Lord Weymouth's Correspondence.

1. Letters to Lord Weymouth from Sir William Coventry his uncle, [4th son of Thomas, 1st Baron Coventry,] Private Secretary to the Duke of York, Commissioner of the Navy, etc. [d. 1686]. About 220 letters, 21 Aug. 1663 - March 16, 1685[6] and a few undated.

Though the letters are primarily of a domestic nature, yet written as they mostly were, from London and from a Minister of State, the news from the Court and the discussion of public matters are plentiful, and throw a valuable side-light on the history of the period. In a letter [f.436] dated 26 Jan. but without the year, he denies that he is the author of a "paper" relating to a Trimmer, "I cannot", he says, "imagine any colour for assigning suche a worke to mee, unlesse it be that I have not bin ashamed to owne myselfe to be indeed a Trimmer". The pamphlet entitled "The Character of a Trimmer" was by many attributed to Sir William Coventry and a first edition which was published in 1688 bore his initials, while the second edition, in 1689, had his name in full as the Author on the title page. ff. 1-448.

2. Letters to Lord Weymouth from Henry Coventry, his uncle, [3rd son of Thomas, 1st Baron Coventry], Secretary of State, etc. [d.1686.] Twenty-five letters, 1666-1680: chiefly from London, containing much public news, and a few dated at Breda, he having gone as Joint Plenipotentiary with Lord Holles to negotiate the treaty of peace with the Dutch, written partly in cypher, with the decipherings added above. One letter [.485] is dated from Stockholm where he was Ambassador in 1664-1666 and again in 1671-1679. ff.449-491.