Bart., by whom she had issue. The second sister, Elizabeth,' had married about 1598, WTM Cecil, Lord Burghley, by whom she had three surviving daughters, and the third sister, Diana, was about to marry Sir E. Cecil, her brotherin-law's younger brother. SIR EDWARD Cecil to Sir D. CARLETON. "MY LORDE, "The staye of the passage, and my Ensigne's purpose thereupon to goe over, have occasioned this other letter to y' lo. the rather to let you know that this is the gentleman the King spoke to mee for, to have beene recommended to the companie. But as the dispache his Ma1 intended about it, was making; y' advertisement came that it was determined beyonde the recovery, so as then his Male did please in such generale termes onlie, as ar now directed to yr lo., to insist with them for the repairing of my honour, wthout the continuing of his former intent to Mr. Cromwell. 2 * "I have a great desier (as it is fitt I should have) to have my companie removed out of Utricke and (if it may bee) some whether into Holland, as Bealse (sic) or Harlom. I pray yo (S') let this be another suite of mine to y' lo. when I shall need y' mediation, wth his Ex., who (I hope for the love and respecte I beare him) will understand how unfitt it is it should tarrye there. And wthout more trouble to y° I will reast "yr lo. "most affectionat to be "ED. CECYLL." 1 Born Jan. 4, 1578, and died Feb. 26, 1654. Gage's Suffolk, p. 429. 2 This was probably the brave John Cromwell, who was made captain in one of the regiments sent to Holland by James I., in 1624, and who eventually succeeded to the command of an English regiment in Holland, and saw much active service. "I have received from y' lo. the knowledge of the favour y° did mee in delivering my humble servis to his Ex. and the satisfaction yo obtained for mee upon it. I shall intreate your lo. to lett mee bee excused for having no returned my thanckes unto yo sooner, for that I have had many occations to hinder mee, concerning my la. of Exetere 2 her busines, wee having such malitius and active Enimes. "For Mr Hewes, I am sorrie that neither my creditt wth the States nor the fitnes and iustnes of his suite can geate him the contentment I desiered for him, and that my regiment hath not as much neede of salvatione as a nother. He hath done the country more honor and servis then all the other have, for he hath prayed for them in many churches in this kingdom, wch others have not done, but they have given him cause to leave it. be patient in this as I have beeyne in other things. servis remembered to y' lo. and y' noble lady, I reast 1S. P. Holland. But I shall And so with "y" lo. 2 Frances, Countess of Exeter, second wife of Thomas, 1st Earl of Exeter. Sir Edward Cecil's father had married, in 1615, Frances, daughter of WTM Brydges, 4th Lord Chandos, and widow of Sir Thomas Smith, who died 1609, Master of Requests to James I. By this marriage the Earl of Exeter had an only child, Georgiana, to whom Queen Anne of Denmark stood sponsor. An account of the libel against the Countess of Exeter, referred to by Sir E. Cecil in above letters, is given in the next chapter. errour. "I have receaved y' letters touching my busines (and so by consequence theye generall good of our nation) with the States of Utricke, and wth all a copie of y' letters to his Mal, for weh I am much beholding to y' lo. ..... to excuse those defects that yo find have given y' lo. cause to delay the proceeding; the letters were sent from Newmarket, and Mr Secretary was only to adde the seales, and they were sealed wth such hast wch was the cause of the The copye of that from his Male to those of Utricke I sende heare wth, and the same instructions signed by Mr Secretary, who promiseth mee he will send his Males order for y' lo. going to Utricke and for y' treaty wth theye Generall States; 2 my humble sute to y' lo. is that in case y° receave noe satisfaction for mee (as I can not see how theye can very well give me any) that yo will be pleased to demand of them and his Ex. leave that I may transporte my commande there upon some mann of quality for the recompense of my 19 years servis, wch to confess to yr lo. is not wth an absolute mind to leave there servis if I might wth honour serve them, wch I feare they as littel regard as the may; my confidence of y' integrity maketh mee thus boulde wth yr lo. “ yr lo. "most affectionat to dee "ED. CECYll. 1 S. P. Holland. 2 Carleton, in a letter to Secretary Lake, said it was not pro dignitate for an Ambassador to go to Utrecht, and as the Company was given away, it could not be given back. King James saw the matter in the same light, and in a VOL. I. S "Nautone howlde as yet to be the other secritary and mileme 1 (sic) shall be Mr. of the Juell howse, Sr. Hary Carry, Controler, Edmons, Treasurer, and my Lord Wotton shall have honor and money. "London this 23 of December." 3 4 There is more in this postscript than meets the eye. General Cecil had for some time been a candidate for the Comptrollership, which was vacant by the resignation of Lord Wotton. Cecil makes no mention in his letters of his efforts to get the White Staff, but other writers refer to the contest. "General Cecil tries hard for the Comptrollership, and has got the Duke's favour," writes Brent to Carleton on January 2, 1618.5 And the same writer mentions, in a letter written eight days after, that "Sir E. Cecil, Sir Henry Carew (sic), and Lord Knollys are rivals for the Controllership.' The contest between Sir Edward Cecil and Sir Henry Cary was very close, both having influential friends to press their claims on the King, who seems to have got very tired of their importunity. The witty Chamberlain gives an amusing account of this contest in one of his letters : 6 letter to Carleton, dated December 22, he says:-"We like well that you forbear further to press the removing of him which is possessed; because it is like to be without effect." Carleton sent a remonstrance to the Assembly of the States-General in the King's name, which closed this affair as far as James was concerned. Letters from and to Sir D. Carleton (London, 1780, 4°). Sir Henry Mildmay, Master of the Jewel House, tempo James I. and Charles I., was younger son of Sir Humphrey Mildmay, Knt., of Danbury Place, Essex. Thomas, 2nd and last Lord Wotton, born 1588; died 1630. Burke's Extinct Peerage. S. P. Holland. Ludovic Stuart, 2nd Duke of Lennox, Lord High Steward. S. P. Dom. • Brent to Carleton, January 10.-S. P. Dom. "Sir Henry Cary hath not yet got the White Staff, unless it was given him yesterday at Theobalds, whither he followed the king, but I verily believe he hath or shall have it, for all the difficulties that are cast in the way by the duke in favour of Sir Edward Cecil; and now lastly by the Lord Holles,' supported by the Countess of Suffolk 2 and the Lady Hatton; who, besides all other causes, had won the Lord Wotton,3 though he had taken earnest to keep aloof till the king was even in his coach to be gone, and being willed to follow to Theobalds pretended indisposition and sickness; but the king answered, 'It all is one, for his staff is not sick.'" 4 The contest was decided in March, 1618, in favour of Sir Henry Cary.5 There are two letters of Sir Edward Cecil's to Carleton, written in February, 1618, which are not worth giving in extenso. The first, dated February II, contains Sir Edward's expressions of gratitude to Carleton for the latter's “paynes and judgement" in the business with the State of Utrecht, which had not been of much avail. "Neither in deede," says Cecil," was I ever of the opinion that I should receive any materiall satisfaction from so rusticke poletitions, that are governed rather by there climat than by any reason, for as that province, rather that Towne, hath beeyne observed to 1 John Holles, Baron Houghton; elevated to the Peerage by James I. in 1616, through Buckingham's interest, to whom he is said to have paid £10,000 for the barony. Burke's Extinct Peerage. 2 Catherine, Countess of Suffolk, wife of the Lord Treasurer, who was deprived of his high office, in 1618, for taking bribes and embezzling the public money. "The Countess had rendered herself very odious by her rapacity in extorting money from all persons who had any matters to be dispatched at the Treasury. They were both confined in the Tower for a short time, and fined £70,000, which was reduced by King James to £7,000.” Carte's Hist. of England, iv. p. 47. 3 "Lord Wotton keeps his place, because his successor is not agreed on." Brent to Carleton, January 10-S.P. Dom. 'Chamberlain to Carleton, January 10.-S. P. Dom. Sir H. Cary to Carleton, March 25.-S. P. Dom. |