| Content Description | States that, contrary to what he wrote in cipher in his last letter to 'Mr Secretary' [Vernon?], the Duke of Berwick has not left for England but is headed for Italy; is going there to 'remonstrate to the Pope the hardships which the Catholics are under in England'; it is rumoured that he intends to take Orders; states that if Portland wishes to see what he writes to 'Mr Secretary', he should order a copy of the cipher; this will certainly be necessary if the king [William III] decides to go into Holland in the summer; informs him that 'Lord Melford is come in again, and Lord Middleton quite disgraced', explaining the circumstances of the change in fortunes.
Refers to an address of the House of Commons to the king asking him to remove papist and other discontented people from London; says he will make good use of this at Versailles; comments that people in England are 'separate from the commerce and knowledge of the affairs of Europe'; thinks that no-one should serve the king who is too attached to any other party; comments on how William should treat parliament, stating that Henry VII, Henry VIII and Elizabeth I 'refused more things than any others of our princes, and yet governed us best'; states that the country is hurt as much by bad subjects as by a bad king, and that 'we suffered as much by popular rage in 45 as by arbitrary power in 88'.
Comments on how the clergy in England should be treated, referring to the attitude of those 'bred up in Bishop Burnett's seminary'; states how much the people of England love the monarchy in general; comments that he has written openly and asks Portland not to show the letter to anybody; informs him of a paper which has come over to the court of St Germain, recommending the interest of the Prince of Wales to members of parliament, but making no case for King James.
Pw A 1039/3-8 is a transcript of the letter. |