ished when I was
there, and the master of the shop, his name is Walker, he made me pay
50s. for three, but 'twas too dear. You will meet with a story in these
parts of _Cleopatre_ that pleased me more than any that ever I read in
my life; 'tis of one Delie, pray give me your opinion of her and her
prince. This letter is writ in great haste, as you may see; 'tis my
brother's sick day, and I'm not willing to leave him long alone. I
forgot to tell you in my last that he was come hither to try if he can
lose an ague here that he got in Gloucestershire. He asked me for you
very kindly, and if he knew I writ to you I should have something to say
from him besides what I should say for myself if I had room.

Yrs.

_Letter 14._--This letter contains the most interesting political
reference of the whole series. Either Temple has written Dorothy an
account of Cromwell's dissolving the Long Parliament, or perhaps some
news-letter has found its way to Chicksands with the astounding news.
All England is filled with intense excitement over Cromwell's _coup
d'etat_; and it cannot be uninteresting to quote a short contemporary
account of the business. Algernon Sydney's father, the Earl of
Leicester, whose journal has already been quoted, under date Wednesday,
April 20th, 1653, writes as follows:--"My Lord General came into the
House clad in plain black clothes with grey worsted stockings, and sat
down, as he used to do, in an ordinary place." Then he began to speak,
and presently "he put on his hat, went out of his place, and walked up
and down the stage or floor in the midst of the House, with his hat on
his head, and chid them soundly." After this had gone on for some time,
Colonel Harrison was called in to remove the Speaker, which he did; "and
it happened that Algernon Sydney sat next to the Speaker on the right
hand. The General said to Harrison, 'Put him out!'

"Harrison spake to Sydney to go out, but he said he would not go out and
waited still.

"The General said again, 'Put him out!' Then Harrison and Wortley
[Worsley] put their hands upon Sydney's shoulders as if they would force
him to go out. Then he rose and went towards the door."

Such is the story which reaches Dorothy, and startles all England at
this date.

SIR,--That you may be sure it was a dream that I writ that part of my
letter in, I do not now remember what it was I writ, but seems it was
very kind, and possibly you owe the discovery on't to my being a