130 LETTERS FROM THE RESUSCITATIO. 



of treason, as he would make no difficulty to deliver his 

 opinion in private ; and so I was persuaded of the rest of the 

 judges of the king s bench; who likewise (as I partly un 

 derstood) made no scruple to deliver their opinion in pri 

 vate. Whereupon he said (which I noted well) that his 

 brethren were wise men, and that they might make a shew 

 as if they would give an opinion as was required but the 

 end would be, that it would come to this, they would say 

 they doubted of it, and so pray advice with the rest. But 

 to this I answered, that I was sorry to hear him say so much, 

 lest if it came so to pass some that loved him not might 

 make a construction that that which he had foretold he had 

 wrought. Thus your majesty sees that, as Solomon saith, 

 &quot; gressus nolentis tanquam in sepi spinarum,&quot; it catcheth 

 upon every thing. 



The latter meeting is yet of more importance ; for then, 

 coming armed with divers precedents, I thought to set in 

 with the best strength I could, and said, that before I de 

 scended to the record I would break the case to him thus ; 

 that it was true we were to proceed upon the ancient statute 

 of King Edward the Third, because other temporary sta 

 tutes were gone, and therefore it must be said in the indict 

 ment, &quot; imaginatus est, et compassavit, mortem et finalem 

 destructionem domini regis.&quot; Then must the particular 

 treasons follow in this manner, viz. &quot; Et quod, ad perim- 

 plendum nefandum propositum suum, composuit, et con- 

 scripsit, quendam detestabilem, et venenosum libellum, sive 

 scriptum, in quo inter alia proditoria continetur,&quot; etc. And 

 then the principal passages of treason, taken forth of the 

 papers, are to be entered &quot; in haec verba;&quot; and with a con 

 clusion in the end, &quot; ad intentionem, quod ligeus populus, 

 et veri subditi domini regis, cordialem suum amorem, a 

 domino rege retraherent et ipsum dominum regem relinque- 

 rent, et guerram, et insurrectionem, contra eum, levarent, 

 et facerent,&quot; etc. I have in this former followed the ancient 

 stile of the indictments for brevity s sake, though when we 



