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THE

EARL OF GLAMORGAN'S NEGOTIATIONS,

AND

Colourable Commitment in Ireland demonstrated;

Or, The Irish Plot, for bringing ten thousand men and arms into England, whereof three hundred to be for Prince Charles's life-guard. Discovered in several letters, taken in a pacquet-boat by Sir Thomas Fairfax's forces at Padstow in Cornwall. Which letters were cast into the sea, and by the sea coming in, afterwards regained; and were read in the honourable House of Commons. Together with divers other letters, taken by Captain Moulton, at sea, near Milford-Haven, coming out of Ireland, concerning the same plot and negotiation. Ordered, by the commons assembled in parliament, that these letters be forthwith printed and published.

H. Elsynge, Cler. Parl. D. Com.

London, Printed for Edward Husband, Printer to the Honourable House of Commons. March 17, 1645. Quarto, containing thirty-six pages.

To the Honourable William Lenthal, Esq. Speaker of the Honourable House of Commons.

Bodman, March 7, 1645.

Sir,

THES HESE inclosed letters being brought to my hands, by Divine Providence, I held it my duty to speed to you, because of the great importance of them, and to acquaint you how I came by them.

Having some dragoons at Padstow, a pacquet-boat from Ireland came into the harbour; the dragoons presently endeavoured to board her; and after some small resistance, wherein the captain and the master of the vessel were slain, they entered, seizing upon one Captain Allen; the said Allen threw a pacquet and divers loose letters, over-board, of which only these inclosed were recovered: I shall send Allen with all convenient speed, up to you, whose examination you have also herewith inclosed I find him to be a dangerous and subtle man; I believe he has much in his breast, which may be got out of him, by reason he is obnoxious as a spy, and a man who, I perceive, loves his life so well, that good use may be made thereof, to discover, by further examination, what we have not opportunity to do here, but

yet may be worthy of your knowledge: For it appears by some of the letters, that he hath much intrusted by the Earl of Glamorgan to him, to give a verbal account of; I have given Captain Moulton, who is upon the Irish seas, advertisement of the enemies intentions. To say no more, you will perceive by the date of the Earl of Glamorgan's letters, That he has the honour, trust, and liberty of a very good and loyal subject. I suppose you will see by these letters, what reason there is to hasten recruits with effect, which I must withal represent to be the more needful, in regard of the diminution, which cannot but attend those marches; and that hardship the army has been put to in such a country, and at such a season. I must acknowledge your provisions for this army to be very great, and the committee of the army's care, in observing your appointments, therein to be answerable. I desire I may faithfully improve your favours, as becomes an honest man, to the glory of God, and your service: And rest

Your most humble servant,

T. FAIRFAX.

To the Honourable William Lenthal, Esq. Speaker to the Honourable House of Commons.

Sir,

Bodman, March 6, 11 at Night.

IN my last, which was but yesterday by the post, I gave you an account of the agreement made for the delivery up of Mount Edgecomb, and the disbanding of the regiments raised in those parts, and of the coming of Mr. Coriton, and divers other gentlemen of quality; which is every day more apparent than other, by their hourly sending to the general, to be received into the protection of the parliament, which is now, in some measure, made known to the country, who had this day a meeting upon Bodman Downs: It was but yesterday they had notice, and one hundred of the four had not the notice come to them, yet about eight hundred or nine hundred appeared; and now for the occasion the meeting was desired, which was for this purpose, to let them know the army was come to protect them, not to ruin them: That the soldiers, horse and foot, had charge to defray their quarters: That, if any soldier offered violence unto them, upon complaint it should be redressed: That the gentlemen of the country, naming such and such persons, were come into the parliament, which did very much encourage the commonalty to be the more forward to hearken to what might be for the service of the publick, and defence of their own county: And that which wrought the impression deepest upon their hearts, was Mr. Peters's publishing to them the pacquets taken in the Irish vessel, which I mentioned unto you in my last letter, which he not only shewed unto them, but read the same, and permitted such of them, as desired it, to read them; and told them they should have copies of Glamorgan's articles, and his other letters, if they desired them, which abundantly gave them

satisfaction; and that which put it out of doubt was, That the ship and pacquets were seized on, and taken by the assistance of the inhabitants at Padstow, within their own county, but the day before: And indeed, it was a very seasonable and remarkable accident as could have happened, for the uniting of this county to the parliament; for the very thoughts of Irish and French are hateful unto them. Those letters, that were most considerable, miscarried in the water; which were the Earl of Glamorgan's to the Prince, Sir Edward Hyde, and to another; which Captain Allen, an Irish papist and merchant of Waterford, confesseth he had from the hands of the Earl of Glamorgan, to deliver as aforesaid. Upon his examination he said further, That the three hundred Irish, desired for the Prince's life-guard, were to be thus disposed: An hundred to be put into the mount, an hundred to Pendennis, and the other hundred to be a guard to the prince. The general hath sent post to Capt. Moulton, Admiral of the Irish coasts, to give him notice in what forwardness the Irish were to be transported, that they may keep out ships at sea for prevention: The trumpet, that went with the summons to the Lord Hopton, is not yet returned. To-morrow early, the whole army, horse and foot, advances towards Truro: All passes, by-lanes, and fords being, for the most part, barricadoed or blocked up; so that, if the enemy should slip by, which we no ways fear, their marches will be so slow, that their rear will be engaged before they get half through the passage. Before this comes to your hands, without peiadventure, the business will be very near decided by a treaty, or retreat into the sea. There came seven or eight of the Prince's servants this day for passes to go home, much lamenting the sudden carrying the Prince on shipboard, when they dreamed not of it. At Foy we took thirteen pieces of ordnance mounted, besides arms and powder: The first night the town stood upon their guard, but the next morning repented of their folly, and, without dispute, admitted our forces to come in. Be pleased to hasten down monies to the army, and match and powder with all speed to Lyme; neither of these will admit of delay: And hasten recruits, that they may meet us when we face about.

Your most humble and

faithful servant,
JOH. RUSHWORTH.

The examination of Allen is sent up by this bearer, who can in form you more of the carriage of the man: I hope the bearer will come safe with the letters; he is enjoined to have great care, he comes far with such a trust.

To the Prince his Highness.

May it please your Highness,

SINCE my coming from his majesty on the fourteenth of October last, I have gone in such untrodden paths, as have not afforded me the possi

bility of making any address unto your highness, until this opportunity, which hath made me live under no small affliction, lest my actions should have been misrepresented to your highness, and lessen me in that good opinion of yours, which I value as the greatest blessing of my life. I shall not presume to trouble your highness with so tedious a narrative, as the reasons of my coming from the King, and the relation of my adventures since must needs be; but I have done it at large to Sir Edward Hyde, and I most humbly beseech your highness to give him leave to entertain you with them, at such leisure times, when he shall find that you can admit of it with least trouble; which that you may the more easily grant me, I shall not importune you myself with any thing more at this time, than this sincere protestation, that, while I have the honour to live in your highness's thoughts, in this favour I shall think myself above all misfortunes, how miserable soever otherwise; and I doubt not but your goodness will, by preserving me so happy in your memory, encourage me in that which you cannot hinder me, from being

Your highness's most humble

and most faithful servant,

GEORGE DIGBY..

To Sir Edward Hyde, Chancellor of the Exchequer.

My Dear Chancellor,

I SEIZE with much joy this occasion, that flatters me with the hopes of conveying safe unto you, and by you unto the rest of my friends there, an account of my adventures since you heard from me; these inclosed papers will give you a very particular relation of all matters of fact. I make no question, but my unsuccessfulness in that employment will give occasion to my enemies to accuse me of a great disservice to the King, in having been the loss of so many of his horse, not in the conduct of them (for I apprehend not malice itself in that point) but in putting them upon so desperate a design. This point I desire you to clear, by letting all, with whom you shall find the objection, know, that, altho I was of opinion, that the King himself ought to have ventured, when he was at Welbeck, the passage into Scotland, in case there had been certainty of my Lord of Montrose's being on this side Forth, yet, when that was once diverted, upon both my intelligence and advice, I had afterwards the least share of any man in the council in adventuring any part of the King's horse upon so hopeless a design, as that of Scotland was, while we were doubtful of my Lord of Montrose's condition; but the northern horse, being disgusted with Gerrard, refused absolutely to march back southward to Welbeck, and so, rather than they should disband, it was thought fit to try, whether they would be engaged to adventure to Montrose, who in all his letters had seemed much to resent

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the neglect of him, in not sending him a supply of horse, assuring, that, with the help but of one-thousand, he could carry through his work. The proposition being made to Sir Marmaduke Langdale, he at first point-blank refused it, as an undertaking which had, by Gerrard and all the rest, been declared desperate, even with all the King's horse; but, upon second thoughts, finding that all his horse would disband, if they were drawn southward, he and all the northern gentlemen came to the King, and told him, that, if he would lay his commands upon me to take the charge, and to go along with them, they would adventure it, otherwise not: whereupon, I having declared my obedience to whatsoever the King should impose upon me, his Majesty commanded me positively to that charge, using, besides his pleasure, this argument to me, that, if I succeeded in it, I should reap much honour; if not, I could incur no prejudice by failing in that which was at first given for desperate and so, at half an hour's warning, having (I protest to God) not dreamed of the matter before, I marched off from the rendezvous with an addition only to the northern horse of such as would voluntarily chuse to go with me, which proved to be a matter of three-hundred, with which I made that progress, which you will find related in the inclosed papers. But here I am sure you will wonder, how I, holding that place I did near the King, and having the honour of so great a part in his trusts, especially at a time when he had scarce either counsellor or penman about him, should be put upon so extravagant and desperate an employment. To this I must let you know, and such only as you shall think fit, that, though I had no thought of the present action, yet the King and I had long before (that is, ever since his affairs were made so desperate by the loss of Bristol) concluded it most for his service, that I should absent myself from him for some time, in case I could find a fair and honourable pretence for it. I believe, the accidents since befallen at Newark, with Prince Rupert and Gerrard, will have given you a light of some reasons of my remove. The truth [Here follow many lines of characters.]

Over and above these urging reasons, as to the time, upon the main of the King's condition and mine, I found the King likely to suffer much by my stay near him, the weariness of the war being so universal, and the despair of any approvement in his condition being so great in all about him, I found it almost every man's opinion [Here come in more linss of characters.]

I thought it then high time to watch an opportunity of freeing his Majesty from an attendant so pernicious to his honour and interest; and this, my dearest friend, is as much as I think necessary to say unto you upon this subject, hoping, that, by your dexterous conveyance of it to his highness the prince of Wales, it will have the same impression with him, which I cannot doubt of with you.

Since my coming out of England, I staid a month, for a wind, at the Isle of Man; which time I cannot think mispent, having there received great civilities from my Lord of Derby, and had the means of a particular acquaintance with his noble lady, whom I think one of the

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