LETTERS FROM BIRCH. 291 



his farther pleasure. We purpose, upon his majesty s 

 coming, to attend his majesty, to give him a more particular 

 account of this business, and some other. Meanwhile, 

 finding his majesty to have care of the matter, we thought 

 it our duty to return this answer to you in discharge of his 

 majesty s direction. We remain, 



Your assured Friends, 

 July 6, 1615. FRANCIS BACON, 



HENRY YELVERTON. 



To the King.* 



It may please your excellent Majesty, 

 I received this very day, in the forenoon, your majesty s 

 several directions touching your cause prosecuted by my 

 Lord Hunsdon,f as your farmer. Your first direction was 

 by Sir Christopher Parkins, that the day appointed for the 

 judicial sentence should hold: and if my Lord Chief Jus 

 tice, upon my repair to him, should let me know that he 

 could not be present, then my Lord Chancellor should 

 proceed; calling to him my Lord Hobart, except he should 

 be excepted to ; and then some other j udge by consent. 

 For the latter part of this your direction, I suppose there 

 would have been no difficulty in admitting my Lord Ho 

 bart; for after he had assisted at so many hearings, it 

 would have been too late to except him. But then your 

 majesty s second and later direction, which was delivered 

 unto me from the Earl of Arundel, as by word of mouth, 

 but so as he had set down a remembrance thereof in writing 

 freshly after the signification of his pleasure, was to this 

 effect, that before any proceeding in the Chancery, there 

 should be a conference had between my Lord Chancellor, my 

 Lord Chief Justice, and myself, how your majesty s interest 

 might be secured. This latter direction I acquainted my 

 Lord Chancellor with ; and finding an impossibility that this 

 conference should be had before to-morrow, my lord thought 

 good that the day be put over, taking no occasion thereof 

 other than this, that in a cause of so great weight it was 

 fit for him to confer with his assistants before he gave any 

 decree or final order. After such time as I have conferred 

 with my lords, according to your commandment, I will 

 give your majesty account with speed of the conclusion of 

 that conference. 



* Had. MSS. vol. 6986. 



t John Carey, Baron of Hunsdon. He died in April, 1617. 



u2 



