No. XXVI.1 Essex to the Queen. Rather think him dead, most dear and most admired Sovereign, that since Tuesday, at four of the clock, hath sent you no acknowledgment of your goodness, grace, and mercy, than that his duty and thankfulness could take days, yea, or admit hours or minutes, of delay. But violent fever possesseth your Maj. servant every other day, groweth still upon me, and leaveth me in charge to such pains in my weak head, as neither will my brains undertake to indite, nor mine eyes willingly assent to any light which shall direct my hand in writing. Therefore, dear and gracious Lady, I must be silent, though my heart boils within me for lack of an interpreter to deliver the most lowly, zealous, faithful, and matchless thankfulness of your Majesty's humblest vassal, ESSEX. In the month of July, the Queen intended making a progress, during which she was to visit Tottenham, the seat of the Earl of Hertford. Essex renewed his applications to obtain his perfect freedom before her departure, and wrote, as we are told, "now and then" to the Queen. The two next letters belong to this period of suspense. No. XXVII.2 Essex to the Queen. In this long trance, most dear and most admired Sovereign, I must sometimes move, look up, and speak, that your Majesty may know your servant lives. I live, though sick in spirit unto the death, yet moan not for impatience, as com monly sick men do. I look up to your Majesty, on earth my only physician; yet look for no physic till you, in your deepest wisdom and gracious favor, shall think the crisis past, and the time fit for a cure. I speak not the words of my lips, but the words of my heart, yet cannot utter that which most concerns me, and should give my full heart the greatest ease. Therefore, I say to myself, lie still, look down, and be silent; your Majesty never buried alive any creature of your favour, and hath past your princely word, that your correction is not intended for the ruin of your Majesty's humblest vassal, pining, languishing, despairing, 26th July, 1600. ESSEX. No. XXVIII.1 Essex to the Queen. Pardon, oh! pardon, most dear and most admired Sovereign, the freedom of this speech, for passion speaks, and I have no longer power to strive against it. If your Majesty dismiss me into the country, as banished from your presence again, company, health, yea, life itself, will be, nay, shall be, hateful to me. I receive no grace, your Majesty shews no mercy. But if your Majesty will vouchsafe to let me once prostrate myself at your feet, and behold your fair and gracious eyes, though it be unknown to all the world but to him that your Majesty shall appoint to bring me to that paradise; yea, though afterwards your Majesty punish me, imprison me, or pronounce the sentence of death against me, your Majesty is most merciful, and I shall be most happy. That house will make your Majesty remember what I was; and this favour shall make your Majesty know both what I am, and what I will be: for your Majesty shall find that, by my fall, I am come to know both good and evil. I S. P. O. Pardon, oh! pardon, most dear Lady, for my words are, as my thoughts, confused. But if your Majesty will be pleased to assign me to any man, I will commit myself unto him; and upon my life I will pass to the place which he shall appoint me, and from thence afterwards to Ewelme Lodge, without discovery. And your Majesty's answer is . . or mortifying to your Majesty's humblest vassal, ESSEX. On the 26th August, Essex had been called up to York House before the Lord Keeper, Treasurer, and Secretary, who signified to him the Queen's pleasure that he should have his liberty. This letter, therefore, was written immediately after that event, and is his first effort towards obtaining the next important step, admission to the royal presence. Her reply to this, however, was, that though she had given him his liberty, he still remained under her indignation, and was, on no account, to presume to approach the Court. He consequently retired to Ewelme Lodge in the beginning of September; Lady Rich being at the same time released, went to Lees, her husband's seat, to attend him, who was at the time dangerously ill. As she had borne children to Lord Mountjoy, with whom her connection had been notorious for some years, this conduct shows how remarkably easy Lord Rich's sense of honour was; or what would be yet more contemptible and disgraceful, that he sanctioned his wife's liaison, and now, during Mountjoy's absence, gave her welcome home. No wonder she rewarded such vile complaisance with the deepest scorn. CHAPTER IV. LIFE OF ROBERT, EARL OF ESSEX continued. FRANCIS BACON ENDEAVOURS TO EXPLAIN HIS CONDUCT.— - ESSEX'S REPLY.—VAIN ENDEAVOURS TO OBTAIN ACCESS. -CONSIDERATION OF HIS CONDUCT IN IRELAND.-RENEWAL OF HIS LEASE OF SWEET WINES REFUSED. — HIS LAST LETTER, THREATENING TO ENTER THE ROYAL PRESENCE IN ARMOUR. - ESSEX HOUSE THROWN OPEN. DAILY PREACHINGS. HIS FRIENDS HOLD MEETINGS AT DRURY HOUSE. IMMEDIATE CAUSE OF THE INSURRECTION. THE LORD KEEPER GOES TO ESSEX HOUSE, VAIN ATTEMPT TO RAISE THE CITY. ESSEX HOUSE IS INVESTED. ESSEX SURRENDERS, AND WITH HIS PRINCIPAL FRIENDS IS SENT TO THE TOWER. -- -- LET us pause here for a few moments to consider the conduct of Francis Bacon before the Lords at York House, where he had seized upon some impatient expressions in Essex's letter to the Lord Keeper, and the dedication of Hayward's book concerning Henry IV., and endeavoured to aggravate them into grievous offences. Soon after the Earl was relieved from the custody of Sir Richard Barkely he received the following letter from Bacon; his reply to which merits particular attention, so dignified, so gentle, so free from reproach, or rather in its very gentleness so full of reproach, it appeals infinitely more to our feelings in favour of Essex, than those exaggerated passionate letters which he addressed to the Queen. No. XXIX.1 Francis Bacon to Essex. My Lord,-No man can expound my doings better than your Lordship, which makes me need to say the less; only I humbly pray you to believe that I aspire to the conscience and commendation of bonus civis and bonus vir, and that though I love some things better, I confess, than I love your Lordship, yet I love few persons better, both for gratitude's sake, and for virtues which cannot hurt but by accident. Of which my good affection, it may please your Lordship to assure yourself of all the true effects and offices that I can yield; for, as I was ever sorry your Lordship should fly with waxen wings, doubting Icarus' fortune; so for the growing up of your own feathers, be they ostriches or other kind, no man shall be more glad; and this is the axletree whereupon I have turned and shall turn. Which, having already signified unto you by some near means, having so fit a messenger for mine own letter, I thought good to redouble also my writing. And so I commend you to God's protection. From Gray's Inn, July 19. 1600, &c. No. XXX.2 The Earl's Reply. FRA. BACON. Mr. Bacon,-I can neither expound nor censure your late actions, being ignorant of all of them, save one; and having directed my sight inward only, to examine myself. You do pray me to believe that you only aspire to the conscience and commendation of bonus civis and bonus vir; and I do faithfully assure you that, while that is your ambition, though your course be action and mine contemplative, 1 Works, xii. 24. Ibid. 111. |