ver faw one of which days, if he alter his refolutions, I fhall not fail to return to the army. I am afraid our fitting down be fore Gloucefter has hindered us from making an end of the war this year; which nothing could keep us from doing, if we had a month's more time, which we loft there, for we never were in a more profperous condition; and yet the divifions do not at all diminish, efpecially betwixt and by which we receive prejudice. I'neufe any body with more neglect than and we fay he is not ufed much better by the Queen. Mrs. Jermyn met my Lord Jermyn (who, notwithstanding your intelligence, is but a Baron) with whom I came, at Woodfloke, with a coach, who told me the would write to you, which I hope fhe hath done; for fince I came here, I have feen no creature but your father and my uncle; fo that I am altogether ignorant of the intrigues of this place. Before I go hence, I hope fome body will come from you, howfoever I fhall have a letter here for you. I have taken the best care I can about my oeconomical affairs; I am afraid I fhall not be able to get you a better houfe, every body thinking me mad for fpeaking about it. Pray blefs Popet for me, and tell her I would have writ to her, but that, upon mature deliberation, I found it to be uncivil to return an answer to a lady, in another character than her own, which I am not yet learned enough to do. I cannot, by walking about my chamber, cali thing more to mind to fet down here, and really I have made you no fmall compli ment in writing thus much; for I have to great a cold, that I do nothing but inceze, and mine eyes do nothing but water, all the while I am in this pofture of hanging down my head. I befeech you to prefent his fervice to my lady, who is moft paffionately and perfectly yours. any Oxford, September the 16th, 1643. My humble fervice to Lady Lucy, and the other little ladies. LETTER LVI. Robert Earl of Leicester, to his daughter Dorothy Countess of Sunderland, on the death of the Earl her husband, who lost his life, valiantly fighting for King Charles the First, at the battle of Newberry, 20th Sept. 1643. My dear Doll, KNOW it is to no purpose to advise you not to grieve; that is not my intention; for fuch a lofs as yours cannot be received indifferently, by a nature fo tender and fo fenfible as yours; but though your affection to him whom you loved fo dearly, and your reafon in valuing his merit (neither of which you could do too much), did expofe you to the danger of that forrow which now oppreffeth you; yet if you confult with that affection, and with that reafon, I am perfuaded that you will fee cause to moderate that forrow 3 for your affection to that worthy perfon may tell you, that even to it you cannot juftify yourself, if you lament his being raifed to a degree of happiness, far beyond any that he did or could enjoy upon the earth; fuch as depends upon no uncertainties, nor can fuffer any diminution; and wherein, though he knew your fufferings, he could not be grieved at your affictions. And your reafon will affure you, that befides the vanity of bemoaning that which hath no remedy, you offend him whom you loved, if you hurt that perfon whom he loved. Remember how apprehenfive he was of your dangers, and how forry for any thing that troubled you imagine that he fees how you afflict and hurt yourfelf; you will then believe, that though he look upon it without any perturbation, for that cannot be admitted, by that bleffed condition wherein he is, yet he may cenfure you, and think you forgetful of the friendship that was between you, if you pursue not his defires, in being careful of yourself, who was fo dear unto him. But he fees you not; he knows not what you do; well, what then! Will you do any thing that She was his daughter, and was afterwards would difplease him if he knew it, be Marchionefs of Halifax. cause he is where he doth not know it? I am fure that was never in your thoughts; for the rules of your actions were, and must be, virtue, and affection to your hufband, R husband, not the confideration of his ignorance or knowledge of what you do; that is but an accident, neither do I think that his prefence was at any time more than a circumftance, not at all neceffary to your abstaining from those things which might difpleafe him. Affure yourself, that all the fighs and tears that your heart and eyes can facrifice unto your grief, are not fuch teftimonies of your affection as the taking care of thofe whom he loved, that is, of your felf, and of those pledges of your mutual friendship and affection which he hath left with you; and which, though you would abandon yourfelf, may juttly challenge of you the performance of their father's truft, repofed in you, to be careful of them. For their fakes, therefore, affuage your grief; they all have need of you, and one, efpecially, whofe life, as yet, doth abfolutely depend on yours. I know you lived happily, and fo as nobody but yourfelf could measure the contentment of it. I rejoiced at it, and did thank God for making me one of the means to procure it for you. That now is paft, and I will not flatter you fo much, as to fay, I think you can ever be fo happy in this life again; but this comfort you owe me, that I may fee you bear this change and your misfortunes patiently. I fhall be more pleafed with that than with the other, by as much as I efteem virtue and wifdom in you, more than any inconftant benefits that fortune could beftow upon you: it is likely that, as many others do, you will ufe examples to authorife the prefent paffion which poffeffeth you; and you may fay, that our Saviour himself did weep for the death of one he loved; that is true; but we must not adventure too far after his example in that, no more than a child fhould run into a river, because he faw a man wade through; for neither his forrow, nor any other paffion, could make him fin; but it is not fo with us: he was pleafed to take our infirmities, but he hath not imparted to us his power to limit or reftrain them; for if we let our paffions loofe, they will grow headftrong, and deprive us of the power which we must referve to ourfelves, that we may recover the government which our reafon and our religion ought to have above them. I doubt not, but your eyes are full of tears, and not the emptier for thofe they fhed. God comfort you, and let us join in prayer to him, that he will be pleased to give his grace to you, to your mother, and to myfelf, that all of us may refign and fubmit ourselves entirely and cheerfully to his pleasure. So nothing fhall be able to make us unhappy in this life, nor to hinder us from being happy in that which is eternal. Which that you may enjoy at the end of your days, whofe number I wish as great as of any mortal creature; and that through them all you may find fuch comforts as are beft and most neceffary for you; it is, and thall ever be, of the conftant prayer father that your loves you dearly. Oxford, 10th October 1643. LETTER LVII. Robert Earl of Leicester to the Queen, at Oxford, defiring to know why he was dijmiffed from the office of Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Madam, SUFFER yourfelf, I beseech you, to receive from a perfon, happy heretofore in your Majefty's good opinion, this humble petition: That whereas the King hath conferred a great honour upon me, which now he hath taken from me, after a long and expenceful attendance for my difpatch; and after his Majesty had divers times fignified, not only to me, but to my Lord Percy alfo, his intention to fend me into Ireland; fince which, I cannot imagine what I have done, to alter his Majesty's just and gracious purpose towards me. And whereas it hath pleafed the King to tell me lately, that he had both acquainted your Majefty at the firft, with his intention to give me that employment, and fince, that he would deprive me of it; I humbly conceive it to be very likely, that the King hath alfo told your Majefty the cause that moved him to it; for, I prefume, that upon a fervant of his, and yours, recommended to his favour by your Majefty, he would not put fuch a difgrace without telling your Majefly the reafon why he did it; but, as I could never flatter myself with any conceit that I had deferved that honour, fo I cannot accufe myself neither of having deferved to be difpoffeffed of it in a manner fo extraordinary, and fo unufual to the King, to punish without fhewing the causes of his difpleafure. In all humility, therefore, I befeech your Majesty to let me know my fault, which I am Confident I fhall acknowledge, as foon as I may fee it; for though it be too late to offer fuch fatiffaction as, being graciously accepted, might have prevented the misfortune which is fallen upon me; yet I may prefent the teftimonies of my forrow for having given any juft cause of offence to either of your Majeflies. I feek not to recover my office, Madam, but your good opinion; or to obtain your pardon, if my fault be but of error; and that I may either have the happinefs to fatisfy your Majeflies that I have not offended, and fo juftify my first innocence, or gain repentance, which I may call a fecond innocence. I must confefs, this is a great importunity; but, I prefume, your Majefty will forgive it, if you pleafe to confider how much I am humbly promife your Majefty, that if either of thofe crimes be proved against me, I never will be fo impudent as to importune you for my pardon. But if I be no otherwife guilty, than as mifinformation, or misfortune, many times makes men in this world; then I beg leave to think ftill, that I have been a faithful fubject and fervant to the King. And though I renounce all other worldly contentments, whilft the miseries of thefe times endure, wherein the King, your Majefty, and the whole kingdom fuffer fo much that it would be a fhame for any private man to be happy, and a fin to think himself fo; yet there is one happiness that I may justify; therefore I afpire unto it, and humbly defire it of your Majefty, that you will be pleased to think of me as of your Majesty's most faithful and most obedient creature. 9th December 1643. LETTER LVIII. concerned in that which brings inftant Algernon Earl of Northumberland to Robert detruction to my fortune, prefent difhonour to myself, and the fame, for ever, to my poor family; for I might have palled away unregarded and unremembered. But now, having been raised to a eminent place, and difpoffeffed of it atterwife than I think any of my predeceffors in that place have been, the fal time being not expired, no offence objected, nor any recompence affigned; ihall be transmitted to the knowledge of following times, with a mark of diftrad, which I cannot but think an infa, full of grief to myself, and of preJudice to my pofterity. For thefe reafons, I humbly befeech vour Majefty to make my offence to appear, that I may undeceive myself, and e that it was but a falfe integrity which tave boasted and prefumed upon, that ers may know that which yet they can but fufpect; and that I may no ager fhelter myfelf under the vain Protection of a pretended affection to the ing and your Majesty's fervice, nor der the excufe of ignorance or infirmi but let me bear the whole burden of disloyalty and ingratitude, which adms no protection nor excufe. And I I My Lord, Earl of Leicester. THOUGHT it not feasonable to be over hafty in adventuring to trouble your Lordship with that which is of fo little importance, as the expreffing my forrow for the death of my dear fifter; but, indeed, I bear a very great share with your Lordship in this lofs, as I fhall do in every accident that comes unwelcomely to you. For my own particular, I account the lofs equal, almost, to any that could befal me; and it would be much increafed, if it should remove me further from your Lordship's kindnefs and favour. Though that tie, which was the occafion of bringing us first together, be diffolved, my hope and defire is, that the friendship which followed may fill continue between us; and if a true refpect and value of your Lordship can merit any thing, I fhall not mifs of the fatisfaction I aim at, in being owned by your Lordship for your, &c. August 29, 1659 R 2 244 LETTER LIX. degree: I am very tender of buth, and The Earl of Leicester to Algernon Earl of continuation of the other for my own My Lord, Northumberland. IN the greatest forrow that I have ever fuffered, your Lordship hath given me the greatest confolation that I could receive from any body in this world; for having loft that which I loved beft, your Lordship fecureth me from lofing that which I loved next, that is, your favour; to which having no right or claim by any worthinefs in myself, but only by that alliance of which my molt dear wife was the mediation, I might jufly fear the lofs of that alfo, if your Lordhip's charity towards me did not prevent it. And now I will prefume to tell your Lordship, that though you have loft an excellent fifter, who by her affection and reverence towards you highly deferved of you; yet fuch was her death, that your Lordship hath reafon to rejoice at her departure. And if I were Christian good enough to conceive the happinefs of the other life, and that I could have loved her enough, it might have been to me a pleafure to fee her die, as fhe died: but being unable to repair my own lofs, with the confideration of her advantage, I must ever grieve for the one, until I may be partaker of the other and as I fhail ever whilst I live pay to her memory all affection and refpects, fo for her fake that loved you fo dearly, and was fo beloved of your Lordship, and for the high eflimation which I have always had of your Lordship, I befeech you to let me remain in your favour, and to be affured of my being your Lordship's faithfulcit humble fervant. Penthurit, 31ft Auguft 1659. LETTER LX. Relert Earl of Leicester to Algernon Earl My Lord, OF the few perfons that I confider in this world, your Lordship hath my greatest eftimation. And of the fewer things that I value in this life, your favour is placed by me in the most high particular great contentment. my feem Your Lordfhip I hope will therefore pardon this trouble, which is caufed only by my impatience to inquire and to hear of your health and to receive from you, if you pleafe, fome teftimony of my remaining in your remembrance and favour, which in the time of ing profperity, and of my being beit pleafed with the world, was held by me equal to any other contentment: and now, at the end of my fad and folitary life, fhall be equal to any other conclufion that can be given to your Lordfhip's, &c. Penshurst, 26th September 1659. LETTER LXI. Algernon Sidney to his father, Robert Earl My Lord, hither is fo uncertain, that I did not, until within thefe very few days, hear the fad news of my mother's death. I was then with the King of Sweden at Nycopin in Falfter. This is the firft opportunity I have had, of fending to condole with your Lordship, a lofs that is fo great to yourfelf and your family: of which my fenfe was not fo much diminished, in be ing prepared by her long, languishing and certainly incurable fick nefs, as increafed by the laft words and actions of her life. I confefs, perfons in fuct is much fpoken of, little fought, an 11 I may in any thing be able to ease your Lordship's folitude. If I could propofe that to myself, I would cheerfully leave a condition of much more pleasure and advantage than I can with reafon hope for. LETTER LXII. Cir Francis Bacon to Sir George Villiers, at the fending his patent for Viscount Villiers to be figned. Sir, I HAVE fent you now your patent of creation of Lord Bletchly of Bletchly, and of Vifcount Villiers. Bletchley is your own, and I liked the found of the name better than Whaddon; but the ime will be hid, for you will be called V...ount Villiers. I have put them in a pitent, after the manner of the patent for Earls, where baronies are joined; but the chief reafon was, because I would avoid double prefaces, which had not been fit; nevertheless the ceremony of robing and otherwife must be double. And now, because I am in the counyou try, I will fend fome of my country fruits, which with me are good meditations; which, when I am in the city, are choked with bufinefs. After that the King fhall have watered your new dignities with the bounty of the lands which he intends you, and that fone other things concerning your means, which are now likewife in intention, fhall be fettled upon you; I do not fee, but you may think your private fortunes established; and therefore it is now time that you should refer your actions to the good of your Sovereign and your country. It is the life of an ox or beaft always to eat, and never exercife; but men are born (especially Christian men) not to cram in their fortunes, but to exercife their virtues; and yet the other hath not been the unworthy, and (thanks be to God) fometimes the unlucky humour of great perfons in our times. Neither will your fortune be the further off; for affure yourfelf that fortune is of a woman's nature, and will fooner follow by fighting than by too much wooing. And in this dedication of yourself to the public, I recommend unto you princi pally that which, I think, was never LETTER LXIII. Sir Francis Bacon to Sir Edward Coke. THOUGHT belt once for all to let you |