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that the King felt it absolutely necessary to appeal to his "faithful Commons" for aid and support; and Bacon urged him to win their confidence and ready succour by redressing the grievances of which the country reasonably complained. He proposed a reform in the administration of the laws; an abolition of the unjust and obnoxious monopolies, which fleeced the people to enrich the minions of the Court; an immediate increase of the royal navy, and a vigorous foreign policy in support of Protestantism.*

Unhappy Bacon! Every measure he proposed was an alarm and an insult to James's profligate courtiers, and placed in the hands of his unscrupulous enemies-Sir Lionel Cranfield, who was moving heaven and earth. to secure the Lord-Treasurer's staff; and the able but unprincipled Williams, who eagerly desired my LordKeeper's seals-the weapons which might overthrow him. A league was secretly formed against the Chancellor, for whose success, when Coke had brought the support of his quenchless hatred and subtle revenge, it was only needful to secure the countenance of Buckingham or arouse the jealous apprehensions of King James.

The fee-system which prevailed in the Court of Chancery was dexterously made the instrument of Bacon's ruin. The Lord-Chancellor and his principal officers received no regular salaries, but maintained their dignity and establishments by means of the presents, fees, "benevolences"-bribes, if you will-which were voluntarily offered by the suitors of the court. Such a system was, undoubtedly, open to abuse; and out of its abuses it was

* Montagu, vol. xvi.; Bacon, "Apophthegms;" Lingard; Dixon, "Personal History."

easy to find the means of overthrowing an unpopular Chancellor. It was only necessary to secure suitable agents to carry out the nefarious scheme. This was no difficult matter. To every cause exist two parties; and as the judge can decide but in favour of one, there always remains the aggrieved and discontented.

The storm, so long brewing, at length burst. Soon after the meeting of Parliament, Coke obtained a committee of the whole House, to sit on Wednesdays, and hear complaints relative to Courts of Justice. Before this committee various measures were introduced which bore, directly or indirectly, upon the constitution of the Court of Chancery and the powers of the Lord-Chancellor. Finally, on the 20th of March, in spite of the opposition of the best and most virtuous men in the House, the Commons laid before the Peers an accusation against Bacon, "charging him with bribery and corruption in his eminent place, and calling on their Lordships to examine the proofs, and, if they found him guilty, to punish him for the same." Bacon, at this moment, lay at York House, very sick and feeble; but he addressed to the Lords the following touching letter:

"MY VERY GOOD LORDS,-I humbly pray your Lordships all to make a favourable and true construction of my absence. It is no feigning, nor fainting, but sickness both of my heart and of my back, though joined with that comfort of mind that persuadeth me that I am not far from heaven, whereof I feel the first fruits. And because, whether I live or die, I would be glad to preserve my honour and fame as far as I am worthy, hearing

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that some complaints of base bribery are come before your Lordships, my requests unto your Lordships are: First, that you will maintain me in your good opinion, without prejudice, until my cause be heard; secondly, that, in regard I have sequestered my mind at this time, in great part, from worldly matters, thinking of my account and answer in a higher court, your Lordships would give me some convenient time, according to the course of other courts, to advise with my counsel, and to make my answer, wherein, nevertheless, my counsel's part will be the least; for I shall not, by the grace of God, trick up innocency with cavillations, but plainly and ingenuously (as your Lordships know my manner is) declare what I know and remember; thirdly, that, according to the course of justice, I may be allowed to except to the witnesses brought against me, and to move questions to your Lordships for their cross-examination, and, likewise, to produce my own witnesses for discovery of the truth; and, lastly, if there come any more petitions of like nature, that your Lordships would be pleased not to take any prejudice or apprehension of any number or muster of them, especially against a judge that makes two thousand decrees and orders in a year (not to speak of the courses that have been taken for hunting out complaints against me), but answer them according to the rules of justice, severally and respectfully. These requests, I hope, appear to your Lordships no other than just. And so, thinking myself happy to have so noble peers, reverend prelates, to discern of my cause, and desiring no privilege for subterfuge of guiltiness, but meaning (as I said) to deal fairly and plainly with your Lordships, and to put myself upon your honours' favours, I

pray God to bless your counsels and your persons, and rest your Lordships' humble servant,

"FR. ST. ALBAN, Canc."

This was language worthy of Bacon, worthy of his mens conscia recti, and it was language which to the last he continued to hold. "I know," he said, "I have clean hands and a clean heart." He addressed himself both to the King and the Duke of Buckingham; but the latter had set his fancy upon York House; and the former, though at first disposed to support his Chancellor, was soon persuaded that, by flinging so great a victim into the hands of the Commons, he should check them from carrying their investigations further. A victim was wanted, and one stood ready at hand; a sacrifice of which, indeed, any King might reasonably speak as one of surpassing cost!

Bacon's sagacity soon discerned that his downfall was already predetermined; and, sick both in mind and body, he resigned the seals, hoping, it may be, by the promptitude of the concession, to prevent a struggle in which his ill health unfitted him to contend. He was also impelled to the act by the urgent and repeated solicitations of the King himself, who, "with tears in his eyes, implored the Lord-Chancellor to abandon his defence, to yield his place, and trust his honour and his fortunes to the Crown." But his enemies were not so easily disarmed. He had not acknowledged his guilt, because he had received no particulars of the charges made against him. These charges were now set forth, in order that a plea of "guilty" might, if possible, be wrung from his sufferings; and upon that plea, Cranfield, Coke, and

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Williams well knew how to act. They contained twentytwo charges of corruption, and one of carelessness; but very speedily a great majority of these was abandoned. by the accusers themselves, and only four remained on which action was taken. These four have been minutely examined by Mr. Hepworth Dixon in his recent "Story of Lord Bacon's Life," and, as it appears to us, have been amply disproved. Bacon's hostile biographers have made much of the "Confession and Submission" which Bacon, on the 30th of April, laid before the Lords; but an impartial consideration of its contents will scarcely lead one to regard it as the "last speech" of a criminal. It is rather the Defence of an innocent man who feels that he is hopelessly pleading before a prejudiced tribunal. He had done some things weakly, foolishly, thoughtlessly. He had allowed his servants, through want of supervision, to drag their master's high dignity through much foul mire. But he himself—the Father of Inductive Philosophy-was pure of hand and of heart, as he was vast of intellect and clear of judgment.

The sentence passed upon him was, at least, a lenient one, if he had been guilty of the crimes imputed to him by his adversaries; for surely the eye of God recognizes no greater sin than the corrupt and wilful perversion of justice. It ran in these terms:

"That the Lord Viscount St. Albans, Lord-Chancellor of England, shall undergo fine and ransom of £40,000; that he shall be imprisoned in the Tower during the King's pleasure; that he shall for ever be incapable of any office, place, or employment in the State or Commonwealth; that he shall never sit in Parliament, nor come within the range of the Court."