| Title: | Letter, Joseph Avery To Samuel Avery |
|---|---|
| Dating: | 16 June 1642 |
| Ref: | 45/3/15A-17B |
| Notes: | Copy at 45/3/9. |
[45/3/15A]
Loueing Brother.
I giue you many thanks for that which you imparted to me. by your last letter of the 13th May lately receiued. but I should yet thanke you more, if you would take the paynes to find out the authors of those most horrid, false, and slanderous suggestions, & aspersions against me; which certainly none but the Divell himselfe, or his instruments could so haue raysed, or cast into the mind of the Parliament, or any particular member therof.
What shall I say? it is no new thing for good men to suffer for their best actions; and to be traduced & scandalized for their syncerest intentions. the best at one time, or other, will meete with scoffing Ishmaells, and cursing [Shimee's?], and rayling Rabsheka's, It is the portion of all that will liue godly, here to suffer persecution; and as I haue not bene hertofore, so[altered from I] I may not looke herafter to be free of this condition.
But, to come neerer to the particulars of your letter; I haue (for mine owne part) in my publicke negotiations & employments with many Princes, done, or at least indeuoured to performe, many good offices for my King and Countrey, for aduancement of the cause of the Palatinate, and of the true Protestant relligion; and, for my zeale herin shewed, haue hertofore suffered very much at the hands of some great Ones about the Court. who thought me too forward & hotte in my affections and actions against the aduerse Partie; which I doubt some of them fauoured too much.
And howsoeuer the Lord would not suffer these men to preuaile further against me; yet they haue bene a meanes both to keep me vnder, and to keepe from me mine owne, which I haue disbursed in his Majestie's seruice, besids my ordinary allowance, as you well knowe. and I beleeue I may truly say that neuer any One of his Majesties ministers in forraine employment was euer so farre behind hand, as I am. This hath bene my lotte a long time, and to suffer from their tongues, who were no great wellwillers to our religion; but neuer vntill now to be so much [catchword: as]
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as suspected, much lesse to be rumoured & voiced (as your letter insinuates) to be of a contrary disposition, or affection; and (which indeed might well folowe, if the former were true) that I were declyning from my relligion.
For the vindicating of mine owne innocencie, and reputation with the Parlament, rega I should soone doe it, if I knew mine accusers; and to their shame. and as well, or better perhapps, if that high & honourable Court would call me to an accompt for any of my negotiations, or actions. I should desire no better Iudges, and hope for iustice at their hands against mine aduersaries. In the meane time, my confidence is that none of these imputations (proceed they from what authors soeuer,) wilbe intertayned with credit, by any wise men[altered from man], that knowe me not, without dew proofe; as I presume they wilbe no sooner [word deleted] heard, then reiected of all honest men, who haue any knowledge of me, or of my conversation. Niuertheles, the very rumours & reports may perhappes breed iealousies & doubts of me in some mens minds, and that may turne also to my preiudice; which indeed I beleeue to be the chiefe ayme of my false accusers. but, how to preuent, or stoppe this mischiefe, I knowe not, vnles I receiue some further ground of these things from yow. For, to communicate the commissions, or instructions receiued from his Majestie (which would soone cleare all) and my negotiations upon them, I dare not, without order. the revealing of such secrets would not only wound my reputation, but expose all that I haue besids vnto hazard, and danger. Niuertheles, because I knowe not how farre these foule aspersions may reflect upon me there in my absence, I send vnto you in confidence herwith inclosed the Copies of my late Propositions vnto the King of Denmarke, and Elector of Brandenburgh, and of their answeres to the same. These contayne the substance of my negotiations with them; and out of these [catchword: will]
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will appeare quite the contrary vnto that which hath bene suggested against me. and these I can send you with the lesse danger; because they are in other mens hands, as well as mine; and <it> may be conceiued it proceeded from others as well as me, if they should come to be made publike; according as some passages of mine hertofore with other Princes haue bene both published, & printed here in Germanie without any communication, much lesse knowledge, or consent of mine. Now these I send yow, that if you thinke it fitte for the clearing of my reputation, you may communicate the same with my Lord Say & Seale of the Lords house, and with Mr Pymme of the house of Commons, (for these gentlemen I heare to be amongst the most eminent for wisedome & pietie in our present Parliament,) whose good word, thorough such assured euidence & information, will soone be able to stoppe the false, ignorant, vaine, & aerie suggestions of my illwillers, or such as their slanders may haue any way wrought upon; if at least they haue so farre preuayled upon any. But, if you shall
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their vicious, and corrupt humours; which I confesse deserue much pittie, and I will pray <God> to make them vnto themselues seeme as odious, as they wilbe vnto all good & discreet men. for my carriage towards them, my chiefe witnes is in heauen, and I haue another within mine owne brest. hic murus aheneus esto.
Now for answere vnto your desire of my opinion touching the King of Denmarkes Preparations, I shall let you understand it in[altered from b] briefe. First for his Nauie, it is usuall for him euery yeare, in the Sound, to put it into a posture & equipage. but this Spring he hath had an occasion extraordinarie both for men <&> shipping, by reason of an agreement passed betwixt him & the King of Spayne for the trade of Spanish salt: for the fetching wherof he hath lately sent out a fleete. Then, for his land forces, I beleeue them only to haue bene intended for the defence of his owne Countries of Holstein & the parts adjacent: which were obnoxious vnto einquartirung, and other inconueniences, when <the > Imperiall & Swedes armies, the[altered from this] last last winter, were so neere these parts; especially if the Imperialists had gotten the upper hand, which was much feared then; though it hath pleased God since to turne the skales. Whither this King hath bene sought vnto to send any forces for England, I cannot tell, or am able to auouch any certaintie in this particular, by reason of <the> different reports I haue heard, both whilst I was at Dansick, and since my comming home. but I haue inquired after it by the best meanes I could, without suspition; and cannot discerne as yet any liklihood, or good ground of it. Sure I am, if any such thing hath bene at all negotiated, it hath not bene by me; and, as I knowe nothing at all therof, so, if ought be of it, it was done no doubt when I was out of these parts so farre of with the Prince Electour of Brandenburg. But, for mine owne part, I can yet hardly beleeue any such matter; and am confident that the king of Denmarkes preparations were not at the first for any such Designe, as well for the reasons beforementioned, as for that the Duke of Holstein, & Gentrie of the whole Countrey share to in[altered] those leuies of the King, and doe contribute to the mayntenance [catchword of]
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of the same. Besids: I knowe the States of Denmarke to be utterly auerse from Warre; and in their late Parliament, were very urgent with their King, as not to intermeddle any way in the differences betwixt the Emperour, and Crowne of Sweden, so not to remaine in Holstein so long as of late yeares he hath bene accustomed to doe; but to keep his residence & abode at Copenhagen, and in Denmarke. Moreouer, there was a deliberation holden lately both in Denmarke & Holstein whither they should continue their forces on foote any longer; seeing the armies aforesayd were remoued now so farre of. and herupon[altered] there are some of them since <within these 14 daies> cashiered, for the easing of their charge; though they had the greatest part still in pay, vntill they see further what successe the warres will produce. And thus you haue my opinion touching thes buisnes. but I must tell you withall, that many haue a iealousie of the King of Denmarkes league with Spayne. Which [
your loueing Brother
Hambrough the 16th Iune
anno 1642. I. Averie
[flourish]
