46 LETTERS FROM MATIIEWS. 



hensive, either of me, or for me. For I thank God, my 

 ways are sound and good, and I hope God will bless me in 

 them. When once my master, and afterwards myself, were 

 both of us in extremity of sickness (which was no time to 

 dissemble), I never had so great pledges and certainties of 

 his love and favour : and that which I knew then, such as 

 took a little poor advantage of these latter times, know 

 since. As for the nobleman who passed that way by you, 

 I think he is fallen out with me for his pleasure, or else, 

 perhaps, to make good some of his own mistakings : for he 

 cannot in his heart but think worthily of my affection and 

 well deserving towards him ; and as for me, I am very sure 

 that I love his nature and parts. 



My Lord of St. Albans, Bacon, to the same humble 

 Servant employing him to do a good Office with 

 another great Man. 



Sir, 



I have received your letter wherein you mention some 

 passages at large concerning the lord you know of. You 

 touched also that point in a letter which you wrote upon 

 my lord s going over, which I answered ; and am a little 

 doubtful whether mine ever came to your hands. It is 

 true that I wrote a little sullenly therein ; how I conceived 

 that my lord was a wise man in his own way, and perhaps 

 thought it fit for him to be out with me ; for, at least, I 

 found no cause thereof in myself. As for the latter of these 

 points, I am of the same judgment still ; but for the former, 

 I perceive, by what you write, that it is merely some mis 

 understanding of his. And I do a little marvel, at the 

 instance which had relation to that other crabbed man; 

 for I conceived that both in passing that book, and (as I 

 remember) two more, immediately after my lord s going 

 over, I had showed more readiness than many times I use 

 in like cases. But to conclude, no man hath thought 

 better of my lord than I have done. I know his virtues, 

 and, namely, that he hath much greatness of mind, which 

 is a thing almost lost amongst men ; nor can any body be 

 more sensible and remembering than I am of his former 

 favours, so that I shall be most glad of his friendship ; 

 neither are the past occasions, in my opinion, such as need 

 either reparation or declaration, but may well go under the 

 title of nothing. Now, I had rather you dealt between us 



