His Majesty is graciously pleased to refer this honourable Petitioner, and his suit, to the Right Honourable the Lord High Chancellor of England, and the Lord Privy Seal, the Duke of Albemarle, the Marquis of Dorchester, the Earl of Anglesey, the Earl of Loutherdale, the Lord Holles, the Lord Ashley, myself, and Mr. Secretary Morrice, or to any three or more of them, who are hereby authorized to take special care to find out the truth of the whole particulars, which will be afforded by the Petitioner, and to report the same to his Majesty, their opinions of the most proper and expeditious way for his Majesty to answer the Petitioner’s desires, so far as the same shall be found just, upon whose report his Majesty will take a speedy course for the Petitioner’s satisfaction.
[No signature, date, or endorsement. But in Cal. State Papers, 1665–66, reference is made, p. 316, No. 11, to Ent. Book 18, p. 18, which supplies the date 24 March, 1665–6.]
[See Cal. State Papers, Dom. Series, 1665–66. Edited by Mrs. M. A. E. Green. 8vo. 1864, page 330, No. 82.]
APPENDIX K.
JOHN GOWER.
[In the “Life, Times, &c.,” page 108, a quotation is given from the poet Gower, as used by Henry Marquis of Worcester, in addressing Charles I. and is again alluded to at page 145. The author is indebted to a friend for taking the trouble to search the works of the poet, at the London Institution, and supplying, from Chalmers’ edition, 1810, page 218, the following reference and extract.
The lines occur in “Confessio Amantis,” Book VII. in a dialogue, the subject being: “Of the three, Wine, Women, or the King, which is the strongest?” Harpages says:—]
A kynge maie spille,[F] a kynge maie saue,
A kynge maie make a lorde a knaue,
And of a knaue a lorde also,
The power of a kynge stont[G] so:
That he the lawes ouerpasseth.
What he will make lesse, he lasseth,
What he will make more, he moreth.