Buckingham's familiarity with the King was in any way unpopular at this time, when the transactions relating to the French treaty were still involved in mystery. Of all men living Eliot was least open to the charge of undue subserviency. Yet Eliot wrote to Buckingham that he hoped to become 'wholly devoted to the contemplation of 'his' excellence.'1 If the outer world was satisfied for the time, there were thosé at Court who knew too much to be at ease. Williams had inWilliams stinctively shrunk from the unpopularity which was objects to sure to result as soon as the concessions made to the the preparations for war. Catholics were known, and he had too much common sense to look with favour on Buckingham's military projects, which he knew to be far too extensive for the means at his disposal. When the Lord Keeper was first admitted to the royal presence, he found Charles bent upon summoning Parliament immediately, to enable him to go on with his preparations by sea and land. The King even asked why the old Parliament of the preceding year might not be called, without the delay of fresh elections. Williams told him that this would be distinctly illegal, and hinted that it would be well to afford time to canvass the constituencies in favour of candidates of the right sort. But Charles was in no mood to hear of difficulties. Let the writs, he said, be despatched forthwith. Let not a day be lost. The fleet must go forth in the summer. War with Spain must be carried on vigorously. Williams did not venture to argue with his new master, but the few words which he spoke not being 1 Eliot to Buckingham, April 1; Forster's Eliot, i. III. Eliot had been coming to London to attend Buckingham on his visit to France, and Mr. Forster regarded the order, which met him, to remain in the West, as evidence of some intrigue countenanced by the Duke. But the order (Council Register, March 28) was plainly a bona fide one, giving him special duties to fulfil. In fact, Eliot was not wanted to accompany Buckingham, simply because Buckingham's journey was indefinitely postponed. When the Duke went it was under other circumstances, and the suite which he proposed to take was left behind. There was no slight whatever put upon Eliot. As I shall hereafter show, the breach between Eliot and Buckingham cannot be proved to have taken place till much later than Mr. Forster supposed. 1625 CHARLES'S COURT. 321 sufficiently enthusiastic, the King turned his back upon him and dismissed hiin.1 March 29. Objections to the mar In the Council, too, voices were raised against proceeding with the marriage treaty as it stood. Matters had, however, gone too far to admit of hesitation now, riage. and all opposition was put down by Buckingham with a high hand.2 A week after his father's death, Charles removed to Whitehall, walking without state across St. James's Park. His demeanour gained general approbation. H's face was April 3. Charles at serious and pale. His attention to the services of Whitehall. religion was the object of almost universal remark. Men told one another with satisfaction that the new King was 'very attentive and devout at prayer and sermons,' and were especially pleased to hear that he had refused to make the customary present of mourning to a single recusant. A few weeks later the newsmongers reported that, as an Irish earl was talking in a loud voice in a room next to that in which the King was at prayers, Charles sent to him to leave off prating and come to prayers. "His Majesty," said the Irishman, “knows well enough that I do not come to his prayers." "If he will not come to my prayers,” replied Charles, "let him get out of my house." 3 Order at Such anecdotes were sure to be favourably received. Nor was the restoration of the state which had been observed at Court in the days of Elizabeth likely to injure the King in the popular opinion. Almost anyone with a courtier's introduction could gain access to James; Charles directed that no one should be admitted to his presence without special directions from himself. Amongst those who were thus excluded was one who might have hoped for better treatment. Sir Francis Cottington had been Charles's secretary when Neve to Hollonde, April 5; Chamberlain to Carleton, April 9; Mcade to Stuteville, May 6, Court and Times, i. 3, 6, 20. Salvetti's News-Letter, April VOL. V. he was Prince of Wales, and had served him faithfully in that capacity. It was, however, well known that, having fallen sick at Madrid, he had declared himself to be a Roman Catholic, at least till his recovery, and that he had since protested, like Bristol, his belief that, with the aid of the Spanish ministers, the restoration of the Palatinate need not be despaired of. He was now not only stripped of his official position and emoluments, but forbidden to appear at Court. Cottington, like a man of the world as he was, went straight to the Duke, asking him 'whether it could not be in his power, by all dutiful application and all possible service, to be restored to the good opinion his Grace had once vouchsafed to have of him, and to be admitted to serve him?' Buckingham had at least the merit of speaking out his thoughts. He told Cottington 'that he would deal very clearly with him; that it was utterly impossible to bring that to pass which he had proposed; that he was not only firmly resolved never to trust him, or to have to do with him, but that he was and would be always his declared enemy; and that he would do always whatsoever should be in his power to ruin and destroy him, and of this he might be most assured.' Cottington, seeing that all chance of advancement was at an end, replied that he hoped, from his justice and generosity, that he would not suffer himself to gain by his loss,' adding that he had not only by the Duke's command laid out money in jewels and pictures, but had once, .' in hope of his future favour,' made him a present of a suit of hangings worth 800l. Buckingham told him that he should be at no loss. If he would send in his account, every penny should be repaid.1 Such an anecdote as this points to the special danger of the new reign so far as it was to be influenced by Buckingham. There would be no personal meanness; but whether anyone was to be treated as a friend or as an enemy would depend entirely on the accordance of his political views with those prevalent for the time at Court. There would be no largeness of mind, no readiness to hear all sides of disputed questions. Charles's heart was set upon greater things than on the 1 Clarendon, i. 33. 1625 April 9. Committee on foreign affairs. WARLIKE PREPARATIONS. 323 restoration of etiquette. On the 9th he directed the formation of a Committee of the Privy Council to advise him on foreign affairs. Buckingham, of course, was one of the selected number. Of the other four membersPembroke, Brooke, Ley, and Conway-Pembroke was the only one who had ventured to differ from Buckingham, and even he had never differed from him for any length of time.1 Mansfeld allowed to assist the Dutch. The first result of the consultations of this body was the removal of the bar to the employment of Mansfeld at Breda. The States-General were again applied to for money, and they consented to give their security for a loan of 40,000l. raised at Amsterdam. The English Government hoped that this sum would be sufficient to enable Mansfeld to take his way towards the Palatinate as soon as the fate of the besieged town was decided.2 The demands of the Northern Powers were next taken into consideration. It appeared that the Congress at the Hague could not be brought May 26. together as soon as was expected, and Charles Money sent therefore entered into a separate agreement with the to the King of Denmark. King of Denmark. He offered to furnish him with 30,000/.3 a month, and before May was at an end he paid over 46,000l. on account. He did not, however, abandon the hope that the co-operation of Gustavus might still be secured.1 If Charles was anxious for the success of Mansfeld and Christian, he was still more anxious for the success of his own fleet, which, thanks to a timely loan of 30,000l. from April. The fleet got Buckingham, was being rapidly prepared for sea. The new King's first recorded appearance in public after his father's death was on the occasion of a visit to the shipping at Blackwall. It had been finally settled that twelve ships of the Royal Navy, twenty armed merchantmen, and ready. 5 The King to Ley and others, April 9, S. P. Dom. i. 43. 2 Conway to Carleton, April 19; Carleton to Conway, April 19, S. P. Holland. 3 Enrolments of Privy Seals, May 26; Anstruther to Carleton, May 28, S. P. Holland. Ley to Conway, June 11, S. P. Dom. iii. 52. • Declared Accounts, Treasurer of the Navy. R. O. Meddus to Meade, April 22, Court and Times, i. II. fifty colliers to act as transports, should rendezvous at Plymouth in June. Something more than ordinary sea service was inMay 1. tended, and on May 1, the Privy Council ordered Land that 10,000 landsmen should be pressed to accomsoldiers to be pressed. pany the fleet as soldiers. Of these, 8,000 were to be at Plymouth on May 25. The remaining 2,000 were to be sent over to the Netherlands, there to be exchanged, if the consent of the States-General could be obtained, for the same number of disciplined men from the English regiments in the Dutch service. By this means some steadiness might be imparted to the raw levies, who were but too likely to be the mere offscouring of the streets, sent by justices of the peace to serve his Majesty because they were troublesome to their neighbours at home.1 The Dutch asked to take part. April 13. Death of the Prince of Orange. The application made at the Hague for disciplined soldiers had been accompanied by a proposal that the Dutch should take an active part in the expedition itself. When the demand reached the Netherlands, the soldier who had guided the Republic since the death of Barneveld had died, after a lingering illness. In his brother, Frederick Henry, who succeeded him as Prince of Orange, and as Stadtholder of five out of the seven Provinces, the States were eventually to find a soldier of a quality equal to that of Maurice; but he was as yet untried in his high post, and, with the fate of Breda trembling in the balance, the States-General naturally demurred to Charles's request to be allowed to select two thousand picked men from all the English regiments in their service. Whatever men he Reply of the took, they said, he must take by whole companies, Dutch. the good and the bad together. They had, however, no objection to his invitation to share in a maritime attack upon Spain, and they agreed to furnish twenty ships to the proposed expedition. At the same time they expressed their desire to bring to trial the perpetrators of the massacre of Amboyna, and, for the time at least, this cause of dissension was removed.2 April 17. 1 Enrolments of Privy Seals, Dec. 23, Feb. 2; Reply to Carleton's Memorial, April 17, S. P. Holland. Council Register, May 1, 16. 3 Reply to Carleton's Memorial, April 17, S. P. Holland, |