Henry Sidney

“ I am to endeavour to hinder any alliance with France; I am to tell the Prince that the King will prorogue the Parliament, that there was no remedy, that they would have his crown; he desired me to tell him how he was his servant, and that it must be he at last that must settle us; he hopes we are not in so ill a condition as people imagine; he thinks the Parliament would have been so violent that nothing would satisfy them but the Duke and the Queen, which would not be well for him; he assures him of his kindness, and that he will never do any thing to his prejudice ”

“ Robert Spencer, Earl of Sunderland, who soon acquired the chief ascendency in the administration, entered upon public life with all the advantages of birth and fortune. His father fell in the royal army, at the battle of Newbury, with those melancholy forebodings of danger from the victory of his own party, which filled the breasts of the more generous royalists, and which on the same occasion saddened the dying moments of Lord Falkland. His mother was Lady Dorothy Sidney, celebrated by Waller under the name of Saccharissa. ”

“ I suppose what my Lord said to the Dutch Ambassador from the King, will satisfy you and the Dutchmen very well. I am certain our friend will leave nothing in his power undone to break this business of France: and so an end to politicks, for my head aches; but I am in great pain about your colick. Pray take care of yourself, for you cannot do a kinder thing to me, who shall ever be a sincere hearty friend to you, unalterable indeed. You cannot imagine how truly concerned my Lord is to you and for you in every particular. ”

“ She is one who, for her disinterested esteem for me, from a long and worthy friendship, I must ever honour and celebrate. I wish, from my soul, my Lord, her husband, whose parts and abilities are otherwise conspicuous, were as worthy of her, as, by a fatal apostacy and court-ambition, he has made himself unworthy of her. This is what she deplores, and it renders her as much affliction as a lady of great sense and much prudence is capable of." [41] And the Duchess of Hamilton incidentally mentions her as being "as good a woman as any in England." ”

“ Sidney is so credulous as to believe all the idle inventions of malicious people against me and my son, which, if he were not perfectly blind, he might see is only pure spite and malice. He treats me with a great deal of cruelty, which I think is very severe, first to have spent my precious youth so dismally as I have done, and now, for a reward of all my sufferings, to be abused and despised, and my son rejected, as if he were none of his, and all this to please his great Mistress; but he will find I have more than an ordinary soul, and, though I cannot manage a sword, a pistol I can ”

“ And so I take leave of all those airy visions which have so long busied my head about mending the world, and at the same time of all those shining toys and follies that employ the thoughts of busy men, and shall turn them wholly to mend myself; and, as far as consists with a private condition, still pursue that old and excellent counsel of Pythagoras—that we are with all the cares and endeavours of our lives to avoid diseases in the body, perturbations in the mind, luxury in diet, factions in the house, and seditions in the state. ”

“ This is the sense of the States, and this Monsieur Van Lewen hath order to acquaint you with at London. The town of Amsterdam, saith the Prince, which every one knows hath been such a friend to France, is now forwarder against them than I myself, for that they regard nothing but just their own interest; the rest he would leave to the Pensioner and Monsieur Van Beuninghen, who hath been very instrumental to bring the town of Amsterdam into the good temper it now is in. ”

“ Sir William answered, "that was for want of knowing the author, for there was one passage in it that explained the whole, which was this. 'If there be any such thing as divine right, it must be where one man is better qualified to govern another, than he is to govern himself.' Such a person seems to be designed by God and nature to govern the other for his benefit and happiness." Now, I, that knew him very well, can assure you that he looked upon himself to be that very man so qualified to govern the rest of all mankind.—Lord Dartmouth's Note to Burnet's Hist., ii., 341. ”

“ Monsieur Van Beuninghen told me that nobody would dare to propose a new alliance with us, for, if France should be displeased at it, and any ill accident should happen upon it, the person who advised it would certainly be pulled to pieces by the people; that he believed nobody would doubt his affection for England, but he told me plainly he could not advise it in the condition we were now in. Every body that comes in are in a maze at the Duke's going. They said, at the French ambassador's, that he was poisoned, for he complained of a great pain in his belly. ”

“ I may return you most truly the same expressions you made me in your last of the 15th by the Express, that every line or rather word in your letter gave me abundant satisfaction, for sincerely kind I am to you—I care not who knows it; and being so, I pass my time very well, I assure you; for your praise is up to a great height, your health drank with great ceremony in the City, and every body that's good for any thing talks of you as of their guardian angel almost. ”

“ You are the unjustest creature in the world if you are not sure of it; but I can't forbear telling you, that when your Memorials were read at Counsel, every body was so satisfied with your behaviour, that at night, when my Lord came home, he was so full of it, he really wept for joy; and in talking of you to some of our friends, who told him the City were much pleased with him in this affair, he cried out loud, "Let them but know how poor Harry Sidney has behaved himself; I don't care a pin for myself." ”

“ Other men may propose to themselves other hopes, but mine are all restrained to the person and character of the Prince, whose interest with the States and influence upon the country is that which must keep things firm and steady, and, without that, I look upon every thing there as floating and changeable, and their government would be as unsafe to build an alliance, as most of their ground is to build a house upon. ”

“ Pray, my dear Lord, do not deny me so poor a business as a little money now at Midsummer, for fear it may again transport me to do something that will go very much against the grain with me to do towards the man that in my soul I do adore and still love too well. ”

“ No one, perhaps, has ever been more differently represented by cotemporaries than this Lady Sunderland. If we trust to Evelyn's testimony, she must have been a very admirable person. Speaking of Althorpe, he says—"Above all this, it is governed by a lady who, without any show of solicitude, keeps every thing in such admirable order, both within and without, from the garret to the cellar, that I do not believe there is any thing in this nation or in any other that exceeds her in such exact order without ostentation, but every thing substantially great and noble. ”

“ I had discourse with my Lord Sunderland, and he said one chief thing that was to be desired of the Prince was secrecy; that he must resolve quickly whether he will come or not, that measures may be taken accordingly; that it will be necessary for him to keep a table, to bring none with him but his own family, and invite the parliament men, which will delight them; and I must let him know how he, Lord Sunderland, had brought in Essex and Halifax.
3rd.⁠I went with the King to Hampton Court, where there was a council and a great debate about the dissolution of the parliament. ”

“ I think the King neglects the Duke of Monmouth enough of all conscience; all his places are disposed of but the Master of the Horse, and that is in commission, and he has no more to do with it than you. I have not heard his name these three days, and, when I did last, it was occasioned by my Lord Huntington and Stanford drinking his health, by which you may judge how considerable he is; he makes great court to Nelly, and is shut up in her closet when the King comes, from which in time he expects great matters. ”

“ It is said in religion, that nothing is more terrible than the return of ill-conceived prayers: so nothing is more to be feared in politics, than the success of unreasonable and ill-grounded Councils. And though the proposition that was made, being rejected, will certainly raise the party in Holland that is least for the Prince of Orange, and cast it into a dependance upon France; that is less mortal than a League that certainly would have produced a rupture of the Peace, renewed the war all over Europe, and exposed Flanders to be lost the first year, which this must have done ”

“ Since I have finished my letter, my Lord has commanded me to tell you that the unexpected arrival of the Duke here has occasioned a general surprise; that all people are as yet unsettled, and scarce know what to think of it; that the Duke begged the King's pardon for coming, and said withal that he came with the resolution to be gone the next moment after he had seen him, either to Flanders or any other part of the world, where his Majesty should command him. ”

“ Monsieur Odyke told me of the French Ambassador being with the Prince at his house; that he shewed him a letter from Monsieur Barillon, that saith that the King told him that the reason why he endeavoured to hinder the States from making an alliance with France, was to make France desire one with him. He saith he is preparing a terrible memorial for the meeting of the States; that, for the present, he believes these people may refuse it, but, if they see any likelihood of a war, they will do any thing that is desired of them. ”

“ In the afternoon I went to my Lord Essex, who gave me a letter for the Prince, and withal told the advantage it would be to have him come over, and if he were brought into the House and the council it would be much better; but it was not to be done without taking the oath of allegiance, and whether he could take that or no, he could not tell, because of the Act 30th. He and Lord Halifax are of that reputation, that nobody can blame them for any one action in their whole lives, and they two, with Lord Sunderland, have more land than the King. ”

“ Temple, however, will scarcely carry with him any great accession of authority to the side either of religion or infidelity. He was no profound thinker. He was merely a man of lively parts and quick observation, a man of letters among men of the world. Mere scholars were dazzled by the Ambassador and Cabinet Counciller, mere politicians by the Essayist and Historian. But neither as a writer nor as a statesman can we allot to him any very high place. As a man he seems to us to have been excessively selfish, but very sober, wary, and far-sighted in his selfishness ”

“ Sidney has told me that your Highness does me still the honour to preserve me in your good opinion, and that you are so just as to believe me as full of zeal for your service, and as much devoted to your interests as truly and sincerely from my heart I am, and I hope always shall continue to be, but I am not very good at compliments and great expressions, and, if I am not deceived, your Highness cares as little to be troubled with them. ”

“ We all have rejoiced at your good fortune, and admire your conduct, and I assure you no one wishes you more good than myself. You will have so much a better account how matters go here from other hands, that I will not trouble you with so silly an opinion of affairs as mine. However, I wish every man in his station would prefer the cause of the public before his own advantage; and that, how different soever men's opinions may be, that might be each man's standard. ”

“ Hence it was that gentlemen bestirred themselves more than usual to be elected into a seat in parliament; so that great was the competition between the candidates, and at great expenses they were, even from one or two hundred to two thousand pounds. But the concerns of the public were not what alone actuated all men; some wanted to be in the House, to be screened from their debts; that Parliament (the long Parliament) having sate a long time, and some had obtained great emoluments from the Court to stand up for their interest. ”

“ We are as idle here as you can possibly be in England, for there is nothing at all to be done. The Prince, the Pensioner, and every body almost is out of town; there is only just enough of the States left to give Monsieur de Lira his audience de congé which he had yesterday, before he delivered a memorial, of which I send you a copy. ”

“ But the vague assertion of so rash and partial a writer as Burnet, about a man with whom, as far as we know, he never exchanged a word, is of little weight. It is, indeed, by no means improbable that Temple may have been a free thinker. The Osbornes thought him so when he was a very young man. And it is certain that a large proportion of the gentlemen of rank and fashion who made their entrance into society while the Puritan party was at the height of power had, while the memory of the reign of that party was still recent, conceived a strong dissent for all religion. ”

“ As soon as my brother comes to town he will carry him the particulars of his estate, which I believe is not stretched. My Lady Halifax says she had rather say less than more; the fortune is good no doubt, and she will do better than many who have double. I desired her to tell me if she had any distaste to him, and I would order it so that it should not go on, and her father should not be angry with her, but she is wiser than to refuse it. He is not more ill-favoured than Montague, and his wife kisses him all day, and calls him her pretty dear. ”

“ Every body talks of the Prince's kindness to the Duke of Monmouth. I went afterwards to Sir W. Temple: he is for the Prince's writing for the Parliament, as he uses to do: and he would have him mind the popular interest.
When I took my leave of the Duchess of Portsmouth, she bade me tell the Prince she was more his friend than he imagined: she is absolutely in with the Duke. Mrs. Wall loves him above all things: he would have given her 500 guineas, but she refused it. [5] All the Duke's servants are much elevated. ”

“ He saith all is lost unless the King does agree with his Parliament, for the States and all the Princes of Germany will make their Alliance with France before the next spring, unless they have hopes of some help from us, and then it will be too late. Monsieur Van Beuninghen will sell all he hath, and go and live at Constantinople. He saith we must make a League with Spain, for we have no power at hand able to resist France a month, and therefore, to balance her greatness on shore, we ought to make ours at sea, in which Spain may assist a good deal. ”

“ If this should be their mind, I will not determine whether they have reason or no, but leave men to judge of their own interests, without pretending to dispute them out of it. All your business I think is only to know, as clearly as you can, what they would be at, and to tell it as clearly as you can here. ”