employed about invention, I may the worse put things, upon the account of mine own memory. I shall take physick to-day, upon this change of weather, and vantage of leisure; and I pray you not to allow yourself so much business, but that you may have time to bring me your friendly aid before night, etc. CCXLVIII. To Mr. MATTHEW, believing his Sir Tobie danger less than he found it. SIR, I SAY to you, upon the occasion which you give me in your last, Modica fidei, quare dubitasti? I would not have my friends, though I know it to be out of love, too apprehensive either of me, or for me, for, I thank God, my ways are sound and good, and I hope God will bless me in them. When once my master, and afterwards myself, were both of us in extremity of sickness, which was no time to dissemble, I never had so great pledges and certainties of his love and favour: and that which I knew then, such as took a little poor advantage of these later times, know since. As for the nobleman that passed that way by you, I think he is faln out with me for his pleasure, or else, perhaps, to make good some of his own mistakings. For he cannot in his heart but think worthily of my affection and well deserving towards him; and as for me, I am very sure that I love his nature and parts. Matthew's collection of letters, p. 32. CCXLIX. To Mr. MATTHEW, expressing great Ibid. 69. acknowledgement and kindness. SIR, I HAVE been too long a debtor to you for a letter, and especially for such a letter, the words whereof were delivered by your hand, as if it had been in old gold: for it was not possible for entire affection to be more generously and effectually expressed. I can but return thanks to you; or rather indeed such an answer, as may better be of thoughts than words. As for that which may concern myself, I hope God hath ordained me 7 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. To Mr. MATTHEW, owning his impatient attention to do him service. Matthew's collection of letters, p. 53. Stephens's second col lection, p. 129. 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 Black Prince his eldest son to his parliament in the five and twentieth, eight and twentieth, 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 writs 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. 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 through, 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, York-house, 21 Nov. 1620. CCLII. To the Marquis of BUCKINGHAM. 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 yes. My reasons: 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 prognosticks 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. Your lordship's most obliged friend 16 Dec. 1620. |