The Duke of Buckingham's Letters to the Right Honourable the Earl of Arlington, Principal Secretary of State to his Majefty. Written by his Grace when he was Embassador at the Court of France. MY LORD, St. Germans, August 15, 1670. IF I had had the good Fortune to bring my Lord Faulconbridge's Secretary with me, he wou'd have entertain'd your Lordship with a whole Sheet of Paper full of the Particulars of my Reception here; for, I have had more Honours done me, than ever were given to any Subject. You will receive in two or three Days, a Propofition from this Court, concerning the making War upon Holland only, which you may enlarge as you pleafe. Mounfieur de Lionne fhew'd me the Model of it laft Night, and I fhall fee the particulars before they are fent. In the mean time, having not your Cypher, I fhall only tell you in general, that nothing but M 2 our our being Mealy-mouth'd can hinder us from finding our Accounts in this Matter: For you may almost ask what you please. I have written more at large in Cypher to my Lord Ashley, and when you have difcourfed together, if you think my ftay here will be of ufe to his Majefty, let me know it; if not, I will come away. 1 I am, my Lord, Your Lordship's moft Humble and moft Faithful Servant, To the Same. MY LORD, Buckingham. St. Germans, August 17. Have nothing to add to what I writ last, but that I am every Day convinced of the happy Conjunclure we have at prefent in our hands, of any Conditions from this Court, that we can in Reafon demand. The King of France is so mightily taken with the Difcourfes I make to him of hisGreatness by Land, that he talks to me twenty times a day; all the Courtiers here wonder at it, and I am very glad of it, and am very much My Lord, Your Lordship's most Humble To the Lord BERKLEY. MY LORD, Must needs beg your Lordship's Excuse, for not waiting upon you next Sunday at Dinner, for for two reafons; the first is, because Mrs. refuses to hear me Preach; which I take to be a kind of a Slur upon fo learned a Divine as I am: The other, that Sir Robert C-- is to go into the Country upon Monday, and has defired me to stay within to morrow, about Signing fome Papers, which must be dispatch'd, for the clearing fo much of my Estate, as (in spight of my own Negligence, and the extraordinary Perquifits I have received from the Court) is yet left me. I'm sure your Lordship is too much my Friend, not to give me leave to look after my temporal Affairs, if you but confider how little I am like to get by my Spirituality, except Mrs. B― be very much in the wrong: Pray + A Box-keep- tell her, I am refolved hereafter never to fwear by any other but by † Jo. Afh; and if that be a Sin, it's as odd a one as ever she heard of. I am, My Lord, Your Lordships moft Humble, and moft Faithful Servant, Buckingham. er of the Play Houfe. . A Letter from Nevill Payne to a Domeftic of the Duke of Buckingham's, upon Occafion of his Grace's Difcourfe con. cerning Toleration. Muft confefs SIR, I In the Year 1586. my felf enraged, when I fee fo great a Peer treated with fo little Respect, M 3 efpe especially in a publick Good that may compose Animofities and prevent Distractions. Among other falfe Conceits of the Anfwerer, I remember he is pleased to affert, that Toleration is permitted no where but in Common-Wealths; (meaning, I fuppofe, Holland ;) not confidering that it is otherwife in Poland, and many Principalities of Germany; where the Catholicks ferve God in the Morning, and the Diffenters have their Liberty in the Afternoon, in the fame Church. The French gave Liberty to the Hugonots, till of late; and those whom many yearsWar couldnot fubdue,Permiffion decreas'd. It might be wondred at, that Calvinifts, Lutherans, and other Sects, fubfift in other Countries in Common-wealths with Catholicks; yet the Church of England, that is no where to be found but here, will not admit Competitors. The Cause was more vifible, when I feriously confidered it: The Church of England is only a Court-Invention, and their Ministers are a fort of an Ecclefiaftical Guard to the Prince. When Hen. VIII. was firft poffeffed by his Scruples, like Numa, confulting with his Goddefs, he asked advice of their Oracle, which he knew wou'd fuit with his own Opinion; and this made them acceptable; efpecially when Sacrilege, that was no little Game with our Courtiers and Gentry, countenanced the Innovation. Extravagant Opinions (like Difeafes) have their Rife, Increafe, and Declinations; remfembling great Comets, that confume themfelves. But But upon this unexpected Turn in Matters of Religion, every Man using his own Conceits in facred Controverfie, divers Opinions ensued. The Diffenter (that distinguisheth not between Devotion and Intention, having his Mind fixt and intent upon an extempore Prayer or Sermon, and with great Earneftnefs and Difficulty expreffeth his Conceptions) is (by himself and his Auditors) accounted Zealous, and contemns all Forms as infipid and without Edification. To anfwer thefe Objections, the Churchman produceth Authority and Antiquity from Catholic Authors: But when the Papift recurns his own Argunients against his Novelty, then he turns Phanatic, and believes no more than Reafon and Senfe; which in different Terms, is the Quakers Light within them, or the Presbyters divine Impulfe or Illumination. Confidering then that the cannot fubfift but by a regal Power and Affiftance, he cannot admit a Toleration, whereby her fpecious Pretences may be discovered; and a Prince that will be engaged for her Caufe, muft difoblige the greatest part of the Nation. Since thefe Secaries have not Truth and Eloquence fufficient to defend themselves, this moft neceffarily follows; The most zealous and faint hearted Party of 'em forfake the Land, as they did formerly to NewEngland, and now to Carolina or Pensilvania. The Stubborn and crafty remain, expecting an Opportunity to be reveng'd of that King that upholds them. Neither can it be for the Securi |