Papers of the Winthrop Family, Volume 1
1628-04-15
I am glad to heare of your begynning to amend, I doubt your advise in surgery is not soe good as you may haue here if yo’ill come ere yt be to late;
the lower house of Parliament haue adiorned the Parliament till thursday next, but the Comittees of particular referments meet dayly they haue made an order that he that shalbe wanting one thursday next, shall forfeyte 10 li.2
they are agreed to give the King 5 subsedyes for present supply, soe as our persons and goodes be freed, and that there be noe more ceassing of souldiers, nor pressing of soldiers to serve beyond the Seas against theire wills,3 some other good lawes for religion and the statuts to be putt in execucon against the papistes; what the successe hereof wilbe, manie men yett are in doubt; the Judges in the Kinges Bench doe disclayme the Judgement, and doe lay all the fault one the Attornie generall;4
You shall receive hereinclosed a speach published abroade supposed to be spoken to the King;5
1000 Dutch horse are dayly expected, whereof newes cam last night that 300 of them are landed6
389I pray thanke my brother Gostlyn for his paynes to mr. Lynn of his serving the Inivnction, I doubt mr. Lynn will force me to make affidauit, I pray entreate my brother Gostlyn to keepe the copie of the Inivnction thus long expecting your coming with my dewty to my good mother and my trew loue and respect to your selfe my sister my brother Gostlyn and his wife and all yours and all at mr. Gourdens I rest leaving you and your affayres to Godes blessing your loving brother
W. 2. 15; 4
Collections
, VI. 34–35.
April 10 was Thursday in Passion week, and the House had arranged for an Easter recess; but the King expressed his pleasure that there should be no recess. S. R. Gardiner, History of England, VI. 254.
On April 3 the House debated forced employment on foreign service and pressing men for military and naval service. The subsidies were voted April 4, but were not reported to the House, Wentworth holding that what had been done was done conditionally on the King’s agreement to settle the fundamental liberties of the subject. With this end in view he would have drawn into a law “what may assure us of our liberty of our persons and property of our goods before we report the resolution of our gift.” Ibid., 247–251.
In November, 1627, the Court of King’s Bench denied an appeal of five persons in prison for a habeas corpus that they might know what their offence had been. They had refused to contribute to the forced loan of 1626. Sir Robert Heath, as Attorney-General, opposed the appeal. The judges appeared before the Lords April 14, and said that “they had not given a final judgment, and that the prisoners might have applied for a habeas corpus the next day if they had pleased. The Court only meant to take further time to consider.” The position of the judges was discussed in the House of Commons, but the issue had become political rather than legal and could not be completely solved at the time. Ibid., 116, 182–186, 230–247.
Probably the speech addressed by the Speaker of the House to the King by direction of the House on presenting its petition against billeting [‘ceassing ’] soldiers. The petition was dated April 14. Cobbett, Parliamentary History of England, VII. 443–450. The speech was probably circulated in manuscript form.
John Dulbier and Sir William Balfour had been sent in January to Germany to levy a thousand German horse to serve as auxiliaries. Gardiner, loc. cit., 194.
1628-04-15
As I have allwayes observed your lovinge and dutyfull respectes towardes me, so must I needes allso now, in that sence which you have of my affliction, and that care and paynes you have taken to procure my ease; which, besides the confirminge of my fatherly affection towardes you, wilbe layd vp in store with the righteous Lorde, for length of dayes and blessinge vpon you in tyme to come. I prayse God, my finger is well amended, my Surgeon did his parte well, and stayde the gangreene and tooke out the mortified fleshe, but because your loue and paines should not be loste, I have betaken my selfe wholly to your plaister, which the Surgeon likes well enough of, and I prayse God it goeth well forward. I hope if God will to be at London within this fortnight. I pray make sure of some chamber for me, and if you can, gett Mr. Featherstons resolution, for I will make no new bargaines with him: if he refuse, speake with your uncle Fones about it, and if he will deale with it, let the writinges be gotten readye against I come vp, that you may gett readye for your voyage, which yet you shall not need to lose for any stay about this. I am verye glad that your Capt. hath recovered his hand, when you see him comend me kindly to him and to Mrs. Best and likewise to Doctor Burgesse and his sonne.2 My yellow plaister wilbe spent this week, but of the blacke I have more then I shall vse. My naile is allmost shotte of, I feare. The short bone vnder my nayle is putrified, but my finger will not be the shorter for the losse of that bone. we are all in good health I prayse God, your grandmother and mother salute and blesse you. I wishe you would finde out Sir Nath: Barnardiston, and remember my service to him, and tell him, though I could not write to him, I have sent to know how he doth and his Ladye. 390Thus beseeching our heavenly father throughe our Lord Jesus Christ to blesse guide and prosper you in all your wayes, and so to reveale to your soule the glorious riches of Christ and the sweet pleasures of his grace, as beinge filled and satisfied therewith you may desire no other happinesse, I ende and rest allwayes your lovinge father
This trouble of my hand hath so hindered me in the disposinge of my affaires as I must be forced to come downe next vacation, so as it wilbe midsomer ere your mother, etc. can come vp.3
“Dr. Munk (College of Physicians, I. 201) credits him with a son, but he is almost certainly mistaken.”
D. N. B.
, VII. 311. The reference is doubtless to Burgess’s son-in-law, Thomas Fones.
“This was written with his left hand when his finger of his other hand was sore as mentioned in the letter.” Note written on the letter in the hand of John Winthrop, Jr.