Charles I 'Letter to the Earl of Bristol (20 January 1626)'

His Ma[jes]ties L[ett]re to the Lo[rd] Digby

We haue receiued your l[ett]re addressed to vs by Buckinham, & we cannot but wonder, that you should through forgetfullnes make such a request to vs of fauour, as if you stood euenly capable of it; when you know, what your behauiour in Spaine deserved of vs, which you are to examine by the observation we made & know. You will remember, at our first coming into Spaine, taking vpon you to be so wise, as to forsee our intentions to change our Religion, you were so farre from disswading vs, that you offered your service & sinceritie to concurre in it; & in many other conferences pressing to shew how convenient it was for vs to become a Romane Catholick, it being impossible in your opinion to doe any great action otherwise: How much wrong, disadvantage & disservice you did to the Treaty & vnto the right & interest of our deere brother & Sister & their children: What disadvantage, inconvenience & hazard you entangled vs in by your artificies, putting off & deluding our returne home: The great estimation you made of that State, & the vile price you set this Kingdome at, still maintaining, that we vnder colour of freindship to Spaine did what was in our power against them; which you sayd, they knew very well: And lastly your approving of those conditions, that our Nephew should be brought up in the Emp[ero]rs Court; to which S[i]r Walter Ashton then sayd, he durst not give his consent for feare of his head; you replying to him, that without some such great Action, neither marriage, nor peace would be had.

Giuen at our Palace at Westminster the 20th day of Ianuary, in the First yeare of our Raigne.