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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 their 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

Vouchsafe to ex

press to

Matth.

your hands with joy for any work of piety you shall' do for me. And as all commiserable persons, especially wards me. such as find their hearts void of all malice, are apt to 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. (a) I most humbly crave

(a) 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 Icarned 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 collection of letters,

T

I HAVE received your letter, wherein you mention p. 34. 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.

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 col-
lection,
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.

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. (b) 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 fortunes. 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

(b) 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.

me so much above my just value, and to love me so much above the possibility of deserving, or obliging on my part, as if he were a friend created and reserved for such a time as this. You know what I have to say to the great lord, and I conceive it cannot pass so fitly to him by the mouth of any, as of this gentleman; and therefore do your best (which I know will be of power enough) to engage him both in the substance and to the secrecy of it: for I can think of no man but yourself, to be used by me in this, who are so private, so faithful and so discreet a friend to us both; as on the other side, I dare swear he is, and know myself to be as true to you as your own heart.

Sir Tobie

CCLXXX. An expostulation to the Marquis of Mathew's BUCKINGHAM.

My very good Lord,

collection of letters,

p. 48, and Stephens's second collection,

YOUR lordship will pardon me, if, partly in the freedom of adversity, and partly of former friendship p. 167. (the sparks whereof cannot but continue) I open myself to your lordship, and desire also your lordship to open yourself to me. The two last acts which you did for me, in procuring the releasement of my fine, and my Quietus est, I acknowledge, were effects real and material of your love and favour; which, as to my knowledge, it never failed in my prosperity, so in these two things it seems not to have turned with the wheel. But the extent of these two favours is not much more than to keep me from persecution. For any thing farther, which might tend to my comfort and assistance, as I cannot say to myself, that your lordship hath forsaken me; so I see not the effects of your undeserved, yet undesired professions and promises; which being made to a person in affliction, have the nature after a sort of vows. But that which most of all makes me doubt of a change or cooling in your lordship's affection towards me, is, that being twice now at London, your lordship did not vouchsafe to see me though by messages you gave me hope thereof, and the latter time I had begged it of your lordship.

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