Reliquiae Wottonianae, or, A collection of lives, letters, poems with characters of sundry personages : and other incomparable pieces of language and art : also additional letters to several persons, not before printed / by the curious pencil of the ever memorable Sir Henry Wottan ...

To the KING, 1628.

May it please Your most Sacred Majesty,

IT is more to be bound to Your Majesties judge∣ment, then to be bound to Your favour. Therefore, I do not only joy, but glory (though still with humble acknowledgement and feeling what my self am) that You have been pleased (as I understand from my Lord of Dorchester) to apply my Pen to so noble an end: being confident, that the very care, not to disgrace Your Majesties good pleasure, and indulgent choice of me, will invigo∣rate my weakness. But before I enter into the de∣scription of others actions and fortunes (which require a free spirit) I must present at Your Royal feet, and even claim from Your natural equity and goodness, such compensation, (as it shall please You) in that which followeth.

I served the King Your Father of most blessed me∣mory, from the time he sent for me, at the begin∣ning of his Raign, out of France, (retaining then some gracious remembrance of my service with him in Scotland) twenty years, that is, almost now a third part of my life, in ordinary and extraordi∣nary imployments abroad. I had many comforta∣ble Letters of his contentment, or at least, of his gracious toleration of my poor endeavours: And I had under his own Royal hand, two hopes in re∣version. The first, a moiety of a six Clerks place in Chancery. The next, of the Office of the Rolls it self. The first of these, I was forced to yield to Sir William Beecher, upon the late Duke of Bucking∣ham's former engagement unto him by promise,

even after Your Majesty had been pleased to inter∣cede for me, with Your said ever blessed Father. And that was as much in value, as my Provostship were worth at a Market. The other of the Rever∣sion of the Rolls, I surrendred to the said Duke in the Gallery at Wallingford-House, upon his own very instant motion (the said Duke then intending it, upon the now Attorney, Sir Robert Heath) though with serious promise, upon his honour, that he would procure me some equivalent recom∣pence, before any other should be setled in the place.

The truth of my humble claim, and of his sin∣cere intentions towards me, I present herewith un∣to Your Majesty, in a Letter all under his own hand.

I could likewise remember unto Your Majesty, the losses I have sustained abroad, by taking up moneys, for my urgent use, at more then twenty in the hundred; by casualty of fire, to the damage of near four hundred pounds in my particular; by the raising of moneys in Germany, whereby my small allowance (when I was sent to the Emperors Court) fell short five hundred pounds, as Seignor Burlamachi too well knoweth; and other wayes.

Now for all this (that I may not press Your Majesty with immoderate desires) I most humbly beg from Your Royal equity, and I may say, from Your very compassion, but two things: First, That Your Majesty will be pleased, in di∣sposing of the Rolls (to which I was assigned) to reserve for me some small proportion, towards the discharge of such debts as I contracted in publick service, yet remaining upon interest. Next, That You will be likewise pleased to promise me,

the next good Deanry, that shall be vacant by death or remove: whereof I also had a promise from Your blessed Father then at Newmarket, and am now more capable thereof in my present condi∣tion. And thus shall Your Majesty restore me, both to the freedom of my thoughts, and of my life; otherwise so intricated, that I know not how to unfold it. And so with my continual prayers to the Almighty, for his dearest and largest blessings upon Your Royal Person, I ever rest,

Whitehall, Feb. 12. Styl. vet. 1628.

Your Majesties most faithfull poor Subject and Servant, HENRY WOTTON.