208 Appendix VIII 



Newcastle to Nicholas 



Noble Sir, — I received yours of the 30th last, and give you many thanks 

 for the favour of your most excellent news. I am sure we cannot be worse 

 than we are, and I hope in God that this peace may prove considerable 

 for the advantage of our gracious King. But your son writ to Mr. Topp 

 that the Lower House was divided and that the two houses could not agree, 

 and that it was thought they would be dissolved — this may be considerable 

 indeed. We have it here by some letters that the army stands upon terms 

 of their own, that is considerable and to the purpose if it be so ; but we 

 have so many lies here at Antwerp that we know not what to believe, for 

 this morning the Lord Wentworth and Sir Cecil Howard came to me and 

 told me that Major Wood told them that one of the Prince of Conde's 

 followers told him that Sir Robert Welsh his son, and three or four more 

 had a plot to kill my gracious Master, and they had no sooner said it but 

 I received your letter dated yesterday, so then they saw there was no such 

 thing : God ever preserve my gracious Master from all knaves, fools, and 

 bloody rascals. My service to your younger son, with many thanks for 

 his favours to me about Monsieur Juliane (?) ; though he hath not answered 

 it I do not care, so that now he knows my mind, which is sufficient. It 

 was about a truck for horses, and I would be loth to give a good horse for a 

 jade ; and though there is none that is a piece of a horseman amongst them, 

 riders or others, yet I assure you the greatest of them are horse coursers 

 beyond any in Smithfield, and so they are in France, for it is two professions, 

 a good horseman and a horse courser. I pretend to the first, but know 

 nothing of the second, for I'll cozen nobody ; I only take care not to be 

 cozened, which they find I can do reasonable well at that. Believe me 

 it is not an easy thing to have a good horse nor a rare man in any quality. 



Antwerp, May Day 1659 



(Egerton MSS. British Museum.) 



Newcastle to Nicholas 



Noble Sir,- — I received yours of the 12th, and give you many thanks 

 for your excellent good news. We have it here that the Parliament is dis- 

 solved by Cromwell, but he was forced to it by the army who told him if 

 he would not dissolve they would, and then they say they came to Crom- 

 well and took away all the dishes of meat he had but one. Cromwell went 

 presently to Hampton Court, and letters from the Venetian ambassador say 

 that he believes by this time there is a guard set upon him. Fleetwood 

 is made General of the Army, and Lambert Lieutenant-general, and this 

 is the redcoats which I always said would do what they list. Some talks the 

 Presbyterians begin to appear in divers parts of the kingdom, but I doubt 

 that yet. Great confusions and alterations is daily looked for, and I hope 

 in God it will produce excellent things for the King, for certainly Fleetwood 

 and Lambert can never make their advantage and settlement so well as to 

 serve the King. My service to my Lord Chancellor, and tell him that now 

 I hope to wait on him to Westminster to see him take possession of the 

 Chancery, and upon one of my horses of manage, which will be the quietest, 

 safest, and surest he or any man can have. You see how my hopes trans- 



