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Resuscita

Rawley's XCIV. To Sir GEORGE CAREW, (a) on sending him the treatise In felicem memoriam Elizabetha.

tio.

BEING asked a question by this bearer, an old servant of my brother Anthony Bacon's, whether I would command him any thing into France; and being at better leisure than I would, in regard of sickness, I began to remember that neither your business nor mine, though great and continual, can be, upon an exact account, any just occasion why so much goodwill as hath passed between us should be so much discontinued as it hath been. And therefore, because one must begin, I thought to provoke your remembrance of me by a letter: and thinking to fill it with somewhat besides salutations, it came to my mind, that this last summer vacation, by occasion of a factious book that endeavoured to verify Misera Fœmina, the addition of the pope's bull, upon queen Elizabeth, I did write a few lines in her memorial, which I thought you would be pleased to read, both for the argument, and because you were wont to bear affection to my pen. Verum, ut aliud ex alio, if it came handsomely to pass, I would be glad the president De Thou, who hath written an history, as you know, of that fame and diligence, saw it; chiefly because I know not whether it may not serve him for some use in his story; wherein I would be glad he did write to the truth, and to the memory of that lady, as I perceive by that he hath already written he is well inclined to do. I would be glad also, it were some occasion, such as absence

(a) Sir George Carew of Cornwall was master in chancery in the time of queen Elizabeth; and in 1597 sent ambassador into Po land; and in 1606 went to the court of France with the like character. After about three years' continuance, he was recalled by the king to make use of his services at home; but he survived not many years. M. De Thou, in a letter to Mr. Camden in 1613, very much laments his death; as losing a friend he much valued, and an assistant in the prosecution of his history: having received helps from him in that part which relates to the dissensions between the Poles and the Swedes in the year 1598, as appears before the contents of book CXXI. Stephens.

may permit, of some acquaintance or mutual notice between us. For though he hath many ways the precedence, chiefly in worth, yet this is common to us both, that we serve our sovereigns in places of law eminent: and not ourselves only, but that our fathers did so before us. And lastly, that both of us love learning and liberal sciences, which was ever a bond of friendship in the greatest distance of places. But of this I make no farther request, than your own occasions and respects, to me unknown, may further or limit; my principal purpose being to salute you, and to send you this token: whereunto I will add my very kind commendations to my lady; and so commit you both to God's holy protection.

XCV. To the KING, upon presenting the Dis- Rawley's course touching the Plantation of Ireland.

It may please your excellent Majesty,

I KNOW not better how to express my good wishes of a new-year to your majesty, than by this little book, which in all humbleness I send you. The stile is a stile of business, rather than curious or elaborate. And herein I was encouraged by my experience of your majesty's former grace, in accepting of the like poor field fruits touching the union. And certainly I reckon this action as a second brother to the union. For I assure myself that England, Scotland, and Ireland well united, is such a trefoil as no prince except yourself, who are the worthiest, weareth in his crown; Si potentia reducatur in actum. I know well, that for me to beat my brains about these things, they be majora quam pro fortuna; but yet they be minora quam pro studio ac voluntate. For as I do yet bear an extreme zeal to the memory of my old mistress queen Elizabeth, to whom I was rather bound for her trust than her favour; so I must acknowledge myself more bound to your majesty both for trust and favour; whereof I will never deceive the one, as I can never deserve the other. And so, in all humbleness kissing your majesty's sacred hand, I remain.

Resuscitatio.

Resuscita

Rawley's XCVI. To the Bishop of ELY, upon sending his writing, entitled, Cogitata et Visa. My very good Lord,

tio.

Now your lordship hath been so long in the church and the palace, disputing between kings and popes; (a)

(a) The king and kingdom being exasperated by the gunpowder treason, thought it necessary to make some more effectual laws to distinguish between those papists that paid due obedience to the king, and those that did not. For which end, in the parliament which met upon the memorable fifth of November, 1605, a new oath of allegiance was framed; declaring that the pope, etc. had no power to depose kings, absolve their subjects, or dispose of their kingdoms, etc. The court of Rome, jealous of losing an authority they had been many years assuming; and especially perceiving that many papists submitted to the oath, as not intrenching upon matters of faith, severely inhibited them from taking the same by two briefs, the one quickly succeeding the other. The king, on the other hand, esteeming it a point that nearly concerned him, had recourse to those arms he could best manage, and encountered the briefs by a premonition directed to all Christian princes; exhorting them to espouse the common quarrel. Cardinal Bellarmine, who, by virtue of his title, thought himself almost equal to princes, and by his great learning much superior, enters the lists with the king. The seconds coming in on both sides, no man was thought fitter to engage this remarkable antagonist than that great and renowned prelate in learning and sanctity, Dr. Andrews, then bishop of Ely, and after of Winchester. Neither were the reformed of the French church idle spectators; as Monsieur du Moulin, and Monsieur du Plessis Mornay: this last published a book at Saumur in 1611, entitled, The Mystery of Iniquity, &c. shewing by what degrees the bishops of Rome had raised themselves to their present grandeur, asserting the right of sovereign princes against the positions of the cardinals Bellarmine and Baronius: the French edition whereof he dedicated to Lewis the Thirteenth, and the Latin to king James, This last performance was presented to king James, with a letter exhorting him, " de quitter d'oresenavant la plume, pour aller espée "à la main desnicher l'antichrist hors de sa forteresse:" to give over waging a war with his pen, and to destroy the papal power with his sword; which he excites the king to attempt in the conclusion of his dedication, with so much life, that I shall crave the liberty to insert part of his own words, in order to declare the spirit and zeal of a gentleman, who for his valour and conduct in war, his judgment in council, his dexterity in dispatches, and his firmness and constancy in religion, in the defence of which, hand, and tongue, and pen were employed, is far above all the titles of honour that can be given.

Hanc tu, rex potentissime, laudem, hanc lauream, absit ut tibi præripi patiaris; cuiquam alii servatam velis; non sanguine, non vita, non carioribus cæteris redemptam malis. At tu, Jehova Deus, cujus

methinks you should take pleasure to look into the field, and refresh your mind with some matter of philosophy; though that science be now through age waxed a child again, and left to boys and young men. And because you were wont to make me believe you took liking to my writings, I send you some of this vacation's fruits; and thus much more of my mind and purpose. I hasten not to publish; perishing I would prevent; and am forced to respect as well my times as the matter. For with me it is thus; and I think, with all men in my case: if I bind myself to an argument, it loadeth my mind; but if I rid my mind of the present cogitation, it is rather a recreation. This hath put me into these miscellanies; which I purpose to suppress, if God give me leave to write a just and perfect volume of philosophy, which I go on with though slowly. I send not your lordship too much, lest it may glut you. Now let me tell you what my desire is: if your lordship be so good now, as when you were the good dean of Westminster, my request to you is, that not by pricks, but by notes, you would mark unto me whatsoever shall seem unto you either not current in the stile, or harsh to credit and opinion, or inconvenient for the person of the wri

res, cujus gloria, hic proprie agitur; cujus absque ope frustra sint vota, suspiria, molimina nostra ; evigila, exsurge, robur indue, justitiam ut loricam. Voca servum tuum per nomen suum, prehende dexteram Uncti tui, ambula ante faciem ejus; complunentur valles, subsidant montes, consternantur fluvii, pateant januæ, conterantur vectes, contremiscant populi corruat Jericho illa in spiritu oris tui, in conspectu ejus. Ego sexagenario licet jam major, lateri tunc ipsius hæream indivulsus; inter angusta, inter aspera Alpium senectam exuam; inter principia prælium misceam; inter triumphos præcinente angelo Cecidit illud congeminem; sanctæ huic lætitiæ totus immergar, æternæ contiguus immoriar raptus. But this was an enterprise suited to the warlike genius of Du Plessis, great master of Henry the Fourth, and not to the peaceable spirit of king James. Besides the king, in his answer of the 20th of October, 1611, after he had excused his long silence, and very much commended this author in the design of his book, and as freely called the pope antichrist, and Rome Babylon, conceives that nei ther the Scriptures, the doctrine, nor example of the primitive church, would sufficiently justify an offensive war, undertaken purely for religion; could he in prudence expect any success in such an attempt. Stephens.

ter; for no man can be judge and party: and when our minds judge by reflection on ourselves, they are more subject to error. And though for the matter itself, my judgment be in some things fixed, and not accessible by any man's judgment that goeth not my way: yet even in those things, the admonition of a friend may make me express myself diversely. I would have come to your lordship, but that I am hastening to my house in the country and so I commend your lordship to God's goodness.

Rawley's XCVII. To Sir THOMAS BODELEY, after he Resuscita- had imparted to him a writing entitled, Cogi

tio.

Appendix

to a collection of letters of archbishop Usher, let

ter XIV. p.

19.

tata et Visa.

SIR,

In respect to my going down to my house in the coun-
try, I shall have miss of my papers, which I pray you
therefore to return unto me. You are, I bear you
witness, slothful, and you help me nothing; so as I
am half in conceit, that you affect not the argument:
for myself, I know well, you love and affect. I can
say no more to you, but non canimus surdis, respondent
omnia sylvæ. If you be not of the lodgings chalked
up, whereof I speak in my preface, I am but to pass
by your door. But if I had you a fortnight at Gor-
hambury, I would make you tell me another tale;
or else I would add a cogitation against libraries, and
be revenged on you that way. I pray you send me
some good news of Sir Thomas Smith; and commend
me very kindly to him. So I rest- 1607.

XCVIII. Sir THOMAS BODELEY'S Letter to
Sir FRANCIS BACON, about his Cogitata et
Visa, wherein he declareth his opinion freely
touching the same.

SIR,

As soon as the term was ended, supposing your leisure was more than before, I was coming to thank you two or three times, rather choosing to do it by

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