"Commiffion, to write to the Juftices of the "Peace of all the Counties in England, and to "lett them know of all his Majeftie expects at "their hands: I do therefore choofe this time to "obey his Majesty's commands, and take the best care I can that this Letter may find you toge"ther at your Quarter Seffions, prefuming that you who are prefent will take care that it be ❝ communicated to those who are abfent, at your next monthly meetings, which it is most neceffary you keep conftantly. I am forry to heare that many perfons who are in the Commiffion "of the Peace neglect to be fworne, or, being "fworne, to attend at the Affizes and Seffions, or

indeed to doe any thing of the office of a Justice. "For the former fort, I defire that you cause the "Clerke of the Peace forthwith to return to mee "the names of those who are in the Commiffion "and are not fworne, to the end that I may prefent "their names to the King, who hath already given order to his Attorney-General to proceed

against them. For the reft, I hope, upon this "animadverfion from his Majeftie, they will re"collect themfelves, feriously reflect upon their "breach of trust to the King and Kingdom, and "how accountable they must be for the mischiefs "and inconveniences which fall out through their "remiflhefs, and not discharging of their dutyes,

"I affure

"I affure you the King hath foe great a sense of "the service you doe, or can doe for him, that he "frequently fayes, hee takes himselfe to be par❝ticularly beholding to every good Justice of the "Peace who is cheerful and active in his place, "and that if in truth the Justices of the Peace in ❝their several divifions be as careful as they ought ❝to be in keeping the watches, and in the other "parts of their office, the peace of the Kingdom

can hardly be interrupted within, and the hopes and imaginations of feditious perfons would be "quickly broken, and all men would study to be "quiet, and to enjoy those many bleffings God "hath given the Nation under his happy Govern"ment. It would be great pity his Majefty "fhould be deceived in the expectation he hath "from you, and that there fhould not be a vir"tuous contention and emulation amongst you, "who fhall ferve foe gracious a Prince most "effectually; who fhall difcover and punish, if " he cannot reform, most of his enemies; who "shall take most pains in undeceiving many "weak men, who are misled by falfe and mali"cicus infinuations and fuggeftions, by those "who would alienate the minds of the people from "their duty to their Sovereigne; who shall con"firm the weake and reduce the willfull most: "in a word, who fhall be moft folicitous to free

"the

"the Country from feditious perfons, and feditious "and unlawful meetings and conventicles (the "principal end of which meetings is, as appears "now by feveral examinations and confeffions, "to confirme each other in their malice against the Government, and in makeing collections for the fupport of thofe of their party who are lifted to appear in any defperate undertaking, the very time whereof they have defigned). We "must not believe that fuch a formed cor

refpondence amongst ill men throughout the Kingdom, foe much artifice, foe much induftry, and foe much dexterity, as this people are poffeffed with, cannot be disappointed of their wifhed fucceffe by a fupine negligence or

lazyneffe in those who are invested with the "King's authority; indeed, without an equal "indultry, dexterity, and combination between

good men for the prefervation of the peace of the Kingdom, and for the fuppreffing of the "enemies thereof. Let me therefore defire and conjure you to use your utmost diligence and vigilance to difcover the machinations of thofe men whom you know to be ill affected to the "Government, to meet frequently amongst yourfelves, and to communicate your intelligence to each other, and to fecure the perfons of thofe who you find forward to disturb, or

• dan

"dangerous to the publicke peace; and I make "no doubt but his Majeftie will receive foe good "C an account of the good effect of your zeal and. "activity in his fervice, that I fhall receive his "commands to return his thankes to you for the "fame; and I am fure that I fhall lay hold on any " occasion to serve every one of you in particular,

"as,

"My Lords and Gentlemen,

"Your most affectionate fervant,

"CLARENDON C."

"March 30, 1665.

“To my very good Friends

"the Fuftices of the Peace

"for the County of Bucks."

SIR RICHARD FANSHAWE.

THIS most excellent and faithful fervant of a careless and profligate Mafter, on receiving his difmiffion from him as his Minifter at Madrid, wrote the following Letter, which is now first published from the original MS.

"Madrid, Thursday 3d June 1666. St. Loci. "BY the hands of my Lord of Sandwich, who "arrived in this Court upon Friday laft, was "delivered

"delivered to me a letter of revocation from your

Majefty, directed to the Queen Regent, and at "the fame time another with which your Majesty "honoured me for myself, implying the principal "(if not the only) motive of the former to have "been, fome exceptions that had been made re"lative to the papers* which I figned with the "Duke of Medinas de los Torres, upon the 17th "of December last past; a confideration fufficient "to have utterly caft down a foul lefs fenfible than "hath ever been mine of your Majesty's least "fhow of difpleasure, though not accompanied with other punishments, if your Majefty (according to the accustomed tenderness of your Royal difpofition, in which you excell all "Monarchs living), to comfort an old fervant, had "not yourself broken the blow in the defcent, by "this gracious expreffion in the fame letter:"That I may affure myfelf your Majefty believes "I proceeded in the Articles figned by me as "aforefaid, with integrity and regard to your Royal "fervice, and that I may be further affured the

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fame will justify me towards your Majefty, "whatever exceptions may have been made to my

* Relating to the commerce of Spain, and to the eftablishing a truce between that Crown and Portugal.