LIFE OF LORD SCUDAMORE. 
71 
and he gives this account of his reception: “ The noble Thomas (sic) Scudamore, King Charles’ 
Ambassador, to whom I carried letters of commendation, received me most courteously at Paris. His 
Lordship gave me a card of introduction to the learned Hugo Grotius, at that time Ambassador for 
the Queen of Sweden, to the French Court, whose acquaintance I anxiously desired, and to whose 
house I was accompanied by some of his Lordship’s friends.” 
The large and interesting collection of Scudamore MSS. in the British Museum contain 
many papers relating to this period of Lord Scudamore’s, Life :—Instructions for himself (dated 
June 9th, 1635,) with the autograph of Charles I 1 : letters of introduction: draughts of Despatches 
received and sent: his correspondence with Laud and Grotius : letters of advice from Lord Talbot, 
his correspondent at Venice: papers of negociation about the Prince Elector Palatine and the Res¬ 
toration of the Palatinate : copy of the Treaty of Peace with the Emperor: message from the 
French Government to the Emperor : Pass for his Secretary, John Browne, to England, and letters 
from him : copy of letter of Charles I. to Louis XIII., upon the recall of Lord Scudamore, with 
the official notification to himself from Mr. Secretary Coke: and also “ Passages at my taking 
leave of the French Court” which is curious as containing the messages sent by the King, 
Queen, Princesses, Lords and Ladies of the French Court to the King and Queen of England, 
with the expression of good will to himself personally by all these parties, by Cardinal Richelieu 
and the Prince de Conde. 2 The limits of this paper do not admit of any more extended notice of 
these papers, or of his public proceedings at Paris. 
The urgent private reasons which induced Lord Scudamore to retire from the Embassy are 
not stated ; but on carefully considering all the circumstances, aided by details scattered here and 
there among his papers, the inference becomes very strong, that the real reasons were of a pecuniary 
nature. His income did not equal his expenditure, and he was compelled therefore to raise money 
on his Estates. The expenses attendant on an embassy were much greater relatively in the 
XVII century, than in our own times : and Lord Scudamore was not the man to spare any expense 
that might be required to maintain the dignity of his office, as the representative of England at the 
French Court. During the four years of his Ambassadorship, the King, his master, was ruling without 
a parliament, and was so pressed for money, that it seems highly probable, that he left his Ambassador 
very much to his own resources in this respect. Lord Scudamore was a good man of business, and, 
as may be seen from his papers, extremely careful in money matters. 
Among the Scudamore MSS., at Holme Lacy, and at St. Michael’s Priory, is an account current 
rendered to Mr. Edward Ashe, of London, for the year 1638 (his last year of office) in which the 
expenditure amounts to the very considerable sum of ,£6,422 3s., and it is remarkable, that to meet 
this heavy expenditure, there is but one official payment given, viz., “Nov 12, (1638,) Received out of 
the Exchequer ,£521,” and this was less “ ,£5 19s.,” charges thereupon, as appears on the other side of 
1 “ Your weekly advertisements (not collected from Gazetts, or vulgar rumour, but faithful discoveries) must be sent to 
our Secretarie ; that we thereby may be informed in all that may occurre and thereby take notice of your good services, which 
we will graciously accept ” (Instructions for Lord Viscount Scudamore.) 
2 The Prince de Conde sends a message to Laud whom he greatly praises, and recommends the King “ neither to give 
way at all to the Puritans, nor to yield to the Scotch, but to cut off three or four heads and so make peace.” 
