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Mar. 5.
Senato,
Secreta.
Dispacci,
Francia.
Venetian
Archives.
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484. Gio. Battista Nani, Venetian Ambassador in France,
to the Doge and Senate.
It is worth the consideration of your Excellencies that in the
event of peace ensuing with Spain Mazarini has offered to the
Portuguese ambassador all the assistance of France and her
forces by sea and land ; since he has held out similar hopes to your
Serenity and there is no doubt but he has expressed the same
intentions to England it may be imagined that if peace should
really come it will be a case of tossing up as to who should have the
preference, unless all are served equally with little or nothing.
Paris, the 5th March, 1647.
[Italian.]
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485. Gio. Battista Nani, Venetian Ambassador in France,
to the Doge and Senate.
There is some talk of a marriage between the Prince of Wales
and Mademoiselle d'Orleans. Although many indications point
to such an event being unlikely, yet the suspicions of the parliamentarians
are aroused, all the same, and we hear that they want
to make a fundamental law of the realm that for the future their
princes may not take a wife unless she be of the same religion
as is professed by the state.
The insults which it is reported that Bellievre has received are
being digested by France with dissimulation, indeed, when there
is any discussion the ministers try to excuse this behaviour ; such
is the power of circumstances and the desire to discharge the
trouble of revenge upon others. Meanwhile Bellievre is staying
in London as a private person, and is trying to find some arrangement
by which the queen may be admitted to the kingdom and
to prevent severe measures being taken against the Prince of
Wales, since it is feared that when the king has arrived at Humby
parliament will want to present the conditions of peace to him
again, and if he will not accept them, that it will then proceed to
depose him from his throne. The other news from that quarter
is in the enclosed sheet.
Paris, the 5th March, 1647.
[Italian.]
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Enclosure.
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486. Advices from London, the 21st February, 1647.
The king pursues his journey day by day as arranged, the
Houses having prescribed to their commissioners all the places he
was to pass, rest and stop at. The guards and all the officers
and servants about his Majesty have been appointed by parliament.
No one who has not taken the parliament's side is allowed
to approach or speak to the king, and when he asked for some
of his old servants and in particular for his preachers, as he would
not hear the preaching or make the prayers in the Puritan fashion,
it was denied him.
Parliament has sent its deputies to the Scottish parliament
with particular orders to maintain a perfect friendship between
the two countries. The Scottish troops are evacuating the
country and the towns occupied one by one, and the dismantling
has been begun as arranged. The same Scottish parliament
has decided to reform its army and reduce it to 6,000 foot and
2,000 horse. The general appointed for Ireland has left London
and gone in the direction of Bristol, having given all the troops a
rendezvous in those parts in ten days' time.
[Italian.]
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Mar. 9.
Senato,
Secreta.
Dispacci,
Roma.
Venetian
Archives.
|
487. Alvise Contarini, Venetian Ambassador at Rome, to
the Doge and Senate.
I had audience of the pope yesterday. I commended his zeal
for peace. In reply he said that the peace negotiations were not
proceeding so well as was desirable and they were encountering
difficulties in every direction. Christendom is oppressed by the
Turks and the heretics. He had wished to succour and support
the Catholics of Ireland, but now he did not know what could be
done, as the Scots and the English have united together and have
formed two heretical republics which will send powerful forces
against Ireland. Perhaps by this time they will have delivered
that poor king into the hands of the parliamentarians, who will
put him into a tower, where he will die. He did not know but
that this new power might turn against France and the Catholic
Princes.
Rome, the 9th March, 1647.
[Italian.]
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Mar. 12.
Senato,
Secreta.
Dispacci,
Francia.
Venetian
Archives.
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488. Gio. Battista Nani, Venetian Ambassador in France, to
the Doge and Senate.
Encloses advices of London.
Paris, the 12th March, 1647.
[Italian.]
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Enclosure.
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489. Advices from London, the 28th February, 1647.
When his Majesty was leaving Newcastle, as the Scottish
commissioners were taking leave, it was observed that he drew
aside a gentleman of their suite and covertly gave him a letter.
The parliamentarians had this person seized and searched, and
on him they found the king's letter, directed to Montreuil, the
French resident in Scotland ; but as it is all in cipher they
could not gather its contents. This has aroused fresh suspicion
in the Houses and leads them to enquire more closely into the
king's actions. Meanwhile they have issued a decree that no one
who followed his Majesty's party may approach him.
The king has reached Humby. Everywhere on the road the
people flocked to see him in great numbers, but they were not
allowed to bring him the keys and the sword, with other marks of
sovereign power. As soon as he reached Humby parliament
again presented to him the Covenant and the peace proposals,
giving him 20 days to decide, as a final term. It is thought
that in the end the king will agree to sign, because he has already
let them induce him to take the Presbyterian religion, which is the
first step to the rest, but what is doubtful is the value of a forced
consent. Parliament realises the difficulty perfectly and is
devising ways to overcome it, which will be by prescribing fresh
limitations to the king.
[Italian.]
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Mar. 19.
Senato,
Secreta.
Dispacci,
Francia.
Venetian
Archives.
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490. Giovanni Battista Nani, Venetian Ambassador in
France, to the Doge and Senate.
A courier from the Ambassador Bellievre brings the negotiations
for the return of the queen and the Prince of Wales to England.
The parliament is very reluctant to give its consent for the queen
and offers rather to pay to her 100,000l. sterling as a pension so
long as she stays in France. As regards the Prince there seems no
difficulty and they are contemplating sending a deputation to
invite him to return to the kingdom. The rest of the news is in
the usual sheet.
Paris, the 19th March, 1647.
[Italian.]
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Enclosure.
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491. Advices from London, the 7th March, 1647.
The news that his Majesty had accepted the Presbyterian
religion is not confirmed, indeed he has requested parliament that
two bishops of the Anglican church may be sent to him and two
clergymen so that they may perform the usual offices about his
person and by conferring with them he might resolve certain
doubts about the religion which they are engaged in establishing.
The Houses have decided not to concede this and they have
repeated severe prohibitions forbidding any one of the royal
party to approach the king.
The parliament of Scotland has deputed fresh commissioners
to the king to persuade him to sign the Covenant and the proposals
of peace. These bring with them a declaration in writing that
when his Majesty took refuge with the Scottish army, it was
without the knowledge and consent of that parliament, and that
if his Majesty takes the course suggested his person and his
posterity shall not be prejudiced in the rights of the royal
authority.
From divers counties complaints reach London against the
committees or magistrates who are established to carry on the
government in several places, The city of London itself demands
a reply to the propositions which it made several weeks ago, and
the Houses have informed them of their intention to confer
together and come to a decision at the earliest possible moment.
In the horse market, where they collect a duty upon animals,
a riot has occurred in which a corps of guards burned the books
which dealt with this duty, chasing away and maltreating the
officials. (fn. 1) The two Houses have had a paper printed explaining
the reasonable grounds which force them to continue the impost
for their present requirements, and they are taking steps to have
the authors of the disturbance brought to trial.
In order to cut down expenses they are contemplating a reform
of the army and disbanding the infantry, except such forces as are
necessary for Ireland, reducing the cavalry to 5,400 horse and
1,000 dragoons.
[Italian.]
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Mar. 26.
Senato,
Secreta.
Dispacci,
Francia.
Venetian
Archives.
|
492. Giovanni Battista Nani, Venetian Ambassador in
France, to the Doge and Senate.
Encloses advices of London.
Paris, the 26th March, 1647.
[Italian.]
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Enclosure.
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493. Advices from London, the 14th March, 1647.
The king has not yet been able to make up his mind to hear the
preaching of the two ministers appointed by parliament for the
direction of his conscience. He has also shown so great an
aversion for the commissioners attending him, whom he cannot
bear to see, that they have asked the Houses to have others
sent in their stead. Parliament is disposed to permit this and is
waiting for the arrival of the Scots' deputation, who are on the
road, to bring fresh pressure to bear on the king to accept the
treaties.
The Scottish army has evacuated Varuich and has now left
England. Returned to their own country they have mostly
been disbanded the soldiers receiving all their pay. There was
nearly a disturbance about an oath which they wished the
disbanded men to take, not to do any harm to the country, but
it was quieted in the end. The rest have moved towards the
Highlands to destroy the few troops hiding there with the earl of
Antrim and some others. The crowns of France and Spain are
competing with each other to profit by the disbanding, and enlist
men for their own service.
They have not yet taken in hand the reform of the English
army. The fleet will soon be under weigh, consisting of 70
vessels, including the ramberghe, (fn. 2) ships, frigates and lesser
craft. They are to keep off the coast of Ireland to prevent any
external succour reaching that island and by keeping command
of the sea to render England formidable to her neighbours.
The Ambassador Bellievre has had a state audience of parliament
at which he again offered the mediation of France to make
a suitable peace with the king, arguing in a long speech that without
this a secure peace will never be possible in the country.
[Italian.]
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