good, and I shall follow the advice therein, with as much judgment as God has given me. And so I rest, Your assured friend, Theobalds, 1st June, 1637. CHARLES R. Charles I. to the Mayor of York, about coming to the Cathedral, dated July, 1637.1 Right trusty and well-beloved, and trusty and wellbeloved, we greet you well. Whereas, for the preservation of the solemnity of divine service in some of our cathedral churches, and for the good of those inhabitants of those cities, we have required the mayor and aldermen and their companies to frequent those holy places upon Sundays and holidays, with all due reverence, and that they be there at beginning of divine service, and at their going-out and comingin, and while they are there, carry themselves so as becometh them, in obedience to the canons of the church and the customs of those cathedrals requiring also the mayors of those cities, that they shall not use the ensigns of their authority within our said cathedral churches, that hereafter the distinct liberties and privileges granted by our royal progenitors to those several bodies may be inviolably kept. We, therefore, casting the same gracious eye upon our cathedral and metropolitan church of Saint 1 Harl. MSS. 2173, art. 29. A memorandum in the original states that a similar order was sent by the bishop of Chester to the members of the corporation of that city; but "reasons satisfactory were given that the mayor of Chester is not so tied." Peter, in our city of York, to have it regulated in like manner, do hereby require you, according to your several duties, to take care for the due performance of all the said orders in that church; and further, that as well you the lord mayor, and also the recorder, and aldermen, at some solemn times in every year, shall receive the holy communion in the said cathedral church of York, to manifest your conformity to the orders established in the church. Given under our signet at our court at Greenwich, 2nd of July, in the 13th year of our reign, 1637. To our right trusty and well-beloved recorder and aldermen of our said city. Charles I. to the Marquis of Hamilton.1 Hamilton, Though I answered not yours of the 4th, yet I assure you that I have not been idle; so that I hope by the next week I shall send you some good assurance of the advancing of our preparations. This I say, not to make you precipitate anything (for I like of all you have hitherto done, and over, of that which I find you mind 1 MS. Harl. 841. Charles had resolved to suppress the Covenant by open force, and had sent Hamilton in the previous month as his commissioner to Scotland. He was instructed to promise that "the practice of the liturgy and the canons should never be pressed in any other than a fair and legal way. and that the high commission should be so rectified as never to impugn the laws, or to be a just grievance to loyal subjects;" and that the king, instead of punishing those who had lately taken an illegal covenant, should pardon the offence, on condition of their immediately renouncing it. See Lingard, vol. ix., p. 355. to do); but to show you that I mean to stick to my grounds, and that I expect not anything can reduce that people to obedience, but only force. I thank you for the clearness of for the clearness of your advertisements, of all which none troubles me so much as that (in a manner) they have possessed themselves of the castle of Edinburgh, and likewise I give Striveling1 as good as lost. As for the dividing of my declaration, I find it most fit in that way as you have resolved it; to which I shall add, that I am content you forbear the latter part thereof, until you hear that my fleet hath set sail for Scotland. In the mean time, your care must be how to dissolve the multitude; and, if it be possible, to possess yourself of my castles of Edinburgh and Striveling (which I do not expect) and to this end, I give you leave to flatter them with what hopes you please, so you engage not me against my grounds (and, in particular, that you consent neither to the calling of Parliament nor General Assembly, until the covenant be disavowed and given up). Your chief end being now to win time, that they may not commit public follies, until I be ready to suppress them. And that it is (as you well observe) my own people, which by this means will be for a time ruined; so that the loss must be inevitably mine; and this if I could eschew (were it not with a greater) were well. But, when I consider that not only now my crown, but my reputation for ever, lies at stake, I must rather suffer the first that time will help, than this last which is irreparable. 1 Stirling, which was taken by the Earl of Mar. Scarcely one post of any importance in that part of the country remained to the king after hostilities had really commenced. This I have written to no other end than to show you that I will rather die than yield to these impertinent and damnable1 demands, (as you rightly call them) for it is all one, as to yield to be no king in a very short time. So wishing you better success than I can expect, I rest, Your assured, constant friend, Greenwich, 11th of June, 1638. CHARLES R. Charles I. to the Marquis of Hamilton.2 Hamilton, The dealing with multitudes makes diversity of advertisements no way strange; and certainly the alteration from worse to less ill, cannot be displeasing. Wherefore, you may be confident I cannot but approve your proceedings hitherto; for certainly you have gained a very considerable point in making the heady multitude begin to disperse, without having engaged me in any unfitting thing. I shall take your advice3 in staying the public preparations for force; but in a silent way (by your leave) I will not leave to prepare, that I may be ready upon the least advertisement. Now, I hope there may be a possibility of securing my castles; but I confess it must be done closely and cannily. One of the chief things you are 1 These interlineations occur in the original manuscript. 2 MS. Harleian, 841. 3 According to Burnet, "for all this, things began to promise some likelihood of settlement, which made him write to the king not to proceed in his warlike preparations till things were more desperate." to labour in now, is to get a considerable number of sessioners and advocates to give their opinion that the covenant is at least against law, if not treasonable. Thus, you have my approbation in several shapes, wherefore you need not doubt but that I am Your assured, constant friend, Theobalds, 13th June, 1638. CHARLES R. Charles I. to the Marquis of Hamilton.1 Hamilton, I do not wonder, though I am very sorry for your last despatch, to which I shall answer nothing, as concerning what you have done, or mean to do; because I approve all, and still desire you to believe I do so, until I shall contradict it with my own hand. What now I write is, first, to show you in what estate I am, and then to have your advice in some things. My train of artillery, consisting of forty pieces of ordnance (with the appurtenances) all drakes (half and more of which are to be drawn with one or two horses apiece) is in good forwardness, and I hope will be ready within six weeks ; for I am sure there wants neither money nor materials to do it with. I have taken as good order as I can, for the present, for securing of Carlisle and Berwick; but of this 1 Harleian MSS. 841. 2 Drake was an old term for a dragon, and hence the word was also applied, as in the present instance, to a small piece of artillery. |