horses amongst us all, which we rid on by turns. In
this sad condition I left Red Abbey, with as many
goods as were worth 100/. which could not be
removed, and so were plundered. We went ten
miles to Kinsale, in perpetual fear of being fetched
back again ; but, by little and little, I thank God,
we got safe to the garrison, where I found your
father the most disconsolate man in the world, for
fear of his family, which he had no possibility to
assist ; but his joys exceeded to see me and his
darling daughter, and to hear the wonderful escape
we, through the assistance of God, had made.
But when the rebels went to give an account to
Cromwell of their meritorious act, he immediately
asked them where Mr. Fanshawe was ? They replied,
he was that day gone to Kinsale. Then he demanded
where his papers and his family were ? At which
they all stared at one another, but made no reply.
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Their General said, * It was as much worth to have
seized his papers as the town ; for I did make account
to have known by them what these parts of the
country are worth.'
But within a few days we received the King's
order, which was, that my husband should, upon
sight thereof, go into Spain to Philip IV. and deliver
him his Majesty's letters ; and by my husband also
his Majesty sent letters to my Lord Cottington and
Sir Edward Hyde, his Ambassadors Extraordinary
in that Court. Upon this order we went to Macrome
to the Lord Clancarty, who married a sister of the
Lord Ormond ; we stayed there two nights, and at
my coming away, after a very noble entertainment,
my Lady gave me a great Irish greyhound, and I
presented her with a fine besel-stone.
From thence we went to Limerick, where we were
entertained by the Mayor and Aldermen very nobly ;
and the Recorder of the Town was very kind, and in
respect they made my husband a freeman of Limerick.
There we met the Bishop of Londonderry and the
Earl of Roscommon, who was Lord Chancellor of
that Kingdom at that time. These two persons
with my husband being together writing letters to the
King, to give an account of the kingdom, when they
were going down stairs from my Lord Roscommon's
chamber, striving to hold the candle at the stairs'
head, because the privacy of their despatch admitted
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not a servant to be near, my Lord Roscommon fell
down the stairs, and his head fell upon the corner of
a stone and broke his skull in three pieces, of which
he died five days after, leaving the broad seal of
Ireland in your father's hands, until such time as
he could acquaint his Majesty with this sad account,
and receive orders how to dispose of the seals.
This caused our longer stay, but your father and I
being invited to my Lord Inchiquin's, there to stay
till we heard out of Holland from the King, which
was a month before the messenger returned, we had
very kind entertainment, and vast plenty of fish and
fowl. By this time my Lord Lieutenant the now Duke
of Ormondes army was quite dispersed, and himself
gone for Holland, and every person concerned in
that interest shifting for their lives ; and Cromwell
went through as bloodily as victoriously, many
worthy persons being murdered in cold blood, and
their families quite ruined.
From hence we went to the Lady Honor O'Brien's,
a lady that went for a maid, but few believed it : she
was the youngest daughter of the Earl of Thomond.
There we stayed three nights. The first of which I
was surprised by being laid in a chamber, when,
about one o'clock I heard a voice that wakened me.
I drew the curtain, and in the casement of the window,
I saw, by the light of the moon, a woman leaning into
the window, through the casement, in white, with red
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hair and pale and ghastly complexion: she spoke loud,
and in a tone I had never heard, thrice, ^ A horse'; and
then, with a sigh more like the wind than breath
she vanished, and to me her body looked more like
a thick cloud than substance. I was so much
frightened, that my hair stood on end, and my night
clodies fell ofF. I pulled and pinched your father,
who never woke during the disorder I was in ; but
at last was much surprised to see me in this fright,
and more so when I related the story and showed
him the window opened. Neither of us slept any
more that night, but he entertained me with telling
me how much more these apparitions were usual in
this country than in England; and we concluded
the cause to be the great superstition of the Irish,
and the want of that knowing faith, which should
defend them from the power of the Devil, which he
exercises among them very much. About five o'clock
the lady of the house came to see us, saying she had
not been in bed all night, because a cousin O'Brien
of her's, whose ancestors had owned that house, had
desired her to stay with him in his chamber, and that
he died at two o'clock, and she said, ^ I wish you to
have had no disturbance, for 'tis the custom of the
place, that, when any of the family are dying, the
shape of a woman appears in the window every night
till they be dead. This woman was many ages ago
got with child by the owner of this place, who
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murdered her in his garden and flung her into the
river under the window, but truly I thought not of
it when I lodged you here, it being the best room
in the house/ We made little reply to her speech,
but disposed ourselves to be gone suddenly.
By this time my husband had received orders from
the King to give the Lord Inchiquin the seals to
keep until farther orders from his Majesty. When
that business was settled, we went, accompanied by
my Lord Inchiquin and his family, four or five miles
towards Galway, which he did not by choice, but the
plague had been so hot in that city the summer
before, that it was almost depopulated, and the haven
as much as the town. But your father hearing that,
by accident, there was a great ship of Amsterdam
bound for Malaga, in Spain, and Cromwell pursuing
his conquests at our backs, resolved to fall into the
hands of God rather than into the hands of men ;
and with his family of about ten persons came to
the town at the latter end of February,* where we
found guards placed that none should enter without
certificates from whence they came ; but understand-
ing that your father came to embark himself for
Spain, and that there was a merchant's house taken
for us, that was near the sea-side, and one of their
best, they told us, if we pleased to alight, they would
* Probably January, as in a subsequent page Lady Fanshawe
says, she embarked for Galway in the beginning of February.
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Memoirs of Lady Fanshawe 89
wait on us to the place ; but it was long from thence,
and no horses were admitted into the town.
An Irish footman that served us, said, *I lived
here some years and know every street, and likewise
know a much nearer way than these men can show
you, Sir; therefore come with me, if you please/
We resolved to follow him, and sent our horses to
stables in the suburbs : he led us all on the back side
of the town, under the walls, over which the people
during the plague, which was not yet quite stopped,
flung out all their dung, dirt, and rags, and we walked
up to the middle of our legs in them, for, being
engaged, we could not get back. At last we found
the house, by the master standing at the door expect-
ing us, who said, * You are welcome to this discon-
solate city, where you now see the streets grown
over with grass, once the finest little city in the
world.' And indeed it is easy to think so, the build-
ings being uniformly built, and a very fine market-
place, and walks arched and paved by the sea-side for
their merchants to walk on, and a most noble harbour.
Our house was very clean, only one maid in it
besides the master; we had a very good supper
provided, and being very weary went early to bed.
The owner of this house entertained us with the
story of the late Marquis of Worcester, who had
been there some time the year before : he had of his
own and other friends' jewels to the value of 8000/.,
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which some merchants had lent upon them. My
Lord appointed a day for receiving the money upon
them and delivering the jewels ; being met, he shows
them to all these persons, then seals them up in a
box, and delivered them to one of these merchants,
by consent of the rest, to be kept for one year, and
upon the payment of the 8000/. by my Lord Marqms
to be delivered him.
After my Lord had received the money, he was
entertained at all these persons' houses, and nobly
feasted with them near a month : he went from
thence into France. When the year was expired,
they, by letters into France, pressed the payment of
this borrowed money several times, alleging they had
great necessity of their money to drive their trade
with ; to which my Lord Marquis made no answer ;
which did at last so exasperate these men, that they
broke open the seals, and opening the box found
nothing but rags and stones for their 8000/. at which
they were highly enraged, and in this case I left them.
At the beginning of February we took ship, and
our kind host, with much satisfaction in our com-
pany, prayed God to bless us and give us a good
voyage, for, said he, * I thank God you are all gone
safe aboard from my house, notwithstanding I have
buried nine persons out of my house within these six
months ' ; which saying much startled us, but, God's
name be praised, we were all well, and so continued.
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Memoirs of Lady Fanshawe 91
Here now oizr scene was shifted from land to sea,
and we left that brave kingdom, fallen, in six or
eight months, into a most miserable sad condition,
as it hath been many times in most kings* reigns,
God knows why! for I presume not to say; but the
natives seem to me a very loving people to each
other, and constantly false to all strangers, the
Spaniards only excepted. The country exceeds in
timber and sea-ports, and great plenty of fish, fowl,
flesh, and, by shipping, wants no foreign commodities.
We pursued our voyage with prosperous winds, but
with a most tempestuous master, a Dutchman, which
is enough to say, but truly, I think, the greatest
beast I ever saw of his kind.
When we had just passed the Straits, we saw
coming towards us, with full sails, a Turkish galley
well manned, and we believed we should be all
carried away slaves, for this man had so laden his
ship with goods for Spain, that his guns were useless,
though the ship carried sixty guns. He called for
brandy ; and after he had well drunken, and all his
men, which were near two hundred, he called for
arms and cleared the deck as well as he could,
resolving to fight rather than lose his ship, which
was worth thirty thousand pounds. This was sad
for us passengers ; but my husband bade us be sure
to keep in the cabin, and the women not to appear,
which would make the Turks think that we were a
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man-of-war, but if they saw women they would take
us for merchants and board us. He went upon the
deck, and took a gun and bandoliers, and sword,
and, with the rest of the ship's company, stood upon
deck expecting the arrival of the Turkish man-of-
war. This beast, the Captain, had locked me up in
the cabin ; I knocked and called long to no purpose,
until, at length, the cabin-boy came and opened the
door ; I, all in tears, desired him to be so good as to
give me his blue thrum cap he wore, and his tarred
coat, which he did, and I gave him half a crown, and
putting them on and flinging away my night clothes,
I crept up softly and stood upon the deck by my
husband's side, as free from sickness and fear as, I
confess, from discretion ; but it was the effect of that
passion, which I could never master.
By this time the two vessels were engaged in
parley, and so well satisfied with speech and sight of
each other's forces, that the Turks' man-of-war
tacked about, and we continued our course. But
when your father saw it convenient to retreat, looking
upon me, he blessed himself, and snatched me up in
his arms, saying, *Good God, that love can make
this change ! ' and though he seemingly chid me, he
would laugh at it as often as he remembered that
voyage. And in the beginning of March we all
landed, praised be God, in Malaga, very well, and
full of content to see ourselves delivered from tiie
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Memoirs of Lady Fanshawe 93
sword and plague, and living in hope that we should
one day return happily to our native country ; not-
withstanding, we thought it great odds, considering
how the affairs of the King's three kingdoms stood ;
but we trusted in the providence of Almighty God,
and proceeded.
We were very kindly entertained by the merchants,
and by them lodged in a merchant's house, where
we had not been with our goods three days, when
the vessel that brought us thither, by the negli-
gence of a cabin-boy, was blown up in the harbour,
with the loss of above a hundred men and all our
lading.
After we had refreshed ourselves some days, we
went on our journey towards Madrid, and lodged
the first night at Velez Malaga, to which we were
accompanied by most of the merchants. The next
day we went to Grenada, having passed the highest
mountains I ever saw in my life, but under this lieth
the finest valley that can be possibly described,
adorned with high trees and rich grass, and beautified
with a large deep clear river. Over the town and
this standeth the goodly vast palace of the King's,
called the Alhambra, whose buildings are, after the
fashion of the Moors, adorned with vast quantities
of jasper-stone ; many courts, many fountains, and
by reason it is situated on the side of a hill, and not
built uniform, many gardens with ponds in them,
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and many badis made of jasper, and many principal
rooms roofed with the mosaic work, which exceeds
the finest enamel I ever saw. Here I was showed in
the midst of a very large piece of rich embroidery
made by the Moors of Grenada, in the middle as
long as half a yard of the true Tyrian dye, which is
so glorious a colour that it cannot be expressed : it
hath the glory of scarlet, the beauty of purple, and is
so bright, that when the eye is removed upon any
other object it seems as white as snow.
The entry into this great Palace is of stone, for a
Porter's-lodge, but very magnificent, through the
gate below, which is adorned with figures of forest-
work, in which the Moors did transcend. High
above this gate was a bunch of keys cut in stone
likewise, with this motto : * Until that hand holds
tiiose keys, the Christians shall never possess this
Alhambra.' This was a prophecy they had, in
which they animated themselves, by reason of die
impossibility that ever they should meet. But see,
how true there is a time for all things ! It happened
that when the Moors were besieged in that place by
Don Fernando and his Queen Isabella, the King with
an arrow out of a bow, which they then used in war,
shooting the first arrow as their custom is, cut that
part of the stone that holds the keys, which was in
fashion of a chain, and the keys falling, remained in
the hand underneath. This strange accident preceded
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Memoirs of Lady Fanshawe 95
but a few days the conquest of the town of Grenada
and kingdom.
They have in this place an iron grate, fixed into
the side of the hill, that is a rock : I laid my head
to the key-hole and heard a noise like the clashing
of arms, but could not distinguish other shrill noises
I heard with that, but tradition says it could never
be opened since the Moors left it, notwithstanding
several persons had endeavoured to wrench it open,
but that they perished in the attempt. The truth of
this I can say no more to ; but that there is such a
gate, and I have seen it.
After two days we went on our journey ; and on
the 13th of April 1650, we came to the Court of
Madrid, where we were the next day visited by the
two English ambassadors, and afterwards by all the
English merchants.
Here I was delivered of my first daughter, that
was called Elizabeth, upon the 13th of July. She
lived but fifteen days, and lies buried in the Chapel
of the French Hospital. Your father had great
difficulty to carry on his business, without encroaching
upon the Extraordinary Ambassador's negotiation,
and the performance of his Majesty's commands to
show his present necessities, which he was sent to
Philip IV. for, in hopes of a present supply of money,
which our King then lacked ; but finding no good to
be done on that errand, he and I, accompanied by
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Dr. Bell, of Jesus College in Cambridge, who had
been his tutor, went a day*s journey together towards
St. Sebastian, there to embark for France.
While we stayed in this Court we were kindly
treated by all the English; and it was no small
trouble to your father's tutor to quit his company,
but, having undertaken the charge of that family of
the ambassador's as their chaplain, he said, he held
himself obliged in conscience to stay, and so he did.
In a few months after he died there, and lies buried
in the garden-house, where they then lived.
Whilst we were in Madrid, there was sent one
Askew, as resident from the then Governor of Eng-
land ; he lay in a common eating-house where some
travellers used to lie, and being one day at dinner,
some young men meeting in the street with Mr.
Prodgers, a gentleman belonging to the Lord Ambas-
sador Cottington, and Mr. Sparks, an English
merchant, discoursing of news, began to speak of the
impudence of that Askew, to come a public minister
from rebels to a Court where there were two Ambas-
sadors from his King. This subject being handled
with heat, they all resolved to go without more
consideration into his lodgings immediately and kill
him : they came up to his chamber door, and finding
it open, and he sat at dinner, seized him, and so
killed him, and went their several ways. Afterwards
they found Mr. Sparks in a church for rescue, not-
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Memoirs of Lady Fanshawe 97
withstanding it was contrary to their religion and
laws, and they forced him out from thence, and
executed him publicly, their fears of the English
power were then so great.
There was at that time the Lord Goring, son to
the Earl of Norwich: he had a command under
Philip the Fourth of Spain, against the Portuguese :
he was generally esteemed a good and great com-
mander, and had been brought up in Holland in his
youth, of vast natural parts ; for I have heard your
father say, he hath dictated to several persons at
once that were upon despatches, and all so admirably
well, that none of them could be mended. He was
exceeding facetious and pleasant company, and in
conversation, where good manners were due, the
civilest person imaginable, so that he would blush
like a girl. He was very tall, and very handsome :
he had been married to a daughter of the Earl of
Q)rk, but never had a child by her. His expenses
were what he could get, and his debauchery beyond
all precedents, which at last lost him that love the
Spaniards had for him ; and that country not admit-
ting his constant drinking, he fell sick of a hectic
fever, in which he turned his religion, and with
that artifice could scarce get to keep him whilst he
lived in that sickness, or to bury him when he was
dead
We came to St Sebastian's about the beginning of
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September, and there hired a small French vessel to
carry us to Nantz : we embarked within two dajrs
after our coming to this town. I never saw so wild
a place, nor were the inhabitants unsuitable, but like
to like, which made us hasten away, and I am sure to
our cost we found the proverb true, for our haste
brought us woe. We had not been' a day at sea
before we had a storm begun, that continued two
days and two nights in a most violent manner ; and
being in the Bay of Biscay, we had a hxirricane that
drew the vessel up from the water, which had neither
sail nor mast left, and but six men and a boy.
Whilst they had hopes of life they ran swearing
about like devils, but when that failed them, they ran
into holes, and let the ship drive as it would. In
this great hazard of our lives we were the beginning
of the third night, when God in mercy ceased the
storm of a sudden, and there was a great calm, which
made us exceeding joyful ; but when those beasts,
for they were scarce men, that manned the vessel,
began to rummage the bark, they could not find their
compass anywhere, for the loss of which they began
again such horrible lamentations as were as dismal
to us as the storm past.
Thus between hope and fear we passed the night,
they protesting to us they knew not where they were,
and truly we believed them ; for with fear and drink
I think they were bereaved of their senses. So soon
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as it was day, about six o*clock, the master cried out,
* The land ! the land ! ' but we did not receive the
news with the joy belonging to it, but sighing said,
God's will be done ! Thus the tide drove us until
about five o'clock in the afternoon, and drawing near
the side of a small rock that had a creek by it, we
ran aground, but the sea was so calm that we all got
out without the loss of any man or goods, but the
vessel was so shattered that it was not afterwards
serviceable : thus, God be praised ! we escaped this
great danger, and found ourselves near a little village
about two leagues from Nantz. We hired there six
asses, upon which we rode as many as could by turns,
and the rest carried our goods. This journey took
us up all the next day, for I should have told you
that we stirred not that night, because we sat up and
made good cheer ; for beds they had none, and we
were so transported that we thought we had no need
of any, but we had very good fires, and Nantz
white wine, and butter, and milk, and walnuts and
eggs, and some very bad cheese ; and was not this
enough, with the escape of shipwreck, to be thought
better than a feast ? I am sure until that hour I
never knew such pleasure in eating, between which
we a thousand times repeated what we had spoken
when every word seemed to be our last.
As soon as it was day, we began our journey
towards Nantz, and by the way we passed by a little
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poor chapel, at the door of which a friar begged an
alms, saying, that he would show us there the greatest
wonder in the world. We resolved to go with him.
He went before us to the altar, and out of a cup-
board, with great devotion, he took a box, and
crossing himself he opened it, in that was another of
crystal that contained a little silver box ; he lifting
this crystal box up, cried, * Behold in this the hem*
of St. Joseph, which was taken as he hewed his
timber 1 V To which my husband replied, * Indeed,
Father, it is the lightest, considering the greatness,
that I ever handled in my life.* The ridiculousness
of this, with the simplicity of the man, entertained
us till we came to Nantz. We met by the way
good grapes and walnuts growing, of which we culled
out the best.
Nantz is a passable good town, but decayed:
some monasteries in it, but none good nor rich.
There was in a nunnery, when I was there, a daughter
of Secretary Windebank. There is English pro-
visions, and of all sorts, cheap and good. We hired
a boat to carry us up to Orleans, and we were towed
up all the river of Loire so far. Every night we
went on shore to bed, and every morning carried
into the boat wine and fruit, and bread, with some
flesh, which we dressed in the boat, for it had a
hearth, on which we burnt charcoal : we likewise
* Thus in the MS. ; but query if a mistake of the transcriber.
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caught carps, which were the fattest and the best I
ever eat in my life. And of all my travels none
were, for travel sake as I may call it, so pleasant as
this; for we saw the finest cities, seats, woods,
meadows, pastures, and champaign that I ever saw
in my life, adorned with the most pleasant river of
Loire ; of which, at Orleans, we took our leaves.