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Stephens's
second col-
lection,
P. 179.

Ibid. 180.

behalf, I will be ready to make good, and omit no
opportunity that may serve for the endeavours of

Your lordship's faithful friend and servant,
G. BUCKINGHAM.

I SEND your grace for a parabien a book of mine, written first and dedicated to his majesty in English, and now translated into Latin and enriched. After his majesty and his highness, your grace is ever to have the third turn with me. Vouchsafe of your wonted favour to present also the king's book to his majesty. The prince's I have sent to Mr. Endimion Porter. I hope your grace, because you are wont to disable your Latin, will not send your book to the Conde d'Olivares, because he was a deacon; for I understand by one, that your grace may guess whom I mean, that the Conde is not rational, and I hold this book to be very rational. Your grace will pardon me to be merry, however the world goeth with me. I ever rest obliged servant,

Your grace's most faithful and
Gray's-Inn, this 22d
October, 1623.

I have added a begging postscript in the king's letter; for, as I writ before, my cables are worn out, my hope of tackling is by your lordship's means. For me and mine I pray command.

CCLXXXVI. To the Lord ST. ALBAN.
My Lord,

I GIVE your lordship many thanks for the parabien you have sent me; which is so welcome unto me, both for the author's sake and for the worth of itself, that I cannot spare a work, of so much pains to your lordship and value to me, unto a man of so little reason and less art; who, if his skill in languages be no greater than I

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found it in argument, may, perhaps, have as much need of an interpreter, for all his deaconry, as myself; and whatsoever mine ignorance is in the tongue, yet this much I understand in the book, that it is a noble monument of your love, which I will entail to my pos terity, who, I hope, will both reap the fruit of the work, and honour the memory of the author. The other book I delivered to his majesty, who is tied here by the feet longer than he purposed to stay.

For the business your lordship wrote of in your other letters, I am sorry I can do you no service, having en-da gaged myself to Sir William Becher before my going into Spain, so that I cannot free myself, unless there were means to give him satisfaction. But I will ever continue

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Your lordship's assured friend
and faithful servant, plad
G. BUCKINGHAM.
do de surgin
quol ood sasN

Hinchenbrook, 27 Oct. 1628.

CCLXXXVII. To the Lord ST. ALBAN.

My honourable Lord,

Stephens's sidiesecond col

I HAVE delivered your lordship's letter and your book to his majesty, who hath promised to read it over : I wish I could promise as much for that which you sent me, that my understanding of that language might make me capable of those good fruits, which, I assure myself by an implicit faith, proceed from your pen. But I will tell you in good English, with my thanks for your book, that I ever rest

Your lordship's faithful friend and servant, Hinchenbrook, 29 Oct. 1623.vnd G. BUCKINGHAM.

lection,

p. 181.

CCLXXXVIII. To the Duke of BUCKINGHAM. Ibi '.

Excellent Lord,

I SEND Mr. Parker to have ready, according to the speech I had with your grace, my two suits to his majesty, the one for a full pardon, that I may die out of a

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Stephens's second col.v lection, P. 184.

Ibid. 185.

cloud; the other for a translation of my honours after my decease. I hope his majesty will have compassion on me, as he promised me he would. My heart telleth me that no man hath loved his majesty and his service more entirely, and love is the law and the prophets. I

ever rest

Your grace's most obliged and faithful servant,
FR. ST. ALBAN.

25 Nov. 1623.

CCLXXXIX. To the Lord ST. ALBAN.

My honourable Lord,

I HAVE received your lordship's letter, and have been long thinking upon it, and the longer the less able to make answer unto it. Therefore if your lordship would be pleased to send any understanding man unto me, to whom I may in discourse open myself, I will by that means so discover my heart with all freedom, which were too long to do by letter, especially in this time of parliament business, that your lordship shall receive satisfaction. In the mean time I rest

Your lordship's faithful servant,
G. BUCKINGHAM.

Royston, 16 December.

CCXC. To the Lord ST. ALBAN.

My Lord,

I HAVE moved his majesty in your suit, and find him very gracious inclined to grant it; but he desireth first to know from my lord treasurer his opinion and the value of it to whom I have written to that purpose this inclosed letter, and would wish your lordship to speak with him yourself for his favour and furtherance therein; and for my part I will omit nothing that appertaineth to

Your lordship's faithful friend and servant,
G. BUCKINGHAM.

Newmarket, the 28th of Jan. 1623.

CCXCI. To the Duke of BUCKINGHAM.

Excellent Lord,

I HAVE received the warrant, not for land but for the money, which if it may be speedily served, is sure the better; for this I humbly kiss your grace's hands. But because the exchequer is thought to be somewhat barren, although I have good affiance of Mr. Chancellor, yet I hold it very essential, and therein I most humbly pray your grace's favour, that you would be pleased by your letter to recommend to Mr. Chancellor the speedy issuing of the money by this warrant, as a business whereof your grace hath an especial care; the rather for that I understand from him, there be some other warrants for money to private suitors at this time on foot. But your grace may be pleased to remember this difference: that the other are mere gifts; this of mine is a bargain, with an advance only.

I most humbly pray your grace likewise to present my most humble thanks to his majesty. God ever guide you by the hand. I always rest

Your faithful and more and more obliged servant,
Gray's-Inn, this 17th of

November, 1624.

FR. ST. ALBAN.

I most humbly thank your grace for your grace's favour to my honest deserving servant.

CCXCII. To the Lord St. Alban.
My noble Lord,

THE hearty affection I have borne to your person and service, hath made me ever ambitious to be a messenger of good news to you, and an eschewer of ill; this hath been the true reason why I have been thus long in answering you, not any negligence in your discreet modest servant, you sent with your letter, nor his who now returns you this answer, oft-times given me by your master and mine; who though by this may seem not to satisfy your desert and expectation, yet, take the word of a friend who will never fail you,

Stephens's second collection,

P. 185.

Ibid. 186.

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Matthew's

hath a tender care of you, full of a fresh memory of your by-past service. His majesty is but for the present, he says, able to yield unto the three years advance, which if you please to accept, you are not hereafter the farther off from obtaining some better testimony of his favour worthier both of him and you, though it can never be answerable to what my heart wishes you, as Your lordship's humble servant,

Sir Tobie CCXCIII. To the Lord 4 Treasurer MARLBOROUGH, expostulating about his unkindness and injustice,

collection of letters, p. 54.

Stephens's
first col,
lection,
p. 197.

My Lord,

I HUMBLY intreat your lordship, and if I may use the word, advise you to make me a better answer. Your lordship is interested in honour, in the opinion of all them who hear how I am dealt with; if your lordship malice me for such a cause, surely it was one of the justest businesses that ever was in chancery. I will avouch it; and how deeply I was tempted therein, your lordship knows best. Your lordship may do well, in this great age of yours, to think of your grave, as I do of mine; and to beware of hardness of heart. And as for fair words, it is a wind, by which neither your lordship, nor any man else, can sail long. Howsoever, I am the man who will give all due respects and reverence to your great place, etc.

CCXCIV. To the KING.

Most gracious and dread Sovereign,

BEFORE I make my petition to your majesty, I make my prayers to God above pectore ab imo, that if I have held any thing so dear as your majesty's service, nay, your heart's ease, and your honour's, I may be repulsed with a denial: but if that hath been the principal with me, that God, who knoweth my heart, would

* The lord Marlborough was made treasurer 22 Dec. 1624. 22 Jac.

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