them young, faire and flourishing, looke upon them now, as if thy were quite banished their memory, they appeare fo decayed, aged and uncomely, as if the Chaos were returned againe, and the fabricke of our English world fhaken into a rude and undigested maffe of confufion.

And not without reason, when that all illuftrating Sunne of your Majesties Royall prefence hath, as it were, fuffered a long and hideous eclipfe, been obvolved and furrounded with cloudes and darkneffe, in refpect of the diminution of that light of obedience which was refulgent in the bofomes of all your Subjects, darkned are the beames too of your Royall countenance in regard of the abfence of your deare Confort the Queen her Majefty, who hath bleffed your Majefty with fo many faire and hopefull pledges of your loves; so many sweet and gracious Princes of both fexes, that they doe as thofe in the Pfalmift, fit like Olive branches round about your table; darkned they are alfo in regard of the still increasing and over-flowing troubles and distractions that fo riot in your Majefties Dominions, a ftreame of blood which hath iffued from the bodies of your wounded and flaughtered Subjects, like a purple cloud, fhadowing the accustomed rayes that used fo cheerfully to iffue out from your Majesties eyes, which now feeme all to be transformed into the very Ideas of penfiveneffe and fadneffe; so that we may with much griefe of heart fay of your Grace, O quantum mutatus ab illo; How much are you altered from that King you were, when you used before these civill warres to grace our Univerfitie with your Royall presence, when nought was heard in our Colledges, Halls and Houses, nay, in this whole City, but the voyce of joy and gladneffe; but now, non eadem eft atas, the gallant and learned Orations made here in entertainment of your Majeftie, are now reduced to this poore unworthy Speech of mine; the meaneft of your Highneffe Subjects, instead of thofe pregnant iffues of wit and fancie which the nimble brains of our Poets have invented to fill the Scene of your welcome hither. Nothing is heard here at this great Festivall of our Redeemers nativity, but the tongue of mourning, the Universitie being a very theatre of filence, though we must confeffe our felves more obliged to the bounty of the Almighty then any Citie in your Majefties Kingdomes, in that he hath bleffed us thus long with being efteemed worthy to injoy your Majefties prefence; and fo that never forgotten benefit hath a little revived and refreshed our drooping foules; yet the fenfe of our neighbours fufferings comes like the ill Genii into our imaginations to affright them with the horror of their ghoftly and hideous countenances; Non nobis folum nati fumus, wee were not worthy the Religion wee profeffe, if wee fhould not have a fellow-feeling of the afflictions of our Country and its inhabitants, who groane as the Ifraelites did under the Egyptians, under the oppreffive weight of their burthens, fo infupportable, that they would cracke the fhoulders of another Atlas to fuftaine them; their burthens which comprehend the contracted weight of all miferies incident to mortality; fince all of them are charactered in this civil warre. This civill warre that hath robbed the Kingdome of the ancient tranquillitie, the Church of its so despised ornaments, the Subjects of their eftates quite, nay, lives, and many of them undone past all reparation or recovery

by

by thefe military tumults, your facred Majeftie will be pleafed to afford mee an indulgent pardon for my expatiating fo much on this point of the Subjects calamity, it is not that I dare be fo difloyall, to believe any fault of it refts in your Majefty, but out of the tender compaffion and hearty confideration of their afflictions, which we all hope your Majesties paternall and pious care will in good time rectifie, for this particular City, but especially for the body of this University, which this yeere is under my government, unworthy as I am of that charge, had not your Majefties comfortable and all-quickning fight removed away the clouds that fhadowed us; certainly ere this darkneffe had encompaffed us round about: here would have beene no need of a Vicechancelour, when there would have been no Students to governe; no need of Schooles, when there would have been none to have been taught in them. No Science Liberall practifed in the Colledges, whence all the Practisers were fled for feare of perfecution, of being plundered of their substances; nay, deprived (as it was probable enough) of their lives, for being loyally affected to Your Most Excellent Majeftie.

In that great defection of the Ifraelites from the Tribe of Iudah and Fami ly of David, the Tribe of Levi stuck close to their rightfull King, fo hath it in England to your Highneffe, in all these domestick broyles, not one of the Clergie (but fome of factious fpirits) deserting your caufe: The two Univerfities, this and that of Cambridge, declaring themselves in your Majesties behalfe; and furely wee in Oxford had been justly branded with the title of ingratitude, if we should have relinquished your Grace, who have formerly, and at this present time, heaped upon us fo many evident teftimonies of your Royall Benignty to us, and your deare affection to the advancement of good literature, which as I before related, was here reduced to the last gasp, labouring as it were for life, till your Goodneffe, by transferring your Perfon and Prefence hither, making this your winter refidence, infus'd new life into the languishing Academy. The Fellows of Houfes now returne to their chambers, fecur'd by your Majestie from any feare of dangers. The young Students, that for their fafeties were retired home to their fathers houses, hafte back to the Colledges, proud that they fhall have the happineffe to refide where they may fee the light and favour of your Royall Countenance; So that (thanks be to God and your Majeftie) decayed learning begins here againe to refpire and reflourish.

The Romans in a noble gratitude to that great Camillus, who refcued them from the tyranny and ruine of the Gauls under the conduct of Brennus brought upon them, would needs have conferr'd upon him the title of the fecond Romulus, the Founder of the Citie, and allowed him equall honour with him. The fame muft wee, infpir'd with no leffe a gratefulneffe, tender to your Majeftie, you are our fecond Alured, the fecond Founder of our Universitie; and if to fave when loft, in fome opinion, was as great an action of the Almightie, as to create man-kind out of nothing; Surely our reafon must enforce us to acknowledge our felves as much indebted to your Highneffe, for our preservation and reftitution, as to Alured for our foundation and inftitution. And fo with the generall votes of the whole Univerfitie, this new

yeere

yeere I prefent your Majeftie in their names, with thefe wishes; Grace and Peace this yeare be multiplyed upon Your Selfe, your abfent Queene, and Royall Progenie. May the dew fall upon you all, and the bleffings of Iacob be in your inheritance. May all thefe tumultuous and civill diftractions end with the beginning of this yeere, and the reft of it be spent in imbalming and curing the many wounds of our English Ifrael. And to conclude, may Heavens best bountie be fhowred downe on you, its mightie and out-ftretched Arme protect you. And as an humble and zealous teftimony of the Univerfities defires to ferve Your Sacred Majestie in their names, and as the best expreffion, they for the prefent can make of their loyaltie, I here befeech Your Highneffe, to accept this widdows mite, caft as this New Yeares Oblation into Your Treafurie, this Cup with two hundred pounds in gold, which is contained within it. 'Tis all, Royall Sir, our Univerfities decay'd debilitie hath to render as offering to Your Gracious Hands; our wifhes defire it were an unexhaustible Indies: And fo wee hope the intention of the gift will make us win favour in Your Eyes, fo that Your Majestie will vouchsafe to accept it as graciously, as we present it humbly.

The Fore-Runner of REVENGE, being a Petition to the KINGS moft Excellent Majefty: Wherein is expressed divers actions of the late Earle of BUCKINGHAM; especially concerning the death of King IAMES, and the Marquess Ha¬ MELTON, fuppofed by poyfon, Alfo may be observed the inconveniences befalling a State where the Noble difpofition of the Prince is mis-led by a Favourite,

To the most Potent Monarch CHARLES, King of great

BRITAINE.

The bumble Petition of George Eglifham Doctor of Phyficke, lately one of King Iames his Phyfitians for his Majefties person above the space of ten yeares.

SIR,

N

O better motive there is for a fafe government, then the fafe meditation of death, (equalling Kings with Beggars) and the exact juftice of God requiring of them, that the good fuffering misery in this life, fhould receive joy in the other; and the wicked flourishing fecurely in this, might be punished in the other. That which pleafeth, lafteth but a moment; which tormenteth, is everlasting. Many things wee fee unrewarded or unpunished in this inferior world, which in the universall VOL. II,

S

weight

weight of Gods juftice, must bee counterpoifed elsewhere. But wilfull and fecret murther hath feldome been obferved to efcape undiscovered or unpunish ed even in this life, fuch a particular and notable revenge perpetually followeth it, to the end that they who are either Atheists or Matchiavelifts, may not trust too much to their wits in doing fo horrible injuftice; would to God your Majesty would well confider what I have often faid to my Master, King James, the greatest policie is honefty; and howfoever any man feeme to himselfe wife in compaffing his defires by trickes, yet in the end he will prove a foole; for falfhood ever deceiveth her owne mafter at length, as the Divell (author of all falfhood) alwayes doth, leaving his adherents deffolate when they have the greatest need of his help; No falfhood without injustice, no injustice without falfhood, albeit it were in the perfon of a King.

There is no Judge in the world more tied to do juftice then a King, whofe coronation tieth him unto it by felemne oath, which if he violate, he is falfe and perjured.

It is justice that maketh Kings, juftice that maintains Kings, and injuftice that brings Kings and Kingdomes to deftruction, to fall into mifery, to die like Affes in ditches, or a more beastly death, eternall infamy after death, as all hiftories from time to time do clearly manifeft.

What need hath mankind of Kings but for juftice? Men are not borne for them, but they for men: what greater, what more royall occafion in the world could bee offered to your Majefty to fhew your impartiall difpofition in matters of justice at the firft entry of your reigne, then this which I offer in my juft complaint against Buckingham, by whom your Majefty fuffereth your felf fo far to be led that your beft fubjects are in doubt whether he is your King or you his. If your Majefty know and confider how he hath tyrannized over his Lord and Master K. James, (the worldly creator of his fortunes) how infolent, how ingrate an oppreffor, what a murtherer and traitor he hath proved himselfe towards him, how treacherous to his upholding friends, the Marquefs of Hamelton, and others, your Majefty may think (giving way to the Lawes demanded against him) to yeeld a moft glorious field for your Majesty to walk in, and difplay the banner of your royall vertues.

Your Majefty may perhaps demand, what intereft I have therein, what have I to doe therewith, that I fhould stir, all others being quiet? Sir, the quietnes or ftirring of others expecteth only a beginning from me, whom they know fo much obliged to stirre, as none can bee more, both in refpect of knowledge of paffages, and in regard of humane obligation, and of my independency from the accused, or any other that has power or credit can reach unto, many know not what I know therein, others are little or nothing beholding to the dead; others albeit know it as well as I; and are obliged as deep as I; yet dare not complain fo fafely as I, being out of their reach, who are infeparable from him by his inchantments, and all to obfcure my felfe, untill the power of just revenge upon him be obtained from God.

What I know fufficient against him, I have fet down in my petition against him to the Parliament; to which if your Majefty difmiffe him, fequeftred from your Majefty chiefly in an accufation of treafon you shall doe

what

what is juft, and deliver your felfe and your Kingdome from the captivity in which he holdeth them, and your Majefty opprefsed. How eafily I may eclipse my selfe from his power to doe me harme, unless he hath legions of infernall fpirits at his command to purfue me, your Majesty may well know, I being ultra mare to thefe dominions where he ruleth and rageth.

How far I am obliged to complain more then others, I will in few words express, that neither your Majefty nor any man may thinke otherwife, but that I have moft juft reafon not to be filent in a wrong fo intollerable, the intereft of blood which I have to any of them, of whofe death I complain either by the house of Balgony Lunday or Silverton-Hill, albeit it is eafie to be made manifeft and fufficient to move me, yet it is not the fole motive of my breach of filence, but the intereft of received courtefie, and the heap of infallible tokens of true affection, is more then fufficient to ftirr me thereto, unleffe I would prove the most ingrate in the world, and fenfeles of the greateft injuries that can be done unto my felfe; for who killed King James, and Marquefs Hamelton, in that part of the injury which is done unto me therein, he hath done as much as robbed me of my life, and all my fortunes and friends.

With fuch constant and loving impreffions of me as are neither to be recovered nor duly valued: for his Majefty from the third year of my age, did practife honorable tokens of fingular favour towards me, daily augmented them in word, in writ, in deed, accompanied them with gifts, patents, offices, recommendations both in privat and publicke, at home and abroad graced fo far that I could scarce afke any thing, but I could have obtained it.

How much honor he hath done unto me there needs no witnes unto your Majefty, who is fufficient for many; no lefs is my L. Marq. Hameltons friendship established by mutual obligation of moft acceptable offices continued by our ancestors these three generations, ingraven in the tender minds and yeares of the Marquefs and me in the prefence of our Soveraigne King Iames. For when the Marquefe his Father, who with the right hand on his head and the left on mine, did offer us (young in years fo joyned) to kifs his Majefties hand, recommending me to his Majefties favour, faid I take God to witnes, that this young mans father was the best friend that ever I had, or fhall have in this world. Whereupon the young Lord refolved to put truft in mee and I fully to addict my felfe to him to deferve of him as much commendations as my father did of his father.

This Royall celebration of our friends rooted it felfe fo deep in my minde, that to my felfe I purpofed this remembrance, giving it to my young Lord, and to my familiar friends, and fet it upon the bookes of my study, Semper Hameltonium, &c.