup- pressing all meetings but their own, than some of the clergy of most ranks, and some others too, who were overmuch bigoted to that party, bestirred themselves with might and main to find out and encourage the most profligate wretches to turn informers, and to get such persons into parochial offices as would be most obsequious to their commands, and ready at their beck, to put it into the most rigorous execution. Yet it took not alike in all places ; but some were forwarder in the work than others, according as the agents intended to be chiefly employed therein had been predisposed thereunto. For in some parts of the nation care had been timely taken, by some not of the lowest rank, to choose out some particular persons, men of sharp wit, close coun- 348 THE LIFE OF teiiances, pliant tempers, and deep dissimulation, and send them forth among the sectaries, so called, with instructions to thrust themselves into all societies, con- form to all or any sort of religious profession, Proteus- like, change their shapes, and transform themselves from one religious appearance to another, as occasion should require ; in a word, to be all things to all, not that they might win some, but that they might, if possible, ruin all, at least many. But though it pleased the Divine Providence, who sometimes vouchsafed to bring good out of evil, to put a stop, in a great measure at least, to the persecution here begun, yet in other parts both of the city and country, it was carried on with great severity and rigor j the worst of men, for the most part, being set up for informers ; the worst of magistrates encouraging and abetting them ; and the worst of the priests, who first began to blow the fire, now seeing h(>w it took, spread, and blazed, clapping their hands and hallooing them on to this evil work. Scarce was the before-mentioned storm of outward persecution from the government blown over, when Satan raised another storm of another kind against us on this occasion. The foregoing stonn of persecution, as it lasted long, so in many parts of the nation, and particularly at London, it fell very sharp and violent, especially on the Quakers. For they having no refuge but God alone to fly unto, could not dodge and shift to avoid the suffering, as others of other denominations could, and in their worldly wisdom and policy did j altering their meetings M'ith respect both to place and time, and forbearing to meet when forbidden, or kept out of their meeting-houses. So that of the several sorts of dissenters, the Quakers only held up public tes- THOMAS ELLWOOD. 349 timony, as a standard or ensign of religion, by keeping their meetings duly and fully, at the accustomed times and places, so long as they were suffered to enjoy the use of their meeting-houses ; and when they were shut up, and Friends kept out of them by force, they assem- bled in the streets, as near to their meeting-houses as they could. This bold and truly Christian behavior in the Qua- kers disturbed and not a little displeased the persecutors, who, fretting, complained that the stubborn Quakers brake their strength, and bore off' the blow from those other dissenters, whom as they most feared, so they principally aimed at. For indeed the Quakers they rather despised than feared, as being a people from whose peaceable principles and practices they held them- selves secure from danger; whereas having suffered severely, and that lately too, by and under the other dissenters, they thought they had just cause to be ap- prehensive of danger from them, and good reason to suppress them. On the other hand, the more ingenious amongst other dissenters of each denomination, sensible of the ease they enjoyed by our bold and steady suffering, which abated tlie heat of the persecutors, and blunted the edge of the sword before it came to them, frankly acknowl- edged the benefit received ; calling us the bulwark that kept off the force of the stroke from them ; and praying that we might be preserved, and enabled to break the strength of the enemy ; nor could some of them forbear, those especially who were called Baptists, to express their kind and favorable opinion of us and of the princi- ples we professed, which emboldened us to go through that, which but to hear of was a terror to them. This their good-will raised ill-will against us in 350 THE LIFE OF some of their teachers, who, though willing to reap the advantage of a shelter, hy a retreat behind us during the time that the storm lasted, yet partly through an evil emulation, partly through fear lest they should lose some of those members of tlieir society, Avho had dis- covered such favorable thoughts of our principles and us, they set themselves, as soon as the storm was over, to represent us in as ugly a dress and in as frightful a figure to the world as they could invent and put upon us. In order whereunto, one Thomas Hicks, a preacher among the Baptists at London, took upon him to write several pamphlets successively, under the title of '' A Dialogue between a Christian and a Quaker " ; which were so craftily contrived that the unwary reader might conclude them to be not merely fictions, but real discourses, actually held between one of the people called Quakers and some other person. In these feigned dialogues, Hicks, having no regard to justice or com- mon honesty, had made his counterfeit Quaker say whatsoever he thought would render him, one while sufficiently erroneous, another while ridiculous enough ; forging, in the Quaker's name, some things so abomina- bly false, other things so intolerably foolish, as could not reasonably be supposed to have come into the con- ceit, much less to have dropped from the lip or pen of any that went under the name of a Quaker. These dialogues (shall I call them, or rather diabo- logues) were answered by our friend William Penn, in two books ; the first being entitled '' Reason against Railing," the other ^' The Counterfeit Christian de- tected " ; in which Hicks being charged with manifest as well as manifold forgeries, perversions, downright lies and slanders against the people called Quakers in general, William Penn, George Whitehead, and divers THOMAS ELL WOOD. 351 others by name ; complaint was made, by way of ap- peal, to the Baptists in and about London, for justice against Thomas Hicks. Those Baptists, who it seems were in the plot with Hicks, to defame at any rate, right or wrong, the people called Quakers, taking the advantage of the absence of William Peun and Gleorge Whitehead, who were the persons most iunnediately concerned, and who were then gone a long journey on the service of truth, to be absent from the city in all probability for a considerable time, appointed a public meeting in one of their meeting-houses, under pretence of calling Thomas Hicks to account, and hearing the charge made good against him ; but with design to give the greater stroke to the Quakers, when they who should make good the charge against Hicks could not be present. For upon their sending notice to the lodg- ings of William Penn and George Whitehead of their intended meeting, they were told by several Friends that both William Penn and George Whitehead were from home, travelling in the counties, uncertain where ; and therefore could not be informed of their intended meet- ing, either by letter or express, within the time by them limited ; for which reason they were desired to defer the meeting till they could have notice of it and time to return, that they might be at it. But these Baptists, whose design was otherwise laid, would not be prevailed with to defer the meeting, but, glad of the advantage, gave their brother Hicks opportunity to make a colorable defence, where he had his party to help him, and none to oppose him ; and having made a mock show of examining him and his works of darkness, they, in fine, having heard one side, ac- quitted him. 352 THE LIFE OF This gave just occasion for a new complaint and de- mand of justice against him and them. For as soon as William Penn returned to London, he in print ex- hibited his complaint of this unfair dealing, and de- manded justice, by a rehearing of the matter in a public meeting, to be appointed by joint agreement. This went hardly down with the Baptists, nor could it be obtained from them without great importunity and hard pressing. At length, after many delays and tricks used to shift it off, constrained by necessity, they yielded to have a meeting at their own meeting-house in Barbican, London. There, amongst other friends, was I, and undertook to read our charge there against Thomas Hicks, which not without much difficulty I did ; they, inasmuch as the house was theirs, putting all the inconveniences they could upon us. The particular passages and management of this meeting (as also of that other which followed soon after, and which, on their refusing to give us any other public meeting, we were fain to appoint in our own meeting-house, by Wheeler Street, near Spitalfields, London, and gave them timely no- tice) I forbear here to mention ; there being in print a narrative of each, to which, for particular information, I refer the reader. But to this meeting Thomas Hicks w^ould not come, but lodged himself at an alehouse hard by ; yet sent his brother Ives, with some others of the party, by clamorous noises to divert us from the prosecution of our charge against him , which they so effectually per- formed that they would not suffer the charge to be heard, though often attempted to be read. As this rude behavior of theirs was a cause of grief to me, so afterwards, when I understood that they used THOMAS ELLWOOD. 353 all evasive tricks to avoid another meeting with us, and refused to do us right, my spirit was greatly stirred at their injustice, and in the sense thereof, willing, if pos- sible, to provoke them to more fair and manly dealing, I let fly a brcfadside at them, in a single sheet of paper, under the title of '^A Fresh Pursuit " ', in which, having restated the controversy between them and us, and re- inforced our charge of forgery, etc. against Thomas Hicks and his abettors, I offered a fair challenge to them (not only to Thomas Hicks himself, but to all those his compurgators who had before undertaken to acquit him from our charge, together with their com- panion Jeremy Ives) to give me a fair and public meet- ing, in which I would make good our charge against him as princijjal, and all the rest of them as accesso- ries. But nothing could provoke them to come fairly forth. Hitherto the war I had been engaged in was in a sort foreign, with people of other religious persuasions, such as were open and avowed enemies ; but now an- other sort of war arose, an intestine war, raised by some among ourselves ; such as had once been of us, and yet retained the same profession, and would have been thought to be of us still ; but having, through ill-grounded jealousies, let in discontents, and there- upon fallen into jangling, chiefly about church disci- pline, they at length broke into an open schism, headed by two Northern men of name and note, John Wilkinson and John Story. The latter of whom, as being the most active and popular man, having gained a considerable interest in the West, carried the controversy with him thither, and there spreading it,- drew many, too many, to abet him therein. Among those, William Rogers, a merchant of Bris- 354 THE LIFE OF tol, was not the least, nor least accounted of, by himself and some others. He was a bold and an active man, moderately learned, hut immoderately conceited of his own parts and abilities, which made him forward to en- gage, as thinking none would dare to take up the gaunt- let he should cast down. This high opinion of himself made him rather a troublesome than a formidable enemy. That I may here step over the various steps by which he advanced to open hostility (as what I was not actually or personally engaged in), he in a while ar- rived to that height of folly and wickedness, that he wrote and published a large book in five parts, to which he maliciously gave for a title, '' The Christian Quaker distinguished from the Apostate and Innova- tor"; thereby arrogating to himself and those who were of his party, the topping style of '^ Christian Quaker," and no less impiously than uncharitably branding and rejecting all others, even the main body of Friends, for apostates and innovators. When this book came abroad, it was not a little (and he for its sake) cried up by his injudicious admirers, whose applause setting his head afloat, he came up to London at the time of the Yearly Meeting then follow- ing, and at the close thereof, gave notice in writing to this effect, viz. that ''if any were dissatisfied with his book, he was there ready to maintain and defend both it and himself against all comers." This daring challenge was neither dreaded nor slighted, but an answer was forthwith returned in writing, signed by a few Friends, amongst whom I was one, to let him know that, as many were dissatisfied with his book and him, he should not fail, God willing, to be raet by the sixth hour, next morning, at the meeting-place, at Devonshire House. Accordingly we met, and continued the meeting till THOMAS ELLWOOD. 355 noon or after, in which time he, surrounded with such of his own party as might abet and assist him, was so fairly foiled and baffled, and so fully exposed, that he was glad to quit the place, and, early next morn- ing, the town also ; leaving, in excuse for his going so abruptly oflP, and thereby refusing us another meeting with him, which we had earnestly provoked him to, this slight shift, that he had before given earnest for his passage in the stage-coach home, and was not will- ing to lose it." I had before this gotten a sight of his book, and procured one for my use on this occasion, but I had not time to read it through ; but a while after, Prov- idence cast another of them into my hands vj Wr A ^ XT ••S* ,V ^^ '^^ -^0^ ^^^ ,^^^ ^°-^^. . , , o - >^«iiiie5~'