of age), that some who had known him in his younger years, did believe him to have much quicker parts in his age, than before. He maintained a good general reputation and credit with the whole nation and people; being always looked upon as full of integrity and zeal to the Protestant religion, as it was instituted by law, and of unquestionable loyalty, duty, and fidelity to the king".

Two letters by this earl occur among the Harleian MSS. 1506 and 1516. The former of them was addressed to his second son, abbot Walter Montagu, on changing his religion, and becoming a convert to the church of Rome, without having previously consulted his father on the subject. "The earl's answer," says the Harlcian catalogue, "is a noble piece, and sheweth him to have been master of great reason and learning, and also a truly loving father." The entire epistle would indeed be well worthy of insertion in the present work, but its length precludes the admission of little more than a fourth part 8.

"Walter, your letter dated from Paris 20th November 1635, tells mee how much debate you had with yourself, whether with silence to suspend my beleefe, or by a cleer profession to assure mee what you feared to present to mee, but what was most satisfactory to your first duty to God, that you thought most justifiable to your derivative duty to nature, therefore re

7 History of the Rebellion, vol. i. p. 44, fol. edit.

It was printed in 1641, 4to. with Walter Montagu's Letters, sent from France to his Father, and a second Answer to it by the Lord Faulkland.

solved to give me an ingenuous accoumpt of the declaration you made there. Had you asked my councell before you signified your resolution, it would have shewed more duty in you, and bred lesse discomfort in mee; but think how wellcome that letter could be, that all (at) once tels of your intention and signifies your resolution.

Say you could not expect from me soe much theologicall learning as to satisfie your scruples, yet it had beene a fayre addresse of a sonne to a father, in a matter of that importance: nor are you ignorant of my care, I dare saie, knowledge studied, for the settlement of my children in that true faith which their father professeth, and the church of England hath established; therefore, it would have beene your greater justification and my lesse sorrow, soe to have lost yourself with love, that I could not have held you in with religious reason. Happily, you will returne upon mee the misconstruction of the speech: If any 'man come to me, and hate not his father, he cannot be my disciple.' But I must tell you that by this post dated duty, you have trespassed upon love's duty; for you have robbed mee of the meanes of helping you with myne advice; which, as it is the best part of a father's portion to give, soe it is not the least testimony of filial duty to aske.

"Now to lay such a blemish upon all my cares of your former education, as not to thinke me worthy to see your ayme, untill you had sett up your rest, is such a neglect, that without over-much fatherly candor cannot be forced to an excusable interpretation. It

makes mee suspect that some politique respect or private seducement, if not discontentments, have wrought upon you.

"Policie and religion, as they doe well togather, so they doe as ill asunder; the one being too cunning to be good, the other being too simple to be safe: but, upon policie to change religion, there is no warrant for that; lesse, for discontentment, or uppon seducement.

1

"When looke upon your whole lettre, which you termed an ingenuous accompt of your selfe, it seemes to me, not an accompt of your new-professed religion, but rather an exprobration of myne, and soe of ours of the church of England. Had I knowne your doubts before, I might have been an adviser, but objecting them after you had resolved, you call me up now to be a disputer.

"Although 1 bee of his opinion who thought that trueth did oftentimes suffer by too much altercation, it beeing a common errour amongst great clearks, to contend more for victorie then for verity; yet, since you have soe punctually ledd mee into itt, though it be contrary to my first resolution of silence (else you had heard from me sooner), and findeing that the letter you sent me had a further reach then to give me satisfaction, (else the coppies of it wold not have been devulged before I came to receive itt, and uses made of it to my discomfort;) I therefore thought my selfe tied to give you an answere, lest those of your new profession should think (as some of them say) that a new lapsarian was more able by a few daies discipline to op

pose our religion, then an old and long professor was able to defend itt.

"Having this tie upon me, I hope, on the one side, our learned divines will pardon me, if for my sonne's sake I dipp my penn in their ink; and you, on the other side, will lay my arguments more to heart as proceeding from the bowels of a father, then if they had bin framed in the braines of a learned divine. In this case also I have some advantage of other men, who though they might wright more learnedly, yet they cannot doe itt soe feelingly; for my interest is not only in the cause but in the person, for whome I must give an accompt if there be failing on my part to reduce him to trueth; a person whose letter I take into my hands, as one did the urne of his sonnes ashes, to shed over it veras lacrimas, as arguments of truth; but which I hope shall perswade forceblie if their be any of that bloud left in you that I gave you. It is true, affection is not to rule religion; yet in this way nature may co-operate with grace.

"Your letter saics truly, that the greatest part of your life, capable of the distinctions of religion, hath been employed in places and conversant with persons opposite to the faith I bred you in: therefore (you say) it had been strange if naturall curiosity, without any spirituall provocation, had not invited you with a desire of looking upon the foundation you trod on, rather then holding fast blindfold by your education, to be alwaies carried away after itt. In your education, God knows my first care was to season you with true religion, wherein from a boy you attained unto

such knowledge, as Spain could witnesse, even when you were but 'a youth, how strong a champion you were for the Protestant religion. The court of France, nor all the prince's courts of Christendome, (most of which have visited) could never, till now, taint your faith, but all waies rendred you sound in the religion you carried with you hence. But now Italy hath turned you, because England hath discontented you."]

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