forests of his, explaining themselves of such forests as lay out of the way, not near any of the king's houses, nor in the course of his progress; whereof he should never have use nor pleasure. "Why," saith the king, "do you think that Solomon had use and pleasure "of all his three hundred concubines?"

10. His majesty, when the committees of both houses of parliament presented unto him the instrument of union of England and Scotland, was merry with them; and amongst other pleasant speeches, shewed unto them the laird of Lawreston, a Scotchman, who was the tallest and greatest man that was to be seen, and said, "Well, now we are all one, yet "none of you will say, but here is one Scotchman greater than any Englishman ;" which was an ambiguous speech; but it was thought he meant it of himself.

11. His majesty would say to the lords of his council, when they sat upon any great matter, and came from council into him, " Well, you have sat, "but what have you hatched?"

12. When the archduke did raise his siege from the Grave, the then secretary came to queen Elizabeth. The queen, having first intelligence thereof, said to the secretary, "Wot you what? The archduke has risen from the Grave." He answered, "What, with"out the trumpet of the archangel?" The queen replied, "Yes, without the sound of trumpet."

13. Queen Elizabeth was importuned much by my lord of Essex, to supply divers great offices that had been long void; the queen answered nothing to the matter; but rose up on the sudden, and said; "I am sure my office will not be long void." And yet at that time there was much speech of troubles, and divisions about the crown, to be after her decease; but they all vanished; and king James came in, in a profound peace.

14. The council did make remonstrance unto queen Elizabeth of the continual conspiracies against her life; and namely, that a man was lately taken, who stood ready in a very dangerous and suspicious man

ner to do the deed: and they shewed her the weapon wherewith he thought to have acted it. And therefore they advised her that she should go less abroad to take the air, weakly attended, as she used. But the queen answered; That she had rather be dead, "than put in custody."

15. The lady Paget, that was very private with queen Elizabeth, declared herself much against the match with Monsieur. After Monsieur's death, the queen took extreme grief, at least as she made shew, and kept in within her bed-chamber and one antechamber for three weeks space, in token of mourning: at last she came forth into the privy-chamber, and admitted her ladies to have access unto her; and amongst the rest my lady Paget presented herself, and came to her with a smiling countenance. The queen bent her brows, and seemed to be highly displeased, and said to her, "Madam, you are not ignorant of

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my extreme grief, and do you come to me with a "countenance of joy?" My lady Paget answered, "Alas, if it please your majesty, it is impossible for me to be absent from you three weeks, but that " when I see you, I must look cheerfully.' No, no," said the queen, not forgetting her former averseness to the match, "you have some other conceit in it, "tell me plainly." My lady answered, "I must "obey you; it is this. I was thinking how happy you majesty was, you married not Monsieur; for "seeing you take such thought for his death, being "but your friend; if he had been your husband, sure "it would have cost you your life.”

16. Henry the Fourth of France his queen was young with child; count Soissons, that had his expectation upon the crown, when it was twice or thrice thought that the queen was with child before, said to some of his friends, "That it was but with a "pillow." This had someways come to the king's ear; who kept it till such time as the queen waxed great: then he called the count of Soissons to him, and said, laying his hand upon the queen's belly; "Come, "cousin, is this a pillow?"-The count of Soissons

answered, "Yes, sir, it is a pillow for all France to "sleep upon."

17. King Henry the Fourth of France was so punctual of his word, after it was once passed, that they called him, "The king of the faith.'

18. The said king Henry the Fourth was moved by his Parliament to a war against the Protestants : he answered, "Yes, I mean it; I will make every one of you captains; you shall have companies assigned you." The Parliament observing whereunto his speech tended, gave over, and deserted his motion.

19. Queen Elizabeth was wont to say, upon the commission of sales, "That the commissioners used "her like strawberry wives, that laid two or three

great strawberries at the mouth of their pot, and "all the rest were little ones; so they made her two "or three good prizes of the first particulars, but fell straightways.

20. Queen Elizabeth used to say of her instructions to great officers, "That they were like to gar"ments, strait at the first putting on, but did by "and by wear loose enough."

21. A great officer at court, when my lord of Essex was first in trouble; and that he and those that dealt for him would talk much of my lord's friends, and of his enemies, answered to one of them, "I will tell "you, I know but one friend and one enemy my lord hath, and that one friend is the queen, and that "one enemy is himself."

22. The book for deposing king Richard the Second, and the coming in of Henry the Fourth, supposed to be written by doctor Hayward, who was committed to the Tower for it, had much incensed queen Elizabeth; and she asked Mr. Bacon, being then of her counsel learned, "Whether there were "any treason contained in it?" Who intending to do him a pleasure, and to take off the queen's bitterness with a merry conceit, answered, No, madam, for "treason I cannot deliver opinion that there is any, "but very much felony." The queen, apprehending it gladly, asked, "How? and wherein?" Mr.

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Bacon answered, "Because he had stolen many "of his sentences and conceits out of Cornelius "Tacitus."

23. Queen Elizabeth being to resolve upon a great officer, and being by some, that canvassed for others, put in some doubt of that person whom she meant to advance, called for Mr. Bacon, and told him, “She "was like one with a lanthorn seeking a man;” and seemed unsatisfied in the choice she had of a man for that place. Mr. Bacon answered her, "That "he had heard that in old time there was usually painted on the church walls the day of doom, and "God sitting in judgment, and St. Michael by him, "with a pair of balances; and the soul and the "good deeds in the one balance, and the faults and "the evil deeds in the other: and the soul's ba"lance went up far too light. Then was our lady "painted with a great pair of beads, who cast them "into the light balance, and brought down the scale: so, he said, place and authority, which were in her majesty's hands to give, were like our lady's beads, "which though men, through any imperfections, "were too light before, yet when they were cast in, "made weight competent."

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24. Queen Elizabeth was dilatory enough in suits of her own nature; and the lord treasurer Burleigh, being a wise man, and willing therein to feed her humour, would say to her, "Madam, you do well to "let suitors stay; for I shall tell you, bis dat, qui cito "dat; if you grant them speedily, they will come again the sooner."

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25. Sir Nicholas Bacon, who was keeper of the great seal of England, when queen Elizabeth in her progress came to his house at Gorhambury, and said to him, "My lord, what a little house have you got"ten!" answered her, "Madam, my house is well, "but it is you that have made me too great for my "house."

26. There was a conference in parliament between the lords' house and the house of commons, about a bill of accountants, which came down from the lords

to the commons; which bill prayed, That the lands of accountants, whereof they were seized when they entered upon their office, might be liable to their arrears to the queen. But the commons desired, That the bill might not look back to accountants that were already, but extend only to accountants hereafter. But the lord treasurer said, Why, I pray you, if 66 you had lost your purse by the way, would you "look forwards, or would you look back? The queen hath lost her purse."

27. The lord keeper, Sir Nicholas Bacon, was asked his opinion by my lord of Leicester, concerning two persons whom the queen seemed to think well of: "By my troth, my lord," said he, " the one is a grave counsellor; the other is a proper young man ; "and so he will be as long as he lives."

28. My lord of Leicester, favourite to queen Elizabeth, was making a large chase about Cornbury-park; meaning to inclose it with posts and rails; and one day was casting up his charge what it would come to. Mr. Goldingham, a free spoken man, stood by, and said to my lord," Methinks your lordship goeth not "the cheapest way to work.” "Why, Golding"ham?" said my lord. "Marry, my lord," said Goldingham," count you but upon the posts, for "the country will find you railing.'

29. The lord keeper, Sir Nicholas Bacon, was asked his opinion by queen Elizabeth of one of these monopoly licences? And he answered, "Madam,

will you have me speak the truth? Licentia omnes "deteriores sumus: We are all the worse for licences."

30. My lord of Essex, at the succour of Roan, made twenty-four knights, which at that time was a great number. Divers of those gentlemen were of weak and small means; which when queen Elizabeth heard, she said, "My lord might have done well "to have built his alms-house, before he made his knights."

31. The deputies of the reformed religion, after the massacre which was at Paris upon St. Bartholomew's