234 LETTERS FROM STEPHENS. 



this man s mouth to preach, you shall open very many 

 mouths to speak honour of you ; and I confess I would 

 have a full cry of puritans, of papists, of all the world to 

 speak well of you ; and besides I am persuaded, (which is 

 above all earthly glory) you shall do God good service in 

 it. I pray deal with his majesty in it. I rest 



Your devoted and bounden Servant, 

 June 13, 1616. F RA . BACON. 



To the King. 



It may please your most excellent Majesty, 



First from the bottom of my heart, I thank the God of 

 all mercy and salvation, that he hath preserved you from 

 receiving any hurt by your fall ; and I pray his divine 

 Majesty ever to preserve you, on horseback and on foot, 

 from hurt and fear of hurt. 



Now touching the clothing business ; for that I perceive 

 the cloth goeth not off as it should, and that Wiltshire is 

 now come in with complaint as well as Gloucestershire and 

 Worcestershire, so that this gangrene creepeth on; I 

 humbly pray your majesty to take into your majesty s 

 princely consideration a remedy for the present stand, 

 which certainly will do the deed ; and for any thing that I 

 know will be honourable and convenient, though joined 

 with some loss in your majesty s customs, which I know 

 in a business of this quality, and being but for an interim 

 till you may negotiate, your majesty doth not esteem. And 

 it is this: 



That your majesty by your proclamation do forbid (after 

 fourteen days, giving that time for suiting men s selves) the 

 wearing of any stuff made wholly of silk, without mixture 

 of wool, for the space of six months. So your majesty 

 shall supply outward vent with inward use, specially for 

 the finer cloths, which are those wherein the stand princi 

 pally is, and which silk wearers are likest to buy; and 

 you shall show a most princely care over thousands of the 

 poor people; and besides, your majesty shall blow a horn, 

 to let the Flemings know your majesty will not give over 

 the chase. Again, the winter season coming on is fittest 

 for wearing of cloth, and there is scope enough left for 

 bravery and vanity by lacing and embroidery, so it be upon 

 cloth or stuffs of wool. 



I thought it my duty to offer and submit this remedy, 

 amongst others, to your majesty s great wisdom, because 

 it pleased you to lay the care of this business upon me, and 

 indeed my care did fly to it before, as it shall always do to 



