the trial against his lordship; and 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 the minifters, wrote and published that piece, ftill extant among his works, entitled, A Declaration of the Treafon of Robert, earl of Effex.

This quite ruined him in the public 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 brightness 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 with the public was fo well reestablished, that, upon a question in the house of commons, whether the attorney-general could be a member of the house, as he was an officer who was obliged to attend upon the other; the question was carried in the affirmative, out of a particular regard to him; and it was therefore declared that it should be no precedent.

With regard to politics, Sir Francis Bacon appears to have been a mere time-server, an humble fuitor to every minifter he thought uppermoft, and his profecutor as foon as down. His behaviour towards the earl of Effex we have already seen. After that earl's death, he attached himself to his coufin, Sir Robert Cecil,

Cecil, fecretary of ftate, and afterwards earl of Salisbury, though he knew him to be pri vately no true friend; and, accordingly, during his life, he never rofe higher than to be follicitor-general. He then made his court to the earl of Somerset, who had become a favourite, and was created viscount Rochester, juft before the death of Salisbury; and by his means it probably was that Sir Francis was made attorney-general; a place then worth fix hundred pounds a year, as he himself acknowledged.

Upon Somerset's fall, Sir Francis Bacon, then attorney-general, became one of his chief profecutors; and, from that time, began to make his court to Villiers, afterwards duke of Buckingham; to whom he was fo fubfervient, that he submitted to be a fort of fteward for

thofe great eftates bestowed upon this young favourite by the king. However, it appears from his letters, and other writings, that he generally gave good advice to his patrons ; but, when he found that they would not follow his, he was ready to follow theirs without referve; though it does not appear that he was any way concerned in the treasonable practices of the earl of Effex; which was, perhaps, more owing to his want of courage than his want of ambition.

As Sir Francis was extremely fubmiffive, and often useful to his patrons; fo he was diligent, and but too ready to use any means, for getting the better of those he thought his

rivals ;

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 represent 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 easily believed, as Sir Edward had been but the year before chiefjuftice, because the minifters found him 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, and baron of Verulam, in 1619; and, the year following, vifcount of St. Al

bans.

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 house of commons fet on foot a ftri&t fcrutiny into the conduct of both. King James wanted money fo much, that he could not diffolve them; but, to divert them from the profecution of his favourite, Buckingham, the monopolies and il legal patents were all cancelled and recalled by proclamation; and the court permitted,

under

under-hand, the profecution of the chancellor: in confequence of which, he was impeached by the house of commons of corrupt practices, in caufes depending before him, as chief judge of equity; fo entirely had he loft that great character, which, but feven years before, he had among the commons, when he was made attorney-general.

As the court thought that his condemnation and punishment would fatisfy the commons, and divert them entirely from the prosecution 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 was accused of to the house in writing; which arbitrary command he was fo faint-hearted as to comply with, trusting to the king's promise, that he fhould have a pardon, and a remiffion of his fine, together with a penfion during life: and, upon his confeffion, he was fentenced to pay a fine of forty thousand pounds, to be imprisoned in the Tower during the king's pleafure; 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 fcapegoat, as it often happens, for a higher criminal; and, though he had, in his life-time, got a great deal of money by his posts and

his profeffion, for he was in every great caufe that happened whilft he was at the bar, yet he had purchased but a very small eftate of about fix hundred pounds a year; and was fo far from having any ready-money, that he was confiderably in debt; occafioned by his indulgence to his fervants, and by 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, though it is plain he was not influenced by them in his decrees, as no one of them was ever reverfed. And, at laft, he became fenfible of his error with respect to his fervants; for, during his profecution, as he was paffing through a room where they were fitting, upon fight of him they all stood up; on which he cried, "Sit down my mafters; your rife hath been my fall."

The king foon releafed him from the Tower, made a grant of his fine to fome truftees for his benefit, and fettled upon him a pension of one thoufand eight hundred pounds a year; but, as he applied moft of his income to the payment of his debts, he lived always after in a very mean condition; and, though the king, in a very fhort time afterwards, granted him a full 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 thefe favours; for, as he was making fome experiments at Highgate, he was fuddenly ftruck in the head and stomach;

and,