In the next letter, dated 27th May 1658, there is an allusion to her eldest son Henry, who was to succeed his father as second Earl of Clarendon and who was at this time at Brussels under the care of the Nicholas family. There is also mention of little Frances, the younger daughter, who seems to have come back to her mother’s keeping recently from England (if she had been left there). The remark as to her English speaking points to this conclusion. But the chief anxiety in the writer’s mind is the condition of her father, Sir Thomas Aylesbury, who was an inmate of her house, and then in rapidly failing health.
“You are very much in the wright, I am not yet so raidy, and if I were, should not use it to my friends and perticulerly where I owe so much as to your familey, and wth our acomplement the blush would returne upon myselfe, if I should forgitt to returne my thankes to you. I am againe to thanke you for delivering my message to Mr Secretarey, and upon my word both he and you shd be very welcome if you make Breda your way to Bruges. Mrs Frances will be able to make you speaches in English, wh I am sure you will say is Language enough for a woman, and if this will not bringe you, I can say no more. I am glad my Husband hath refused to lend his House at Bruges, it Lookes, as you say, as if it shou’d returne, but of this I know nothing, but I assure you I should have great sattisfactione if it bringe me to my Lady. I beleave indeed it is not possible for you to guise at my Lord’s coming; I thinke from the first weeke of my being brought to bed, he hath promised to come to me, but now I will not so much as thinke of it till I see him, though he still says it will not be long before he come. I wish I could tell you that my Father were well but his sore mouth makes me much afraide of him and yett to-day at present I thinke him better than he was a week agoe; haveing latly hard from Monsieur Charles I cannot but tell you that he is well, and his dry Nurse assures me he grows apace. Pray present my afectionat and humble serve’s to Mr Secretarie, and when you write to Bruges lett my Lady know I am her most faithfull servant; though I am to make no complaints, you may tell my Hary I have not hard from his Father sence the 20. I wish it may prove a signe of your removing towards Breda.”
The succeeding letter, which is dated 3rd June 1658, contains an allusion to the siege of Dunkirk, which had been invested on the 25th May by the English and French forces under Turenne. The Spanish army marched from Brussels to relieve the town, and in this host were the Dukes of York and Gloucester and the famous Condé, who, however, was not allowed a free hand, for it was against his advice that the Spanish Ambassador, Don John of Austria, persisted in giving battle. It was then that the Prince said to the Duke of Gloucester: “Did you ever see a battle fought?” and on the boy answering that he had not, Condé[[43]] rejoined grimly, “Well, you will soon see a battle lost.”
[43]. Knight’s “Popular History of England.”
“This is to acknowledge yours of the 27. of the last Month and to intreate you to returne my humble serv’es to my Lady wh my thankes for her willingness to receive a servant from me. Pray assure her Lasp I am very well sattisfied with her reason in not taking another servant at this time, and when I have the happiness to see my Lady shall speake wth her more at large of the person I would recomend to her. I am very sorry the plague is feared at Bruges, and much troubled for Dunquerque. I pray God preserve them from the French. I hope you will not be angry if I wish my Lady’s house at Breda this sumer, upon my word I should looke upon it as a great blessing to me. What the people wth you intend, God knows, and though I must submitt to my Lords businesse, I confesse I am troubled that he is not now heare, my Father being not like to recover, and wishing every day to see my Husband, this will I hope excuse my sad impatience. Pray my humble serv’es to Mr Secretary and tell him I doe still hope to see him here as I do our souter.”
The letter of 6th June makes another reference to Dunkirk.
“You are so great a courter that I could quarrell wth you for useing me so like a strainger, and you have forgotten my humor if you thinke I expect it from my freinds. I am very glad that you have some hopes of Mr Secretaries cominge hether, pray present my humble serv’es to him and be sure you doe all good offeces that may bringe him to Breda. If my Lady Steephens can helpe my Lady your Mother to a good waiteing woman and it be not inconvenent to my Lady to take her I hope nothing I have said shall hender her from it, for the Person I proposed is to be maid usefull to my Lady by her owne trouble in scatching and making her fitt for her Laps serv’es, and therefore is not to keepe her from a better. I only named this in case there were not a better to be had and so beseech you to lett my Lady know wth my most affectionat and humble serv’es to her. Thay say Dunquerque is releeved, but being but Breda’s news I feare it, how ever I wish my Lady a neerer neighbor and that it were in my power to doe anything towards it that I might inioye her Laps company. Sence I tould you that I thought my Father was better, I have bin in a great fright for him but I thanke God he is now better and was this week tooke to take the Ayre wch I thinke hath don him goode, but God knows he is brought very low, wch keepes me in continual fear for him though I am very confident my Lord will come to Breda, and beleave you thinke he will surprise me, yett the people he hath to Leave wth are so unsertane that it is imposible for me to beleave anything of his coming tell I see him: my Father’s illnesse makes me more impatient of his stay then otherways I should be but I must submitt to all.”
The next letter of 13th June lays further stress on Sir Thomas Aylesbury’s failing condition, and there is an allusion which looks as if little Frances Hyde were a special pet of the Secretary’s.
“You see how kind I am to myself in desiring so good a family as yours neere me and I wish wth all my heart it might be in my power to serve my Lady if she should be put to a remove I assure you none could wth greater alacrety serve her then myselfe in the meane time, so if my Lady have a mind to change the ayre I will make her as good a conveniency wth me as I can. I thanke you for the share you are pleased to beare with us in our afflictions for my Father. I am daly in great aprehensions of him yett at present wee thinke him somthing better then he was, pray give me your prayers for him; my Lord hath againe given me hopes of seeing him this weeke and by wt you say I should be confident of it, but the King’s irresolution makes me still in doubt. The sweete meate box wth out asking any questions, is most freely at your dispose. I will still hope to see Mr Secretarie here, and so pray tell him with my most humble serv’es and that his servant little Franke shall eate cold puding with him for a wager, my humble serv’es to my Lady your Mother when you write, if you will excuse the hast of this scribled paper. I shall not doubt of your charity to
“Sr your most faithfull servant.”