of them the ornament and illuftration

of this age.

During the whole reign of King James I. the Memoirs are entirely perfonal, but not unentertaining; and they are concluded by the coronation of King Charles I. I ought now to give an account by what means they came into my hands. They were copied by myself from a manuscript entrusted to me by Lady Elizabeth Spelman, daughter to the Earl of Middleton, to whom I had the honour of being in fome degree of affinity. I have most religioufly adhered to the original manuscript, not having even altered a fingle letter in the orthography.

The dying scene of Queen Elizabeth has already been extracted and published among Sir Thomas Edmund's

papers by my very worthy and learned friend Dr. Birch in his Hiftorical View from the year 1592 to 1617.

Anecdotes of our English hiftory have been ever fought after with great eagerness, especially those of Queen Elizabeth's reign. I here offer my mite to be thrown into that treasury.

MEMOIRS

Of the LIFE of

ROBERT CARY,

Baron of LEPPINGTON,

AND

Earl of MONMOUTH.

O Lord my God, open mine eyes, and enlarge my heart, with a true understanding of thy great mercyes, that thou hast bleffed mee withall, from my first being until this my old age: and give mee of thy grace to call to minde in fome meafure thy great and manifold bleffings, that thou haft bleffed mee withall; though my weaknesse be fuch, and my memory fo fhort, as I have no abilities to expreffe them as I ought to do, yet Lord bee pleased to accept of this facrifice of praise and thankesgiving.

I

HAD the happineffe to be borne of good parents: I was yongeft of tenne fonnes; they brought mee

up under tutors and governours, to give mee learning and knowledge, but I must acknowledge my own weakeneffe, I had not ability to proffit much thereby. After I attained to the yeares of seventeen or thereabouts, Sir Thomas Layton was sent Embaffadour from the Queene to the States firft, and then to Don John de Auftria: my father the Lord Hunfdon

I

• Natural fon of the Emperor Charles V. born at Ratisbon in 1547, a prince of great prowess in arms, and particularly famous in his conquefts over the Turks. He had been educated in a private manner in the country during the Emperor's life. The splendour of his birth was concealed from him, 'till Philip II. fon and fucceffor of Charles V. in the year 1561, owned him as his natural brother, brought him to court, and in the year 1570, fent him against the Moors. In the year 1575, the King his brother conftituted him Governor of the Spanish Netherlands. After various conquefts notified in history, he died October 1, 1578, in the

thirty

2

Hunfdon fitted mee to go the journey with him; wee were abroad almoft all the winter: after wee had been with the States at Bruxelles, wee took leave, and went on our journey towards Don Jobn; we found him at Luxenburgh: the next day hee removed towards 3 Namours, and appointed our Embassadour to meet him at Mons in Henault, which wee did, and there had audience of him: wee stay'd but two dayes with him, and took our leaves: after some time spent, in our returne, at Bruxelles with the B 2 States,

thirty-second year of his age, of the plague, or, as adds Thuanus, of grief and vexation

on

account of fufpicions conceived against him by Philip II. His funeral obfequies were performed with all the pomp and magnificent ceremonies of thofe times. He expired in his camp near Namure.

2

Henry Cary Lord Hunfdon, whose pedigree is mentioned in the preface.

3 Namure.