and South the page, as alio for Lizo in friends, whole to the polletions Staff a lo ke im to the Ex any one man of this accept the rame vinil comprie pat beltering for the place as me, that the Gr affiitance for her Majefty's fervice, and very willing to fet forward any thing that might either concern the public bebent or quiet of the country, or her Majoy's honour or profit; besides, a man well given, and zealous in religion, diligent in preaching, and no riggard in hofpitality, but a great reliever of his poor Engapoers, and by his good behavicar and dealing gained both love and credit amongâ table with whom he hath been convenient; and carried imfelf in that reposion in the world, as I have not of known in at any time either detected or Lpected of any notorious or public coume. And tits moth I thought good in declare to your Lordhips of him, and that I have not had came at any time to toink otherazle of him, but as of a Lend counter to the Queen, and good mito this comme and onmmonwealth. fo, beseeching your Lundhips rable acceptation of rim, and in his The cove 227 to fand tis got beris, 1 1s near kne from the Newry, the sets of Betmark 1. Your good Lordhiya aline acquit, when any of the Queen's Majefty her fovereign fubjects may happen to have aught in this country at your recommendation. And fo I commit your Lordfhip in the protection of the Almighty Chrift. Edinburgh, the 20th day of June 1577 Your Lordihip's very affured friend. LETTER XXII. Sir Henry Sidney to his fon Robert Sidney, afterwards Earl of Leicester. Robin, YOUR feveral letters of the 17th of September and 9th of November I have received; but that fent by Carolus Clufins I have not yet heard of. Your letters are most heartily welcome to me; but the univerfal teftimony that is made of you, of the virtuous courfe you hold in this your juvenile age, and how much you profit in the fame; and what excellent parts God hath already planted in you, doth fo rejoice me, that the fight of no carthly thing is more or can be more to my comfort, than hearing in this fort from, and of you. Our Lord blets you, my fweet boy. Perge, perge, my Robin, in the filial fear of God, and in the meaneft imagination of yourfeif, and to the loving direction of your molt loving brother. I like very well of your being at Prague, and of your intention to go to Vienna. I wish you fhould curiouly look upon the fortification of that; and confidering the state of Chriftendom, I cannot tell how to defign your travel into Italy. I would not have you to go fpecially, for that there is perpetual war between the Pope and us. I think the Princes and Potentates of that region are confederated with him; and for fome other refpects, I would not have you go thither. Yet from Spain we are as it were under an inhibition; France in endless troubles; the Low Country in irrecoverable mifery. So I leave it to your brother and yourfelf, whether Vienna being feen, you will return into England, or spend the next fummer in thofe parts; which if you do, I think beft (you being fatisfied with Vienna) you fee the principal cities of Moravia and Silefia, and fo to Cracow; and if you can have any commodity, to fee the court of the King of that realm; and from thence through Saxony, to Holft, and Pomerland, feeing the Princes courts by the way; and then into Denmark and Sweden, and fee thofe Kings courts. Acquaint you fomewhat with the eftate of the free States; and fo at Hamburgh to embark, and to winter with me. But what do I blunder at thefe things? follow the direction of your moft loving brother, who in loving you is comparable with me, or exceedeth me. Imitate his vir tues, exercises, ftudies, and actions; he is a rare ornament of this age, the very formular that all well-difpofed young gentlemen of our court do form alfo their manners and life by. In truth I fpeak it without flattery of him, or of myself, he hath the most rare virtues that ever I found in any man. I faw him not these fix months, little to my comfort. You may hear from him with more eafe than from me. In your travels thefe documents I will give you, not as mime but his practices. Seek the knowledge of the estate of every Prince, court, and city, that you pafs through. Addrefs yourfelf to the company, to learn this of the elder fort, and yet neglect not the younger. By the one you fhall gather learning, wifdom, and knowledge, by the other acquaintance, languages, and exer cife. This he effectually obierved with great gain of understanding. Once again I fav imitate him. I hear you are fallen into confort and fellowship with Sir Harry Nevell's fon and heir, and one Mr. Savell. I hear of fingular virtues of them both. I am glad of your familiarity with them. The 21ft of this prefent I received your letter of the 12th of the fame, and with it a letter from Mr. Languet, who feemeth as yet to miflike nothing in you; for which I like you a great deal the better; and I hope I fhall hear further of your commendation from him, which will be to my comfort. I find by Harry White that all your money is gone, which with fome wonder difpleafeth me; and if you cannot frame your charges according to that proportion I have appointed you, I must and will fend for you home. I have fent order to Mr. Languet for one hundred pounds for you, which is twenty pounds more than I promised you; this I look and order that it shall ferve you till the laft of March 1580. Allure yourself I will not enlarge one groat, therefore look well to your charges. and I hope by that time you shall receive this letter you will be at or near Strafburgh, from which refolve not to depart till the middle of April come twelvemonth; nor then I will not that you do, unless you fo apply your study, as by that time you do conceive feelingly rhetoric and logic, and have the tongues of Latin, French, and Dutch; which I know you may have, if you will apply your will and wit to it. I am fure you cannot but find what lack in learning you have by your often departing from Oxford; and the like, and greater lofs fhall you find, if you refolve not to remain continually for the time appointed in Strafburgh. Write to me monthly, and of your charges particularly; and either in Latin or French. I take in good part that you have kept promife with me; and on my blefling I charge you to write truly to me from time to time, whether you keep it or no; and if you break it in fome dark manner, how. Pray daily; fpeak nothing but truly. Do no difhoneft thing for any refpect. Love Mr. Languet with reverence, unto whorn in most hearty manner commend me; and to Doctor Lubetius and Mr. Doctor Sturmius. Farewel. If you will follow my counsel you fhall be my fweet boy. From Baynard's Caftle in London this 25th of March 1578. Your loving father. LETTER XXIII. Sir Philip Sidney to his father Sir Henry Sidney. Right honourable my fingular good Lord and father, SO ftrangely and diverfely goes the courfe of the world by the interchanging humours of those that govern it, that though it be most noble to have always one mind and one conftancy, yet can it not be always directed to one point; but muft needs fometimes alter his courfe, according as the force of other changes drives it. As now in your Lordship's cafe, to whom of late I wrote, wishing your Lordship to return as foon as conveniently you might, encouraged thereunto by the affurance the best fort had given me, with what honourable confiderations your return fhould befal, particularly to your lot: it makes me change my ftyle, and write to your Lordship, that keeping ftill your mind in one state of virtuous quietnefs, you will yet frame your courfe according to them. And as they delay your honourable rewarding, so you by good means do delay your return, till either that enfue, or fitter time be for this. Her Majefty's letters prefcribed you a certain day I think; the day was paft before Pagnam came unto you, and enjoined to do fome things, the doing whereof muft neceffarily require fome longer time. Hereupon your Lordship is to write back, not as though you de fired to tarry, but only fhewing that unwillingly you must employ fome days thereabouts; and if it please you to add, that the Chancellor's prefence fhall be requifite; for by him your Lordship fhall either have honourable revocation, or commandment of further ftay at least till Michaelmas, which in itself fhall be a fitter time; confidering that then your term comes fully out, fo that then your enemies cannot glory it is their procuring. In the mean time, your friends may labour here to bring to a better pafs fuch your reasonable and honourable defires, which time can better bring forth than fpeed. Among which friends, before God there is none proceeds either fo thoroughly or fo wifely as my lady my mother. For mine own part I have had only light from her. Now refts it in your Lordship to weigh the particularities of your own eftate, which no man can know fo well as yourfelf; and accordingly to refolve. For mine own part (of which mind your best friends are here) this is your best way. At least whatsoever you refolve, I beseech you with all speed I may understand, and that if it please you with your own hand; for truly fir, I muft needs impute it to fome great difhonefty of fome about you, that there is little written from you, or to you, that is not perfectly known to your profeffed enemies. And thus much I am very willing they should know, that I do write it unto you and in that quarter you may, as I think, look precifely to the faving of fome of thofe overpluffages, or at least not to go any further; and then the more time paffes, the better it will be blown over. Of my being fent to the Queen, being armed with good accounts and perfect reafons for them, &c. 25th April 1578. 214 Sir Philip Sidney to Edward Waterhoufe, My good Ned, LETTER you XXV. Sir Philip Sidney to Edward Molineux, Mr. Molineux, FLW words are beft. My letters to my father have come to the eyes of fome. Neither can I condemn any bat you for it. If it be fo, you have played the very knave with me; and fo I will make you know if I have good proof of it. But that for fo much as is past. For that is to come, I affure you before God, that if ever I know you do fo much as read any letter I write to my father, without his commandment, or my confent, I will thruit my dagger into you. And trust to it, for I fpeak it in earnet. In the mean time farewel. From Court this lat of May 1578. LETTER XXVI. Edward Molineux, Ef to Philip Sidney, in anfwer to the abovefaid letter. I Sir, HAVE received a letter from you, which, as it is the firft, fo the fame is the fharpest that I ever received from any: and therefore it amazeth me the more to receive fuch a one from you, fince I have (the world can be judge) deferved better fomewhere, howfoever it But pleafeth you to condemn me now. fince it is (I proteft to God) without caufe, or yet juft ground of suspicion you ufe me thus, I bear the injury more patiently for a time; and mine innocency, I hope, in the end fhall try mine honesty; and then I trust you will confefs you have done me wrong. And fince your pleafure fo is expreffed, that I fhall not henceforth read any of your letters; although I must confefs I have heretofore taken both great delight and profit in reading fome of them: yet upon fo hard a condition (as you feem to offer) I will not hereafter adventure fo great a peril, but obey you herein. Howbeit if it had pleafed you, you might have commanded me in a far greater matter, with a far less penalty. From the caitle of Dublin, the 1st of July 1578. Yours, when it shall pleafe you better to conceive of me, humbly to command. LETTER XXVII. Philip, ford, you have difcovered unto me your intention to go over into the Low Countries, to accompany Duke Cal mier, who hath with fo noble offers and by fo honourable means invited you: which difpofition of your virtuous mind, as I muft needs much commend in you, fo when I enter into the confideration of mine own eftate, and call to mind what practices, informations, and malicicus accufations, are devifed against me; and what an afhitance in the defence of thofe caufes your prefence would be unto me, repofing myfeif fo much both upon your help help and judgment, I frive betwixt hoDour and neceffity, what allowance I may beft give of that motion for your going: howbeit, if you think not my matters of that weight and difficulty (as I hope they be not), but that they may be well enough by myself, without your affiftance or any other, be brought to an honourable end, I will not be against your determination. Yet would with you, before your departure, that you come to me to afterwards Earl of Leicester. Robin, HEAR well of you, and the company the water-fide about the latter end of Sir Henry Sidney, to his fon Robert Sidney this month, to take your leave of me, and fo from thence to depart towards your intended journey. You must now bear with me, that I write not this unto you with mine own hand, which I would have done, if the indifpofition of my body had not been fuch as I could not. God profper you in that you fhall go about, and fend you to win much credit and honour. And I fend you my daily bleffing. Your very loving father. The 1ft of Augult 1578. LETTER XXVIII, Lady Mary Sidney to Edmund Molineux, Efq. Molineux, I THOUGHT good to put you in remembrance to move my Lord Chamberlain, in my Lord's name, to have fome other room than my chamber, for my Lord to have his refort unto, as he was wont to have; or elfe my Lord will be greatly troubled when he thall have any matters of dispatch: my lodging, you fee, being very little, and myfelf continually fick, and not able to be much out of my bed. For the night time one roof, with God's grace, fhall ferve us ; for the day time the queen will look to have my chamber always in a readinefs for her Majesty's coming thither; and though my Lord himself can be no impediment thereto by his own prefence, yet his Lordship trufting to no place elfe to be provided for him, will be, as I faid before, troubled for want of a convenient place for the difpatch of fuch people as hall have occafion to come to him. Therefore I pray you, in my Lord's own name, move my Lord of Suffex for a His houfe was at Bainard's Caftle by the water.fide near-St. Paul's, I you keep, which is of great comfort to me. To be of noble parentage ufually raifes an emulation to follow their great examples. There can be no greater love than of long time hath been, and yet is, between Sir Harry Nevell and me; and fo will continue till our lives end. Love you thus we have done, and do. One thing I warn you of; arrogate no precedency neither of your countrymen nor of ftrangers; but take your place promifcuous, with others, according to your degree and birthright, with aliens. Follow your difcreet and virtuous brother's rule, who with great difcretion to his great commendation, won love, and could variously ply ceremony with ceremony. I hear you have the Dutch tongue fufficiently, whereof I am glad. You may therefore fave money and discharge your Dutchman; and do it indeed, and fend for Mr. White; he is an honest young man, and is fairly honeft, and good and found to me and my friends. I fend you now by Stephen 30 7. which you call arrearages; term it as you will, it is all I owe you till Eafter; and 207. of that, as Griffin Madox telleth me, is Harry White's. I will fend you at or before Frankfort mart 60/. either to bring you home, or to find you abroad, as you and your brother hall agree, for half a year ending at Michaelmas; fo Harry White neither hath nor fhall have caufe to think that I am offended with him; for I cannot look for, nor almoft with to hear better of a man, than I hear of him; and how I intend to deal with him, you may fee by the letter I fend him. He fhall Kave his zol. yearly, and you your 100l. and fo be as merry as you may. I thank you, my dear boy, for the martern skins you write of. It is more than ever your P 4 elder |