Owen, Dean of Christchurch and Vicechancellor of the said University; Dr. Wilkins, Warden of Wadham College; Dr. Jonathan Goddard, Warden of Merton College; Mr. Thomas Goodwin, President of Magdalen College; and Mr. Peter French, Prebend of Christchurch, or any Three or more of them, To take into consideration all and every matter of dispensation, grant or confirmation whatsoever which requires my assent as Chancellor to the said University, and thereupon to dispense, grant, confirm, or otherwise dispose thereof, as to them shall seem meet; and to certify the same to the Convocation. And all and every such dispensation, grant, confirmation or disposition made by the aforesaid Mr. John Owen, Dr. Wilkins, Dr. Jonathan Goddard, Mr. Thomas Goodwin, and Mr. Peter French, or any Three or more of them, shall be to all intents and purposes firm and valid, in as full, large and ample manner as if to every such particular act they had my assent in writing under my hand and seal, or I had been personally present and had given my voice and suffrage thereunto. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, the 16th day of October 1652. OLIVER CROMWELL.* No. 28. LETTER TO LORD WHARTON ABOUT HENRY CROMWELL'S MARRIAGE. [Vol. ii. p. 289.] 'POOR foolish Mall,' whom we guessed in the Text to be on a visit at Winchington, was then busy there, it would seem, and is now again busy, on a very important matter: scheme of marriage between her Brother Henry, now in Ireland, and her fair Friend here, Lord Wharton's Daughter,-the Lady Elizabeth, his eldest, as may be clearly inferred from the genealogies.' The Lord General approves; match most honourable; shall not fail for want of money on his part. Unless, indeed, the just scruples of the Lady' prove unsurmountable? Which, apparently, they did. Both parties afterwards married: the Lady Elizabeth to 'the third Earl Lindsay;' Henry Cromwell a 'Russel of Chippenham;' on which latter event, the 'Dalby and Broughton,' here mentioned, were actually settled upon Henry. Burleigh and Pakham went to his brother Richard. 'For the Right Honourable the Lord Wharton: These.' MY DEAR LORD, 'Cockpit,' 30th June 1652. Indeed I durst not suddenly make up any judgment what would be fit for me to do or desire, in the Business you know of. From the Archives of Oxford University. Communicated by the Rev. Dr. Bliss. But being engaged to give you an account upon our last conference, I shall be bold to do that, and add a word or two therewith. For the Estate I mentioned, I cannot now (by reason my Steward is not here) be so exact as I would: but the Lands I design for this occasion are Burleigh, Oakham, and two other little things not far distant; in all about 1900l. per annum. Moreover Dalby 'and' Broughton, 1600l. per annum. Burleigh hath some charge upon it, which will in convenient time be removed. This is near twice as much as I intended my Son: yet all is unworthy of the honourable Person. My Lord, give me leave to doubt that the Lady hath so many just scruples, which if not very freely reconciled may be too great a tentation to her spirit, and also have after-inconveniences. And although I know your Lordship so really, yet I believe you may have your share of difficulties to conflict with; which may make the Business uneasy-wherefore, good my Lord, I beg it, If there be not freedom and cheerfulness in the noble Person, let this Affair slide easily off, and not a word more be spoken about it,—as your Lordship's 'own' thoughts are. So hush all, and save the labour of little Mall's fooling,—lest she incur the loss of a good Friend indeed. My Lord, I write my heart plainly to you, as becomes, my Lord, Your most affectionate servant, No. 29. OLIVER CROMWELL.* SCRAPS FROM 1653. [Vol. ii. p. 365.] 1. In a volume of the Annual Register are given certain Letters or Petitions concerning the printing of Dr. Walton's Polyglott Bible. At the end of the Petitions is the following: 'Whitehall,' 16th May 1653. I THINK fit that this work of printing the Bible in the Original and other Languages go on without any let or interruption. OLIVER CROMWELL.† "By favour of whose Government,' as Walton in his Preface furthermore records, we had our paper free of duty, quorum favore chartam a vectigalibus immu 6 1 'reallilye' in orig. • Original in Bodleian Library; endorsed by Lord Wharton, "My Lord Generall to mee about his Sonne." Printed in Illustrated London News, 7th November 1856. ↑ Annual Register, xxxvi. 373-4. nem habuimus,'-with perhaps other furtherances. See Irwell's Life of Pocock (reprint. London, 1816), pp. 209–211. 2. Here, lest any one should be again sent hunting through 'Pegge's Manuscripts,' take the following highly insignificant Official Note. Date, four weeks after the Dismissal of the Rump; when the Committee of the Army,' and Oliver 'Commander of all the Forces raised and to be raised,' are naturally desirous to know the state of the Army-Accounts. Where Mitchell commands at present, I do not know; nor whether he might be the 'Captain Mitchell' who was known some years ago in a disagreeable transaction with the Lord-General's Secretary,' and whose Accounts may be rather specially a matter of interest. SIR, For Liewenant-Colonel Mitchell. Whitehall, 18th May 1653. You are desired with all expedition to prepare and send to the Committee for the Army an Account of all Moneys by you received upon their Warrants between the Fifteenth of January 1647 and the Twentieth of October 1651, for the use of the Forces within the time aforesaid under your command, or for the use of any other Regiment, Troop or Company, by or for whom you were entrusted or appointed to receive any money. And in case you cannot perfect your Account, and send the same, as you are hereby directed, before the Seventh of June next, you are desired by that time at the farthest to send in writing under your hand to the said Committee, What Moneys by you received as aforesaid do remain your hands. in Hereof you are not to fail. OLIVER CROMWELL.* 3. Among the State-Papers in Paris there have lately been found Three small Notes to Mazarin, not of much, if indeed of almost any moment, but worth preserving since they are here. Two of them belong to this Section. The first, which exists only in French, apparently as translated for Mazarin's reading, would not be wholly without significance if we had it in the original. It is dated just three days after that Summons to the Puritan Notables ;2-and the Lord General, we see; struggles to look upon himself as a man that has done with Political Affairs. MONSIEUR, 'A Son Eminence, Monsieur le Cardinal Mazarin.' De Westminster, ce 9-19 Juin 1653. J'ai été surpris de voir que votre Eminence ait voulu penser à une personne si peu considérable que moi, vivant en quelque façon rétiré du reste du monde. Cet honneur a fait avec juste raison une si forte impression sur moi, que je me sens obligé de servir votre Eminence en toutes 1 Newspapers (in Cromwelliana, p. 61), 22d-29th June 1649. Pegge's MSS. (in the College of Arms, London), vii. 425. 2 Antea, vol. ii. p. 333. occasions; et comme je m'estimerai heureux de les pouvoir rencontrer, j'espère que M. de Bourdeaux en facilitera les moyens à celui qui est, SIR,-I have been surprised that your Eminency was pleased to remember a person so inconsiderable as myself, living as it were withdrawn from the rest "of the world. This honour has justly such a resentment with me that I feel myself bound, by all opportunities, to be serviceable to your Eminency; and as "I shall be happy to meet with such, so I hope M. de Bourdeaux," the Ambassador," will help to procure them to, Sir, "Your Eminency's most humble servant, Nay here now (Edition 1857) is the Original itself; politely forwarded to me, three years ago, by the Translator of M. Guizot's English Commonwealth, where doubtless it has since appeared in print: Westminster, the 9th of June 1653. Ir's surprise to me that your Eminency should take notice of a person so inconsiderable as myself, living, as it were, separate from the world. This honour has, as it ought, 'made' a very deep impression upon me, and does oblige 'me' to serve your Eminency upon all occasions: and as I shall be happy to find out 'such,' so I trust that very honourable person, Monsieur Burdoe, will therein be helpful to, Your Eminency's thrice-humble servant, O. CROMWELL. 4. The negotiations with Whitlocke for going on that perilous Embassy to Sweden have left for us the following off hand specimen of an Official Note from Oliver. Oliver and Pickering had already been earnestly dealing with the learned man that he would go: at their subsequent interview, Oliver observed to Whitlocke, "Sir Gilbert" Pickering "would needs write a very fine Letter; and when he had done, did not like it himself. I then took pen and ink, and straightway wrote that to you:" 'To Sir Bulstrode Whitlocke, Lord Commissioner of the Great Seal.' MY LORD, Whitehall, 2d September 1653. The Council of State having thoughts of putting your Lordship to the trouble of being Extraordinary Ambassador to the Queen From the Archives du Ministère des Affaires Etrangères, at Paris. cated by Thomas Wright, Esq. F.S.A. &c. Communi of Swedeland, did think fit not to impose that service upon you without first knowing your own freedom thereunto. Wherefore they were pleased command our service to make this address to your Lordship; and nereby we can assure you of a very large confidence in your honour and abilities for this employment. To which we begging your answer, do est, My Lord, Your humble servants, OLIVER CROMWELL. 5. The Little Parliament has now dismissed itself, and Oliver has henceforth a new Signature. MY LORD, 'To his Eminency Cardinal Mazarin.' 'Whitehall,' 26th January 1653. Monsieur de Baas1 hath delivered me the Letter which your Eminency hath been pleased to write to me; and also communicated by word of mouth your particular affections and good disposition towards me, and the affairs of these Nations as now constituted. Which I esteem a very great honour; and hold myself obliged, upon the return of this Gentleman to you, to send my thanks to your Eminency for so singular a favour; my just resentment whereof I shall upon all occasions really demonstrate; and be ready to express the great value I have of your person and merits, as your affairs and interest shall require from, Your very affectionate friend to serve you, OLIVER P.t 6. The Corporation of Lynn Regis,' it appears, considered that the navigation of their Port would be injured by the works now going on for Draining the great Bedford Level of the Fens. They addressed the Protector on the subject; and this is his Letter in answer thereto. Nothing came of it farther. GENTLEMEN, To the Mayor and Aldermen of Lynn Regis. Whitehall, 30th January 1653. I received yours; and cannot but let you know the good resentments I have of your respects;-assuring you that I shall be always ready to manifest a tender love and care of you and your welfare, From Whitlocke's Account of his Embassy (quoted in Forster, iv. 319). The new Envoy, or Agent; of whom in the next No. From the Archives du Ministère des Affaires Etrangères, at Paris. Communi. eated by Thomas Wright, Esq. F.S.A. &c. |