State-worthies, or, The states-men and favourites of England since the reformation their prudence and policies, successes and miscarriages, advancements and falls, during the reigns of King Henry VIII, King Edward VI, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, King James, King Charles I.

Observations on the Life of Sir Ro∣bert Dudley.

SIr Robert Dudley, son to Robert Dudley Earl of Leicester, by Douglas Shefield (whether his Mistriss or his Wife, God knows) was born at Shene in Surrey, and bred by his Mother (out of his Fathers reach) at Offington in Sussex, where he became a most compleat Gentleman in all suitable Accomplishments, endeavouring in the Reign of King Iames to prove his Legitimacy; and meeting with much opposition from the Court, in distaste, he left his Land, and went over into Italy. But worth is ever at home, and carrieth its own welcome along with it. Therefore he became a Favourite to the Duke of Florence, who highly re∣flected on his Abilities, and used his Directions in all his Buildings. At this time Legorn from a Child, started to a Man, without ever being a youth, and of a small Town grew a great City on a sudden, and is much-beholding to this Sir Robert for its Fairness and Firmness, as chief contriver of both. But by this time his Adversaries in England had procur'd him to be call'd home by a special Privy-Seal; which he refused to obey, and there∣upon all his Lands in England were seised upon by the King, by the Statute of Fugitives. These losses doubled the love of the Duke of Florence unto him. And indeed Sir Robert was a much-meriting person on many Accounts, being an

Excellent

• 1 Mathematician, especially for the Pra∣ctical part thereof in Architecture.
• 2 Physician, his Catholic••n at this day finding good Esteem amongst those of that Faculty.
• 3 Navigator, especially in the Western Seas.

Indeed long before his leaving of England, whilest as yet he was Rectus in Curi••, well esteemed in Queen Elizabeths Court, he sailed with three small Ships to the Isle of Trinidad, in which voy∣age he sunk and took nine Spanish Ships; whereo•• one an Armada of 600 Tun.

He was so acceptable to Ferdinand the second, Emperour of Germany, that by his Letters Pa∣tents bearing date at Vienna, March 9•• 1620. he conferred on him and his Heirs the Title of a Duke of the Sacred Empire. Understand it a Title at large (as that of Count Arundel's) without the Assignation of any proper Place unto him.

King Iames had heard s•• much of the Father, that he did not care for the Son, who might have been near his Person, had not his Ancestors been so near ••his Predecessors—no other Considerations being likely to keep so extraordinary parts at this distance from a King that valued them so highly, or a Kingdom that needed them so much.—That Prince being as jealous an observer of Original sin in Policy, as he was an Orthodox Assertor of it in Religion, would trust no tainted blo••d. He writ an excellent discourse of Religion as the blind Sena∣tor in Juvenal made a large Encomium of the

goodly Turbet which lay before Caesar, but as ill luck would have it, turned himself quite the con∣trary way; at illi d••xtra j••c••bat bellua, a man right of Chrysippus his temper, who sometimes wanted Opinions; but never Arguments, which he ma∣naged all ways with contempt of, and opposition to the School-way, which going the distinctest way to state•• went the nearest way to end contro∣versies, but was slighted by him as unintelligible, because it had been passed by him as unstudied, as the old Woman in Seneca, complained that the Room was dark, when only her Eyes were so, and his new 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 wherein he made his private and crazy judgment the Standard and Seal of common truth, took a little with mens first thoughts, but lost themselves with their wiser, and second, like the Log in the Fable which terrified the poor Frogs with the noise it made at the first falling of it into the waters, but afterwards they insulted over it, and took their turns to leap upon it. When I consider Metiochus his cariage in Plutarc, and Sir Robert's Character in Florence, haec a se non mul∣tum abludit imago: Metiochus is Captain, Metiochus is Surveyor, Metiochus bakes the Bread, Metiochus grinds the Corn, Metiochus doth all; right one of AEsop's fellows, that could say and do all things; so that others need say and do nothing, a very happy man if while living he had deserved the Character idle Vaccia had when dead. Hîc situs est Vaccia, here lyeth Vaccia.