B A C 



his preferment. The intereft of lord Biirkinh procured for 

 him merely the reveriion of the office of regifter to the ftar- 

 chamher, worth about 1600!. a year, which he did not ob- 

 tain for twenty years. In 1594,' Cecil reprefented him to 

 the queen as a man wholly devoted to fpeculation, and pre- 

 vented his being advanced 'to the port of foUcitor-p-eneral, 

 whic'.i the earl of Eflex endeavoured to procure for him ; but 

 as a compenfation for this difappointment, the earl prcfeiited 

 him with a landed eRate, which was afterwards fold, at lefs 

 thaa its value, for 1800I. Bacon, however, after this fin- 

 gular expre.lion of friendly attachment on the part of EfTex, 

 proved ungrateful; and in the moment of daiiger abandoned 

 his friend and bencfaclor; pleaded againll: h'm on his trial 

 for high treafon; produced evidence' to his injury from his 

 letters; and after his execution, vindicated the conduct of 

 adminiftration, in an appeal to the public, imder the title of 

 «' A Declaration of the Treafons of Robert earl of Effex." 

 In th:s " Declaration" there occurred fome apparent marks 

 of tcndei-nefsforthe reputation of Effex, which led the queen 

 to obferve to him, that " old love could not calily be for- 

 gotten;" but whilll they proved that he was coimteraAing 

 his feelings by his conduit, they were infufficjent to excul- 

 pate the bafencfs of his ingratitude. His eonduft on this 

 cccafion excited againfl. him fuch general diffatisfadtion, that 

 he found it neceffary to write an elaborate defence under the 

 title of " Apology;" but no art or eloquence could avail to 

 ftifte the public indignation. From the queen he received 

 no additional honours or emoluments during tht remainder of 

 her reign; and to pcrfons in power he was an objeft of jea- 

 loufy and averlion. 



In public concerns, however, he afted with firmnefs and 

 dignity. Having been chofen, in 1593, to reprefent the 

 county of Middlefex in parliament, he took the popular fide, 

 though a fervant of the crown, againft her majclly's niini- 

 fters; and in the queilion of fubfidies, to which he indeed 

 affented, he delivered a fpeech, the freedom of which offended 

 the queen, and prevented his advancement. Towards the 

 end of her reign he became more fervilc in his parliamentary 

 conduft; for which his only plea was his poverty, and debts 

 whicli he had incurred, and for which he had been twice 

 arreiled. 



Upon the acceflion of James I. Bacon was diftinguifhed 

 by the favour of his new fovereign, and in i60'5 received 

 the honour of ki'.ighthood. In the firll parliament of this 

 reign, he regained his popularity by undertaking the redrefs 

 of grievances, arifing from the exaftions of the royal pur- 

 veyors; and in the conduft of this bulinefs he gave fatisfac- 

 tion both to the houfe and to the king. From the former 

 he received a vote i>f thanks, and from the latter a patent to 

 be one of the king's counfel, with a falary of 40I. a year, 

 accompanied with a penfion from the crown of 60I. a year, 

 for fpccial fervices rendered by his brother Anthony Bacon 

 Bnd himlelf. Notwithllanding the oppofition of Cecil, now 

 carl of Sahiburv, and of fir Edward Coke, attorney-general, 

 he puriued with fteady perfeverance his plans of advance- 

 ment; and by promoting tiie king's favourite object of an 

 union between the two kingdoms, and by pubhfhing, in 

 1605, one of his moll important works " On the advance- 

 ment of learning," he fo far fucceeded in gaining the favour 

 of his royal mailer, that in 1607 he was appointed to fup- 

 plv the place of fir John Doddridge, as iulicitor-gcneral. 

 His practice alfo was at this time very extenfive and profit- 

 able, and he alfo improved his fortune by marriage with the 

 daughter of Bcnedift Barnham Efq. a wealthy alderman of 

 the city of London. Whilil he difplayed his eminent 

 talents both in the fcnate and in the courts, he was not inat- 

 tentive to his grand philofophical fpeculations and purluits. 

 Vol. III. 



BAG 



Of the outline of his intended work he drculated coprs 

 under the title of " Cogitata et vifa," in order to obu.n the 

 animadverfions of the learned; and in 1610, he pubhihtd 

 his trcatife, intitled, « Of the Wifdom of the Ancient;." 

 In 161 1, he was appointed one of the judges of the f^arOial- 

 fca court, and about the fame time became regiftcr to xh: 

 (tar-chamber, granted to him by Elizibeth in rcvtrfion; and 

 m J613, he was made attorney-gei'eral. In the exerofe of 

 this ofiice he fuppoited the arbitrar)- power of govtniment in 

 fome of the ft?.te trials; but on various other occafions he 

 performed his duty with fidelity, and was ai^tivc in his exer- 

 tions for fupprcffing the favage j,raaice of duelling. 



Notwithllanding the affluence of his circurr (lances and 

 iiicomc, his prodigality rendered him indigent; and his am- 

 bition, which led tiim to afpire after the fuft dignity in the 

 lav.-, concurring with his penury-, induced him to feck it by 

 culpable ferrility and artifice. With this view he cultivated 

 the friendlhip of George V'illicrs, afterward; duke of Buck- 

 ingham, the king's favourite; and having fclrilh ends to fe- 

 cure, this frieiidfhip on his part degenerated into a mean and 

 crouching fervility. Apprchendirg the fptedy death of the 

 lord chancellor, he not only petitioned the king for this high 

 office, but bafely traduced the talents and charafter of thofc 

 who were likely to be his competitors, and enforced his appli- 

 cation by avowing liis ready obedience, and his power of in- 

 fluencing the lov.er houfe of parhument. His folic'tation, 

 feconded by the intcred of the earl of Buckingham, pre- 

 vailed; and in March 1617, he was honoured with the feals, 

 and the title of lord keeper. In the beginning of 1^19, he 

 was created lord high chancellor of England, and baron of 

 Verulam, which title was exchanged, in the following year, 

 for that of %ifcount of St. Albans. In this year^ viz. in 

 1620, he prtfented the worid with a work, which he had 

 been twelve years in completing, his " Novum Organ up ," 

 or the fecond part of his grand " Inftauration of the Sci- 

 ences." The high department in the law, which he fought 

 with fo much anxiety, and with fuch facrificts of perfonal 

 honour, proved in the ilTue an occafion of vexation and dif. 

 grace. By oppofing the propoftd treaty of marriage be- 

 tween Charles prince of Wales, and the infanta of Spain, 

 he offended the king; and by endeavouring to prevent the 

 marriage of fir John Villiers, Buckingham's brother, and fir 

 Edward Coke's daughter, he difplealed the favourite. The 

 mifuiidtrftandingoccafiontd by both thcfc circumilances foon 

 fubfided; and whilll he increafid his affiduity in promoting 

 the private intcreil of his royal mailer, he countenanced and 

 encouraged the rapacity of Buckingham, by affixing the 

 great feal to patents that were intended to be iallruments of 

 extortion. At length his conducl in various circumilances, 

 involving his own pecuniary advantage, became fo atrocious, 

 that national julliee demanded an inquirv. The parliament, 

 fummoned by James at the beginning of the vear 161^, for 

 the purpofc of obtaining legal fuppHcs, entered on this bufi- 

 nefs; and as they proceeded, the king encouraged them to 

 perfevere. " Spare none," faid he, " where you find jull 

 caufe to punidi." The further they extended their inquiries, 

 new occafions of complaint prefcnted themfelves, and thcfc 

 furnilhed materials for a parliamtnlaiy accufation. Accord- 

 ingly, the caufe was traiisferrcd to the houfe of lords, and 

 twenty diilinft chargesof coiTuption and bribery, amounting 

 to feveral thoufand pounds, were cxiiibited before the feleft 

 committee. The chancellor was alanned, and eamcltlv fo- 

 licited the king's proteftion. A fhoit recefs of parliament 

 delayed his danger; but this temporary expedient forced 

 only to aggravate the evil, and to increale the public clamour. 

 Wilhing to evade a minute inquiry, the humbled culprit ad- 

 dreffed a fubmillive letter to the houfe of lords, and exerted 

 3L aU 



