258. When Sir Thomas Mofe was lord chancellor, he did use, at mass, to sit in the chancel; and his lady in a pew. And because the pew stood out of sight, his gentleman usher, ever after service came to the lady's pew, and said; madam, my lord is gone. So when the chancellor's place was taken from him, the next time they went to church, Sir Thomas himself came to the lady's pew, and said; Madam, my lord is gone.

259. A Grecian captain advising the confederates, that were united against the Lacedamonians, touching their enterprise, gave opinion, that they should go directly upon Sparta, saying; That the state of Sparta was like rivers; strong when they had run a great way, and weak toward their head.

260. One was examined, upon certain scandalous words spoken against the king. He confessed them, and said; it is truc, I spake them, and if the wine had not failed, I had said much more.

261. Trajan would say, that the king's exchequer was like the spleen; for when that did swell the whole body did pine.

262. Charles the bald, allowed one, whose name was Scottus, to sit at the table with him for his pleasure. Scottus sate on the other side of the table. One time the king being merry with him, said to him? What is there between Scot and Sot? Scottus answered; the table only.

263. There was a marriage made between a widow of great wealth, and a gentleman of great house, that had no estate or means. Jack Roberts

said; That marriage was like a black pudding; the one brought blood, and the other brought sewet and oatmeal.

264. Groesus said to Cambyses, that peace was better than war; because in peace the sons did bury their fathers, but in wars the fathers did bury their sons.

265. Carjaval, when he was drawn to execution, being fourscore and five years old, and laid upon. the hurdle, said; What! young in cradle, old in cradle!

266. Diogenes was asked in a kind of scorn; What was the matter, that philosophers haunted rich men, and not rich men philosophers? he answered; because the one knew what they wanted, the other did not.

267. Demetrius, king of Macedon, had a petition offered him divers times by an old woman, and answered; he had no leisure. Whereupon, the woman said aloud; Why then give over to be king.

268. There were two gentlemen, otherwise of equal degree, save that the one was of the ancienter house. The other, in courtesy, asked his hand to kiss which he gave him; and he kissed

F

it but said withal, to right himself, by way of friendship, Well, I and you, against any two of them putting himself first.

269. Themistocles would say of himself; That he was like a plane-tree, that in tempests men fled to him, and in fair weather, men were ever cropping his leaves.

270. Themistocles said of speech; That it was like Arras, that spread abroad shews fair images, but contracted is but like packs.

271. When king Edward the second was amongst his torturers, who hurried him to and fro, that no man should know where he was, they sat him down upon a bank: and one time the more to disguise his face, shaved him, and washed him with cold water of a ditch by the king said; Well, yet I will have warm water for my beard: and so shed abundance of tears.

272. King James was wont to be very earnest with the country gentlemen to go from London to their country houses. And sometimes he would say thus to them; Gentlemen, at London, you are like ships at sea, which shew like nothing; but in your country villages, you are like ships in a river, which look like great things.

273. Soon after the death of a great officer, who was judged no advancer of the king's matters; the king said to his solicitor Bacon, who was his kins

man; Now tell me truly, what say you of your cousin that is gone? Mr. Bacon answered, Sir, since your majesty doth charge me, I'll e'en deal plainly with you, and give you such a character of him, as if I were to write his story. I do think he was no fit counsellor to make your affairs better: but yet he was fit to have kept them from growing worse. The king said, On my so'l, man, in the first thou speakest like a true man, and in the latter like a kinsman.

274. King James, as he was a prince of great judgment, so he was a prince of a marvellous-pleasant humour; and there now come into my mind two instances of it. As he was going through Lusen by Greenwich, he asked what town it was? They said Lusen. He asked a good while after, what town is this we are now in? They said, still 'twas Lusen. On my so'l, said the king, I will be king of Lusen.

275. In some other of his progresses, he asked how far it was to a town whose name I have forgotten. They said, six miles. Half an hour after he asked again. One said six miles and an half. The king alighted out of his coach, and crept under the shoulder of his led horse. And when some asked his majesty what he meant? I must stalk, said be, for yonder town is shy, and flies

-me.

276. Count Gondomar sent a compliment to my lord St. Alban, wishing him a good Easter. My lord thanked the messenger, and said, he could not at present requite the count better than in returning him the like; that he wished his lordship a good Passover.

277. My lord chancellor Elsmere, when he had read a petition which he disliked, would say ; What, you would have my hand to this now? And the party answering, yes: he would say farther, Well, so you shall; nay, you shall have both my hands to it. And so would, with both his hands, tear it in pieces.

278. Sir Francis Bacon was wont to say of an angry man who suppressed his passion, that he thought worse than he spoke and of an angry man that would chide, that he spoke worse than he thought.

279. He was wont also to say, that power in an ill man, was like the power of a black witch; he could do hurt, but no good with it. And he would add, that the magicians could turn water into blood, but could not turn the blood again to water.

280. When Mr. Attorney Coke, in the exchequer, gave high words to Sir Francis Bacon, and stood much upon the higher place; Sir Francis said to him, Mr. Attorney, the less you speak of your