1753. The LIFE of Sir FRANCIS BACON. B 23 Rouen and the bishop of Chartres, who The Life of FRANCIS, afterwards Sir on of Sir Nicholas Bacon, lord-keep RANCIS Bacon was the youngest er and afterwards lord high-chancellor in the reign of queen Elizabeth, by his fecond wife, who was daughter of Sir Anthony Cooke, preceptor to Edward VI. Sir Nicholas appears to have been a man of wit, as well as great integrity and learning; for when the queen, in a vifit to him at his feat in Hertfordshire, told him, the thought his house too little for him, "No Madam, replied he, but your majesty has made me too great for my Choufe." And his lady too was a woman of great learning, having translated from the Latin, bishop Jewel's apology for the church of England. duce the taxes, and do that which I unhappily have not been able to do." The Dauphin having withdrawn, he ordered him to be called in again, embraced him with tears in his eyes, and added, "Take notice, my fon, of what I have been faying to you, as my laft precepts; and let thefe counfels fink deep into your mind. A Remember that kings die like other men." He bid me adieu three times: The first time, he affured me, that he regretted nothing but parting from me; but, added he, with a figh, we fhall foon meet again: entreated him to turn his thoughts towards God only. The fecond time, he asked my pardon for not having lived with me fo well as he ought, and for not having made me happy; but that he had always loved and esteemed me. He defired me to take notice whether the attendants did not liften; "However, added he, nobody will ever be furprized that I give way to tenderness with you." At the third adieu, he faid to me, "What will become of you? You are left deftitute." I exhorted him to mind nothing but God; but reflecting afterwards, that I could not tell how the princes might treat me, I defired him to recommend me to the duke of Orleans. He accordingly called the duke, and faid to him, "My nephew, I recommend Madam de Maintenon to your care; you know what esteem and regard I have always had for her; the never gave me any but good counfels, and I repent my not having always followed them: She has been useful to me in all refpects, and chiefly in turning me to God and labouring for my falvation. Grant her whatever the may ask you, whether it be for herself, or for her relations and friends, The will not make an abuse of it: Let her E apply directly to yourself." The 30th he faid to me, "You must needs have a great deal of courage to be always prefent at fuch a spectacle." When I found he had loft all fenfe, and that I could be of no farther fervice to him, being no longer able to stifle my grief, I refolved to retire to this place; and in order to avoid the peoples reflections on the road, that I might not be known, I defired the marshal Villeroy to lend me his coach, and told him at parting, that my affliction was pungent, yet calm; that the king's death was a chriftian death; that I had never begged any thing of God but his eternal happiness, and that I was going to shut myfelf up with my children. At my ar-G rival, I found the community affembled to receive me, and at the fight of the young ladies I could not refrain from tears: Behold how many fatherless children are here, faid I to the archbishop of 2 D Their youngest fon Francis was born at York-houfe in the Strand, Jan. 22, 1561, the brightness of whofe parts began early to appear, in fo much that queen Elizabeth herfelf, while he was but a boy, took a particular delight in trying him with questions, and received fo much fatisfaction from the good fenfe and manlinefs of his answers, that he was wont to call him, in mirth, her young lord-keeper: Among others, fhe having one day asked him, how old he was, he answered readily, "Juft two years younger than your majefty's happy reign." His proficiency in learning was fo rapid, that in the 12th year of his age, he was entered a ftudent of Trinity college, Cambridge, and went through all his courfes there by the time he was 16, when his father fent him to Paris, and recommended him to Sir Amias Powlet, then the queen's ambassador in France, who took particular notice of him. Whilft abroad, he did not fpend his time, as our young gentlemen usually do, in learning the vices, fopperies, and follies of foreigners, but in ftudying their conftitution of government and manners, and the characters and views of their princes and minifters; and in the 19th year of his age he wrote a paper of obfervations on the then general state of Europe, which is ftill extant among his works. Feb. 20. 1579, our young gentleman's father, Sir Nicholas Bacon, died, after having held the feals as keeper or chan cellor 24 The LIFE of Sir FRANCIS BACON. cellor for 20 years; but as queen Elizabeth's reign was more remarkable for her minifters gaining honour, then for their gaining riches, he left this his fon Francis, who was the youngest of five, but a very fmall fortune, fo that he was obliged to betake humfelf to the profeffion of the law for a fubfiftence, for which purpose he A entered himself of Gray's-inn, and feon became fo eminent in that profeffion, that at the age of 28 he was appointed by queen Elizabeth her learned counfel extraordinary. As Sir William Cecil, lord-treasurer to queen Elizabeth, afterwards lord Burleigh, had married our young gentleman's aunt, or mother's fifter, he frequently applied to him for fome place of credit and fervice in the ftate; but Sir William never got any thing for him, except the reverson of the office of regifter to the tarchamber, then reckoned worth 1600l. a year, which did not fall to him till near twenty years afterwards; and as he probably thought himself negle&ed by his C uncle, he attached himself strongly to the earl of Effex, which of courfe made his uncle, and alfo his coufin Sir Robert Cecil, his enemy; for when the earl, a little before his fall, warmly follicited his being made follicitor-general, it was oppofed by his coufin Sir Robert, who reprefented him to the queen, as a man of mere fpeculation, and more likely to diftract her affairs, than to ferve her usefully and with proper judgment; and as the earl found he could not ferve him in this way, he gave him a recompence out of his own eitate, by making him a present of Twitenham-park and its garden of paradife. Jan. with the publick was fo well re establish- With regard to politicks, Sir Francis Upon this unfortunate nobleman's fall, E Mr. Bacon, as one of the queen's counfel, was employed by the crown, along with Sir Edward Coke, the attorney general, to manage the trial against his lordship; and his ambition got fo far the better of his gratitude, that he not only accepted of the employment, but after the earl's execution, he at the defire of F the minifters, wrote and published that piece ftill extant among his works, intitled, A Declaration of the Treasons of Robert Earl of Effex. This quite ruined him in the publick esteem, which was probably the defign of the minifters, and perhaps did him no fervice in the opinion of his fovereign; but fuch was the brightnefs of his parts, that he foon recovered both in the next reign; for he was knighted by king James I. foon after his acceffion, in 1607 he was made follicitor-general, and in 1613, when he was made attorney-general, his character G As Sir Francis was extremely fubmiffive, and often useful to his patrons, fo he was diligent, and but too ready to ufe any means for getting the better of those he thought his rivals, as appeared upon the refignation of the old lord-chancellor Egerton in 1617. The feals he was highly ambitious of, and as he looked upon Sir Edward Coke as his rival, he took care to reprefent him to the king and Buckingham, as one who abounded in his own fenfe, and who by an affectation of popularity was likely to court the good will of the people, at the hazard of the prerogative. In this he was the more eafily believed, as Sir Edward had been but the year before turned out from being chief 1753. The LIFE of Sir FRANCIS BACON. chief-justice, because the minifters found kim not fo ductile as they inclined he fhould. Accordingly the feals were delivered to Sir Francis with the title of lord-keeper; and as Buckingham found him ready to put the feals to every patent, and every thing he defired, he got him created lord high-chancellor of England A and baron of Verulam in 1619, and the year following viscount of St. Albans. How fhort-lived do we often find human greatness! In 1621, king James was forced to call a parliament, and as the nation was highly diffatisfied with the conduct both of Buckingham and the chancellor, the houfe of commons fet on foot a ftrict fcrutiny into the conduct of B 25 ney, that he was confiderably in debt, occafioned by his indulgence to his fervants, and his being cheated and defrauded by them: Nay, his condemnation was chiefly owing to their exactions and the bribes they had taken whilst he was chancellor, tho' it is plain he was not influenced by them in his decrees, as no one of them was ever reverfed. And at last he became fenfible of his error with refpect to his fervants; for during his profecution, as he was paffing through a room where they were fitting, upon fight of him they all ftood up, on which he cried: "Sit down, my masters; your rife hath been my fall." The king foon released him from the Tow er, made a grant of his fine to fome truftees for his benefit, and settled upon him a penfion of 180ol. a year; but as he applied most of his income to the payment of his debts, he lived always after in a very mean condition; and tho' the king in a fhort time afterwards granted him a Cfull and entire pardon of his whole fentence, whereupon he was fummoned to the first parliament of king Charles I. yet he did not live long to enjoy these favours; for as he was making some experiments at Highgate, he was fuddenly ftruck in the head and stomach, and being carried to the earl of Arundel's houfe As the court thought that his condem-D nation and punishment would fatisfy the commons, and divert them entirely from the profecution of Buckingham, but were at the fame time afraid, that if he appeared and stood upon his defence, his eloquence and what he had to offer against the charge, might procure an acquittal, they commanded him not to appear in perfon, but to fend a confeffion of all he E was accused of to the house in writing; which arbitrary command he was fo fainthearted as to comply with, trusting to the king's promise, that he should have a pardon, and a remiffion of his fine, toge. ther with a penfion during life; and upon his confeffion he was fentenced to pay a fine of 40,000l. to be imprisoned in the Tower during the king's pleasure, to be for ever incapable of any office, place or employment in the commonwealth; and never to fit again in parliament, or come within the verge of the court. Thus this great man was made the fcape-goat, as it often happens, for a higher criminal; and tho' he had in his life-time got a great deal of money by his pofts and his profeffion, for he was in every great cause that happened whilst he was at the bar, yet he had purchased but a very small eftate of about 600l. a year, and was fo far from having any ready me. January, 1753 F G there, he expired after a week's illness, April 9, 1626; without any iffue by his wife, who was a daughter of alderman Barnham of London, whom he married when about the age of 40, and with whom he received a plentiful fortune. Notwithstanding the great hurry and buftle he appears to have been concerned in, from his first entering upon business, to the moment of his condemnation, yet even during that busy time he often employed himfelf in making experiments, and published fome of his philofophical works, which is a proof of the vast extent of his genius. From them it appears, that he may justly be reckoned the chief among those who first began to free the world from the flavish chains of the old fcholaftick learning, and to introduce true philofophy, and ufeful knowledge; therefore, whatever he may have deferved for his politicks from the generation in which be lived, to pofterity his memory has been, and will always be facred. To conclude, his character feems to have been a perfect contraft; for he ap pears to have been ambitious, yet daftardly; ftudions, yet builling; avaritious, yet negligent of money; virtuous, yet venal; fond of a character, yet ready to facrifice it upon every occation; and of a penetrating and folid judgment in all forts of Literature, D 26 The WORLD, a new PAPER. terature, but weak in the conduct of Jife. If he had confined his ambition On Jan. 4, a new Paper, intitled, The WH Hoever is acquainted with the writings of thofe eminent practitioners in phyfick, who make their appearance either in hand-bills, or in the weekly or daily papers, will fee clearly that there is a certain and invariable method D of fpeaking of one's felf to every body's fatisfaction. I fhall therefore introduce my own importance to the publick, as near as I can, in the manner and words of thofe gentlemen; not doubting of the fame credit, and the fame advantages. ADVERTISEMENT. The in Jan. art of mourning. He gives common fenfe to philofophers, candour to difputants, modefty to criticks, decency to men of fashion, and frugality to tradefmen. For farther particulars, enquire at the place above-mentioned, or of any of the kings and princes in Europe, Afia, Africa, or America. N. B. The doctor performs his operations by lenitives and alteratives; never applying corrofives, but when inveterate ill habits have rendered gentler methods ineffectual. Having thus fatisfied the publick of my amazing abilities, and having, no doubt, raifed its curiofity to an extraordinary height, I fhall defcend, all at once, from my doctorial dignity, to addrefs myself to my readers as the the author of a weekly paper of amusement, called, The WORLD. My defign in this paper is to ridicule, with novelty and good-humour, the fashions, follies, vices and abfurdities of that part of the human fpecies which calls itself the WORLD, and to trace it thro' all its bufinefs, pleasures and amufements. But tho' my fubjects will chiefly confine me to the town, I do not mean never to make excursions into the country; on the contrary, when the profits of thefe lucubrations have enabled me to fet up a one-horfe chair, I fhall take frequent occafions of inviting my reader to a feat in it, and of driving him to scenes of pure air, tranquillity and innocence, from smoke, hurry and intrigue. My readers will, I hope, excufe me, if they should find me very sparing E of motto's to these effays. I know very well, that a little Latin or Greek, to those who understand no language but English, is both fatisfactory and entertaining. It gives an air of dignity to a paper, and is a convincing proof, that the author is a perfon of profound learning and erudition. But in the opinion of those who are in the fecret Fitz- Adam; who after 40 years travel thro' all the parts of the known and unknown world; after having investigated all sciences, acquired all languages, and entered into the deepest receffes of nature and the paffions, is at laft, for the emolument and glory of his native country, returned to England; where he undertakes to cure all the diseases of the human mind. He cures lying, cheating, fwearing, drinking, gaming, avarice and ambition in the men and envy, flander, coquetry, prudery, vanity, wantonnefs and inconftancy in G the women. He undertakes, by a fafe, pleafant and speedy method, to get hufbands for young maids, and good-humour for old ones. He inftructs wives, after the eafieft and newest fashion, in the art of pleafing, and widows in the of fuch motto's, the custom is, as Shakepear fays, more honoured in the breach than the obfervance; a motto being generally chofen after the effay is written, and hardly ever having affinity to it thro' two paragraphs together. But I have a stronger reafon for declining this custom It is, that the follies I intend frequently to treat of, and the characters I fhall from time to time exhibit to my readers, will be fuch as the Greeks and Romans were entirely unacquainted with. It may perhaps be expected, before I difmifs this paper, that 1 fhould take a * Printed for R. Dodley, in Pall Mall. little |