A Letter to the King, touching the Lord Chancellors place.

YOur worthy. Chancellour, I fear, goeth his last day. God hath hitherto used to weed out such Servants as grew not fit for Your Majesty; but now he hath gathered to himself a true sage, or salvia, out of Your Garden; But Your Majesties service must not be mortal.

Upon this heavy Accident, I pray Your Majesty in all humbleness and sincerity, to give me leave to use a few words. I must never forget, when I moved Your Majesty for the Attorneys place, it was your own sole act; more then that, Somerset, when he knew Your Majesty had resol∣ved it, thrust himself into the business for a Fee. And therefore I have no reason to pray to Saints.

Page  73 I shall now again make oblation to your Majesty, first of my heart, then of my service, thirdly, of my place of Attorney (which I think is honestly worth 16000 l. pound per annum) and fourthly, of my place of the Star-Chamber, which is worth 1600 l. per annum, and with the fa∣vuor and countenance of a Chancellor, much more.

I hope I may be acquitted of presumption, if I think of it, both be∣cause my Father had the place, which is some civil inducement to my desire: And I pray God your Majesty may have twenty no worse years in your Greatness, then Queen Elizabeth had in her Model, (after my Fathers placing) and chiefly, because, if the Chancellors place went to the Law, it was ever conferred upon some of the Learned Councel, and never upon a Judge. For Audley was raised from K. Serjeant, my Fa∣ther from Attorney of the Wards, Bromley from Sollicitor, Puckering from Serjeant, Egerton from Master of the Rolls, having newly left the Attorneys place. Now I beseech Your Majesty, let me put you the present case, truly. If you take my Lord Coke, this will follow; first, Your Majesty shall put an over-ruling nature into an over-ruling place, which may breed an extream: Next, You shall blunt his industries in matter of financies, which seemeth to aime at another place. And lastly, popular men are no sure Mounters for Your Majesties Saddle. If you take my Lord Hubbart, you shall have a Judge at the upper end of Your Councel-board, and another at the lower end: Whereby Your Majesty will find your Prerogative pent. For though there should be emulation between them, yet as Legists they will agree, in magnifying that wherein they are best; He is no States-man, but an Occonomist, wholly for himself. So as Your Majesty (more then an outward form) will find little help in him, for the business. If you take my Lord of Canterbury, I will say no more, but the Chancellours place requires a whole man. And to have both Jurisdictions, Spiritual and Temporal, in that height, is sit but for a King.

For my self, I can only present Your Majesty with Gloria in obse∣quio: yet I dare promise, that if I sit in that place, Your business shall not make such short turns upon You, as it doth; but when a direction is once given, it shall be pursued and performed; and Your Majesty shall only be troubled with the true care of a King, which is, to think what You would have done in chief, and not how, for the passages.

I do presume also, in respect of my Fathers memory, and that I have been alwayes gracious in the Lower House, I have interest in the Gentle∣men of England, and shall be able to do some good effect, in rectifying that Body of Parliament-men, which is Cardo rerum. For let me Page  74 tell Your Majesty, that that part of the Chancellors place which is to Judge in equity, between party and party, that same Regnum judiciale (which since my Fathers time is but too much enlarged) concerneth Your Majesty least, more then the acquitting your Conscience for Justice. But it is the other part of a Moderator, amongst your Coun∣cel, of an Overseer over your Judges, of a planter of fit Justices, and Governors in the Country, that importeth your affairs and these times most.

I will add also, that I hope by my care, the inventive part of your Councel will be strengthned, who now commonly, do exercise rather their Judgements, then their inventions: And the inventive part com∣eth from projectors, and private men, which cannot be so well; In which kinde, my Lord of Salisbury had a good method, if his ends had been upright.

To conclude, if I were the man I would be, I should hope, that as Your Majesty hath of late wonne hearts by depressing; you should in this leese no hearts by advancing. For I see your people can better skill of Concretum, then Abstractum, and that the waves of their affec∣tions flow rather after persons, then things. So that acts of this nature (if this were one) do more good then twenty Bills of Grace.

If God call my Lord, the Warrants and Commissions which are re∣quisite for the taking the Seal, and for the working with it, and for the reviving of Warrants under his hand, which dye with him, and the like, shall be in readiness. And in this time presseth more, because it is the end of a Term, and almost the beginning of the Circuits: So that the Seal cannot stand still. But this may be done, as heretofore, by Com∣mission, till Your Majesty hath resolved of an Officer. God ever pre∣serve Your Majesty.