of do your Majesty humble service, to the best of my power, and and in a manner beyond my power, (as I now stand) I am not so unfortunate but your Majesty knoweth. For both in the commission of Union, (the labour whereof, for men of my profession, rested most upon my hand,) and this last Parliament, in the bill of the Subsidy (both body and preamble); in the bill of Attainders, both Tresham and the rest; in the matter of Purveyance; in the Ecclesiastical Petitions; in the Grievances, and the like; as I was ever careful (and not without good success) sometimes to put forward that which was good, sometimes to keep back that which was not so good; so your Majesty was pleased to accept kindly of my services, and to say to me, such conflicts were the wars of peace, and such victories the victories peace; and therefore such servants that obtained them were by kings, that reign in peace, no less to be esteemed than services of commanders in the wars. In all which nevertheless I can challenge to myself no sufficiency, but that I was diligent and reasonable happy to execute those directions, which I received either immediately from your royal mouth, or from my Lord of Salisbury. At which time it pleased your Majesty also to promise and assure me, that upon the remove of the then Attorney I should not be forgotten, but brought into ordinary place. And this was after confirmed to me by many of my Lords; and towards the end of the last term, the manner also in particular was spoken of; that is, that Mr. Solicitor should be made your Majesty's Serjeant, and I Solicitor; for so it was thought best to sort with both our gifts and faculties for the good of your service. And of this resolution both court and country took knowledge. Neither was this any invention or project of my own; but moved from my Lords, and I think first from my Lord Chancellor. Whereupon resting, your Majesty well knoweth I never opened my mouth for the greater place; although I am sure I had two circumstances, that Mr. Attorney, that now is, could not alledge: the one, nine years service of the crown; the other the being cousin germain to the Lord of Salisbury, whom your Majesty esteemeth and trusteth so much. But for the less place, I conceived it was meant me. But after that Mr. Attorney Hubberd 1 Trinity Term ended on the 10th of July. The letter was probably written during the Long Vacation. * Instead of the last clause, the copy in the Remains' has, " for of my Father's service I will not speak." was placed, I heard no more of my preferment, but it seemed to be at a stop, to my great disgrace and discouragement. For (gracious Sovereign) if still, when the waters are stirred, another shall be put before me, your Majesty had need work a miracle, or else I shall be still a lame man to do your service. And therefore my most humble suit to your Majesty is; that this, which seemed was to me intended, may speedily be performed: and I hope my former services shall be but as beginnings to better, when I am better strengthened. For, sure I am, no man's heart is fuller (I say not but many may have greater hearts, but I say, not fuller) of love and duty towards your Majesty and your children; as I hope time will manifest against envy and detraction, if any be. To conclude, I most humbly crave pardon for my boldness, and rest. A LETTER OF LIKE ARGUMENT TO THE LORD CHANCELLOR.1 It may please your good Lordship, As I conceived it to be a resolution, both with his Majesty and amongst your Lordships of his Council, that I should be placed Solicitor, and the Solicitor to be removed to be the King's Serjeant, so I most thankfully acknowledge your Lordship's furtherance and forwardness therein; your Lordship being the man that first devised the mean. Wherefore my humble request to your Lordship is, that you would set in with some strength to finish this your work; which I assure your Lordship I desire the rather, because being placed I hope, for many favours, at last to be able to do you some better service. For as I am, your Lordship cannot use me, nor scarcely indeed know me. Not that I vainly think I shall be able to do any great matters, but certainly it will frame me to use a nearer 2 observance and application to such as I honour so much as I do your Lordship; and not (I hope) without some good offices, which may now and then deserve your thanks. And herewithal, my good Lord, I humbly pray your Lordship to consider that time groweth precious with me, and that a married man is seven years elder in his thoughts the first day. And therefore what a discomfortable thing is it for me to be unsettled still? Certainly, were it not that I think myself born to do my Sovereign service (and theremore industrious: Rem. 1 Add. MSS. 5503, fo. 37. 2 fore in that station I will live and die), otherwise, for my own private comfort, it were better for me that the King did blot me out of his book, or that I should turn my course to endeavour to serve him in some other kind, than for me to stand thus at a stop, and to have that little reputation which by my industry I gather to be scattered and taken away by continual disgraces, every new man coming above me. Sure I am, I shall never have fairer promises and words from all your Lordships, for I know not what services' (saving that your Lordships told me they were good) and I would believe you in a much greater matter. Were it nothing else, I hope the modesty of my suit deserveth somewhat; for I know the Solicitor's place is not as your Lordship left it; time working alteration, somewhat in the profession, much more in that special place. And were it not to satisfy my wife's friends, and to get myself out of being a common gaze and a speech, I protest before God I would never speak word for it. But to conclude, as my honourable Lady your wife was some mean to make me to change the name of another, so if it please you to help me to change my own name, I can be but more and more bounden to you: and I am much deceived, if your Lordship find not the King well inclined, and my Lord of Salisbury forward and affectionate. A LETTER TO MY LORD OF SALISBURY, TOUCHING THE It may please your good Lordship, I am not ignorant how mean a thing I stand for, in desiring to come into the Solicitor's place. For I know well, it is not the thing it hath been; time having wrought alteration both in the profession, and in that special place. Yet because I think it will increase my practice, and that it may satisfy my friends, and because I have been noised to it, I would be glad it were done. Wherein I may say to your Lordship, in the confidence of your poor kinsman, and of a man by you advanced, Tu idem fer opem, qui spem dedisti: for I am sure it was not possible for 1 So MS. 2 your Lordships all: Rem. TheResuscitatio' has, "For I know not what my services are, saving," etc. 3 This sentence, which is not in the MS. or the Resuscitatio,' is inserted from the Remains.’ any living man to have received from another more significant and comfortable words of hope; your Lordship being pleased to tell me, during the course of my last service, that you would raise me; and that when you had resolved to raise a man, you were more careful of him than himself; and that what you had done for me in my marriage, was a benefit to me, but of no use to your Lordship; and therefore I might assure myself, you would not leave me there; with many like speeches, which I know my duty too well to take hold of otherwise than by a thankful remembrance.1 And I know, and all the world knoweth, that your Lordship is no dealer of holy water, but noble and real; and on my part I am of a sure ground that I have committed nothing that may deserve alteration.3 And therefore my hope is, your Lordship will finish a good work, and consider that time groweth precious with me, and that I am now vergentibus annis. And although I know your fortune is not to need an hundred such as I am, yet I shall be ever ready to give you my best and first fruits; and to supply (as much as in me lieth) worthiness by thankfulness. What answer Bacon received to these letters, or what was thought of them, we do not know. We know only that the proposed arrangement did not go forward at that time, and that he continued as he was for half a year longer; when he appears at last to have received a distinct promise of promotion to the Solicitorship whenever Doderidge should be removed.4 4. About this time Bacon lost a private friend, for whom he appears to have had a great regard,-Jeremiah Bettenham, a Reader of Gray's Inn. We hear of it by mere accident: for having been appointed one of the executors, and had occasion to write a letter to Sir Thomas Hobby, upon whom it seems that the estate had some claim, the distinction of his own name has had virtue to preserve the letter; which being some years since carried by the chances of time into the possession of the late Mr. Pickering (publisher of Mr. Montagu's edition of Bacon's works), he very kindly, when he heard what I was 1 to take any other hold of than the hold of a thankful remembrance: 'Remains' and Resuscitatio.' 2 and om. in MS. 3 And if I cannot observe you as I would, your Lordship will impute it to my want of experience, which I shall gather better when I am once settled: Rem. 4 Foster to Matthew, Feb. 22, 1606-7. (Dom. James I.) about, showed it to me and allowed me to take a copy for insertion in this collection. The original, which is all in Bacon's own hand, has been sold, I believe, since I saw it; and in whose possession it now remains I do not know. It is printed here from my own copy : but as it was a copy taken by myself and collated with the original by Mr. Pickering and myself together, it may be depended upon for accuracy as much as any other in the book. It is the more valuable as belonging to a class of letters which would not in ordinary cases be kept, and of which therefore we have few specimens. And it is one of those which are of great use to a biographer, as helping him to form a notion of the ordinary manners and familiar behaviour of the man in his private relations: of which as it is impossible to endeavour to follow a man closely through his life without making some kind of picture to oneself, it is of no small importance that the picture shall be something like the original. "Like men, like manners: like breeds like, they say. Kind nature is the best: those manners next That fit us like a nature, second hand : Which are indeed the manners of the great." Judging from this and other letters of the same kind that have come down to us, I imagine Bacon's manners to have been "the best." TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFUL HIS VERY LOVING COUSIN, SIR THOMAS POST, HOBBY.1 Good Cousin: No man knoweth better than yourself what part I bear in grief for Mr. Bettenham's departure. For in good faith I never thought myself at better liberty than when he and I were by ourselves together. His end was Christian and comfortable, in parfite memory and in parfite charity, and the disposition of that he left wise, just, and charitable. For your bonds or bills, I take it they be three, amounting to about nine score pounds; I left them with Mr. Peccam, because of your nearness to me. But I shall be able and will undertake to satisfy your desire that you may take time till Allhallow tide. But then we shall need it, lest we subject ourselves to importunity and clamour. Your privy seal is forthcoming; but no money was by Mr. Bettenham by it received; and if the conduit run, we will come with our pitcher, as you write. Your loving congratulation for my doubled life, as you call it, 1 Youngest son of Bacon's aunt Elizabeth (now Lady Russell) by her first marriage. |