CHAPTER IV. HENRY, EARL OF WORCESTER. -CREATED MARQUIS OF WORCESTER. RAGLAN CASTLE. THE general aspect of public affairs in 1641, foreshadowed the coming storm. Charles the First had departed from Whitehall; civil war raged through the length and breadth of the land, terminating in fearful consequences to the monarch and all his wealthiest loyal supporters. On the 2nd of November, 1642,88 Henry was created Marquis of Worcester, being the first of his family raised to that dignity. He would then be 65 years of age, but does not appear to have enjoyed uniform good health; he was corpulent in body, possessed a vigorous intellect, and was remarkable for his flow of humour. It is recorded of him, but without reference to any authority for the statement, that he was singular for the custom of wearing a coat of frieze, a coarse narrow cloth much in use; the term being applied to garments having long wool, then said to be friezed. Sanderson speaks of him as a plain man, especially in his apparel. His great wealth enabled him to afford Charles the First early important pecuniary assistance, which, together with his great loyalty, although a papist, secured him all that esteem and favour, which the peculiar mental constitution of his royal master, alone best knew how to turn to the largest possible amount of personal profit, without being absolutely necessitated to make any adequate return other than his word and honour. If the materials for the personal character of Charles the First had to be drawn solely from his treatment of the first two Marquisses of Worcester-the veteran Lord of Raglan Castle, and his enthusiastic valorous son, the Lord Herbert, sufficient evidence would be found to establish that monarch's perfidious nature, and the utter worthlessness of his plighted word and most solemn protestations. The Parliament took early notice of the proceedings of both the Earl of Worcester and his son Lord Herbert. The Journals of the House of Commons* inform us that on the 29th of January, 1640-41 :— "Die Veneris, 29 June, 1640. แ Mr. Treasurer acquaints this House, that his Majesty's pleasure is, that this House do attend his Majesty this afternoon, at two of [the] clock, in the Banqueting House, and that he had intimated his pleasure likewise to the Lords to attend him at the same time. "Ordered, That the consideration of the commission granted to the Earl of Worcester, and his eldest son the Lord Herbert, and the sub-commissions by them granted to others, for the levying of forces in several Counties of England and Wales, and all the circumstances depending thereupon, be referred to the Committee appointed to draw up the charge against the Earl of Stratford, &c." And on the 11th of February following, that: * 1640. 16 Car. I. vol. ii. p. 75. "Die Jovis, 110 Feb 1640. "Mr. Reignolds reports from the Committee of the Earl of Worcester, the substance of that business. * (thus printed in Journal.) "And then it was resolved, upon the question, That the particulars reported by Sir W. Erle, Sir Jo. Clotworthy, and Mr. Reignolds, shall be the heads of the Conference to be desired with the Lords, concerning the disbanding of the new-levied Irish Army, and disarming of the Popish Recusants here in England." Later we find a guard set on his residence in London.* "Die Martis, 160 Nov. 1641. "Mr. Wittacre, Sir John Francklin, Sir John Hippisley, Mr. Wheler, Mr. G. Long, are appointed to go immediately, and take order to set a good guard upon the house of the Earl of Worcester; and to search for persons suspected of high treason. "They are to take like care for setting a guard upon, and searching * ; and likewise upon such other houses, as they shall be informed; and that they have power to search all such houses at such times as they shall think fit. To acquaint their Lordships, what this House has done for the searching, and setting a guard upon, the Earl of Worcester's house, and upon what grounds." On the 5th of January, 1642, his Majesty addressed the following letter to the Marquis, in which he says— * Journals of House of Commons, 1641. 17 Car. I. vol. ii. p. 317. "The large expressions which you and your son have made unto us of your forwardness to a service, shall never be forgotten." "CHARLES R. "Right trusty and right entirely beloved Cousin, We greet you well. Your son, the Lord Herbert, hath excused your not writing unto us; but where we find so much royalty, there needs not ceremony, and and your last performance of our desires hath crowned the rest. And we would have you confident that the mentioning of leaving few forces at Raglan, was not out of any diminution of our care of you, or meant to lessen any provision fitting thereto: For we well understand that there were never any of the forces raised in the county, applied thereunto more than a private company under servants of your own. But the Ward of Raglan was given as a general ward attributive to the country, as that time we understood it. The large expressions which you and your said son have made unto us of your forwardness to a service, shall never be forgotten. He now commands in chief in the absence of the Lord Marquis [of] Hertford, and besides his dutifulness unto you, our command is, that his power and yours shall [be] the same, as your hearts are to our service. The acceptance whereof we shall not fail to make appear on all occasions, whereof you may rest assured. Given under and signed at our Court at Oxford, the 5th day of January, in the eighteenth year of our reign, 1642.* "To Our Right trusty and right entirely beloved Cousin, HENRY, MARQUIS OF WORCESTER." The earliest direct intimation we have of money passing from the Marquis to the King occurs in two *From MSS. Badminton, letters from Sir John Byron. In his first communication "The King is so oppressed with [a] multitude of business that he has commanded me to write unto your Lordship this inclosed letter, not having leisure himself to write more than a short postscript to give credit to what I have written. I had thought to have sent some of my own servants to convey the money hither, but Mr. Griffin tells me your Lordship would rather send it by him and some other, whom you should think fit to trust, and then it may be brought so privately to Newstead, where I shall be ready to receive it, that none but such as your Lordship trusteth need to know of it. I humbly desire your Lordship it may be sent with all possible speed, because his Majesty hath allotted it for a service that must immediately be gone in hand with all [speed]. I shall not need to trouble your Lordship any farther, and therefore humbly kissing your hands, rest ever, "Your Lordship's most humble Servant, "York, July 8, 1642. "To the EARL OF WORCESTER." On the 24th of the same month Sir John Byron † wrote a second letter as follows: "MY MOST HONOURED LORD, "Your Lordship hath honoured me with a title which I value above any other that can be given me, and of which I shall ever endeavour to make myself worthy by all real expressions of faithful and humble service. It was my misfortune to be from home when |