CCX LIFE OF BACON. 



worthy person, and to acquaint him with his master s 

 gracious intentions, to confer upon him the title of an earl, 

 with a pension for life ; an honour which, as he died on the 



Buckingham, to vex the very soul of the Lord Chancellor Egerton, in his 

 last agony, did send Sir Francis Bacon to him for the seals; and likewise 

 that the dying Chancellor did hate that Bacon should be his successor, and 

 that his spirit not brooking this usage, he sent the seals by his servant to 

 the King, and shortly after yielded his soul to his Maker.&quot; In which few 

 words there are two palpable untruths. For first, the King himself sent 

 for the seal, not the Duke of Buckingham ; and he sent for it, not by Sir 

 Francis Bacon, but by Secretary Winwood, with this message, that himself 

 would be his under-keeper, and not dispose of the place of Chancellor 

 while he lived ; nor did any receive the seal out of the King s sight till the 

 Lord Egerton died, which soon fell out. Next, the Lord Chancellor Eger 

 ton was willing that Master Attorney Bacon should be his successor, and 

 ready to forward his succession; so far was he from conceiving hatred 

 against him, either upon that or any other account. The Lord Egerton 

 was his friend in the Queen s time ; and I find Mr. Bacon making his 

 acknowledgments in a letter to him, in these words, which I once tran 

 scribed from the unpublished original : &quot; For my placing, your lordship 

 best knoweth, that when I was most dejected with her majesty s strange 

 dealing towards me, it pleased you of your singular favour so far to comfort 

 and encourage me, as to hold me worthy to be excited to think of succeed 

 ing your lordship in your second place ; signifying, in your plainness, that 

 no man should better content yourself. Which your exceeding favour you 

 have not since carried from ; both in pleading the like signification into the 

 hands of some of my best friends, and also in an honourable and answerable 

 commendation of me to her majesty. Wherein I hope your lordship (if it 

 please you call to mind) did find me neither overweening, in presuming 

 too much upon it, nor much deceived in my opinion of the event for the 

 continuing of it still in yourself, nor sleepy in doing some good offices to 

 the same purpose.&quot; This favour of the Lord Egerton s, which began so 

 early, continued to the last. And thus much Sir Francis Bacon testified in 

 a letter to Sir George Villiers, of which this fs a part: &quot; My Lord Chan 

 cellor told me yesterday, in plain terms, that if the King would ask his 

 opinion touching the person that he would commend to succeed him, upon 

 death or disability, he would name me for the fittest man. You may 

 advise whether use may not be made of this offer.&quot; And the like appears 

 by what Master Attorney wrote to King James during the sickness of my 

 Lord Chancellor. Amongst other things, he wrote this to the King : &quot; It 

 pleased my Lord Chancellor, out of his ancient and great love to me, 



