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TO THE LORD KEEPER. (a)

My honourable Lord,

I HAVE acquainted his majesty with your lordship's letter, who liketh well of the judges' opinion you sent unto him, and hath pricked the sheriff of Buckinghamshire in the roll you sent, which I return signed unto your lordship.

His majesty takes very well the pains you have taken in sending to Sir Lionel Cranfield; and desireth you to send to him again, and to quicken him in the business.

Your Lordship's faithful friend and servant,

G. BUCKINGHAM.

His majesty liketh well the course taken about his household, wherewith he would have your lordship, and the rest of his council, to go forward.

Newmarket, the 17th of November, 1617.

Indorsed,

My lord of Buckingham shewing his majesty's approbation of the courses held touching the household..

TO THE LORD KEEPER. (b)

My honourable Lord,

UNDERSTANDING, that Thomas Hukeley, a merchant of London, of whom I have heard a good report, intendeth to bring before your lordship in chancery a cause depending between him, in right of his wife, daughter of William Austen, and one John Horsmendon, who married another daughter of the said Austen; I have thought fit to desire your lordship to give the said Thomas Hukeley a favourable hear(b) Ibid.

(a) Harl. MSS. Vol. 7006.

ing when his cause shall come before you; and so far to respect him for my sake, as your lordship shall see him grounded upon equity and reason; which is no more than, I assure myself, your lordship will grant readily, as it is desired by

Your Lordship's faithful friend and servant, Indorsed, November 17, 1617.

G. BUCKINGHAM.

TO THE EARL OF BUCKINGHAM. (a)
My very good Lord,

THE last letter of my lord's, whereof the conclusion indeed is a little blunt, as the king calleth it, was concluded in my absence, which hath been but once since I came to this town; and brought me by the clerk of the council, as I sat in chancery. Whereupon I retired to a little closet I have there, and signed it, not thinking fit to sever.

For my opinion, I dispatched it the morrow following. And till Sir Lionel Cranfield (b) be able to execute his part in the sub-commission, it will, in my opinion, not be so fit to direct it. He crept to me yesternight, but he is not well. I did his majesty's message to him touching the tobacco; and he said he would give his majesty very real and solid satisfaction touching the same.

This is all for the present I shall trouble your lordship withal, resting ever

Your Lordship's true friend and devoted servant,

November 20, 1617.

FR. BACON.

(a) In answer to his lordship's letter from Newmarket, November 19, 1617, printed in lord Bacon's work.

(b) He was originally a merchant in the city of London, introduced to the king's knowledge by the earl of Northampton, and into his service by the earl of Buckingham, being the great projector for reforming the king's household, advancing the customs, and other services; for which he was made lord treasurer, baron Cranfield, and earl of Middlesex; but being accused by the House of Commons for misdemeanors in his office, he had a severe sentence passed upon him by the lords, in 1624.

TO THE LORD KEEPER. (a)

My honourable Lord,

His majesty liketh very well of the draught your lordship sent of the letter for the sub-commission, and hath signed it, as it was, without any alteration, and sent it to the lords. Which is all I have to write at this time, but that I ever rest

Your Lordship's faithful friend and servant,

Newmarket, the 2d of Decemb. 1617. G. BUCKINGHAM.

TO THE LORD KEEPER. (b)

My honourable Lord,

His majesty hath been pleased to refer a petition of one Sir Thomas Blackstones to your lordship, who being brother-in-law to a gentleman, whom I much respect, Sir Henry Constable, I have, at his request, yielded to recommend his business so far to your lordship's favour, as you shall find his case to deserve compassion, and may stand with the rules of equity. And so I rest

Your Lordship's faithful friend and servant,
Newmarket, the 4th of December.
Indorsed, 1617.

G. BUCKINGHAM.

TO THE EARL OF BUCKINGHAM.

My very good Lord,

YOUR lordship may marvel, that together with the letter from the board, which you see passed so well, there came no particular letter from myself; wherein, though it be true, that now this very evening I have

(a) Harl. MSS. Vol. 7006.

(b) Ibid.

made even with the causes of chancery, and comparing with the causes heard by my lord, (a) that dead is, of Michaelmas-term was twelve-month, I find them to be double so many and one more; besides that the causes that I dispatch do seldom turn upon me again, as his many times did: yet nevertheless I do assure your lordship, that should have been no excuse to me, who shall ever assign both to the causes of the subject, yea, and to my health, but the leavings of times after his majesty's business done. But the truth is, I could not speak with Sir Lionel Cranfield, with whom of necessity I was to confer about the names, till this afternoon.

First, therefore, I send the names, by his advice, and with mine own good allowance of those, which we wish his majesty should select; wherein I have had respect somewhat to form, more to the avoiding of opposition, but most to the service.

Two most important effects his majesty's letter hath wrought already: the one, that we perceive his majesty will go through stitch; which goeth to the root of our disease. The other, that it awaketh the particular officers, and will make their own endeavours and propositions less perfunctory, and more solid and true for the future. Somewhat is to be done presently, and somewhat by seasonable degrees. For the present, my advice is, his majesty would be pleased to write back to the table, that he doth well approve, that we did not put back or retard the good ways we were in of ourselves; and that we understood his majesty's right: that his late direction was to give help, and not hindrance, to the former courses; and that he doth expect the propositions we have in hand, when they are finished: and that for the sub-commissions, he hath sent us the names he hath chosen out of those by us sent and propounded; and that he leaveth the particular directions from time to time, in the use of the sub-commissioners, wholly to the table.

This I conceive to be the fairest way; first to seal

(a) Chancellor Ellesmere.

the sub-commission without opening the nature of their employments, and without seeming that they should have any immediate dependence upon his majesty, but merely upon the table.

As for that which is to be kept in breast, and to come forth by parts, the degrees are these:

First, to employ the sub-commissioners in the reconsidering of those branches, which the several officers shall propound.

Next, in taking consideration of other branches of retrenchment, besides those which shall be propounded.

The third, to take into consideration the great and huge arrears and debts in every office; whether there be cause to abate them upon deceit or abuse; and at least how to settle them best, both for the king's honour, and avoiding of clamour, and for the taking away, as much as may be, that same ill influence and effect, whereby the arrear past destroys the good husbandry and reformation to come.

The fourth is to proceed from the consideration of the retrenchments and arrears to the improvements. All these four, at least the last three, I wish not to be stirred in till his majesty's coming.

God ever preserve and prosper you.

Your Lordship's true friend

and devoted servant,

FR. BACON.

Your lordship will be pleased to have a little care

of the bestowing of this letter.

York-house, this 6th of December, 1617.

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