Osborne, Thomas: Letters (to Lord Essex) (985 words)

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1

XIX. THE EARL OF DANBY TO THE EARL OF ESSEX.


2

3London 1st June 1675
4
5My Lord.

6
7    I acknowledge ye great honour and favour of yr Excellency's
8letter by Mr Godolphin, and concurre with you yt itt would be of

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9great use to have yr Excellency here to conferr with his Matie upon
10those important matters mentioned therein. I have nothing to
11object agt itt, if yr Excellency have not; but on ye contrary as
12I believe his Matie will receive advantage by itt, so I should take itt
13for an happy occasion to give yr Excellency a confirmation of my
14readinesse to pay you all manner of service and respect. Yr
15Excellency is so well knowing to ye present Constitution of our
16Court, that no body can give you better measures of itt than yr
17Excellency is able to give yr selfe, and though itt bee very difficult
18to steere amongst so many rocks of faction, without striking upon
19some; I doubt not but yr Excellency by yr great prudence may
20bee soe happy as to do itt.
21    The news of yr Excellencie's intentions to come for England
22arrived here two or three days before Mr Godolphin, and I have
23heard that some who hope in time to bee yr successors were glad
24of itt, but I conceave yr Excellency is so well assured of all our
25services to you, how little so ever wee afford of good ones to one
26another, that you can bee in no danger of that kind, although in a
27matter so nice as this yr Excellency must needs bee ye best Judge.
28I believe ye Parliament is like to sitt longer than was expected for
29ye differences between ye houses are so widened, and yett itt is
30so necessary they should come to some composure before they
31part that itt looks as if their sitting would yett bee of a month's
32continuance at least.
33    The King has directed me to attend him tomorrow about the
34matters of yr Excellencie's last letter and I shall not bee wanting
35to acquainte you with his Maties pleasure so soon as I know itt,
36and in ye meane time I desire yr Excellency will continue to mee
37ye happinesse of being esteemed
38

39My Lord
40Your Excellencie's most faithfull and most
41humble servant
42
43Danby.

44

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45

XXXVII. THE EARL OF DANBY TO THE EARL OF ESSEX.


46

47Wallingford House March ye 25th 1676.
48
49My Lord

50
51    Perhaps your Excellency may think it unnecessary to trouble
52you with an answer to yours of ye 14th instant because I have since
53(viz ye 19th) communicated it to his Matie in ye presence of his
54Royall Hignesse, Yourself and my Lord Ranelagh, and your
55excellency did then receive his Maties Pleasure as to all ye matters
56contained in itt, saving that part wch relates to ye 90000lbs, for
57which my Lord Ranelagh desires his discharge; and I hope your
58Excellency will receive your orders in that also before your departure,
59it being by no means proper for mee to determine till your
60Excellency have received satisfaction of ye equity of his Demand
61in that particular.
62    But because your excellency will remember I then told you I
63differd in somethings your letter charged my memory withall it
64may bee convenient for avoiding future mistakes to acquaint your
65excellency that I remember no greater summe out of ye advance-money
66for arms than 10,000lbs and I very well remember yt ye
6720000lbs for ye Repairs of Windsor was never intended out of ye
68advance-money, but out of ye 20000 yearly reserved during ye

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69whole Farme to his Maties private dispose and for yt reason it was yt
70neither my Lord Ossory's not my Lord Duras's Grants were to take
71place upon itt ye first Year.
72    I told your Excellency then also yt I rememberd nothing of
73your desire to have ye first 30000lbs remitted in specie into Ireland
74till a good while after ye old Farmers' Privy Seale was pass'd for itt,
75but that (as it was long before agreed they should have their
7620000lbs Defalcations, and 10000lbs for ye Kings use payd out of
77ye first of ye Advance-money) Your Excellency agreed ye same,
78and it was my motion yt for ye quickening their payments to ye
79Army in Ireland, ye money might remain deposited in ye hands
80of ye Treasurer of ye Navy though it could bee apply'd to no other
81use then Privy Seale directs; so that although both ye old
82Farmers and my Lord Ranelagh insisted upon having ye Kings
83Engagement made good of being payd yt summ out of ye first
84of the advance, yet there was nothing done in itt, but with your
85Excellency's consent and approbation.
86    For ye September and Christmas Pay of ye Army, I know what
87posture Your Excellency hath said it to bee in and your Excellency
88has shewd mee Letters to ye same effect out of Ireland, and finding
8915,000lbs of ye Michas Pay unpaid about a month or six weeks ago,
90I remember Your Excellency would then fain have remitted
91that sum into Ireland out of ye deposited money here, and I
92would have been as glad of it if it could have been done; but
93as that was not practicable so your Excellency and my Lord
94Ranelagh has always differd in ye quantum of what was in arrear
95for ye Michas Pay, as well as for ye severall Pays due to ye Army
96before that time and my Ld Ranelagh did then undertake before
97his Matie to give him a particular account in a short time of what
98hee agreed to be a true state of ye Present Debt to each troop and
99Company.
100    As your Excellency has been very prudent in laying before his
101Matie ye condition and state of Ireland and (since you were pleased

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102to do it through my hands) I hope you will pardon my endeavour
103to rectify any mistake which might remaine concerning myself in
104that Representation, who am
105

106Your Excellency's most faithfull
107humble servant
108Danby.