besides the charitable work your Lordship shall do in making end of a controversy between those whom name and blood should tie together and keep in unity, I will acknowledge your favour as unto myself, and will ever rest Your Lordship's faithful servant, G. BUCKINGHAM. Theobalds, the 9th of TO THE LORD CHANCELLOR.1 My honourable Lord, His Majesty having given order to Mr. Solicitor to acquaint your Lordship with a business touching alehouses, that upon consideration thereof you might certify your opinion unto his Majesty, whether it be fit to be granted or not, I have thought fit to desire your Lordship to give it what favour and furtherance you may, (if you find it reasonable and not prejudicial to his Majesty's service,) because it concerneth Mr. Patrick Maule and my brother Christopher Villiers, whose benefit I have reason to wish and advance by any just course. And so I rest Royston, Jan. 11th, 1617. Your Lordship's faithful servant, SIR LIONEL CRANFIELD TO BUCKINGHAM, 14 JAN. 1617.2 "I was yesternight with my Lo. Chancellor, with whom I spent some time in acquainting him with the manner of our proceedings,3 who was pleased to approve thereof, and is as full of hope and desire it may succeed to his Majesty's satisfaction as we that are the labourers in it." TO THE RIGHT HON. HIS VERY GOOD L. THE L. MARQUIS OF BUCKINGHAM, OF HIS MS MOST HON. PR. COUNSEL.4 My very good Lord, I write now only rather in a kind of continuance and fresh suit upon the King's business, than that the same is yet ripe either for advertisement or advice. The sub-commissioners meet forenoon and afternoon with great diligence, and without distraction, or running several ways: which if it be no more than necessary, what would less have done? that is if there had been no sub-commissioners, or they not well chosen. I speak with Sir Lionel Cranfield as cause requireth either 1 Harl. MSS. 7006. f. 60. Orig. Docketed "1617, 11 January. The L. Marquis Buck. to my Lo. concerning the suit of Mr. Patrick Maule and Mr. Christopher Villiers touching alehouses." 3 On the great business of the Household. Fortescue Papers. VOL. VI. U for account or direction, and as far as I can by the taste I have from him discern probably, their service will attain and may exceed his Majesty's expectation. I do well like the course they take, which is, in every kind to set down (as in beer, in wine, in beef, in muttons, in corn, etc.) what cometh to the King's use, and then what is spent, and lastly what may be saved. This way, though it be not so accusative, yet is it demonstrative. Nam rectum est index sui et obliqui, and the false manner of accounting, and where the gain cleaveth, will appear after by consequence. I humbly pray his Majesty to pardon me for troubling him with these imparfite glances, which I do both because I know his Majesty thinketh long to understand somewhat, and lest his Majesty should conceive that he multiplying honours and favours upon me, I should not also increase and redouble my endeavours and cares for his service. God ever bless, preserve, and prosper his Majesty and your Lordship, to whom I ever remain 16 Jan. 1617. Your friend and most devoted servant, FR. BACON, Canc. TO THE LORD CHANCELLOR.' My honourable Lord, Sir John Cotton having acquainted me with a petition he intended to exhibit to his Majesty, that without any apparent fault committed by him he was put from his office of Custos Rotulorum I have persuaded him to forbear the presenting of his petition until I had written to your Lordship and received your answer. I have therefore thought fit to signify unto your Lordship that he is a gentleman of whom his Majesty maketh good esteem, and hath often occasion to use his service, and therefore (besides that he is a man of good years, and hath served long in the place) I know his Majesty out of these respects will be loth he should receive any disgrace. I desire therefore to understand from your Lordship the reasons of his remove, that if I cannot give satisfaction to the gentleman himself, I may at least make answer to his Majesty for that act of your Lordship's, which is alledged to be very unusual unless upon some precedent misdemeanor of the party. Thus having in this point discharged my part in taking the best course I could that no complaint should come against you to the King, I rest Newmarket, the 16 of Your Lordship's faithful friend, G. BUCKINGHAM, Harl. MSS. 7006. f. 62. Orig. Docketed by Meautys, "Jan. 16, 1617. The Marq. of Bucking to your Lp. touching the restoring Sir John Cotton to be Custos Rotulorum." TO SIR HENRY YELVERTON, ATTORNEY GENERAL.1 Mr. Attorney, Whereas there dependeth before me in Chancery a great cause of tithes concerning the benefices of London, though in a particular, yet by consequence leading to a general: His Majesty, out of his great and religious care of the state both of church and city, is graciously pleased that before any judicial sentence be pronounced in Chancery there be a commission directed unto me, the Lord Chancellor, the Lord Treasurer, the Lord Privy Seal, and the Lord Chamberlain, and likewise to the Lord Archbishop, the Lord Bishop of Winchester and the Bishop of Ely and also to the Master of the Rolls, the two Lord Chief Justices, Justice Dodderidge and Justice Hutton, who formerly assisted me in the cause, to treat of some concord in a reasonable moderation between the ministers and the mayor and the commonalty of London in the behalf of the citizens, and to make some pact and transaction between them by consent, if it may be, or otherwise to hear and certify their opinions touching the cause, that thereupon his Majesty may take such further order, by directing of a proceeding in Chancery or by some other course, as to his wisdom shall seem fit. 5 You will have care to draw the commission with some preface of honour to his Majesty, and likewise to insert in the beginning of the commission, that it was de advisamento cancellarii (as it was indeed) lest it should seem to be taken from the court. So I commit you to God's, etc. January 19, 1617. FR. BACON, Canc. TO THE MARQUIS OF BUCKINGHAM.6 My very good Lord, I do not easily fail towards gentlemen of quality to disgrace them. For I take myself to have some interest in the good wills Gibson Papers, vol. viii. f. 90. Copy by Meautys. 2 Dr. James Montagu. 4 Sir Julius Cæsar. 5 Sir Henry Montagu of the King's Bench and Sir Henry Hobart of the Common Pleas. 6 Gibson Papers, vol. viii. f. 91. Copy by Meautys. Docketed, "To the Marquis of Buckingham, concerning Sir John Cotton's resigning the place of Custos Rotulorum of Cambridgeshire." of the gentlemen of England, which I keep and cherish for his Majesty's special service. And for this gentleman of whom you write, Sir John Cotton, I know no cause in the world why I should have displaced him but that it was certified unto me that it was his own desire to resign: wherein if I was abused, I will restore him. But if he did consent, and now it is done changeth his mind, then I would be loth to disgrace the other that is comen in. Therefore I pray your Lordship that I may know and be informed from himself what passed touching his consent, and I will do him reason. Thus, with my thanks to your Lordship, I will ever rest, Your Lordship's true friend, and most devoted servant, 20 January, 1617. FR. BACON, Canc. My hoble Lord, TO THE LORD CHANCELLOR.1 A servant of his M. to whom I wish very well hath acquainted me with a suit of his, for erecting an office for the making and copying of Commissions that go out of Chancery for examination of witnesses, which he allegeth will be no derogation either to the honour or profit of your LP's place, but only lessen the gains of some who have more business (more properly belonging to their place than this) than they can well despatch: but rather an ease and safety to the subject in general. Yet in regard it belongeth to your Lp's Court, he forbeareth out of duty and respect unto your Lp. to move his M. herein, without first obtaining yo' Lp's favourable approbation thereof; and hath desired me to recommend it unto your Lp. Which the more willingly I do in regard of his respective carriage to your Lp. therein, desiring you for my sake to shew him what favour your Lp. may, which I will not fail to acknowledge as done to myself. And will ever rest Your Lop faithful servant, G. BUCKINGHAM. The party for whom I write is one of the grooms of his M. bedchamber. Newmarket the 21 day of January, 1617. Tanner MSS. 74. f. 104. Orig. Docketed by Meautys, “Jan. 21, 1617. The Marqs of Buck" to yor Lp. touching a suit made for the erection of an office for the making of Commissions that go out of Chancery for examining witnesses." TO THE LORD CHANCELLOR.' My honourable Lord, I thank your lordship for your favour to Sir George Tipping, in giving liberty unto him to make his appearance before you after the holy. days, at my request; who (as I understand by some friends of mine who moved me to recommend him to your Lordship's favour) is willing to conform himself in performance of the decree made in the Chancery by your Lordship's predecessor, but that he is persuaded that presently upon the performance thereof his son will make away the land that shall be con. veyed unto him, which being come to Sir George from his ancestors he desireth to preserve to his posterity. I desire your Lordship's farther favour therefore unto him, that you will find out some course how he may be exempted from that fear of the sale of his land, whereof he is ready to acknowledge a fine to his son and to his heirs by Anne Pigot, and they failing to his son's heirs males, and for want thereof to any of his son's or brethren's heirs males, and so to the heirs general of his father and himself by lineal descent, and the remainder to the crown. This offer, which seemeth very reasonable and for his Majesty's advantage, I desire your Lordship to take into your consideration, and to shew him what favour you may for my sake; which I will readily acknowledge, and Your Lordship's faithful servant ever rest Newmarket, 23 of January, 1617. TO THE LORD CHANCELLOR.2 My honourable Lord, G. BUCKINGHAM. Since I received your Lordship's letter, Sir Lionel Cranfield being here hath informed his Majesty of the whole proceeding in his business of the household; which his Majesty liketh very well, and is glad it is approved by your Lordship, of whose care and pains therein he receiveth very good satisfaction. In the business touching Sir John Cotton,' your Lordship dealeth as nobly as can be desired; and so (if it should come in question before his Majesty) I would answer in your behalf. I leave Sir John Cotton to inform your Lordship by his letter of the passages of the business, and ever Your Lordship's faithful servant, rest Newmarket, Jan. 24, 1617. 5. G. BUCKINGHAM. We have now seen a good many specimens of the letters written by Buckingham to Bacon in favour of suitors in his Court. I have 'Harl. MSS. 7006. f. 64. Orig. Docketed by Meautys, "Jan. 23, 1617. The Marq' of Buck" for yr. Lp. touching Sir George Tipping." 2 Harl. MSS. 7006. f. 66. Original. Docketed by Meautys, "Jan. 24, 1617. The Marq. of Buck to yr Lp. touching the business of the Household." 3 See P. 290 and 292. |