LETTERS. No. I. From the King to the Queen, Newcastle, May 15th, 1646. No. II. From the King to J. Ashburnham, Newcastle, July 8th, 1646. No. III. From the King to J. Ashburnham. Without Date. No. IV. A Warrant (in Cypher) to J. Ashburnham, given at Newcastle, Without Date. No. V. A Warrant to John Ashburnham, given at Newcastle, No. VI. A deciphered Letter from John Ashburnham to the King; dated the Hague, February 28th, 1647. DEARE HEART, LETTER I. Newcastle, May 15th, 1646. The necessity of my affairs hath made me send Jack Ashburnham unto thee; who at this present is the most (and with the greatest injustice) persecuted of all my servants, and meerly for his fidelity to mee; which is well knowne to thee, that I need neither recomend him to thy care, nor take ye pains of setting downe the present state of my affaires, and how they have changed since I came from Oxford, and why it is so long since I wrote to thee; referring all to his faithful relation; as likewise what I desire thee to doe for my assistance so trensferring at this time ye freedome of my pen, to his tongue, I rest eternally thine, I owe Jack £9,200. which I earnestly recommend thou wouldst assest him in for his repayment. C. R. The original of this was in the possession of the late Duke of Queensberry, by whom a copy of it was given to the late Earl of Ashburnham. On account of the mention made of John Ashburnham, both in the Letter and in the Postscript, the Document is the more satisfactory from its not being in the hands of his descendants; because less liable to suspicion, as to its being genuine. The date, both as to place and time, agrees with that of a letter from the king to sir Ed. Nicholas of May 16th, 1646, from Newcastle: in which he writes;" Jack Ashburnham is this day gone for "Fraunce." Private Correspondence of sir Ed. Nicholas, edited by W. Bray, Esquire. LETTER II. Endorsed 313:389: 227:81:102:312:833:857:824:4:5:85:6:7:334?173: 151:43:2:313:217:52:364: (181:298:236:343:45:162: 229:61:180:88:101:10:11:90)303:747:176: 236:331: 65:180:293:394:197:643:313:206:769:(141:327:524: 109:176:303:142:132:38:17:23:81:22:103:304:783) 305:331:293:136:406:47:156:123:313:351:207:111: 305:517:56:107:26:53:58:1:87:40:179:109:176: 293: 150:25:40:2:53:54:19:85:11:313:217: 173:90:22:45:68:58:26:342:313:724:108:154:32: 44:351:313:401:303:70:57:2:87:11:173:211:174: 303:190:40:22:85:60:175:236:206:613:313:155:327: 151:45:158:326:330:174:109:455:49:63:305:173:5: 61:229:65:180:301:39:174:47:52:103:176:206:120: 313:155:320:327:206:654:180:305:173:15:65:3:17: 1:40:60:181:173:151:229:174:313:524:109:141:2: 303:133:236:825:43:11:67:63:108:301:154:22:84: 305:173:109:229:429:90:313:9:189:21:30:42:304: 533:82:14:61:26:236:654:173:513:84:313:231:110: 342:344:173:55:28:64:2:342:193:313:317:11:179: 23:81:85:237:90:176:313:343:128:88:87:22:52:175: 141:303:73:132:236:206:40:26:53:54:4:81:2:3:140: 337:347: 181:45:10:58:7:87:19:12:325:180:118:313:524: 312:351:305:156:59:100:25:39:60:562:86:128:81:58: 11:22:63:121:28:25:62:26:174:303:650:776:167: 208:5:139:215:84:45:141:156:227:101:13:138:52:2: 3:330:141:191:155:544:157:141:206:47:5:31:11:12: 834:858:60:41:824:56:241:63:2:53:11:54:17:180: 227:197:123: LETTER II. Decyphered by John Ashburnham. Newcastle Wednesday 8: of July. Jack I know not how many weeks in ffrance and neuer a letter from you. This cannot be excused but by your being gone to meet the prince; (if some of yours haue not miscarried,) the securing of whom is soe absolutly necessary to my safety (for which france being the fittest place at this time) that whosoever assists his coming to the Queen may by that excuse many errors; it being soe good a seruice to me. I desire you to remember and helpe the Queen to answeare the Quere I made in the last section of my letter to her which goes herewith wherin be confident that I am not mistaken in stating my case to her. Upon which my opinion is that I am lost, if I goe not into ffrance before the end of August next: and take heed that I be not beleeued too late. This freedome of opinion I exprese to none but you; yet I give you leaue to use it according to your discretion for the rest of my seruice. If sir Richard Willis come to ffrance tell the Queen that his gallant honest and discreet carriage in the Oxford Treaty hath made a full mends for his Newarke fault: wherfore let her fauour him for my sake.. Thursday nineth of July *Montr: is newly come.. * Montereul. a. b. C. |