Bacon, but before the words "by the Lorde Keeper," there is a blank, and something has evidently there been erased, possibly expressive of a doubt upon the point of authorship. Sir Walter Mildmay does not appear to have been at all satisfied or convinced by the reasoning, and remarks that nothing whatever had been advanced upon the most important point of all-religion.]

Anno 1570.

A discourse of the Queenes mariage with the Duke of Anjoye, drawen oute by the Lorde Keeper.

Considerations of hir Mariage.

It is necessarye for here to mary withoute longer delay of tyme, for theis causes followinge :

I. In primis, if shee shoulde contynewe without mariage, and so passe the age of hope to have children, shee should be in daunger of suche as by divilishe meanes might be tempted to desiere here ende, in respecte to bringe some other to here state beefore here naturall tyme. Wheareas, shee beinge maried and havinge children (as there is no doubte to the contrarye) their intentions woulde waxe colde and vanishe awaye.

II. Itm, althoughe it maye bee hoped that God will, of his goodnes, restrayne the power of the Devyll from attempte of eny suche wickednes, yet, if shee shall forbeare mariage and passe over her naturall age to have children, she cannot but bee in daunger, and loose daily the loiall dutye of the love now borne here by an infinite multitude of here good subjectes: for that the naturall care in the moste parte of them that have possessions and families to see to the preservation of them selues, their children and posteritie, that muste followe here life, shall, from tyme to tyme, induce them, firste to consider and searche out, and then to resolve and determyn with them selues uppon the personn of suche as by probabilite may seeme to succeede, to whom the subjectes shall firste secretlie, and in proces of tyme more boldlie,

directe their inward devotions, and so haue lesse regarde to the contynuance, preservation, and prosperite of here, whiche muste bee not only discomfortable but also dangerous.

III. I omitte greate number of here subjectes beinge alreadye secreatlie and deeplie infected with severall factions towardes sume others to bee promoted to the rome in sume causes, percase presentlie without expectation of the ende of here naturall life, the whiche kynde of subjectes surely cannot but grudge and mislike hir prosperous contynuaunce, and shalbee readye to assist any invasion of the State by practize, rebellion, or by foren invasion. Wheareupon this is the consequence, when shee shall feele or mistruste this decaye of the naturall kyndnes and love of here subjectes, and almoste shall not knowe whome she may surelye truste, and shall finde no reamedye to recover yt for lacke of maryage and children, shee shall have a perpetuall torment in here life, and shall joye in nothinge, so as she shall not have ẞiov ολβιον.

Nowe for the Realme.-Secondlie, here mariage shall muche profitt the realme, for, upon hope of isshue to bee had, all honeste subjectes will contynue in their constancye of dutye and love towardes here, and will nowayes inclyne them selves to have regarde to eny other future Q.; but will hope by here children that the crowne of this realme, through Goddes goodnes, shall remayne in the right line of Kinge Henrye viiith, and so thereby the curious and dangerous questions of the righte succession (which is now the grounde of all mischiefe,) shall, in the mindes of quiet subjectes, bee, as it weare, buried, a happie funerall to all Englande: and for the other sorte, duringe the tyme of this reasonable hope of havinge children by her Matie, the moste parte of subjectes that have not yet manifested them selves to bee overmuche dedicated to a future prince, wilbe afraid to geeve eny open chaunge of mynde towardes eny other, so as in this tyme, and by this good meanes manye daungerous practizes wilbe forborne and lye dedde. Whereof thies followinge are the principall:

1. The intention to advaunce the Q. of Scotts title, present or future, bee yt for ambition to bee promoted by her, or for disdayne to the Q. or suche unloiall affection.

2. The purpose also (if eny such shalbee,) to revive the mariage beetweene here and the Duke of Norfolke, which shall no waye bee so well stayed as by the Q. mariage, and thereby also shall all other mightie persons that otherwayes shoulde seeke the mariage of the said Q. bee withdrawen from ernest pursuinge thereof.

3. The comforters of discontented subjectes and rebelles, whose hole hope of prosperitie dependith uppon the succes of a chaunge of the Q. raigne, in respecte of papistrye and of theire former rebellion, thereby to be restored to their states and countries.

4. Itm, when God shall geeve to the realme his blessinge by havinge of issue by the Q. the joye wilbe so greate to good subjectes, and the greefe to the evill, that shee shall, as yt weare, a newe life putt into the hartes and bodyes of her good subjectes; yea, the evell and frowarde will appeare in the leeknes of good subjectes, and so shall here Matie bee free from inwarde care and solicitude, which otherwayes shall oppres her greatly. Then shall not here Matie feare eny matches of mariage of the Q. of Scottes, as nowe shee hath greate cause to dooe; nor eny practize of trowble within the realme by rebelles or discontented persons, so as God bee thanked for his blessinge, and lawes observed by good and indifferent administration of justice, and honorable, good and vertuous persons promoted and rewarded. Then shall there bee no cause to feare the attemptes of other princes, if amitie bee observed towarde them, which may bee easelie kepte, consideringe there shall not bee suche neede to use the devises and preparations that hitherto haue bynne invented and prepared, onlie for feare of annoyance of the realme by forrynne enterprises.

IV. The seconde consideration of here mariage, with whome it may bee meete for here to marye.

This parte consisteth opon thies pointes : that, what person is meetest for here, and what person is meetest for the realme, and what for both joyntlie.

The principall pointe for the first is, that the partie bee suche as shee may beste leke of to her owne contentation, and for her satisfaction manny respectes shalbee required; and that all cannot be fulfilled, as it is not leekely there canne be in any one person: yeat the mariage is so necessarie and profitable both for here and the realme, as it may not be deferred for lacke of some of those respectes, but to allowe of that person that may bringe contentation to hir, with moste of the same respectes, or with the best of them.

If here Matie shall disclose here mynde in the remembrance of thies respectes, then the consideration must bee hadd in perusinge the same both their nomber and for the waight and value, and therewith to make choise of the best that may be attayned. Whearein no man shalbee able to conceaue what in deede shalbee best as hir selfe, and yet conjecturable.

It maye bee said, first to marrye at home: here Matie thereby may bee most assured aforehande of the qualities of the person, and so satisfie those respectes that pertayne to that partye without farther disquisition.

Shee may also with more facilite directe suche a person in all his actions, for althoughe hee shall by matrimonye be her hedde, yet by the lawes of this realme and by pollicye hee shalbee in the nature of here subjecte, and here Matie shall thereby avoyde the mislikinge that comonlie this nation hath of a straunger.

Besides this, here Matie may so order hir proceedinge in mariage with here subjecte, as shee may procure by good meanes that here estates may well allowe of yt.

To marrye a forryner, and one of the Kynges bludde, and to Henry Duke speake more perticularly at this tyme, to marry with the of Anjow. Duke of Anjowe, the Frenche Kynges brother, it is good firste to remember the discommodities thereof, and then the

commodities, and so consequently to gather thereof by comparison sume probable opinion, with aunsweringe to the objections.

Discommodities.

1. Firste, his age is inferior to her Matie, his conditions not yet knowen; his estate and constitution of his bodye not Etas. well understanded; his disposition in religion hitherto Religio. manifested contrarye to here Matie and the order of her realme, wheareof without reformation there cannot but followe notable perilles and disquietnes to here.

2. Secondlie, in that hee is a straunger, and especially in that hee is a Prince and an heire of the Crowne of Fraunce, Succession hee shalbee comonly misliked of the nation of Eng- Crowne of

land.

to the

France.

3. It shalbe also doughted that if hee shoulde not have children by the Q. he mighte, with helpe of his brother, beinge a potent Kynge of Fraunce, incroche to him selfe this Crowne, Usurpation by coller of some gifte from the Pope, bycause he canne of the devise no other title to the same.

Crowne.

4. Itm, if hee shoulde have children, beinge sonnes, and his brother the Kynge of Fraunce shoulde dye without issue, then bothe the kingdoms shoulde resorte to the Q. Maties Union of sonne by the Duke: whereof thoughe the Q. shoulde both Realmes. haue cause of comfort, yeat here olde naturall subjectes, that is the whole nation of Inglande, shall perpetually rewe it; and for feare of suche an accident shall presently mislike of this maryage.

5. Itm, if the Duke shoulde not have children of the Q., and the Scottishe Q. should remayne unmaried, then it might be daunger to the shorteninge of here Maties life, lest some insinuation might lighte into the harte of the Duke to attaine to the mariage of the Q. of Scottes, as heereby to contynue Affectation the possession of the crowne of Inglande, and to con- of the Scott joyne all the kingdoms of Englande, Scotlande and mariage. Ireland together in his owne personne.