Let my last compliment stick to thy heart, till we may have a sweet and comfortable meeting; which God send, and give thee grace to bid the drugs adieu this day. James I. to Prince Charles.1 My only sweet and dear child, Notwithstanding of your desiring me to write yesterday, yet had I written in the evening, if at my coming in out of the park such a drowsiness had not comed upon me, as I was forced to sit and sleep in my chair half an hour. And yet I cannot content myself without sending you this billet, praying God that I may have a joyful and comfortable meeting with you, and that we may make at this Christenmass a new marriage, ever to be kept hereafter; for, God so love me, as I desire only to live in this world for your sake, and that I had rather live banished in any part of the earth with you, than live a sorrowful widow-life without you. And so God bless you, my sweet child and wife, and grant that ye may ever be a comfort to your dear dad and husband, JAMES R. [1625.] Bishop Goodman's History, vol. ii., p. 379. LETTERS OF THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF If the extreme curiosity and historic interest of the following letters be not considered a sufficient apology for our departing for a few pages from the strict letter of the title of our work, we can allege even a stronger argument for their admission-the important illustrations they afford of part of the foregoing correspondence. The reader will have seen the style of James's letters to his omnipotent favourite. Can he, after a perusal of those, the strangest specimens of royal correspondence extant, be altogether indifferent to and feel no curiosity in perusing the answers-perhaps not the direct answers in all instances, but at all events sufficient to show the nature of the entire correspondence? But we feel assured a perusal will dissipate all objections. The originals of these letters are preserved among the papers of Sir James Balfour, in the Advocates' Library at Edinburgh, where they have been deposited for more than a century. There they are, some of them blotted rather than written on slips of dirty paper, and all bearing testimony to the very little pains taken in their composition. Of their genuineness there cannot be the slightest doubt, and we have much pleasure in offering them collectively to the public. It is only necessary to add, that a very few have been already printed by Lords Hardwicke and Hailes, apparently from other manuscripts, for their misreadings and errors are numerous and important. There being no dates to these letters, it has been found impossible to place them in chronological order. The Duke of Buckingham to James I. Dear dad and gossip, Though I am yet but weak, and though it may offend you, as it doth my secretary, yet, in despite of you both, I must have leave now and then to write with my own hand. I am very sorry for this new vein you have taken of losing of stags, but am much rejoiced that you attribute so much to my good luck as to think, if I were there, your ill fortune would alter; for which cause, to please you, and many more to please myself, I will make all the haste my weakness will give me leave. I thank God my grudgings1 have left me again, but the yellowness of my skin betokens a yellow jaundice, which will be no great matter to cure if it prove so. I must end with this paper, for I protest I am faintish, which is another betokener of that dress I spoke of; but, before I end, I must beseech you to present my humblest service to your sweet baby Charles; and so I crave your blessing. Your majesty's humble slave and dog, STEENIE. The Duke of Buckingham to James I. Dear dad and gossip, The best show of true repentance of a fault is to make a true confession. I did forget to give thanks for my melons, grapes, peaches, and all the things else you sent. I must pass my account under that general term, or else I shall make the same fault again, by 1 Grumblings of the ague. leaving out something, your favours were so many; but where was this fault committed at that time? my thought was most employed in your service, therefore may be the easier pardoned; but what can you say for your fault? Did you not promise not to write; and can you deny but breach of promise is a great fault, and so much the greater, that you resolve to double them? for Kitt tells me, you resolve to do the same again to-morrow morning. I confess your faults are favours, therefore the more pardonable from him to whom they are committed; and if you should not sometimes fall into them, I should fear I had myself made one. What can be done then? If you write, I fear you are troubled; if you should not, sometimes, then I should be troubled. To reconcile all, let it be thus-write not very often, and when you write, let it [be] very little, I should say short; for the least stamp from your pen is a blessing to him that now craves it as Your majesty's most humble slave and dog, The Duke of Buckingham to James 1. Dear dad and gossip, STEENIE. In one of your letters you have commanded me to write shortly and merrily. I shall ever, and in all things, obey you. I humbly thank you for making your commands easy to be obeyed in these two particulars, and so you preserve the last, so still the first hath been so riveted with what is past, that no time to come can alter it. How can I but write merrily, when he is so I love best and beyond all the world; I shall love the poor fellow's face the better for it while I live, for relating it with such joy; and for my writing short, why should I ever write otherwise, when all I can say must be short of what I should say and do? you have so infinitely obliged me, therefore I will, nay, I must be short. I have left off physic. I will wait of you by the day appointed. I had Jennings with me about Tiball Park; all is well there, and goes on bravely; and so is your baby Charles, whom I hope to wait of down. This inclosed will give you an account of the Dunkirkers' ships. By this little paper you will understand a suit of Hugh Hollands,' by this other parchment, a suit of my lord president's. Of all do but what you please, so you give me your blessing, which I must never be denied, since I can never be other than Your majesty's most humble slave and dog, I have forgotten to write my legible hand in this letter forgive me.2 The Duke of Buckingham to James I. Dear dad and gossip, I have been the longer in writing, that I might send you certain word when I should be able to wait of you. I fear before Wednesday I shall not be 1 That is, of course, a petition of a person of the name of Hugh Holland. This is one of the very few letters printed by Lord Hardwicke, who edits it "a suit of fine Hollands!" 2 This postscript is most amusing. There is certainly none of the duke's "legible hand" in any part of the collection. |