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* There

fore this

was wrote

near the

middle of 1622.

and advanced me
nine times; thrice in dignity, and six
times in office. The places indeed were the painfullest
of all your services; but then they had both honour
and profits.
And the then profits might have main-
tained my now honour, if I had been wise. Neither
was your majesty's immediate liberality wanting towards
me in some gifts, if I may hold them. All this I do
most thankfully acknowledge, and do herewith con-
clude, that for any thing arising from myself to move
your eye of pity towards me, there is much more in
my present misery, than in my past services; save that
the same, your majesty's goodness, that may give relief
to the one, may give value to the other.

And indeed, if it may please your majesty, this theme of my misery is so plentiful, as it need not be coupled with any thing else. I have been somebody by your majesty's singular and undeserved favour,even the prime officer of your kingdom; your majesty's arm hath been often laid over mine in council, when you presided at the table; so near I was. I have borne your majesty's image in metal, much more in heart; I was never in nineteen years service chidden by your majesty, but contrariwise often over-joyed, when your majesty would sometimes say, I was a good husband for you, though none for myself: sometimes, that I had a way to deal in business suavibus modis, which was the way which was most according to your own heart and other most gracious speeches of affection and trust, which I feed on to this day. But why should I speak of these things which are now vanished, but only the better to express the downfal?

and a

For now it is thus with me: I am a * year half old in misery: though I must ever acknowledge, not without some mixture of your majesty's grace and mercy; for I do not think it possible, that any one whom you once loved should be totally miserable. Mine own means, through my own improvidence, are poor and weak, little better than my father left me. The poor things that I have had from your majesty, are either in question, or at courtesy. My dignities remain marks of your past favour, but burdens of my present

fortune. The poor remnants which I had of my former fortunes, in plate or jewels, I have spread upon poor men unto whom I owed, scarce leaving myself a convenient subsistence. So as, to conclude, I must

pour out my misery before your majesty, so far as to say, Si deseris tu, perimus.

But as I can offer to your majesty's compassion little arising from myself to move you, except it be my extreme misery, which I have truly laid open; so looking up to your majesty's own self, I should think I committed Cain's fault, if I should despair. Your majesty is a king whose heart is as unscrutable for secret motions of goodness, as for depth of wisdom. You are creator-like, factive and not destructive. You are the prince in whom hath been ever noted an aversation against any thing that savoured of an hard heart; as, on the other side, your princely eye was wont to meet with any motion that was made on the relieving part. Therefore as one that hath had the happiness to know your majesty's near hand, I have (most gracious sovereign) faith enough for a miracle, and much more for a grace, that your majesty will not suffer your poor creature to be utterly defaced, nor blot that name quite out of your book, upon which your sacred hand hath been so oft for the giving him new ornaments and additions.

Unto this degree of compassion, I hope God above (of whose mercy towards me, both in my prosperity and adversity, I have had great testimonies and pledges, though my own manifold and wretched unthankfulness might have averted them) will dispose your princely heart, already prepared to all piety. And why should I not think, but that that thrice noble prince, who would have pulled me out of the fire of a sentence, will help to pull me (if I may use that homely phrase) out of the mire of an abject and sordid condition in my last days: and that excellent favourite of yours (the goodness of whose nature contendeth with the greatness of his fortune; and who counteth it a prize, a second prize, to be a good friend, after that prize which he carrieth to be a good servant) will kiss

• Vouch-your hands with joy for any work of piety you shall * safe to ex-do for me. And as all commiserable persons, especially wards me. such as find their hearts void of all malice, are apt to

press to

Matth.

think that all men pity them, so I assure myself that the lords of your council, who out of their wisdom and nobleness cannot but be sensible of human events, will in this way which I go, for the relief of my estate, further and advance your majesty's goodness towards me. For there is, as I conceive, a kind of fraternity between great men that are, and those that have been, being but the several tenses of one verb; nay, I do further presume, that both houses of parliament will love their justice the better, if it end not in my ruin: for I have been often told, by many of my lords, as it were in the way of excusing the severity of the sentence, that they know they left me in good hands. And your majesty knoweth well, I have been all my life long acceptable to those assemblies, not by flattery, but by moderation, and by honest expressing of a desire to have all things go fairly and well.

But if it may please your majesty (for saints I shall give them reverence, but no adoration, my address is to your majesty, the fountain of goodness) your majesty shall, by the grace of God, not feel that in gift, which I shall extremely feel in help; for my desires are moderate, and my courses measured to a life orderly and reserved, hoping still to do your majesty honour in my way. Only I most humbly beseech your majesty to give me leave to conclude with those words which necessity speaketh: Help me (dear sovereign lord and master) and pity me so far, as that I, that have borne a bag, be not now in my age forced in effect to bear a wallet; nor that I, that desire to live to study, may not be driven to study to live.2 I most humbly crave

2 Although the subject matter of this and some other letters of the like nature, hath given me occasion to make some remarks thereon already; yet I cannot omit taking notice, in this place, of what the learned Monsieur Le Clerc hath observed in the twelfth chapter of his Reflections upon good and bad Fortune. Where, in his discourse of liberality, and the obligations that are upon princes, etc. to extend their bounty to learned men, in respect of the benefit the world receives from them; he expresses

pardon of a long letter, after a long silence. God of heaven ever bless, preserve, and prosper your majesty. Your majesty's poor ancient servant and beadsman, FR. ST. ALBAN.

CCLXXVII. To Mr. MATTHEW, employing Sir Tobie him to do a good office with a great man. SIR,

Matthew's second col lection of

marine letters,

I HAVE received your letter, wherein you mention some passages at large, concerning the lord you know of. You touched also that point in a letter which you wrote upon my lord's going over; which I answered, and am a little doubtful, whether mine ever came to your hands. It is true, that I wrote a little sullenly therein, how I conceived that my lord was a wise man in his own way, and perhaps thought it fit for him to be out with me; for at least I found no cause thereof in myself. As for the latter of these points, I am of the same judgment still; but for the former, I perceive by what you write, that it is merely some misunderstanding of his: and I do a little marvel at the instance, which had relation to that other crabbed man; for I conceived that both in passing that book, and (as I remember) two more, immediately after my lord's going over, I had shewed more readiness than many times I use in like cases. But, to conclude, no man hath thought better of my lord than I have done. I know his virtues, and namely, that he hath much greatness of mind, which is a thing almost lost

his sense of the honour which was due to the memory of those who assisted Erasmus and Grotius, and his resentment of the neglect of king James, for deserting the lord Bacon; "One can"not read," saith he, "without indignation, that which is reported "of the famous chancellor of England, Francis Bacon, whom the "king suffered to languish in poverty, whilst he preferred worth"less persons, to his dishonour. A little before his death this "learned man writ to that prince a bemoaning letter;" and then cites this moving conclusion out of Howell's letters; which though that author thought it urged a little abjection of spirit in my lord Bacon; yet Monsieur Le Clerc thinks it shewed a much lower in the king, to permit so able a man to lie under the necessity of making so sad request, and yet withal to afford no relief. Stephens.

P. 34.

amongst men: nor can any body be more sensible and remembering than I am of his former favours; so that I shall be most glad of his friendship. Neither are the past occasions in my opinion such, as need either reparation or declaration; but may well go under the title of nothing. Now I had rather you dealt between us than any body else, because you are no way drenched in any man's humour. Of other things at another time; but this I was forward to write in the midst of more business than ever I had.

Stephens's CCLXXVIII. To the Lord DIGBY, on his going to Spain.

second collection, p. 165.

Sir Tobie
Matthew's
Collection

of Letters,

p. 51.

"

My very good Lord,

I NOW only send my best wishes to follow you at sea and land, with due thanks for your late great favours. God knows whether the length of your voyage will not exceed the size of my hour-glass: but whilst I live, my affection to do your lordship service shall remain quick under the ashes of my fortune.

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CCLXXIX. To Mr. MATTHEW.

SIR,

IN this solitude of friends, which is the base court of adversity, where nobody almost will be seen stirring, I have often remembered this Spanish saying, Amor sin fin, no tiene fin.3 This bids me make choice of your friend and mine, for his noble succours; not now towards the aspiring, but only the respiring of my for. tunes. I, who am a man of books, have observed, that he hath both the magnanimity of the old Romans, and the cordiality of the old English; and withal, I believe, he hath the wit of both: sure I am, that for myself I have found him in both my fortunes, to esteem

3 Love without ends hath no end, was a saying of Gondomar the Spanish ambassador; meaning thereby, that if it were begun not upon particular ends, it would last. Bacon's Apophthegms, 67, Vol. II. p. 415.

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