To the King. It may please your Majesty, It hath pleased God for these three days past, to visit me with such extremity of headach upon the hinder part of my head, fixed in one place, that I thought verily it had been some imposthumation; and then the little physic that I have told me that either it must grow to a congelation, and so to a lethargy, or to break, and so to a mortal fever or sudden death; which apprehension, and chiefly the anguish of the pain, made me unable to think of any business. But now that the pain itself is assuaged to be tolerable, I resume the care of my business, and therein prostrate myself again, by my letter, at your majesty's feet. Your majesty can bear me witness, that at my last so comfortable access, I did not so much as move your majesty by your absolute power of pardon, or otherwise, to take my cause into your hands, and to interpose between the sentence of the house. And according to my desire, your majesty left it to the sentence of the house by my Lord Treasurer's report. But now if not per omnipotentiam, as the divines say, but per potestatem suaviter disponentem, your majesty will graciously save me from a sentence, with the good liking of the house, and that cup may pass from me, it is the utmost of my desires. This I move with the more belief, because I assure myself, that if it be reformation that is sought, the very taking away of the seal, upon my general submission, will be as much in example, for these four hundred years, as any further severity. The means of this I most humbly leave unto your majesty, but surely I should conceive, that your majesty opening yourself in this kind to the Lords, Counsellors, and a motion of the Prince, after my submission, and my Lord Marquis using his interest with his friends in the house, may affect the sparing of the sentence; I making my humble suit to the house for that purpose, joined with the delivery up of the seal into your majesty's hands. This is my last suit that I shall make to your majesty in this business, prostrating myself at your mercy-seat, after fifteen years' service, wherein I have served your majesty in my poor endeavours, with an entire heart. And, as I presume to say unto your majesty, am still a virgin, for matters that concern your person or crown, and now only craving that after eight steps of honour, I be not precipitated altogether. But because he that hath taken bribes is apt to give bribes, I will go further, and present your majesty with bribe; for if your majesty give me peace and leisure, and God give me life, I will present you with a good History of England, and a better Digest of your Laws. And so concluding with my prayers, I rest May 2, 1621. Clay in your Majesty's hands, To the Prince of Wales. It may please your Highness, When I called to mind how infinitely I am bound to your highness, that stretched forth your arm to save me from a sentence, that took hold of me to keep me from being plunged deep in a sentence, that hath kept me alive in your gracious memory and mention since the sentence, pitying me, as I hope I deserve, and valuing me far above that I can deserve, I find my words almost as barren as my fortunes, to express unto your highness the thankfulness I owe. Therefore I can but resort to prayers to Almighty God to clothe you with his most rich and precious blessings, and likewise joyfully to meditate upon those he hath conferred upon you already; in that he hath made you to the King your father a principal part of his safety, contentment, and continuance; in yourself so judicious, accomplished, and graceful in all your doings, with more virtues in the buds, which are the sweetest that have been known in a young Prince of long time; with the realm so well beloved, so much honoured, as it is men's daily observation how nearly you approach to his majesty's perfections; how every day you exceed yourself; how compared with other Princes, which God hath ordained to be young at this time, you shine amongst them; they rather setting off your religious, moral, and natural excellencies, than matching them, though you be but a second person. These and such like meditations I feed upon, since I can yield your highness no other retribution. And for myself, I hope by the assistance of God above, of whose grace and favour I have had extraordinary signs and effects during my afflictions, to lead such a life in the last acts thereof, as whether his majesty employ me, or whether I live to myself, I shall make the world say that I was not unworthy such a patron. I am much beholden to your highess's worthy servant, Sir John Vaughan, the sweet air and loving usage of God whose house hath already much revived my languishing spirits, I beseech your highness, thank him for me. ever preserve and prosper your highness. June 1, 1621. Your Highness's most humble and To the King. FR. ST. ALBAN. It may please your most excellent Majesty, I humbly thank your majesty for my liberty, without which timely grant, any farther grace would have come too late. But your majesty, that did shed tears in the beginning of my trouble, will, I hope, shed the dew of your grace and goodness upon me in the end. Let me live to serve you, else life is but the shadow of death to Your Majesty's most devoted Servant, FR. ST. ALBAN. June 4, 1621. To the Marquis of Buckingham. I heartily thank your lordship for getting me out of prison; and now my body is out, my mind nevertheless will be still in prison, till I may be on my feet to do his majesty and your lordship faithful service. Wherein your lordship, by the grace of God, shall find that my adversity hath neither spent, nor pent my spirits. God prosper you. Your Lordship's most obliged Friend and faithful Servant, June 4, 1621. To the King. FR. ST. ALBAN. It may please your most excellent Majesty, I perceive, by my noble and constant friend, the Marquis, that your majesty hath a gracious inclination towards me, and taketh care of me, for fifteen years the subject of your favour, now of your compassion, for which I most humbly thank your majesty. This same Nova Creatura is the work of God's pardon and the King's, and since I have the inward seal of the one, I hope well of the other. Utar, saith Seneca to his master, magnis exemplis ; nec mea fortuna, sed tua. Demosthenes was banished for bribery of the highest nature, yet was recalled with honour; Marcus Livius was condemned for exactions, yet afterwards made consul and censor. Seneca banished for divers corruptions, yet was afterwards restored, and an instrument of that memorable Quinquennium Neronis. Many more. This, if it please your majesty, I do not say for appetite of employment, but for hope that if I do by myself as is fit, your majesty will never suffer me to die in want or dishonour. I do now feed myself upon remembrance, how when your majesty used to go a progress, what loving and confident charges you were wont to give me touching your ⚫ business. For, as Aristotle saith, young men may be happy by hope, so why should not old men, and sequestered men, by remembrance. God ever prosper and preserve your majesty. Your Majesty's most bounden and devoted Servant, July 16, 1621. To the Lord St. Alban. I have delivered your lordship's letter of thanks to his majesty, who accepted it very graciously, and will be glad to see your book, which you promised to send very shortly, as soon as it cometh. I send your lordship his majesty's warrant for your pardon, as you desired it; but am sorry, that in the current of my service to your lordship there should be the least stop of any thing; yet having moved his majesty, upon your servant's intimation, for your stay in London till Christmas, I found his majesty, who hath in all other occasions, and even in that particular already, to the dislike of many of your own friends, showed with great forwardness his gracious favour towards you, very unwilling to grant you any longer liberty to abide there; which, being but a small advantage to you, would be a great and general distaste, as you cannot but easily conceive, to the whole state. And I am the more sorry for this refusal of his majesty's falling in a time when I was a suitor to your lordship in a particular concerning myself, wherein though your servant insisted further than, I am sure, would ever enter into your thoughts, I cannot but take it as a part of a faithful servant in him. But if your lordship, or your lady, find it inconvenient for you to part with the house, I would rather provide myself otherwise than any way incommodate you, but will never slack any thing of my affection to do you service; whereof, if I have not yet given good proof, I will desire nothing more than the fittest occasion to show how much I am October, 1621. VOL. XIII. Your Lordship's faithful Servant, To the Marquis of Buckingham. An unexpected accident maketh me hasten this letter to your lordship, before I could dispatch Mr. Meautis; it is that my Lord Keeper hath staid my pardon at the seal. But it is with good respect; for he saith it shall be private, and then he would forthwith write to your lordship, and would pass it if he received your pleasure; and doth also show his reason of stay, which is, that he doubteth the exception of the sentence of parliament is not well drawn, nor strong enough, which if it be doubtful my lord hath great reason. But sure I am, both myself, and the King, and your lordship, and Mr. Attorney meant clearly, and I think Mr. Attorney's pen hath gone well. My humble request to your lordship is, that, for my Lord's satisfaction, Mr. Solicitor may be joined with Mr. Attorney, and if it be safe enough, it may go on; if not it may be amended. I ever rest Your Lordship's most obliged Friend October 18, 1621. To the Lord St. Alban. My honourable Lord, I have brought your servant along to this place, in expectation of the letter from the Lord Keeper, which your lordship mentioneth in yours, but having not yet received it, I cannot make answer to the business you write of; and therefore thought fit not to detain your man here any longer, having nothing else to write, but that I always rest Your Lordship's faithful Friend and Servant, Hinchenbrook. To the Lord St. Alban. My noble Lord, Now that I am provided of a house I have thought it congruous to give your lordship notice thereof, that you may no longer hang upon the treaty, which hath been between your lordship and me, touching York House; in which I assure your lordship, I never desired to put you to the least inconvenience. So I rest Your Lordship's Servant, G. BUCKINGHAM. |