To Madame Andros from Peter de Jerzey, 1662

A letter transcribed in Andros correspondence, a 19th-century notebook which belonged to Charles Andros. To Madame Andros, en la Court de sa Majesté de la Grand Bretaigne. Peter de Jersey was the minister of the Town Church from 1659 through the Restoration until the turmoil of 1662, when he was replaced by Huguenot refugee Pierre Jannon. Mme Andros was the wife of the prominent royalist Amias Andros. She was Elizabeth Stone; her brother Sir Robert Stone was cupbearer to the Queen of Bohemia and captain of a cavalry troop in Holland. In the early years of the war she left the island for St Malo, but on the way was captured by the parliamentary forces and returned to her enemies in Guernsey. In 1645 she managed to escape from the beseiged Castle Cornet to Jersey, leaving her husband behind; they did not see each other again for nine years.

Madam,

It is not long since that I did venture to writ unto the Baylly, your honourable Husband, I hope his goodnesse hath pardoned me that boldnesse although I then made some remora on avocations from his most important affairs for the service of His Majesty and for the good of his country: I have since by Mr Peter Carey's hands received some new express of his favour, which I cannot passe under silence, without the foule stayne of ungratefulnesse: But because my Letter might come unto him at the Highest tyde of his Businesses, and so be the lesse welcome, and that I know by so many experiments how gracious you are unto me, Pardon, Madam, if with a thankfulle acknowledgement of all your former kindnesses, I humbly begg at your hands this one also, to assure your noble Husband that I stand highly engaged unto him, and that his recommendation came at the most seasonable time it could come, as a refreshing shower after a scorching time, which did not a little revive the spirits of more persons than my-selfe: I doubt not, Madam, but that as God hath joined your Persons and interests together in all things, so you have both agreed to cast upon me these new beams of your goodness; wherefore they must also reflect towards your selfe as the rays of the sun darded upon the Earth doe reverberate from thence towards it again, think then not strange that of the waters of rivers and fountains doe direct their course towards the Sea again, whence the wise man tel us they tooke their origine, so the current of your favours (although not in the same meaning) runs towards the ocean of your love, it is the least I can doe or you can expect, and no man is worthy of receiving good who is not diligent to acknowledge the same being received: accept, therefore, Madam, I humbly beseech you, these few lines as a token of my obligations unto you both, confessing ingenuously that I must live and dye ever obliged unto you.

The news of a Deane have put strangely mens minds out of their hinges, but women chiefly, so that they have cast out of their breast a world of corruption, and it were well if they were cured by it, but I am afrayed their temperament be no whitt the better, howsoever I have blamed them publikly for it in our Town which although they took not very well for the time, yet have since bin more silent, and we hope that all will be quietly settled, if so be discretion be used in the managing of this work.

But yet that I be no more tedious, I humbly pray you, Madam, to pardon this my intrusion, and to passe a charitable censure upon these lines, which are coulpable enough though it were but to kisse your hands, at any time, much more at this, when we supposing the Queen's Majesty to be arrived, you have other objects to looke upon, which might cause you to cast them in disdaine as unworthy to descend as low as to us; but we hope as those bright celestiall bodyes although of a farre greater glory and bignesse than this inferior Globe, doe notwithstanding cast their influences here below and look upon us to you being in a higher Orbe, a starre of not the least magnitude, will be pleased to look upon us farre below with a benigne aspect, and the rather because you have vouchsafed to make us partakers of that already: and as we are bound, my mother and my wiffe (who humbly desire by this letter to kisse your hands) and I humbly desire you to reserve unto us the honor of your favour, the wings of our ambition aspiring no higher than to be received into the number of your humble servants, and so in their name, as well as in mine, I crave leave to subscribe myselfe unto your Honourable Husband your selfe and the rest of your most noble family,

Madam,
Your Honor's most Humble, most obedient, and most obliged Servant, Peter de Jerzey.

St Pierre Port in Guernsey this 10 May 1662.