VNderstanding his Highnesse Letters, have now at last bin read in both the Honourable Houses, & that an Order hath issued, to have them sent to the Committee of the Admiralty; there to have the businesse stated, and reported to the Ho­nourable Houses, touching his Highnesse Ships, and the taking of them; together with the proceedings as towards mee his Highnesse Resident: I thought it my part, standing in the place I doe, to set up these Lights before the Honourable Houses, lest parte inanditâ al­terâ their judgments might be still misled in a matter of so great concernment.

For how can his Highnesse my Master expect an e­ven and faire report to be made from that Commit­tee, [Page 2] which already prejudicating his Highnesse cause, hath imposed silence, not only upon▪ themselves in answering to his gracious Letters, but upon me also his publike Minister, or any sent by me to agitate his Highnesse affaires at that Table, insisting still upon that Crambe of my being onely a pretended Agent? which imputation cannot appeare to the Honourable Houses, in any other shape then of Ca­lumny,; his Highnesse having so often iterated by his Letters to both the Honourable Houses, as also to divers particular Members of either House (your Lordship having beene one of them) my being his Resident, still honouring me in all those Letters with the stile of his Resident; which quality for these do­zen yeares he hath fixed upon me; which also hath beene made evident by his severall renewed Com­missions, and I will crowne this verity with a testi­mony unquestionable, His Majesties Royall Letters sent me from Oxford, confirming under his Hand and Seale, the priviledges of my place, equall to those he gave to the greatest Embassadors: So that in all sense this ridiculous badge of Pretended, might have beene cryed downe long ere this, having no ground at all to subsist upon, but the opinion of such who file their owne dreames upon Record.

Now my Lord, for his Highnesse setting out men of Warre in a maritime way, against his Enemy the French, who in prudence can fault it? he being a Soveraigne Prince, and in confederacy with the Catholike King, who gives him the freedome of all his Ports, as by our last Prize taken and brought in­to Ostena is made manifest; So as that fond cavill [Page 3] must be laid downe, in questioning his Highness right to arme at Sea.

The particulars of what some of his men under his Highnesse Commission have done in this kind, I will here set downe, and how they have beene treated; though with a more impartiall penne then I presume the Honourable Houses will receive from the Re­port of the Committee of the Admiralty, which already hath so much slighted his Highnesse, and pas­sed sohard a censure upon those his Affaires.

His Highnesse sending for Ireland a Ship called the St. Carlo, of 300. Tunne, to transport those men for Flanders, which he had levied there, it was taken by a Parliament man of Warre in the River of Lim­rick, and though by Order from his Highnesse, I made my complaints, yet could I not obtaine of the Com­mittee of the Admiralty any redresse; so that his Highnesse lost that Ship, and by that occasion his men also, which being transported afterwards in a weaker Vessell, were taken at Sea by the Hollanders, presuming they were to serve the King of Spayne, for the States of Holland are not in Hostility with my Master.

Captaine Antony a Flemming, being sent by his Highnesse the Duke of Lorraine into Ireland, to conduct some Souldiers of Colonell Plunkets Regi­giment, which he had levied in Ireland for the Dukes Service, (his Highnesse seeing the Spaniard and the French levie forces in Ireland, thought it as lawfull for him so to doe as for them) Captaine Antony up­on his Highnesse charge bought a Vessell in Water­ford, in which he imbarked some 30 or 40 men for Flanders, but at Sea was taken by a Parliament Ship [Page 4] and brought Prisoner into Portsmouth, no regard being had to his Highnesse Commission which he shewed; There, were his men kept Prisoners for many weekes on Ship-board, not being permitted to Land; the Captaine in the meane time got leave to come up to me to make his complaints, in which I negotia­ted as much as possible I could, but was still put off, in the meane time his Highnesse men, still on Ship­board, indured extreamity of misery, being forced somtimes for eight dayes together to drink nothing but Sea water; In fine, I pressing that they might be used like Christians, one in office in the Com­mittee of the Admiralty answered me, that he estee­med them no better then doggs: At the last the Captaine was forced to goe into Flanders, there to buy another Ship to fetch his men away, his Highnesse Vessell be­ing heere seased upon.

These were all young Gentlemen of Ireland, none of them above 20 years of age, who had never borne Arms in that Kingdome, which I often intimated, but no­thing would be heard. The poore Youths being most of them Nobly borne, and tenderly bred, being ar­rived in Flanders, immediatly dyed upon these cruel­ties used against them.

His Highnesse having intention to fight his Ene­my the French, in all the Elements he could, resolves to set up forces also by Sea, and having the freedome of all the King of Spaines ports, was willing to entertaine in that service men of our Nation, as well as Dutch, Scots and Danes; whereupon Captaine George Grace, under Commission from his Highnesse, setting to Sea, tooke upon the Coast of France, a Hanburger richly laden with French goods, [Page 5] as wee made to appeare in the Admiralty Court, both by the Cocket, and Bills of Lading, as by the con­fession of the Hanburger and his fellow Mariners under their hands; neverthelesse the Prize being taken from his Highnesse Captaine, by a Ship of the Par­liament, commanded by Captaine Filpot, with much violence used to our Captaine and his Company) was brought into Portsmouth, and here in the Admi­ralty Court, adjudged no Price by Doctor Samms, then judge of the Admiralty; and with such passion was the businesse carried, and in such contempt of his Highnesse Commission, that Captaine Grace was arrested in the very Court whilst the cause was hea­ring, and all the Cockets, Bils of Lading, and the testimonies of the Hanburgers taken from him. Thus was his Highnesse defeated of his Prize, and of his owne Ship.

Another Vessell was bought by his Highnesse, in which Captaine Grace was againe set out, and pursu­ing a French-man in open Sea, the French-man fled to a Parliament Ship which protected him, whereupon Captaine Grace was forced to desist, and sayled to­wards Poole, (where lying at Anchor to take in ballast,) by Order from the Governour of Poole, he was sea­sed upon by a Ship of the Parliament, commanded by Captaine Cartridge who brought him into Poole, where the Governour kept the Ship for divers moneths, and imprisoned the Captaine and his men without any ground at all, but upon cavill against his Commission; and upon sinister informations cau­sed the Captaine to be sent up to London Prisoner, by Order from the Committee of the Admiralty. By [Page 6] his meanes that service was wholly lost, to his High­esse great dammage and dishonor, though afterwards with much and much solicitation the Ship was re­stored, but with excessive charge to his Highnesse, both in the clearing of her, and making her fit againe for Service.

His Highnesse still not doubting but to receive full satisfation for these injuries offered him, sets out another Vessell, under Command of Captaine Faulkner, who upon the French Coast tooke a French­man and brought him into Dartmouth, where the Governor seased upon him, and his Prize; but at last was content to let Captaine Paulkner depart with his owne Vessell, but detained for his owne use and benefit the French Vessell (which was an excellent Swimmer) and kept all the goods in her; and al­though by Order from his Highnesse, I made my ad­dresses to the Committee of the Admiralty for sa­tisfaction, yet none could I ever obtaine. Neither wanted (upon all these severall exigents) his High­nesse Letters to both the Honourable Houses, de­manding restitution in a faire way, but so farre was that off, as to this houre his Highnesse never received any. Neverthelesse his Highnesse not intending in these his intentions for Sea, to exclude our Nation, sets out Captaine Faulkner againe, who taking a French-man, not within command of any Fort or Castle of this Kingdome, as is pretended (which appeared by a shot made from Mount-Batten which reached not Captaine Faulkner by a mile and upward) brought confidently his Prize into the Isle of Wight, where he was presently seased upon by Colonell [Page 7] Hammond; the Captaine and all his men cast into Prison; his Prize taken from him, and sold before his face (which shewed no intention of restoring it to the French, had they had any right to it) and an inventory sent up to the Committee of the Admiralty of the goods, to a very small valuati­on, though the Prize was worth 600 li. the ship be­ing laden with Wines, Rozen, Pitch, Pruens, and the like French Commodities of value; All the sollicitation possible I could make in his Highnesse behalfe, and withall delivering his Highnesse Letters to both the Honourable Houses, (filled with much sweetnesse and affection towards this Nation) to obtaine satisfaction, none ever yet was thought up­on, nor that there was any such Princeas the Duke of Lorrayne, whose Letters were worthy of answer. In witnesse still of this high misprission, foure of his seamen are yet in extreame misery, detayned in the Common-Goale of Winchester, where they are rea­dy to perish; and both the French Ship, and the Dukes also, are imbarged, and seased upon before the Isle of Wight.

At the same time Captaine Anderson having re­ceived his Highnesse Commission, went downe to Portsmouth, where having gotten to him some few Sea-men, and bought a small Vessell to transport themselves to Ostend, there to be put upon a greater Ship; no sooner was it knowne, that they were to serve under the Duke my Masters Commission (ha­ving yet never attempted any thing) were seased up­on and detained in prison for many weeks, to the o­verthrow of that his Highnesse service, and the undo­ing [Page 8] of the poore men: after my many sollicitati­ons, and many repulses, they were at last freed from their most unjust imprisonment, but with no consi­deration had of their losses.

These several passages of disgrace, having beene put upon the Duke, my Master, with so stiffe a si­lence in both the Honourable Houses to his High­nesse so many courteous Letters, have caused (I pre­sume) this last Letter of his to both the Houses, to make some expression of his resentment, in deman­ding of the Parliament of England, whether they desire to have him their Friend or their Enemy.

And although I, my Lord, am servant to this great Prince, who at this houre commands an Army of his owne of 12000. as gallant men as the Sunne shines upon, most of them old Souldiers, of under­standing, as well able to command, as of wills ready to obey, having borne for many yeares the waight and scoarching of the day, who with often graplings have made soft unto their hands the hardnesse of warre, glorying more in their honourable Scarrs then in their Scarlets, and are at their height of joy, when they heare the Trumpets call to a Battell; yet am I still an English man, and so zealous a Patriot, as most willingly would I Sacrifice my life in the continuation of that ancient League and Amity, which hath ever beene betweene this Kingdome and the House of Lorrayne, that Mother of Princes, that Nurcery of Kings, whose Royall steame hath exten­ded its flourishing Branches over most of the Thrones of Europe, whose now Regnant Heyre, the Duke my Master, looking upon the rich Ornaments [Page 9] of his Soveraignty, values the greatest Juell in it, his so neere allyance to our Soveraign Lord, Charles, King of England, France, Scotland, and Ireland, whose present condition he behols with eyes full of affecti­ons, and cleered from all Mists of mistake.

I conclude my Lord, with my owne disinterest; it is not (I am confident) the pleasure of my Master to call me off from this Station, by way of complyance with the Honourable Houses, till that abusive attri­bute of pretended, be taken off from me his reall Mi­nister: for what judgement can thinke such an impu­tation should be laid upon me, from any doubt in matter of fact, as whether his Highnesse ownes me for his Resident, or not? but rather the doubt seemes to be raysed in matter of his Highnesse Power, whether he can constitute any Publique Minister.

And to question this, wil but expresse more & more the weaknesse of those who doubt it, and make his Highnesse more & more reflect upon his own Powers.

But did the streame run cleere (as formerly) which now begins to be troubled betweene his Highnesse my Master, and the Honourable Houses, I should receive those endeavours most joyfully, which should effectually obtaine my recalling, for the cause of my stay here being now rightly stated, the diffe­rence appeares betweene his Highnesse the Duke of Lorraine, and the Parliament of England, and not be­tweene the Parliament of England, and