The Marquis of Worcester must have been very fully occupied at this time, with the various incidents portending a change in his domestic affairs, yet he appears never to have forgotten, or considered it any trouble, to assist and relieve the necessities of others. In this humane spirit we find him addressing two long letters to the Secretary of State, the first in respect to Captain William Foster, a prisoner in the Tower; the other relating to the Captain’s servant. They derive a further interest from the allusion he makes to his own former captivity in the same fortress:--[E] “RIGHT HONOURABLE, “Though I bear as great a reverence to the Act of Oblivion as any, yet methinks justice also requires it at my hands to make a great difference between those who in their then actings carried a respect and afforded kindness to us their poor prisoners for his Majesty’s cause; I think myself therefore bound in honour and gratitude to give such a testimony in Captain William Foster’s behalf to my own knowledge, and was an eye-witness thereof to the very saving some prisoners of quality and merit [from?] their greatest hazards, who I believe (if they were in town, or present with you) would not deny it: the favour he only begs, and I in his behalf, is, that upon sufficient bail, he may follow his own calling, and provide for many children of his wife’s relict, of one once a soldier for his Majesty; and some little ones of his own, now by her ever a most Lady Cavalier. And if my intercession may be of stead to him, and of value to you, I shall take it for a good obligation upon one who am confident his accusations are of some priest animosities, and will prove so when rightly understood: for before his Majesty’s happy restoration his commission was upon that account taken from him to his damage, and that he should now likewise suffer for his Majesty does seem very hard. But I submit all this to your Honour’s best judgment towards him, and create an obligation from you upon me, though not very personally known to you, yet a great admirer of your great parts and merit; and shall ever approve myself “Your Honour’s “most affectionate and most humble servant, “WORCESTER. “November 18th, 1662. “For the Right Honourable Sir Henry Bennett, One of his Majesty’s principal Secretaries of State, these.” And the month following he wrote:-- “RIGHT HONOURABLE,