His majesty hath at length been pleased to dispatch Mr. Lowder, according to your lordship's desire, for the place in Ireland. What the cause of the stay was, I shall impart to your lordship when I see you, being now too long to relate.

His majesty hath not yet had leisure to read the little book you sent me to present unto him; but, as soon as I see the fittest opportunity, I will offer it to him again.

His majesty, God be thanked, is very well; and I am exceeding glad to hear of your health, that you are of so good term proof, which is the best of it, being you are in those businesses put most to the trial, which I wish may long continue in that strength, that you may still do his majesty and your country that good service, whereof we hear so general approbation that it much rejoiceth me, who rest

Falkland, the 5th of July, 1617.

Your Lordship's, ever at command,
G. BUCKINGHAM.

To the King.†

May it please your most excellent Majesty,

I do very much thank your majesty for your letter, and think myself much honoured by it. For though it contain some matter of dislike, in which respect it hath grieved me more than any event which hath fallen out in my life: yet because I know reprehensions from the best masters to the best servants are necessary; and that no chastisement is pleasant for the time, but yet worketh good effects; and for that I find intermixed some passages of trust and grace; and find also in myself inwardly sincerity of intention and conformity of will, howsoever I may have erred; I do not a little comfort myself, resting upon your majesty's accustomed favour; and most humbly desiring, that any one of my particular notions may be expounded by the constant and direct course, which your majesty knoweth, I have ever held in your service.

And because it hath pleased your majesty, of your singular grace and favour, to write fully and freely unto me;

He had been solicitor to the queen, but finding her dislike of him, he was willing to part with his place for that of one of the barons of the exchequer in Ireland; for which he was recommended by the Lord Keeper to the Earl of Buckingham, in a letter dated at Whitehall, May 25, 1617.

This letter appears from the indorsement of the king's answer to it, to have been written at Gorhambury, July 25, 1617. That printed with this date in his works, should be August 2, 1617, as I find by the original draught of it.

it is duty and decorum in me not to write shortly to your majesty again, but with some length; not so much by way of defence or answer, which, yet I know your majesty would always graciously admit; as to show that I have, as I ought, weighed every word of your majesty's letter.

First, I do acknowledge that this match of Sir John Villiers is magnum in parvo in both senses, that your majesty speaketh. But your majesty perceiveth well, that I took it to be in a farther degree, majus in parvo, in respect of your service. But since your majesty biddeth me to confide upon your act of empire, I have done. For, as the Scripture saith "to God all things are possible;" so certainly to wise kings much is possible. But for that second sense, that your majesty speaketh of, magnum in parvo, in respect of the stir; albeit it being but a most lawful and ordinary thing, I most humbly pray your majesty to pardon me, if I signify to you, that we here take the loud, and vocal, and as I may call it, streperous carriage to have been far more on the other side, which indeed is inconvenient, rather than the thing itself.

Now for the manner of my affection to my Lord of Buckingham, for whom I would spend my life, and that which is to me more, the cares of my life; I must humbly confess, that it was in this a little parent-like (this being no other term, than his lordship hath heretofore vouchsafed to my counsels;) but in truth (and it please your majesty) without any grain of disesteem of his lordship's discretion; for I know him to be naturally a wise man, of a sound and staid wit, as I ever said unto your majesty. And again, I know he hath the best tutor in Europe. But yet I was afraid, that the height of his fortune might make him too secure; and, as the proverb is, a looker-on sometimes seeth more than a gamester.

For the particular part of a true friend, which your majesty witnesseth, that the earl hath lately performed towards me, in palliating some errors of mine; it is no new thing with me to be more and more bound to his lordship; and I am most humbly to thank (whatsoever it was) both your majesty and him; knowing well, that I may, and do commit many errors, and must depend upon your majesty's gracious countenance and favour for them, and shall have need of such a friend near your majesty. For I am not so ignorant of mine own case, but that I know I am come in with as strong an envy of some particulars, as with the love of the general.

For my opposition to this business, which it seemeth, hath been informed your majesty, I think it was meant (if it be not a thing merely feigned, and without truth or ground) of one of these two things; for I will dissemble nothing with your majesty. It is true, that in those matters, which, by your majesty's commandment and reference, came before the table concerning Sir Edward Coke, I was sometimes sharp (it may be too much;) but it was with end to have your majesty's will performed; or else, when me thought he was more peremptory than became him, in respect of the honour of the table. It is true also, that I disliked the riot or violence, whereof we of your council gave your majesty advertisement by our joint letter: and I disliked it the more because he justified it to be law; which was his old song. But in that act of council which was made thereupon, I did not see but all my lords were as forward as myself, as a thing most necessary for preservation of your peace, which had been so carefully and firmly kept in your absence. And all this had a fair end, in a reconcilement made by Mr. Attorney, whereby both husband and wife and child should have kept together. Which, if it had continued, I am persuaded the match had been in better and fairer forwardness than now it is.

Now for the times of things, I beseech your majesty to understand that which my Lord of Buckingham will witness with me, that I never had any word of letter from his lordship of the business, till I wrote my letter of advice; nor again after my letter of advice till five weeks after, which was now within this sennight. So that although I did in truth presume, that the earl would do nothing without your majesty's privity; yet I was in some doubt, by this his silence, of his own mind, that he was not earnest in it, but only was content to embrace the officious offers and endeavours of others.

But to conclude this point, after I had received, by a former letter of his lordship, knowledge of his mind, I think Sir Edward Coke himself, the last time he was before the lords, might particularly perceive an alteration in my carriage. And now that your majesty hath been pleased to open yourself to me, I shall be willing to further the match by any thing that shall be desired of me, or that is in my power.

And whereas your majesty conceiveth some dregs of

* Sir Henry Yelverton.

spleen in me by the word Mr. Bacon; truly it was but to express in thankfulness the comparative of my fortune unto your majesty, the author of the latter, to show how little I needed to fear, while I had your favour. For, I thank God I was never vindictive nor implacable.

As for my opinion of prejudice to your majesty's service, as I touched it before, I have done; I do humbly acquiesce in your majesty's satisfaction, and rely upon your majesty's judgment, who unto judgment have also power so to mingle the elements, as may conserve the fabric.

For the interest which I have in the mother, I do not doubt but it was increased by this, that I in judgment as I then stood, affected that which she did in passion. But I think the chief obligation was, that I stood so firmly to her in the matter of her assurance, wherein I supposed I did your majesty service, and mentioned it in a memorial of council business, as half craving thanks for it. And sure I am now, that, and the like, hath made Sir Edward Coke a convert, as I did write to your majesty in my last.

For the collation of the two spirits, I shall easily subscribe to your majesty's answer; for Solomon were no true man, if in matter of malice the woman should not be the superior.

To conclude, I have gone through with the plainness of truth, the parts of your majesty's letter; very humbly craving pardon for troubling your majesty so long; and most humbly praying your majesty to maintain me in your grace and favour, which is the fruit of my life upon the root of a good conscience. And although time in this business have cast me upon a particular, which, I confess, may have probable show of passion or interest; yet God is my witness, that the thing that most moved me, was an anxious and solicitous care of your majesty's state and service, out of consideration of the time past and present.

God ever preserve and bless your majesty, and send a joyful return after your prosperous journey.

you

The King to the Lord Keeper, in answer to his Lordship's Letter from Gorhambury of July 25, 1617.

James R.

Right trusty and well-beloved counsellor, we greet you well.

Although our approach doth now begin to be near London, and that there doth not appear any great necessity of

answering your last letter, since we are so shortly to be at home; yet we have thought good to make some observations to you upon the same, that you may not err, by mistaking our meaning.

The first observation we are to make is, that whereas you would invert the second sense, wherein we took your magnum in parvo, in accounting it to be made magnum by their streperous carriage that were for the match, we cannot but show you your mistaking therein. For every wrong must be judged by the first violent and wrongous ground, whereupon it proceeds. And was not the thefteous stealing away of the daughter from her own father* the first ground, whereupon all this great noise hath since proceeded? For the ground of her getting again came upon a lawful and ordinary warrant, subscribed by one of our council,+ for redress of the former violence: and except the father of a child might be proved to be either lunatic, or idiot, we never read in any law, that either it could be lawful for any creature to steal his child from him; or that it was a matter of noise and streperous carriage for him to hunt for the recovery of his child again.

Our next observation is, that whereas you protest your affection to Buckingham, and thereafter confess that it is in some sort parent-like; yet after that you have praised his natural parts, we will not say that you throw all down by a direct imputation upon him; but we are sure you do

* Lady Hatton had first removed her daughter to Sir Edmund Withipole's house, near Oatlands, without the knowledge of Sir Edward Coke; and from thence, according to a letter of Mr. Chamberlain, dated July 19, 1617, the young lady was privately conveyed to a house of the Lord of Argyle's by Hampton Court; whence, adds Mr. Chamberlain, "her father, with a warrant from Mr. Secretary [Winwood] fetched her; but indeed went farther than his warrant, and brake open divers doors before he got her."

+ Secretary Winwood, who, as Mr. Chamberlain observes in the letter cited in the note above, was treated with ill language at the council-board by the Lord Keeper, and threatened with a præmunire, on account of his warrant granted to Sir Edward Coke. His Lordship at the same time, told the Lady Compton, mother of the Earl of Buckingham, that they wished well to her and her sons, and would be ready to serve the earl with all true affection; whereas others did it out of faction and ambition. Which words glancing directly at Secretary Winwood, he alleged that what he had done was by the direction of the queen and the other parties, and showed a letter of approbation of all his courses from the king, making the whole table judge what faction or ambition appeared in his carriage to which no answer was returned. The queen, some time after, taking notice of the disgust which the Lord Keeper had conceived against Secretary Winwood, and asking his lordship what occasion the secretary had given him to oppose himself so violently against him? his lordship answered, “Madam, I can say no more but he is proud, and I am proud." MS. letter of Mr. Chamberlain, October 11, 1717.