192 LETTERS FROM THE BACONIAN A. 



Sir Francis Bacon s Letter to King James touching 

 the Chancellor s Place. 



It may please your most excellent Majesty. 



Your worthy chancellor* (I fear) goeth his last day ; 

 God hath hitherto used to weed out such servants as grew 

 not fit for your majesty; but now he hath gathered to him 

 self one of the choicer plants in your majesty s garden. But 

 yonr majesty s service must not be mortal. 



Upon this heavy accident, I pray your majesty in all 

 humbleness and sincerity, to give me leave to use a few 

 words. I must never forget when I moved your majesty 

 for the attorney s place, that it was your own sole act, and 

 not my Lord of Somerset s; who, when he knew your ma 

 jesty had resolved it, thrust himself into the business to gain 

 thanks. And therefore I have no reason to pray to saints. 



I shall now again make oblation to your majesty ; first 

 of my heart ; then of my service ; thirdly, of my place of 

 attorney ; and fourthly, of my place in the star-chamber. 



I hope I may be acquitted of presumption, if I think of 

 it: both because my father had the place, which is some 

 civil inducement to my desire, (and I pray God your ma 

 jesty may have twenty no worse years than queen Elizabeth 

 had in her model after my father s placing) and chiefly be 

 cause the chancellor s place, after it went to the law, was 

 ever conferred upon some of the learned counsel, and never 

 upon a judge. For Audley was raised from King s Ser 

 jeant ; my father from Attorney of the Wards ; Bromlie from 

 Solicitor; Puckering from Queen s Serjeant; Egerton from 

 Master of the Rolls, having newly left the Attorney s place. 

 For myself, I can only present your majesty with &quot; gloria 

 in obsequio ;&quot; yet I dare promise, that if 1 sit in that place, 

 your business shall not make such short turns upon you as 

 it doth ; but when a direction is once given, it shall be pur 

 sued and performed : and your majesty shall only be troubled 



* Chancellor Egerton. 



