George Digby

son and heir of John Digby Earl of Bristow, was born in the City of Madrid in Spain, in the month of Oct. 1612, made his first entry into Magd. Coll. 15. Aug. 1626 and was then entred a Noble man there: At which time, and so long as he continued there, he was very familiar, and held great correspondence, with Pet. Heylyn Fellow of that House; by whose directions and conversation he improved himself much in several sorts of learning. In 1636, just after his Majest. had left Oxon, where he had been splendidly entertained by the members of the University, and by the Archbishop at S. Johns Coll, he was, among other Persons of honor, actually created Master of Arts, being then esteemed a Person of good parts, and in hopes to do the State service. In the beginning of the Long Parliament (of which he was a member) he became one of the eminent Darlings of the People, as being a Person discontented; and therefore was appointed one of the Committee to prepare a charge against the most noble and eminently conspicuous Thomas Earl of Strafford, 11. Nov. 1640, and appointed one of the managers of the evidence against him. But upon a discovery of the unjust practices against him, he became his Advocate, tho all the advantage he got by it, was that he lost his own esteem, both among the House of Commons, and among the Faction. From that time he became their declared enemy, by being a bold friend of truth and justice, which he shewed in a Speech at the passing of the Bill of Attainder against the said Earl, 21. Apr. 1641, ordered to be burnt, as I shall tell you anon, and therefore was posted up by some, in the head of those called Straffordians. He was also a friend to the Bishops and their function, when both were called into question about that time, and a zealous enemy to the Covenant: All which do appear in speeches uttered in good language and sweetness. On the 10. of June 1641. he was expell’d the House of Commons, not only for exceptions taken by them for words spoken concerning an oath, which Colonel G. Goring confessed he had taken to be secret to, saying he was a perjur’d Person, but because he was, the day before, made a Baron, and introduced into the upper House the very same 10. of June. In the beginning of January following he went on a message from his Maj. to Kingston upon Thames to certain Gentlemen there (some say to give Coll. Tho. Lundsford a visit) in a Coach with 6 horses, and no other equipage with him, save only a servant riding by him, and a Companion in a Coach. But his appearance there being represented to the Parliament as in a warlike manner, and every Coach horse reckoned for a Troop, the House of Commons made a complaint thereof on the 10. of the same month to the House of Lords: Whereupon it being voted that he then took up Arms for his Majesty, he was proclaimed Traitor, banished and made the publick hatred of the Puritans or Presbyterians. But the King soon after leaving the Parliament, because of their desperate proceedings, he drew by degrees many Lords and Commons after him, together with this Lord from beyond the Seas, and therefore he was excepted by the Parliament in a treaty of peace with the King at Oxon, in the latter end of the year 1642. In 1643 he was made one of the Secretaries of State to his Majesty, and high Steward of this University in the place of Will. Lord Say who adher’d to the Parliament, and in the next year he would have been question’d for an Incendiary by the Parliament sitting at Oxon, because of a Mutiny that hapned among the Soldiers of the Garrison there; but it was dissolved before the members could do any thing in the matter. In the latter end of 1645, he being then a stirring active man, he went into Ireland, where he did good service for his Majesty, and underwent great hazards of his life, but upon the declining of the Kings cause, he left that place, and on the 24. of Oct. 1648 he was exempted from pardon by the Parliament. Afterwards upon the death of his Father he became Earl of Bristow, and Knight of the Garter, being then in exile beyond the Seas, suffering much by the loss of his Estate. After the Kings return he was restored to what he had lost, and the year after was installed (with others) Knight of the said Order, became a frequent Speaker in Parliaments, and an enemy to Clarendon while he was Lord Chancellour. Under his name were printed these things following.

Several Speeches as (1) Speech in Parl. 9. Nov. 1640. concerning grievances and a triennial Parliament. Lond. 1641. qu. Printed in the 1. vol. of John Nalson’s Impartial Collection &c. p. 505. (2) Speech in the H. of Com. to the bill of triennial Parliaments, 19. Jan. 1640. Lond. 1641. qu. Remitted into the third part of Joh. Rushworth’s Historical Collections. (3) Sp. in the H. of Com. concerning Bishops and the City Petition, 9. Feb. 1640. Lond. 1640. in 4. sh. in qu. Remitted into the said 3d. part of Hist. Coll. with other discourses of our author Digby. This Sp. spoken 9. Feb. is called the L. Digby’s third speech. (4) Sp. in the House of Com. to the bill of Attainder of the Earl of Strafford, 21. Apr. 1641. Lond. 1641. in two sh. in qu. Remitted into John Rushworth’s Trial of the E. of Strafford, p. 50. and into Joh. Nalson’s Impart. Coll. vol. 2. p. 175. On the 13 of July following, it was ordered by the H. of Com. that one part of the said speech should be publickly burnt on Friday after, at 10. of the clock in the morn. by the hands of the common hangman in the Pallace-yard at Westminster, and another part in Cheapside, and the rest, or third part, in Smithfield. All which was accordingly done because the said speech contained matters untrue and scandalous, (so the predominant party in the House said) as they had reference to the proceedings of the Committees of the Lords of the House, and that of the Commons, and to the evidence of the Witnesses produced in the cause of Strafford, &c. (5) His last speech concerning the Earl of Strafford, occasioned upon the reading of the bill of Attainder touching the point of treason, 23. Apr. Lond. 1641 in two sh. and half in qu. This also was burnt. (6) Sp in the H. of Lords 20. July 1660 upon the bill of Indempnity. Lond. 1660. in one sh. in qu. (7) Two speeches, with some observations upon them. Lond. 1674. qu. The first was spoken in the H. of Peers at the first reading of the bill against Popery, 15. Mar. 1672, the King being then present. The other, in the H. of Com. 1. July 1663 in vindication of himself and Sir Rich. Temple.

Several Letters, as (1) Letter to the Queens Majesty, dated at Middleborough in Zealand 21. Jan. 1641, (to which place he fled when he was banished) wherein he intimates that he would willingly wait upon his Majesty from thence, as well as from any place in England, over and above the service which he might do for him there; and accordingly he returned into England, not to London, (notwithstanding the vote of the H. of Peers, that if he appeared not in 20 days, he should be proclaimed Traytor) but to his Majesty at, or near, York. The said Letter was printed in 1642. qu. (2) Letter to the Qu. Majesty, dated at the Hague 10. Mar. 1642. This also was printed at Lond. 1642. qu. Which Letter, with another from Tho. Eliot Esq. written to the said Lord Digby, dated at York 27. May 1642, being intercepted by the Rebels, were ordered to be printed by the Parliament. 1. Aug. 1642, with envious observations written upon them by Anonymus. (3) Divers Letters, written at Oxon, in Dec. 1643 tending to divide the Parliament at London. They were intercepted by the Rebels, and printed at Lond. 16 of Jan. following, in a pamphlet entit. A cunning plot to divide and destroy the Parliament and the City of Lond. Printed in about 6. sh. in qu. (4) Divers Letters, written in design to betray Abendon for the Kings use: Printed at Lond. in Feb. 1644. qu. There was an intercourse of Letters for about 10. weeks between our author the Lord Digby and Sergeant Major General Rich. Browne (afterwards a Baronet and Lord Mayor of Lond. in 1660) for the delivery of the Garrison of Abendon in Berks. to the King then at Oxon, but after Browne, in a false manner, had dril’d the said Lord on so long, which he could not in honour do longer, then did he communicate the Letters to the Parliament, and they to a Committee, who caused them to be printed. (5) Letter in the Kings name to the Irish Commissioners. Lond. 1645. qu. Answered by the Lord Muskerry one of those Commissioners. They were both intercepted by the forces belonging to the Parliament, and printed with this title, Two remarkable letters concerning the Kings correspondence with the Irish Rebels. (6) Several other Letters &c. These also were intercepted, and with others had this title put to them. The Lord Digby’s Cabinet and Dr. (Steph.) Goffs negotiations; together with his Majesties, the Queen and the Lord Jermins and other letters, taken at the battel at Sherborn in Yorks. about the 15 of Oct. last. (1645) Also observations on the said Letters. Lond. 1646. qu. ’Tis a villanous pamphlet and much like the horrid publication of the martyr’d Kings Cabinet by the malicious machination of the Juncto of Rebels. (7) Two Letters to the Lord Taaff the Rebels General in Munster. Lond. 1647. qu. The first was dated at Kilkenny 20. Aug. and the other at Wexford on the last of the said month, an. 1647. Which Letters being found in the Lord Taaff’s Cabinet after a fight in Ireland, were sent to the Parliament in England, who caused them forthwith to be published. I have seen also a letter of the Lord Digby sent to John Lord Roberts, for the surrender of Plymouth to the King, an. 1644, and others to General Leven for peace, an. 1645, but whether printed, I know not. Sure I am that those Letters that were taken in his Cabinet at Shirebourne in Dorsetshire, an. 1645 by the Parliament forces, were ordered to be printed in Dec. the same year.

Letters between him and Sir Ken. Digby Kt. concerning religion. Lond. 1651. oct.

Elvira; or, the worst not always true; a Comedy.—Upon the writing of which, he the L. Digby (and not Sir Kenelm) was brought into the poem called The session of Poets, made by Sir John Suckling.

Excerpta è diversis operibus patrum latinorum. MS. He also translated from French into English The three first books of Cassandra the famed Romance. Printed in oct. At length this eminent Count having lived to the age of 64. years or more, died at Chelsey near London in Middlesex, having been much afflicted with the Gout, on Tuesday the 20. of March in sixteen hundred seventy and six,1676/7. and was buried in the Church there: whereupon his Garter was given to Sir Thomas Osbourn Earl of Danby, Lord Treasurer of England.