though the other had been more orderly, yet that is as usual, and both alike good in law.

For Roper's place, I would have it by all means despatched; and therefore I marvel it lingereth. It were no good manners to take the business out of my lord treasurer's hands; and therefore I purpose to write to his lordship, if I hear not from him first by Mr. Deccomb. But if I hear of any delay, you will give me leave, especially since the king named me, to deal with Sir John Roper myself; for neither I nor my lord treasurer can deserve any great thanks of you in this business, considering the king hath spoken to Sir John Roper, and he hath promised; and, besides, the thing itself is so reasonable as it ought to be as soon done as said. I am now gotten into the country to my house, where I have some little liberty to think of that I would think of, and not of that which other men hourly break my head withal, as it was at London. Upon this you may conclude, that most of my thoughts are of his majesty; and then you cannot be far off. God ever keep you, and prosper you. I rest always

Your true and most devoted servant,

Aug. 5, one of the happiest days, 1616.

BY KING JAMES.

FR. BACON.

faction of justice, and example to others: we being always graciously inclined to temper mercy with justice, and calling to mind his former good services, and how well and profitably he hath spent his time since his trouble, are pleased to remove from him that blot of ignominy which yet remaineth upon him, of incapacity and disablement; and to remit to him all penalties whatsoever inflicted by that sentence. ing therefore formerly pardoned his fine, and released his confinement, these are to will and require you to prepare, for our signature, a bill containing a pardon, in due form of law, of the whole sentence; for which this shall be your sufficient warrant.

Hav

MR. FRANCIS BACON TO THE EARL OF ESSEX.*

MY LORD, I did almost conjecture, by your silence and countenance, a distaste in the course I imparted to your lordship touching mine own fortune; the care whereof in your lordship as it is no news to me, so, nevertheless, the main effects and demonstrations past are so far from dulling in me the sense of any new, as, contrariwise, every new refresheth the memory of many past. And for the free and loving advice your lordship hath given me, I cannot correspond to the same with greater duty, than by assuring your lordship, that I will not dispose of myself without your allow

VENTRY, OUR ATTORNEY-GENERAL.

Trusty and well beloved, we greet you well:

Whereas, our right trusty and right well beloved cousin, the Viscount of St. Alban, upon a sentence given in the Upper House of Parliament full three years since, and more, hath endured

any man in his own matters, to rest in the wisdom of a friend, (for who can by often looking in the glass discern and judge so well of his own favour as another with whom he converseth?) but also because my affection to your lordship hath made mine own contentment inseparable from your satisfaction. But, notwithstanding, I

also for a great time, which may suffice for the satis

* Sir John Roper, who had for many years enjoyed the place of the chief clerk for enrolling of pleas in the court of King's Bench, esteemed to be worth about four thousand

pounds per annum, being grown old, was prevailed with to surrender it upon being created Lord Teynham, with a reservation of the profits thereof to himself during life. Upon which surrender, Sir George Villiers was to have the office granted to two of his trustees for their lives, as Carr, Earl of Somerset, was to have had before. But the Lord Chief Justice Coke not being very forward to accept of the surrender, or make a new grant of it upon those terms, he was, upon the 3d of October, 1616, commanded to desist from the service of this place, and at last removed from it upon the 15th of November following. His successor, Sir Henry Montagu,

third son of Sir Edward Montagu, of Boughton in Northamp

tonshire, recorder of London, and king's sergeant, being more complaisant, Sir John Roper resigned, towards the latter end of the same month; and Mr Shute, and Mr. Heath, who was afterwards the king's solicitor-general, being the

that I use my liberty of replying, and I do almost assure myself, that your lordship will rest persuaded by the answer of those reasons which your lordship vouchsafed to open. They were two, the one, that I should include

April, 1593.

* *

The rest of the letter is wanting.

*

THE EARL OF ESSEX TO MR. FRANCIS BACON.+

MR. BACON, Your letter met me here yesterday. When I came, I found the queen so wayward, as I thought it no fit time to deal with her in any sort, especially since her choler grew to wards myself, which I have well satisfied this day, and will take the first opportunity I can to

THE EARL OF ESSEX TO MR. FRANCIS BACON.*

SIR:-I have now spoken with the queen, and I see no stay from obtaining a full resolution of that we desire. But the passion she is in by reason of the tales that have been told her against Nicholas Clifford, with whom she is in such rage, for a matter, which I think you have heard of, doth put her infinitely out of quiet; and her passionate humour is nourished by some foolish women. Else I find nothing to distaste us, for she doth not contradict confidently; which they that know the minds of women, say is a sign of yielding. I will to-morrow take more time to deal with her, and will sweeten her with all the art I have to make benevolum auditorem. I have already spoken with Mr. Vice-Chamberlain, and will to-morrow speak with the rest. Of Mr. Vice-Chamberlain you may assure yourself; for so much he hath faithfully promised me. The exceptions against the competitors I will use tomorrow; for then I do resolve to have a full and large discourse, having prepared the queen tonight to assign me a time under colour of some such business, as I have pretended. In the mean time I must tell you, that I do not respect either my absence, or my showing a discontentment in going away, for I was received at my return, and I think I shall not be the worse. And for that I am oppressed with multitude of letters that are come, of which I must give the queen some account to-morrow morning, I therefore desire to be excused for writing no more to-night: tomorrow you shall hear from me again. I wish you what you wish yourself in this and all things else, and rest

Your most affectionate friend,
ESSEX.

This Friday at night.

Endorsed, March 29, 1594.

MR. FRANCIS BACON TO THE EARL OF ESSEX. My LORD, I thank your lordship very much for your kind and comfortable letter, which I hope will be followed at hand with another of more And I must confess this very delay

hath gone so near me, as it hath almost over thrown my health; for when I revolved the good memory of my father, the near degree of alliance I stand in to my lord treasurer, your lordship's so signalled and declared favour, the honourable testimony of so many counsellors, the commendations unlaboured, and in sort offered by my lords the judges and the master of the rolls elect;* that I was voiced with great expectation, and, though I say it myself, with the wishes of most men, to the higher place;f that I am a man, that the queen hath already done for; and that princes, especially her majesty, love to make an end where they begin; and then add hereunto the obscureness and many exceptions to my competitors: when I say I revolve all this, I cannot but conclude with myself, that no man ever read a more exquisite disgrace; and, therefore, truly, my lord, I was determined, if her majesty reject me, this to do. My nature can take no evil ply; but I will, by God's assistance, with this disgrace of my fortune, and yet with that comfort of the good opinion of so many honourable and worthy persons, retire myself with a couple of men to Cambridge, and there spend my life in my studies and contemplations without looking back. I humbly pray your lordship to pardon me for troubling you with my melancholy. For the matter itself, I commend it to your love; only I pray you communicate afresh this day with my lord treasurer and Sir Robert Cecil; and if you esteem my fortune, remember the point of precedency. The objections to my competitors your lordship knoweth partly. I pray spare them not, not over the queen, but to the great ones, to show your confidence, and to work their distrust. Thus, longing exceedingly to exchange troubling your lordship with serving you, I rest

Your lordship's,

in most entire and faithful service, FRANCIS BACON.

March 30, 1594.

I humbly pray your lordship I may hear from you some time this day.

MR. FRANCIS BACON TO SIR ROBERT CECIL.‡ MY MOST HONOURABLE GOOD COUSIN,

Your honour in your wisdom doth well perceive, that my access at this time is grown desperate in regard of the hard terms, that as well the Earl of Essex as Mr. Vice-Chamberlain, who were to have been the means thereof, stand in with her majesty, according to their occasions. And, therefore, I am only to stay upon that point of

EARL OF ESSEX TO MR. FRANCIS BACON.*

and upon whom now, in my Lord of Essex's absence, I have only to rely; and, if it be needful, I humbly pray you to move my lord your father to lay his hand to the same delay. And so I wish you all increase of honour.

Your honour's poor kinsman,

in faithful service and duty,
FRANCIS BACON.

From Gray's Inn, this Ist of May 1591.

SIR ROBERT CECIL'S ANSWER.*

COUSIN, I do think nothing cut the throat more of your present access than the earl's being somewhat troubled at this time. For the delaying I think it not hard, neither shall there want my

ciency proved to me not only by your last argument, but by the opinion of all men I spake withal, and the point of mine own satisfaction, which, I protested, should be exceeding great, if, for all her unkindness and discomforts past, she should do this one thing for my sake. To the first she answered, that the greatness of your friends, as of my lord treasurer and myself, did make men give a more favourable testimony than else they would do, thinking thereby they pleased us. And that she did acknowledge you had a great wit, and an excellent gift of speech, and much other good learning. But in law she rather thought you could make show to the uttermost of your knowledge, than that you were deep. To the second she said, she showed her mislike to the suit, as well as I had done my affection in it; and that if there were a yielding, it was fitter to be of my

you shall not need to doubt by the judgment, which I gather of divers circumstances confirming my opinion. I protest I suffer with you in mind, that you are thus gravelled; but time will founder all your competitors, and set you on your feet, or else I have little understanding.

EARL OF ESSEX TO MR. FRANCIS BACON.

SIR, I wrote not to you till I had had a second conference with the queen, because the first was spent only in compliments: she in the beginning excepted all business: this day she hath seen me again. After I had followed her humour in talking of those things, which she would entertain me with, I told her, in my absence I had written to Sir Robert Cecil, to solicit her to call you to that place, to which all the world had named you; and being now here, I must follow it myself; for I know what service I should do her in procuring you the place; and she knew not how great a comfort I should take in it. Her answer in playing just was, that she came not to me for that, I should talk of those things when I came to her, not when she came to me; the term was coming, and she would advise. I would have replied, but she stopped my mouth. To-morrow or the next day I will go to her, and then this excuse will be taken away. When I know more, you shall hear more; and so I end full of pain in my head, which makes me write thus confusedly.

which she might deny me all things, if she did not grant them at the first, which was not her manner to do. But her majesty had made me suffer and give way in many things else; which all I should bear, not only with patience, but with great contentment, if she would but grant my humble suit in this one. And for the pretence of the approbation given you upon partiality, that all the world, lawyers, judges, and all, could not be partial to you; for somewhat you were crossed for their own interest, and some for their friends; but yet all did yield to your merit. She did in this as she useth in all, went from a denial to a delay, and said, when the council were all here, she would think of it; and there was no haste in determining of the place. To which I answered, that my sad heart had need of hasty comfort; and, therefore, her majesty must pardon me, if I were hasty and importunate in it. When they come we shall see what will be done; and I wish you all happiness, and rest