LETTERS FROM BIRCH. 301 



To Sir Francis Bacon, Attorney-General. 



May it please your Honour, 



I have been made happy by your honour s noble and 

 dear lines of the 22nd of July: and the joy that I took 

 therein was only kept from excess by the notice they gave 

 me of some intentions and advices of your honour, which 

 you have been pleased to impart to others of my friends, 

 with a meaning, that they should acquaint me with them ; 

 whereof they have intirely failed. And therefore, if still it 

 should import me to understand what they were, I must be 

 inforced to beg the knowledge of them from yourself. Your 

 honour hath by this short letter delivered me otherwise 

 from a great deal of laborious suspense ; for, besides the 

 great hope you give me of being so shortly able to do you 

 reverence, I am come to know, that by the diligence of 

 your favour towards me, my Lord of Canterbury hath been 

 drawn to give way, and the Master of the Horse hath been 

 induced to move. That motion, I trust, will be granted 

 howsoever ; but I should be out of fear thereof, if, when he 

 moves the king, your honour would cast to be present; 

 that if his majesty should make any difficulty, some such 

 reply as is wont to come from you in such cases may have 

 power to discharge it. 



I have been told rather confidently than credibly (for 

 in truth I am hardly drawn to belive it) that Sir Henry 

 Goodere should under hand (upon the reason of certain ac 

 counts that run between him and me, wherein I might 

 j ustly lose my right, if I had so little wit as to trouble your 

 honour s infinite business by a particular relation thereof,) 

 oppose himself to my return, and perform ill offices in con 

 formity of that unkind affection which he is said to bear 

 me ; but as I said, I cannot absolutely believe it, though 

 yet I could not so far despise the information, as not to 

 acquaint your honour with what I heard. I offer it not as 

 a ruled case, but only as a query, as I have also done to 

 Mr. Secretary Lake, in this letter, which I humbly pray 

 your honour may be given him, together with your best 

 advice, how my business is to be carried in this conjunc 

 ture of his majesty s drawing near to London, at which 

 time I shall receive my sentence. I have learned from 

 your honour to be confident, that it will be pronounced in 

 my favour : but, if the will of God should be otherwise, I 

 shall yet frame for myself a good proportion of contentment ; 

 since, howsoever I was so unfortunate, as that I might 



