92 DIARY OF PATEICK GORDON. [1667 of your Imperiall Majesties

Passages from the diary of General Patrick Gordon of Auchleuchries : A.D. 1635-A.D. 1699"

92 DIARY OF PATEICK GORDON. [1667

of your Imperiall Majesties dominions, by such persons as the officers of our
navy shall employ, and in such quantity as they shall desire ; for, otherwise,
wee shall be no better treated by your Imperiall Majestic then our enemyes
are, which wll be no waies suitable to the brotherly professions your
Imperiall Majestic hath made unto us. That the trade of our merchants is,
by your Imperiall Majesties order, forbidden for this yeare, by reason that
your Imperiall Majestic hath been informed, by severall Intelligences and
printed Gazettes, that the plague of pestilence doth still rage in our Royall
Majesties dominions, wee might have hoped that your Imperiall Majestie
would not give crcditt to the printed papers and artifices of our enemyes,
whose practice it hath been, and is, to give out to the world that which may
most advance their designes, without any regard to truth or falshood, when.
In this very particular, we can assure your Imperiall Majestie, contrary to
their malicious rumors, that the plague is totaly ceassed in our Royall citty of
London, and in all our ports, for which Infinite mercy wee give heartly
thanks unto Almighty God ; and as wee doubt not but the knowledge hereof
will be most acceptable to your Imperiall Majestie, our most lovelng brother,
so wee will be Cvtufident that, upon the receipt of these our letters, your
Imperiall Majestie will recall all prohibitions In that kind, so that the next
ships that shall come from our kingdomes may, with their merchants and
merchanilize, be admitted to a ffreedom of trade In your Imperiall Majesties
dominions and ports as formerly. What concernes the restauration of your
Imperiall Majesties priviledges to our subjects, the marchants, seeing wee
cannot prevalll with your Imperiall Majestie to grant them at present,
though wee cannot be satisfied with your Imperiall Majesties answers to
that particular, yet wee do In some measure support our patience with hope
to find the same in short tyme granted to us, not doubting in the least of
your Imperiall Majesties brotherly Inclinations and real performances. So,
wishing your Imperiall Majestie, our most dear and lovelng brother, long
life, with a most happy and successefull reigne, haveing most graciously
dispatched your Imperiall Majesties Colonell Patrick Gordon with these, our
Royall Majesties letters, wee connnitt your Imperiall Majestie to the pro-
tection of Almighty God. Given at our Court, in our Royall.citty of London,
the twenty seventh of December, 1666, in the eighteenth yeare of our ralgne.

Haveing notice that the Baron d'Isola was come from the Roman Em-