| Title: | Copy Extracts, ? To Hartlib?: |
|---|---|
| Dating: | June 1661. |
| Ref: | British Library Add. MSS 4159 ff.34A-35B |
| Notes: | Included in Volume V of the Thurloe Papers (Add. 4159). |
[34A]
From Cleve the 6. of Iune. 1661.
Wee have seene the Speeche of the Speaker of the House of Commons, which gives great Satisfaction, as likewise the Lord Chancelours speech, which is highly approved at this Electorall Court, both in respect of the Invention & the elegant expression of it. The Qveen of Bohemia cannot choose but bee well pleased with the present publique Proceedings, & that Shee hath had the happines to see the prosperity of her Native Countrey, of which shee may hope in time to bee made a joyfull Partaker, though all things cannot goe to her minde for the present. As concerning the Prussian & Polonian Affaires, they seemed not alltogether to be so well contented with the Proposition, which the Elector of Swerin hath made vnto them, in the name of his Electoral Highness which consists principally in these three following Points: First that the late Souveraignty obtained from the Crown of Poland, may have its full course. Secondly, that the old Contributions for maintaining the [Soldatesca?] of the Countrey, may bee yet continued. Thirdly, that seeing the Electorall Demeanes for keeping & vpholding the Grandour of the Electorall Court may bee continued, & a certain Summe bee named & determined, in respect that the other Publick Revenues that were appointed for this purpose, are much imparied & diminished. The first Particular seemes most of all <to> trouble the assembled states. For although they have nothing to except against the Crowne of Poland, who was pleased to settle & confirme the Souveraignty vpon the Elector: yet they cannot, nor will not believe, that any thing hath beene granted for the subverting of their fundamentall Liberties, which notwithstanding may bee continued as before; So that noe change, especially of a fundamentall nature may bee introduced. And therefore they conclude & hope, that this will not bee so mainly urged vpon them. To the second Point, they [deletion] are pleased to answer, that they expect rather to bee eased, if not with the total remooval, yet in some competent measure, of those heavy & most oppressive Taxes or Contributions, that hitherto have beene exercised & continued vpon them. To the Third Point they seeme something to acquiesce, if they may receive some satisfaction in the two former foregoing Points. Thus you see how that this Prussian Dyet may yet bee continued a good while, seeing the states of the Countrey of Prussia at this time, have not sent their Delegates, as was usuall in former times; but they appeared in Person themselves, beeing afraid to entrust them whom they should send with such Powers, as could not bee abused. So that of necessity wee must stay or patient ourselves, how these ticklish Affaires may bee concluded. As for the Affaires about Elbing, they are still in a very dubious Condition. For it seemes for ought wee can learne, that the Polonians are not resolved to part with any considerable Summ's of money, though allready promised, not with surrendring of the City itselfe, which is of so maine importance. But wee are resolved not to bee fed with words in a transaction of this consequence, which hath beene so often & strongly promised. What to write of the Polonian Parliament wee can not tell Some give out, & those noe meane Persons, that Duke d'Anguien will certainly bee declared Successor to his Polsih Majesty which is the maine & onely Designe of the Qceene, who hath much bestir'd Herselfe in this Affaire. But yet the sense of the Parliament seemes only to apperae to have a successor designed or declared without naming or determining for a longer time a [catchword: Particular]
[34B]
Particular Person, vivente Rege. But seeing the Qveens Majesty is so mainly engaged in this Affaire & that it is too well known, Shee having for the present so great power in the Kingdome, & that shee hath this Particular Character given her not to attempt any Designe, except shee may goe thorough stitch with it: I say considering all these Particulars & many more, our States-Men can make noe other Iudgment but that at last shee will accomplish all her endeavours, before the Parliament is ended. The Treatises of Peace betweene Poland & Muscovia, are in a more hopefull Condition then ever before. The Ambassadors are dismissed very honourably, & with very good staisfaction. And seeing that the Great Duke hath set at Libertie of his owne accord the Lord Gonsiewsky, his Majestie of Poland to bee even with him, hath not only set at Liberty all the Muscovian [deletion] Prisoners taken by him, but also hee hath caused them all arrayed in most splendid Apparell of Silck & Sattin. The Turkish Affaires seeme to bee at a stand, so that wee have noe certainty of their intendings or proceedings. The last New's from thence put vs into a Panicall feare: For by the last Post wee are advertised, that above sixty thousand Cossacks have deserted the King of Poland & are joyned with the Turke; Also, that the Cremonian Tartarians have offered their Assistance to the Turke, which probably are in a capacity to doe more mischiefe to the House of Austria, then any Turkish Armies. Kemenj Ianush hath still his Ambassadors at Vienna, to know whither hee may bee certain of considerable Austrian Supplies. But because hee receives noe satsifactory Answers at all, it's feared hee will leave the Emperor to care of shift for himselfe, & accept of conditions which the Turkish Emperor will make him, which indeed are very promising & faire. The New's which commonly wee get out of those Parts, are long a comming, & oftentimes so vncertain, that wee can make noe sense of them. The States Generall are still resolved to make Peace with Portugall, without any Mediation of England They are now very strong at sea. There is a suspicious talke here, as if 20. Frigats were sent out of England to watch the Comming of their East-India Fleet. They have given order to the Ruyter to watch them, & if they should dare to exercise the least acts of hostility, to fall vpon them. They are now very strong at Sea, so that they are like to make hot worke to any powers that shall provoke or offend them. Wee have yet noe certainty of any Swedish Resolutions or Designes. By the foremer Post his Majesty of Sweden sent a very affectionat & respective Letter to his Electoral Highness with highest Protestations to keepe the Peace inviolably, & very much blaming to interrupt or asperse the faithfull Friendship & Correspondency betweene his Majesty & the Elector. And besides wee have certain new's from thence, that noe considerable warlike Præparations for War are made in that Kingdome, there beeing scarce 3. or 4. men of war at most in any readines. But yet Letters from other Parts continue to warne & to give vs notice, as if they were still resolved to have about with Prussia, and to make an inroade into that Countrey, which occasions the keeping vp of the Forces in that Countrey, which is the reason that the old Contributions must still bee continued. Our Court begins now to bee lessened & more quiet, the Prince of Orenge beeing returned again to Leyden. The Lady Electrix with her Mother are making ready about 8. dayes hence to goe to the usuall renowned waters. Since the writing of these, I have seene our Delegates last Letter out of Sweden, dated the 10. of May. which mention noe dangerous Plots at all, save that [catchword: an]
[35A]
an ordinary Fleet is ready, & the Regiments compleat, but that there is great discontent & murmuring amongst the Common Sea-men & Navall Officers, which have received noe pay a great while, so that many of them want daily bread. Nor is any satisfaction given them, because the Councell pretends that they are not in Warr with any state of Potentate. As for the Muscovite, with whom they have begun to treate again, they want neither Officers nor Common Souldiers, in case the Treaty should not succeed.
[34B]
Particular Person, vivente Rege. But seeing the Qveens Majesty is so mainly engaged in this Affaire & that it is too well known, Shee having for the present so great power in the Kingdome, & that shee hath this Particular Character given her not to attempt any Designe, except shee may goe thorough stitch with it: I say considering all these Particulars & many more, our States-Men can make noe other Iudgment but that at last shee will accomplish all her endeavours, before the Parliament is ended. The Treatises of Peace betweene Poland & Muscovia, are in a more hopefull Condition then ever before. The Ambassadors are dismissed very honourably, & with very good staisfaction. And seeing that the Great Duke hath set at Libertie of his owne accord the Lord Gonsiewsky, his Majestie of Poland to bee even with him, hath not only set at Liberty all the Muscovian [deletion] Prisoners taken by him, but also hee hath caused them all arrayed in most splendid Apparell of Silck & Sattin. The Turkish Affaires seeme to bee at a stand, so that wee have noe certainty of their intendings or proceedings. The last New's from thence put vs into a Panicall feare: For by the last Post wee are advertised, that above sixty thousand Cossacks have deserted the King of Poland & are joyned with the Turke; Also, that the Cremonian Tartarians have offered their Assistance to the Turke, which probably are in a capacity to doe more mischiefe to the House of Austria, then any Turkish Armies. Kemenj Ianush hath still his Ambassadors at Vienna, to know whither hee may bee certain of considerable Austrian Supplies. But because hee receives noe satsifactory Answers at all, it's feared hee will leave the Emperor to care of shift for himselfe, & accept of conditions which the Turkish Emperor will make him, which indeed are very promising & faire. The New's which commonly wee get out of those Parts, are long a comming, & oftentimes so vncertain, that wee can make noe sense of them. The States Generall are still resolved to make Peace with Portugall, without any Mediation of England They are now very strong at sea. There is a suspicious talke here, as if 20. Frigats were sent out of England to watch the Comming of their East-India Fleet. They have given order to the Ruyter to watch them, & if they should dare to exercise the least acts of hostility, to fall vpon them. They are now very strong at Sea, so that they are like to make hot worke to any powers that shall provoke or offend them. Wee have yet noe certainty of any Swedish Resolutions or Designes. By the foremer Post his Majesty of Sweden sent a very affectionat & respective Letter to his Electoral Highness with highest Protestations to keepe the Peace inviolably, & very much blaming to interrupt or asperse the faithfull Friendship & Correspondency betweene his Majesty & the Elector. And besides wee have certain new's from thence, that noe considerable warlike Præparations for War are made in that Kingdome, there beeing scarce 3. or 4. men of war at most in any readines. But yet Letters from other Parts continue to warne & to give vs notice, as if they were still resolved to have about with Prussia, and to make an inroade into that Countrey, which occasions the keeping vp of the Forces in that Countrey, which is the reason that the old Contributions must still bee continued. Our Court begins now to bee lessened & more quiet, the Prince of Orenge beeing returned again to Leyden. The Lady Electrix with her Mother are making ready about 8. dayes hence to goe to the usuall renowned waters. Since the writing of these, I have seene our Delegates last Letter out of Sweden, dated the 10. of May. which mention noe dangerous Plots at all, save that [catchword: an]
[35A]
an ordinary Fleet is ready, & the Regiments compleat, but that there is great discontent & murmuring amongst the Common Sea-men & Navall Officers, which have received noe pay a great while, so that many of them want daily bread. Nor is any satisfaction given them, because the Councell pretends that they are not in Warr with any state of Potentate. As for the Muscovite, with whom they have begun to treate again, they want neither Officers nor Common Souldiers, in case the Treaty should not succeed.
Amsterdam the 13/23. of Iune. 1661.
I received a few lines from Mr. Dury in these words, dated at Utrecht the 8. of Iune - I am here in a full prosecution of my scope with the Divines & Magistrates of this City & Province, & finde all consonant to my wishes, except one or two men, who are somewhat slow if not backward. All the rest are allmost too forwared to precipitate the worke, so that I have as much to doe to hold some back from running too fast, as to quicken the pace of others. Thus far Mr. Dury. From Warsovia they are pleased to tell vs, that the 26. of May the Swedish Extraordinary Ambassador was fetched in with very honourable Solemnities, & in very great state. Tobias Morstein, the Crown's Huntsman went with two Coaches of his Majesty as far as a Dutch Leage to meet his Excellency, who was immediatly followed with a number of other Coaches of the Great Lords, & severall other Coaches of the Delegates from the Parliament all which came to wellcome & to congratulate in particular his Excellency & the next day hee was solemnly attended to his first Audience. The parliament come together every morning about 7. a Clock, where they continue for the most part till 6. a Clock at night. But because the time is but a short, I meane but 14 dayes longer ordinarily, & businesses of great Consequence are many, which must bee debated or treated on, it's like the foresaid ordinary Tearme will bee prolonged. The Result of all their Consultations, is for the most part kept or reserved till the ending of the Parliament & then all is made know'n & divulged. His Majestie hath pittifully expostulated with the Crowne Generall & the Lord Charnetsky, why both of them should leave the Army at this nick of time, when there is so great an appearance of very many dangerous Revolutions, which may easily happen. If any thing should fall out to the prejudice of the Polonian Free-State or Common-Wealth, hee protested that hee will bee innocent before all the world. Lord Charnetsky did not goe to the Army as was pretended, but to a certain retiring privat place from whence hee might returne the next day to Warsovia, which also hee did. They have tried severall Civilities to obliege him to retune to the Army, if possibly they could perswade Him; but it seemes, he would not suffer himselfe to bee perswaded, because that honor & respect was not deferred to him by the rest of the other Generalls, which wee suppose was done meerly ex invida æmulatione; & then as hee pretends, he durst not returne to his owne Army, except hee could bring a sufficient satisfaction with him, how all their Arreares should bee paid to the said Forces. Wherevpon the Point of satisfaction was taken in hand the next day by the Parliament the not satisfying their desire, and so to give full content to the Armies, it beeing of a very dangerous consequence at this time, least they should all Confederate amongst themselves. Great & continuall rumours are spread & fomented, which have their rise from the Cossacks & Tartarians. Whether it bee to palliat the present dangers, or some thing else, wee cannot determine. Thus much is certain, that but little good is sought or intended by them. It's rumoured that Cossack & Tartarian Ambassadors are on the way, which have resolved, it seemes, to make their joynt Propositions to the Parliament. The Copper-money in the Kingdome of Poland is looked vpon as a great grievance, there comming daily a number of complaints against it. Of a new Suc- [catchword: cessor]
[35B]
Successor nothing more can bee advertised, till the Parliament bee ended. The present meeting of Parliament doth not æquall the greatnes & Majesty of former Parliamentary Assemblies, & in comparison of former meetings, is but as it were a dying or dead Body. But not withstanding the Pride of Apparells, & the number of gallant Horses is as great as ever. Only the Kitchin & Cellar-Provisions are much lessened or diminished. Which also may bee observed concerning the Silver-plate, which used to bee had in far greater abundance. The Young Qveen of Sweden hath sent for her sister Princesse Anna Dorothea the most Religious Lady [Lutzan?] to come & live with her. It is supposed shee may bee here about Whitsontide. I suppose you have heard of the Proposition which Sir G. Downing hath made to the states-Generall at the Hague, the same beeing exstant in print both in Low-Dutch & French. Many are come to Rotterdam from England & amongst them one Mr. Reyner, who hath obtained a place from the Magistrate to preach in, & many Families of other parties are flocke thither for want of Liberty of Conscience, which nevertheles was promised. Our East-India ships are arrived, except two which are yet remaining. Yesterday was the time appointed to signe the Treaty with Portugall. But whither it bee done, I cannot certainly tell./.
[35B]
Successor nothing more can bee advertised, till the Parliament bee ended. The present meeting of Parliament doth not æquall the greatnes & Majesty of former Parliamentary Assemblies, & in comparison of former meetings, is but as it were a dying or dead Body. But not withstanding the Pride of Apparells, & the number of gallant Horses is as great as ever. Only the Kitchin & Cellar-Provisions are much lessened or diminished. Which also may bee observed concerning the Silver-plate, which used to bee had in far greater abundance. The Young Qveen of Sweden hath sent for her sister Princesse Anna Dorothea the most Religious Lady [Lutzan?] to come & live with her. It is supposed shee may bee here about Whitsontide. I suppose you have heard of the Proposition which Sir G. Downing hath made to the states-Generall at the Hague, the same beeing exstant in print both in Low-Dutch & French. Many are come to Rotterdam from England & amongst them one Mr. Reyner, who hath obtained a place from the Magistrate to preach in, & many Families of other parties are flocke thither for want of Liberty of Conscience, which nevertheles was promised. Our East-India ships are arrived, except two which are yet remaining. Yesterday was the time appointed to signe the Treaty with Portugall. But whither it bee done, I cannot certainly tell./.
[right margin, another hand:] 6. Iune. 1661./