my books, and one hundred pounds to be presented to him in gold; I give to my sister Constable some jewels to be bought for her, of the value of fifty pounds; I give to Nall, her daughter, some jewels, to be bought for her, of the value of forty pounds; I give to my lady Coke some jewels, to be bought for her, of the value of fifty pounds; and to her daughter, Ann Cooke, to buy her a jewel, forty pounds; and to her son, Charles, some little jewel, to the value of thirty pounds. I will also, that my executors sell my chambers in Gray's-Inn, which, now the lease is full, I conceive may yield some three hundred pounds; one hundred pounds for the ground story; and two hundred pounds for the third and fourth stories; which money, or whatsoever it be, I desire my executors to bestow for some little present relief, upon twenty-five poor scholars in both universities, fifteen in Cambridge, and ten in Oxford. I give to Mr. Thomas Meautys some jewel, to be bought for him, of the value of fifty pounds, and my foot cloth horse. I give to my ancient good friend, Sir Tobie Matthew, some ring, to be bought for him, of the value of thirty pounds. I give to my very good friend, Sir Christopher Darcy, some ring, to be bought for him, of the value of thirty pounds. I give to Mr. Henry Percy one hundred pounds. I give to Mr. Henry Goodricke forty pounds. I give to my godson, Francis Lowe, son of Humphrey Lowe, one hundred and fifty pounds. I give to my godson, Francis Hatcher, son of Mr. William Hatcher one hundred pounds. I give to my godson, Francis Fleetwood, son of Henry Fleetwood, Esq. fifty pounds. I give to my godson, Philips, son of auditor Philips, twenty pounds. I give to every of my executors a piece of plate of thirty pounds value.

Legacies to my servants now, or late servants: I give to my servant, Robert Halfpenny, four hundred pounds, and the one half of my provisions of hay, firewood, and timber, which shall remain at the time of my decease. I give to my servant, Stephen Paise, three hundred and fifty pounds, and my bed with the appur

tenances, bed-linen, and apparel-linen, as shirts, pillow-biers, sheets, caps, handkerchiefs, etc. I give to my servant, Wood, three hundred and thirty pounds, with all my apparel, as doublets, hose; and to his wife, ten pounds. I give to my late servant, Francis Edney, two hundred pounds, and my rich gown. I give to my ancient servant, Troughton, one hundred pounds. I give to my chaplain, Dr. Rawleigh, one hundred pounds. I give to my ancient servant, Welles, one hundred pounds. I give to my ancient servant, Fletcher, one hundred pounds; and to his brother ten pounds: and if my servant Fletcher be dead, then the whole to his brother. I give to my wife's late waiting-gentlewoman, Mrs. Wagstaffe, one hundred pounds. I give to Morrice Davis, one hundred pounds. I give to old John Bayes one hundred pounds. I give to my ancient servant, Woder, three-score and ten pounds. I give to my ancient servant, Guilman, three score pounds. I give to my ancient servant, Faldo, forty pounds. I give to London, my coachman, forty pounds. I give to Harsnep, my groom, forty pounds. I give to Abraham, my footman, forty pounds. I give to Smith, my bayliff, and his wife, forty pounds. I give to my ancient servant, Bowes, thirty pounds. I give to my servant Atkins, thirty pounds. I give to old Thomas Gotherum, who was bred with me from a child, thirty pounds. I give to my servant, Plomer, twenty pounds. I give to Daty, my cook, twenty pounds.

give to Henry Brown twenty pounds. I give to Richard Smith twenty pounds. I give to William Sayes ten pounds. I give to John Large twenty pounds. I give to old goodwife Smith ten pounds. I give to Peter Radford's wife five pounds. I give to every mean servant that attends me, and is not already named, five pounds.

The general devise and bequest of all my lands and goods to the performance of my will.

Whereas by former assurance made to Sir John Constable, knight, my brother-in-law, and to Sir Thomas Crewe and Sir Thomas Hedley, knights, and

serjeants at law, and some other persons now deceased, all my lands and tenements in Hertfordshire were by me conveyed in trust: And whereas of late my fine, and the whole benefit thereof, was by his majesty's letters patents conveyed to Mr. Justice Hutton, Mr Justice Chamberlain, Sir Francis Barneham, and Sir Thomas Crewe, knight, persons by me named in trust; I do devise by this my will, and declare that the trust by me reposed, as well touching the said lands as upon the said letters patents, is, that all and every the said persons so trusted, shall perform all acts and assurances that by my executors, or the survivor or survivors of them, shall be thought fit and required, for the payment and satisfaction of my debts, and legacies, and performance of my will, having a charitable care that the poorest either of my creditors or legataries be first satisfied.

I do farther give and devise all my goods, chattels, and debts due to me whatsoever, as well my pension of twelve hundred pounds per annum from the king, for certain years yet to come; as all my plate, jewels, household-stuff, goods and chattels whatsoever, except such as by this my last will I have especially bequeathed, to my executors, for the better and more ready payment of my debts, and performance of my will.

And because I conceive there will be upon the moneys raised by sale of my lands, leases, goods and chattels, a good round surplusage, over and above that which may serve to satisfy my debts and legacies, and perform my will, I do devise and declare, that my executors shall employ the said surplusage in manner and form following: that is to say, that they purchase therewith so much land of inheritance, as may erect and endow two lectures in either the universities; and of which lectures shall be of natural philosophy, and the sciences in general thereunto belonging; hoping that the stipends or salaries of the lecturers may amount to two hundred pounds a year for either of them; and for the ordering of the said lectures, and the election of the lecturers from time to time, I

leave it to the care of my executors, to be established by the advice of the lords bishops of Lincoln and Coventry and Litchfield.

Nevertheless, thus much I do direct, that none shall be lecturer if he be English, except he be master of arts of seven years standing, and that he be not professed in divinity, law, or physic, as long as he remains lecturer; and that it be without difference whether [he] be a stranger or English and I wish my executors to consider of the precedent of Sir Henry Savil's lectures, for their better instruction.

I constitute and appoint for my executors of this my last will and testament, my approved good friend the right honourable Sir Humphrey Maye, chancellor of his majesty's duchy of Lancaster, Mr. Justice Hutton, Sir Thomas Crewe, Sir Francis Barneham, Sir John Constable, and Sir Euball Thelwall; and I name and intreat to be one of my supervisors, my most noble, constant, and true friend, the duke of Buckingham, unto whom I do most humbly make this my last request, that he will reach forth his hand of grace to assist the just performance of this my will; and likewise that he will be graciously pleased for my sake to protect and help such of my good servants, as my executors shall at any time recommend to his grace's favour and also I do desire his grace, in all humbleness, to commend the memory of my long-continued and faithful service unto my most gracious sovereign, who ever, when he was prince, was my patron, as I shall, who have now, I praise God, one foot in heaven, pray for him while I have breath.

And because of his grace's great business, I presume also to name for another of my supervisors, my good friend and near ally the master of the rolls.

And I do most earnestly intreat both my execuors and supervisors, that although I know well it is matter of trouble and travail unto them, yet considering what I have been, that they would vouchsafe to do this last office to my memory and good name, and to the discharge of mine honour and conscience; that

all men may be duly paid their own, that my good mind, by their good care, may effect that good work.

Whatsoever I have given, granted, confirmed, or appointed to my wife, in the former part of this my will, I do now, for just and great causes, utterly revoke and make void, and leave her to her right only.

I desire my executors to have special care to discharge a debt by bond, now made in my sickness to Mr. Thomas Meautys, he discharging me fully towards Sir Robert Dowglass, and to procure Sir Robert Dowglass his patent to be delivered to him.

FR. ST. ALBAN.

Published the nineteenth day of December, 1625,
in the presence of

W. Rawley, Ro. Halpeny, Stephen Paise,
Will. Atkins, Thomas Kent, Edward Legge.

Decimo tertio die mensis Julii anno Domini millessimo sexcentesimo vicesimo septimo emanavit commissio domino Roberto Rich militi, supremæ curiæ cancellariæ magistror' uni. et Thoma Meautys armigero, creditoribus honorandi viri domini Francisci Bacon militis, domini Verulam, vicecomitis Sancti Albani, defunct', habentibus etc. ad administrand' bona jura et credita dicti defuncti Francisci Bacon defunct', juxta tenorem et effectum ipsius testamenti suprascript', eo quod dominus Thomas Crewe miles et dominus Johannes Constable miles, executores in hujusmodi testamento nominat' alias vigore mandator' sive occasionum a curia prærogat' Cantuar' emanat' ad id legitime et peremptorie citati, onus executionis testament' suprascript' in se suscipere recusarun est denegarunt, saltem plus juste distulerunt; eoque quod dominus Humphridus Maye miles, cancellarius ducatus Lancastria, dominus Ricardus Hutton miles, unus justitiariorum domini nostri