They framed their petitions against him; but the whole contrivance having been difcovered to the king before Sir Edward knew any thing of it, and alfo a copy of the petitions put into his hands, he fhewed them to him and the marquis of Ormond, and afterwards made himfelf very merry with it; spoke of it fometimes at dinner, when the qneenmother, who had been in the fecret, was prefent; and afked pleafantly, when the petitions would be brought against the chancellor of the Exchequer.

In the mean time, the queen-mother took all occafion to complain to the queen-regent of the king's unkindness, that the might impute all that the difliked to the chancellor : and the queen-regent of France having intercepted a letter of his to the cardinal de Retz, which he had not thought fit to communicate Erft to her, fle prefently did it to his mother; and a little after, there being a mafque at court that the king liked very well, he perfuaded the chancellor to fee it; and vouchsafed, the next night, to carry him thither himfelf, and to place the marquis of Ormond and him next the feat where all their majefties were to fit: and, when they entered, the queen-regent afked, who that fat man was that fat by the marquis of Ormond. The king told her aloud, That was the naughty man who did all the mifchief, and fet him against his mother; at which the queen herself was little lefs difor

dered

dered than the chancellor; but they within hearing laughed fo much, that the queen was not difpleafed; and fomewhat was spoken to his advantage.

Though the chancellor of the Exchequer was not, perhaps, in compliance with the queen, against making Sir Edward Herbert, keeper, which happened in 1652, yet his troubles did not ceafe; for Mr. Robert Long, who, when the king was in Scotland, had been fecretary, an office now performed by Sir Edward Hyde, petitioning to be reftored to the place, and being refufed, he thereupon accufed Sir Edward of having betrayed the king; and undertook to prove that he had been over in England, and had private conference with Cromwell: which was an afperfion fo impoffible that every body laughed at it: yet, because he undertook to prove it, the chancellor preffed that a day might be appointed for him to produce his proof; and at that day the queen came again to the council, that the might be prefent at the charge.

There Mr. Long produced one Maffonet, a man who had ferved him, and afterwards had been an under clerk for writing letters, and had been taken prifoner at Worcester, and being released with the rest of the king's fervants, had been employed, from the time of the king's return, in the fame fervice, under the chancellor of the Exchequer; who faid, That, after his releafe from his imprifonment, and whilst he stayed in London, he spoke

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fpoke with a maid, who had formerly ferved him, that knew the chancellor very well, and who affured him, that one evening she had feen the chancellor go into Cromwell's chamber at White-hall; and after he had been fhut up with him fome hours, she saw him conducted out again. And Mr. Long defired time that he might fend over for this woman, who fhould appear and justify it.

To this impoffible difcourfe, the chancellor faid, He would make no other defence, than, that there were perfons then in town, who, he was confident, would avow that they had seen him every day, from the time he returned from Spain, to the day on which he attended his majesty at Paris: and when he had faid fo, he offered to go out of the room; which the king would not have him de: but he told his majesty, that it was the course, and that he ought not to be prefent at the debate that was to concern himself; and the lordkceper, who was his enemy, with fome warmth, faid, it was true: and fo he retired to his own chamber.

The lord Jermyn, as foon as he was gone, faid, He never thought the accufation had any thing of probability in it; and, that he believed the chancellor a very honeft man ; but that the use that he thought ought to be made of this calumny, was, that it appeared that an honest and innocent man might be caJumniated, as he thought Mr. Long had likewife been; and therefore they ought both to

be

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be cleared. The keeper faid, He faw not ground enough to condemn the chancellor; but he faw no caufe neither to declare him innocent: that there was one witnefs which declared only what he had heard; but that he undertook alfo to produce the witness herself if he might have time; which, in juftice, could not be denied: and therefore he pro pofed that a competent time might be given to Mr. Long to make out his proof; and, that, in the mean time, the chancellor might not repair to the council.

With much warmth the king faid, He difcerned well the defign; and, that it was fo falfe and wicked a charge, that, if he had no other exception against Mr. Long than this foul and foolish accufation, it was caufe: enough never to trust him: and therefore he presently fent for the chancellor, and, as foon as he came in, commanded him to fit in his place; and told him, He was forry he was not in a condition to do him more juftice than to declare him innocent.

The lord-keeper having as ill fuccefs in another accufation formed against Sir Edward, as if he had fpoke difrespectful words of the king, and the king himself at laft having declared he was very well fatisfied in the chancellor's affection, and took nothing ill that he had faid, and directed the clerk of the conn. sil to enter fuch his majefty's declaration in his book; from that time, there were no farther

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farther public attempts against the chancellor during the time of his majefty's abode in France.

The king, fome time after this, being grown perfectly weary of France, before he retired from thence into Germany, he defired. that the chancellor of the Exchequer might part in the queen's good grace; and, being introduced into her prefence by the lord Piercy, he told her majefty, That now fhe had vouchfafed to admit him into her prefence, he hoped fhe would let him know the ground of the difpleasure the had conceived against him; that fo having vindicated himself from any fault towards her majefty, he might leave her with a confidence in his duty, and receive her commands with an affurance that they should be punctually obeyed by him.

The queen, with a loud voice, and more emotion than fhe was accustomed to, told him, That she had been contented to fee him, and to give him leave to kifs her hand, to comply with the king's defires, who had importuned her to it; otherwife that he lived in that manner towards her, that he had no reason to expect to be welcome to her: that she need not affign any particular mifcarriage of his, fince his difrefpect towards her was notorious to all men; and, that all men took notice that he never came where he was, though he lodged under her roof, (for the houfe was her's); and that the thought he had not feen him in fix

months