an officer who by his master's orders writes letters, dispatches, and other instruments, which he renders authentic by his signet. Of these there are several kinds; as, 1. Secretaries of state, who are officers that have under their management and direction the most important affairs of the kingdom, and are obliged constantly to attend on the king; they receive and dispatch whatever comes to their hands, either from the crown, the church, the army, private grants, pardons, dispensations, &c. as likewise petitions to the sovereign; which when read, are returned to them; all which they dispatch according to the king's direction. They have authority to commit persons for treason, and other offences against the state, as conservators of the peace at common law, or as justices of the peace throughout the kingdom. They are members of the privy-council, which is seldom or never held without one of them being present: and as to the business and correspondence in all parts of this kingdom, it is managed by either of the secretaries without any distinction: but with respect to foreign affairs the business is divided into two provinces, or departments, the southern and the northern, comprehending all the kingdoms and states that have any intercourse with Great Britain; each secretary receiving all letters and addresses from, and making all dispatches to, the several princes and states comprehended in his province. Ireland and the Plantations are under the direction of the elder secretary, who has the southern province, which also comprehends France, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, and Turkey: the northern province includes the Low Countries, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, and Muscovy. Each of the secretaries have an apartment in all the royal houses, both for their own accommodation and their officers; they have also a table at the king's charge, or else board-wages. The two secretaries of state have each two under secretaries, and one chief clerk, with an uncertain number of other clerks and translators, all wholly depending on them. To the secretaries of state belong the custody of that seal properly called the signet, and the direction of two other offices, one, called the papers-office, and the other the signet-office.

2. Secretary of an embassy, a person attending an ambassador for writing dispatches relating to the negociation. There is a great difference between the secretary of an embassy, and the ambassador's secretary; the last being a domestick or menial of the ambassador, and the first a servant or minister of the prince.

3. The secretary of war, an officer of the war-office, who has two chief clerks under him, the last of which is the secretary's messenger. There are also secretaries in most of the other offices.