"for the fettlement of peace in Chriften"dom; and that he doubted not but "that the French King, and divers other 66 princes, would join to affist in so good a "work; and, in the mean time, the fin "of this breach, both with his and the "Venetian dominions, muft of neceffity "lie at the Pope's door."

In this contention (which lafted almost two years) the Pope grew ftill higher, and the Venetians more and more refolved and careless; ftill acquainting King James with their proceedings, which was done by the help of Sir Henry Wotton, Mr. Bedel, and Padre Paulo, whom the Venetians did then call to be one of their confulters of ftate, and with his pen to defend their juft caufe: which was by him fo performed, that the Pope faw plainly he had weakened his power by exceeding it, and offered the Venetians abfolution upon very easy terms; which the Venetians ftill flighting, did at last obtain by that which was fcarce fo much as a fhew of acknowledging it: for they made an order, that in that day in which

they

they were abfolved, there fhould be no public rejoicing, nor any bonfires that night, left the common people might judge, that they defired an abfolution, or were abfolved for committing a fault.

These contests were the occafion of Padre Paulo's knowledge and interest with King James; for whose fake principally Padre Paulo compiled that eminent hiftory of the remarkable council of Trent; which hiftory was, as fast as it was written, fent in several sheets in letters by Sir Henry Wotton, Mr. Bedel, and others, unto King James, and the then Bishop of Canterbury, into England, and there first made public, both in English and in the universal language.

For eight years after Sir Henry Wotton's going into Italy, he ftood fair and highly valued in the King's opinion; but at last became much clouded by an accident, which I shall proceed to relate.

At his firft going ambaffador into Italy, as he paffed through Germany, he stayed fome days at Augufta, where having been

in his former travels well known by many of the best note for learning and ingeniousness, (those that are esteemed the virtuofi of that nation,) with whom he paffing an evening in merriments, was requested by Christopher Flecamore to write fome fentence in his Albo; (a book of white paper, which for that purpose many of the German gentry ufually carry about them:) and Sir Henry Wotton confenting to the motion, took an occafion, from fome accidental difcourfe of the prefent company, to write a pleasant definition of an ambaffador in these very words:

"Legatus eft vir bonus peregrè miffus ad mentien"dum reipublicæ caufâ."

Which Sir Henry Wotton could have been content fhould have been thus Englifhed:

"An ambaffador is an honeft man, fent to lie abroad "for the good of his country."

But the word for lie (being the hinge upon which the conceit was to turn) was not fo expreffed in Latin, as would admit (in the hands of an enemy especially) fo

fair a construction as Sir Henry thought in English. Yet as it was, it flept quietly among other fentences in this Albo, almost eight years, till by accident it fell into the hands of Jafper Scioppius, a Romanift, a man of a restless spirit and a malicious pen; who, with books against King James, prints this as a principle of that religion profeffed by the King, and his ambaffador Sir Henry Wotton, then at Venice; and in Venice it was presently after written in feveral glass-windows, and spitefully declared to be Sir Henry Wotton's.

This coming to the knowledge of King James, he apprehended it to be fuch an overfight, fuch a weakness, or worse, in Sir Henry Wotton, as caused the King to express much wrath against him and this caused Sir Henry Wotton to write two Apologies, one to Velferus (one of the chiefs of Augufta) in the univerfal language, which he caused to be printed, and given and scattered in the most remarkable places both of Germany and Italy, as an antidote against the ve

nomous

nomous books of Scioppius; and another Apology to King James; which were both fo ingenious, fo clear, and fo choicely eloquent, that his Majefty (who was a pure judge of it) could not forbear, at the receipt thereof, to declare publicly, "That Sir Henry Wotton had commuted "fufficiently for a greater offence."

And now, as broken bones well fet become stronger, fo Sir Henry Wotton did not only recover, but was much more confirmed in his Majefty's estimation and favour than formerly he had been.

And as that man of great wit and useful fancy (his friend Dr. Donne) gave in a will of his (a will of conceits) his reputation to his friends, and his industry to his foes, because from thence he received both; fo those friends, that in this time. of trial laboured to excufe this facetious freedom of Sir Henry Wotton's, were to him more dear, and by him more highly valued and thofe acquaintance, that urged this as an advantage against him, caufed him by this error to grow both more wife, and (which is the best fruit

error