some confidential servant, to whom the said embassador might address himself in such occurrences as did not require the king's immediate ear. It pleased him to nominate me for that charge, with more gracious commendation than it can beseem me to repeat, though I write to a friend in whose breast I dare repose even my vanities. But lest you should mistake, as some others have been apt to do here, in the present constitution of the court, which is very umbrageous, the king's end in this application of me, I must tell you that it is only for the better preparing of my insufficiency and weakness, for the succeeding of Sir Thomas Edmunds in France; towards which his majesty has thought meet first to indae me with some knowledge of the French businesses which are in motu. And I think my going thither will be about Easter.

"Thus, you see, Sir, both my next remove, and the exercise of my thoughts till then; wherewith there is joined this comfort, besides the redemption from expence and debt at home, which are the gulphs that would swallow me, that his Majesty hath promised to do something for me before I go."

Nothing more is upon record of this intended appointment. That Sir Henry Wotton was a member of Parliament at this time may perhaps be presumed from the following letter, but it is by no means certain.

"Sir

June 8. 1614.

It is both morally and naturally true, that I have never been in perfect health and cheerfulness since we parted; but I have entertained my mind, when my body would give me leave, with the contemplation of the strangest thing that ever I beheld, commonly called in our language, as I take it, a Parliament; which hath

produced nothing but inexplicable riddles in the place of laws. For first, it is aborted before it was born, and nullified after it had a being; insomuch as the Count Palatine, whose naturalization was the only thing that passed in both houses, is now again an alien. And whereas all other Parliaments have had some one excellent quality that hath created a denomination; some being called in our records mad Parliaments, some merciless, and the like: this I think, from two properties almost insociable, or seldom meeting, may be termed the Parliament of greatest diligence, and of least resolution, that ever was, or ever will be; for our committees were as well attended commonly, as full houses in former sessions, and yet we did nothing, neither in the forenoon nor after; whereof I can yield you no reason but this one, that our diversions were more than our main purposes; and some of so sensible nature, as took up all our reason, and all our passion, in the pursuit of them. Now, Sir, what hath followed since the dissolution of this civil body, let me rather tell you, than lead you back into any particularities of that which is passed.

"It pleased his majesty the very next morning to call to examination, before the Lords of his Council, divers Members of the House of Commons, for speeches better becoming a senate of Venice, where the treaters are perpetual Princes, than where those who speak so irreverently, are so soon to return, which they should remember, to the natural capacity of subjects. Of these examinants, four are committed close prisoners to the tower-1. Sir Walter Chute: 2. John Hoskins: 3. one Wentworth, a lawyer: and 4. Mr. Christopher Nevil, second son to my Lord of Abergaveny."

"The first made great shift to come thither; for having taken in our house some disgrace in the matter of the undertakers, of whom he would fain have been thought one,—to get the opinion of a bold man, after he had lost that of a wise, he fell one morning into a declamation against the times, so insipid, and so unseasonable, as if he had been put but out of his place for it, of Carver, into which one of my Lord Admiral's nephews is sworn, I should not have much pitied him, though he be my countryman.

"The second is in for more wit, and for licentiousness baptized freedom: for I have noted in our House, that a false or faint patriot did cover himself with the shadow of equal moderation: and on the other side, irreverent discourse was called honest liberty: so, as upon the whole matter, no excesses want precious names. You shall have it in Pliny's language, which I like better than mine own translation; "Nullis vitüs desunt pretiosa nom ina."

His

"The third is a silly and simple creature, God himself knows and though his father was by Queen Elizabeth at the time of a Parliament likewise put into the place where the son now is; yet hath he rather inherited his fortune, than his understanding. fault was the application of certain texts in Ezekiel and Daniel, to the matter of impositions; and saying, that the French King was killed like a calf, with such poor stuff; against which the French embassador, having gotten knowledge of it, hath formed a complaint, with some danger of his wisdom.

"The last is a young gentleman, fresh from the school, who having gathered together divers latin sentences against Kings, bound them up in a long speech,

and interlarded them with certain Ciceronian exclamations, as "O tempora O mores!"

"Thus I have a little run over these accidents unto you enough only to break out of that silence which I will not call a symptom of my sickness, but a sickness itself. Howsoever, I will keep it from being hectical, and hereafter give you a better account of my observations. This week I have seen from a most dear neice, a letter, that hath much comforted one uncle, and a postscript the other. Long may that hand move which is so full of kindness. As for my particular, take heed of such invitations, if you either love or pity yourselves; for I think there was never needle touched with a loadstone that did more incline to the north, than. I do to Redgrave. In the mean time, we are all here well; and so our Lord Jesus preserve you there.

Your faithfullest, poor

Friend and Servant,

H. WOTTON."

This letter, not only very fairly exhibits Sir Henry Wotton's epistolary style, and political sentiments, at this time, but is also curious as an historical document. The Parliament it commemorates was a most refractory one, summoned by James for the purpose of granting supplies, and dissolved by him after a session of two months only, before a single statute had been framed. The spirit then displayed itself which afterwards involved the country in civil war, and the government in destruction.

In February, 1615, Sir Henry Wotton was again dispatched to his residence at Venice, but he seems to have been previously, and when on his journey probably

employed in various affairs of state. Of these, he gives some account in the following letter

To the King, 1615.

May it please your sacred Majesty-

"I beseech your Majesty to pardon me a

little short repetition, how I have spent my time since my departure from your royal sight, because I glory in your goodness....

I have been employed by your favour in four several treaties, differing in the matter, in the instruments, and in the affections.

"The first was for the sequestration of Juliers, wherein I was joined with the French.

"The second for the provisional possession of the two Pretendents: wherein, contrary to the complaint of the gospel, the labourers were more than the harvest.

"The third for a defensive league between the United Provinces and the United Princes. Who, though they be seperate bodies of state, do now by your only mediation, make one body of strength.

"The fourth was for the composing of some differences between your own and this people, in matter of commerce; which hath exceeded the other three both in length and difficulty."

Respecting one of these employments he addresses Sir Edmund Bacon under date of June 7, 1615, as follows,- "For what sin, in the name of Christ, was I sent hither among soldiers, being by my profession academical, and by my employment pacifical."

He remained in Venice very much to the satisfaction of all parties, until the year 1618, when he solicited the Duke of Buckingham, whom he calls his most