Walter Aston his Majesty's Ambassador in Spain, and after him from the Earl of Bristol and Lord Cottington, I had intelligence from the Spanish Court; out of all whose relations being compared together, I found matter enough to direct my judgment in all public proceedings: besides in Paris I had the chief intelligence which came to either Monsieur de Langherac, the Low Countrey Ambassador, or Monsieur Postek Agent for the united Princes in Germany, and Signor Contarini Ambassador for Venice, and Signor Guiscardi my particular friend, Agent for Mantoua, and Monsieur Gueretin Agent for the Palatine or King of Bohemia, and Monsieur Villiers for the Suisse, and Monsieur Ainorant Agent for Geneva, by whose means, upon the resultance of the several Advertisements given me, I found what I had to do. The wars in Germany were now hot, when several French gentlemen came to me for recommendations to the queen of Bohemia, whose service they desired to advance, which also I performed as effectually as I could; howbeit as after the Battle of Prague, the Imperial side seemed wholy to prevail, these gentlemen had not the satisfaction expected. About this time the Duke de Crouy, imployed from Brussels to the French Court, coming to see me, said by way of Rhodomontade, as though he would not speak of our Isles, yet he saw all the rest of the world must bow under the Spaniard; to which I answered, God be thanked they are not yet come to that pass, or when they were, they have this yet to comfort them, that at worst they should be but the same which you are now; which speech of mine being afterwards, I know not how divulged, was much applauded by the French, as believing I intended that other Countreys should be but under the same severe Government to which the Duke de Crouy and those within the Spanish Dominions were subject. It happened one day that the Agent from Brussels, and Ambassador from the Low Countreys, came to see me immediately one after the other, to whom I said familiarly, that I thought that the inhabitants of the parts of the seventeen Provinces, which were under the Spaniards, might be compared to horses in a stable, which as they were finely curried, drest and fed, so they were well ridden also, spurred, and galled and that I thought the Low Countrey men were like to horses at grass, which though they wanted so good keeping as the other had, yet might leap, kick, and fling, as much : as they would; which freedom of mine displeased neither: or if the Low Countrey Ambassador did think I had spoken a little too sharply, I pleased him afterwards, when continuing my discourse, I told him that the states of the united provinces had within a narrow room shut up so much warlike provision both by sea and land, and together demonstrated such courage upon all occasions, that it seemed they had more need of enemies than of friends, which compliment I found did please him. About this time the French being jealous that the king my master would match the Prince his son with the King of Spain's sister, and together relinquish his Alliance with France, myself who did endeavour nothing more than to hold all good intelligence betwixt the two crowns, had enough to do. The Count de Gondomor passing now from Spain into England came to see me at Paris, about ten of the clock in the morning, when after some complements, he told me that he was to go towards England the next morning, and that he desired my coach to accompany him out of town; I told him after a free and merry manner he should not have my coach, and that if he demanded it, it was not because he needed coaches, the Pope's Nuntio, the Emperor's Ambassador, the Duke of Bavaria's Agent, and others having coaches enough to furnish him, but because he would put a jealousie betwixt me and the French, as if I inclined more to the Spanish side than to theirs: Gondomer then looking merrily upon me, said, I will dine with you yet; I told him by his good favor he should not dine with me at that time, and that when I would entertain the Ambassador of so great a King as his, it should not be upon my ordinary, but that I would make him a feast worthy of so great a person; howbeit that he might see after what manner I lived, I desired some of my gentlemen to bring his gentlemen into the kitchen, where after my usual manner were three spits full of meat, divers pots of boyled meat, and an oven with store of pyes in it, and a dresser board covered with all manner of good fowle, and some tarts, pans with tarts in them after the French manner; after which being conducted to another room, they were shewed a dozen or sixteen dishes of sweetmeats, all which was but the ordinary allowance for my table: the Spaniards returning now to Gondomor told him what good cheer they found, notwithstanding which I told Gondomor again that I desired to be excused, if I thought this dinner unworthy of him, and that when'occasion were, I should entertain him after a much better manner; Gondomor hereupon coming near me, said, he esteemed me much, and that he meant only to put a trick upon me, which he found I had discovered, and that he thought that an Englishman had not known how to avoid handsomely a trick put upon him under shew of civility; and that I ever should find him my friend, and would do me all the good offices he could in England, which also he really performed, as the Duke of Lenox and the Earle of Pembrook confirmed to me; Gondomor saying to them, that I was a man fit for imployment, and that he thought Englishmen, though otherwise able persons, knew not how to make a denial handsomely, which yet I had done. This Gondomor being an able person, and dexterious in his negotiations, had so prevailed with King James that his majesty resolved to pursue his treaty with Spain, and for that purpose to send his son Prince Charles in person to conclude the match, when after some debate whether he should go in a publick or private manner, it was at last resolved, that he attended with the Marquis of Buckingham, and Sir Francis Cottington his Secretary, and Endimion Porter, and Mr. Grimes, gentleman of the horse to the Marquis, should pass in a disguised and private manner through France to Madrid; these five passing, though not without some difficulty, from Dover to Bulloigne, where taking post horses they came to Paris, and lodged at an Inn in Rue St. Jacques, where it was advised amongst them whether they should send for me to attend them; after some dispute, it was concluded in the negative, since (as one there objected) if I came alone in the quality of a private person, I must go on foot through the streets, and because I was a person generally known, might be followed by some one or other, who would discover whither my private visit tended, besides that those in the inn must needs take notice of my coming in that manner; on the other side, if I came publickly with my usual train, the gentlemen with me must needs take notice of the Prince and Marquis of Buckingham, and consequently might divulge it, which was thought not to stand with the Prince's safety, who endeavoured to keep his Journey as secret as possible: Howbeit the Prince spent the day following his arrival in seeing the French Court and City of Paris, without that any body did know his person, but a maid that had sold linen hereto fore in London, who seeing him pass by, said, certainly this is the Prince of Wales, but withal suffered him to hold his way, and presumed not to follow him: The next day after they took post horses, and held their way towards Bayone, a city frontier to Spain. The first notice that came to me was by one Andrews a Scotchman, who coming late the night preceding their de parture, demanded whether I had seen the Prince? When I demanding what Prince? for said I the Prince of Conde is yet in Italy, he told me the Prince of Wales, which yet I could not believe easily, untill with many oaths he affirmed the Prince was in France, and that he had charge to follow his Highness, desiring me in the mean while, on the part of the King my master, to serve his passage the best I could. This made me rise very early the next morning, and go to Monsieur Puisieux principal secretary of state, to demand present audience; Puisieux hereupon intreated me to stay an hour since he was in bed, and had some earnest business to dispatch for the King his master as soon as he was ready; I returned answer, that I could not stay a minute, and that I desired I might come to his bedside; this made Puisieux rise and put on his gown only, and so came to the chamber, where I attended him. His first words to me were, I know your business as well as you, your Prince is departed this morning post to Spain; adding further, that I could demand nothing for the security of his passage, but it should be presently granted, concluding with these very words, Vous serez servi au point nommè, or you shall be served in any particular you can name. I told him that his free offer had prevented the request I intended to make, and that because he was so principal a minister of state I doubted not but what he had so nobly promised, he would see punctually performed; as for the security of his passage, that I did not see what I could demand more, than that he would suffer him quietly to hold his way, without sending after or interrupting him. He replied that the Prince should not be interrupted, though yet he could do no less than send to know what success the Prince had in his journey. I was no sooner returned out of his chamber, but I dispatch't a letter by post to the Prince, to desire him to make all the haste he could out of France, and not to treat with any of the religion in the way, since his being at Paris was known, and that though the French secre tary had promised he should not be interrupted, yet that they would send after his Highness, and when he gave any occasion of suspicion, might perchance detain him. The Prince after some examination at Bayone (which the governor thereof did afterwards particularly relate to me confessing that he did not know who the Prince was) held his way on to Madrid, where he and all his company safely arrived. Many of the nobility and others of the English court being now desirous to see the prince, did pass through France to Spain, taking my house still in their way, by whom I acquainted his Highness in Spain how much it grieved me that I had not seen his Highness when he was in Paris; which occasioned his Highness afterwards to write a letter to me, wholy with his own hand, and subscribe his name your friend Charles, in which he did abundantly satisfie all the unkindness I might conceive on this occasion. I shall not enter into a narration of the passages occurring in the Spanish Court, upon his Highness's arrival thither, though they were well known to me for the most part, by the information that the French Queen was pleased to give me, who among other things, told me that her sister did wish well unto the Prince. I had from her also intelligence of certain messages sent from Spain, to the Pope, and the Pope's messages, to them; whereof, by her permission, I did afterwards inform his Highness. Many judgments were now made concerning the event, which this treaty of marriage was likely to have; the Duke of Savoy said that the Prince's journey thither was, Un tiro di quelli cavallieri antichi che andavano cosi per il mondo a diffare li incanti; that it was a trick of those ancient knight errands, who went up and down the world after that manner to undoe inchantments; for as that Duke did believe that the Spaniard did intend finally to bestow her on the imperial house, he conceived that he did only entertain the treaty with England, because he might avert the King my master from treating in any other place, and particularly in France; howbeit by the intelligence I received in Paris, which I am confident was very good, I am assured the Spaniard meant really at that time, though how the match was broken, I list not here to relate, it being a more perplext and secret business than I am willing to insert into the narration of my life. New propositions being now made, and other counsells thereupon given, the Prince taking his leave of the Spanish |