discontents, wanting patience to wait the death of his oppulent cousin, old Col. Bacon, whose estate he expected to inherit.

But he was too young, too much a stranger there, and of a disposition too precipitate, to manage things to that length those were carried, had not thoughtful Mr. Laurence been at the bottom.

OLD LETTERS.

[We are indebted to the worthy Chairman of the Executive Committee of our Virginia Historical Society, Conway Robinson, Esq., for some copies of old and hitherto inedited letters which have been very politely communicated to him by the Hon. Charles Wykeham Martin, M. P. of Leeds Castle, Kent; as having some sort of connection or association with the History of our State; viz. a Letter from the Queen dowager of Charles 1st, Henietta Maria, to the first Lord Culpepper, the father of the second Lord Culpepper who was sometime Governor of our Colony of Virginia; and two letters from the said second Lord Culpepper to his sister; which we shall lay before our readers with great pleasure. At present we submit only the first of these documents, which, from the rather fanciful spelling and deficient punctuation of her Majesty, we apprehend they may find a little obscure; but we shall add a Translation for their benefit, which, reforming it in these particulars, we believe will be found tolerably clear and correct.]

Copy of a Letter from Queen Henrietta Maria to Lord Culpepper.

"PARIS LE 23 APRILL, 1655.

"My Lord Culpepper jay veu par plusieurs lettres que vous aves escrites a Milord Jermin que vous croyes esttre du service du Roy mon fils quil y ut vne melieure intelli

gence entre luy et moy quil ny a: cella me fait vous escrire settesy pour vous faire congnoistre qui je nay jamais manque de mon coste mais que jay estte ases malheureuse pour que le Roy nage pas pris la confiance en moy que jay meritee de luy et comme sa mere et comme dune personne na (et a fait ases paroistre navoir) autres interest qué les siens je vous diray donc que depuis plus de deux ans il ne ma jamais donne a congnoistre le fonds de ses affaires que ce qui ne pouvoit estre cache tant celle descofse que de hollande et celles dangletaire: ne congnoisant point encore que ce qui est public de tout ce qui sest passe en sette derniere afaire je sais que lon avoit persuade au Roy quil estoit dangereux pour le bien de son service que je me meslase de ses affaires a cause que ma religion choquoit langletaire et dun autre coste lon instruisoit tout seux qui en venoit de ne se pas fier a moy ainsy insensiblement et finement lon ma elloygnee de la confiance du Roy: mais pour achever de me confirmer dans sette assurance sur la mort du pape javois resolu denvoyer a rome pour mes affaires milord jermin layant escrit au Roy pour savoir sy il ne vouloit ordonner quelque chose pour son service il na pas voulu que je men meslase en ce lieu la non plus que aux autres mandant quil setoit engage par dautres chemins: je crois que sesy vous fait ases voir la derniere des mefiances estant a crojre que en ce lieu la je pourois estre ases capable de luy randre seruise et josse me vanter plus que personne; si je voulois vous mestre en destail plusieurs autres particuliarites jorois de quoy faire vne lettre ases ample: mais ce que jay desja dit est ases fort pour nandire pas dauantage. et comme sest seullement pour vous satisfaire et vous faire voir quil nia nullement de ma faulte et que jay touyours este en toutes occations nonobstants tout ses mauvais traitements preste de le seruir quant i la desire de moy: aussy je vous puis assurer que je man suis

retiree voyant quil ne le voit pas agreable auec toute la tranquilite desprit et de satisfaction imaginable pour ce qui me touchoit a moy: me contentant de la confiance dout le feu Roy son pere ma juge digne dont vous estes un bon temoing et suis satisfaite den demeurer la sette lettre nestant que pour vous faire congnoistre la verite dout peutestre vous naves pas este informe et que je seeray bien ayse que vous sachies estant de mes amis comme vous estte afin que vous ne me croyes pas dans vne faulte que seroit trop grande davoir voule de bisarerie me retirer des afaires du Roy dans lestat ou ils sonts je ne diray donc davantage que vous assure toujours que je suis veritablement Vre bien bonne amie

MILORD CUlpepper.

HENRIETTE MARIE R."

TRANSLATION.

PARIS, APRIL 23rd, 1655.

My Lord Culpepper,—I have seen by many letters which you have written to my Lord Jermin, that you think it would be for the service of the King, my son, that there should be a better understanding between him and myself than there has hitherto been. This causes me to write you this letter to inform you, that I have never been wanting on my part, but that I have been so unfortunate as that the King has never placed that confidence in me which I have merited from him, both as his mother, and as a person who has not, (and has made it sufficiently apparent that she has not,) any other interests than his own. I will tell you, then, that for more than two years past, he has never given me to know any thing of the true state of his affairs but what could not be concealed, both as relates to Scotland, to Holland, and to England. I do not know, of course, any thing but what is public of all that has passed in this last affair. I know that they had persuaded the King that it was dangerous for the good of his service, that I should

meddle with his affairs, because, they said, my religion shocked England; and, on another side, they instructed all those who came from him not to trust to me; so that insensibly and entirely they have removed me from the confidence of the King. But to complete my assurance on this point, on the death of the Pope, I had resolved to send my lord Jermin to Rome, and wrote to the King to know if he would not give him some orders for his service; but he has not wished that I should meddle in this place any more than in the others, informing me that he was already pursuing his plans by other ways.

I believe that if I were to make you sufficiently see this last of his distrusts,-thinking as I did that in this place at least I might be capable enough of rendering him some service, and, I dare boast, more than any other person ;and if I cared to give you in detail many other particulars, I should have materials enough for a very long letter; but what I have already said is enough without adding any thing more and as it is only to satisfy you, and to make you see that it is by no means my fault, and that I have always been, on all occasions, notwithstanding his bad treatments, ready to serve him when he desired it of me; so I can assure you that I have withdrawn myself-seeing that he does not see it agreeable-with all the tranquillity of mind, and satisfaction imaginable, so far as it concerns myself; contenting myself with the confidence of which the deceased King, his father, always judged me worthy; of which you are a good witness; and I am satisfied to remain there: this letter only being to make you know the truth of which perhaps you have not been informed, and which I shall be very glad to have you know, being one of my friends as you are, to the end that you may not think me to be in a fault which would be too great, that of having wished, from mere caprice, to withdraw myself from the affairs of the King, in the state in which they are. I will therefore say no more, but assure you always, that I am, truly,

Your very good friend,

MY LORD Culpepper.

HENRIETTA MARIA Q.

SHAKSPEARE AND JONSON.

The two great literary ornaments of the reign of James the First, (under whose auspices our colony of Virginia was first planted,) were Shakspeare and Jonson-both playwrights by trade. They were, indeed, two dramatic "stars" of the first magnitude; and although "two suns shine not in one sphere," these two splendid nocturnal luminaries contrived, somehow or other, to mingle their rays most amicably and sociably together, over the darkest nights of London. They were of course often compared and contrasted with each other by the critics of their age, and of somewhat later times. The common judgment, it seems, assigned the palm of genius and mother-wit to Shakspeare, and that of learning and art to Jonson; and perhaps it was not much out. Milton, at least, in his assumed character of L'Allegro, appears to adopt and sanction it, when he says:

Then to the well-trod stage anon,
If Jonson's learned sock be on,
Or sweetest Shakspeare, fancy's child,
Warble his native wood-notes wild.

And, after him, Fuller, in his Worthies of England, (first published in 1662,) speaking of Shakspeare, writes:"Many were the wet-'combates betwixt him and Ben Jonson; which two I behold like a Spanish great Gallion, and an English Man of War: Master Jonson (like the former) was built far higher in learning; solid, but slow, in his performances. Shakespeare, with the English Man of War, lesser in bulk, but lighter in sailing, could turn with all tides,