5 - Duty, Faith, and Fraternity: Thomas, Richard, and Gilbert Talbot

Summary

Whosoever betrayes his King, will betraye his brother.

Father Peter Talbot to the Marquis of Ormond,

3 February 1655/6, Antwerp.

Peter Talbot was not the only one of his brethren to have conducted this sort of moral, spiritual, and political arithmetic during the course of the exile. Nor was he the only one of his brothers to have been variously encouraged, ignored, or condemned by Charles II's court in exile, despite great utility, by virtue of perceived duplicity or untrustworthiness. Many of the same attributes which had made Peter Talbot such an appealing, if not wholly trustworthy intermediary within Catholic Europe were present in his brothers, who shared similar connections with the collegiate networks, monasteries, ambassadors, and soldiery of Europe. Unfortunately, their greater degree of removal from Charles II's court and their relative inconsequence in the shaping of politics among the exiles makes the salvaging of their affairs and allegiances during this period far more difficult. Indeed, Peter's prolific correspondence with the exiled Court and numerous publications throughout the 1650s, in addition to the archival expansion generated by later interest in his beatification, has made him the far more accessible of the many brothers. Equally obstructive is the nature of those remaining brothers’ activities and the secrecy of their affairs during this period. As will be shown, Thomas's flitting throughout France, Italy, and England during this period with little correspondence to track his whereabouts left his movements open to rumour and speculation (much of it negative).