we shall ever be no less ready to give them all gracious satisfaction, than their own hearts can desire, we have resolved, by the advice of our privy council, to hold a parliament at our city of Westminster, And because as well this great cause, there to be handled amongst the rest, and to be weighed by the beam of the kingdom, as also the true and ancient institution of parliament, do require the lower-house, at this time, if ever, to be compounded of the gravest, ablest, and worthiest members that may be found: we do hereby, out of the care of the common good, wherein themselves are participant, without all prejudice to the freedom of elections, admonish all our loving subjects, that have votes in the elections of knights and burgesses, of these few points following. First, That they cast their eyes upon the worthiest men of all sorts, knights and gentlemen, that are lights and guides in their countries, experienced parliamentmen, wise and discreet statesmen, that have been practised in public affairs, whether at home or abroad, grave and eminent lawyers, substantial citizens and burgesses, and generally such as are interested and have portion in the estate. Secondly, That they make choice of such as are well affected in religion, without declining either on the one hand to blindness and superstition, or on the other hand to schism or turbulent disposition. Thirdly, and lastly, That they be truly sensible, not to disvalue or disparage the house with bankrupts and necessitous persons, that may desire long parliaments only for protection; lawyers of mean account and estimation; young men that are not ripe for grave consultations; mean dependents upon great persons, that may be thought to have their voices under command, and such like obscure and inferior persons: so that, to conclude, we may have the comfort to see before us the very face of a sufficient and well composed house, such as may be worthy to be a representative of the third estate of our kingdom, fit to nourish a loving and comfortable meeting between us and our people, and fit to be a noble instrument, under the blessing of Almighty God, and our princely care and power, and with the loving conjunction of our prelates and peers, for the settling of so great affairs as are before expressed. CCXLV. To the Lord Chancellor. My honourable Lord, I HAVE shewed your letter and the proclamation to his majesty, who expecting only, according as his meaning was, directions therein for the well ordering of the elections of the burgesses, findeth a great deal more, containing matter of state, and the reasons of calling the parliament: whereof neither the people are capable, nor is it fit for his majesty to open unto them, but to reserve to the time of their assembling, according to the course of his predecessors, which his majesty intendeth to follow. The declaring whereof in the proclamation would cut off the ground of his majesty's and your lordship's speech, at the proper time; his majesty hath therefore extracted somewhat of the latter part of the draught you have sent, purposing to take a few days space to set down himself what he thinketh fit, and to make it ready against his return hither, or to Theobalds at the furthest, and then to communicate it to your lordship, and the rest of the lords. And so I rest Royston, 19 Oct. 1620. Yours, etc. G. BUCKINGHAM. CCXLVI. To Sirs HENRY WOTTON. My very good Cousin, THE letter which I received from your lordship, upon your going to sea, was more than a compensation 8 Mr. Stephens observes, when this letter was written, upon the occasion of my lord chancellor's publishing his Novum Organum, Sir Henry Wotton, so eminent for his many embassies, great learning, candor, and other accomplishments, was resident at Vienna, endeavouring to quench that fire which began to blaze in Germany, upon the proclaiming the elector Palatine king of Bohemia. How grateful a present this book was to Sir Henry, Stephens's second col- Ibid.p.129 for any former omission; and I shall be very glad to entertain a correspondence with you in both kinds which you write of; for the latter, I am now ready for you, having sent you some ore of that mine. I thank you for your favours to Mr. Meautys, and I pray continue the same. So wishing you out of your honourable exile, and placed in a better orb, I rest Your lordship's affectionate kinsman collection of letters, p. 20. SIR, and assured friend, FR. VERULAM, Canc. Lord of St. ALBANS to Mr. THE report of this act, which I hope will prove the last of this business, will probably, by the weight it carries, fall and seize on me. And therefore, not now at will, but upon necessity it will become me to call to mind what passed; and, my head being then wholly cannot better be expressed than by his answer to this letter; which, though it may be found in his Remains, the reader will not be displeased to see part of it transcribed in this place. Right honourable and my very good Lord, I HAVE your lordship's letters dated October 20, and I have withal, by the care of my cousin Meautys, and by your own special favour, three copies of that work, wherewith your lordship hath done a great and ever-living benefit to all the children of nature, and to nature herself, in her uttermost extent and latitude: who never before had so noble nor so true an interpreter, or, as I am ready to stile your lordship, never so inward a secretary of her cabinet. But of your said work, which came but this week to my hands, I shall find occasion to speak more hereafter: having yet read only the first book thereof, and a few aphorisms of the second. For it is not a banquet that men may superficially taste, and put up the rest in their pockets; but in truth a solid feast, which requireth due mastication-&c. But I am gone farther than I meant in speaking of this excellent labour, while the delight I yet feel, and even the pride that I take in a certain congeniality, as I may term it, with your lordship's studies, will scant let me cease. And indeed I owe your lordship, even by promise, which you are pleased to remember, and thereby doubly binding me, some trouble this way; I mean by the commerce of philosophical experiments, which surely, of all other, is the most ingenious traffick. 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, Modicæ 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. 09. 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 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 communieated with the rest of the committees for parliament |