1639.—April 10.
14. Letter from the King to Hamilton.[175]
Hamilton,
I have spoken with Henry Vane at full, of all those things that were concerted betwixt you, and agree in all things but one, which is, that he thinks your going into the Frith, will make the Rebels enter into England the sooner; whereas on the contrary, I think that my possessing of Carlisle and Berwick hath made them so mad, that they will enter in as soon as they can perswade an Army together, except they be hindred by some awful Diversion; wherefore I could wish that you were even now in the Frith, though the Borders might be quiet till my Army be brought together, which they say will hardly be yet these ten days. Yet I am not out of hope to be at Newcastle within these fourteen days, and so to Berwick as soon as I may with either Honour or Safety; wherefore my Conclusion is, go on a Gods Name in your former Intentions, except I send you otherwise word, or your self find some inevitable necessity: and so I rest
Your assured constant Friend,
Charles R.
York, 10 Apr. 1639.
Postscript.—I have sent you ten Blanks, whereof four be Signaturewise.
1639.—April 10.
15. Letter from the King to Hamilton.[176]
Hamilton,
According to my Promise on Thursday last, I send you herewith the Proclamation altered as I then wrote; and that you may not think that these Alterations are grounded upon new Counsels, I shall desire you to observe, that I do not so much as seem to adde the least thing to my former Promises. It is true, that I neither mention the late pretended General Assembly at Glasgow, nor the Covenant, at this time: my reason is, that if for the present I could get Civil Obedience, and my Forts restored, I might then talk of the other things upon better terms. As for excepting some out of the General Pardon, almost every one now thinks that it would be a means to unite them the faster together; whereas there is no fear, but that those who are fit to be excepted, will doe it themselves by not accepting of Pardon, of which number I pray God there be not too many: So that you are now to go on according to your former Directions, onely proclaiming this instead of my former signed Proclamation; and so to proceed with Fire and Sword against all those that shall disobey the same. So praying to God to prosper you in all things, I rest