208 CHARGE AGAINST ROBERT 



fact. Sir Thomas Overbury for a time was known 

 to have had great interest and great friendship with 

 my lord of Somerset, both in his meaner fortunes, 

 and after ; insomuch as he was a kind of oracle of 

 direction unto him ; and, if you will believe his own 

 vaunts., being of an insolent Thrasonical disposition, 

 he took upon him, that the fortune, reputation, and 

 understanding of this gentleman, who is well known 

 to have had a better teacher, proceeded from his 

 company and counsel. 



And this friendship rested not only in conversa 

 tion and business of court, but likewise in commu 

 nication of secrets of estate. For my lord of Somer 

 set, at that time exercising, by his majesty s special 

 favour and trust, the office of the secretary pro 

 visionally, did not forbear to acquaint Overbury 

 with the king s packets of dispatches from all parts, 

 Spain, France, the Low Countries, &c. And this 

 not by glimpses, or now and then rounding in the 

 ear for a favour, but in a settled manner : packets 

 were sent, sometimes opened by my lord, sometimes 

 unbroken, unto Overbury, who perused them, copied, 

 registered them, made tables of them as he thought 

 good : so that, I will undertake, the time was when 

 Overbury knew more of the secrets of state than 

 the council-table did. Nay, they were grown to 

 such an inwardness, as they made a play of all the 

 world besides themselves : so as they had ciphers 

 and jargons for the king, the queen, and all the 

 great men ; things seldom used, but either by 

 princes and their ambassadors and ministers, or by 



