3IO THE HISTORY OF NEWMARKET. [Book XII. 



cellency Sir William Godolphin, Ambassador of the Court 

 of St. James's at Madrid, says: "On the 25th His Majesty 

 1671 goes to Newmarket, and on the 26th, He 



Newmarket, intends to honour my House at Euston with his 

 October. Presence, whither the Queen comes also, and 

 from thence goes for Nonvieh." . . . His next letter to his 

 Excellency is dated, Euston-Hall, October 9th, in which he 

 apologizes for neglecting to communicate with him sooner, 

 as he intended to have done, as he could not find time to do 

 so : " Such has been the Honour and Trouble of this House, 

 by the frequent returns of the King and Queen, and divers 

 other Neivviarket Men. Amongst the rest," he continues, 

 " we have here my Lord Siinderland, whose preparations are 

 making at London with all possible speed for his Embassy 

 into Spain, whither he goes, under the Character of His 

 Majesty's Extraordinary Ambassadour." Towards the end 

 of this long despatch he says : " His Majesty hath nam'd Sir 

 Gco7'ge Downing to be his Extraordinary Ambassadour into 

 Holland, finding by a long Experience, that a rougher hand 

 than Sir William Temple's must get him Right of the States, 

 whose Ambassadour came lately to Newmarket to acquaint 

 the King with his Masters' their Resolution to ask a Guaranty 

 for their Countries of his Catholick Majesty, but delivered him- 

 self in such doubtful terms, that he could not tell whether it 

 were a Notification of a thing already done, or an Invitation 

 to His Majesty to join in the like Demand. His Majesty is 

 now here, but returns early to Morrow Morning to Neiumarket, 

 where we cannot foresee his Stay will be longer than the 20th 

 of this Month." * 



A curious incident, in connection with the king's visit to 

 Newmarket at this time, occurred during the return journey, 

 when his Majesty partook of Henry Cromwell's t hospitality 

 at Spinney Abbey, under the following novel circumstances, as 



* "Letters to Several Ambassadors in Spain." London, 1701, vol. ii., 

 pp. 334-338. 



t Fourth son of the Protector Oliver, born at Huntingdon, January 

 20, 1628; colonel c. 1653; major-general, 1653; lord-deputy and com- 

 mander-in-chief of Ireland, 1657 ; died March 23, 1674. 



