your Lordship that would not condemn me to the Tower I know will not condemn me to the rack.

The pardon I have, though it be a thing trivial, and that at staid. a coronation one might have it for five marks and after a Parliament for nothing, yet have great reason to desire it, specially being now stirred. Two chiefly; first because I have been so safted, and now it is time there were an end. Secondly, because I mean to live a retired life, and so cannot be at hand to shake off every clamour.

For any offence the Parliament should take; it is rather honour, that in a thing wherein the King is absolute, yet he will not interpose in that which the Parliament hath handled, and the King hath already restored judicature, after a long intermission, but for matter of his grace, his Majesty shall have reason to keep it entire.

I do not think any except a Turk or Tartar would wish to have another chop out of me. But the best is, it will be found there is a time for envy and a time for pity, and cold fragments will not serve if the stomach be on edge. For me, if they judge by that which is past, they judge of the weather of this year by an almanack of the old year; they rather repent of that they have done, and think they have but served the turns of a few.

The expected conference did not take place; for Buckingham did not come. And Bacon, being much disappointed and hurt, had an evident difficulty in choosing words to express his feelings in writing; as will be seen by the three letters following, the two first being apparently rejected drafts of the third, which is described by Matthew as an "expostulation with the Duke of Buckingham, wherein he had a great mind to have been very quick."

My Lord,

TO THE MARQUIS OF BUCKINGHAM.2

I say to myself, that your Lordship hath forsaken me, and I think I am one of the last that findeth it, and in nothing more, than that twice at London your Lordship would not vouchsafe to see me, though the latter time I begged it of you. If your

1 Matthew's collection of letters, p. 48.

Gibson Papers, vol. viii. f. 253. Rough draught in Bacon's hand. No fly. leaf. Indorsed "Draught of lre. to Buck. not sent."

1621.] DRAFTS OF AN EXPOSTULATORY LETTER.

315

Lordship take any insatisfaction about York-house, good my Lord, think of it better; for I assure your Lordship, that motion to me was to me as a second sentence; for I conceived it sentenced me to the loss of that which I thought was saved from the former sentence, which is your love and favour. But sure it could not be that pelting matter, but the being out of sight, out of use, and the ill offices done me perhaps by such as have your ear. Thus I think and thus I speak; for I am far enough from any baseness or detracting, but shall ever love and honour you, howsoever I be

Your forsaken friend and freed servant,

FR. ST. ALBAN.

This was too like open war, and (as we learn from the docket) was upon consideration withheld. The next was the same appeal in another temper.

TO THE MARQUIS OF BUCKINGHAM.

My very good Lord,

It is in vain to cure the accidents of a disease, except the cause be found and removed. I know adversity is apprehensive, but I fear it is too true that now I have lost honour, power, profit, and liberty, I have, in the end, lost that which to me was more dear than all the rest, which is my friend. A change there is, apparent and great; and nothing is more sure than that nothing hath proceeded from me since my troubles, either towards your Lordship or towards the world, which hath made me unworthy of your undeserved favours or undesired promises. Good my Lord, deal so nobly with me, as to let me know whether I stand upright in your favour, that either I may enjoy my wonted comfort or see my griefs together, that I may the better order them; though, if your Lordship should never think more of me, yet your former favours bind me to be

Your Lordship's most obliged

and faithful servant,

FR. ST. ALBAN.

1 Gibson Papers, vol. viii. f. 197. Rough draught. No fly-leaf. Indorsed "To Lo. Buck."

This also, though better, I suppose he found on reading it over to be rather too short. He probably thought it more judicious or more becoming to enter a little further into particulars, and the next letter represents the form of expostulation with which it seems he satisfied himself at last.

TO THE MARQUIS OF BUCKINGHAM.1

My very good Lord,

Your Lordship will pardon me, if, in the freedom partly of adversity and partly of former friendship (the sparks whereof cannot but continue), I open myself to your Lordship, and humbly desire also your Lordship to open yourself to me. Your two last acts which you did for me, in procuring the releasement of my fine and my Quietus est, I do acknowledge were effects real and material of your love and favour; which as (to my knowledge) never failed me in my prosperity, so in these two things it seems did not turn with the wheel. But the extent of these two favours is not much more but to keep me from persecution. For any thing further, which might tend to my comfort and subsisting, I cannot say to myself that your Lordship hath forsaken me, but yet I see not the effects of your undeserved, yea and undesired professions and promises; which being made to a person in affliction, have the nature of vows. But that which most of all maketh me doubt of a change or cooling in your Lordship's affection towards me, is, that twice now at my being at London, your Lordship did not vouchsafe to see me; though by messages you had given me hope thereof, and the latter time I had begged it of your Lordship.

The cause of change is either in myself or your Lordship. I ought first to examine myself, which I have done, and God is my witness, I find all well, and that I have approved myself to your Lordship a true friend, both in the watery trial of prosperity and the fiery trial of adversity. If your Lordship take any insatisfaction touching York-house, I pray think better of it. For that motion to me was a second sentence more grievous than the first as things then stood, and do yet stand for it sentenced me to have lost both in mine own opinion and much more in the

1 Gibson Papers, vol. viii. f. 196. Rough draught in Bacon's hand. Docketed "My last lre. to my L. of Buc."

2 The words "from furder plunging in misery or

are crossed out.

1621.] LETTER OF EXPOSTULATION TO BUCKINGHAM.

317

opinion of others, that which was saved to me only in the former sentence, and which was more dear to me than all that was taken from me, which is your Lordship's love and favour. For had it not been for that bitter circumstance, your Lordship knoweth that you might have commanded my life, and all that mine is. But surely it could not be that nor any thing in me which wrought the change. It is like on the other part, that though your Lordship in your nature I know to be generous and constant, yet I being now become out of sight, out of use, your Lordship having a flood of new friends, and your ears possessed perhaps by such as would not leave room for an old; you may, even by the course of the world, and the over-bearing of others, be turned from me, and it were almost a miracle if it should otherwise be. Nevertheless, because your Lordship may have that heroical spirit, as to stand out all these violent assaults, which may have alienated you from your friend, my humble suit to your Lordship is, that remembering our former friendship, which began with your beginnings, and since never failed on my part, your Lordship would deal clearly with me, and let me know whether I continue in your favour; and whether in those poor requests which I may have to his Majesty (whose man I ever was and am) for the attempering of my misery, I may presume to use your Lordship's favour and help as I have done. For otherwise it were a kind of stupidness in me, and a trouble to your Lordship; for me, not to discern the change; for your Lordship, to have an importuner instead of a friend and a suitor. Though howsoever, if your Lordship should never think of me more, yet in respect of your former favours, which cannot altogether be made void, I must remain,

Your Lordship's most obliged friend and

faithful servant,

FR. ST. A.

It will be seen that in this letter Bacon speaks of his Quietus est, that is his pardon, as an act accomplished; from which it may be inferred that since he drew up the notes for the expected conference at York-house (which did not take place), the Bishop's scruples had been overcome and the pardon sealed; though it is rather strange, if the removal of the obstruction as well as the obtaining of the warrant itself was Buckingham's work, that in a letter like this

there should be no special acknowledgment of this latest favour. Is it possible that the necessary direction had been sent to Williams by the King, but not at Buckingham's instance or through his hands? In that case, the silence would be accounted for.

Now we have evidence that on some occasion (though we have no means of knowing exactly what or when) some good office was done for Bacon with the King by Gondomar; and that it was something which "his other friends had either not ventured to attempt or not been able to obtain." We know also that in November, 1621, the King had received good news-or what he considered to be good news of the prospects of the marriage treaty. And if Gondomar, with whom he was in great good humour, took advantage of the happy season to ask him as a favour to let Bacon's pardon pass, nothing is more likely than that he would agree. It is a mere conjecture; but, if true, it explains Bacon's silence in writing to Buckingham, as well as his gratitude to Gondomar expressed in the following undated letter. And the only difficulty which it involves is suggested by another letter addressed to Gondomar after his return to Spain, from which it appears that he had while he remained in England obtained from the King a promise of something for Bacon's benefit, which had not yet been performed. "Cum ea quæ de me promisso tenus præsens impetraveras neque ullam repulsam passa sint neque tamen ad exitum perducta." There is, however, nothing to show that the promise here spoken of was the only service for which Bacon had to thank him. He may have prevailed upon the King to direct Williams to seal the pardon at once, and at the same time to promise some further relief.

ILLUSTRISSIMO

ET

EXCELLENTISSIMO Do. Do. DIDACO SARMIENTO DE ACUNA, COMITI DE GONDOMAR, LEGATO REGIS HISPANIARUM EXTRAORDINARIO IN ANGLIA.

Ill. et exc. D.

Perspexi et agnosco providentiam divinam, quod in tantâ solitudine mihi tanquam cœlitus suscitaverit talem amicum, qui tantis implicatus negotiis et in tantis temporis angustiis, curam mei habuerit, idque pro me effecerit quod alii amici mei aut non ausi sunt tentare, aut obtinere non potuerunt. Atque illustrissimæ Dom. tuæ reddent fructum

1 Gardiner, ii. p. 120.

2 Gibson Papers, vol. viii. f. 248. Fair copy in Bacon's hand. No fly-leaf. Indorsed" Lo. St. Alb. to Gondomar concern. some good office he had done him with the K. after his troubles."