[Sidenote: An extraordinary patent, April 1644.]
Charles had handed over the reduction of the Irish rebels to Parliament early in the day, and had told the Protestant agents at Oxford that he would rather have war than peace at their expense. As long as negotiations were entirely in Ormonde's hands this was no empty promise, but when the King decided to employ a private envoy as well, the situation was a good deal modified. The person selected was Lord Herbert, eldest son of the Marquis of Worcester, who had made immense sacrifices for the royal cause. Both father and son were Roman Catholics, and ardent champions of their faith. In history the latter is best known as Earl of Glamorgan, and so Charles styled him, though the creation was never formally made. On April 1, 1644, when the Irish agents were at Oxford, the King had granted him under the Great Seal a patent of so extraordinary a character that its main provisions must be repeated, though perhaps no episode in English history has been more thoroughly discussed. By this document he was constituted generalissimo with extraordinary powers of three armies, English, Irish, and foreign, and admiral of a fleet at sea; with authority to raise money by pledging wardships, customs, woods, and other hereditary property of the Crown. 'Persons of generosity' were to be encouraged to subscribe in return for titles of honour, 'for whom,' the King wrote, 'we have intrusted you with several patents under our Great Seal of England, from a marquis to a baronet, which we give you full power and authority to date and dispose of without knowing our further pleasure.' Charles solemnly bound himself to ratify all the patentee's acts, and and to give his daughter Elizabeth to Glamorgan's son Plantagenet 'with 300,000_l._ in dower or portion, most part whereof we acknowledge spent and disbursed by your father and you in our service.' Finally he was promised the dukedom of Somerset with power to 'put on the George and blue ribbon' at his pleasure, and to bear the garter in his coat of arms. The affixing of the seal to this patent may have been an amateur performance, the joint work of Endymion Porter and of Glamorgan himself, 'with rollers and no screw press,' but the document was genuine, and the king knew all about it.[69]