"The commission I wrote of held on Wednesday at the Guildhall, where there were nine poor-snakes indicted for the riot committed at the Spanish ambassador's. Seven were found guilty, and adjudged to six months' imprisonment, and to pay £500 a piece. The other two were acquitted."" The next letters explain themselves. TO THE MARQUIS OF BUCKINGHAM.2 My very good Lord, I thank your Lordship for your last loving letter. I now write to give the King an account of a patent I have stayed at the seal. It is of licence to give in mortmain eight hundred pound land, though it be of tenure in chief, to Allen that was the player, for an hospital. I like well that Allen playeth the last act of his life so well; but if his Majesty give way thus to amortize his tenures, his Courts of Wards shall decay, which I had well hoped should improve. But that which moved me chiefly is, that his Majesty now lately did absolutely deny Sir Henry Savile for £200 and Sir Edwin Sandys for £100 to the perpetuating of two lectures, the one in Oxford, the other in Cambridge, foundations of singular honour to his Majesty (the best learned of kings) and of which there is great want; whereas hospitals abound, and beggars abound never a whit the less. If his Majesty do like to pass the book at all; yet if he would be pleased to abridge the £800 to £500 and then give way to the other two books for the university, it were a princely work. And I would make an humble suit to the King, and desire your Lordship to join in it, that it mought be so. God ever preserve and prosper you. Your Lordship's most obliged friend York-house, this 18th of August, 1618. FR. VERULAM, Canc. I have written to my Lord Chamberlain, being Chancellor of Oxford, to help in the business. S. P. vol. xcviii, no. 84. 2 Stephens's first collection, p. 233. From the original. Second collection, TO THE LORD CHANCELLOR.' My honourable Lord, Whereas it hath pleased his Majesty to recommend unto your consideration a petition exhibited by Mr. Fowle together with the grievances and request for the rectifying of the work of gold and silver thread; and now understandeth that your lordship hath called unto you the other commissioners in that cause, and spent some time to hear what the opposers could object, and perceiveth by relation of a good entrance you have made into the business; and is now informed that there remaineth great store of gold and silver thread in the merchants' hands brought from foreign parts, besides that which is brought in daily by stealth and wrought by underhand workers, so that the agents want vent; with which inconveniences it seemeth the ordinary course of law cannot so well meet : and yet they are inforced for freeing of clamour to set great numbers of people on work; so that the commodity lying dead in their hands, will in a very short time grow to a very great sum of money: To the end therefore that the undertakers may not be disheartened by these wrongs and losses, his Majesty hath commanded me to write unto your Lordship, to the end you might bestow some more time this vacation in prosecuting the course you have so worthily begun, that all differences being reconciled the defects of the commission may be also amended for prevention of further abuses therein, so as the agents may receive encouragement to go on quietly in the work without disturbance. And so I rest Your Lordship's faithful friend and servant, From Bewly, the 20 day of Aug. 1618. G. BUCKINGHAM. TO MR. ISAAC WAKE, HIS MAJESTY'S AGENT AT THE COURT Mr. Wake, SAVOY.2 [I] received some letters from you; and hearing from my Lord Cavendish how well he affects you, and taking notice also of [your] good abilities and services in his Majesty's affairs, and not forgetting the knowledge I had when I was young of your good father, I thought myself in some sort tied not to keep from you my good opinion of you, and my desire to give you any furtherance in your fortunes and occasions, whereof you 1 Harl. MSS. 7006. f. 95. Orig. Docketed by Meautys, "20 Aug. 1618. His Ma. pleasure signified by my Lo. Marq. of Buck" touching the settling of Fowles his business.' 2 Gibson Papers, vol. viii. f. 96. Copy; hurried, apparently, and incorrect. No flyleaf. Indorsed in the usual hand, "To Mr. Wake his Ma. agent in Savoy." 3 Arthur Wake, Rector of Billing in Northamptonshire, Master of the Hospital of St. John in Northampton, and Canon of Christ Church, Oxford. (Note by Birch.) may take knowledge and liberty to use me for your good. Fare you well. Your very loving friend, FR. VERULAM, Canc. York-house, this 1o 5. The account of receipts and disbursements which follows is preserved among the State papers. How it came there I do not know: but at the time of Bacon's impeachment, evidence as to the state of his accounts would naturally be called for by the committees charged with the investigation; and some of the documents if left in the possession of the chairman or clerks may easily have found their way to the Paper Office. But however it came there, it carries proof of authenticity on its face: being an original paper in the hand of Edward Sherburn, who was then in Bacon's service, and much used in his most confidential business. I do not know enough of the sources which then supplied the Lord Chancellor's income and were considered legitimate, to judge whether any safe inference can be drawn from the first part of this statement as to the character of his receipts; but the account of his disbursements is not without interest for us; as helping us to form an idea of the style in which he lived. A good deal of it has been given by Mr. Dixon in his "Story of Bacon's Life:" but it is difficult by extracts to convey the effect of the whole; and I have thought it best to present it entire. I have not cared however to keep the old spelling, and I have set down the figures in modern fashion. In the original there are eight places for figures in every line, four for the pounds, two for the shillings, and two for the pence all of which are carefully filled up, a cipher being inserted in every place not occupied by another figure: as for instance, RECEIPTS AND DISBURSEMENTS, BEGINNING THE 24TH OF JUNE, 1618, 25. Of Mr. Champion, for the Clerkship of the Peace of the July, 1618. 1. Of your Lp. from Mr. Hastings 1. Of Mr. Hunt2 in part of your Lps. fees for Easter Term 7. Of Mr. Tothill and Mr. Penyman, two of the Six Clerks of Chancery 23. Of Mr. Hunt, the remain of your Lp's fees for Easter term 23. Of Mr. Edney by your Lp. order Of Mr. Young, your Lp. Secretary Of Mr. Hatcher' from the Hamper August, 1618. 2. Of Mr. Hunt 7. Of Mr. Rich, one of the Mrs of the Chancery 14. Of Mr. Parker, deputy Clerk of Star chamber 15. Of Mr. Hatcher, from the Hamper 28. Of Mr. Hatcher for the business of the Pedlers 100 2 0 200 0 0 200 0 0 32 5 0 100 0 0 4160 12 10 26. To one that brought your Lp. cherries & other things 3 Of the chamber. 4 Seal-bearer. 1. To my La. Hatton's man that brought your Lp. garden 4. To an Italian by your Lp. order 4. To Mr. Fletcher by your Lp. order as a gift 4. To Sir John Seymor's man that brought your Lp. a buck 5. £. 8. d. 0 11 0 5 10 0 5 10 0 5. To Mr. Recorder's man that brought your Lp. a salmon To my La. Poyznes her man that brought your Lp. a stag 6. To Mr. Trowshaw, a poor man & late a prisoner in the Compter by your Lp. order 6. To the Washwoman, for sending after the Crane that flew into the Thames. 8. To Mr. Guilman by your Lp. order as a gift To Mr. Betnam by your Lp. order as a gift 8. To my Lady's footman that brought your Lp. cherries from Gorhambury 14. To the King's trumpeters by your Lp. order 14. To the Prince's trumpeters by your Lp. order 15. To the Doctor that brought your Lp. the clock 26. To Mr. Kellett's man by your Lp. order 27. To Sir Arthur Gorge's man that brought your Lp. a 27. To Mr. Johnson by your Lp. order for his son and his son's tutor at Eton 27. To Mr. Compton the apothecary, by your Lp. order 30. To Sir Samuel Paton's man that brought your Lp. 12 dozen of Quails . 30. To Mr. Jones the apothecary his man 31. To Sir Edward Carew's man that brought your Lp. boxes of orange flowers, by your Lp. order. August, 1618. 1. To the apothecary of St. Albans, by your Lp.'s order 1. To a poor pilgrim by your Lp. order 2. To a poor man at St. Albans by your Lp. order 2. To my Lo. Wentworth's man, that brought your Lp. a 1 2 0 240 To my Lo. of Salisbury's man that brought your Lp. a |