·State Papers colleled by Edward, Earl of Clarendon. Commencing from the Year 1621. containing the Materials from which his Hijtory of the Great Rebellion was compofed, and the Authorities on which the truth of his Relation is founded. Volume the first. 8vo. 3 Vols. 18s. Oxford printed *, and fold by T. Payne in London. 1767. THE HE curiofity of the public to pry into the arcana of state, will always prove a powerful incitement for editors to take advantage of the eagerness with which every political fragment is fought after, which promifes to gratify this darling propensity. We must confefs, however, that from the title-page to thefe volumes, we were not encouraged to expect any thing very new or interefting. Being there told that thefe papers contain the materials from which the Hiftory of the Great Rebellion was compo'ed, we naturally apprehended that the noble historian had culled out every thing of fterting worth, and that what was left behind was little better than drofs. After an attentive perufal of thefe volumes, it appears that thofe apprehenfions were not altogether ill-founded; for, fome curious pieces excepted, the whole is either ftale, or trifling. The materials however, fuch as they are, would have appeared to much greater advantage, had they been fkilfully digefted. The firft care of an editor, in publifhing a collection of this kind, fhould be fo to arrange and connect the matter, that the correfponding parts may not be divided by the intervention of different fubjects. The editors, it is true, do not appear to have been unacquainted with this part of their duty. In the preface they make, as moft editors do, great profeffions of their accuracy and attention. The order, they tell us, in which thefe papers are difpofed, is according to their refpective dates, excepting fuch as appear to have been fent under the cover of fome letter or dispatch, which it was thought better to place immediately after that paper, wherein they are mentioned to have been inclofed; and excepting alfo a few more, intimately connected with each other, which are placed together with a fmall interruption of the order of their dates, for the fake of fome advantage arifing from thence to their fubject matter.” Had they really performed what they have here promised, it 'had been well; but fo far from having difpofed the papers according to their respective dates, they have on the contrary neglected that difpofition even when the natural order of the fubject required it to be most religiously adhered to. Might not the criticifm be deemed too minute, we could produce feveral inftances of this inattention. But as it may be expected that There is also an edition in folio, price 11. 1. Cc 4 fo fo hard a cenfure fhould be fupported by fome example, the following may fuffice.-The letters ending at p. 180 and 187 of Vol. III. are not only printed contrary to the order of their dates, and of the fubject, but an attentive reader will find that there are fome miftaken dates in the context, which should have been rectified, as likewife a great deal of matter repeated, which had been more judiciously omitted. But when editors have poffeffed themselves of the papers of any eminent perfonages, they too often take advantage of the puplic partiality and eagerness, and their principal attention becomes how to fwell the fize of the volume, without any regard to the merit of the contents. We are forry to say that all which is really new and interefting in these three volumes might eafily have been comprized in one. Indeed the far greater part turns chiefly on the subject of the negociations with the king of Spain and the emperor, touching the reftitution of the Palatinate: of which history has already furnished us with an account fufficiently fatisfactory. Other matters however, as we have premifed, are occafionally intersperfed, the principal of which we fhall point out to the reader. In the first volume we meet with an entertaining account of Sir D. Cotton's embaffy into Perfia, which will not admit of abridgment. It appears, however, that the ambassador was but very fordidly entertained by the Perfian court, the allowance for a travelling company of 14 perfons, coming to less than 6s. 8 d. a-day. This letter likewife, among many others in this collection, affords a fpecimen of the fervile fentiments which the courtiers of those days actually did, or affected to, entertain with respect to monarchy. The writer having occafion to give an account of some bad qualities in the king of Perfia, thought it neceffary to make the following apology by way of preface to the character he gave of him. Princes are Gods on earth; and I fear to speak of a prince, though an enemy, without due reverence.' If a king had but the smallest feed of despotism in his conftitution, fuch base adulation could not fail to fwell it to a dangerous growth. The principles on which Charles founded the distribution of juftice may be collected from a letter addreffed to him by Windebank, his fecretary of state. The next morning after my return from Theobalds, I fent to the deputy of the ftates here, to let him know my purpose of repairing to him in the afternoon: but he prevented me, and came himself. He told me, your majefty was pleafed, upon Sunday laft, to refer him to me for your refolution concerning the ship; and, therefore, expected an answer. Whereupon, according to your majefty's commandment, I reprefented to him, that that the refident of Spain having not long fince preffed your majesty in that business, with paffion and importunity, your majefty was gracioufly inclined to have given fuch a sentence in favour of the ftates, as they should have had good cause to have thanked your majefty. But, feeing himself had fallen into the like, and a greater impertinency, adding to his pertinacious demand of a definitive fentence a threatning of making a truce in cafe of delay or refufal, your majefty refented this boldness fo highly, that a fentence definitive fhould now be given, but not in favour of him, but of the Spaniard; and for this he might thank his own paffion and miscarriage to your majesty.' Thus we find that according to the practice of this upright prince, perfonal refentment dictated the decifions of public juftice. The Spanish minifter was impertinent, therefore he would determine in favour of the ftates. Afterwards the dutch deputy was more impertinent ftill, and then he would give fentence in favour of the Spaniard. An admirable rule of adjudication! The early liberty which Charles took of difpenfing with the laws of the land, appears in a letter from the fame fecretary to one Leander a monk, who had been a fuitor to the king for leave to come into England to fee his relations, which licence the fecretary communicated to the monk in the following terms: Though his majefty like not to give way to a difpenfation in a cafe fo directly repugnant to the laws of this realm, yet, in regard to your folemn promife to carry yourself warily and without offence, his majefty has commanded me to let you know, that he hath given you leave to repair hither into England, to fee your friends and kindred, whenfoever you shall think fit; and that it shall be lawful for you to stay and remain here (by virtue of his majefty's faid permiffion) without trouble or danger of the laws, you carrying yourself peaceably and without fcandal. This I have in charge from his majefty to affure you of; and therefore, whenfoever you fhall come into thefe parts, and addrefs yourself to me, I will take order for your protection and fecurity. And fo I reft,' &c. By what kind of fophiftry his majefty could declare that it fhould be lawful for the monk to ftay here without danger of the laws, in a cafe directly repugnant to the laws, is above our capacity to comprehend. Charles on this, as on many other occafions, entered into engagements which he had no right to undertake. But notwithstanding the deplorable fate which attended his affuming a power above the laws, yet his fon did not grow wife by the example. But among the many unaccountable irregularities and abuses in the political adminiftration which are difclofed in this collection, we meet, in the following letter, with a moft commend able able inftance of attention to redrefs a grievance which unfortu nately nevertheless fubfifts in a great degree to this day. Lord Wentworth to Lord Mountnorris, &c. After my very hearty commendations. There is a general complaint of the increafe of fees taken by the minifters of his majesty's juftice thro' this kingdom; which, albeit I will hope fo far in the integrity of the officers, and in the care they have of themselves, as that there is no just ground for any to find themfelves aggrieved, yet, in regard that it is for the king's honour, that his majefty's juftice fhould be difpenfed with as much cate and expedition to the fubject as may be, I have thought it fit to be enquired of, to the intent that every man may know what is due to be paid, and thereby all officers freed from any fuch fcandal in the future. And having therefore taken a refolution to regulate this affair for the future, and, before I fall to give direction for examination in the general, to begin with fuch as are nearest in dependance to myfelf, to wit, with my own fecretaries: fo as 1 am hereby to defire you to call before you my faid fecretaries, to cause them to give you a table of their fees; and thereupon, examining what hath been accuftomed, or what is reafonable in each particular cafe, to return me under your hands a fair table written, what the fees are which in fuch cafes have ufually been demanded, and what you in your judgments hold fit and equal to be continued, that thereupon I may give fuch final directions and order therein, as the caufe fhall require; wherein I defire you to ufe all convenient expedition, that thereupon I may not be delayed further than needs muft, in my intended proceedings for a reformation through the whole kingdom, according to the expedient of each particular man's right in his place. And fo I bid you heartily farewel, &c. Wentworth.' It were greatly to be wifhed that all fees of office were totally abolished, and certain falaries eftablished in lieu of them; with fevere penalties on all fuch as receive any money either by way of fee, or gratuity, or under any other denomination: for while they are allowed to receive money, officers will purposely delay bufinefs, if they are not rewarded according to their own eftimate. The rapacity with which Charles collected, or rather extorted money from his fubjects is well known, and we learn from the following extract to what an extravagant amount he fuffered his favourites to fhare in the plunder: • A copy of the paper, with the king's hand to it, of fuch monies as he allowed the Lord-treasurer Portland to receive to his own use. When your moft excellent majefty was pleafed to confer. upon your most humble fervant the place of treafurer of Eng land, land, he made your majefty acquainted how unable he was to fupport that eftate, and how unwilling I was to draw any of your majefty's profit, or revenue appertaining to your majesty; you were pleafed to give him leave to acquire fome means to himfelf by fuch fuits, and bufineffes which paffed through his hands, which without your majefty's knowledge he would not have done and hath from time to time acquainted your majefty therewith; but doth now, for your majesty's better fatisfaction, make remembrances of fuch monies as he hath had, to be subject to your majefty's view, I. When your majefty made a grant of the - V. The Earl of Cork, at his departure, pre- IX. A greater debt was owing to Burlima- him • XIII. Of Sir Arthur Ingram, for the changing his lives for his patent of the secretaryfhip of York, 10,000 1,000 500 1,000 1,000 1,000 Ο 9,000 0 1,000 4,000 O 1,000 O O 2,000 XIV. |