OR, ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ANECDOTE. "Nihil legebat quod non excerperet." HOLBEIN'S DANCE OF DEATH. THE DUKE. Princeps induetur mærore. Et quiesce re faciam superbiam potentium. Elgeh. 7. He is seen just coming out of his palace, accompanied with his retinue. A poor beggar with a child craving charity of him is rejected, whilst Death is supposed invisibly to lay his hands upon him. (To be resumed.) MEMOIR OF EDWARD LORD HERBERT, OF CHERBURY. (Concluded from page 371.) From hence returning to Paris shortly after, I found myself welcome to all those Ministers of State there and noble VOL. III.] B [No. XIII. men, who either envied the greatness or loved not the insolencies of Monsieur de Luines; by whom also I was told, that the said Luines had intended to send a brother of his into England with an Ambassy, the effect whereof should be chiefly to complain against me, and to obtain that I should be repealed; and that he intended to relate the passages betwixt us at St. Jean d'Angeley in a much different manner from that I reported, and that he would charge me with giving the first offence. 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 justifie 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 3 or 40007. 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 Ambassador; 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 leave to send a trumpet to Monsieur de Luines, to offer him the combate upon terms that past betwixt us; which was not permitted, otherwise than that they would take my offer into consideration. Howsoever notice being publicly taken of this my desire, much occasion of speech was given, every man that heard thereof much favouring me, but the Duke of Luines death following shortly after, the business betwixt us was ended, and I commanded to return to my former charge in France. I did not yet presently go as finding much difficulty to obtain the moneys due to me from the exchequer, and therewith, as also by my own revenues, to satisfie my creditors in France. The Earl of Carlisle this while being imployed extraordinary Ambassador to France, brought home * *James Hay, Earl of Carlisle Knight of the Garter, Master of the great Wardrobe, and Embassador in Germany and France. a confirmation of the passages betwixt Monsieur de Luines and myself, Monsieur de Arnaud, who stood behind the hangings as above related, having verified all I said, insomuch that the King my master was well satisfied of my truth. Having by this time cleared all my debts, when demanding 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 fidelity, 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 directions 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 Germany, and other parts of Christendom, 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 expression of the trust his Majesty reposed in me; howbeit 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 Earle of Carlisle returning hereupon to the King, brought me yet no other answer back than that I formerly mentioned, and that his Majesty 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 wisht, he would attribute the default to any thing 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 was, 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 nevertheless that he was confident I should have more if I required 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 being either offended with the passages betwixt me and Monsieur de Luines, or that were sorry for his death, in which number the Queen's Majesty seemed the most eminent person, as one who long since had hated him: Whereupon also I cannot but remember this passage, than 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 Luines? 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 a Reynas; there is no force for 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 successfull, that during the remainder 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 Majesties Ambassadors and Agents every where gave me perfect intelligence of all that happened within their precincts; insomuch that from Sir Henry Wotton his Majesty's Ambassador at Venice, who was a learned and witty gentleman, I received all the news of Italy; as also from Sir Isaak Wake, who did more particularly acquaint me with the business of Savoy,* Valentia, and Switzerland; from Sir Francis Nethersole his Majesty's Agent in Germany, and more particularly with the united Princes 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-Countrys, 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 * The Valteline. |