The works of Francis Bacon, lord chancellor of England.

158 LETTERS FROM STEPHENS.
TO THE DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM. to his majesty, the one for a full pardon, that I
EYCELLENT LORD, may die out of a cloud; the other for the translaI send your grace for a parabien, a book of tion of my honours after my decease. I hope his
mine, written first and dedicated to his majesty majesty will have compassion on me, as he proin English, and now translated into Latin, and mised me he would. My heart telleth me that
enriched. After his majesty and his highness, no man hath loved his majesty and his service
your grace is ever to have the third turn with me. more entirely, and love is the law-and the proph.-ts.
Vouchsafe, of your wonted favour, to present also I ever rest
the king's book to his majesty. The prince's I Your grace's most obliged
have sent to Mr. Endimlion Porter. I hope your and faithful servant,
grace (because you are wont to disable your FR. ST. ALBAN.
Latin) will not send your book to the Conde November 25th, 1623.
d'Olivares, because he was a deacon, for I understand by one, (that your grace may guess whom
I Mmean,) that the Conde is not rational, and I TO TIlE LORD ST. ALBAN.
hold this book to be very rational. Your grace
will pardon me to be merry, however, the world MY LORD, I have moved his majesty in your
goeth with me. I ever rest suit, and find him very gracious inclined to grant
Your grace's most faithful it; but he desireth first to know from my lord
and obligfed servant, treasurer his opinion and the value of it, to
FR. ST. ALBAN. whom I have written to that purpose this enclosed
Gray's Inn, 22F1 October, 1023. letter, and would wish your lordship to speak
I have added a begging postscript in the kings with him yourself for his favour and furtherance
letter; for, as I writ before, my cables are worn therein, and for my part I will omit nothing that
out, my hope of taclling is by your lordship's appertaineth to
means. For me and mine, I pray command. Your lordship's faithful friend and servant,
G. BUCKINGiHAxI.
Newmarket, 2Sth of January, 1623.
TO THE LORD ST. ALBAN.'
5MIvr LoRD,-I give your lordship many thanks
for the parabien you have sent me; which is so TO TIIE LORD ST. ALBAN.
welcome unto me, both for the author's sake and
for the worth of itself, that I cannot spare a work RIGHT HONOURABLE AND MY VERY NOBLE LORD,
of so much pains to your lordship and value to Mr. Doctor Rawley, by his modest choice, hath
me, unto a man of so little reason and less art; much obliged me to be careful of him, when God
who if his skill in languages be no greater than shall send any opportunity. And if his majesty
I found it in argument, may, perhaps, have as shall remove me from this see, before any such
much need of an interpreter (for all his deaconry) occasion be offered, notto change my intentions
as myself; and whatsoever mine ignorance is with my bishopric.
It true thatthose ancients, Cicero, Demosthenes,
in the tongue, yet this much I understand in thethose ancients, Cicero, Demosthenes,
book, that it is a noble monument of your love, and Plinius Secundus, have preserved their orawhich I will entail to my posterity, who, I hope, tions (the heads and effects of them at least) and
will both reap the fruit of the work, and honourtheir epistles; and I have ever been of opinion,
the memory of the author. The other book I that those two pieces, are the principal pieces of
delivered to his majesty, who is tied here by the our antiquities: those orations discovering the
feet longer than he purposed to stay. form of administering justice, and the letters the
For the business your lordship wrote of in your cariage of the affairs in those times. For our
other letters, I am sorry I can do you no service, histories (or rather lives of men) borrow as much
having engaged myself to Sir W'illiam Becher from the affections and phantasies of the writers,
before my going to Spain, so that I cannot free as from the truth itself, and are for the most of
myself, unless there were means to give him them built together upon unwritten relations and:satisfaction. But I will ever continue traditions. But letters written y re nata, and bearYour lordship's assured friend and servant, ing a synchronism or equality of time cm ebus
G. BUCKINGHAM. gestis, have no other fault, than that which was
liinchenbrook, Oct. 27t11, 1623. imputed unto Virgil, qnihil peccat niisi, quod niihil
peccet, they speak the truth too plainly, and cast
too glaring a light for that age, wherein they
TO TIHE DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM. were, or are written.
EXCELLENT LORD, Your lordship doth most worthily, therefore, in
I send Mr. Parker to have ready, according to preserving those two pieces, amongst the rest of
the speech I had with your grace, my two suits those matchless monuments you shall leave be