it, that it might be so. God ever preserve and pros per you. Your Lordship's most obliged friend and faithful servant, York-house, Aug. 18, 1618. FR. VERULAM, Canc. I have written to my lord chamberlain, being chancellor of Oxford, to help in the business. CCVI. To the Marquis of BUCKINGHAM. My very good Lord, WHAT passed in your lordship's presence, your lordship can tell, touching the navy. The morrow following we concluded in approbation of the books, save in one point, touching the number convenient for manning the ships, wherein the number allowed by the commissioners had, in my judgment, a little of the merchant; for to measure by so many as were above dead pays, is no good argument. For the abuse of dead pays is to be amended, and not the necessary number abated. In this his majesty may fall upon a middle proportion between that of the commissioners and that of the officers. It were good, now the three books, which we have appointed to be ingrossed into one leidger-book, are affirmed, there were a short book of his majesty's royal directions, and orders thereupon, extracted. For the commission of the treasury, I persuade myself, they are of the first hours that have been well spent in that kind. We have put those particulars, whereof his majesty gave us charge, into a way. Bingley's information will be to good purpose, and we find another of like nature revealed to Mr. Secretary and myself. God ever prosper you. Your Lordship's most obliged friend and faithful servant, FR. VERULAM, Canc. Stephens's 9 October, 1618. Stephens's second collection, p. 85. CCVII. To the Marquis of BUCKINGHAM. My very good Lord, LOOKING for matter of service, I have found out a suit for myself; and it is proper for me more than all men, because it is within the account of the hanaper. But I have made a law to myself, that I will never beg any thing which shall not bring gain to the king. Therefore my suit is, to farm the profits of the alienations, yielding a thousand pounds a year more to the king than hath been yielded communibus annis, by a medium of seven years. If the king be pleased to grant me this, it will a little warm the honour he hath given me; and I shall have a new occasion to be, as I ever have been, and shall be, Your lordship's obliged friend and faithful servant, York-house, October 9, 1618. Ibid. p. 86. CCVIII. To the Marquis of BUCKINGHAM. THIS morning Mr. Attorney came to me, and desired of me the many writs of Ne exeat regnum against most of the Dutch merchants," and withal let me un 7 The affair of these Dutch merchants is in some measure represented in this letter, and those of October 9, and Nov. 9, 1619. But Mr. Stephens in his Introduction, p. 45, 46, gives us, by the assistance of some authentic papers, the following account of the affair: Upon the 19th of October, 1618, the attorney-general having applied to the lord chancellor for writs Ne exeat regnum, against these merchants, afterwards exhibited an information against about one hundred and eighty of them, for transporting beyond the seas vast quantities of gold and silver in money, plate, and bullion, since the beginning of king James I's reign. The attorney at first brought the cause to an hearing against about twenty of them, who were supposed the greatest offenders, and most able to make restitution. Their fines amounting in the whole to 150,000l. of which Mr. William Courteen, and two others, were condemned in 20,000l. each; the advice which the lord chancellor gave the king, not to grant away the fines of such ten of them as Sir Thomas Vavasor the discoverer should choose, and which it seems he had in a manner been promised, was a piece of service worthy the place he enjoyed, and the trust he had derstand that there was a discovery of an infinite transportation of gold and silver out of this realm by the said Dutch merchants, amounting to millions; and that Sir John Britain had made a book thereof, and presented the same to his majesty; and farther, that his majesty had directed him to prosecute the same; and had also given Sir Thomas Vavasor the forfeiture of such ten of them as he should choose. Hereupon I thought it my duty, as in a matter of great weight, to signify to his majesty by your lordship what I conceive. The discovery I think very happy. For if it be true, it will be a great benefit to his majesty: it will also content his people much, and it will demonstrate also that Scotland is not the leech, as some discoursers say, but the Netherlanders, that suck the realm of treasure. So that the thing is very good. But two things I must represent to his majesty; the first, that if I stay merchants from their trading by this writ, I must do it either ex officio, or by special warrant from his majesty. If ex officio, then I must have more than a bare surmise to grant the writ upon, so as I must be acquainted with the grounds, or at least appearance of proofs. If by special warrant, then I desire to receive the same. The other is, that I humbly beseech his majesty that these royal boughs of forfeiture may not be vintaged, or crop'd by private suitors, considering his majesty's state as it is, but that Sir Thomas with the king. Upon the 12th of October 1619, Mr. Courteen was censured to pay 2000l. more, and other smaller sums, for endeavouring to corrupt the king's evidence. And the 19th of November following was appointed for the trial of between twenty and thirty more; but by reason of some neglect or mismanagement in the prosecution, which gave the court a great deal of trouble, and the defendants some advantage, the cause was not heard till the 7th of December, though most of them were then found guilty. Of the large fines imposed upon the delinquents, it is supposed that they paid but a third part; for during the prosecution, the States-General did by a letter desire the marquis of Buckingham to endeavour to moderate the heat thereof, as Sir Noel Carson their ambassador did the next day after sentence, to mitigate the severity. Stephens's second collection, P. 87. Vavasor, or Sir John Britain, may have a bountiful and gracious reward for their discovery; but not the prime, or without stint. In sum, I would wish his majesty to refer the whole business, and carriage of the same for his honour and profit, to the commissioners of treasury; or because it is a legal forfeiture, to myself, Mr. Chancellor, Sir Edward Coke, and my lord chief justice of England: and by us his majesty shall be assured to know the best course for his justice, honour, and profit, and that he may dispose what bounty he will. God ever preserve and prosper you. Your lordship's most obliged friend York-house, Octob. 19, 1618. FR. VERULAM, Canc. CCIX. To the Lord Chancellor. I HAVE acquainted his majesty with your letter, who giveth you thanks for your advice to communicate the business of the Dutchmen to the commissioners of the treasury, which his majesty was before purposed to refer to them, as it concerns his treasure, for the carriage of it: and to your lordship and the rest named in your letter, for the relation it hath to the law. For the proposers of the suit, his majesty intendeth only to reward their pains as may stand with his service and his princely disposition, but to preserve the main benefit himself: all that his majesty would have your lordship to do for the present, is to take order about the writ of Ne exeant regnum; to advise with his learned counsel what course is to be taken, and if by a warrant from his majesty, that your lordship send him a warrant to be signed, which shall be returned with all speed. Of other things his majesty thinketh it will be time enough to speak at his return to London. In the mean time I rest Your lordship's faithful friend and servant, Hinchenbroke, 21 Octob. 1618. CCX. To the Marquis of BUCKINGHAM, My very good Lord, I HAVE this morning received the petty roll for the sheriffs. I received also the papers exhibited by Sir Miles Fleetwood, which I will use to his majesty's best service, and thereupon give account to his majesty when time serveth. My care, which is not dormant touching his majesty's service, especially that of treasure, which is now summa summarum, maketh me propound to his majesty a matter, which, God is my witness, I do without contemplation of friend or end, but animo recto. If Sir Edward Coke continue sick, or keep in, I fear his majesty's service will languish too, in those things which touch upon law; as the calling in debts, recusants, alienations, defalcations, etc. And this is most certain, that in these new diligences, if the first beginning cool, all will go back to the old bias. Therefore it may please his majesty to think of it, whether there will not be a kind of necessity to add my lord chief justice of England to the commissioners of treasure. This I move only to the king and your lordship, otherwise it is a thing er non entibus. God preserve and prosper you. Your lordship's most faithful servant, From the Star-Chamber, 25 Nov. 1618. P.S. I forget not Tufton's cause. All things stay, and precedents are in search. CCXI. To the Marquis of BUCKINGHAM. THIS long book, which I send for his majesty's signature, was upon a conference and consult yesternight (at which time I was assisted by the two chief justices, and attended by the surveyor, attorney, and receiver of the court of wards, Fleetwood) framed and allowed. -Stephens's second collection, p. 88. Ibid. p. 69. |