BOOK Number LXXIX. IV. MSS. penes me. The Archbishop's letter to the Queen; in behalf of Dr. To my Sovereigne good Ladye, the Queenes most excellente IT maye please yowr excellent Majestie to understand, that this daye Mr. Dr. Clarke being with me at Lamhith, I dealt with hym agayne according to yowr Highnes pleasure, for the rendryng up of his patent and interest in the office of deanry of the Arches. And as at the first, so now finally with al humilitie he prayed me to receyve this last answer; namely, that moch rather wolde he render up his lief then his office. For besides that he shuld therby be altogither undone, his lyving being thus taken from hym, he shuld also so gretly and utterly be defaced and discountenanced, bi being thus pronounced by yowr Majesties own mouth insufficient, as the same onys put in ure agaynst hym, nevir might he more shewe his face, not only in the Arches, where his only profession and whole meane of lyvinge consisteth, but also must likewise banyshe hymself evyn from al other placys and company of credite. He humbly prayed therfore, that at the least he might enjoy the benefyte of the lawe, as al other yowr Majesties subjects evyr have doon. For in as moche as he is possessed, and was vested in the said office, not only bi patent from me during pleasure, but also (syns the death of Mr. Dr. Weston) by my grawnt and promyse of a newe patent to be made to hym duryng lyef: he affermyth, that neyther in equitie, in respect of his patent duryng pleasure, nor yet in justice, in respect of my grawnt and promys made duryng lief, his said office and lyving, without great and important causys, maye be taken from hym. And to suche causys, as eyther are or can be objected agaynst hym, he craveth therin no maner of favor to be shewed unto hym, but that some publike tryal of his sufficiencie maye be made, as wel for the profe of his learnyng, and his habylitie in IV. yearys, as also for the commendation of his honest and mo- BOOK dest sort of lyef. And yf he shal not in eny one of these be disproved, than saith he furder, that as he doth assure hymself howe yowr Majestie wil by no meanys take from hym the benefyte of lawe, which hitherto yowr Highnes dyd nevir yet denye to eny; so seamyth he also in most humble sort to saye, that in al the actions of his liffe he hath ever moste carefully sought the honor and service of yowr Majestie; and namely, in this last labor of his agaynst Saunders. Wherin I must nedes wytnes with hym, that suerly he shewed hymself a most dutyeful and careful subject towardes yowr Highnes. And though he acknowledgeth, that whatsoever he hath done, shal doo, or can doo, is but the lest part of his bounden duetye towardes yowr Majestie, yet he hopith, that of yowr grace youe wil please to accept the same as a meane, so assuredly to conserve hym in yowr Majesties favor, as that he may never be pro-124 nounced by yowr Majestie unworthy of that, wherof the Archbishop of Canterbury, and also the lawes of the realme, both have and do allowe hym as worthi and capable; beyng [to conclude] the first reward and lyving that ever yet he obtayned in recompence of al his study and learnynge; in which he hath nowe spent the course and trauayle of his lief bi the space of these xx yearys past. Having also refused (as he telleth me) in Angiers the stipende of three hundred crownys yearly, to be a publike Reader there; only in respect, as he dutyefully affermyth, of the grete bond and desire he hath ever had, and shal have, to serve yowr Majestie. Thus far have I only signifyed to yowr Majestie the effect of Mr. Dr. Clarkes declaration unto me. Wherin, as nere as I can, I have forced my self to laye before your Highnes the effect of Mr. Clarkes very wordes and speeches to me. The consideration of which, the more it entreth into me, the more it moveth me to make humble sute to your Majestie, first, to have respect of hym, who suerly having deserved yowr Majesties favor, shal bi this meane be brought to his utter undoing and defacing. Secondly, That if yowr Ma BOOK jestie wil nedes procede so severely against hym, that yet, IV. for so moche as he is orderly and lawfully vested in the possession of the said office, and hath and do set in place of judgment there, his accusers maye bi publike trial prove his insufficiencye. And though it hath bene rarely or never sene, (as I thinke,) that one thus placed, bi the Archbishop of Canterbery, hath ben brought in question, and after long tyme displaced, yet this kynd of justice maye seame to satisfie. Thirdly, If neyther respect of hym nor his cause maye move yowr Hyghnes, that yet yowr Majestie wil have some respect and consideration of me, and of that place wheronto your Highnes hath placed me, and pleased to cal me to. In which, yf I, whom yowr Majestie wil have to possesse jurisdiction over so many other Bishops, shal yet be reproved in the choyce of one of myn own officers, a thing that in the meanest Bishop that is, was never yet impugned; suerly it cannot be but unto the see it selfe a grete derogation, and unto me no smal discredite and rebuke. And yet not so moche discredit to me, as in the end it shalbe prejudice to yowr Majesties service; I and my doyng being therby brought into contempt, and that bi those which are or should be to me as the fote is to the heede. Wherin suerly yowr Majestie shal gyve too grete an incoragement unto them, and peraventure in gretter matters hereafter, to oppone themselfes against me; and so consequently I shal not be able to serve yowr Majesty as I wold, and as my duetye is. Last of al, If I can by no meanes satisfie yowr Majestie, then must I end with this, that as I do willingly submyt both my self and al that I have to yowr Highnes, as from whom it was first and wholly deryved, so I do likewyse yeld up this cawse unto yowr Highnes to deale, and do therin as yowr good pleasure shalbe; trusting, that your Majestie wil never laye on me so heavi a burden as to make me the instrument of his displacing, whom for good respects I have already placed; or that I shuld remove hym as unworthi, whom in my conscience I do thinke very worthi; and do juge very fewe or none of them, which wold so fayne have me dejected, worthi or mete, as I dare stond to IV. the prouf; or that I shuld take that office from hym, which BOOK Your Highnes most bounde and obedient Chapleyn, Number LXXX. Nicolas Brown, Fellow of Trinity college in Cambridge, to the Chancellor of that University; complaining, that the Vice-Chancellor and Heads had put him upon a public recantation of certain doctrines, that he was falsely charged to have preached. 125 RARA virtus est, sed tamen omni laude major, (honora- MSS. Cetissime Cecil.) in iis qui magnam authoritatem in rep. obti- cilian. nent, ut aliquid temporis rebus gravioribus tanquam suffurentur, et demittant se ad querelas etiam infimorum audiendas. Nam illa quidem, quæ sunt majora, habent satis argumenti in seipsis, cum procurentur: querelis autem privatorum hominum, quia parum in se momenti continent, aures fere omnium occluduntur. Merito igitur ubique nomen tuum celebre et augustum est, quem cum regiæ Majestatis et reip. gravissima negotia vix respirare sinunt; id 2 senpars, o eset ammo razando e que indigen. tum, at miserrim njuras mitgmías, e na promovenda ransieras Aqque am em quemque rais aditus at e terusis st. zum em fucts vis et Academiæ alamus fres are patent et cesenntir. 1 cum ab aliis sețe accepissem, quibuscum zin aiquando negociom erat, tum in neiges exam quod iivis en leċeo) etsi minus bene tessert experts sim. Jan vero humme et suppricissime ng Honorem tum, en at veci. Icet fere nullo, algic adjicas, ut prius, sed te, quod est, aferri sinas, atque id cum dedecore et niam Quod quemadmodum fiat, audi, quæm, com paucissmis. Qunque abhine elapsis mensibus, cum (officio ad urgente) in Academia concionarer, et aliquando acerbris, ut putabar, sed his tantum, quos tetigeram, in certa quædam viza inveherer: accersebar ad Procancellarium tuum et colegiorum Præsides: certa quædam accusationum capita, (sed accusante nemine.) proponebantur, quæ quum ego mihi vel in mentem venisse, nedum populo proposuisse, pernegarem, advocant ex Academia certos homines, quos interfuisse putabant concioni meæ, atque eos, jure jurando prius dato, compellunt quid ex me audierint enarrare, et subscripta manu in schedula relinquere. Ex quibus inter se collatis, cum si ex lege mecum actum esset, fuissem absolvendus. Alii enim me suspicione prorsus liberabant, alii nihil audiebant, alii hæsitanter sententiam dicebant. Tamen conclusum est, (quo argumento viderint ipsi,) ut eas propositiones, quas reipsa non docueram, sed quidam malè audientes me docuisse somniabant, retrectarem, ea conditione addita, ut si recusarim, non solum è collegio rejicerer, sed etiam Academia exularem, In ista autem, licet odiosa et infami palinodia, tot cautiones sunt, tot insidiarum, ut videtur, recessus, ut necesse sit me in laqueos et retia incidere. Præscribunt non solum verba, sed etiam vocem, vultum, gestum moderantur: in quibus si, quod difficile factu est, imo plane fieri non potest, his judicibus non satisfecero, ejiciar, nihilominus quam si recusassem, sed cum ignominia et dedecore majore. Atque hæc ut dixi sic gesta sunt; deinceps quid sequatur, nisi |