Mr. Jeunour will mainteyne two horses soe long as this . . . . Sir Rich. Onslow will mainteyne fower horses for himself and his sonne. Sir Sam. Owfield will mainteyne fower horses, and doe more if occasion shall bee. Mr. H. Pethar [Qy. Pelham?] will bringe an hundred pownds. Mr. Vassall will mainteyne one horse, and, if occasion bee, two more. his "estate at this period was certainly by no means "proportionable" to his "affections" to the public service. In a letter to Secretary Sir Ed. Nicholas, still preserved, in the State Paper Office, dated the December preceding, he says, "I have now in this employment (that of Speaker) spent almost fourteen months, which hath so exhausted the labours of twenty-five years, that I cannot but expect a speedy ruin, and put a badge of extreme poverty on my children," and he therefore requests the king's permission, "to use my best endeavours with the House of Commons to be quit of this employment, and retire back into my former private life, whilst I have some ability of body left," &c. Owing to this letter probably, on the report of a Committee (of which Hampden was chairman) the House, at the King's recommendation, shortly afterwards, "in consideration of his great and extraordinary charges," voted him 60007., " of which, to this day," he writes, in 1660, “I have never received above the one half." 66 His cousin, Sir Thomas Tempest, the King's Attorney-General in Ireland, writing to him from Dublin the preceding August (1641), says: "Our worthy Speaker here and I often remember you both very hartily and truely lovingly. His employment here is, and hath been, very troublesome and extreamly chargeable both in cost and lost, wherein I doubt you partake with him and exceed; but, God be thanked, you have both great estates to bear that out, and truely they had need be so." (Tan. MSS. Bibl. Bodl.) In a vindication of himself, published in 1660, the "great estate," as well as the "cost and lost" of the Speakership, to which Sir Thomas alludes, are thus more fully explained: "When I was first called to be Speaker," he says, "I think it is known to most I had a plentiful fortune in land, and ready money too a good summe, and if I had continued my way of practice, I might as well have doubled my fortune as get what I did, because the estate I had then gained was the profits of my beginnings; and having lost now twenty years of the best part of my life, and the greatest of my advantages, it will appear I have been a greater loser than an improver of my fortunes by those public places I have with so much hazard and danger undergone. I received by ..... Mr. Ven will bringe in an hundred pownds in money, and will have a horse ready for himself and sonne allwayes, uppon Sir H. Heyman will bringe in one hundred pounds in plate or money and two horses, for the defence of the kinge, kingdome, and privileges of parliament and liberties of the subject. Mr. Stevens will furnish two horses compleatly. Mr. Ro. Goodwyn will bringe in one horse and fifty pownds in plate or money. the last years of my practice five and twenty hundred pounds by the year, which I quitted when I was made Speaker, and instead of making any advantage by that, I added a great charge, keeping a great retinue and public table," &c. And he further affirms, "Of the 51. per diem, due to the Speaker as Speaker, from my first sitting to my last, I never received one farthing," and (with the exception, of course, of the vote already mentioned) "I never had any recompense from the House in money, land, or by other reward, and from 1648 to the last time I sate, I never received any profit by fee or otherwise.” In Lord Somers's Tracts, vol. vii. p. 103., there is a letter (evidently addressed to Lord Goring) confirmatory of this statement, in which the writer says, "I am very glad you have given me an opportunity of vindicating my old friend the late Speaker. You cannot be unacquainted with the greatness of his practice before he was called to that employment, for I, having seen his accounts [can vouch] 'twas more than 2000l. per annum. In the first two years of his Speakership he kept a public table, and every day entertained several eminent persons, as well belonging to the Court, as Members of Parliament, &c. . . . . Immediately after, the unhappy war broke out, and it was his chance to have his fortunes in the activest parts of it, so that his estates for five years yielded him nothing." One of the "estates" thus referred to was that of Bessels Leigh, the old manor place of which (from its proximity to the royal quarters at Oxford) was once seized, and for a time garrisoned, by the King. (Whitelock's Memorials.) Of the Speaker's "hearty affection" to the public service, he had already in the preceding "short" parliament, as Chairman of the Ship Money Committee, and subsequently of the Committee of the whole House, given abundant proof. There was scarcely a committee, in fact, appointed, however remotely affecting any one of the three great questions which then so deeply agitated the public mind, viz. Religion, Privilege, and Supply, on which his name does not occur in the Journals, associated with the leaders of the popular party, Hampden, St. John, and Pym, &c., from his very first entry into the House. He had also previously declined to contribute to the king's expedition against the Scots. Sir Gilbt Pickering will bringe in fower horses and one hundred and fifty pownds in money or plate. Mr. Browne, of Kent, will bringe in an hundred pownds in money or plate. Capt. Skinner will bringe in two horses. Sir Thos. Walsingham will bringe in an hundred pownds in money or plate, and have two horses allwayes ready at fower-and-twenty howers warninge. Sir Robt Harley will furnishe two horses. Mr. Purey will furnishe one horse. Mr. Green will furnishe one horse and bringe in fifty pownds in plate or money. Sir Edward Boyse will furnishe two horses, when there shall bee occasion, and bringe in fifty pownds in plate or money. Mr. Prideaux will bringe in an hundred pownds. Mr. Lucas will bring in fifty pownds in money and one horse. Mr. Peard will bring in an hundred pownds and expect noe interest. Mr. Rigby will send up one horse completely furnisht, if his countie bee in peace nine dayes after hee comes down. Mr. Bagshaw will bringe in fifty pownds and expect noe interest, for the preservation of the kinge and parliament, accordinge to his protestation, oathe of supremacie, and allegiance, conjunctively and not divided, and in noe other manner. Mr. Reynolds will furnishe out two horses, and bringe in an hundred pownds in plate. Mr. Knightley will bringe in an hundred pownds in money and furnishe two horses. Mr. Grantham will furnishe out two horses. Sir Jo. Merrick will furnish two horses. Mr. Oldsworth will subscribe fifty pownds and furnish an horse. Mr. Cromwell will bringe in five hundred pownds. Mr. Ashton will bringe in two horses. Mr. Jo. Moore will bringe in two horses. Sir Beauchamp St. Jon will bringe in two horses. Mr. Tate will bringe in two horses and mainteyne them. Mr. Hobby will finde two horses. Sir Jo. Holland will bringe in two horses ready furnisht, and an hundred pownds in money or plate, for maintenance of the true Protestant religion, the defence of the king's person, his royall authoritie and dignitie, our lawes, liberties, and privileges conjunctively. Mr. Sam. Browne will bringe in one hundred pownds. Sir Thos. Soame will bringe in two horses compleatly furnisht. Sir Edw. Master will bringe in an hundred pownds presently, and an hundred pownds a month hence. Mr. Thos. Moore will furnishe two horses. Mr. Cornelius Holland will furnishe two horses. Mr. White will bringe in an hundred pownds and expect noe interest. Mr. Lawrence Whittacre will freely give twenty pownds. Mr. Mathew will finde one horse and furnish fifty pownds in plate or money. Mr. Downes will bringe in fifty pownds. Mr. Millington will, for the present, bringe in fifty pownds. Mr. Noble will bringe in one hundred pownds. Mr. H. Herbt will furnish one horse Mr. Edw. Mountague will bringe in an hundred pownds in plate or money for defence of the kinge and parlemt conjunctively, and not divided. Mr. Tho. Laine will furnish one horse. Mr. Fountaine will bringe in one horse. Mr. Geo. Buller will furnishe one horse. Mr. Thos. Arundell will furnish one horse. Mr. Rich. Powerys [Qy. Sir Rich. Price?] will furnish fifty pownds. Sir Jo. Hippisley will completely furnish three horses. Sir Jo. Curson will furnish two horses. Sir Jo. Young will furnish with a free loane of two hundred pownds. Mr. Fenis [or Ferris] will lend fifty pownds freely. Mr. Thomas will lend fifty pownds freely. Mr. Constantine will furnish one horse. Sir Walth Erle will furnish fower horses for himselfe and his sonne. Mr. Roger Hill will bringe in an hundred pownds. Mr. Ellis will bringe in an hundred pownds. Mr. Ashurst will bringe in one horse. Mr. Ralfe Ashton will bringe in two hundred and fifty pownds. Mr. Harman will bringe in one horse. Mr. Corbett will bringe in fifty pownds. Mr. Hunt will furnishe one horse. Mr. H. Shelley will bringe in fifty pownds. Mr. Robt Nicholas will give twenty pownds freely. Mr. Salway will bringe in and mainteyne one horse. Mr. Rosevile will eyther bringe in one horse or an hundred pownds. Mr. Jo. Wogan will send in one horse well furnisht. Sir Hugh Owen will finde two horses. Mr. Lowry will find a horse ready furnished. Sabbathi xio Junij 1642. Sir H. Ludlow will finde thre horses ready furnished, and, if occasion bee, three more. Sir H. Vane will finde two horses ready furnished and mainteyne them. Mr. Leigh will find one horse ready furnished and mainteyne it. Mr. Halloes will pretly bringe in fifty pownds. Mr. Dowse will pret1y bringe in fifty pownds. Mr. Percivall and Mr. Tell will presently bringe in fifty pownds apeece. Collonell Goring will (as soone as his moneth's pay, due to him as governor of Portsmouth, comes in) expresse what he will doe in this service to wch hee hath soe much affecōn.* Mr. Shuttleworth will bringe in one hundred pownds for himselfe and his sonne. Sir Robt Craine will bringe in fower horses for the defence of the king and parliament not divided. Mr. Gurdon will lend one hundred pownds freely. Mr. Phillip Smith will lend forty pownds freelie. Luna xiiio Junij. Sir Nevill Poole undertakes to bringe in fower horses for himself and his sonne. Sir Jo. Finch undertakes to bringe in two horses. Sir Ambrose Browne will finde two horses well furnisht. Mr. Hayes will bringe in one hundred pownds towards this service, to be lent freely. * The real extent of Goring's "soe much affection" to the "service" was pretty sufficiently indicated shortly after this by his declaring for the king and deliberately surrendering Portsmouth into the royal hands, which act of treachery he successfully accomplished on the 5th of August following. |