COUNSEL AGAINST ESSEX. 1x1 



was that for my fortune it was no great matter ; but that his 

 lordship s offer (which was of a piece of land worth about 

 1800.) made me call to mind what was wont to be said 

 when I was in France of the Duke of Guise, that he was 

 the greatest usurer in France, because he had turned all 

 his estate into obligations. He bad me take no care for that, 

 and pressed it ; whereupon I said, &quot; my lord, I see I must be 

 your homager, and hold land of your gift; but do you know 

 the manner of doing homage in law ? Always it is with a 

 saving of his faith to the king and his other lords.&quot; (a) 



His considerations were not, however, confined to his Bacon s 



duties to the Queen and to Essex, but extended to the J^ty ^ 

 1-1-1 himself. 



peculiar situation in which, with respect to his own worldly 



prospects, he was placed. He saw that, if he did not plead 

 against Essex, all his hopes of advancement might, without 

 any benefit to his friend, be destroyed ; and that if he did 

 plead against him, he should be exposed to obloquy and 

 misrepresentation. The consideration of his worldly pros 

 pects were to him and to the community of great im 

 portance. 



It is, perhaps, to be lamented that, formed for contem 

 plation, he was induced, either by his necessities, or any 

 erroneous notion of the virtue of activity, to engage in 

 public life, but he was always unskilful to note the card 

 of prudent lore, and it was his favourite opinion that, to 

 dignify and exalt knowledge, contemplation and action 

 should be nearly and strongly conjoined and united toge 

 ther: a conjunction like unto that of the two highest planets, 

 Saturn, the planet of rest and contemplation, and Jupiter, 

 the planet of civil society and action. 



Having engaged and encountered all the difficulties of 

 his profession, he was entitled, by his commanding intellect, 

 to possess the power, which, although it had not prece- 



(a) Bacon s Apology. 



