ing the Great Seal in his hand, and marches towards the bar, where he sees Sir Edward Coke. Their eyes encounter, but all indecorous looks and gestures are suppressed. Coke makes his congés, delivers in his paper, and retires.) Bacon from the woolsack.- "The message from the Commons by Sir Edward Coke and others is this, that the Commons having entered into a due consideration of divers heavy grievances, touching patents and monopolies, do desire a conference with your Lordships thereupon, leaving the time and place and numbers to your Lordships' appointment." (The messengers being again called in), Bacon, sitting on the woolsack covered." I am desired by their Lordships to inform the Commons that their Lordships agree to the conference, and appoint it to be held on the 5th of March, at two of the clock in the afternoon, in the Painted Chamber, where, in respect of the importance of the subject, the whole House will attend." Sir Edward Coke." My Lords, I crave liberty to explain my message a little further. The Commons will scantly be prepared to meet your Lordships so soon, and their wish was, that, if your Lordships should yield to a conference, they would prepare the business, so as to give the least interruption to your Lordships' greater affairs; and when they are ready, I will return and inform your Lordships therewith. Bacon." Gentlemen of the House of Commons, their Lordships will suspend the time till they have notice that the Commons are ready for the conference."*

Buckingham and the King were now fully aware of the impending danger. Another comraittee of the House of Commons was sitting to inquire into "the abuses of Courts of Justice," the proceedings of which were directed by the indefatigable and vindictive Sir Edward Coke, although, out of decency, he had declined to be its chairman. The object of this inquiry was known to be to establish certain charges of bribery and corruption against the Lord Chancellor, and to effect his ruin.

This was the crisis in the fate of the man whose life we shall next have to relate, Williams, then Dean of Westminster, afterwards Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, Bishop of Lincoln, and Archbishop of York. Hitherto he had only been known to Buckingham as a divine, having been employed by him to convert from the errors of Popery the Lady Catherine Manners, a great heiress, whom he wished to marry,-and to smooth the difficulties which stood in his way in that enterprise. But Williams being noted for his shrewdness and dexterity in business, his advice was asked in the present extremity, and he declared that the storm was too violent to be resisted, and that Buckingham himself would be in danger if some great concession were not speedily made to public opinion. He recommended that Sir Edward Villiers, implicated with Mompesson and Michell in the most obnoxious monopolies, should be sent abroad on an embassy; that the other * I Parl. Hist. 1199. Journals of Lords, 18 Jac. 1.

two "should be thrown overboard as wares that might be spared;" and that the power of the Crown should not be exerted to screen the Chancellor from any charges which might be established against him. "Swim with the tide," said he, "and you cannot be drowned."* Buckingham, pleased with his insinuating manner and plausible advice, immediately carried him to the King, and from that moment the Dean of Westminster directed the measures of the Court, although it was a considerable time before the public, or even Bacon, became aware of his influence.

Sir Edward Villiers was sent on his embassy. Mompesson and Michell were impeached, and in due time sentence was pronounced upon them of fine, imprisonment, and perpetual infamy. At a conference on this subject between the two Houses, at which the Lord Chancellor was one of the [MARCH 12, 1621.] managers for the Peers, he took the opportunity,—very irregularly, though dexterously,-to make a long speech to the Commons, vindicating the whole of his own conduct, which had recently been brought in question before them. He might have been forewarned of his approaching fall by the proceeding which took place on the return of the managers to the House. The Lord Chamberlain then complained, " that the Lord Chancellor at the conference, had spoken in his own defence, not being allowed so to do, the said conference being directed and limited by this House, which was against the ancient orders thereof," and moved" that an order may now be entered to prevent the like hereafter, and that the Lord Chancellor should give the house satisfaction by an acknowledgement of his error herein." The Lord Chancellor had the mortification to put the question upon this motion, and to declare "the CONTENTS have it," -no one venturing to dissent. "Whereupon the Lord Chancellor, removing from the woolsack to his seat as a Peer, did acknowledge that, contrary to the orders of this House, he had spoken at the last conference more than he had direction from the house to do, and owned that he had erred therein."t

In three days more, the public exposure of the Lord Chancellor began by the Report of the committee on the [MARCH 15.] abuses in Courts of justice being presented to the House. It expressly charged him with corruption, on the complaint of parties against whom he had given judgment. One Aubrey stated, "that having a suit pending in the Court of Chancery, and being worn out by delays, he had been advised by his counsel to present 100% to the Chancellor that his cause might, by more than ordinary means, be expedited, and that in consequence he had delivered the money to Sir George Hastings and Mr. Jenkins, of Gray's Inn, by whom it was presented to his Lordship; but notwithstanding this offering, the Chancellor had pronounced a

* Hacket's Life of Williams, Part I. 50.

† Lords' Journals, 18 Jac. 1. 1 Parl. Hist. 1202.

killing decree against him." Egerton was the other petitioner, who averred that, "to procure my Lord's favour, he had been persuaded by Sir George Hastings and Sir Richard Young to make some present to the Chancellor, and that he accordingly delivered to them 400%,, which they presented to the Chancellor as a grautity. under colour that my Lord, when Attorney General, had befriended him-which was in addition to a former gratuity of a piece of plate worth fifty guineas,-but that notwithstanding these presents, the Lord Chancellor, assisted by Lord Chief Justice Hobart, decided for his opponent." Various witnesses had been examined in support of these charges, and the committee had passed a resolution that they ought to be made the subject of an impeachment of the Lord Chancellor.

Bacon, reckoning on the support of the Crown, and thinking that the worst that could happen would be a sudden dissolution of the parliament,--at first had talked with scorn and defiance of these accusations,-but he became alarmed by the increased roar of public disapprobation, and the diminished courtesy of the hangers-on about the Court.

On the 17th of March he presided in the House of Lords,—for the last time. He had a fright on that day by the spectre that had so often crossed his path, and was now ever present to his imagination. "A message from the Commons was announced, -and the Chancellor marching down to the bar perceived that it was brought by Sir Edward Coke. He suspected that the message might have been to exhibit articles of impeachment against himself for bribery and corruption. He was relieved when Coke declared the message to be, "that the Commons, for the furtherance of justice, waived an objection they had at first made to members of their House being sworn at the bar of the House of Lords as witnesses against Mompesson and Michell."*

Notwithstanding this respite, Bacon's courage now failed him; he hurried the adjournment of the House as much as possible, lest another message might come up of a more serious nature, which it would have been very awkward for him to have announced from the woolsack;—and as soon as he got home, he took to his bed, pretending a sudden and serious illness. From an interview he had with Buckingham and the King, he discovered that they were not to be relied upon, and he heard of the declarations they were now making to gain popularity, "that monopolies should be put down, and that guilt in high places deserved severer punishment."

At Bacon's own request, a commission passed the Great Seal, reciting that, by reason of illness, he was unable to attend in the House of Lords, and authorising Sir James Ley, Knight and

* Coke himself had long battled this point of privilege, contending that the members of the House of Commons were quasi Judges in parliament, and that Judges were not to be sworn in their own court.-1 Parl. Hist. 1206.

Baronet, Chief Justice of the King's Bench, to act as Speaker in his absence.

On the 19th of March the Chief Justice took his place on the woolsack under this commission, and immediately a conference was demanded by Sir Robert Phillips and others, on the part of the Commons, respecting "abuses in the Courts of Justice." A present conference being granted, "they commended the incomparable good parts of the Lord Chancellor; they magnified the place he holds, from whence bounty, justice, and mercy were to be distributed to the subjects; but they were obliged to declare that the Lord Chancellor was accused of bribery and corruption in this his eminent place." They proceeded to detail the particulars and proofs of the charge.

Next day Buckingham, affecting to act a friendly part to the Chancellor, declared in the House of Lords that "he had been twice to see him, being sent to him by the King-that the first time his Lordship was very sick and heavy, but the second time he found him better, and much comforted with the thought that the complaint against him was come into this House, where he assured himself to find honourable justice, in confidence whereof his Lordship had written a letter to the House." The letter was delivered into the hands of the Chief Justice, and read by him from the woolsack:

"To the Right Honourable his very good Lords, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in the Upper House of Parliament assembled.

It is no

My very good Lords-I humbly pray your Lordships all to make a favourable and true construction of my absence. feigning or fainting, but sickness both of my heart and of my back, though joined with that comfort of mind which 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 so far as I am worthy, hearing that some complaints of base bribery are before your Lordships my requests to 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 answers in a higher Court, your Lordships will give me 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 an innocency by cavillations, but plainly and ingenuously (as your Lordships know my manner is) declare what I know or 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-examinations: and likewise to produce my own witnesses for the discovery of the truth. And, lastly, That if there be 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 2000 orders and decrees in a year (not to speak of the courses that have been taken for hunting out complaints against me), but that I may answer them according to the rules of justice severally and respectively.

"These requests I hope appear to your Lordships no other than just. And so thinking myself happy to have so noble peers and reverend prelates to discern of my cause; and desiring no privilege of greatness for subterfuge of guiltiness, but meaning, as I said, to deal fairly and plainly with your Lordships and to put myself upon your honours and favours, I pray God to bless your counsels and persons, and rest your Lordships' humble servant,

FR. ST. ALBAN, Canc."

A courteous answer was returned to him, "that it was the wish of the House that his Lordship should clear his honour from all the aspersions cast upon it, and that they prayed he would provide for his defence."

The King was startled at these prosecutions, which he considered dangerous to prerogative, and in the hope of diverting the commons from their purpose without offending them, he sent them a message.- "That he was very sorry a person so much advanced by him, and sitting in so high a place, should be suspected; that he cannot answer for all others under him, though his care in the choice of Judges had been great; but if this accusation could be proved, his Majesty would punish him to the full; that the King would, if it be thought fitting, here grant a commission under the Great Seal of England to examine all upon oath that can speak in this business."

This message was most gratefully welcomed by the Commons, and had nearly gained its object,-when Sir Edward Coke rose and begged “they would take heed this commission did not hinder the manner of their parliamentary proceeding against a great public delinquent." Thereupon a general address of thanks to the King was voted, and they resolved to prosecute the case before the Lords.*

A vast number of fresh charges of bribery and corruption now poured in against the Chancellor, and the Commons were preparing regular articles of impeachment on which he might be brought to trial, when, on the approach of Easter, the two Houses were adjourned by royal mandate till the 17th of April,-in hope that during the recess the clamour might subside, or some expedient might be devised to defeat or delay the investigation. Before the adjournment his Majesty, rather in an unusual manner, came to

*1 Parl. Hist. 1223.