Anthony Weldon

Section 1 of The Court and Character of King James, whereunto is now added the Court of King Charles.

the court and character of king james whereunto is now added the court of king charles by anthony weldon the court and character of king james whereunto is now added the court of king charles continued unto the beginning of these unhappy times with some observations upon him instead of a character collected and perfected by sir a w published by authority printed at london by r i and are to be sold by j collins in little britain sixteen fifty one to my most honoured and truly noble lady the lady elizabeth sidley of south fleet madam i here present you with an epitome of some secret passages in the whole reign of one king part of another's of which myself have been either an ear or eye-witness or from the testimony of such as have been authors or actors, therefore unquestionable truths.

It is the conception and birth of four days, with the help of some scattered papers as a midwife, to bring them into the world.

Being therefore but an embryon, you cannot expect any perfect shape, but what it wants in that you shall find in the most perfect form of undeniable truth.

Yet by his favour it appeared but a copy of his countenance.

for it had been but hazarding hanging to have disobeyed my lord's commandment, and it had been infinite odds he had not been hanged, having to friend him the House of Suffolk, nor would he have been so sensible of it had he not been of the Spanish faction and that a Dutch ship.

section four of the court and character of king james whereunto is now added the court of king charles by anthony weldon the court of king james part three now did those great managers of the state of which salisbury was chief after they had packed the cards began to deal the government of the kingdom amongst themselves and persuaded the king to leave the stake affairs to them and to betake himself to some country recreations which they found him addicted unto for the city and business did not agree with him to that end purchase built and prepared at newmarket and royston and this pleased the king's humour well rather that he might enjoy his favourite with more privacy than that he loved the sports then must theobald's be in his own possession as not fit for a king to be beholding to a subject for an house of daily use but because the king had so much want of monies to express his love and bounty to his native nation salisbury would exchange and take land for his house and park in which exchange he made such an advantage that he sold his house for fifty years purchase and that so cunningly as hardly to be discerned but by a curious sight for he fleeted off the cream of the king's manners in many counties not only two lying in any one county and made choice of the most in the remotest counties only built his nest at hatfield within the county where his father had built his yet kept he still the house of theobalds for he and his posterity were to be perpetual keepers of that house and many parks adjacent by this he not only showed his wisdom for his own benefit but to the world, what the king's natural disposition was to be easily abused and would take counterfeit coin for current payment.

And to fit the king's humour and dissolve him in that delight he was most addicted to, as well as to serve souls for his own ends and satisfy his revenge upon some neighbour gentleman that formerly would not sell him some convenient parcels of land neighbouring on the obolds, he puts the king on enlarging the