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are in health, which, as you see most manifestly in me, are so terrible and horrible at this hour of my death. Having ended these words, this mighty prince died.

From Magor's country, we sailed toward other islands, and arrived at an island called Zeloon, which island yieldeth cinnamon, and other spices, in great abundance: It yieldeth also pearls, rubies, saphires, garnets, and sundry other precious stones.

From Zeloon, we arrived at an island called Sumatra, which yieldeth pepper, gold, benjamin, camphire, with sundry other rich commodities. Afterwards we sailed to Patanie, an island governed by a maiden Queen.

From this we arrived at Japan, which is one of the greatest and goodliest islands in the world, having great store of gold mines, and of silver; they have silver of three sorts, all unstamped; they have small plate, which goeth in the market for buying of victuals; they have other pieces of plate unstamped, of finer silver, and that goeth in the country to buy all other commodities; they have a third sort of plate, finer silver than any Spanish money, and this is carried away by strangers.

This country is governed by an emperor, who hath under him sixtytwo kings. The revenues of this emperor are infinite, a great part raised by rice. The people of this country are proud and haughty, very warlike, yet exceeding obedient to their emperor, and the kings to whom they are subjects. They are very kind to strangers. Justice, in this country, is severe without partiality. Thieves are not imprisoned, but presently executed. If a murther be committed, and the murtherer escape, he, who apprehendeth him, hath three-hundred pounds given him upon the delivery of the murtherer; so that few or none of the murtherers escape present execution. In this country, a man may walk without danger, all hours of the night, so he does not misbehave himself. If any controversy arise betwixt party and party, it is forthwith decided; their laws are Leges talionis, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and life for life. They worship and pray all to a saint, called Ameda, whom they esteem to be a mediator betwixt God and them. When a soldier dieth, they are persuaded he goeth presently to Ottango Fatechman, the god of war.

SINCE they, that have the honour to appertaine vnto you, have neither the courage, nor the conscience to acquaint you with the fearful discontents of the time, but suffer you to loose the peoples hearts so slightly, as if they were not worth their keeping; I, a poor unknowne subject, who never had the happines to come near your Majestie, but in the throng, nor to take any other oath in your service but that of allegiance, have ventured vpon so much forwardues at this time of need, when all places are indeed voyd; with coveteousness, and huge ambition, seeme to fill; as to thrust myselfe into the best office about you, better than either president of the counsel, or earle marshal of England, and far more discontinued; the noble office of telling truth, wherein, if boldnes makes me forget my discretion, loyalty, I hope, will begge my pardon. And the rather, because Í perswade my selfe I am not altogether without warrant for what I doe; for it was my duty, not long since, to take notice of two proclamations, come out in your Majesties name, against immoderate talkings; wherein, it is your gracious pleasure, to make all your louing subjects, of what condition soever, instruments of state, by giving them, not a bare voluntary power, but a sub pœna charge and commission, to informe against all those that shall at any time hereafter offend in that kinde. Now your' Majestie shall know that I am one of the greatest company-keepers in this town, and therefore cannot but be guilty of hearing many thinges, that I am bound to reveal in obedience to the royall command, which is the duty which I propose to my at this present the miserie is, I know not where to begin, nor whom to accuse in particular of so generall a crime.,

selfe

For I vow to God and your Majestie, I can come into no meetinges, but I finde the predominant humour to be talking of the wars of Christendome and honour of their country, and such like treasons; and would to God they would stop there, and prophane no more the

King James the First, who chose rather to be amused with fair promises and deluding ne. gotiations than to take the just measures of war to defend the Protestant cause and the peace of Europe, against the usurpations of France and Spain, one of which has been, for some ages, aspiring to Universal Monarchy: and neither of them ever negotiate with other powers, but with a design to deceive them.

Supposed to be printed in the year 1622. Quarto, containing thirty pages.

;

thinges that are above them; but such is the rage and folly of theire tongues, that they spare not your Majesties sacred person, yea (I horror) to descant upon the royall style is now their common pastime ; that you are trewe and lawful Kinge there is none so divellishly affected as to deny; but some there are that find such fault with your Majesties government, as they wish Queen Elizabeth were alive again, who (they say) would never have suffered the enemies of her religion to have unbalanced Christendome, as they have done within these few yeares.

They make a mock of your word, Great Brittaine, and offer to prove, that it is a great deal lesse then Little England was wont to be; lesse in reputation, lesse in strength, lesse in riches, lesse in all manner of virtue, and whatsoever else is required to make a state great and happy.

They wonder you will call your selfe King of France, and suffer your best subjects there to be ruined; for, Ireland, they say, you content selfe with the name, and let others receive the profit.

your

As for the glorious title, Defender of the Faith (which was wont to be a point of controversie betweene us and Rome) they say flattly that your faithful subjects have more cause to question that then the Papists.

For they were never better defended in their lifes; wittnesse, the judges privy instructions, the pursuivants open prohibitions, and your Spanish ambassadors, more than parliament protections.

Lastly, That you are Head of the Church, they dare not doubt; but of what church they would gladly know; the Triumphant, they say, it cannot be, because there are too many corruptions and vexations in it,

And how far it is from the Militant, they call heaven and earth to witnesse. Therefore they conclude, it must be either the church dormant, or none. And to say the truth, Sir, wee are the securest sinners in the world.

These are the thinges that have most readily offered themselves to my remembrance; because they follow one another in a kind of order. But, if I should reporte all the disorderly and extravagant speeches I have heard of this nature, I must bee faine to racke my memorie, and (I fear) your Majesties patience; yet rather than leave the least shadow of suspition upon my plain dealing, by seeming too curtall in the performance of so necessary a duty, I will venture to ad these fewe.

They, that take the affaires of your children † abroade most to hearte not being able to discerne the compassion of your bowels, but judginge thinges by the exterior of your actions, will hardlie be perswaded, that you are their father; because, they see, the lamentable estate, whereto you suffer thinges to run, comes nearer to destruction than the nature of fatherly correction.

They are not ignorant that your Majestie hath made as though you would doe somethinge for them, but they also know the course you

* The Papists. + The King of Bohemia married to King James the First's daughter.

have taken, hath beene more formall than effectuall, more chargeable than honourable: and are of opinion that either your embassadours have not negotiated as they ought, or else have mett with very ill masters of requests abroade, since they have not bin able, all this while, to get their petition answered.

The very Papists themselves, Sir, repine at your errour, and say, that the prayers and monyes, that your Majestie hath consumed of late in the vnprofitable treaties, might have beene farr better imployed in re deeming your mothers soule out of purgatorie; for, to get the enemie out of your childrens countrie, other ensignes might have beene found a greate deale more proper. In the meane time they do not onely bind, but satisfy their pernicious hopes, upon your Majesties patience. For, seeing, how easily you tolerate all thinges abroade, they doubt not, ere long, but they shall also have toleration at home. Our godliest preachers doe allready pray against the evil day, with so much earnestness, as if that were at hande. And, though there be orders given to preach nothing but Courte-Divinitie, yet a man may easily perceive, by the very choyce of their texts, and the very teares in their eyes, that, if they durst, they would speake their consciences.

The perpetuall walkers of Paules doe now despair to see their ma teriall church ever repaired, since the spirituall, and more worthy, is suffered to go to wracke, And some of them not daring to meddle with affaires of state, because they are monied men; and yet not knowing how to holde their peace, upon so sudaine warning, thinke it their safest course, to talke of nothing but ecclesiasticall matters; wherin they all agree, that your Majestie hath pulled downe the churche more with your proceeding, then you have raised it with your writings t.

In your Majesties owne tavernes, for one healthe that is begun to your selfe, there are ten drunke to the Princes your forraygn children. And, when the wine is in their heads, Lord have mercie on their tonges. Ever in the very gaming ordinaries, where men have scarce leisure to say grace, yet they take a time to censure your Majesties actions, and that in their oulde schoole terms. They say, you have lost the fayrest game at Maw, that ever king had, for want of making the best advantage of the five finger, and playing the other helpes in time. That your own+ card-holders play bootie, and give the signe out of your owne hand. That thee, you played withall, hath ever been knowne for the greatest cheater in Christendome. In fine, there is noe way to recover your losses, and vindicate your honour, but with fighting with him, that hath cozened you. At which honest downe righte play, you will be hard inough for him with all his trickes. I cannot forget how I have seene some, when they have lost all their money, fall a cursing and swearing at the loss of Prague, and the Palatinate; as though all the rancour of their hartes lay there. And

King James the First affected to shew himself a great opposer of the Church of Rome, by turning controvertist, and writing against their doctrines, with his own royal pen.

+ Privy counsellors and amhassadors.

The King of Spain, or Gondamore, his ambassador.

tell them of your Majesties proclamation, they answere in a chase: you must give loosers leave to speake.

The merchants and trades-men I, nor no man else, can accuse of being sensible of any thing, but what toucheth their owne profit. All I find in them is, they are extreame jealous, the courte will shortly put down their exchange, and apprehend, because one of their occupation is made treasurer, that therefore, hence forwarde, all things must be bought and soulde there.

The lawyers seeme not so much offended, that your Majestie hath removed the garland of their profession by puttinge the great seale into the hands of a churchman†, as that you doe not relieve your poore distressed children, according to the equitie of their cause, who, they saye, have bin wrongefully outed; and that, therefore, you ought to grant them a writ of forcible re-entry, which, under correction, they conceive maye be better executed by the general of an army then the sheriffe of a countie.

They that fly higher, and fixe their speculations upon the mysteries of the court, doe apparently perceive that the councell of Gondemar hath taught some of your active ministers to juggle, onely to make them passively capable of his owne conjuringe; and that, by the pe netratinge faculty of a yelowe Indian demont, hee hath at his command, and is maister of your cabinett without a key, and knowes your secrets before the greatest part, and most faithful of your councel. And which is worse, they say, your Majestie knowes it; and therefore suspect that your selfe is bribed against your selfe. Otherwise they thinke not the divell himselfe could so abuse the times we live in, as to make things passe in that fashion as they doe, contrary to all sense, and conscience, and reason of state.

Behold, Sir, the second part of vox populi, by so much the more like itselfe then the first, by howe much it comes short of it in witt and discretion; for, thoughe the second cogitations are ever held the best, yet wee see the common people, for the most part, when they give themselves to talkinge, proceed from bad to worse, and every time more foolishly then other: the reason is, because they never think before they speake; but rashly vent whatsoever gets into their fancy, bee it true, false, or probable, good, bad, or indifferent; nevertheless, by these overflowinges of their mouths, your Majestie maye doe well to guesse at the aboundance of their hearts. And my lords of your councell may make use of their follie, without desparaginge of their owne

• This was Sir Lionel Cranfield, who at first was a merchant in London, afterwards a customhouse officer, and from thence introduced into the court as a projector; a name given to such as suggested to the ministers of state, means, whereby they might fill the exchequer with money, when the King would rule without a parliament. He there married the sister of Mary Beaumont, Countess of Buckingham, which was sufficient to raise him to the place of treasurer, and to be created Earl of Middlesex. See Wilson, p. 727, and Weldon, p. 141. From an heiress of this family is descended the Duke of Dorset. See Dugdale's Baron. Vol. II. p. 446. + Chancellor Bacon, who had been created Baron of Verulam, and Viscount St. Alban's, though he was a very great genius, and one of the most learned men in Europe, being found guilty of bribery and corrupt practiees in his high office, was declared by parliament unworthy not only of the office of chancellor, but also of having a place, for the future, in the house of peers, fined forty thousand pounds, and to be imprisoned during the King's pleasure; in whose place, on the twentieth of July, 1621, the King made John Williams, dean of Westminster, lord high chancellor. See Rushworth, tom. I. p. 29. Howes. Wilson, p. 735. Weldon, p. 133, and Hacket. Gold..