the bishop to a higher station than the rank of a polemic. The sermons of Andrews, though now scarcely ever read, abound with beauties and uncommon ideas. They were highly esteemed by bishop Horne, whose judgment on such subjects no one will question. Bishop Andrews was a man of great wit, as well as of great piety and learning, of which we have an instance in an anecdote related by Waller, the poet. Waller going to see the king at dinner, overheard a very extraordinary conversation between his majesty and two prelates, Andrews, bishop of Winchester, and Neile, bishop of Durham, who were standing behind the king's chair. James asked the bishops: My lords, cannot I take my subjects' money when I want it, without all this formality in parliament? The bishop of Durham readily answered, God forbid, sir, but you should; you are the breath of our nostrils.' Whereupon the king turned, and said to the bishop of Winchester, 'Well, my lord, what say you?' 'Sir,' replied the bishop, I have no skill to judge of parliamentary cases.' The king answered, no put-offs, my lord, answer me presently.' Then, sir,' said he, I think it lawful for you to take my brother Neile's money, for he offers it.' Mr. Waller said, the company was pleased with this answer, and the wit of it seemed to affect the king.'

To return to Bacon, the great cause of his fall lay, not as Pope says, in the meanness, but in the generosity of his temper. He had a magnificent

mind, and was too liberal to his domestics, and other attendants.

Rushworth says, "that he treasured up nothing for himself or family, but was over-indulgent to his servants, and connived at their takings, and their ways betrayed him to that error: they were profuse and expensive, and had at their command whatever he was master of. The gifts taken were for the most part for interlocutory orders, his decrees were generally made with so much equity, that, though gifts rendered him suspected for injustice, yet never any decree made by him, was reversed as unjust, as it has been observed by some who were well skilled in our laws*." This is confirmed

* In the 21st volume of the European Magazine, p.p. 1389, are inserted "Anecdotes of Lord Bacon," all of them extracted from Anthony Weldon's Aulicus Coquinariæ, or the Secret History of the Reign of James I. and from Sir Symonds D'Ewes's own memoirs; two works of such palpable partiality, as never to be quoted by any writer who wishes to gain credit for what he relates. Yet the late worthy Isaac Reed, then editor of the European Magazine, whose knowledge of English books was never exceeded by any man, suffered these transcripts to appear in that publication without noticing the foul sources from whence they were drawn. The author of this note remonstrated with him on the occasion, and inserted in a subsequent number of the magazine a brief animadversion on the article here mentioned. He cannot. however, dismiss this observation without bearing his testi mony of friendly respect to the modest virtues of one who deserved the high character given of him by Dr. Johnson, who

confirmed by what is related of his lordship in the time of his troubles, when in passing through a room where many of his retinue rose up to salute him, he said, Sit you down, my masters, your rise hath been my fall.'

He appears to have been fond of state, for when he was going into the country after his release from the Tower, he was attended by a number of his friends on horseback, and meeting with the Prince, afterwards Charles I. his highness said, with a smile, 'Well, do what we can, this man scorns to go out like a snuff.'

A gentleman taking the liberty of remonstrating with him for his liberality to his retinue, he answered, sir, I am all of a piece, if the head be lifted up, the inferior parts of the body must too.'

James Howell, in his familiar letters, says of him, 'the fairest diamond may have a flaw in it, but I believe he died poor out of a contempt of the pelf of fortune, as also out of an excess of generosity, which appeared as in divers other passages, so once when the king had sent him a stag, he sent for the under keeper, and having drank the king's health unto him in a great silver bowl, he gave it to him for his fee. He writ a pi

when Reid entered the room in the midst of a literary debate, said, "Here comes a man who says less upon books, and knows more of them, than all of us."

tiful letter to king James, not long before his death, and concludes Help me, dear sovereign lord and master, and pity me so far that I, who have been born to a bag, be not now in my age, forced in effect, to bear a wallet, nor I, that desire to live to study, may be driven to study to live.' But in fact, Howell's authority is little to be relied on, though his letters are exceedingly entertaining.

Bacon's piety is clearly discovered in his confession of faith, in his prayers, and in numerous parts of the works which he published himself. His reply to the marquis d'Effiat, the French ambassador, who, upon reading a translation of his essays, paid him the compliment of comparing him to angels, of whom he had heard, but had never seen. If the civility of others,' said the philosophical statesman, compare me to an angel, my own infirmities tell me that I am a man.'

A striking instance of his self-cominand, and the predominant love of science in his mind, appear in the following anecdote. His lordship was one day dictating to Dr. Rawley, his chaplain, the detail of some experiments for his 'Sylva,' and while thus engaged, he received intelligence by a friend that the king had refused him a grant, on which Bacon's mind had been much set. On hearing the report, he calmly said, 'Be it so ;' and thanking his friend for his trouble, he turned to Dr. Rawley, with these words: 'Well, sir, yon business

D 4

business won't go on, let us go on with this in our power;' and so dictated to him for some hours, without any hesitation, or apparent uneasiness.

It was the practice of Lord Bacon to send his works to the university of Cambridge in rich and costly bindings of velvet, embroidered with gold, with a letter bound up with each, several of which are now in his own hand, in the turret of the university library, among many uncatalogued books, and manuscripts there.*

Howell, in his familiar letters, gives the following bon mot of lord Bacon :

"There is a flaunting French ambassador come over lately, and I believe his errand is nought else but compliment, for the king of France being lately at Calais, and so in sight of England, he sent his ambassador, Monsieur Cadenet, expressly to visit our king; he had audience two days since, where, he with his train of ruffling long-haired Monsieurs, carried himself in such a light garb, that after the audience, the king asked my lord keeper Bacon, what he thought of the French ambassador; he answered, that he was a tall proper man ; ' Aye,' his Majesty replied, but what think you of his head-piece? Is he a proper man for the office of an Ambassador Sir,' said Ba

6

* Mr. Coles's memorandum in his MSS. in the British Museum.

can