VISCOUNT ST. A LEANS. CCC111 



upon his prerogative endeavouring to make themselves 

 greater, and their prince less than became either.&quot; 



Previous to the meeting, the Lord Chancellor was raised 

 to the dignity of Viscount St. Alban, (a) by a patent which 

 stated that the King had conferred this title because he 

 thought nothing could adorn his government more, or 

 afford greater encouragement to virtue and public spirit, 

 than the raising worthy persons to honour ; and with this 

 new dignity, he, on the 27th day of January, was with 

 great ceremony invested at Theobalds, the patent being 



(a) The preamble to the patent, which was witnessed by 

 the most illustrious peers of the realm, the Prince of Wales, 

 the Viscount Maundeville, Lord High Treasurer; the Earl 

 of Worcester, Lord Privy Seal; Marquis of Bucking 

 ham, Lord High Admiral; Marquis Hamilton, Earls of 

 Pembroke, Arundel, Rutland, Montgomery, March, and 

 Holderness, states, that as the King &quot;thought nothing 

 could adorn his government more, or afford greater encou 

 ragement to virtue and public spirit, than the raising 

 worthy persons to honour, therefore he, after mature delibe 

 ration, had, in the person of Sir Francis Bacon, Knight, 

 Baron of Verulam, descended from an ancient and honour 

 able family, so much the more illustrious, by his succeeding 

 his most worthy and prudent father in the office of keeper 

 of the great seal, to which, through various offices of 

 inferior dignity, from a just experience of his capacity and 

 fidelity, he had by his majesty been led, and his majesty 

 reflecting moreover on his acceptable and faithful services, 

 rendered as well by assiduity and integrity in the adminis 

 tration of justice, as by care and prudence in the discharge 

 of his duty as privy counsellor, and in the management 

 of his revenue, without respect either to private advantage 

 or vain breath of popular applause, had deemed fit to 

 advance his dearly beloved and faithful counsellor to a 

 higher rank in the peerage.&quot; 



