Puslapio vaizdai
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the garden; the city grown from wood to brick; your sea-walls or pomarium of your island surveyed, and in edifying; your merchants embracing the whole compass of the world, east, west, north, and south; the times gives you peace, and yet offer you opportunities of action abroad and lastly, your excellent royal issue entaileth these blessings and favours of God to descend to all posterity. It resteth, therefore, that God having done so great things for your majesty, and you for others, you would do so much for yourself, as to go according to your good beginnings, with the rectifying and settling of your estate and means, which only is wanting; hoc rebus defuit unum. I therefore, whom only love and duty to your majesty, and royal line, hath made a financier, do intend to present unto your majesty a perfect book of your estate, like a perspective glass, to draw your estate nearer to your sight; besecching your majesty to conceive, that if I have not attained to do that that I would do, in this which is not proper for me, in my element, I shall make your majesty amends in some other thing, in which I am better bred. God ever preserve, etc.

Jan. 2, 1618.

Stephens's CCXIV. To the Marquis of BUCKINGHAM.

second col

lection,

P 93.

My very good Lord,

IF I should use the count de Gondomar's action, I should first lay your last letter to my mouth in token of thanks, and then to my heart in token of contentment. I and then to my forehead in token of a perpetual remembrance.

I send now to know how his majesty doth after his remove, and to give you account, that yesterday was a day of motions in the chancery. This day was a day of motions in the star-chamber, and it was my hap to clear the bar, that no man was left to move any thing, which my lords were pleased to note they never saw be fore. To-morrow is a sealing day; Thursday is the funeral day; so that I pray your lordship to direct me whether I shall attend his majesty Friday or Saturday.

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Friday hath some reliques of business, and the commissioners of treasure have appointed to meet; but to see his majesty, is to me above all.

I have set down de bene esse, Suffolk's cause, the third sitting next term; if the wind suffer the commission of Ireland to be sped. I ever more and more rest Your lordship's most obliged friend and faithful servant,

This 11th of May, 1619.

FR. VERULAM, Canc.

CCXV. To the Lord Chancellor.

My most honourable Lord,

I ACQUAINTED his majesty with your letter at the first opportunity after I received it, who was very well pleased with that account of your careful and speedy dispatch of businesses, etc.

Greenwich, 13th May, 1619.

Yours, etc.

G. BUCKINGHAM.

P. S. Your business had been done before this, but I knew not whether you would have the attorney or solicitor to draw it.

CCXVI. To the Lord Chancellor.
My noble Lord,

I SHEWED your letter of thanks to his majesty,
who says there are too many in it for so small a favour,
which he holdeth too little to encourage so well a de-
serving servant. For myself I shall ever rejoice at the
manifestation of his majesty's favour towards you, and
will contribute all that is in me to the increasing his
good opinion; ever resting

Your lordship's faithful friend and servant,

G. BUCKINGHAM.

Stephens's second collection,

p. 94.

Ibid.

second col

Stephens's CCXVII. To my very loving friends SIR THOlection, MAS LEIGH and SIR THOMAS PUCKERING, knights and baronets.

p. 94.

Ibid. 95.

AFTER my hearty commendations, being informed by the petition of one Thomas Porten, a poor Yorkshireman, of a heavy accident by fire, whereby his house, his wife, and a child, together with all his goods, were utterly burnt and consumed; which misfortune, the petitioner suggests with much eagerness, was occasioned by the wicked practices and conjurations of one John Clarkson, of Rowington, in the County of Warwick, and his daughter, persons of a wandering condition, affirming, for instance, that one Mr. Hailes, of Warwick did take from the said Clarkson certain books of conjuration and witchcraft: that the truth of the matter may be rightly known, and that Clarkson and his daughter, if there be ground for it, may answer the law according to the merit of so hainous a fact, I have thought good to wish and desire you to send for Clarkson, and his daughter, and as upon due examination you shall find cause, to take order for their forthcoming, and answering of the matter at the next assize for the county of York; and also to confer with Mr. Hailes, whether he took from the said Clarkson any such book of conjuration, as the petitioner pretends he did, and to see them in safe custody. Whereupon I desire to be certified how you find the matter; and your doing thereupon. So not doubting of your special care and diligence herein, I bid you heartily farewell, and rest

York House, 15 May, 1619.

Your very loving friend,

FR. VERULAM, Canc.

CCXVIII. To the Marquis of BUCKINGHAM.
My very good Lord,

I SEND his majesty a volume of my lord of Bangor's
and my lord Sheffield, whereof I spake when I left his
majesty at Theobalds. His majesty may be pleased,

at his own good time and pleasure, to cast his eye upon it. I purpose at my coming to London to confer with the chief justice as his majesty appointed; and to put the business of the pursevants in a way which I think will be best by a commission of Oyer and Terminer; for the star-chamber, without confession, is long seas. I should advise that this point of the pursevants were not single, but that it be coupled in the commission with the offences of keepers of prisons hereabouts; it hath a great affinity: for pursevants are but ambulatory keepers, and it works upon the same party, of the papists, and it is that wherein many of his majesty's and the council's severe charges have been hitherto unfruitful; and it doth a great deal of mischief. I have some other reason for it. But of this it will be fittest to advertise more particularly, what I have resolved of on advice, upon conference with the chief justice. I am wonderful glad to hear of the king's good health. God preserve his majesty and your lordship. I ever

rest

Your lordship's most obliged friend
and faithful servant,

FR. VERULAM, Canc.

Gorhambury, this last of July, 1619.

CCXIX. To the Lord Chancellor.

My honourable Lord,

YOUR lordship hath sent so good news to his majesty, that I could have wished you had been the reporter of it yourself; but seeing you came not, I cannot but give you thanks for employing me in the delivering of that which pleased his majesty so well, whereof he will put your lordship in mind, when he seeth you. I am glad we are come so near together, and hoping to see you at Windsor, I rest

Your lordship' faithful friend and servant,

Aug. 29, 1619.

G. BUCKINGHAM.

Stephens's second col

lection,

p. 96.

CCXX. To the Lord Chancellor.

Stephens's

lection,

p. 96.

My Honourable Lord,

second col. As I was reading your lordship's letter, his majesty came, and took it out of my hands, when he knew from whom it came, before I could read the paper inclosed and told me that you had done like a wise counsellor: first setting down the state of the question, and then propounding the difficulties, the rest being to be done in its own time.

Ibid. p. 97.

I am glad of this occasion of writing to your lordship, that I may now let your worship understand his majesty's good conceit and acceptation of your service, upon your discourse with him at Windsor, which though I heard not myself, yet I heard his majesty much commend it both for the method and the affection you shewed therein to his affairs, in such earnest manner, as if you made it your only study and care to advance his majesty's service. And so I rest

Your Lordship's faithful friend and servant,

Wanstead, 9 Sep. 1619.

G. BUCKINGHAM.

CCXXI. To the Marquis of BUCKINGHAM.
My very good Lord,

I THINK it my duty to let his majesty know what
I find in this cause of the ore tenus. For as his majesty
hath good experience, that when his business comes
upon the stage, I carry it with strength and reso-
lution; so in the proceedings I love to be wary and
considerate.

I wrote to your lordship by my last, that I hoped by the care I had taken, the business would go well, but without that care I was sure it would not go well. This I meant because I had had conference with the two chief justices, Sir Edward Coke being present, and handled the matter so that not without much ado 1 left both the chief justices firm to the cause and satisfied.

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