BLE SERVANT, MY LORD BELIEVING HIS OWN
DANGER TO BE MUCH LESS THAN HE FOUND IT.

queen, I will not question whether you be to THE LORD OF ST. ALBANS, BACON, TO AN HUMpass for a disinterested man or no; I freely confess myself am not, so I leave it. As for my other writings, you make me very glad of your approbation; the rather because you add a concurrence in opinion with others; for else I might have conceived that affection would, perhaps, have prevailed with you, beyond that which (if your judgment had been neat and free) you could have esteemed. And as for your caution touching the dignity of ecclesiastical persons, I shall not have cause to meet with them, any otherwise than in that some schoolmen have, with excess, advanced the authority of Aristotle. Other occasion I shall have none. But now I have sent you that only part of the whole writing which may perhaps have a little harshness and provocation in it, although I may almost secure myself that if the preface passed so well this will not irritate more; being, indeed, to the preface but as palma ad pugnum. Your own love expressed to me I heartily embrace; and hope that there will never be occasion of other than entireness between us, which nothing but majores charitates shall ever be able to break off.

SIR FRANCIS BACON TO A FRIEND, IN REFLEC-
TION UPON SOME ASTROLOGERS IN ITALY.

SIR, I write to you chiefly now to the end that, by the continuance of my acquaintance with you, by letters, you may perceive how much I desire, and how much I do not despair of the recontinuance of our acquaintance by conversation. In the mean time, I wish you would desire the astronomers of Italy to amuse us less than they do with their fabulous and foolish traditions, and come nearer to the experiments of sense; and tell us that when all the planets, except the moon, are beyond the line in the other hemisphere for six months together, we must needs have a cold winter, as we saw it was the last year. For, understanding that this was general over all these parts of the world, and finding that it was cold weather with all winds, and namely west wind, I imagined there was some higher cause of this effect; though yet, I confess, I thought not that ever I should have found that cause so palpable a one as it proved: which yet, when I came quickly afterwards to observe, I found also very clearly, that the summer must needs be cold too; though, yet, it were generally thought that the year would make a shift to pay itself; and that we should be sure to have heats for our cold. You see that though I be full of business, yet I can be glad rather to lay it all aside than to say nothing to you. But I long much more to be speaking often with you, and I hope I shall not long want my wish

SIR, I say to you, upon the occasion which you give me in your last, modicæ fixi quare dubitasti? I would not have my friends (though I know it to be out of love) too apprehensive, either of me, or for me. For I thank God, my ways are sound and good, and I hope God will bless me in them. When once my master, and afterwards myself, were both of us in extremity of sickness, (which was no time to dissemble,) I never had so great pledges and certainties of his love and favour: and that which I knew then, such as took a little poor advantage of these latter times, know since. As for the nobleman who passed that way by you, I think he is fallen out with me for his pleasure, or else, perhaps, to make good some of his own mistakings: for he cannot in his heart but think worthily of my affection and well deserving towards him; and as for me, I am very sure that I love his nature and parts.

MY LORD OF ST. ALBANS, BACON, TO THE SAME
HUMBLE SERVANT, EMPLOYING HIM TO DO A
GOOD OFFICE WITH ΑΝΟΤHER GREAT MAN.

SIR, I have received your letter, wherein you mention some passages at large concerning the lord you know of. You touched also that point in a letter which you wrote upon my lord's going over, which I answered; and am a little doubtful whether mine ever came to your hands. It is true that I wrote a little sullenly therein; how I conceived that my lord was a wise man in his own way, and perhaps thought it fit for him to be out with me; for, at least, I found no cause thereof in myself. As for the latter of these points, I am of the same judgment still; but for the former, I perceive, by what you write, that it is merely some misunderstanding of his. And I do a little marvel, at the instance which had relation to that other crabbed man; for I conceived that both in passing that book, and (as I remember) two more, immediately after my lord's going over, I had showed more readiness than many times I use in like cases. But, to conclude, no man hath thought better of my lord than I have done. I know his virtues, and, namely, that he hath much greatness of mind, which is a thing almost lost amongst men; nor can anybody be more sensible and remembering than I am of his former favours, so that I shall be most glad of his friendship; neither are the past occasions, in my opinion, such as need either reparation or declaration, but may well go under the title of nothing. Now, I had rather you dealt between us than anybody else, because you are no way drenched in any man's humour. Of other things at another time; but this I was forward to write, in the midst of more | honour, in the opinion of all them who hear how business than ever I had.

circumstance of endeavour, or the stroke of a pulse A LETTER OF SIR FRANCIS BACON TO A SERVANT in demonstration of your affection to me, doth infinitely tie me to you. Commend my service to my friend. The rest to-morrow, for I hope to lodge at London this night, &c.

THE LORD ST. ALBANS TO THE LORD TREASURER loss of much. Your company was ever of con

MISCELLANEOUS LETTERS.

it may be, when her majesty hath tried others, she will think of him that she hath cast aside. For, I will take it upon that which her majesty hath often said, that she doth reserve me, and not reject me. And so I leave your good lordship to God's good preservation.

I do well like the course they take, which is, in every kind to set down, as in beer, in wine, in beef, in muttons, in corn, &c., what cometh to the king's use, and then what is spent, and lastly what may be saved. This way, though it be not so accusative, yet it is demonstrative. Nam rectum est index sui et obliqui, and the false manner of accounting, and where the gain cleaveth will appear after by consequence. I humbly pray his majesty to pardon me for troubling him with these imperfect glances, which I do, both because I Mr. Fr. Bacon, his contentation to leave the solicitor- know his majesty thinketh long to understand

Your lordship's much bounden

From Twickenham Park, this. 20th of May, 1595.

ship.

Endorsed,

FR. BACON.

TO SIR GEORGE VILLIERS.*

SIR, I think I cannot do better service towards the good estate of the kingdom of Ireland, than

to procure the king to be well served in the emi-
nent places of law and justice; I shall, therefore,
name unto you for the attorney's place there, or
for the solicitor's place, if the new solicitor shall
go up, a gentleman of mine own breeding and
framing, Mr. Edward Wyrthington, of Gray's
Inn; he is born to eight hundred pounds a year;
he is the eldest son of a most severe justicer
amongst the recusants of Lancashire, and a man
most able for law and speech, and by
in the king's causes. My lord deputy, by my
description, is much in love with the man. I hear
my Lord of Canterbury and Sir Thomas Laque
should name one Sir John Beare, and some other
mean men. This man I commend upon my credit,
for the good of his majesty's service. God ever
preserve and prosper you. I rest

July 2, 1616.

Your most devoted and

me

most bounden servant,

somewhat, and lest his majesty should conceive, that he multiplying honours and favours upon me, I should not also increase and redouble my endeavours and cares for his service. God ever bless,

preserve, and prosper his majesty and your lord-
ship, to whom I ever remain

Your true and most devoted servant,
FR. BACON, C. S.

Jan. 16, 1617.

TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE LORD
KEEPER, &c.

IT MAY PLEASE YOUR GOOD LORDSHIP,
Not able to attend your lordship myself before
of an

your going to the court, by reason trained

FR. BACON.

TO THE MARQUIS OF BUCKINGHAM.+ MY VERY GOOD LORD,

I write now only, rather in a kind of continuance and fresh suit, upon the king's business, than that the same is yet ripe either for advertisement or advice.

The subcommissioners meet forenoon and afternoon with great diligence, and without distraction or running several ways; which if it be no more than necessary, what would less have done? that is, if there had been no subcommissioners, or they not well chosen.

I speak with Sir Lionel Cranfield as cause requireth either for account or direction, and as far as I can, by the taste I have from him, discern, probably their service will attain, and may exceed his majesty's expectation.

ague,

which offered me a fit on Wednesday morning, but since, by abstinence, I thank God, I have starved it, so as now he hath turned his back, I am chasing him away with a little physic, I thought good to write these few words to your lordship; partly to signify my excuse, if need be, that I assisted not Mr. Attorney on Thursday last in the Star Chamber, at which time, it is some comfort to me, that I hear by relation somewhat was generally taken hold of by the court which I formerly had opened and moved; and partly to express a little my conceit touching the news which your lordship last told me from the queen, concerning a condition in law knit to an interest, which your lordship remembereth, and is supposed to be broken by misfeyance. Wherein surely my mind, as far as it appertaineth to me, is this, that as I never liked not so much as the coming in upon a lease by way of forfeiture, so I am so much enemy to myself as I take no contentment in any such hope of advantage. For as your lordship can give me best testimony, that I never in my life propounded any such like motion, though I have been incited thereto; so the world will hardly believe, but that it is underhand quickened and nourished from me. And, truly, my lord, I would not be thought to supplant any man for great gain; and I humbly pray your lordship to continue your commendations and countenance to me in the course of the queen's service that I am entered into: which, when it shall