Now for your office. First, Whereas my Lord Teynham at the first would have had your Lordship have had but one life in it, and he another; and my Lord Treasurer, and the Solicitor and Deccombe were about to give way to it; I turned utterly that course, telling them that you were to have two lives in it, as well as Somerset had.

Secondly, I have accordingly, in the assurance from your deputies, made them acknowledge the trust and give security not only for your lordship's time, but after: so as you may dispose (if you should die, which I would be sorry to live to) the profits of the office by your will or otherwise to any of your friends for their comfort and advancement.

Thirdly, I dealt so with Whitlocke as well as Heath as there was no difficulty made of the surrender.

Lastly, I did cast with myself, that if your lordship's deputies, had come in by Sir Edward Cooke who was tied to Somerset, it would have been subject to some clamour from Somerset, and some question what was forfeited by Somerset's attainder (being but of felony) to the king: but now they coming in from a new chief justice, all is without question or scruple.

Thus your lordship may see my love and care towards you, which I think infinitely too little in respect of the fulness of my mind; but I thought good to write this, to make you understand better the state of your own business; doing by you as I do by the king; which is, to do his business safely and with foresight, not only of to-morrow or next day, but afar off, and not to come fiddling with a report to him what is done every day, but to give him up a good sum in the end.

I purpose to send your lordship a calendar fair written of those evidence which concern your estate, for so much as I have passed my hands; which in truth are not fit to remain with solicitors, no nor with friends, but in some great cabinet, to be made for that purpose.

All this while I must say plainly to your lordship, that you fall short for your present charge, except you play the good husband: for the office of Teynham is in reversion, Darcye's land is in reversion; all the land in your books is but in reversion, and yields you no present profit, because you pay the fee-farm. So as you are a strange heteroclite in grammar, for you want the present tense; many verbs want the preterperfect tense and some the future tense, but none want the present tense. I will hereafter write to your

lordship what I think of for that supply; to the end that you may, as you have begun to your great honour, despise money, where it crosseth reason of state or virtue. But I will trouble you no further at this time. God ever preserve and prosper your lordship.

Your true and most devoted Servant,

November 29, 1616.

FR. BACON.

To the Lord Viscount Villiers.
My very good Lord,

I delivered the proclamation for cloth to Secretary Winwood on Saturday, but he keepeth it to carry it down himself, and goeth down, as I take it to-day: his majesty may perceive by the docket of the proclamation, that I do not only study, but act that point touching the judges, which his majesty commandeth in your last.

Yesterday was a day of great good for his majesty's service, and the peace of this kingdom concerning duels, by occasion of Darcye's case. I spake big, and publishing his majesty's straight charge to me, said it had struck me blind, as in point of duels and cartels, &c. I should not know a coronet from a hatband. I was bold also to declare how excellently his majesty had expressed to me a contemplation of his touching duels; that is, that when he came forth and saw himself princely attended with goodly noblesse and gentlemen, he entered into the thought, that none of their lives were in certainty not for twenty-four hours from the duel; for it was but a heat or a mistaking, and then a lie, and then a challenge, and then life: saying that I did not marvel seeing Xerxes shed tears to think none of his great army should be alive once within a hundred years, his majesty were touched with compassion to think that not one of his attendants but might be dead within twenty-four hours by the duel. This I write because his majesty may be wary what he sayeth to me (in things of this nature) I being so apt to play the blab. In this also, I forgot not to prepare the judges, and wish them to profess, and as it were to denounce, that in all cases of duel capital before them, they will use equal severity towards the insolent murder by the duel, and the insidious murder; and that they will extirpate that difference out of the opinions of men, which they did excellent well.

I must also say that it was the first time that I heard my Lord of Arundel speak in that place; and I do assure your lordship, he doth excellently become the court; he

speaketh wisely and weightily, and yet easily and clearly as a great nobleman should do.

There hath been a proceeding in the King's Bench against Bertram's keeper, for misdemeanour, and I have put a little pamphlet (prettily penned by one Mr. Trotte, that I set on work touching the whole business) to the press by my Lord Chancellor's advice.

I pray God direct his majesty in the cloth business, that that thorn may be once out of our sides. His majesty knoweth my opinion ab antiquo. Thanks be to God of your health, and long may you live to do us all good. I rest Your true and most devoted Servant,

FR. BACON.

This Letter was written to the Earl of Buckingham, on the same day Sir Francis Bacon was made Lord Keeper of the Great Seal.

My dearest Lord,

It is both in cares and kindness, that small ones float up to the tongue, and great ones sink down into the heart in silence. Therefore I could speak little to your Lordship to day, neither had I fit time. But I must profess thus much, that in this day's work you are the truest and perfectest mirror and example of firm and generous friendship that ever was in court. And I shall count every day lost, wherein I shall not either study your welldoing in thought, or do your name honour in speech, or perform you service in deed. Good my Lord, account and accept me

March 7, 1616.

Your most bounden and devoted

Friend and Servant of all men living,
FR. BACON. C. S

To the Earl of Buckingham.

My ever best Lord, now better than yourself, Your lordship's pen or rather pencil hath portrayed towards me such magnanimity and nobleness and true kindness, as me thinketh I see the image of some ancient virtue, and not any thing of these times. It is the line of my life, and not the lines of my letter, that must express my thankfulness: wherein if I fail, then God fail me, and make me as miserable as I think myself at this time happy, by this reviver, through his majesty's singular clemency, and your incomparable love and favour. God preserve you, prosper you, and reward you, for your kindness to Your raised and infinitely obliged Friend and Servant, Sept. 22, 1617. FR. BACON, C. S.

VOL. XII.

R

To the Earl of Buckingham.

My singular good Lord,

I am now for five or six days retired to my house in the country: for I think all my lords are willing to do as scholars do, who though they call them holy-days, yet they mean them play-days.

We purpose to meet again on Easter Monday, and go all to the Spittall sermon for that day, and therein to revive the ancient religious manner when all the counsel used to attend those sermons; which some neglected in Queen Elizabeth's time, and his majesty's great devotion in the due hearing of sermons himself with his counsel at the court brought into desuetude. But now our attendance upon his majesty by reason of his absence cannot be, it is not amiss

to revive.

I perceive by a letter your lordship did write some days since to my Lord Brackley, that your lordship would have the king satisfied by presidents, that letters patents might be of the dignity of an earldom without delivery of the patent by the king's own hand, or without the ordinary solemnities of a creation. I find presidents somewhat tending to the same purpose, yet not matching fully. But howsoever let me, according to my faithful and free manner of dealing with your lordship, say to you, that since the king means it, I would not have your lordship, for the satisfying a little trembling or panting of the heart in my Lord or Lady Brackley, to expose your lordship's self, or myself (whose opinion would be thought to be relied upon) or the king our master to envy with the nobility of this realm; as to have these ceremonies of honour dispensed with, which in conferring honour have used to be observed, like a kind of Doctor Bullatus without the ceremony of a commencement: the king and you know I am not ceremonious in nature, and therefore you may think (if it please you) I do it in judgment. God ever preserve you.

Your Lordship's most faithful

Gorhambury, April 13, 1617.

and devoted Friend and Servant, FR. BACON, C. S.

I purpose to send the presidents themselves by my Lord of Brackley, but I thought fit to give you some taste of my opinion before.

To the King.

It may please your most Excellent Majesty, Mr. Vicechamberlain hath acquainted myself and the rest of the commissioners for the marriage with Spain, which are here, with your majesty's instructions, signed by your royal hands, touching that point of the suppressing of pirates as it hath relation to his negotiation; whereupon we met yesterday at my Lord Admiral's at Chelsea, because we were loath to draw my lord into the air, being but newly upon his recovery.

We conceive the parts of the business are four: the charge; the confederations, and who shall be solicited or retained to come in; the forces and the distributions of them; and the enterprise. We had only at this time conference amongst ourselves, and shall appoint (after the holidays) times for the calling before us such as are fit, and thereupon perform all the parts of your royal commandments.

In this conference, I met with somewhat, which I must confess was altogether new to me, and opened but darkly neither; whereof I think Mr. Vicechamberlain will give your majesty some light, for so we wished. By occasion whereof I hold it my duty in respect of the great place wherein your majesty hath set me (being only made worthy by your grace), which maketh it decent for me to counsel you ad summas rerum to intimate or represent to your majesty thus much.

your

I do foresee, in my simple judgment, much inconvenience to insue, if your majesty proceed to this treaty with Spain, and that counsel draw not all one way. I saw the bitter fruits of a divided counsel the last parliament; I saw no very pleasant fruits thereof in the matter of the cloth. This will be of equal, if not more inconvenience; for wheresoever the opinion of your people is material (as in many cases it is not) there, if your counsel be united, they shall be able almost to give law to opinion and rumour; but if they be divided, the infusion will not be according to the strength and virtue of the votes of your counsel, but according to the aptness and inclination of the popular. This I leave to your majesty in your high wisdom to remedy. Only I could wish that when Sir John Digby's instructions are perfected, and that he is ready to go, your majesty would be pleased to write some formal letter to the body of your counsel (if it shall be in your absence), signifying to them your resolution in general, to the end that,