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me some small time, whereby I may redeem the loss of much. Your company was ever of contentment to me, and your absence of grief: but now it is of grief upon grief. I beseech you therefore make haste hither, where you shall meet with as good a welcome as your own heart can wish.

Sir Tobie CCL.

Matthew's collection of letters,

p. 53.

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CCL. To Mr. MATTHEW, owning his impatient attention to do him service.

SIR,

It is not for nothing that I have deferred my essay De amicitia, whereby it hath expected the proof of your great friendship towards me: whatsoever the event be (wherein I depend upon God, who ordains the effects, the instrument, all) yet your incessant thinking of me, without loss of a moment of time, or hint of occasion, or a circumstance of endeavour, or the stroke of a pulse, in demonstration of your affection to me, doth infinitely tie me to you. Commend my service to my friend. The rest to-morrow, for I hope to lodge at London this night, etc.

Secrecy I need not recommend, otherwise than that you may recommend it over to our friend; both because it prevents opposition, and because it is both the king's and my lord marquis's nature, to love to do things unexpected.

CCLI. To the Marquis of BUCKINGHAM.

Our very good Lord,

We thought it our duty to impart to his majesty, by your lordship, one particular of parliament business, which we hold it our part to relate, though it be too high for us to give our opinion of it.

The officers that make out the writs of parliament addressed themselves to me the chancellor to know, whether they should make such a writ of summons to the prince, giving me to understand, that there were some precedents of it; which I the chancellor communicated with the rest of the committees for parliament

business; in whose assistance I find so much strength that I am not willing to do any thing without them: whereupon we, according to his majesty's prudent and constant rule, for observing in what reigns the precedents were, upon diligent search have found as followeth.

That king Edward I. called his eldest son prince Edward to his parliament in the thirtieth year of his reign, the prince then being about the age of eighteen years; and to another parliament in the four-and-thirtieth year of his reign.

Edward III. called the Blaek Prince his eldest son to his parliament in the five-and-twentieth, eight-andtwentieth, and two-and-fortieth years of his reign.

Henry IV. called prince Henry to his parliaments in the first, third, eighth, and eleventh years of his reign, the prince being under age in the three first parliaments; and we find in particular, that the eighth year, the prince sat in the upper house in days of business, and recommended a bill to the lords.

King Edward IV. called prince Edward his son to his parliament in anno 22 of his reign, being within age. King Henry VII. called prince Arthur to his parliament in the seventh year of his reign, being within age.. Of king Edward VI. we find nothing, his years were tender, and he was not created prince of Wales.

And for prince Henry he was created prince of Wales during the last parliament at which he lived.

We have thought it our duty to relate to his majesty what we have found, and withal that the writs of summons to the prince are not much differing from the wits to the peers; for they run in fide et ligeancia, and sometime in fide et homagio in quibus nobis tenemini, and after, consilium nobis impensuri circa ardua regni. Whereby it should seem that princes came to parliament not only in the days of solemnity, when they come without writ, but also on the days of sitting. And if it should be so, then the prince may vote, and likewise may be of a committee of the upper house, and consequently may be of a conference with the lower house, and the like.

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Stephens's second collection, p. 137.

This might have been made more manifest as to the presence, and acts of the prince in days of sitting, if, through the negligence of officers, the journal books of the upper house before the reign of king Henry VIII. were not all missing.

All which we thought it appertained to our care to look though, and faithfully to represent to his majesty : and having agreed secrecy amongst ourselves, and enjoined it to the inferior officers, we humbly desire to know his majesty's pleasure, whether he will silence the question altogether, or make use of it for his service, or refer it to his council, or what other course he will be pleased to take according to his great wisdom and good pleasure.

This we have dispatched the sooner, because the writs of summons must have forty days distance from the first days of the parliament. And for the other parts of our accounts, his majesty shall hear from us, by the grace of God, within few days; evermore praying for his majesty's prosperity, and wishing your lordship much happiness.

Your lordship's to be commanded,

FR. VERULAM, Canc. EDW. COKE, H. MONTAGU,

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CCLII. To the Marquis of BUCKINGHAM.
My very good Lord,

WE have, these two days past, made report to the
board of our parliament committee, upon relation
whereof for some things we provide, for some things

we arm.

The king, by my lord treasurer's signification, did wisely put it upon a consult, whether the patents, which we mentioned in our joint letters, were at this time to be removed by act of council, before parliament. I opined (but yet somewhat like Ovid's mistress, that strove, but yet as one that would be overcome) that My reasons:

yes.

That men would go better and faster to the main errand.

That these things should not be staged, nor talked of, and so the less fuel to the fire.

That in things of this nature, wherein the council had done the like in former particulars, which I enumerated, before parliament, near parliament, during parliament, the council were to keep their wonted centinel, as if they thought not of a parliament, to destroy in other patents as concealments.

The reasons on the other side were:

That it would be thought but an humouring of the parliament, being now in the calends of a parliament, and that after parliament they would come up again. That offered graces, by reason and experience, lose their thanks.

That they are to be suffered to play upon something, since they can do nothing of themselves.

That the choosing out of some things, when perhaps their minds might be more upon other things, would do no great effect.

That former patents taken away by act of council, were upon the complaints of particular persons; whereas now it should seem to be done tanquam ex officio.

To this I yielded, though, I confess, I am yet a little doubtful to the point of suavibus modis. But it is true that the speech of these, though in the lower house, may be contemned; and if way be given to them, as I writ to your lordship of some of them in my last, it will sort to your honour. For other things, the lords have put them in a very good way, of which I will give express account when I see his majesty, as also of other observations concerning parliament. For if his majesty said well, that when he knew the men and the elections, he would guess at the success; the prognostics are not so good as I expected, occasioned by the late occurrents abroad, and the general licentious speaking of state matters, of which I wrote in my last. God ever keep you.

16 Dec. 1620.

Your lordship's most obliged friend

and faithful servant,

FR. VERULAM, Canc.

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CCLIII. To the Lord Chancellor.

My honourable Lord,

As soon as his majesty's convenience would permit, I have acquainted him with the draught of the proclamation your lordship sent me by his majesty's direction: his majesty liketh it in every point so well, both in matter and form, that he findeth no cause to alter a word in it, and would have your lordship acquaint the lords of the council with it, though he assureth himself, no man can find any thing in it to be changed, and to take order for the speedy setting it forth. And so I rest. Yours, etc.

Theobald's, 21 Dec. 1620

G. BUCKINGHAM.

CCLIV. To the Lord Chancellor.

I HAVE acquainted his majesty with your letter and the inclosed: the matter which his majesty hath been thinking upon for his speech concerneth both the points of the institution of a parliament, and of the end for which this is called; yet his majesty thinketh it fit that some extract be made out of it, which needeth to be but very short, as he will shew you at his return.

Theobald's, 19 Jan. 1620.

Yours, etc.

G. BUCKINGHAM.

CCLV. To the Marquis of BUCKINGHAM.

My very good Lord,

YESTERDAY I know was no day: now I hope I shall hear from your lordship, who are my anchor in these floods. Meanwhile to ease my heart, I have written to his majesty the inclosed; which I pray your lordship to read advisedly, and to deliver it, or not to deliver it, as you think good. God ever prosper your lordship. Yours ever what I can,

March 25, 1621:

FR. ST. ALBAN, Canc

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