A Memorial Offered to John Williams, Part of biography 1 · Letter 11
A Letter to the Prince.
May it pleaſe your Highneſs,
128 ALthough Prayer is all the Service, That at this time either I the moſt obliged, or any other, the wiſeſt of your Servants, can perform unto you, yet I Humbly beſeech your Higneſs to pardon true Affections, that cannot ſtay there, but will be expreſſing of it ſelf, though peradventure neither wiſely nor diſcreetly. The Comick Writer held theſe two ſcarce competent, Amare & ſapere. And to exclude all ſhew of diſcretion, I preſume to write this Firſt Letter of mine to your Highneſs, without ſo much as excribing, or taking a Copy of the ſame, this opportunity admitting no leiſure at all to do the one or the other. Your Journey is generally reputed the depth of your danger, which in my Fears and Repreſentations your Arrival ſhould be. You are in a ſtrange State, for ought we know uninvited, buſineſs being ſcarce prepared, ſubject to be ſtaid upon many and contrary pretenſes, made a Plot for all the Wiſdom of Spain and Rome, for all the contemplations of that State, and that Religion to work upon. And peradventure the detaining of Your Highneſs his Perſon may ſerve their turn, as amply as their Marriage; at leaſt wiſe for this time, and the Exploits of the enſuing Summer: I write not this to fright you, who have Teſtified to all the World your incapability of that Paſſion. But to give Your Highneſs to underſtand, that I hope, if you diſcover any …ndment to detein your Princely Perſon under any fair Colour, or Pretence whatſoever, You will endeavour by all means poſſible to make your departure as ſecret as your Arrival was. I pray God this may prove but my Folly and Jealouſie. And I thank God heartily that you have in Your Company the Earl of Briſtow, who for Advice and Counſel upon the Place, is, in my poor Opinion, inferior to none in His Majeſties Dominions. Here is no Courſe omitted to ſtill the Noiſe, and to take away the Affrightments, cauſed by your ſudden departure. I am a little afraid, that the perſon of the Earl of Car…, whom His Majeſty hath poſted after you, will not prove ſo acceptable in the Spaniſh Court, which I wiſh might have no Provocation at all, while your perſon is there. If it prove ſo, he is a moſt willing Lord to pleaſe Your Highneſs, and you may … ſo of …im the ſooner back again. I have endeavour'd to ſmooth, and ſweeten all things at home, in the beſt accommodation that lay in me. I have ſtayed a Collection which went on for the Griſons, though I bear them good will, leaſt the King of Spain might take Offence thereat. I have reſtored the Prieſts and Jeſuits, that were reſtrained in the New Priſon, to their former Liberty. I have given ſpecial Order to the Judges for Sweetneſs, and Doulcure to the Engliſh Catholicks. I have twice Viſited the the Spaniſh Ambaſſador, and do now deny him no Suit he makes. And all this with a Reflection upon that ineſtimable Pearl of curs, which God hath now put into their Hands. On the other ſide, if things proſper according to your Highneſs's deſire, you will not fail to write to ſome perſon, that will Publiſh it, that nothing hath been repreſented to you there, adverſe or contrary to your Profeſſion, and Religion. And that you were much Offended, when you heard of thoſe Surmiſes of this people, that you took this Journey out of an Yielding and Reckleſneſs in the Conſtancy and Sincerity of the ſame. This Courſe will quiet the ſond Jealouſies at home. Your Highneſs will now give me leave to Remember mine own Calling, and to call upon you to do that, which you have never failed to do, to call upon God Morning and Evening for his Gracious Aſſiſtance and continual Protection, to whoſe preventing, accompanying, and purſuing Grace, I do moſt humbly and Devoutly now upon my bended Knees recommend your Highneſs. Dominus Cuſtodiat introitum tuum, & exitum tuum, ex Lòc nunc & uſ que in ſeculum. Pſ. 121.8.