LETTERS FROM BIRCH. 363 



in his desires, which I shall be ready to acknowledge as a 

 great courtesy done unto myself; and will ever rest 



Your Lordship s faithful Friend and Servant, 



Newmarket, the 2nd G. BUCKINGHAM. 



of Decemb. 1618. 



To the Lord Chancellor.* 



My honourable Lord, 



I have written a letter unto your lordship, which will be 

 delivered unto you in behalf of Dr. Steward ; and besides, 

 have thought fit to use all freedom with you in that, as in 

 other things ; and therefore have thought fit to tell you, 

 that he being a man of very good reputation, and a stout 

 man, that will not yield to any thing, wherein he conceiveth 

 any hard course against him, I should be sorry he should 

 make any complaint against you. And therefore, if you 

 can advise of any course, how you may be eased of that 

 burden, and freed from his complaint, without shew of any 

 fear of him, or any thing he can say, I will be ready to join 

 with you for the accomplishment thereof: and so desiring 

 you to excuse the long stay of your man, I rest 



Your Lordship s faithful Friend and Servant, 



From Newmarket, 3d of G, BUCKINGHAM. 



December, 1618. 



To the Marquis of Buckingham. 



My very good Lord, 



Yesternight we dispatched the Lord Ridgeway s account. 

 Good service is done. Seven or eight thousand pounds are 

 coming to the king, and a good precedent set for accounts. 



There came to the seal about a fortnight since a strange 

 book passed by Mr. Attorney to one Mr. Hall ; and it is to 

 make subjects (for so is denization,) and this to go to a pri 

 vate use, till some thousand pounds be made of it. The 

 number one hundred denizens. And whereas all books of 

 that nature had an exception of merchants (which importeth 

 the king not much in his customs only, for that is provided 

 for in the book, but many other ways) this takes in mer 

 chants and all. I acquainted the commissioners with it, 

 and by one consent it is stayed. But let me counsel his 

 majesty to grant forth a commission of this nature, so to 

 raise money for himself, being a flower of the crown : and 

 Hall may be rewarded out of it ; and it would be to prin- 



* Harl. MSS. Vol. 7006. 



