2. To Our trusty and well-beloved the Bailiffs and Free Burgesses of our Town of Oswestry: These

OLIVER P.

TRUSTY and well-beloved,-We, being informed that the Free School of our Town of Oswestry is now void of a head school master settled there, by reason of the delinquency and ejection of Edward Paine late school master thereof, have thought fit to recommend unto you Mr. John Evans, the son of Matthew Evans late of Penegoes in the county of Montgomery, as a fit person, both for piety and learning, to be head school master of the said school; and That, so far as in you lies,1 the said Mr. Evans may be forthwith settled and invested there accordingly; which Act of yours we shall be ready to confirm, if it be adjudged requisite and proper for us. And not doubting of the performance of this our pleasure, we commit you to God, and rest. Given at Whitehall, this 13th day of July 1657.*

3. To Our trusty and well-beloved the Mayor, Aldermen, and Common Council of our City of Gloucester: These

OLIVER P.

TRUSTY and well-beloved,-We greet you well. I do hear on all hands that the Cavalier party are designing to put us to blood. We are, I hope, taking the best care we can, by the blessing of God, to obviate this danger; but our intelligence on all hands being, that they have a design upon your City, we could not but warn you thereof, and give you authority, as we do hereby, to put yourselves into the best posture you can for your own defence, by raising your Militia by virtue of the Commissions 2 formerly sent you, and putting them in a readiness for the purpose aforesaid; letting you also know that, for your better encouragement herein, you shall have a troop of horse sent you to quarter in or near your Town.

We desire you to let us hear from you from time to time what occurs to you touching the Malignant party: and so we bid you farewell. Whitehall, this 2d of December 1657.†

1[Carlyle misread this "as in yourselves," and had to add "is" to make sense.] 2[Carlyle printed "your commissioners."]

*Endowed Grammar Schools, by N. Carlisle (London, 1818), ii. 369, Art. Salop. [Endorsed "This letter was received the 9th of September, 1657.]

+City Records of Gloucester (in Bibliotheca Gloucestrensis, p. 419). [And Appendix 9, Twelfth Report of the Hist. MSS. Commissioners, p. 515, where also is the answer to the letter.]

A Paper of the same date, of precisely the same purport, directed to the Authorities at Bristol, has come to us; another out of many then sent: but of course only one, if even one, requires to be inserted here.

4. Letter written directly on dissolving the Parliament; probably one of many, to the like effect, despatched that day :

For Colonel Cox, Captain of the Militia Troop in our County of Hertford: These. For our special service

To be left with the Postmaster of St. Albans: to be speedily sent Whitehall, 4th February 1657.

SIR,

By our last letters to you, we acquainted you what danger the Commonwealth was then in from the old Cavalier party, who were designing new insurrections within us, whilst their Head and Master was contriving to invade us from abroad; and thereupon desired your care and vigilancy for preserving the peace, and apprehending all dangerous persons.

Our intelligence of that kind still continues; and we are more assured of their resolutions to put in execution their designs aforesaid within a very short time; 'they' being much encouraged from some late actings of some turbulent and unquiet spirits, as well in this Town as elsewhere, and who, to frustrate and render vain and fruitless all those good hopes of settlement which we had conceived from the proceedings of Parliament before their adjournment in June last, framed a treasonable petition to the House of Commons, by the name of the " Parliament of the Commonwealth of England;" designing thereby not only the overthrow of the late Petition and Advice of the Parliament, but of all that hath been done these seven years; hoping thereby to bring all things into confusion; and were in a very tumultuous manner procuring subscriptions thereunto, giving out that they were encouraged to it by some Members of the House of Commons.

And the truth is, the debates that have been in that House since their last meeting have had their tendency to the stirring-up and cherishing of such humours ;-having done nothing in fourteen days but debated whether they should own the Government of these Nations, as it is contained in the Petition and Advice, which the Parliament at their former sitting had invited us to accept of, and had sworn us unto; and they themselves also having taken an Oath upon it before they went into the House. And we, judging these things to have in them very dangerous consequences to the Peace of this Nation, and to the loosening

all the bonds of Government; and being hopeless of obtaining supplies of money, for answering the exigencies of the Nation, from such men as are not satisfied with the foundation we stand upon; we thought it of absolute necessity to dissolve this present Parliament; which I have done this day: And to give you notice thereof; that you, with your Troop, may be most viligant for the suppressing of any disturbance which may arise from any party whatsoever. And if you can hear of any persons who have been active to promote the aforesaid treasonable petition, that you apprehend them, and give an account thereof to us forthwith. And we do further let you know, That we are sensible of your want of pay for yourself and Troop; and to assure you that effectual care shall be taken therein, and that without delay. And I rest,

Your loving friend,

OLIVER P.*

5. For the Commanders of the Militia of the City of Gloucester:

These

Whitehall, 11th March 1657.

GENTLEMEN, We are informed that the Enemy from Flanders intend to invade us very suddenly, and to that purpose have twenty-two ships of war ready in the Harbour of Ostend, and are preparing others also which they have bought in Holland, and some men are ready to be put on board them. And at the same time an Insurrection is intended in this nation, and the time for the executing these designs is intended by them to be very sudden.

We have therefore thought fit to give you notice hereof; and to signify to you our pleasure, that you put yourselves into the best posture you can for the securing the City of Gloucester, and to put the arms into such hands as are true and faithful to us and this Commonwealth. We desire you to be very careful, and to let us hear from you of the receipt of this, and what you shall do in pursuance of this letter. I rest,

Your very assured friend,

OLIVER P.t

* Gentleman's Magazine (London, 1788), lviii. 313. [Communicated by "T. C.," perhaps a descendant of Col. Alban Cox. He notes that the Colonel then lived at Beaumonts, a farm little more than a mile from St. Albans. On Col. Cox, see Kingston's Hertfordshire during the Civil War, pp. 141-3 (1894). The later editions of Carlyle gave the name as Fox," by mistake.]

66

+ City Records of Gloucester (in Bibliotheca Gloucestrensis, p. 421). [Report as mentioned above, p. 516. The answer is there also.]

No. 32

[Vol. iii. p. 204.]

Two MANDATES TO CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY

1. That John Castle be made Master of Arts:

To Our trusty and well-beloved the Vicechancellor and Senate of Our University of Cambridge

OLIVER P.

TRUSTY and well-beloved,-Whereas by our appointment several students in our University of Cambridge have been invited abroad to preach the Gospel in our Fleet, and for their encouragement have been by us assured that they should not suffer any prejudice in the University by reason of their absence in the said service: And whereas a petition hath been exhibited on the behalf of Mr. John Castle of Trinity College, showing that whilst he was abroad as minister in the Newcastle Frigate, he was disappointed of taking his degree of Master of Arts (as by course he ought), and that he cannot now, since his return, commence without the loss of one year's seniority, by reason of a statute of the University denying degrees to any non-resident:

In performance of our said promise, and for the future encouragement of others in the like service, We do hereby signify unto you, that it is our will and pleasure that the said John Castle be by you created Master of Arts, and allowed the same seniority which, according to the custom of your University, he had enjoyed had he been resident at the usual time of taking degrees.

Given at Whitehall, the 22d day of June 1658.*

Castle, the Books indicate, had entered Trinity at the same time, and been under the same Tutor, with a very famous person, 'John Driden Northampt. admissus Pens.'-both, namely, were admitted 'Pensioners,' in Sept. 1649.

2. That Benjamin Rogers be made Bachelor of Music,-'a Form of Oliver Cromwell's Mandats,' says Baker, who has excerpted this one.

* Cambridge Archives, Grace-Book H. p. 181.' Communicated by Rev. J. Edleston, Fellow of Trinity College.

To Our trusty and well-beloved the Vicechancellor and Senate of Our University of Cambridge

OLIVER P.

TRUSTY and well-beloved,-We greet you well.

Whereas we are in

formed that you cannot, by the statutes and according to the customs of your University, admit any to the degree of Bachelor of Music unless he had been some years before admitted in a college: And whereas we are also certified that Benjamin Rogers hath attained to eminency of skill in that faculty:-We, willing to give all encouragement to the studies and abilities of men in that or any other ingenuous faculty, have thought fit to declare our will and pleasure, by these our letters, that, notwithstanding your statutes and customs, you cause Benjamin Rogers to be admitted and created Bachelor in Music, in some one or more of your congregations assembled in that our University; he paying such dues as are belonging to that degree, and giving some proof of his accomplishments and skill in music. And for so doing, these our letters shall be your warrant.

Given at Whitehall, the 28th day of May 1658.*

* Copy in Harl. MSS. No. 7053, f. 152 (Baker MSS. x. 373);—and as before, in 'Grace-Book H. p. 180.'- -The Originals will never turn up. In the same Register of 'Graces,' or Decrees of Senate, is one (of date 1661) for burning whatsoever Mandates or Missives there are from Cromwell whereby doubtless the Originals (with small damage to them, and some satisfaction to the Heads of Houses) were destroyed.