which W. Coventry not enduring, did by H. Saville send a letter to the
Duke of Buckingham, that he had a desire to speak with him. Upon which,
the Duke of Buckingham did bid Holmes, his champion ever since my Lord
Shrewsbury's business,

[Charles II. wrote to his sister (Henrietta, Duchess of Orleans), on
March 7th, 1669: "I am not sorry that Sir Will. Coventry has given
me this good occasion by sending my Lord of Buckingham a challenge
to turne him out of the Councill. I do intend to turn him allso out
of the Treasury. The truth of it is, he has been a troublesome man
in both places and I am well rid of him" (Julia Cartwright's
"Madame," 1894, p. 283).]

go to him to know the business; but H. Saville would not tell it to any
but himself, and therefore did go presently to the Duke of Buckingham, and
told him that his uncle Coventry was a person of honour, and was sensible
of his Grace's liberty taken of abusing him, and that he had a desire of
satisfaction, and would fight with him. But that here they were
interrupted by my Lord Chamberlain's coming in, who was commanded to go to
bid the Duke of Buckingham to come to the King, Holmes having discovered
it. He told me that the King did last night, at the Council, ask the Duke
of Buckingham, upon his honour, whether he had received any challenge from
W. Coventry? which he confessed that he had; and then the King asking W.
Coventry, he told him that he did not owne what the Duke of Buckingham had
said, though it was not fit for him to give him a direct contradiction.
But, being by the King put upon declaring, upon his honour, the matter, he
answered that he had understood that many hard questions had upon this
business been moved to some lawyers, and that therefore he was unwilling
to declare any thing that might, from his own mouth, render him obnoxious
to his Majesty's displeasure, and, therefore, prayed to be excused: which