your lordship, with this letter to your lordship about the Court of Wards, and another to the lords from his majesty. Which is all I have now to write, but that I ever rest Your Lordship's faithful Friend and Servant, Newmarket, the 7th of December, 1617. To the Lord Keeper.* My honourable Lord, I have acquainted his majesty with your lordship's letter, who hath followed your directions therein, and written to the lords accordingly; which is all I have now to write to your lordship, but that I shall ever rest Your Lordship's faithful Friend and Servant, Newmarket, the 9th of December, 1617. Indorsed My Lord of Buckingham to your Lordship, shewing the King's liking of your opinion and choice of names for sub-commission. To the Earl of Buckingham. My very good Lord, Your lordship's letters patents are ready. I would be glad to be one of the witnesses at the delivery; and therefore, if the king and your lordship will give me leave, I will bring it to-morrow at any hour shall be appointed. New Year's eve, 1617. Your Lordship's ever, FR. BACON. I was bold to send your lordship, for your new year's gift, a plain cap of essay, in token that if your lordship in any thing shall make me your sayman, I will be hurt before your lordship shall be hurt. I present therefore to you my best service, which shall be my all-year's gift. To the Earl of Buckingham. My very good Lord, Sir George Chaworth and I am agreed, so that now I shall retain the grace of my place, and yet he rewarded. The king hath no ill bargain; for he hath four times as much as he was offered by Sir George of increase; and yet I take upon me to content my servants, and to content him. Nevertheless, I shall think myself pleasured by his majesty, and Harl. MSS. Vol. 7006. + For the title of Marquis of Buckingham to himself and the male heirs of his body. do acknowledge, that your lordship hath dealt very honourably and nobly with me. I send inclosed a letter, whereby your lordship signifieth his majesty's pleasure to me; and I shall make the warrant to Mr. Attorney. I desire it may be carried in privateness. I ever rest Your Lordship's true Friend and devoted Servant, FR. BACON. This New Year's eve, 1617. To Sir James Fullerton.* I presume to send his highness this pair of small candlesticks, that his light, and the light of his posterity upon the church and commonwealth may never fail. I pray you do me the favour to present it to his highness, with my best and humblest service. Your most affectionate and assured Friend, To the Lord Chancellor.† My honourable Lord, I have heretofore recommended unto your lordship the determination of the cause between Sir Rowland Egerton and Edward Egerton, who I understand, did both agree, being before your lordship, upon the values of the whole lands. And as your lordship hath already made so good an entrance into the business, I doubt not but you will be as noble in furthering the full agreement between the parties: whereunto I am informed, Sir Rowland Egerton is very forward, offering on his part, that which to me seemeth very reasonable, either to divide the lands, and his adverse party to choose; or the other to divide, and he to choose. Whereupon my desire to your lordship is, that you would accordingly make a final end between them, in making a division, and setting forth the lands according to the values agreed upon by the parties themselves. Wherein, besides He had been surveyor of the lands to Prince Charles, when Duke of York; and was groom of the stole to him when King. He died in January, 1630-1. ↑ Sir Francis Bacon had that title given him January 4. This was one of the causes mentioned in the charge of the house of commons against the Lord Bacon; in his answer to which, he acknowledged that some days after perfecting his award, which was done with the advice and consent of the Lord Chief Justice Hobart, and publishing it to the parties, he received three hundred pounds of Mr. Edward Egerton, by whom, soon after his coming to the seal, he had likewise been presented with four hundred pounds in a purse. the charitable work your lordship shall do in making an end of a controversy between those, whom name and blood should tie together and keep in unity, I will acknowledge your favour as unto myself, and will ever rest Theobalds, the 9th of January, 1617. Your Lordship's faithful Servant, To the Lord Chamberlain.* My honourable Lord, His majesty having given order to Mr. Solicitor+ to acquaint your lordship with a business touching alehouses, + that upon consideration thereof you might certify your opinion unto his majesty, whether it be fit to be granted or not; I have thought fit to desire your lordship to give it what favour and furtherance you may, if you find it reasonable, and not prejudicial to his majesty's service, because it concerneth Mr. Patrick Maule, and my brother, Christopher Villiers, whose benefit I have reason to wish and advance by any just courses. And so I rest Royston, the 11th of Jan. 1617. Your Lordship's faithful Servant, To the Lord Chamberlain. § My honourable Lord, Sir John Cotton | having acquainted me with a petition he intended to exhibit to his majesty, that without any apparent fault committed by him, he was put from his office of custos rotulorum; I have persuaded him to forbear the presenting of his petition until I had written to your lordship, and received your answer. I have therefore thought fit to signify unto your lordship, that he is a gentleman of whom his majesty maketh good esteem, and hath * Harl. MSS. Vol. 7006. + Sir Thomas Coventry. The Lord Chancellor, in his letter to the Marquis of Buckingham, dated January 25, 1617, printed in his works, has the following passage: "For the suit of the alehouses, which concerneth your brother, Mr. Christopher Villiers, and Mr. Patrick Maule, I have conferred with my Lord Chief Justice and Mr. Solicitor thereupon, and there is a scruple in it, that it should be one of the grievances put down in parliament: which if it be, I may not in my duty and love to you, advise you to deal in it; if it be not, I will mould in the best manner, and help it forward." A patent for licensing alehouses being afterwards granted to Sir Giles Mompesson and Sir Francis Mitchel, and greatly abused by them, they were punished for those abuses by the parliament, which met January 30, 1620-1. Harl. MSS. Vol. 7006. Of Landwade, in Cambridgeshire, knight. He served many years as knight of the shire for that county, and died in 1620, at the age of seventy-seven. His eldest son, Sir John Cotton, was created a baronet, July 14, 1641. often occasion to use his service; and, therefore, besides that he is a man of good years, and hath served long in the place, I know his majesty, out of these respects, will be loth he should receive any disgrace. I desire, therefore, to understand from your lordship the reasons of his remove, that, if I cannot give satisfaction to the gentleman himself, I may at least make answer to his majesty for that act of your lordship's, which is alleged to be very unusual, unless upon some precedent misdemeanour of the party. Thus, having in this point discharged my part in taking the best course I could, that no complaint should come against you to the king, I rest Your lordship's faithful Friend, To Sir Henry Yelverton, Attorney-General. Whereas there dependeth before me in Chancery a great cause of tithes concerning the benefices of London, though in a particular, yet, by consequence, leading to a general; his majesty, out of a great and religious care of the state, both of church and city, is graciously pleased, that before any judicial sentence be pronounced in Chancery, there be a commission directed unto me, the Lord Chancellor, Lord Treasurer, the Lord Privy Seal, and the Lord Chamberlain ; and likewise to the Lord Archbishop, the Lord Bishop of Winchester,* and the Bishop of Ely, and also to the Master of the Rolls, the two Lord Chief Justices,§ Justice Dodderidge, and Justice Hutton, who formerly assisted me in the cause, to treat of some concord, in a reasonable moderation, between the ministers and the mayor and the commonalty of London in the behalf of the citizens; and to make some pact and transaction between them by consent, if it may be; or otherwise to hear and certify their opinions touching the cause, that thereupon his majesty may take such farther order, by directing of a proceeding in Chancery, or by some other course, as to his wisdom shall seem fit. You will have care to draw the commission with some preface of honour to his majesty, and likewise to insert in the beginning of the commission that it was de advisamento cancellarii (as it was indeed) lest it should seem to be taken from the court. So I commit you to God's &c. FR. BACON, Canc. January 19, 1617. Dr. James Montagu. + Dr. Lancelot Andrews, Sir Julius Cæsar. Sir Henry Montagu of the King's Bench, and Sir Henry Hobart of the Common Pleas. To the Marquis of Buckingham. My very good Lord, I do not easily fail towards gentlemen of quality to disgrace them. For I take myself to have some interest in the good wills of the gentlemen of England, which I keep and cherish for his majesty's special service. And for this gentleman, of whom you write, Sir John Cotton, I know no cause in the world why I should have displaced him, but that it was certified unto me, that it was his own desire to resign: wherein if I was abused, I will restore him. But if he did consent, and, now it is done, changeth his mind, then I would be loth to disgrace the other, that is come in. Therefore I pray your lordship, that I may know and be informed from himself what passed touching his consent; and I will do him reason. Thus, with my thanks to your lordship, I will ever rest Your Lordship's true Friend and most devoted Servant, January 20, 1617. FR. BACON, Canc. Indorsed-To the Marquis of Buckingham, concerning Sir John Cotton's resigning the place of Custos Rotulorum of Cambridgeshire. To the Lord Chancellor.* My honourable Lord, I thank your lordship for your favour to Sir George Tipping, in giving liberty unto him to make his appearance before you after the holidays, at my request; who, as I understand by some friends of mine, who moved me to recommend him to your lordship's favour, is willing to conform himself in performance of the decree made in the Chancery by your lordship's predecessor; but that he is persuaded, that presently, upon the performance thereof, his son will make away the land, that shall be conveyed unto him which being come to Sir George from his ancestors, he desireth to preserve to his posterity. I desire your lordship's farther favour therefore unto him, that you will find out some course, how he may be exempted from that fear of the sale of his lands, whereof he is ready to acknowledge a fine to his son, and to his heirs by Anne Pigot; and, they failing, to his son's heirs males, and, for want thereof, to any of his son's or brethren's heirs males, and so to the heirs general of his father and himself by lineal descent, and the remainder to the crown. This offer, which seemeth * Harl. MSS. Vol. 7006. |