through a bold connivance on the Queen's part; who wanted his service and felt that she could trust him, and made him understand that she meant to be ignorant of what had passed. No man could be less suspected of an inclination to judge Bacon's conduct too favourably. No man was so little likely to be deceived by a false story; nor was any man, on the other hand, so well qualified to understand the full meaning of the true story in those parts where the meaning could not yet be fully explained. To him, therefore, as to the best and fairest representative of the party by whom he was censured or suspected, Bacon now addressed a letter of explanation; which I leave to speak for itself; premising only that the object of it is, not to justify himself for neglecting the duties which in the common understanding of the world a man owes to his benefactor, but to show that he had to the best of his judgment and ability discharged them; up to the time when it became impossible to take his part further without betraying duties still more sacred. And if he does not enter into a formal vindication of the part he took at and after the trial, his motive may be easily conjectured. He could not have done it without repeating the story of Essex's offence, at a time when it would have served no higher object than the clearing of his own reputation.

account of his proceedings upon the news of Essex's insurrection and apprehension. "The same two and twentieth of February, his Lordship received a packet out of England, by which he understood that the Earl of Essex was committed to the Tower for treason; which much dismayed him and his nearest friends, and wrought strange alteration in him. For whereas before he stood upon terms of honour with the Secretary, now he fell flat to the ground, and insinuated himself into inward love, and to an absolute dependency with the Secretary; so as for a time he estranged himself from two of his nearest friends, for the open declaration they had made of dependency on the Earl of Essex; yet rather covering than extinguishing his good affection to them. It is not credible that the influence of the Earl's malignant star should work upon so poor a snake as myself, being almost a stranger to him, yet my nearness in blood to one of his Lordship's abovenamed friends made it perhaps seem to his Lordship improper to use my service in such nearness as his Lordship had promised and begun to do. So as the next day he took his most secret papers out of my hand; yet giving them to no other, but keeping them in his own cabinet. In truth his Lordship had good cause to be wary in his words and actions, since by some confessions in England, himself was tainted with privity to the Earl's practices; so that however he continued still to importune leave to come over, yet no doubt he meant nothing less, but rather (if he had been sent for) was purposed with his said friends to sail into France, they having privately fitted themselves with money and necessaries thereunto. For howsoever his Lordship were not dangerously engaged therein, yet he was (as he privately professed) fully resolved not to put his neck under the file of the Queen's Attorney's tongue."-Itinerary, part ii. book i. c. 2, p. 89.

SIR FRANCIS BACON HIS APOLOGIE,

IN

CERTAINE IMPUTATIONS

CONCERNING

THE LATE EARLE OF ESSEX.

WRITTEN TO

THE RIGHT HONORABLE HIS VERY GOOD LORD, THE EARLE OF DEVONSHIRE,

LORD LIEUTENANT OF IRELAND.

LONDON:

PRINTED FOR FELIX NORTON, AND ARE TO BE SOLD IN PAUL'S CHURCHYARD

AT THE SIGNE OF THE PAROT.

1604.

141

TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE HIS

VERY GOOD LORD THE EARL OF DEVONSHIRE,

LORD LIEUTENANT OF IRELAND.

Ir may please your good Lordship: I cannot be ignorant, and ought to be sensible, of the wrong which I sustain in common speech, as if I had been false or unthankful to that noble but unfortunate Earl, the Earl of Essex and for satisfying the vulgar sort, I do no so much regard it; though I love good name, but yet as an handmaid and attendant of honesty and virtue. For I am of his opinion that said pleasantly, That it was a shame to him that was a suitor to the mistress, to make love to the waiting-woman; and therefore to woo or court common fame otherwise than it followeth upon honest courses, I, for my part, find not myself fit nor disposed. But on the other side, there is no worldly thing that concerneth myself which I hold more dear than the good opinion of certain persons; amongst which there is none I would more willingly give satisfaction unto than to your Lordship. First, because you loved my Lord of Essex, and therefore will not be partial towards me; which is part of that I desire : : next, because it hath ever pleased you to show yourself to me an honourable friend, and so no baseness in me to seek to satisfy you and lastly, because I know your Lordship is excellently grounded in the true rules and habits of duties and moralities; which must be they which shall decide this matter: wherein (my Lord) my defence needeth to be but simple and brief: namely, that whatsoever I did concerning that action and proceeding, was done in my duty and service to the Queen and the State; in which I would not shew myself false-hearted nor faint-hearted for any man's sake living. For every honest man, that hath his heart well planted, will forsake his King

rather than forsake God, and forsake his friend rather than forsake his King; and yet will forsake any earthly commodity, yea and his own life in some cases, rather than forsake his friend. I hope the world hath not forgotten these degrees, else the heathen saying, Amicus usque ad aras, shall judge them. And if any man shall say that I did officiously intrude myself into that business, because I had no ordinary place; the like may be said of all the business in effect that passed the hands of the learned counsel, either of State or Revenues, these many years, wherein I was continually used. For, as your Lordship may remember, the Queen knew her strength so well, as she looked her word should be a warrant; and after the manner of the choicest princes before her, did not always tie her trust to place, but did sometime divide private favour from office. And I for my part, though I was not so unseen in the world but I knew the condition was subject to envy and peril; yet because I knew again she was constant in her favours, and made an end where she began, and specially because she upheld me with extraordinary access, and other demonstrations of confidence and grace, I resolved to endure it in expectation of better. But my scope and desire is, that your Lordship would be pleased to have the honourable patience to know the truth in some particularity of all that passed in this cause wherein I had any part, that you may perceive how honest a heart I ever bare to my Sovereign and to my Country, and to that Nobleman, who had so well deserved of me, and so well accepted of my deservings; whose fortune I cannot remember without much grief. But for any action of mine towards him, there is nothing that passed me in my life-time that cometh to my remembrance with more clearness and less check of conscience; for it will appear to your Lordship that I was not only not opposite to my Lord of Essex, but that I did occupy the utmost of my wits, and adventure my fortune with the Queen to have reintegrated his, and so continued faithfully and industriously till his last fatal impatience (for so I will call it), after which day there was not time to work for him; though the same my affection, when it could not work on the subject proper, went to the next, with no ill effect towards some others, who I think do rather not know it than not acknowledge it. And this I will assure your Lordship, I will leave nothing untold that is truth, for any