Thomas Meautys, Esq. to the Lord Viscount St. Alban. May it please your Lordship, I have been attending upon my lord marquis's minutes for the signing of the warrant. This day he purposed in earnest to have done it; but it falls out untowardly, for the warrant was drawn, as your lordship remembers, in haste at Gorhambury, and in as much haste delivered to Sir Edward Sackville, as soon as I alighted from my horse, who instantly put it into my lord marquis's hands, so that no copy could possibly be taken of it by me. Now his lordship hath searched much for it, and is yet at a loss, which I knew not till six this evening: and because your lordship drew it with caution, I dare not venture it upon my memory to carry level what your lordship wrote, and therefore dispatched away this messenger, that so your lordship, by a fresh post, (for this will hardly do it) may send a warrant to your mind, ready drawn, to be here to-morrow by seven o'clock, as Sir Arthur* tells me my lord marquis hath directed for the king goes early to Hampton Court, and will be here on Saturday. Your books are ready, and passing well bound up. If your lordship's letters to the king, prince, and my lord marquis were ready, I think it were good to lose no time in their delivery; for the printer's fingers itch to be selling. My lady hath seen the house at Chiswick, and they make a shift to like it: only she means to come to your lordship thither, and not to go first: and therefore your lordship may please to make the more haste, for the great lords long to be in York House. Mr. Johnson will be with your lordship to-morrow; and then I shall write the rest. Your Lordship's in all humbleness and honour to serve you. To Thomas Meautys, Esq. Good Mr. Meautys, For the difference of the warrant, it is not material at the first. But I may not stir till I have it; and therefore I expect it to-morrow. in For my my Lord of London's stay, there may be an error book; § but I am sure there is none in me, since the Ingram. king had it three months by him, and allowed it: if there be any thing to be mended, it is better to be espied now than hereafter. I send you the copies of the three letters, which you have; and, in mine own opinion, this demur, as you term it, in my Lord of London, maketh it more necessary than before, that they were delivered, specially in regard they contain withal my thanks. It may be signified they were sent before I knew of any stay; and being but in those three hands, they are private enough. But this I leave merely at your discretion, resting Your most affectionate and assured Friend, March 21, 1621. FR. ST. ALBAN. To Mr. Tobie Matthew. Good Mr. Matthew, I do make account, God willing, to be at Chiswick on Saturday; or, because this weather is terrible to one that hath kept much in, Monday. In my letter of thanks to my lord marquis, which is not yet delivered, but to be forthwith delivered, I have not forgotten to mention, that I have received signification of his noble favour and affection, amongst other ways, from yourself, by name. If, upon your repair to the court (whereof I am right glad,) you have any speech with the marquis of me, I pray place the alphabet (as you can do it right well) in a frame, to express my love faithful and ardent towards him. And for York House, that whether in a straight line, or a compass line, I meant it his lordship in the way which I thought might please him best. I ever rest Your most affectionate and assured Friend, March 21, 1621. FR. ST. ALBAN. It To the Queen of Bohemia. may please your Majesty, I find in books (and books I dare allege to your majesty, in regard of your singular ability to read and judge of them even above your sex) that it is accounted a great bliss for a man to have leisure with honour. That was never my fortune, nor is. For time was, I had honour without leisure; and now I have leisure without honour. And I cannot say so neither altogether, considering there remain with me the marks and stamp of the king's, your father's, grace, though I go not for so much in value as I have done. But my desire is now to have leisure without loitering, and not to become an abbey-lubber, as the old proverb was, but to yield some fruit of my private life. Having therefore written the reign of your majesty's famous ancestor, King Henry the Seventh; and it having passed the file of his majesty's judgment, and been graciously also accepted of the prince, your brother, to whom it is dedicated, I could not forget my duty so far to your excellent majesty (to whom, for that I know and have heard, I have been at all times so much bound, as you are ever present with me, both in affection and admiration) as not to make unto you, in all humbleness, a present thereof, as now being not able to give you tribute of any service. If King Henry the Seventh were alive again, I hope verily he could not be so angry with me for not flattering him, as well pleased in seeing himself so truly described in colours that will last, and be believed. I most humbly pray your majesty graciously to accept of my good will; and so, with all reverence, kiss your hands, praying to God above, by his divine and most benign providence, to conduct your affairs to happy issue; and resting April 20, 1622. Your Majesty's most humble FR. ST. ALBAN. Sir Edward Sackville to the Lord Viscount St. Alban. My very honoured Lord, Longing to yield an account of my stewardship, and that I had not buried your talent in the ground, I waited yesterday the marquis's pleasure, until I found a fit opportunity to importune some return of his lordship's resolution. The morning could not afford it; for time only allowed leave to tell him, I would say something. In the afternoon I had amends for all. In the forenoon he laid the law, but in the afternoon he preached the gospel; when, after some revivations of the old distaste concerning York House, he most nobly opened his heart unto me, wherein I read that which argued much good towards you. After which revelation, the book was again sealed up, and must, in his own time, only by himself be again manifested unto you. I have leave to remember some of the vision, and am not forbidden to write it. He vowed, not court-like, but constantly, to appear your friend so much, as if his majesty should abandon the care of you, you should share his fortune with him. He pleased to tell me, how much he had been beholden to you; how well he loved you; how unkindly he took the denial of your house (for so he will needs understand it). But the close, for all this, was harmonious, since he protested he would seriously begin to study your ends, now that the world should see he had no ends on you. He is in hand with the work, and therefore will, by no means, accept of your offer; though, I can assure you, the tender hath much won upon him, and mellowed his heart towards you; and your genius directed you right, when you wrote that letter of denial unto the duke.* The king saw it; and all the rest; which made him say unto the marquis, you played an after game well; and that now he had no reason to be much offended. I have already talked of the revelation, and now am to speak in apocalyptical language, which I hope you will rightly comment; whereof, if you make difficulty, the bearer can help you with the key of the cypher. My lord Falkland, by this time, hath shewed you London from Highgate. If York House were gone, the town were yours; and all your straitest shackles cleared off, besides more comfort than the city air only. The marquis would be exceedingly glad the Treasurer had it. This I know; but this you must not know from me. Bargain with him presently, upon as good conditions as you can procure, so you have direct motion from the marquis to let him have it. Seem not to dive into the secret of it; though you are purblind if you see not through it. I have told Mr. Meautys, how I would wish your lordship to make an end of it. From him, I beseech you, take it, and from me only the advice to perform it. If you part not speedily with it, you may defer the good, which is approaching near you, and disappointing other aims (which must either shortly receive content, or never,) perhaps anew yield matter of discontent, though you may be indeed as innocent as before. Make the Treasurer believe, that since the marquis will by no means accept of it, and that you must part with it, you are more willing to pleasure him than any body else, because you are given to understand my lord marquis so inclines; which inclination, if the Treasurer shortly send unto you about it, desire may be more clearly manifested, than as yet it hath been; since, as I remember, none hitherto hath told you in terminis terminantibus, that the marquis desires you should gratify the Treasurer. I know that way the hare runs; and that my lord marquis longs * Of Lenox, of the 30th of January, 1621-2. + Probably Mr. Meautys. until Cranfield hath it; and so I wish too, for your good, yet would not it were absolutely passed, until my Lord Marquis did send, or write, unto you, to let him have it; for then, his so disposing of it were but the next degree removed from the immediate acceptance of it, and your lordship freed from doing it otherwise than to please him, and to comply with his own will and way. I have no more to say, but that I am, and ever will be Your Lordship's most affectionate Friend and humble Servant, E. SACKVILle. Indorsed-Received the 11th of May, 1622. To the Lord Keeper, Dr. Williams, Bishop of My very good Lord, I understand there is an extent prayed against me, and a surety of mine, by the executors of one Harrys, a goldsmith. The statute is twelve years old, and falleth to an executor, or an executor of an executor, I know not whether. And it was sure a statute collected out of a shop-debt, and much of it paid. I humbly pray your lordship, according to justice and equity, to stay the extent, being likewise upon a double penalty, till I may better inform myself touching a matter so long past; and if it be requisite, put in a bill, that the truth of the account appearing, such satisfaction may be made as shall be fit. So I rest May 30, 1622. Your Lordship's affectionate To the Marquis of Buckingham. My very good Lord, I thought it appertained to my duty, both as a subject and as he that took once the oath of counsellor, to make known to your lordship an advertisement which came to me this morning. A gentleman, a dear friend of mine, whom your lordship cannot but imagine, though I name him not, told me thus much, that some English priests that nogotiated at Rome to facilitate the dispensation, did their own business (that was his phrase); for they negotiated with the pope to erect some titulary bishops for England, that might ordain, and have other spiritual faculties; saying withal most honestly, that he thought himself bound to VOL. XII. F F |