Series 1 > Diplomatic correspondence of Jean de Montereul and the brothers de Bellièvre, French ambassadors in England and Scotland, 1645-48 > Volume 1

1647]
P. BELLlfcVRE TO BRIENNE
379
agreed that the king could come to Holmby instead of Newmarket,
which was confirmed on Saturday by the Upper House, but with the
decision that the King of Great Britain would have every security, but
not liberty, and that he would he invited to come to that place, not in
order to treat of what is not wanted, but merely to remain there until he
may grant what has been required of him since so long a time ; and he
will have trouble in coming here without agreeing to that, seeing that
the Presbyterians, who consider they have now gained the upper hand
over their opponents, are not disposed to support his interests if he do
not consent to grant what they wish from him, but in the event of his
complying some among them who are best disposed towards him believe
he will obtain every satisfaction. The city still wishes and presses to
have a reply to its petition, and is to go to Parliament to-day for that
purpose, and the Independents have such fear of the king’s return that
some among them have said that they would not have him here, not
even as prisoner, having no doubt but that the people would deliver him
in order to restore him to the throne, so great is the desire they say
people have to do it. Nevertheless, as there is more to fear from the
resolutions of Parliament than there is reason to hope for from the
resolutions of the city, I suspect that what was decided on Saturday last
and confirmed on Monday, represents the little one has to expect from
them unless they receive satisfaction ; it was resolved to invite the
Scottish Commissioners, who are here, to cause the Scottish Parliament
to send again a deputation to the King of Great Britain in order to
beg him to grant the proposals, and if he refuse, that the Scottish
Parliament may unite with this one to advise as to what will be done.
And there is much reason to believe that this meeting will take place,
the Scots not showing themselves to be less desirous of it than the
English, who remain quite certain of it, and announce here that the
Scots have informed their king that if he come to Scotland they will
make him prisoner, and that the king cannot leave the kingdom, orders
having been given to his guard and ships of the Parliament sent to
the mouth of the river to prevent his escape in a Dutch ship that
has been there for some time. People here are quite certain of the
Scots, and I see great appearance of it, because the ambassador wrote
to me on the third of this month to say that he was impatient to learn
what the Scottish Parliament had decided on the question it had sub¬
mitted to the General Assembiy in Edinburgh, to know if their king,
going into the kingdom of Scotland, having been excluded from the
government of England by the English Parliament for having left that
country without granting the proposals, if it be lawful or not for Scot¬
land to assist him to recover the government without his granting the
proposals regarding religion and the Covenant and giving a reply satis¬
factory to the others, and that the clergy had replied that they had
previously informed the Parliament that they judged it to be out of
place for the king to go to Scotland; but if they were obliged to reply
plainly to the question proposed, their reply was that in that case it was