162 CHARGE AGAINST MR. LUMSDEN, &c. 



imputations principally upon my lord chief justice of 

 England ; whose name, thus occurring, I cannot pass 

 by, and yet I cannot skill to flatter. But this I will 

 say of him, and I would say as much to ages, if I 

 should write a story ; that never man s person and 

 his place were better met in a business, than my 

 lord Coke and my lord chief justice, in. the cause of 

 Overbury. 



Now, my lords, in this offence of M. L. for the 

 particulars of these slanderous articles, I will observe 

 them unto you when the writings and examinations 

 are read ; for I do not love to set the gloss before 

 the text. But, in general I note to your lordships, 

 first, the person of M. L. I know he is a Scotch 

 gentleman, and thereby more ignorant of our laws 

 and forms : but I cannot tell whether this doth ex 

 tenuate his fault in respect of ignorance, or aggra 

 vate it much, in respect of presumption ; that he 

 would meddle in that that he understood not : but I 

 doubt it came not out of his quiver : some other 

 man s cunning wrought upon this man s boldness. 

 Secondly, I may note unto you the greatness 

 of the cause, wherein he being a private mean 

 gentleman did presume to deal. M. L. could 

 not but know to what great and grave commis 

 sioners the king had committed this cause ; and that 

 his majesty in his wisdom would expect return of all 

 things from them to whose trust he had committed 

 this business. For it is the part of commissioners, 

 as well to report the business, as to manage the 

 business; and then his majesty might have been 



