MISCELLANEOUS LETTERS. 97 



The Earl of Buckingham to the Lord Keeper, 



Sir Francis Bacon.* 

 My Lord, 



I have made his majesty acquainted with your note con 

 cerning that wicked fellow s speeches, which his majesty 

 contemneth, as is usual to his great spirit in these cases. 

 But, notwithstanding, his majesty is pleased, that it shall 

 be exactly tried, whether this foul-mouthed fellow was taken 

 either with drunkenness or madness, when he spake it. 

 And as for your lordship s advice for setting up again the 

 commissioners for suits, his majesty saith, there will be time 

 enough for thinking upon that, at his coming to Hampton 

 Court. 



But his majesty s direction, in answer of your letter, hath 

 given me occasion to join hereunto a discovery upon the 

 discourse you had with me this day.f For I do freely con 

 fess, that your offer of submission unto me, and in writing, 

 if so I would have it, battered so the unkindness that I had 

 conceived in my heart for your behaviour towards me in 

 my absence, as out of the sparks of my old affection towards 

 you, I went to sound his majesty s intention towards you, 

 specially in any public meeting ; where I found, on the one 

 part, his majesty so little satisfied with your late answer 

 unto him, which he counted (for I protest I use his own 

 terms) confused and childish, and his rigorous resolution, 

 on the other part, so fixed, that he would put some public 

 exemplary mark upon you ; as I protest the sight of his 

 deep-conceived indignation quenched my passion, making 

 me upon the instant change from the person of a party into 

 a peace-maker ; so as I was forced upon my knees to beg 

 of his majesty, that he would put no public act of disgrace 

 upon you. And as, I dare say, no other person would have 

 been patiently heard in this suit by his majesty but iny- 

 self; so did I, though not without difficulty, obtain thus 

 much, that he would not so far disable you from the merit 

 of your future service, as to put any particular mark of dis 

 grace upon your person. Only thus far his maj esty protesteth , 

 that upon the conscience of his office he cannot omit, though 

 laying aside all passion, to give a kindly reprimand, at his 

 first sitting in council, to so many of his counsellors as 



* This seems to be the letter to which the Lord Keeper returned an answer, 

 September 22, 1617, printed in his works. 



t At Windsor, according to Sir Antony Weldon, who may perhaps be be 

 lieved in such a circumstance as this. See Court and Character of King James 1. 

 p. 122. 



VOL. XTIT. II 



