114 FIRST FRAGMENTS OF A DISCOURSE, ETC. 



glory and note of the world, which was in Mr. Secretary 

 Walsingham s* time; and in this case, as was said, opinio 

 veritate major. 



The second remedy I deliver with less assurance, as that, - 

 which is more removed from the compass of mine under 

 standing j and that is, to treat and negociate with the king 

 of Spain, or Archduke Earnest, f who resides in the place, 

 where these conspiracies are most forged, upon the point 

 of the law of nations, upon which kind of points, princes 

 enemies may with honour negociate, viz. that, contrary to 

 the same law of nations, and the sacred dignity of kings, 

 and the honour of arms, certain of her majesty s subjects 

 (if it be not thought meet to impeach any of his ministers) 

 refuged in his dominions, have conspired and practised as 

 sassination against her majesty s person. 



THE SPEECHES J 



DRAWN UP BY MR. FRANCIS BACON FOR THE EARL OF 

 ESSEX, IN A DEVICE^ EXHIBITED BY HIS LORDSHIP 

 BEFORE QUEEN ELIZABETH, ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF 

 HER ACCESSION TO THE THRONE, NOVEMBER 17, 1595. 



THE SQUIRE S SPEECH. 



MOST excellent and most glorious queen, give me leave, I 

 beseech your majesty, to offer my master s complaint and 

 petition ; complaint that, coming hither to your majesty s 

 most happy day, he is tormented with the importunity of 



* Who died April 6, 1590. After his death the business of secretary of state 

 appears to be chiefly done by Mr. Robert Cecil, who was knighted by Queen 

 Elizabeth at Theobald s, about the beginning of June, 1591, and in August fol 

 lowing sworn of the privy council : but not actually appointed secretary of state 

 till July 5, 1596. 



t Ernest, Archduke of Austria, son of the Emperor Maximilian II. and 

 governor of the Low Countries, upon which government he entered in June, 

 1594 ; but held it only a short time, dying February 11, following. It was pro 

 bably in pursuance of the advice of Mr. Francis Bacon in this paper, that 

 Queen Elizabeth sent to the Archduke, in 1594, to complain of the designs 

 which had been formed against her life by the Count de Fuentes, and Don 

 Diego de Ibarra, and other Spanish ministers concerned in governing the Low 

 Countries after the death of Alexander, Duke of Parma, in December, 1592, 

 and by the English fugitives there ; and to desire him to signify those facts to the 

 King of Spain, in order that he might vindicate his own character, by punishing 

 his ministers, and delivering up to her such fugitives as were parties in such de 

 signs. Camdeni Annales Eliz. Efgintr,p. 625. Edit. Lugduni Bat. 1625. 



t Bishop Gibson s Papers, Vol. V. No. 118. 



An account of this device, which was much applauded, is given by Mr. 

 Rowland Whyte to Sir Robert Sydney, in a letter dated at London, Saturday, 

 the 22d of November, 1595, and printed in the Letters and Memorials of State 



