dissension between your daughters and their husbands, having seen so much misery of that kind in yourself. And above all things I will turn back your kindness, in which you say, you will receive my wife if she be cast off: for it is much more likely we have occasion to receive you being cast off, if you remember what is passed. But it is time to make an end of those follies: and you shall at this time pardon me this one fault of writing to you; for I mean to do it no more till you use me and respect me as you ought. So wishing you better than it seemeth you will draw upon yourself, I rest, Yours, FR. BACON. XC. TO THE KING, TOUCHING THE SOLICITOR'S PLACE1. How honestly ready I have been, most gracious sovereign, to do your majesty humble service, to the best of my power, 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 kindly to accept of my services, and to say to me, such conflicts were the wars of peace, and such victories the victories of 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 reasonably happy to execute those directions, which I received either immediately from your royal mouth, or from my 'Rawley's Resuscitatio. 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 mine 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; though 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 Hobart 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 in before me, your majesty had need work a miracle, or else I shall be still a lame man to do your majesty service. And therefore my most humble suit to your majesty is; that this, which seemed to me intended, may speedily be performed: and I hope, my former service 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 XCI. TO THE EARL OF SALISBURY, UPON A· IT MAY PLEASE YOUR GOOD LORDSHIP, HAVING no gift to present you with in any degree proportionable to my mind, I desire nevertheless to take the advantage of a ceremony to express myself to your lordship; it being the first time I could make the like acknowledgment, when I stood out of the person of a suitor: wherefore I most humbly pray your lordship to think of me, that, now it hath pleased you, by many effectual and great benefits, to add the assurance and comfort of your love and favour to that precedent disposition, which was in me to admire your virtue and merit; I do esteem whatsoever I have or may have in this world, but as trash, in comparison of having the honour and happiness to be a near and well accepted kinsman to so rare and worthy a counsellor, governor and patriot for having been a studious, if not a curious observer of antiquities of virtue, as of late pieces, I forbear to say to your lordship what I find and conceive; but to any other I would think to make myself believed. But not to be tedious in that which may have the shew of a compliment, I can but wish your lordship many happy years, many more than your father had; even so many more, as we may need you more. So I remain XCII. TO MR. MATTHEW, IMPRISONED FOR MR. MATTHEW, Do not think me forgetful or altered towards you: but if I should say, I could do you any good, I should make my power more than it is. I do hear that which I am right sorry for; that you grow more impatient and busy than at first; which maketh me exceedingly fear the issue of that which seemeth not to stand at a stay. I myself am out of doubt, that you have been miserably abused, when you were first seduced; but that which I take in compassion, others may take in severity. I pray God, that understandeth us all better than we understand one another, contain you, even as I hope he will, at the least, within the bounds of loyalty to his majesty, and natural piety towards your country. And I intreat you much, sometimes to meditate upon the extreme effects of superstition in this last powder treason; fit to be tabled and pictured in the chambers of meditation, as another hell above the ground: and well justifying the censure of the heathen, that superstition is far worse than atheism; by how much it is less evil to have no opinion of God at all, than such as is impious towards his divine majesty and goodness. Good Mr. Matthew, receive yourself back from these courses of perdition. Willing to have written a great deal more, I continue, etc. SIR, XCIII. TO MR. MATTHEW1. you Two letters of mine are now already walking towards you; but so that we might meet, it were no matter though our letters should lose their way. I make a shift in the mean time to be glad of your approaches, and would be more glad to be an agent for your presence, who have been a patient by your absence. If your body by indisposition make you acknowledge the healthful air of your native country; much more do I assure myself, that continue to have your mind no way estranged. And as my trust with the state is above suspicion, so my knowledge both of your loyalty and honest nature will ever make me shew myself your faithful friend without scruple. You have reason to commend that gentleman to me, by whom you sent your last, although his having travelled so long amongst the sadder nations of the world make him much the less easy upon small acquaintance to be understood. I have sent you some copies of my book of the "Advancement", which you desired; and a little work of my recreation, which you desired not. My "Instauration" I reserve for our conference; it sleeps not. Those Sir Tobie Matthew's Collection of Letters, p. 14. works of the "Alphabet" are in my opinion of less use to you are now, than at Paris; and therefore I you where conceived, that you had sent me a kind of tacit countermand of your former request. But in regard that some friends of yours have still insisted here, I send them to you; and for my part, I value your own reading more than your publishing them to others. Thus, in extreme haste, I have scribbled to you I know not what, which therefore is the less affected, and for that very reason will not be esteemed the less by you. XCIV. TO SIR GEOrge carew,' ON SENDING HIM THE TREATISE "IN FELICEM MEMORIAM ELIZABETHE2." BEING asked a question by this bearer, an old servant of my brother Anthony Bacon's, whether I would command him any thing into France; and being at better leisure than I would, in regard of sickness, I began to remember that neither your business nor mine, though great and continual, can be, upon an exact account, any just occasion why so much good-will as hath passed between us should be so much discontinued as it hath been. And therefore, because one must begin, I thought to provoke your remembrance of me by a letter: and thinking to fill it with somewhat besides salutations, it came to my mind, that this last summer vacation, by occasion of a factious book that endeavoured to verify "Misera Fœmina," the addition of the pope's bull, upon queen Elizabeth, I did write a few lines in her memorial, which I thought you would be pleased to read, both for the ar 1 Sir George Carew of Cornwall was master in chancery in the time of queen Elizabeth; and in 1597 sent ambassador into Poland; and in 1606 went to the court of France with the like character. After about three years' continuance, he was recalled by the king to make use of his services at home; but he survived not many years. M. de Thou in a letter to Mr. Camden in 1613, very much laments his death; as losing a friend he much valued, and an assistant in the prosecution of his history: having received helps from him in that part which relates to the dissensions between the Poles and the Swedes in the year 1598, as appears before the contents of book CXXI. Stephens. Rawley's Resuscitatio. |