13. Q. of Baunyng and match for Bridgett, therein joyning wth Spec. Smith, tryeng whether I may use his purse or credite by means of Gr. Jones. Also to use Sr. Wi. Sidly by Bings band si videbit". For. Death comes to young men and old men goe to death. [f. 9, b.] That is all the difference. To send message of complemt to my La. Dorsett the wydowe. fo. Princes when in justs triumphes or games of victorye men deserve crownes for their perfourmance, doe not crown them belowe whear they perfourmed but calleth them up. So God by death. fo. It is not for me to seek this without your favor but rather to desire your favor without it. When I was last at Gorhambury I was taken much wth my symptome of melancholy and dout of p'sent perill, I found it first by occasion of soppe wth sack taken midde meale and it contynued with me that night and ye next mornyng, but note it cleared and went from me without purge and I turned light and disposed of my self. fo. My L. Chanc. will not ayd legacies of mariage where the [f. 10.] woman is gott away without ye consent of her frendes, and his By woord is, Yf you provyde flesh for your self provyde bread likewise. Yf Serg. Ph. should dye or decay as is now spoken, qu. of Bridgett. His wife's youngest sister, afterwards married to Sir William Soame. (Dixon, 'Story of Bacon's Life,' p. 200.) For. Form: that is, form of expression. It seems to have been Bacon's habit at all times of his life to set down on paper any neat, terse, lively, or otherwise felicitous turn of expression that occurred to him, or that he met with. He stored them for use, and made collections of them. See a manuscript in the Harleian Collection (No. 7017) entitled Promus of Formularies and Elegancies; of which I have given a full account in the 2nd volume of the Literary and Professional Works, p. 189. The "form" here set down was evidently suggested by the thought of sending a message to Lady Dorset, widow of the late Lord Treasurer, who died two or three months before. It appears, however, not to have been of his own invention, for he afterwards included it in his collection of Apophthegms (Lit. and Phil. Works, ii. p. 142, No. 119) as a saying of "one of the Fathers." To send message, etc. This note is crossed out. When I was last, etc. This note is crossed out. legacies of mariage. "That is, I suppose, legacies resting on the woman's marriage. The common form now is ‘attaining his age of 21 years, or being a daughter attaining that age, or marrying previously with consent of parents, etc.— or words to that effect." (Note by Mr. R. L. Ellis in the margin of my copy of the Commentarius.) Serg. Ph. Sir Edward Phelips, I suppose: King's Sergeant-at-Law, 17th May, 1603 (S. P. Dom. Jas. I.); at this time Speaker of the House of Commons; afterwards Master of the Rolls. The "place" here spoken of is probably that of King's Sergeant. This note and the next are crossed out. Spec. 13. [f. 10, b.] raysing Hutton to the place or Hauton or Harys, rather then Nicols, but qu. To speak to Mr Chanc. to deal wth Nicols as for Assarts, as well as wth Tipper and in like fourme as from my L. Treas". To digest wth furder care the parts of Proctors projects and to looke up ye last notes. To harken what becometh of these new impositions upon marchandize. To acquaint my L. Treas. wth Proct. information towching the deceyt by underpraism of forfetures and then abating the custome, which may be a practise to overthrow the Ks farme for abatmt owght not to be intended but whereas the forfeture is of better value then the abatmt. To send once agayn to Stodard. The Argum of Elvingstons cause and being provided for it the next Term. Hutton. Sir Richard Hutton, of Gray's Inn, Sergeant-at-Law in 1603, afterwards one of the Puisne Justices of the Common Pleas. Hauton. Robert Houghton, of Lincoln's Inn, afterwards one of the Judges of the King's Bench. Harys. Thomas Harris, of Lincoln's Inn. Nicols. Augustine Nicols, of the Middle Temple: afterwards one of the Puisne Justices of the Common Pleas. Assarts. "If any man shall be found in the King's demesnes assarting or doing purpresture, his body shall be forthwith retained." (Stat. of Realm i. 243.) "Assarting" was "plucking up those woods by the roots that are the thickets or coverts of the forest." (Cowell.) Nicolls (another of the name, I fancy, not the sergeant) had a commission probably for the discovery of "assarts," as Tipper had (see above, p. 47, note 3) for concealments. Proctors projects. See above, p. 54, note 3. New impositions. See above, p. 46, n. 2. From a paper in Sir Julius Cæsar's To send once again, etc. This and the three following notes are crossed out. Qu. of Robertsons cause. Md the poynt of ye 4 shyres and to think to settle a cowrse in it; but to listen how ye K. is affected in respect of ye prince, and to make use of my Industry in it towards the Pr. SERIES LIBROR CARTACEORÜ UT TUNC VISUM EST; AC SECUNDUM ORDINEM IN QUO NUNC Libri Compositionu 6. 1. Scripta in Theologia. 2. Scripta in Politicis et Moralibus. 3. Scripta in Naturali et Universali philosophia. 4. Scripta in Logicis, Rhetoricis, et philologicis. 5. Orationes, Instrumenta, Acta. 6. Literæ. Libri Notare 4. 7. Notæ omnifariæ ex conceptu proprio exceptæ, sparsim ut occurrunt et cursim ad memoria tantum, sive Civilis et Contemplator Cursor. 8. Cogitationes digniores sive Notæ omnifariæ ex conceptu proprio per otiu exceptæ, et adhibitâ deliberatione descriptæ ; sive Civilis et Contemplator Sedatus. may have been only some cause of one of his brothers, who was gentleman usher of the Queen's privy chamber, and had grants and suits which may perhaps have come in question. The 4 shyres. This was the great question of the Marches of Wales, the jurisdiction over which was in dispute between the Provincial Council and the Courts of Westminster. See above, p. 43, n. 4. Scripta in Politicis et Moralibus. This was probably the manuscript book now in the British Museum (Harl. MSS. 5106), entitled, "The writings of Sir Francis Bacon, Knt., the Kinge's Solicitor Generall: in Moralitie, Policie, and Historie," for an account of which see Lit. and Prof. Works, I. p. 535. It contains only Essays, of which there are thirty-four. The dedicatory letter to Prince Henry, now in Addl. MSS. 4259, appears by the handwriting and the watermark to belong to it. Scripta in Naturali et Universali Philosophia. This is the title of the volume published by Gruter in 1653; of the contents of which I have given a full account in my preface to the second part of the Philosophical Works, Vol. III. p. 3. Orationes, Instrumenta, Acta. There is a fragment of a paper-book in the British Museum (Harl. MSS. 6797), with the title "Orationes, Acta, Instrumenta circa res civiles, Fr. Bacon," very fairly written,-I think in Bacon's own hand,and consisting chiefly of such writings as belong to the present division of his works. But the contents have been so pulled to pieces that it is impossible to say what it originally included. Litera. This would, no doubt, be the Register-book of letters from which Dr. Rawley took the principal collection in the Resuscitatio. [f. 11.] 1 [f. 11, b.] 9. Notæ omnifariæ ex deprædatione Authoru, sine ordine In- 10. Notæ omnifariæ tam ex deprædatione Authorü quam ex Libri professoris-vt. Of the Lawes of England, 9. 13. 3. Observationes et Comentationes in Jure ex conceptu pro- 14. 4. Observationes et Annotationes in Jure ex libris et Autho- 15. 5. Digesta in Jure; hoc est Annotationes tam ex conceptu [f. 12.] 16. 6. Exempla Majorum in Jure: conteyning præsidts and 17. 18. 19. rience. Lecta sive specialia in Jurc; being notes and conceyts of Diariu fori. The book I have wth me to ye Cowrts, to Vulgaria in Jure; being the ordinary matters, rules and Arguments in law by me made. This was, no doubt, the collection of "Argu- Of the remaining professional books here enumerated I have not been able to find any traces; and from the fact, that the few which have been preserved are rough manuscripts or imperfect editions printed without the superintendence of any responsible editor, I am inclined to suspect that Bacon had collected together those which he wished to preserve, and consigned them to the care of some competent lawyer for that purpose, and that by some accident, the fire at Gray's Inn possibly, they were all lost together. P cases admitted for lawe, to take away shew of being un- Libri concernentes servitiù regis 4. 20. Lib. servitii reg. in Parlamento. 21. Lib. servit. reg. quoad reventiones et comodū. 22. Lib. servitii regis quoad causas justitiæ et forenses. 23. Lib. servit. reg. quoad causas status. Libri ad Individuŭ sive ad statū propriù 5. 24. Comentarius Solutus, sive pandecta. This booke receyveth all remembrances touching my private of wt nature soever and hath 2 parts; Diariu and Schedulæ. The one being a journal of w'soever occurreth; The other Kalenders or Titles of things of the same nature, for better help of memory and judgmt, hearin I make choise of things of most p'sent use. [f. 12, b.] 25. Ephemerides particulariu: This conteyneth also all parti- [f. 13.] culars, but yet such as I think woorthy to enter at large, eyther by cause they may contynew long in use, or bycause they may return often, or bycause they may give light to business in tyme to come; whereas the notes of ye Comentarius are breefe and doe passe; This also hath the same 2 parts, Diariu and Schedulæ. 26. Dispensator, sive rationale status. 27. Faber Auspicatus. Pandecta. This is no doubt the present book. This begins a fresh page, at the head of which is written, by way of running title, "Transportat. Jul. 26, 1608." I judge, however, by the handwriting that Bacon had gone on to the middle of the page, finishing the list of his paper books, on the 25th; and that the new morning's work really began at "It seame,” etc.; the three next paragraphs being apparently after-thoughts, suggested by a review in the morning of what he had written the night before. Faber auspicatus. I do not remember to have met with this title anywhere else in Bacon's writings; nor do I feel certain as to the meaning of it; but I suppose it to be the title of a book in which he proposed to set down speculations for the improvement of his estate; the 'Dispensator' being to exhibit it as it was. |