The King press'd Mr. Pitt to take the lead in a new arrangement to be formed. Mr. P. humbly represented his apprehensions at the idea of so arduous an undertaking, and wished to decline it; but the King renewing his solicitation, Mr. P. said he would look about to find what support he had to expect from such as were not exceptionable (for reasons which must prevent his acting with them), and endeavour, if possible, to obey his Mys commands.

The Subdeanes and Gentlemen succeedinge since the third yeare of the raigne of Queene Elizabeth, Mr. Angell then Subdeane:—

1561. Mr. Paternoster was sworne gen˜ the 24th of Marche, and Jones, Gospeller, and Thos. Kawlins, Yeoman, A° 3°.

1563. Thomas Wiles sworne gen˜ the 8th of Marche, from Poules, A° 5to.

1563. Merton died the 22d of September, and Eoberte Parsons sworne in his place the 17th of October, A° 5to.

1563. Mr. Walker was slaine the 27th of November, and Win. Munday was sworne in his place the 21st of February, from Poules, A˜ 6to.

1564. Tho. Sampson was sworne gen˜ in Ric. Farrants roome the 24th of Aprill, from Lincolne, A˜ 6to.

1561. Tho. Bird died in Februarie, Clarke of the Checke, and Morcocke made Clarke [of the] Checke, A˜ 3˜.

1563. Rich. Bower died, Mr of the children, A˜ 5to.

1566. Rich. Edwards died, Mr the children, the last [day of] October and Wm. Hunnis was made Mr of the children the 15th of November, A° 8°.

Sunday 7 January This threatens to become a weekly log-book, instead of a daily diary. […] Last Sunday Gordon of the Sunday Express was to have published an article by Kindersley, which he returned to us with the plea that if Kindersley said people were not to spend money on luxuries, the advertisers would be angry. He suggested K should amend the article accordingly. After some trouble we managed a compromise, and the amended version was published to-day. Gordon's letter contained this heart wail: ‘I don't want to do anything that is going to hamper my advertising. After all, that is our life line and thank God it has been better than we anticipated.’ In other words, let the nation lose the war, let inflation with all its miseries come upon us, but for the love of God don't let us offend some fat Jew who wants to sell quite unnecessary goods through our advertising columns. We deserve defeat. […] I gave a sherry to D[avid]W[oodford] on Wednesday evening. He had lunched with Eric Olyer, who had been acting as a kind of extra ADC to the King in France. The King is still imbued with a kind of family Liberalism, but is palpably turning towards the Right. When Chamberlain was in France he and Gort and the High-Ups had some frank talks. He told bluntly some home truths about Hore-Belisha.… with the result that yesterday there was announced the ‘resignation’ of the Minister of War. The popular Press, of course, has made a song and dance about the democratic Minister being sacrificed to the Brass Hats, but there is no doubt, from what one knows that the Jew is better out than in, and so I think most people think. […] Reviews of R's book continue appreciative. P.F. still feels that with R and Q both of our type of political thought we ought to strive towards a new Daily, which the Argus Press, through the good offices of Burton-Baldry and Ned Foster, would produce for us at a cut rate. I am not so certain that this is either desirable or practicable as long as we are at war, but it certainly seems the right line of development when peace comes. Although – before peace comes there will be many changes, that may affect us all dramatically.

For three years "the valiant and victorious General Captain Jackson" drew all eyes upon him by conducting a daring andtriumphant war on the power of Spain in America. By so doing he largely contributed to the decision of Cromwell to continue the Elizabethan tradition of reprisals against Spain; and to embark upon an enterprise, the object of which was the substitution for a Catholic and Spanish empire, of one that was English and Protestant.

The Decimation Lists

The royalist uprising of March 1655 led the Protector to adopt a number of measures aimed at improving internal security, in particular the appointment of major generals, each with responsibility for a particular region; the establishment of a new county militia; and the introduction of an extraordinary or decimation tax which was intended to provide the necessary funding for the militia troops. Unlike the monthly assessment for the support of the regular army the decimation tax was a discriminatory tax in the sense that it was specifically designed as a levy on royalists or suspected royalists. In the event, however, it proved to be one of the most short-lived of taxes. On Christmas day 1656 Major General John Desborough introduced a parliamentary bill for its continuation and in a first reading debate on 7 January declared that

I believe no man has come under a decimation but such as have either acted or spoken bitterly against the Government, and for their young king, and drank his health. Many have escaped that have done such things. I hope they shall come under decimation I think it is too light a tax, a decimation; I would have it higher.

Introduction 151

The Oxford and Temple Account 154

The Newdigates and the education of the gentleman 156

Editorial Practice 160

Part I: Oxford 161

Part II: Inner Temple 217

The Oxford and Temple Book is one of a series of account books kept for and by the Newdigates of Arbury Hall, between Coventry and Nuneaton in Warwickshire, from 1608 to 1642, and now surviving among the family papers deposited at Warwickshire Record Office. All the accounts detail receipts from rents and farming, interest and borrowing, and expenditure on estate, household and personal items, but that kept between 1618 and 1621, printed here, also records the expenses of two brothers at university and the inns of court, of two family marriages and related settlements and of wardship and suing for livery of estates.

These Memorandums &c would have been put into the the [sic] fire, but after consideration I thought they might be useful to any one who should Edit the Memoir, as they contain parts of political matters alluded to in other places, and shew the views which I and others took of them. They are preserved only for this purpose. When they have been used in this way they should be destroyed.

Ane Account of ane Embassie performed by William Steuart Commendator of Pittenweim And mr John Skeen

To England[,] Denmark[,] And Princess of Germanie in Anno 1590[.]

WE departed from Edinburgh the 9t day of Junij 1590. came yat night to Berwick lodged in mr Andersones[,] Humainlie receaved, Be Sir John Selbie Master porter, And Sir William Reid capitaine[.] 10. day in the morning we receaved the bankett from Sir Henric wodringtoun marschell and Governour deput. Theraster the samyn day wee tooke the post at 9 hours befoirnoon – Toward lundoun In maner follouing[:]

In libro magistri Gauteri Mahap de Nugis Curialium distinctio prima; assimulatio curiœ regis ad infernum. Cap. primum.

In tempore sum et de tempore loquor, ait Augustinus,* et adjecit, nescio quid sit tempus. Ego simili possum admiratione dicere quod in curia sum, et de curia loquor, et nescio, Deus seit, quid sit curia. Scio tarnen quod curia non est tempus; temporalis quidem est, mutabilis, et varia, localis et erratica, nunquam in eodum statu permanens; in recessu meo totam agnosco, in redditu nihil aut modicum invenio quod dereliquerim, extraneam video factus alienus. Eadem est curia, sed mutata sunt membra. Si descripsero curiara, ut Porphyrius diffinit genus,† forte non mentiar, ut dicam earn multitudinem quodammodo se habentem ad unum principium. Multitude certe sumus infinita, uni soli piacere contendens; et hodie sumus una multitudo, cras erimus alia; curia vero non mutatur, eadem semper est; centimanus gigas * est, qui totus mutilatus totus est idem, et centimanus hydra multorum capitum, qui labores Herculis cassat et contemnit, invictissimi manum athletæ non sentit, et Antæo felicior matrem habet terram,† pontum, et aera, non allidere ad pectus Herculis, totus ei vires multiplicat orbis. Cum ille h … nus Hercules voluerit, fiat voluntas.