Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	entrust_v	state_n	time_n	24	3	2.1256	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A33698	An account of the court of Portugal, under the reign of the present king, Dom Pedro II with some discourses on the interests of Portugal, with regard to other sovereigns : containing a relation of the most considerable transactions that have pass'd of late between that court, and those of Rome, Spain, France, Vienna, England, &c.	Colbatch, John, 1664-1748.	1700 (1700)	Wing C4991; ESTC R20800	212,299	370

they should share in the Power they had given him partly moved thereto by the frequent Remonstrances of the Jesuits who are in great Credit with his Majesty and as some ill-natur'd People give out are set on by the Ministers to be ever and anon suggesting to him that he is oblig'd in Conscience to take this Course But most People are so well satisfied of his Majesty's Prudence and Justice as to think that Things would go much better than they do if he would take a greater part of the Government upon himself This Council as it imitates that of Madrid in other things so it is seldom guilty of any great Precipitation in its Proceedings but People complain rather of its Slowness and want of Dispatch and some who love to make the worst of things say That when a Business is brought before Them they shall sit upon it four or five Times each Session lasting five or six Hours and after all the Matter be oftentimes more perplex'd and intricate than before and the King who loses all this time waiting for their Resolution be as much to seek as ever But such as talk after this rate seem to have that Opinion of the Chapter which is very different from what the World has entertain'd of the Canons as will appear from the Characters of some of those excellent Persons that compose this Council As first of Dom Manoel Telles de Silva Conde de Villar Mayor Marchese de Alegrete I name him first not because of his Quality for tho' he be most Nobly descended yet he gives place to others whom I shall mention afterwards but because He is in effect the Prime Minister of State Affairs of the greatest Concern being chiefly intrusted to his Management This Lord having born Arms for some time in his Youth apply'd himself afterwards with extraordinary Diligence to the Study of Letters and made a very considerable Progress therein insomuch that he is esteem'd for one of the most Learned Men in the Nation It is said that he was much admir'd in Germany for his Readiness in speaking Latin and I suppose it was to exercise himself in the same Tongue that in the time of his Embassy into that Country he set himself to write in elegant Latin the Life of John the Second Sir-nam'd The Perfect Prince which hath been publish'd since In this Piece the Noble Author hath attempted to follow the Stile and Method of the Ancients How far he hath attain'd to either I will not pretend to judge but I believe most candid Readers will think he hath succeeded to admiration considering at how low an Ebb Learning hath been in Portugal for this last Age But by this Application to his Studies he qualify'd himself for much Greater and more Honourable Employments than that of an Author At Twenty-four Years of Age he was made one of the Infante's Camarists and is supposed to have had a great hand in the last Revolution and he hath been ever since one of the nearest to the Person of that Prince After some Overtures had been made of a Marriage between the King his Master and the Princess of Nieubourg this Lord was pitch'd upon as the fittest Person to carry on so important a Negotiation which he brought to a happy Conclusion and conducted the Royal Bride with him into Portugal Nor was that the only Service the Conde did on this occasion he gain'd an Honour for his Master which the Emperor excepted no Crown'd Head in Christendom had ever attain'd to before For before he made his Publick Entry into Heidelberg he so adjusted Matters in a Preliminary Treaty that he was to have the Precedency of the Elector and the Place of Honour on all Occasions This say the Portugueses had never before been granted by an Elector the Ambassador Extraordinary of any King tho' some of the greatest had been seeking it with much Earnestness But the Reputation of his Majesty's Grandeur say they so worthily represented by this Great Minister together with his Excellency's great Prudence and Dexterity gain'd for this Crown that singular Prerogative When his Excellency made his Publick Entry the two Princes Frederick and Philip waited to receive him in the Court of the Castle and the Elector himself went down some of the Steps that are open to the Court to meet the Ambassador as he came out of his Coach his Electoral Highness desiring his Excellency to be covered gave him the Right-hand let his Excellency go before him through every Door and when he had conducted him to the Place of Audience gave him the most Honourable Seat This was so very great an Honour that it had been deny'd not only to Ambassadors but to a King in Person For when Henry Elect of Poland afterwards the Third of that Name in France call'd at Heidelberg in his way to his new Kingdom there was not a Man to be seen in this very Court where the Conde de Villar Mayor had Princes to wait upon him at his Portiere and the poor King was so out of Countenance that he was fain to step aside on pretence of making Water 'till some Body might come to shew him up Stairs at last the Rhinegrave accompanied with two Gentlemen that had escaped from the Butchery of Saint Barthlemi met him half way on the Steps excusing the Elector his Father Frederick the Third that he came not to do this Office by reason of a certain Pain that he had in his Leg but the old Elector invited King Henry the next Morning to take a Walk with him and by no less than Thirty Turns in his Great Hall like that at Westminster he so breath'd the young King as fully to convince him that what his Son had said was but a meer Excuse But Henry came then just reeking from shedding the Blood of Innocents and the old Elector who otherwise entertain'd him like a Royal Guest had a mind to let the young King see how much a Prince falls from his Dignity by becoming guilty of such Barbarities So that I confess this Precedent ought not to be much insisted upon in the Case of our Ambassador Extraordinary As for the late Elector Philip William he it seems was resolv'd not to stand upon Ceremonies with his Excellency he not only gave him the Upper-hand at his first Reception but likewise at Meals The Lord Ambassador always wash'd first sat in the best Place was serv'd first nay the very Electoress her self and the Princesses her Daughters would needs have his Excellency take the Precedency of them too but he was more a Gentleman than to insist upon his Punctilio's with Ladies And so it was contriv'd that at Conferences with them there should be no Canopy in the Room and consequently no Distinction between the Right and the Left-hand and that of two Rows of Chairs opposite to each other the Ambassador should take the uppermost on the one side and the Electoress on the other with the Princesses her Daughters after

Conti he took occasion to reproach him for having lost his Respect to the King by using this Violence in a Place that ought to be accounted Sacred upon which such hard words pass'd between them that had not the Queen Mother made up the Quarrel afterwards 't was fear'd that they would have come to Blows this Discourse happen'd while he was endeavouring to get in to the King to acquaint him of what they were doing about his Court and had he not found all the Passages Guarded he might have spoil'd the Design But in the Conference he had presently afterwards with the King 't is said he laid the Project of that entire Defeat which in a few days he gave the whole Party For the present he prevail'd with the King to dissemble his Resentments which contrary to his Custom he did and carried it fair with his Mother and her Creatures so that all things seem'd to be well again The Queen was highly applauded by the Courtiers for her prudent Resolution and Conduct and those vile Creatures that Conti had rais'd took it extreamly ill that they were not thought fit to be employ'd in the Action But some wiser than the rest were a little startled at the King 's ordering the Conde to wait another Week tho' others were of Opinion that the Conde did not think himself safe unless about the King's Person But the Alarm was more general on the Monday after this Transaction which had pass'd on Saturday the 16th of June 1662 when the King taking occasion according to his custom to go to Alcantara but in greater State than ordinary the Conde from thence wrote to the Secretary of State in an imperious Stile that it was the King's Pleasure to know what they had done with Conti whether any Order had been given to put him to Death and whether Manoel Antunes one of his Associates had been arrested but at Evening the King return'd visited and caress'd his Mother and on Tuesday all things were quiet again On Wednesday about Twelve a Clock the Plot broke out for the King at that unseasonable Hour when People in this Country at this time of the Year are going to sleep taking the Conde with him in his Litter withdraws privately to Alcantara and thence sends to the Court for his Guards and afterwards for Necessaries to fit up his Lodgings Summons the Nobility to come and attend his Person first those that he thought best affected to him and afterwards all in general dispatches away Expresses to the Commanders of his Army and Garrisons to give them notice That he had taken the Government into his own hands By this hardy Enterprize the Conde in a few hours time entirely defeated the Queens most numerous and powerful Party and broke all the Measures which that Princess the most accomplisht of her Sex in the Arts of Policy had been concerting for several Years Not that her accustomed Prudence fail'd her on this occasion for she did all that could be expected from one of her Character to preserve her Authority and the Conde who got the better of the day was not a little oblig'd for his Success to his good Fortune For at first News of what was doing at Alcantara the Queen plac'd a Guard at the Passage from the City to that place called her Confidents about her and assembl'd the Council giving out Orders at the same time that none should go near the King 'till they had been first with her And she was so well obey'd that the Fortune of the Day was for some time in Ballance and it was towards Evening when the Conde found his Design had taken so little effect that he was thinking to secure the King and himself in St. Julian's Castle For notwithstanding his sending out the Summons with such an Air of Authority there were no more than two Noblemen of the Secret and it grew late before a Man besides them appear'd at Alcantara But this was not known at Lisbon nor had the adverse Party so much time to recollect themselves as to consult one another's Sentiments or be inform'd how People stood affected it was hard for them to think such Summons could have been sent unless some under-hand Assurance had been given that they would be obey'd and no Man could know how far others were engaged or might comply but every one might be assured that his own Fortunes were spoil'd should he be found among the last that came in While things were thus in suspence at the Court and at Alcantara two Persons gave the Turn to the King's side the one was Antonio de Sousa de Macedo a faithful Servant of the King and a true Friend of the Conde's of whom I shall afterwards have occasion to speak but he being not so considerable for his Birth or Quality his Example was the less likely to draw others after him The other was a great Lord who proved afterwards the most bitter Enemy the King had in the World but at this time contrary to his Intentions did him a most important piece of Service This was the Marquess of Cascaes would needs be going to Alcantara contrary to the Queen's Order that he might see what they were doing there and return to give Her Majesty an account But other People could not see upon what Design he went so that he having thus broke the Ice several followed his Example who drew many after 'em that were not sent for as well as of those that were The King's Party growing apparently the stronger the Highway to Alcantara was fill'd with Herds of such as think the strongest must surely be in the right all Men striving to get foremost to assure his Majesty of the great Zeal which they for their parts always had for his Service 'T is not my Business to give the Particulars of this Revolution In short the Queen after fome struggle found her self obliged to make a formal Surrender of the Government into the King's Hands the following Friday The Conde having thus gotten possession of the Government tho' he had discovered much of the Young Man in the Attempt yet in the Management of Affairs he proceeded with all the Flegm and Prudence of an old experienc'd States-man It 's true that in the beginning he found it necessary for the King's Safety and his own to use some Rigor in making great Alterations at Court The leading Men of the Queen's Party as they had more or less incurr'd the King's Displeasure were either banish'd into remote Parts of the Kingdom removed from their Places forbid the Court or excused their Attendance but notwithstanding the Murmurs of the interessed Persons and their Dependants he managed things so well that in a short time he became exceeding popular He found the State at the Brink of Ruin being in all appearance reduced to the last Extremity by a War of Two and twenty Years standing The Spaniards after they had made Peace with the French falling in upon Portugal with the choice