inions, take up his quarters at Breda, and date all his
letters and proclamations thence. For the rest, as there were still
many difficulties and might be slips, the agreement between his
Majesty and Monk was to be kept profoundly secret.[3]

[Footnote 1: These two of the late public servants of Oliver--Downing
his minister at the Hague, and Morland his envoy in the business of
the Piedmontese massacre of 1655--had behaved most dishonourably.
Both, for some months past, had been establishing friendly relations
with Charles by actually betraying trusts they still held with the
government of the Commonwealth--Morland by communicating papers and
information which came into his possession confidentially in
Thurloe's office (_Clar. Hist._ 869), and Downing by
communicating the secrets of his embassy to Charles, and acting in
his interests in that embassy, on guarantee that he should retain
it, and have other rewards, when Charles came to the throne
(_Clar. Life_, 1116-1117). There was to be farther proof that
Downing was the meaner rascal of the two.]

[Footnote 2: Pepys's Diary, from beginning to April 11, 1660.
Montague seems to have first positively and directly pledged himself
to Charles in a letter of April 10, beginning "May it please your
excellent Majesty,--From your Majesty's incomparable goodness and
favour, I had the high honour to receive a letter from you when I was
in the Sound last summer, and now another by the hands of my cousin"
(Clar. State Papers). But the cousin had been already negotiating.]

[Footnote 3: Clarendon, 891-896; Thurloe, VII. 807-898; Skinner,
266-275; Phillips, 695-696.]

Over the seas went Greenville, as fast as ship could carry him, with
the precious messages he bore. At Ostend, where he arrived on the
23rd of March, he reduced them to writing; and the next day, and for
several days afterwards, Charles, Hyde, Ormond, and Secretary
Nicholas, were in joyful consultation over them in Brussels. The
advice of an instant removal to Breda fitted in with their own
intentions. Neither the Spanish territory nor the French was a good
ground from which to negotiate openly with England; nor indeed was
Spanish territory quite safe for Charles at a time when, seeing his
restoration possible, Spain might detain him as a hostage for the
recovery of Dunkirk and Mardike. To Breda, accordingly, as Monk
advised, the refugees went. They went in the most stealthy manner,
and just in time to avoid being de