66 XIV. 1655. A discourse king's with Retz. ference between them, the cardinal asked the king, BOOK "whether he had made any attempt to draw any "assistance from the pope, and whether he thought "that nothing might be done that way to his ad- of the vantage?" The king told him, "nothing had been cardinal de "attempted that way; and that he was better able "to judge, whether the pope was like to do any thing "for a man of his faith." The cardinal smiling, said, "he had no thought of speaking of his faith;" yet in short, he spoke to him like a wise and honest man; "that if any overtures were made him of the change "of his religion, he must tell his majesty, it becomes y "him as a cardinal to wish his majesty a catholic "for the saving his soul; but he must declare too, "that if he did change his religion, he would never "be restored to his kingdoms." But he said, "he "did believe," (though the pope was old, and much decayed in his generosity; for Innocent the Tenth was then living,)" that if some proper application "was made to the princes of Italy, and to the pope "himself, though there would not be gotten where"withal to raise and maintain armies, there might "be somewhat considerable obtained for his more 66 pleasant support, wherever he should choose to "reside." He said, "he had himself some alliance "with the great duke, and interest in other courts, " and in Rome itself; and if his majesty would give "him leave, and trust his discretion, he would write "in such a manner in his own name to some of his "friends, as should not be of any prejudice to his majesty, if it brought him no convenience." The king had reason to acknowledge the obligation, and 66 y becomes] became XIV. 1655. BOOK to leave it to his own wisdom, what he would do. In the conclusion of the discourse, the cardinal asked his majesty a question or two of matter of fact, which he could not answer; but told him, “he would give "a punctual information of it the next day in a let"ter:" which the cardinal desired might be as soon as his majesty thought fit, because he would, upon the receipt of it, make his despatches into Italy. The particular things being out of the king's memory, as soon as he returned, he asked the chancellor of the exchequer concerning them; and having received a punctual account from him, his majesty writ a letter the next day to the cardinal, and gave him information as to those particulars. Within very few days after this, the cardinal coming one day to the Louvre to see the queen mother, he was arrested by the captain of the guard, and sent prisoner to the Bastille; and in one of his pockets, which they searched, that letter the king had sent to him was found, and delivered to the queen regent; who presently imparted it to the queen of England; and after they had made themselves merry with some improprieties in the French, the king having, for the secrecy, not consulted with any body, they discovered some purpose of applying to the pope, and to other catholic princes; and that his majesty should enter upon any such counsel, without first consulting with the queen his mother, could proceed only from the instigation of the chancellor of the exchequer. The car dinal de Retz sent to the Bastille. Her majesty, with a very great proportion of sharpness, reproached the king for his neglect, and gave him his letter. The king was exceedingly sensible of the little respect the queen mother had XIV. 1655. shewed towards him, in communicating his letter in BOOK that manner to his mother; and expostulated with her for it; and took that occasion to enlarge more upon the injustice of his mother's complaints, than he had ever done. And from that time the queen mother, who was in truth a very worthy lady, shewed much more kindness to the king. And a little time after, there being a masque at the court that the king liked very well, he persuaded the chancellor to see it; and vouchsafed, the next night, to carry him thither himself, and to place the marquis of Ormond and him next the seat where all their majesties were to sit. And when they entered, the queen regent asked, "who that fat man was who sat by the "marquis of Ormond?" The king told her aloud, "that was the naughty man who did all the mis"chief, and set him against his mother:" at which the queen herself was little less disordered than the chancellor was 2. But they within hearing laughed so much, that the queen was not displeased; and somewhat was spoken to his advantage, whom few thought to deserve the reproach. pert with At this time the king was informed by the French Prince Rucourt, "that prince Rupert, who had been so long his fleet ar"absent, having gone with the fleet from Holland Nantes. "before the murder of the late king, and had not "been heard of in some years, was now upon the "coast of France, and soon after at Nantes, in the 66 province of Bretagne, with the Swallow, a ship of "the king's, and with three or four other ships: and "that the Constant Reformation, another ship of the king's, in which prince Maurice had been, was cast 66 2 chancellor was] MS. adds: who blushed very much 1655. BOOK" away in the Indies near two years before; and XIV. "that prince Rupert himself was returned with very "ill health.” The king sent presently to welcome him, and to invite him to Paris to attend his health; and his majesty presumed that, by the arrival of this fleet, which he thought must be very rich, he should receive some money, that would enable him to remove out of France; of which he was as weary as it was of him. Great expectation was raised in the English court, that there would be some notable change upon the arrival of this prince; and though he had professed much kindness to the chancellor of the exchequer, when he parted from Holland, yet there was hope that he would not appear now his friend, the rather for that he had left Ireland with some declared unkindness towards the marquis of Ormond. And all men knew that the attorney general, who was unsa, tisfied with every body, would have most influence upon that prince; and that his highness could not be without credit enough with the king to introduce him into business; which they thought would at least lessen the chancellor. In order to which, it was no sooner known that prince Rupert was landed in France, but the lord Jermyn visited and made great court to sir Edward Herbert; between whom and him there had been greater show of animosity than between any two of the nation who were beyond the seas, they having for some years seldom spoken to, never well of, each other. And Herbert, who was of a rough and proud nature, had declared publicly, "that he would have no friendship with any man "who believed the other to be an honest man." Between these two a great friendship is suddenly made; XIV. 1655. and the attorney is every day with the queen, who BOOK had shewed a greater aversion from him than from any man, not only upon the business of the duke of York, but upon many other occasions. But now she commended him to the king, " as a wise man, " of great experience, and of great interest in Eng"land." mother king to keeper; made. From the death of sir Richard Lane, who had been keeper of the great seal under his late majesty, there had not only been no officer in that place, but, from the defeat at Worcester, the king had been without any great seal, it having been there lost. But he had lately employed a graver to prepare a great seal; which he kept himself, not intending to confer that office, whilst he remained abroad. But The queen now the queen pressed the king very earnestly, to moves the make the attorney general lord keeper of the great make Herseal; which was a promotion very natural, men or- bert lord dinarily rising from the one office to the other. The and he is king knew the man very well, and had neither esteem nor kindness for him; yet he well foresaw, that when prince Rupert came to him, he should be pressed both by his mother and him so importunately, that he should not with any ease be able to refuse it. Then he believed that, if the man himself were in good humour, he would be of great use in composing any ill humour that should arise in the prince; to which it was apprehended he might be apt to be inclined. And therefore his majesty thought it best (since nobody dissuaded him from the thing) to oblige him frankly himself before the prince came; and so called him to his council, and made him lord keeper of the great seal; with which he seemed wonderfully delighted; and for some time lived well towards |