crowns to the Cause ; but they quarrelled ; and the
Pope went so far as to accuse Digby of misappro-
priation of the money. Digby, a man of clean hands,
seems to have taken up the Queen's quarrel. She
would have nothing to do with Rinuccini's Irish
expedition, which his Holiness was supporting ;
and her Chancellor naturally insisted on disburs-
ing the funds at her commands rather than at the
Pope's. Moreover, he was nowrenewinghis friend-
ship with Thomas White, a heretic Catholic priest,
of several aliases^ some of whose work had been
placed on the Index. White was a philosophic
thinker of considerable power and subtlety, and he
and Digby acted and reacted on each other strongly
— though Digby's debt is perhaps thegreater. Their
respective parts in the Two Treatises and in the In-
stitutionum Peripateticorum libri quinque, published
under White's name, but for which Sir Kenelm is
given the main credit, can hardly now be sifted.
White, at all events, was not a prudent friend for
an envoy to the Holy See. Digby " grew high and
hectored with his holinesse, and gave him the lye.
Thepopesaid hewasmad." ThusAubrey. Henri-
etta Maria sent him once more on the same errand ;
but the Roman Curia continued to look on him as
a " useless and restless man, with scanty wisdom."
Before returning, however, he paid a round of visits
to Italian courts, making everywhere a profound
impression by his handsome person and his liveli-
ness. He had to hasten back to England on his
own business. His fortunes were desperate ; and
he desired to compound for his estates.
xxvlii INTRODUCTIOC^i
A week or so after the King's death he is proved
by his correspondence to be in France, having fled
after one more pronouncement of him as a danger-
ous man. He went into exile this time with a sad
heart ; and it was not only the loyalist in him that
criedout . The life of an English country gentleman
would never have satisfied him ; yet he longed for
it now it had become impossible. He writes from
Calais to afriend : "Those innocent recreationsyou
mention of tabors and pipes, and dancing ladies,and
convenient country houses, shady walks and close
arbours, make one sigh to be again a spectator of
them, and to be again in little England, where time
slides more gently away than in any part of the
world. Quando sia mat ch'a rividerti io torno ? "
He went thistimeknowingbetter than his fellow
royalists the meaning of events. He was still a
rank, but at least an intelligent, conspirator. Eng-
lish correspondents at Rouen and Caen report him
in the company of one Watson, an Independent ;
and that he is proposing "to join the interests of all
the English papists with the bloody party that
murdered the king." Dr. Winsted, an English
doctor in Rouen, asked him with indignation how
he could meditate going back to England, "con-
sidering the abomination of that country." Digby
replied that he was forced to it. " If he went not
now he must starve." He plainly saw who was the
real and only force in England ; and he was going
to make a bargain with the strong man for himself
and his co-religionists. As a matter of fact there is
no trace of his return at this moment. Not merely
INTRODUCTIOD^ xxix
Page 9
Presented as published in 1910. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
crowns to the Cause ; but they quarrelled ; and the Pope went so far as to accuse Digby of misappropriation of the money. Digby, a man of clean hands, seems to have taken up the Queen's quarrel. She would have nothing to do with Rinuccini's Irish expedition, which his Holiness was supporting ; and her Chancellor naturally insisted on disbursing the funds at her commands rather than at the Pope's. Moreover, he was nowrenewinghis friendship with Thomas White, a heretic Catholic priest, of several aliases, some of whose work had been placed on the Index. White was a philosophic thinker of considerable power and subtlety, and he and Digby acted and reacted on each other strongly — though Digby's debt is perhaps the greater. Their respective parts in the Two Treatises and in the Institutionum Peripateticorum libri quinque, published under White's name, but for which Sir Kenelm is given the main credit, can hardly now be sifted. White, at all events, was not a prudent friend for an envoy to the Holy See. Digby grew high and hectored with his holiness, and gave him the lie. The Pope said he was mad. ThusAubrey. Henrietta Maria sent him once more on the same errand ; but the Roman Curia continued to look on him as a " useless and restless man, with scanty wisdom." Before returning, however, he paid a round of visits to Italian courts, making everywhere a profound impression by his handsome person and his liveliness. He had to hasten back to England on his own business. His fortunes were desperate ; and he desired to compound for his estates.
xxviii INTRODUCTION
A week or so after the King's death he is proved by his correspondence to be in France, having fled after one more pronouncement of him as a dangerous man. He went into exile this time with a sad heart ; and it was not only the loyalist in him that criedout . The life of an English country gentleman would never have satisfied him ; yet he longed for it now it had become impossible. He writes from Calais to afriend : "Those innocent recreationsyou mention of tabors and pipes, and dancing ladies,and convenient country houses, shady walks and close arbours, make one sigh to be again a spectator of them, and to be again in little England, where time slides more gently away than in any part of the world. Quando sia mai ch'a rivederti io torno?"
He went this time knowing better than his fellow royalists the meaning of events. He was still a rank, but at least an intelligent, conspirator. English correspondents at Rouen and Caen report him in the company of one Watson, an Independent ; and that he is proposing "to join the interests of all the English papists with the bloody party that murdered the king." Dr. Winsted, an English doctor in Rouen, asked him with indignation how he could meditate going back to England, "considering the abomination of that country." Digby replied that he was forced to it. " If he went not now he must starve." He plainly saw who was the real and only force in England ; and he was going to make a bargain with the strong man for himself and his co-religionists. As a matter of fact there is no trace of his return at this moment. Not merely
INTRODUCTION xxix