Diary of John Manningham Part 45

[Sidenote: fo. 128.

11.]

Mr. Thomas Overbury spake much against the Lord Buckhurst as a verry corrupt and unhonest person of body.

[Sidenote: 12.]

He spake bitterly against the Bishop of London.[186] That Darling whoe was censured for a slaunderous libellor in the Starre Chamber, and had bin convict for a counterfaitour of pa.s.ses [?] was a better scholler then the Bishop: that the Bishop was a verry knave. I contradicted.

[Footnote 186: Bishop Bancroft from 1597 to 1604, when he was translated to the see of Canterbury. (Hardy's Le Neve, ii. 302.)]

[Sidenote: 11.]

He would not have the bishops to have anie temporalities, or temporall jurisdicion, but live upon t.i.thes, and nothing but preach, &c.

When I was mentioning howe dangerous and difficult a thing it would be to restore appropriacions, he said _Fiat justicia et coelum ruat_, which applicacion I termed a doctrine of Jesuits.

[Sidenote: 12.]

He said Sir Robert Cecile followed the Earl of Ess.e.xes death, not with a good mynde.

This day the two Cheife Judges Sir John Popham and Sir Edmund Anderson, with the rest of the judges, were sworne. I sawe divers writs or commissions sealed by the Lord Keeper, with the old seale of Queene Elizabeth. It is verry like wee shall have a terme.

* * * * *[187]

[Footnote 187: We have here omitted several pages of extracts from Sir John Hayward'a Treatise on the Succession in reply to Father Parsons, a book of great interest in its day. It is now easily accessible to those who desire to refer to it. It was published Lond. 1603, 4to.]

[Sidenote: fo. 133.

13 Aprill 1603.]

Dr. Parry was sollicited by the Archebishop to make a kinde of funerall oracion for the Queene, to be published not p.r.o.nounced, and hath given him instruccion. Mr. Savil[188] or he must doe it. Savil fitter, for better acquaintance with the Queenes private accions and reddier stile in that language; both sca.r.s.e have leisure. Dr. Parry warned to be provided of a sermon against the Kinges coming. He told that the Bishop of Durrham[189] hath tendered his duty in all humility, craving pardon for his opposicion heretofore, with promise of faythfull service; hath preacht at Berwike before the King, and said grace at his table twise or thrise.

[Footnote 188: The future Sir Henry, Editor of Chrysostom, and Provost of Eton.]

[Footnote 189: Dr. Matthew Hutton, Bishop from 1595 to 1606, when he was translated to York. (Hardy's Le Neve, iii. 295.) The opposition alluded to was probably connected with Border quarrels.]

The Queene nominated our King for hir successor: for being demaunded whom shee would haue succede, hir answere was there should noe rascals sitt in hir seate. "Who then?" "A King," said shee. "What King?" "Of Scotts," said shee, "for he hath best right, and in the name of G.o.d lett him haue it."

The Papists verry lately put up a supplicacion to the King for a tolleracion; his aunswre was, Yf there were 40,000 of them in armes should present such a pet.i.tion, himselfe would rather dye in the feild than condiscend to be false to G.o.d. Yet seemed he would not use extremity, yf they continued in duty like subjects.

The Queene would sometymes speake freely of our King, but could not endure to heare anie other use such language. The Lord of Kenlosse,[190]

a Scott, told our n.o.bles, that they shall receive a verry good, wise, and relligious King, yf wee can keepe him soe; yf wee mar him not.

[Footnote 190: Sir Edward Bruce, Lord Bruce of Kinloss, who came to England with the Earl of Mar in 1601, ostensibly on a visit of congratulation to Queen Elizabeth, but really to effect an understanding with Sir Robert Cecil, and pave the way, which he did most successfully, for his master's succession. He was appointed Master of the Rolls in 1604, and lies buried in the Rolls Chapel.]

Lord Henry Howard[191] would come and continue at prayers when the Queene came, but otherwise would not endure them, seeming to performe the duty of a subject in attending on his prince at the one tyme, and at the other using his conscience. He would runne out of the Queenes chamber in hir sicknes when the chaplein went to prayer. Their prayer, for him, like a conjuracion for a spirit.

[Footnote 191: The future Earl of Northampton.]

[Sidenote: fo. 133^b.

13 Aprill 1603.]

The Earl of Southampton must present himself with the n.o.bles, and Sir Henry Nevill with the counsellors; like either shall be one of their rankes.

It is a common bruit, yet false, that Sir Walter Rhaly is out of his Captainship of the Guard; _facile quod velint credunt, quod credunt loquuntur._

Sir Amias Preston, an auncient knight, sent a challendge a while since to Sir Wa. Ra. which was not aunswered. Sir Ferdinand Gorge is out with him, as some say.[192]

[Footnote 192: Raleigh on his trial alludes incidentally to Sir Amias Preston's challenge. Speaking of a book against the t.i.tle of King James to succeed Elizabeth, which Cobham had stated that "he had" from Raleigh,--"I never gave it him," answered Raleigh, "he took it off my table. For I remember a little before that time I received a challenge from Sir Amias Preston, and, for that I did intend to answer it, I resolved to leave my estate settled, therefore laid out all my loose papers, amongst which was this book." (State Trials, ii. 21.) As to the relations between Sir Walter and Sir Ferdinando Gorges, see Archaeologia, vol. x.x.xiii. p.

241.]

[Sidenote: 14 Aprill 1603.]

He hath a good witt but it is carried by a foole, said Cobden of W.

Burdett.

Crue invited Cobden to a fyre, and there cald him foole; "It is one comfort," said Cobden, "that I am in a Crue of fooles."

[Sidenote: 13.]

Dr. Parry's note saith, the Queene was soe temperat in hir dyet from hir infancy, that hir brother King Edward VI. did usually call hir Dame Temper[ance.][193]

[Footnote 193: Camden is probably the original authority for this pleasant anecdote:--"_qui non alio nomine quam dulcis sororis Temperantiae nomine salutavit_" are the words of his Introduction to the Annales of Elizabeth.]

[Sidenote: 14.]

Mr. Hemmings, sometyme of Trinity College in Cambridge, in a sermon at Paul's Crosse, speaking of women, said, Yf a man would marrie, it were 1,000 to one but he should light upon a bad one, there were so many naught; and yf he should chaunce to find a good one, yet he were not suer to hold hir soe: for women are like a coule full of snakes amongst which there is one eele, a thousand to one yf a man happen upon the eele, and yet if he gett it in his hand, all that he hath gotten is but a wett eele by the tayle. (_Mr. Osborne._)

'Tis certaine that Tyrone hath submitted absolutely, as to the late Queene, not knowing of hir death; he is nowe at Dublin with the Lord Mountjoy, and Tirrell is come in with him.