! 



xlii LIFE OF BACON. 



fortune. &quot;(a) Essex with his wonted zeal, warmly advocated 

 the cause of his friend ; he wrote in the strongest terms to 

 the father and mother of the lady, assuring them &quot; that if 

 Bacon s suit had been to his own sister or daughter, he 

 would as confidently further it, as he now endeavoured to 

 persuade them.&quot; Neither Bacon s merit, or the generous 

 warmth of his noble patron touched the heart of the lady, 

 who, fortunately for Bacon, afterwards became the wife of 

 his great rival, Sir Edward Coke. (6) 



1598. I n this year he seems to have been in great pecuniary 

 difficulties, (c) which, however they may have interrupted, 

 did not prevent his studies; for, amidst his professional 

 and political labours, he published a new edition of his 

 Essays, (d) and composed a law tract, not published until 

 some years after his death, entitled the History of the 

 Alienation Office, (e) 



1599. i n the year 1599, the celebrated case of Perpetuities, 



TFt ^Q 



which had been argued many times at the bar of the King s 

 Uses. Bench, was on account of its difficulty and great import 

 ance, ordered to be argued in the Exchequer Chamber 

 before all the judges of England ;(f) and after a first argu 

 ment by Coke, Solicitor-General, a second argument was 

 directed, and Bacon was selected to discharge this arduous 

 duty, to which he seems to have given his whole mind ; 

 and although Sir Edward Coke, in his report, states that 

 he did not hear the arguments, the case is reported at 

 great length, and the reasoning has not been lost, for the 



(a) See note 3 M at the end. 

 (6) See note 3 N at the end. 

 (c) See note 3 O at the end. 



(d~) It differs from the edition of 1597 only in having the Meditationes 

 Sacrse in English instead of Latin, 

 (c) See note 3 P at the end. 

 (/) 1 Coke, 121, p. 287. 



