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morning, he followed him in a long boat, and sailed along with him till he got into the main sea; a very extraordinary compliment, and which might have prevented any notion that the errand upon which that nobleman went had been displeasing. How things passed in this negotiation is related in a letter which the earl of Ossory sent 448 by his gentleman, M. St. Paul, to the duke of Ormond; and which though it contains some other matters, yet they being not incurious, and the letter contradicting what a late historian pretends to have had from the duke of York's own mouth, I have thought necessary to insert entire. It is dated on Jan. 15, 1674, and gives the following account of that affair:

The

"When I have given you an account of my late commission, you will judge who and what influences affairs at present. king judged an alliance by the duke's daughter to the prince of Orange to suit most with his occasions; as also a right understanding between them. My lord chamberlain was commissionated to handle the eclaircissement on the king's side, and my part was that relating to the duke. The objection that the king made was, that the prince of Orange during and since the war had endeavoured to raise up seditions at home. His answer was, that before the peace he used his best endeavours to obtain, if not constrain, the king to it; but not by anything tending to a rebellion that afterwards he would own himself a villain, if ever he had done the thing that might give any suspicion thereof. My lord Lauderdale had one Carstaires seized upon and examined, who said that the prince of Orange bid him compliment duke Hamilton. This he owned; for it was not unlawful (he thought) after wars to be civil to persons of worth and honour. This was all the quarrel on our side. Upon the king's desiring to know who he had treated with, and the king's promise that the persons named should not suffer, he desired to be excused; with this promise, that if for the future anything came to his knowledge that might disturb the quiet of the kingdoms, he would give notice of it in time.

:

"The prince of Orange's complaints were, that the king, instead of helping him in his greatest distress, had sent over am

g Bishop Burnet's History of his Times, vol i. p. 377.

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bassadors who made a stricter league with France; but that he forgot all things passed, which could not be helped. He said that it was insinuated to him, that something was intended for the duke of Monmouth to his prejudice. To this we gave him satisfaction by the king's reiterated commands. That which most touches was, the king's conniving at levies for France, and his strictness against such as desired to serve under him; upon which he pressed extremely that the troops might be recalled, or that he might have leave to raise some for the service of the states. To this he received not the satisfaction he wished. Upon which he several times said, that he was to expect little from us during our partiality and fear of displeasing France; and that whilst those of my lord Lauderdale's principles had so much credit, the French interest would overbalance his. At our parting, he bid us not only thank the king, but assure him that if occasion were, he would venture for his service his life and fortune.

"I come now to my part. The king told me his nephew and his niece's marriage was the only thing capable of helping the duke; and that for that, as well as other reasons, he had spoke to the duke of it, who consented that, upon the prince of Orange's desiring it, I should undertake the proposition would be accepted. This commission I had from both, and upon its being moved to me by the prince of Orange, I declared to him so much, and shewed him the account I gave of it to the duke; from which letter, by my making a comma instead of a full stop, the critics would infer, that I had made the offer first. Upon this the duke expressed all the anger imaginable; but the prince's letter by me fully justified the contrary. The duke will have the whole letter to be a civil denial; to which I have nothing to say, but 449 that I am sure the prince thought it otherwise; for I shewed it him, who approved thereof. During our absence the king's mind hath been wrought upon in this affair so much, as I believe those who wish not a good understanding between him and his nephew will have their aim. I almost forgot to tell you, that the duke before our going said, he would not have his daughter marry before a peace were made. But this the king opposed, believing that when we had nothing to say on that account, it would give a jealousy that other ends were sought under this negotiation, which he would not have any ways clogged. The duke's expostulation was mingled with much kindness, but avowing that he liked not the thing from the first, and accusing me

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of too much haste. His carriage since to me is very fair and open. I find the duke of Monmouth much of the same mind; there being, besides crossness of interests, some private piques between the prince and him. I fear I have been too tedious in my narrative as to public concerns.

"I desire your advice in what happened between the prince and me. He offered me to make me general of all the king's subjects, if I could obtain leave to come over, and that he would be answerable, that for my appointments I should have no reason to complain. I insisted to receive orders only from himself; but he said that it will not be possible to agree to that, because prince Maurice and count Waldeck would repine at having a body of men not only out of their command, but taken from it; but he says, it shall be specified that I am not to obey others. He further alleged, that the labour would be infinite for him to govern two armies; and that it would make them seek all means to destroy our party. I desire your advice, as to looking after the thing, as well as the punctilio, in case I may have a proper time to seek the king's permission.

"As to your parting with your place, I know not if my lord of Pembroke may not have the king's furtherance by the favour of his new alliance, such employments having been in his family. I offer it to your thoughts, if the king's remitting all the quitrents you pay would answer your occasions, and having the overplus well secured. My lords of Albemarle and Worcester, I formerly told you, declined the proposition. You may be sure I will not be unmindful or negligent in the affair of the English title. My lord of Lauderdale's preceding you (which induces you to desire the thing) I apprehend to be the greatest obstacle; so great is his power at present. But if you can any ways deal for your employment, I doubt not but then that affair may be fixed.

"I am just now informed by a person of honour and quality, that endeavours were used to get the king to oblige you to remain in Ireland if the parliament had sat; and that they believed the king was persuaded to it. Sir Thomas Doleman, who is much concerned for you, told me, that there were intentions then of bringing in articles against you by my lord of Buckingham's party to asperse, if not really prejudice you. There is some dealing on foot with him; for I am told he has a new penK k

VOL. IV.

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sion in England under my lord Ranelagh's name. you think it fit to come over, you shall have a very good apartment to yourself, without being troubled with us. It is much whispered that we shall fall out with Spain. If so, I fear estates in Ireland will signify little, for the Hollanders will also certainly fall into it. I do all that lies in my power to get the king to satisfy my debts. If I can, this summer, I will wait on you in Ireland. I do not say it positively, because I have experienced how liable persons absent are to be injured. At the last meeting of the members, all endeavours were used to make them believe that my lord chamberlain's and my voyage was in order to a separate peace. But this artifice took little effect, and the truth of the business that was guessed at was not unac-450 ceptable, there being nothing more feared than the Hollanders closing up with France, and leaving the confederates."

167 In January, whilst the duke of Ormond was in Ireland, a marriage was concluded between his third son, the lord John Butler, created earl of Gowran, and the lady Anne Chichester, sole daughter and heir of Arthur earl of Donegal. It was likely to prove a very advantageous match, because a great part of the earl's estate in Ireland, and all that he had in England, would have descended to their children, if they had any: but those hopes were defeated by the death of the earl of Gowran in August 1676. This young nobleman was very agreeable in his person and conversation; but his vivacity betrayed him into some excesses and follies, to which youth is naturally subject. He died at Paris, whither he went for the recovery of his health, much impaired by his irregularities. Whilst he was there in a lingering and wasting way, the duke, in a fatherly and Christian concern for his future welfare, put him in mind of those excesses which had reduced him to that weak condition, and were likely to put a speedy period to his life, and suggested to him those reflections which perhaps had been too long deferred, though necessary to fit him for another world. There was some

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thing so noble, just, pious, and Christian in the sentiments expressed in the letter which his grace wrote upon this occasion, that I would fain have given it a place in the Appendix among others of that sort, that the world. might have seen one of the finest pieces of the kind that hath been ever written; for this is the character which I have of it from the present bishop of Worcester, (the beauty of whose pen renders him an excellent and indisputable judge of that of others,) who had preserved a copy of it, but could not easily find it among his papers. The duke laid his son's manner of life to heart; but all his remonstrances could not restrain and correct the impetuosity of youth. A repartee of his grace's may not be improperly related on this occasion. Mr. Cottington of Holme-Patrick, about twelve miles from Dublin, had a fine house pleasantly seated on the sea-side, and was often visited by the duke of Ormond and his sons, and other great men, who delighted in the place for the pleasure of its situation, and the amusements which the sea afforded. He had undertaken to build a new chapel on the ruins of an old one, and asked every body that came to his house to contribute something towards the building and ornament of the chapel. Among others, lord John Butler being applied to, had promised him the ten commandments to be put over the altar. Mr. Cottington was much pleased with his lordship's generosity, and when he went to Dublin, could not forbear extolling the present in a visit which he made to the duke. As he was making great encomiums on lord John, his grace replied, “I could easily guess at the nature of my son's generosity: he can readily part with things that he does not care to keep himself."

Whilst the duke of Ormond stayed in Ireland, some changes happened in the court of England. The duke of Buckingham was turned out of all his posts about the king, and even out of the chancellorship of the university