Again to the same King.

YOur royal favour hath placed and continued me many years in the highest place of ordinary Justice in this your Kingdom, and hath most graciously borne with my many, but unwilling errors and defects, accepting in stead of sufficiencie, my zeal and fidelity, which never failed. This doth encourage and stir in me an earnest desire to serve still. But when I remember St. Pauls rule, Let him that hath an office wait on his office, and do consider withall my great age and many infirmities, I am dejected and do utterly faint: For I see and feel sensibly, that I am not able to perform those duties as I ought, and the place requires; and thereupon I do seriously examine my self what excuse or answer I shall make to the King of Kings, and Judge of all Judges, when he shall call me to accompt; and then my conscience shall accuse me, that I have presumed so long to undergo and weild so mighty and great a charge and burthen: and I behold a great Cloud of witnesses ready to give evi∣dence against me.

• 1. Reason telleth me, and by experience I find, Senectus est tarda & obliviosa, & insanabilis morbus.
• 2. I heard the precepts and councel of many reverend, sage, and learned men, Senectuti debitur otium, solve senectutem ma∣ture, &c.
• 3. I read in former Laws, that old men were made temeriti & rudè donati: And one severe Law that saith, Sexagenarius de ponte, where∣upon they are called Depontanei. And Plato lib. 6. de legibus, speaking of a great Magistrate which was Praefectus legibus servandis, determi∣neth Page  89thus, Minor annis 50 non admittatur; nec major annis 70 permit∣tatur in eo perseverare. And to this Law, respecting both mine office and my years, I cannot but yeeld. But leaving foreign Laws, the Stat. anno 13. E. 1. speaketh plainly▪ Homines excedentes aetatem 70 annorum non ponantur in Assissis & Juratis. So as it appeareth that men of that age are by that Law discharged of greater painfull and carefull, especially Ju∣diciall Offices.
• 4. Besides, I find many examples of men of great wisdom, knowledge and judgment, meet and worthy to be followed; of which (leaving all other) I will remember that of William Warham Archbishop of Canter∣bury, and Chancellor of England, who after long service, was upon his humble suit discharged or the office of Chancellor of England in re∣spect of his great age. Seeing then such a cloud of witnesses against me, which in my private Soliloquies and Meditations, are daily and continu∣ally represented to my view, and mine own conscience (more then a thousand witnesses) concurring with me: Pardon me, my most gracious Soveraign, to conclude with good Barzillai, Quot s•nt dies annorum vi∣tae meae, quare servus tuus sit oneri domino nostro Regi, obsecro ut rever∣tar servus tuus & moriar, &c. So I most humbly beseech your sacred Majesty, graciously to regard the great age, infirmity, and impotency of your most devoted, obedient, loyall and faithfull servant. Let me not be as Domitius after was, Maluit deficere quam desinere. But with your Princely favour give me leave to retire myself from the careful service of this great office, and from the troubles of this world, and to spend the small rem∣nant of this my life in meditation arid prayer, & I wil never cease to make my humble supplications to Almighty God to bless & prosper your Ma∣jesty, the Queen, the Prince, all your Royal issue, with all heavenly and earthly felicity, which is the last and best service your poor, aged, weak and decayed servant can do for you.