CHIEF JUSTICE COKE. 361 



child might be proved to be either lunatic, or idiot, 

 we never read in any law, that either it could be 

 lawful for any creature to steal his child from him ; 

 or that it was a matter of noise and streperous car 

 riage for him to hunt for the recovery of his child 

 again. 



Our next observation is, that whereas you pro 

 test your affection to Buckingham, and thereafter 

 confess, that it is in some sort &quot; parent-like ;&quot; yet, after 

 that you have praised his natural parts, we will not 

 say, that you throw all down by a direct imputation 

 upon him ; but we are sure you do not deny to have 

 had a greater jealousy of his discretion, than, so far 

 as we conceive, he ever deserved at your or any 

 man s hands. For you say, that you were afraid, 

 that the height of his fortune might make him too 

 secure ; and so, as a looker-on, you might sometime 

 see more than a gamester. Now we know not how 

 to interpret this in plain English otherwise, than 

 that you were afraid, that the height of his fortune 

 might make him misknow himself. And surely, if 

 that be your &quot; parent-like affection&quot; toward him, he 

 hath no obligation to you for it. And, for our part, 

 besides our own proof, that we find him farthest 

 from that vice of any courtier, that ever we had so 

 near about us ; so do we fear, that you shall prove 

 the only phenix in that jealousy of all the kingdom. 

 For we would be very sorry, that the world should 

 apprehend that conceit of him. But we cannot con 

 ceal, that we think it was least your part of any to 

 enter into that jealousy of him, of whom we have 



