I did purpose then dividedly to have taken up, £300 elsewhere, and £200 by way of forbearance, both to the satisfaction of Peter Vanlore (?). Hereunto, I thank you, you assented. I have now agreed with Peter for the taking up of the whole of one man, according to which I send you the bonds. And whereas you shall find the bond to be of £600, which is £100 more; true it is that first the jewel cost £500 and odd, as shall appear to you by my bond. Next I promise you immediately (for we are agreed so) to free you of one hundreth, for which you stand bound to Mr. William Fleetwood. So in haste I commend you to God's good preservation: from my chamber in Gray's Inn, this 10th of December. Your entire loving brother, FR. BACON. THE SAME TO THE SAME.1 Brother, I have written a few words to Sir Antonio Perez, which if you allow I pray seal and deliver to my servant to bear. I did doubt I should not see him of these two or three days; which made me use litteris præcursoriis. I have since considered of a marvellous apt man to be joined in trust, in that the world taketh note of him for true honesty, and is obliged to my Lord's house, being used in near confidence by Mr. Secretary. It is Mr. William Gerrard of Gray's Inn, who also by reason of his abode is at hand to repair to me for conference. If your opinion 1 Lambeth MSS. 650. 225. Original: own hand. Docketed, "Lre. de Mr. Francois Bacon, receue le 13me de Decebre, 1594." 2 Meaning, I suppose, Sir Francis Walsingham; "my Lord's" (that is, Essex's) father-in-law. The matter in question being probably something between Essex and Perez, the Spanish refugee, whom he greatly favoured; though the Queen would have nothing to say to him, because he betrayed his master's secrets. See Camden. The following passage in a letter from Anthony Bacon to his brother (25th December, 1594) may perhaps relate to the same business. Essex had come the evening before "expressly to speak with the French ambassador and Sir Ant. Perez," and not finding Perez at home, left him word to "repair to Walsingham House with all speed, where he had two hours' conference with him; and amongst other things argued the matter you wot of at large, with no less judgment than devotion to my Lord's honour and profit, and good affection to us. His argument my Lord heard attentively, and accepted most kindly, with many most hearty thanks; assuring him that at his return to the Court, which would be within two days, he would resolve. The occasion was very fitly ministered by my Lord himself advertising Signor Perez that the Queen had signed at two of the clock, and had given him an hundred pound land in fee simple, and thirty pound in parks, which for quietness sake, and in respect of his friends, he was content to accept without any further contestation."-Lambeth MSS. 650. 221. concur, let us rest upon him in case the occasion be given. Qd. erit e re domini. So in haste, desirous to hear of your good night's rest, I further salute you with Mr. Milles his new bond sine liturá. From my chamber at Gray's Inn, this 13th of December, 1594. Your entire loving brother, FR. BACON. 10. To suppose that Bacon's mind was not troubled with this disease in his finances, would be a great and unjust reproach. We shall see shortly that he had in fact once more resolved to shake himself free of the ties which bound him to a service so much worse than unprofitable so far as he was himself concerned. We shall see also by what means and upon what conditions he was tempted once more to renew his term. But it was no part either of his duty or his nature to waste his spirits in vain regret. The vacation gave him leisure for work, and Christmas brought festivities for recreation. And it happens luckily that some traces remain of the manner in which he improved both. It was on the 5th of December, 1594, that he commenced that "Promus of Formularies and Elegancies," of which I have given a particular account in the 'Literary Works;' in which may be traced (if I have read it right) the footprints of a journey in the mind over a large field of reading and meditation, with a view to fix the leading features in memory and store them for future use. And it was on the 29th of the same month that he was called in to assist in "recovering the lost honour of Gray's Inn," which had suffered the night before by the miscarriage of a Christmas revel. These are For the more serious labour I may refer the reader to the other part of this work, to which it more properly belongs. But a contribution to the Gray's Inn revels belongs unquestionably to the "occasional" department; and to be properly understood, must be taken in connexion with the surrounding circumstances. indeed set forth at full length in a tract2 which is not difficult to procure, having been reprinted in Nichols's 'Progresses of Queen Elizabeth.'3 But as Bacon's name does not appear upon the face of the narrative; and as his connexion with it, though sufficiently obvious, has never so far as I know been pointed out or suspected; I assume that the little story which I am going to tell (presenting as it does a curious and very picturesque illustration of the manners of the time 1 Works, VII. p. 189. 2 Gesta Grayorum. London, 1688. 3 III. 262. and the humours of the people among whom all his early and middle life was spent) is not so familiar to the students of his works but that they will be glad to see it here. "I trust they will not mum nor mask nor sinfully revel" (so writes Lady Bacon to her son Anthony, on the 5th of December,) 1 "at Gray's Inn. Who were sometime counted first, God grant they wane not daily and deserve to be named last." But it was too late for praying. The youth of Gray's Inn were already deep in sinful consultation. Their revels, in which they used to excel, had been intermitted for the last three or four years, and they were resolved to redeem the time by producing this year something out of the common way. Their device was to turn Gray's Inn, "with the consent and advice of the Readers and Ancients," into the semblance of a court and kingdom, and to entertain each other during the twelve days of Christmas licence with playing at kings and counsellors. They proceeded accordingly to elect a prince-the Prince of Purpoole. They provided him with a Privy Council for advice in matters of state; with a presence-chamber for audience, and a council-chamber for business; with all officers of state, law, and household; with gentlemen pensioners to wait on his person, and a guard, with a captain of the guard, to defend it. They raised treasure for the support of his state and dignity, partly by a benevolence, which was granted by those who were present, and partly by "letters in the nature of privy seals" which were directed to those who were away. They sent to "their ancient allied friend, the Inner Temple," a formal communication of their proceedings, with request that an ambassador from that state might be sent to reside amongst them; which was with equal formality accorded, “as ancient amity and league required and deserved." On the 20th of December, the Prince with all his state, after the pattern of a royal procession exactly marshalled, proceeded to the great hall of Gray's Inn, and took his seat on the throne. The trumpets sounded thrice, the King-at-Arms proclaimed his style and blazoned his arms; the Champion rode in in full armour and threw down his gage in defiance of all disputers; the Attorney made his speech of congratulation; the Solicitor recited the names of all homagers and tributaries, with the nature of their tenures and services (a recital which gave occasion to many jocose allusions, veiled under legal phraseology-and many of them much in need of a veilto the manners, customs, and occupations of the several suburban localities), and summoned them to appear and do homage. A Parliament, which was to have been held, was given up, owing to the necessary absence of " some special officers;" but as a subsidy was 1 Lambeth MSS. 650. 222. obtained and a general pardon granted notwithstanding, the jest was rather improved perhaps than injured by the omission. The pardon was read at full length; an elaborate burlesque, beginning with a proclamation of free pardon for every kind of offence for which a name could be invented, and ending with a long list of cases excepted, which does in fact include every offence which could possibly be committed. Then the Prince, having made a short speech to his subjects, called his Master of the Revels, and the evening ended with dances. This was the first day's entertainment; and though the humour has lost its edge for us, it hit the fancy of the time so well and raised such great expectation that the performers were encouraged to enlarge their plan and raise their style. They resolved therefore (besides all this court-pomp and their daily sports among themselves) to have certain "grand nights," in which something special should be performed for the entertainment of strangers. But the same expectation which suggested the design spoiled the performance. For on the first of these "grand nights" (which was intended for the special honour of the Templarians), when the Ambassador had arrived in great state, and been conducted to the presence with sound of trumpet, and after interchange of elaborate compliments seated beside the Prince, and the entertainment was ready to begin before a splendid company of "lords, ladies, and worshipful personages that did expect some nota. ble performance,”—the throng grew suddenly so great and the stage so crowded with beholders that there was not room enough for the actors; and nothing could be done. The Ambassador and his train retired in discontent; and when the tumult partly subsided they were obliged (in default of those "very good inventions and conceipts" which had been intended) to content themselves with ordinary dancing and revelling; and when that was over, with "a Comedy of Errors (like to Plautus his Menechmus)," which "was played by the players." This performance seems to have been regarded as the crowning disgrace of this unfortunate Grand Night; a fact, by the way, indicating (if it were Shakespeare's play, as I suppose it was) either rich times or poor tastes; for the historian proceeds, "so that night was begun, and continued to the end, in nothing but confusion and errors; whereupon it was ever afterwards called the Night of Errors." This was on the 28th of December. The next night was taken up with a legal inquiry into the causes of those disorders. A commission of Oyer and Terminer was issued. A certain "sorcerer or conjurer that was supposed to be the cause of that confused inconvenience" was arraigned before a jury of twenty-four gentlemen, on several charges; of which the last was "that he had foisted a company of base and common fellows to make up our disorders with a play of errors and confusions." He met the charge by a counter-statement, set forth in a petition which was presented and read by the Master of Requests, showing that all was due to negligence on the part of the Council and great officers, and appealing to the Prince; who finding the allegations in the petition to be true, pardoned and released the prisoner; but finding them also to be offensive, as taxing the Government, and therefore not proper to pass unpunished, ordered to the Tower (along with the Attorney and Solicitor, whose delinquencies it exposed) the Master of Requests, who had been acquainted with its contents. After this broad parody upon the administration of justice by the Crown in Council, they proceeded to "hold a great consultation for the recovery of their lost honour;" which ended in a resolution "that the Prince's Council should be reformed, and some graver conceipts should have their places, to advise upon those things that were propounded to be done afterward." And here it is that the story begins to have an interest for us. It is most probable that one of these "graver conceipts" was Bacon himself. It is certain that an entertainment of a very superior kind was produced a few days after, in the preparation of which he took a principal part. Friday, the 3rd of January, was to be the night. "Divers plots and devices" were arranged. Order was taken to prevent overcrowding and confusion. A great number of great persons, among them the Lord Keeper, the Lord Treasurer, the Vice-Chamberlain, and several other Privy Councillors, were invited and came. When all were seated, the Prince came in full state and took his throne. The Ambassador from Templaria followed with his train, and was placed by the Prince's side; and the performance began, after the fashion of those entertainments, with a dumb-show; the object of which was to represent the reconciliation between Gray's Inn and the Temple, which had been disturbed by the Night of Errors. The curtain being withdrawn discovered the Arch-flamen of the Goddess of Amity standing at her altar, and round it nymphs and fairies singing hymns in her praise, and "making very pleasant melody with viols and voices." Then came in, pair by pair, all the heroic patterns of friendship, Theseus and Pirithous, Achilles and Patroclus, Pylades and Orestes, Scipio and Lælius, each pair offering incense upon the altar as they passed; "which shined and burned very clear without blemish." Last came Graius and Templarius, lovingly, arm in arm; but when they offered their incense the flame was choked with "troubled smoke and dark vapour," until the Arch-flamen performed certain mystical ceremonies and invocations, and the nymphs sang hymns of pacification, upon which the flame burnt up clearer thau it |