The works of Francis Bacon, lord chancellor of England.

158 LETTERS FROM BIRCH.
TO SIR HUMPHlREY MAY, CHANCELLOR OF THE miration, that those civil acts of sovereignty,
DUCHY OF LANCASTER. which are of the greatest merit, and, therefore, of
Goon MR. CHANCELLOR, truest glory, are, by the providence of God, maniI did wonder what was become of you, and festly put into your hands, as a chosen vessel to
was very glad to hear you were come to court; receive from God, and an excellent instrument to
which, methinks, as the times go, should miss work amongst men the best and noblest things.
you as well as I. The highest degree of sovereign honour is to be
I send you another letter, which I wrote to you founder of a kingdom or estate; for as, in the acts
of an old date, to avoid repetition; and I continue of God, the creation is more than the conservamy request then to you, to sound the Duke of tion; and as among men the birthday is accounted
Buckingham's good affection towards me, before the chiefest of the days of life; so, to found a
you do move him in the particular petition. kingdom is more worthy than to augment, or to
Only the present occasion doth invite me to desire, administer the same. And this is an honour that
that his grace would procure me a pardon of the no man can take from your majesty, that the day
king of the whole sentence. My writ for Parlia- of your coming to the crown of England was as
ment I have now had twice before the time, and the birthday of the kingdom entire Britain.
that without any express restraint not to use it. The next degree of sovereign honour, is the
It is true, that I shall not be able, in respect of plantation of a country or territory, and the reducmy health, to attend in Parliament; but yet I tion of a nation, from waste soil and barbarous
might make a proxy. Time hath turned envy to manners, to a civil population. And in this kind
pity; and I have a long cleansing week of five also your majesty hath made a fair and prosperous
years' expectation and more. Sir John Bennet beginning in your realm of Ireland. The third
hath his pardon; and my Lord of Somerset hath eminent act of sovereignty is to be a lawgiver,
his pardon, and, they say, shall sit in Parliament. whereof he speaketh,
My Lord of Suffolk cometh to Parliament, though
Pace data terris, animum ad civilia vertit
not to council. I hope I deserve not to be the Jura suum, legesque tulit justissimus author.
only outcast.
onl y outcast. everrest And another saith, " Ecquid est, quod tam proprie
our most affectionate friend, dici potest actum ejus, qui togatus in republic& curn
potestate imperioque versatur, quam lex. Quaere
wto do you service. acta Gracchi; leges Semproniae proferentur:
I wish you a good new year.
quaere Syllee, Corneliua quid. Cnei Pompeii terEndorsed, tius consulatus in quibus actis consistit. Nempe
To the Chancellor of the Duchy. Gor. 1625. legibus. A Caesare ipso si quwareres quidnam
egisset in urbe et toga; leges multas se respondeat et prweclaras tulisse."
TO THE MARQUIS D'EFFIAT, THE FRENCH AMBASSADOR.
MONS. L'AMBASSADEUR, MON FILS,
Vous scavez que le commencement est la moiti6 TO THE KING.
du fait. Voyla pourquoy je vous ay escrit ce IT MAY PLEASE YOUR MAJESTY,
petit mot de lettre, vous priant de vous souvenir A full heart is like a full pen; it can hardly
de vostre noble promesse de me mettre en la bonne make any distinguished work. The more I look
grace de nostre tres-excellente reyne, et m'en faire upon my own weakness, the more I must magnify
recevoir quelque gracieuse demonstration. Vostre your favours; and the more I behold your favours,
excellence prendra aussi, s'il vous plaist, quelque the more I must consider mine own weakness.
occasion de prescher un peu, a mon advantage en This is my hope, that God, who hath moved your
l'oreille du Duc de Bnckingham en g. ndral. Dieu heart to favour me, will write your service in my
vous ayt en sa saincte garde.
Vostre tres-affectionne et tres-humble serviteur, heart. Two things I may promise; for, although
FR. ST. ALBAN. they be not mine own, yet they are surer than
Jan. 18, 1625. mine own, because they are God's gifts; that is,
integrity and industry. And, therefore, whensoever I shall make my account to you, I shall do'le fol-lowing letters, wanting both dates and cir- it in these words, ecce tibi lucrifeci, and not ecce
camstances to determine such dates, are placed mihi lucrifeci. And for industry, I shall take to
cumshere together. ermin such dates, ar e placedme, in this procuration, not Martha's part, to be
here together.
busied in many things, but Mary's part, which is,
TO KING JAMES I. to intend your service; for the less my abilities
MAY IT PLEASE YOUR MAJESTY, are, the more they ought to be contracted ad unum.
Thinking often, as I ought, of your majesty's For the present, I humbly pray your majesty to
virtue and fortune, I do observe, not without ad-I accept my most humble thanks and vows as the