portmanteau, and announcing that the prince was on the opposite side of the street waiting to know if he might come to him without discovery. Bristol had received some obscure intimations which prevented his being greatly surprised by the arrival of his distinguished guest, but these and many details connected with this romantic adventure we must pass over: suffice it to say, that nothing could exceed the spirit of rejoicing in Madrid when the arrival of the prince had transpired, and that for a time both Charles and Buckingham were confidently expecting the speedy completion of the marriage*.

Charles's

presence at

But the court of Spain, and particularly the agents of the pontiff, took advantage of the situation and impatience of the prince to Advantage introduce new stipulations, and by this means produced new taken of delays. Bristol protested with his usual ability and firmness against all proceedings of this nature; but two secret Madrid. articles were nevertheless added to the former provisions of the treaty, by the first of which James bound himself to do every thing in his power for a repeal of all the penal laws against the English Catholics within three years; and by the second, the children of the marriage were left under the care of the mother to their twelfth, in the place of their tenth, year t.

Nothing could be less to the taste of the grave and decorous Spaniard than the spirit and conduct of Buckingham. To the Offence given Spanish ministers his assuming hasty dogmatism was par- to Buckingticularly unacceptable; and, as in the fullness of his self- ham, who employs himself confidence he had failed to obtain any express commission to prevent the from James to warrant his interference in regard to the match. treaty, the ministers of Philip did not hesitate to exclude the English favourite from their deliberations on that subject. This conduct could

*Hardwicke Papers, i. 402, 410, 413, 424, 427, 432, 434, 436, 437, 473–475. One of Buckingham's earliest epistles to James states that nothing had been really done by Bristol, 426.

Ibid., 402, 403, 405, 409, 411, 414, 425, 437–443, 445, 509. Lords' Journals, 221, 226, 663.

"Let your majesty inquire of those who came out of Spain, whether the duke of Buckingham did not many things against the authority and reverence due to the most illustrious prince? whether he was not wont to be sitting while the prince stood, and also having his feet resting upon another seat after an indecent manner? whether, when the prince was uncovered while the queen and the Infanta looked on at the windows, he uncovered his head or no? whether sitting at the table with the prince he did not behave himself unreverently? whether he were not wont to come into the prince's chamber with his clothes half on, so that the doors could not be opened to them that came to visit the prince from the king of Spain, the door-keepers refusing to go in for modesty's sake? whether he did not call the prince by ridiculous names? whether he did not dishonour and profane the king's palace with contemptible women? whether he did not divers obscene things, and used not immodest gesticulations and wanton tricks with players in the presence of the prince?" These and other things the author of this letter pledges himself to prove at the pleasure of the English monarch, to whom it was addressed. Cabala, 276. Hacket's Life of Williams, 44.

hardly fail to convert the haughty minion into a determined foe of the proposed alliance, and his resentment disposed him after some time to infuse every possible prejudice against it into the mind of Charles. Nor did he pursue this policy without success. It was with difficulty that Bristol prevented the prince from embarking very abruptly for England; but an occasion for intimating his wish to leave Spain soon afterwards occurred, which was of too plausible a nature to be allowed to pass. This was on the death of the pope, when a further delay was said to be necessary in order that the marriage articles might obtain the sanction of his successor. Delicacy prevented the Spanish monarch from throwing the slightest impediment in the way of this unexpected determination; and hitherto it does not appear to have been suspected that there could have been the least intention of breaking the match, as every preliminary in relation to it which was now practicable had been performed, and with the utmost appearance of good faith on both sides*. Charles, however, was no sooner on board the English vessel than it became manifest that there had been much insincerity Charles concurs in this under these appearances. A letter was immediately sent policy. to Bristol, in which the prince betrayed his wish to find matter of disagreement; and subsequent events show that, having surrendered himself to the guidance of Buckingham, the one object with both from this time was to devise excuses which should give the best colouring to their conduct in abandoning all thought of the connexion with Spain, and which should tend to reconcile James to the blighting of his fondest hope t.

James induced

to it.

When Buckingham and Charles joined the monarch at Royston, "the joy of the interview," we are told, "was such as to be a party surpasseth the relation. His majesty in a short while retired, and shut out all but his son and the duke, with whom he held a conference till it was four hours in the night. They that attended at the door sometimes heard a still voice, and then a loud; sometimes they laughed, and sometimes they chafed, and noted such variety, that they could not guess what the close might prove. But it broke out at supper that the king appeared to take all well that no more was effected in the voyage, because the proffers for the restitution of his

Hardwicke Papers, i. 422, 426, 432, 477-479, 490, 500. Buckingham had other reasons beside the offence given him in Spain for hastening his return. It appears that, during his absence, his enemies in the English court were employing themselves against him and in favour of Bristol with considerable success. Cabala, 128, 129, Heylin's Life of Laud, 105, 113.

Hardwicke Papers, i. 481. "What could the duke say to blot the image of such a person as the Infanta out of his highness's heart? This is strange to those who knew not his highness, who had a quality, to his life's end, to be easily persuaded out of his own knowledge and judgment by some whom he permitted to have a power over him who had not the half of his intellectuals." Hacket's Life of Williams, 54, 55.

son-in-law were no better stated by the Spanish. And then that sentence fell from him which is in memory to this hour, That he liked not to marry his son with a portion of his daughter's tears *.'"

From these expressions, and from what followed, we may conclude that the great object of Buckingham in this interview was to persuade the king that, instead of leaving the question of the restoration of the palatinate to be settled after the marriage, it was imperative on him as a father to insist on security for that object as a preliminary; and the earl of Bristol received instructions to make this new demand on the king of Spain. Philip understood what this meant, and regarding the treaty as virtually at an end, he determined that the blame of this result should rest as far as possible with the English court, and accordingly he gave the required security in writing. Nothing now remained but that Bristol should be at once instructed to withhold the proxy for marriage, which he retained from the prince until after Christmas, when the espousals were to have been solemnized; this instruction was sent, and thus ended the Spanish match after a negotiation of almost nine years continuance †.

The match is

abandoned.

Bristol, by the assiduity and determination with which he had endeavoured, even to the last, to bring the matter entrusted to him to a successful termination, had given unpardonable New policy of Buckingham. offence both to the prince and the favourite. It was to provide against the influence of this nobleman on his return, and if possible to plunge the country into a war against Spain,-a measure to which the council, though chafed by the favourite " from room to room," would not become parties,—that it was now deemed advisable to urge on the king the convening of parliament. The duke hoped A new parmuch would be done towards conciliating his enemies by liament. Feb. 12, 1623. the mere act of advising this constitutional method of procedure. But with this step he connected the avowal of political sentiments widely different from those of which he had hitherto been the

Hacket's Life of Williams, 165.

+ Hardwicke Papers, i. 449-516. Bristol wrote to James respecting the new claim concerning the palatinate in the following words :-" I know your majesty hath long been of opinion that the greatest assurance you could get that the king of Spain would effectually labour the entire restitution of the Prince Palatine was, that he really proceeded to the effecting of the match; and my instructions under your majesty's hand were to insist on the restoring of the Prince Palatine, but not so as to annex it to the treaty of the match, as that thereby the match should be hazarded." Ibid. 484, 485. This is, no doubt, the truth, but it is due to James to add that he did not depart from the terms of the intended marriage until the Spaniards had set him the example. They had even proceeded so far as to demand a toleration of the Catholic worship by act of parliament, deeming the promised suspension of the laws against that worship, as an act of the prerogative, insufficient, and the king, the prince, and the favourite, had all pledged themselves to accomplish that object, or, in the language of the mental reserve which they connected with this proceeding, to do their best for it. Ibid. i. 420, 430, 437. Bristol admits that there were times when the Spaniards were somewhat deficient in courtesy towards their illustrious visiter. Ibid. 480.

Duplicity of
James.

advocate, and he further condescended to seek a reconciliation with some of the most popular members both of the upper and lower house. With respect to the king, it was well known that few things could be so little agreeable to him, as that the judgment of his subjects should be solicited on such mysteries of state as were involved in the recent transactions with Spain; but importuned as he was by his son and his favourite, and bankrupt as he was through the failure of the supply of money expected with the Infanta, he at length consented to a proceeding which in his judgment tended to augment the authority of parliament, at the cost of what properly belonged to the crown*. "Consider," said the monarch, "the estate of my grandchildren, my own estate, and the estate of my kingdom, the treaties and all, and then upon all you are to give me your advice." There was one subject particularly on which it behoved them to judge charitably, as they would be so judged—and that subject was religion. The king wished them to be distinctly assured on this point, that, though he had caused the penal statutes to bear upon delinquents sometimes less rigorously than at others, he had never, in any treaty, private nor public, "promised or yielded" that there should be any dispensing or altering the law in that matter; such a course indeed had never been spoken of with his mouth, or thought of in his heart. This emphatic assertion was made more than once about this time, though the king must have known, that among those who were privy to its falsehood, were the agents of Spain, the favourite, and, above all, his own son †.

It was, then, with this pattern of royal and paternal integrity before Statement of them, that Buckingham and the heir-apparent proceeded Buckingham to the work of self-justification before the parliament, and to the parliament. they acquitted themselves in a manner worthy of the school "Forget not to make them keep their former conditions anent the portion, otherwise both my baby (Charles) and I are bankrupts for ever." James's letter to the prince and duke. Hardwicke Papers, i. 428.

The following are the terms of the article on this subject in the Spanish Treaty, to which James had sworn: "Quod nulla lex particularis contra catholicos Romanos lata, nec non leges generales sub quibus omnes ex equo comprehenduntur, modo ejusmodi sint quæ religioni Romanæ repugnant, ullo unquam tempore, ullo ommino modo aut casu, directe vel indirecte, quoad dictos catholicos, executioni mandabitur." Prynne, 44. Hardwicke Papers, i. 428. 430, 437, 446. James, writing to the prince and duke, says, "I have given order to put in execution all that I have promised (suspending the penal laws), and more; as themselves confess, and had so done before this time, if themselves, by new unreasonable motions, had not hindered it. And thus much more than I promised have I granted unto them at this earnest suit, which is a discharge of all debts already owing to me by recusants; and therefore if they cast up now the great dowry that they are to give, remember that, by this deed, I quit six and thirty thousand pounds of good rent, in England and Ireland.” Ibid. i. 445, 446. See also Cabala, 293–295. Rushworth, i. 63. Dodd's Church Hist. ii. 439. Prynne's Hidden Works of Darkness, 4-15, 40, 47, and Clarendon Papers, i. 4-7. James would not probably have sworn to the private articles of this treaty, had he not weakly promised to confirm whatever should be agreed upon by the prince and the duke. (Hardwicke Papers, i. 417, 419.) And when he bound himself to repeal the penal laws, it was with the reserve that to redeem such a pledge would be impossible, and such was the reservation both of Buckingham and Charles.

in which they had been trained. The substance of the duke's allegations for this purpose was, that in reality nothing had been done in the treaty at Madrid before his arrival there; that the Spaniards had conducted affairs with treachery from first to last; that the prince had been very unhandsomely treated by that people, and that to their conduct it must be attributed that the prince had returned to England, without obtaining the hand of the Infanta, or the restoration of the Palatinate*. Charles, standing near the speaker, occasionally assisted his memory, and attested the truth of his whole narrative. It is now well known, that this relation was partial in most respects, and directly false in others; nor have the advocates of the character of Charles any mode of saving his sincerity, except by representing him, at the age of three and twenty, as incapable of judging with respect to things which he saw and heard.

It has been justly said, that the great misfortune of this whole affair was the baneful effect it had on the character of Charles. "He was taught to intrigue, to dissemble, to deceive. His subjects, soon after he mounted the throne, discovered the insincerity of their prince. They lost all confidence in his professions; and to this distrust may in a great measure be ascribed the civil war which ensued, and the evils which befel both the nation and the sovereign +."

Bristol, who could readily have exposed the misrepresentations of Buckingham, had been informed on his landing in England, Bristol is sithat it was the king's pleasure he should confine himself to lenced-War his castle at Sherborne; and, for the present, that noble- declared man found himself obliged to submit to this arbitrary against Spain. mandate, nor is it until the next reign that we find him making any effectual complaint of his unmerited disgrace. In the mean time, the parliament, possessing only partial means of information with respect to

The almost complete state to which this negotiation had been conducted by Bristol before the arrival of Buckingham may be learnt from several of the authorities in the preceding note, particularly from Prynne, 14, 25. Hardwicke Papers, i. 400, 498. Clarendon Papers, i. App. xxx. Buckingham's statement regarding the insincerity of the Spaniards to the time of his own visit, and Bristol's reply, may be seen in the Lords' Journals, 221, 226, 663.

+ Lingard, ix. 293. That the character of Charles was thus injured in the course of this proceeding is hardly doubtful. But we must not suppose that the bad examples to which he was exposed were all on one side. At Madrid, he had to do with a junta of divines, who thought of nothing, in their slow and wily plottings, save how to make papists :-and what was wanting in the arch-dealing of Olivares, was supplied by the practiced duplicity of Gondomar, and by the services of an arrogant knave who succeeded him in the country-the marquis of Ignioza. Hardwicke Papers, i. 422, 426, 432, 437, 443, 448, 449, 458. It is manifest that, in the progress of this negotiation, James had favoured some project with regard to Holland' which he was much concerned should be kept secret. Ibid. 405, 428. Cabala, 276.

Bristol wrote several letters to James, after his arrival in England, soliciting that he might be heard in his own defence, but without effect. Cabala, 101, 102. Those letters, and others sent from Madrid after the departure of the duke, particularly the "Answers to certain Interrogatories," must have enabled the king to judge pretty accurately as to the state of the case between the earl and the favourite. But the creature of his bounty had now become the master of his actions.

M