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An ACCOUNT of the SPANISH MATCH.

ERE it may not be improper to give a fhort account of that strange affair, the Spanish Match; because the court of SPAIN hath been frequently charged with the breaking off that matter; but in the following relation, extracted from Mr. Howell's Letters, who was upon the fpot at that time, it will appear probable that the fault lay on the other fide, and not at PHILIP'S, but King JAMES's door.

In December 1622, Lord DIGBY and Sir WALTER ASTON went out joint ambaffadors under the great feal of ENGLAND, efpecially commiffioned about the Spanish Match; Mr. HOWELL, afterwards clerk of the council, foon followed their Excellencies; Mr. GEORGE GAGE came likewife from ROME to MADRID, to treat about it. The match was first fet on foot by the Duke of LERMA, but was not fo warmly adopted by his fucceffor the Count d'OLIVAREZ. GONDOMAR at this time left ENGLAND,

He arrived there, September 8th, 1758, and left that court, December 17th, 1761, without taking leave, becaufe his Catholic Majefty did not chufe to give an explicit answer to the court of GREAT BRITAIN, but only faid, Muy bien efta, (Very well, Sir) on which the rupture enfued.

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returned to MADRID, and brought with him Lord DIGBY'S patent, that made him Earl of BRISTOL. The business of the match went on very brifkly for near four months, when, to the furprize of the Earl of BRISTOL, who knew nothing of the matter and of every one else at MADRID, the Prince of WALES, and the Marquis of BUCKINGHAM, arrived on the latter end of March 1622, at the Earl of BRISTOL'S house, late in the evening. The Prince went by the feigned name of THOMAS SMITH, and the Marquis by that of Mr. JOHN SMITH.-They were attended by the Lords CARLISLE, HOLLAND, ROCHFORT, DENBIGH, the Knights Sir FRANCIS COTTINGTON, Sir LEWIS DIVES, Sir JOHN VAUGHAN of the GOLDEN GROVE, and his fon, comptroller to the Prince, Sir EDMUND VARNEY, Mr. WASHINGTON page to the Prince, Mr. PORTER, and others.

THE arrival of the Prince of WALES in MADRID was like the reft of his father's politics, and instead of forwarding the match, marred the whole bufinefs. The Spaniards having fuch a pledge in their hands, rose in their demands, and thought they had it in their power to treat just as they pleased. Befides this, the Spanish court took a difguft at BUCKINGHAM, and he and the Earl of BRISTOL difagreed extremely about the conduct of that bufinefs. The nobility in SPAIN were very much averfe to this alliance; the Bishop of SEGOVIA wrote against it, but was banished from court for fo doing; the common people in SPAIN were ftrongly for it. In ENGLAND, the parliament and commons would never consent to it.

Upon the arrival of the Prince, the court of SPAIN fent back the difpenfation to the court of ROME, in order to be better modelled. When the difpenfation was returned to MADRID, it came back clogged with new claufes: the Pope required a caution to be given for the performance of the articles: this made a difficulty: the King of SPAIN, however, offered to give the caution, but defired to confult his divines upon it, who, after a tedious debate, gave his Majefty permiffion. Upon this, the King of SPAIN and the Prince mutually fwore to, and ratified the articles of marriage; and the 8th of September following, 1623, was fixed for the betrothing her to him. But foon after, Pope Gregory, who was

a friend to the match, died, and Urban fucceeded; whereupon PHILIP declared, he could not proceed in the match unless the new Pope confirmed the difpenfation which was given by the former. This created fresh delays; the Prince remonstrated warmly, and infifted on the neceffity of his departure. The King of SPAIN confented to his going, provided he would leave him and Don CARLOS proxies for the match: this was accordingly agreed on and thus the Prince, after feven months ftay, and a fruitless errand, fet out for ENGLAND in the month of August 1623, without his Infanta. The Lord RUTLAND waited for him at fea with the fleet, on board of which he embarked at BILBOA. The Infanta in particular, and the Spaniards in general, were very much afflicted at this Prince's returning without her. The King of SPAIN and his two brothers accompanied him as far as the ESCURIAL, and on the fpot where they parted PHILIP erected a pillar, which remains to this day. The Prince, in his paffage, very narrowly efcaped fhipwreck, Sir SACKVILLE TREVOR having the honour of taking him up.

NOTWITHSTANDING this abrupt departure of the Prince, the ENGLISH at MADRID, and at home, were ftill perfuaded the match would be effected at laft; and not without good grounds; for the Infanta learned English, took the title of the Princess of WALES; the ladies and officers that were to go with her were named. But there was one very extraordinary circumftance, which happened at this juncture: The Prince of Wales, juft before he embarked, fent a letter to the two ambaffadors, defiring them, in cafe the ratification came from ROME, not to deliver the proxies he had left in their hands to the King of SPAIN, till they had heard further orders from ENGLAND.-But this both the ambaffadors very wifely refused to do, as the Prince could not fufpend their commiffion from King JAMES under the great feal of ENGLAND; on the contrary, they both made extraordinary preparations for the match, the Earl of BRISTOL laying out 2400 pounds in liveries only, upon that occafion. At length the ratification came from ROME; the marriage day was appointed; but just a day or two before it drew on, there came four English meffengers to the Earl of BRISTOL, commanding him not to deliver the proxies till full fatisfaction was made for

the furrender of the Palatinate. This step of King JAMES's put an entire end to the business of the match. The King of SPAIN faid very truly, that the Palatinate was none of his to give; but that he would fend ambaffadors to recover it by treaty, or an army to regain it by force; and in proof of his fincerity in these promises, he offered to pledge his Contratation-house at SEVILLE, and his Plate fleet. This not being thought fatisfactory, the Earl of BRISTOL took his leave, when the King of SPAIN gave him a ring off his own finger, and plate to the value of above 4000 pounds. This Earl of BRISTOL, by far the most eminent of the DIGBY family, was a very extraordinary character, and a truly great man; he furprized the Spaniards with his virtues as well as talents: the rewards and honours paid him by PHILIP were but equal to his deferts; for he even aftonished that Prince, when he found, that neither the bribes of one monarch, nor the menaces of another, could in the least shake the steady temper of that ambaffador.

THUS ended the affair of the Spanish match, that had been. near ten years in agitation. It is certain, that the breaking of it off was the work of the Duke of BUCKINGHAM: whether he did right or wrong will now perhaps be difficult to fay; but I am of opinion, that we could not have been fo much prejudiced by having MARIA of SPAIN for our Queen, as we were afterwards by taking HENRIETTA of FRANCE. The women of the MEDICIS line do not appear to me to have done the world much good. As for the deferted Infanta, fhe married afterward to the Emperor.

In the Introduction, p. 27. for timeously, read timely. Laft line, for CAMPEACHY, read HONDURAS. P. 221. 1. 1. for El Aventurarara, read La Aventurarara. Ib. Ib. 1. 19. for El Venganza, read La Venganza. P. 220. 1. 21. for El Nueva, read La Nueva. P. 214. 1. 20. for Eftramadura, read Eftremadura. P. 208. 1. 16. for ftruck, read ftuck. P. 198. 1. 4. for 1661, read 1061. P. 188. 1. 12. for called them, read called him. Dele the Note at bottom. P. 182. laft line but one, for LICINIUS LARIUS, read LARTIUS LICINIUS. P. 295. for BAGER, read BAYER. P. 297. for eundem, read eandem. P. 300. for Chaldic, read Chaldee. Ib. for Clevard, read Clenard. Ib. for Vergera, read Vergara. P. 303. for Honoretes, read Honoratus.