LETTER CCCCXL. THE BISHOP OF DURHAM TO THE ARCHBISHOP OF Salutem in Christo Jesu. MOST REVEREND FATHER IN GOD, IT could not but be unto me a matter of exceeding joy, to receive that worthy monument of your learning and pains, and pledge of love unto myself, although somewhat abated at the reading of the decay of sight, by reason of old age, wherein we symbolize, and, I am sure, sympathize together, and may say with Tully, "omnes senectutem exoptant, eandem accusant adeptam.” Whereupon we may conclude with the wisest of men, if we look backwards, All is vanity of vanities, and, if we look to our present age, with his father that it is but labour and travail; and, if we shall presage the future, which is like to be worse and worse, to be a vexation and torment unto Let us therefore bless God that we are so nigh unto our nunc dimittis, which may work in us that cupio dissolvi, and, which is the best of all, to be with Christ, and to be dissolved from our tabernacle of sin by death, and that world which is set on mischief. My lord, when I compare both our estates, knowing that mors vitam aufert et effert, my earnest wish is, that I may have the privilege of my age, for otherwise I know it would be a torment unto me. For a man truly affected doth, in a manner, die at the death of a friend; however, the hope and confidence we have in the promise of God, in Christ our Redeemer, us. will conquer all reluctancy, that we may depart in that peace, which passeth all understanding of man. I must conclude, commending your Grace to the protection of the Almighty, to the glory of his saving grace, in Christ Jesus, I am your Grace's, In all dutiful acknowledgment, TH. DURESM. LETTER CCCCXLI. SIR THOMAS RYVES TO THE ARCHBISHOP OF ARMAGH, MOST REVEREND, AND MY VERY SINGULAR GOOD Lord, YOUR letter of the 26th of August last, I long since received, and truly with so much joy, as I am not able, or, if I were, yet should not be for very shame willing to express, both in that you were pleased to accept of my poor endeavours in the translation of this your most learned work, and also for that you were pleased in so many parts of your letter to rectify my straying judgment. I sent up afterwards fifteen sheets more to Mr. Crooke, but without any like doubts, as with the former, for that I understood then there was no possibility that they should have come to your hand before your return to London. But with these that I now send up, I have made bold to send the like here enclosed to your lordship, humbly praying you to look on them with the same eye as you did the other; nor shall it be long, God willing, before I send up the last part of this your work, though I understand that the translation goeth not to the press yet a while. But, my good lord, I shall humbly pray you to help me to more work against that be ended, for happily your second part will not be gone in hand with these many months, and St. Paul's rule will, in the mean while, take hold of me, Qui non laborat non manducet. So with my hearty prayer to Almighty God for the continuance of your life and health to go on in this great work which you have in hand, I humbly take leave, and rest, my lord, Your most humble devoted son and servant, T. R. LETTER CCCCXLII. MR. ROBERT VAUGHAN TO THE ARCHBISHOP OF ARMAGH, REVEREND FATHER, 1 HUMBLY Commend me unto you, &c. By reason of the unexpected coming of the bearer unto me, and his occasions being such as he could not give me any time to write unto you what I intended, concerning Ninius and Giraldus, the which, lest you should have some use of them, I return unto you by the bearer, without blot or blemish by my negligence, but with many thanks for your kind respects in communicating of them unto me: I am driven, therefore, to pass by, for the present, some things observed in those books, which I intended to crave your judgment in, and to leave them to my next letter. Not ceasing, in the mean time, to be troublesome unto you, for I desire that you will lend me, if you can spare it, your copy of the fragment which Richard Davies, bishop of St. David's, sent to Matthew Parker, who left a copy thereof in Benet college library, in Cambridge, or the transcript of the book of Landaff, and I shall be careful of them, and return them safe, God willing. So, recommending you to God's blessing I ever rest, Your most assured loving friend and servant, Hengwrt, the 6th day of November, 1651. ROBERT VAUGHAN. LETTER CCCCXLIII. ALEXANDER MORUS TO THE ARCHBISHOP OF ARMAGH. REVERENDISSIMO AC SUMMO VIRO DIGNISSIMOque PræSULI JACOBO USSERIO ARCHIEPISCOPO ARMACHANO, TOTIUS HIBERNIE PRIMATI, ALEXANDER MORUS, S. P. D. JAM diu nihil mihi gratius contingere memini, Venerande Pater, quam quod scripsit ad me nuper Deodatus noster vivere te non immemorem mei; at neque male interpretari Calvinum nostrum tuo dicatum nomini. Quod an ita esset, licet anxie ac propemodum ambitiose percontari non desierim, hactenus rescire non potueram. Atque adeo (fatebor enim) subveritus eram, ne quis eorum quos mihi male faventes nimis expertus sum, pro sua cætera iniquitate animum a me tuum avertere molitus esset. Hac me liberavit sollicitudine, quanquam unde nescio, missum ad me volumen illud tuum Chronologicum, opus quantivis pretii, ex quo magnum profiteor me cepisse utilitatis fructum, atque utinam tibi pertexere, nobis partem quoque alteram primo quoque tempore usurpare liceat. Alia sunt majoris fortasse gloriæ, vix quicquam fructuosius. Beabis Ecclesiam Dei et obstringes memoria beneficii sempiterna. Quod aperire tibi coram et pectus hoc totum in primis votis habui, sed rerum vices, quas experimur etiam nos, hane mihi felicitatem inviderunt. Ne scribere quidem licuit ignaro penitus rerum tuarum et gratias agere pro Cimelio illo; nescio an tuo vel jussu vel dono (suspicari tamen libet), ad me tradito. Certe nullo ære meo redemptum ornat bibliothecam meam. Quicquid id est, quod vana formidine sum imbutus, quod non tibi prorsus excidi memoria, quod |