198 CHARGE AGAINST FRANCES 



that by the lieutenant s own tale it could not be sim 

 ply a permission or weakness ; for that Weston was 

 never displaced by the lieutenant, notwithstanding 

 that attempt ; and coupling the sequel by the begin 

 ning, thought it matter fit to be brought before his 

 majesty, by whose appointment Helwisse set down 

 the like declaration in writing. 



Upon this ground the king playeth Solomon s 

 part, &quot; Gloria Dei celare rem, et gloria Regis inves- 

 u tigare rem/ and sets down certain papers of his 

 own hand, which I might term to be &quot; claves justitiae,&quot; 

 keys of justice ; and may serve both for a precedent 

 for princes to imitate, and for a direction for judges 

 to follow. And his majesty carried the balance with 

 a constant and steady hand, evenly and without pre 

 judice, whether it were a true accusation of the one 

 part, or a practice and factious scandal of the other: 

 which writing, because I am not able to express ac 

 cording to the worth thereof, I will desire your 

 lordships anon to hear read. 



This excellent foundation of justice being laid 

 by his majesty s own hand, it was referred unto some 

 counsellors to examine farther ; who gained some 

 degrees of light from Weston, but yet left it im 

 perfect. 



After it was referred to Sir Edward Coke, chief 

 justice of the king s bench, as a person best practised 

 in legal examinations ; who took a great deal of in 

 defatigable pains in it without intermission, having, 

 as I have heard him say, taken at least three hundred 

 examinations in this business. 



