your nature and mind, though with some error of your judgment. Hereof if it may please your lordship to take knowledge to my lord, according to the stile of your wonted kindness, your lordship shall do, me great contentment. My lord told me he had written to your lordship, and wished with great affec. tion he had been so lucky, as to have had two hours talk with you upon those occasions, which have since fallen out, So wishing that God may conduct you by the hand pace by pace, I commend you and your actions to his divine providence. 1999: Your Lordship's ever deepliest bounden, 10 May, 1596. otomst to 16 Toe FR. BACON. a THE EARL OF ESSEX TO MR. FRANCIS BACON*: . Among TOTT got the papers SIR, of Antony Bacon, Esc. I HAVE thought the contemplation of the art mili, vol. Xi. fol. 139, in tary harder than the execution. But now now I see see where the Lamthe number is great, compounded of sea and land beth li brary. forces, the most tyrones, and almost all voluntaries, the officers equal almost in age, quality, and standing in the wars, it is hard for any man to approve himself a good commander. So great is my zeal to omit nothing, and so short my sufficiency to perform all, as, besides my charge, myself doth afflict myself. For I cannot follow the precedents of our dissolute armies, and my helpers are a little amazed with me, when they are come from governing a little troop to a great; and from to all the great spirits of our state. And sometimes I am as much troubled with them, as with all the troops. But though these be warrants for my seldom writing, yet they shall be no excuses for my fainting industry. I have written to my lord keeper and some other friends to have care of you in my absence. And so commending you to God's happy and heavenly protection, I rest Your true friend, Plymouth, this 17th of May, 1596. ESSEX * Among the papers of Antony Bacon, Esq. vol. XI. fol. 29, in ry. For my MR. FRANCIS BACON TO HIS BROTHER ANTONY* YESTERNIGHT Sir John Fortescu (a) told me, he beth libra. had not many hours before imparted to the queen your advertisements, and the gazette likewise ; which the queen Mr. John Stanhope (6) to read all over unto and her majesty conceiveth they be not vulgar. The advertisements her majesty made estimation of as concurring with other advertisements, and alike concurring also with her opinion of the affairs. So he willed me to return you the queen's thanks. Other particular of any speech from her majesty of yourself he did not relate to me. lord of Essex's and your letters, he said, he was nooit ready and desirous to do his best. But I seemed to 23900 st make it but a love-wish, and passed presently from padrov it, the rather, because it was late in the night, and I e deinean to deal with him at some better leisure after in another manner, as you shall hereafter understand and at from me. I do find in the speech of some ladies and the very face of the court some addition of reputation, as methinks, to us both; and I doubt not but God hath an operation in it, that will not suffer good en. deavours to perish. ce The queen saluted me to day, as she went to chapel. I had long speech with Sir Robert Cecil this morning, who seemed apt to discourse with me; yet of yourself, ne verbum quidem, not so much as a quomodo valet? This I write to you in haste, aliud ex- alio, I pray set in a course of acquainting my lord keeper what passeth, at first by me, and after from yourself. I am more and more bound to him. Thus wishing you good health, I recommend you to God's happy preservation. Your intire loving Brother, (a) Chancellor of the exchequer. FR. BACON. miasto vas ost otot, income bus too. 03 olca 8250 TO SIR THOMAS EGERTON, srodt i Lord Keeper of the Great Seal (a). "23 DOW Radijs 1}!W. Door01 1900 v It may please your Lordship, zeleni yasain I am to make humble complaint to your lordship of some hard dealing offered me by one Sympson, a goldsmith, a man noted much, as I have heard, for extremities and stoutness upon his purse: but yet I 17 could scarcely have imagined, he would have dealt non either so dishonestly towards myself, or so contemptuously towards her majesty's service. For this Lombard, pardon me, I most humbly pray your lordship, if being admonished by the street he I give JOB him that name, having me in bond for , and I having the last term confessed the action, and by his full and direct consent respited the satisfaction the beginning of this , giving me warning, either by, letter or message, served an execution upon me, having trained me at such time, as I came from the Tower, where, Mr. amena Waad can witness, we attended a service of no mean importance (6). Neither would he so much as vouch 199 over a 1 (a) From the original in the Hatfield collection of communicated by Rev. William Murdin, B.D. an Pers intended by him for the public in a third volume of the collection of those papers, if his death had not prevented bim from executing his design. b) It is not easy to determine what this service was; but it seems to relate to the examination of some prisoner; perhaps Edward Squire, executed in November, 1598, for poisoning the queen's saddle; or Valentine Thomas, who accused the king of Scots of practices against queen Elizabeth (Historical View, p. 178,] or one Stanley ; concerning whom I shall insert here passages from two MS. letters of John Chamberlain, Esq.; to his friend, Dudley Carleton, Esq. ; afterwards ambassador to Venice, the United Provinces, and France; these letters being part of a very large collection, from 1598 to 1625, which I transcribed from the originals. " One Stanley, says Mr. Chamberlain, in his letter dated at London, “ 3 October, 1598, that came in sixteen days over land with letters "" out of Spain, is lately committed to the Tower, He was very " earnest to have private conference with her majesty, pretending “ matter of great importance, which he would by no means utter to any body else." In another letter dated 30 November, 1598, Mr. me in p desire safe to come and speak with me to take any order in it, though I. sent for him divers times, and his house was just by; handling it as upon a despite, being a man I never provoked with a cross word, no nor with many delays. He would have urged it to have . had prison; which he had done, had not she. , riff More, to whom I sent, gently recommended me to an handsome house in Coleman-street, where I am. Now because he will not treat with me, I' am inforced humbly to your lordship to send for him, according to your place, to bring him to some reason; and this forth with, because I continue here to my farther discredit and inconvenience, and the trouble of the gentleman with whom I am, I have an hundred pounds lying by me, which he may have, and the rest upon some reasonable time and security; or, if need be, the whole; but with my more trouble. As for the contempt he hath offered, in regard her majesty's service, to my understanding, carrieth a privilege eindo el redeundo in meaner causes, much more in et matters of this nature, especially in persons known to be qualified with that place and employment, which, though nothing 12 apmetuIinforce thinking I made it known, and so leave it to your lordship’s honour consideration. And so with signification of my humble duty, &c. to buidt's ni sikisey my, I am able Chamberlain observes, that on the day, that they looked for Stan" ley's arraignment, he came not himself , but sent his forerunner, one Squire, that had been an under-purveyor of the stable, who “ being in Spain was dealt withal by one Walpole, a Jesuit, to poison the queen and the earl of Essex; and accordingly came prepared into England, and went with the earl in his own ship the “last journey, and poisoned the arms or handles of the chair he “ used to sit in, with a confection he had received of the Jesuit; as " likewise he had done the pommel of the queen's saddle not past “five days before his going to sea. But because nothing succeeded " of it, the priest thinking he had either changed his purpose, or be“trayed it, gave Stanley instructions to accuse him; thereby to get " him more credit, and to be revenged of Squire for breaking pro"mise. The fellow confessed the whole practice, and, as it seemed, , "died very penitent." TO SIR ROBERT CECIL, SECRETARY OF proposte de 23 STATE (a). Cet zoni budismo no dil soil on ce 01:07 It may please your Honour, logistika boste I HUMBLY pray you to understand how badly. I have been used by the inclosed, being a copy of a better of complaint thereof which I have written to the lordi keeper. How sensitive you are of wrongs offered to your blood in my particular, I have had not long since experience. But herein I think your honour will be doubly sensitive, in tenderness also of the indignity to her majesty's service. For as for me, Mr. Sympson might have had me every day in London ; and therefore to belay me, while he knew I came from the Tower about her majesty's special service, was to iny understanding very bold. And two days before he brags he forbore me, because I dined with sheriff More. So as with Mr. Sympson, examinations at the Tower are not so great a privilege, eundo et redeundo, as sheriff More's dinner. But this complaint I make in duty and to that end have also informed my lord of Essex thereof, for otherwise his punishment will do me no good. Ist et todo So with signification of my bumble duty, I odmmend your honour to the divine preservation.co9 JOY At your honourable command particularly, om ORDU: 3201 FR. BACON From Coleman-street, this 24th of September, [1598.}, The Substance of a Letter I (6) now wish your Lords ship () should write to her Majesty.promo aquele andere That you desire her majesty to believe id, quod res ipsa loquitur, that it is not conscience to yourself of any advantage her majesty hath towards you, other namiot vidio bisnonnant (ay from the Hatfield collection of orie son (b) Francis Bacon le of one (c) Robert, earl of Essex.ro |
