The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-05-04

probable that II the scheme were seriously
mooted In Great Britain tho principles laid
down by Bacon would be adopted By tho recent
advocates OF codiHcation. It cannot DO maln-
tanned that Bacon gained more durable repu-
tation BY his statssmsnship than By his
achievements In Jurisprudence. As Attorney
General and Lord Chancellor he WAS continu-
ally called upon to advise the King. and hip
counsels wero often sound and sagacious. but
he was careful mover to inperil his grasp upon
the royal favor by pressing them against the
interests or whims Of James himself. or those
OF any powerful tavorite. It Ia noted. too. by
DR.. Church that even In bis shrewd sugges.
lions may 10 traced DISPOSITION to rely on
specious but false Appearances. o desire. not
so much to promote the real welfare Of the
people AZ to throw dust In Its eyes. Bacon
had. In fact. no sympathy with popular
wants and claims: the opinions and the
judgment Of average men he desplsed. and he
denounced what he termed the maliCnity" Of
tho commonalty. Il do not love-" no says.
the word people," unknowlng that they ON
whom he looked thus dlsdainfully would be-
como his students and his judges In those
next ages 1" on which he counted for rehablli.
tation. Good counsels given. submissive
acauiescenco In tho worst actions" thus 1t 10
that Dem Church sums up the final verdict up
on Booon's statesmanship. 1t IL not there
fors. true. though 80 much DR.. Church seems
willing to concede. that Bacon had tho courage
OF his opinions He had the cnndor 10 avow.
but not the boldness to persist In them. He
would never accept responsibility that might
entail sacrifice.
There is no doubt that DR.. Church II right In
rejecting the current impression that Bacon's
fall was tho result Of dsep-laid conspiracy.
It was due partly to accident and partly to the
vonomous avidlty with which Coke seized upon
the lever which chance dropped into his hand.
When Parliament mot In January. 1870. nomnn
In England seemed moro fortunate and moro
impregnable than the Lord Chancellor. who
had been successfully created Baron Of veru-
lam and Vlscount St. Adams. 30 long rs the
impeachment proceedings undertaken by the
House OF Commons were aimed merely at the
referees. who had certified the legal
ity Of certain oppressive monopolles. b.
con had little to fear. although no
was one OF the incriminated officers. This 10
plain from the fact that the charges against
the other referees were dropped. while no
stress was laid upon them in tho final attack
| on tho Lord Chancellor. It was only when a
| committee was appointed to investigate abuses
| In courts Of justice that Bacon fell into grave
peril. At llrst no professed to court inquiry.
| presuming. apparently. that his vindictive en-.
| emy in tho House Of Commons would prove
unable to make the inauisitlon rigorous and
scathing. or that his friends at court would in
| tervene betimes to shield him from punish
| ment But 1t soon became evident that
Bacon would be made the scapegoat
| for the delinQuencies OF the whole ju-
dlcial system. and TINT Buckingham meant to
forsake him in his extremity. a. he himself had
forsaken Essex. Conclusive proof that tho
charges Of corruption brought against him
wore unanswerableis furnished by the fact that
Bacon did not so much Is try to answer them.
but. to quote tho words wrung from him In his
humiliation. he acknowledged corruption"
not by any general admission Of guilt. but
by particular confession to every point"
Il beseech." no wrote. your lordships be
merciful to broken reed." and when they sent
| to take from him the emblem Of his high ONCE.
he said: by tho Kings great favor received
the great seal; BY my own great fault have
| lost IT," He had been unmerciful to Essex.
to Raleigh. to Suffolk. and TO Yelvsrton.
and now for him there was no mercy. Coke
would have had him hanged for brlbery. and
| tho sentence passed upon him was hardly loss
severe than death. He was fined 100000. and
ordered to be imprisoned In the Tower during
the Kings pleasure. He was made incapable
Of any ONCE or employment in the common
wealth. and he was never to sit In Parliament
or como within the verge Of tho court. 1t 10
| true that he WAS soon released from imprison-
ment and that his fine was RENTED. but he
WAS never suffered to present himself at court
again. From falls no less grievous other men
had risen. but for Bacon there was to be no re-
oovery. The hopes which buoyed him up in his
hour Of adversely were to have no fruition.
and only rendered moro pathetic his few re-
naming years.
About tho justice Of the sentence BY which
| Bacon Was condemned to suffering and dis
honor DR.. Church has no doubt whatever.
| Two Of the uncontradicted charges involved the
worst moral obliQuity. Sir George Hastings
who had been the channel OF ono bribe. testified
that whom he told the Lord Chancellor that. II
questioned. he must admit It. Bacon's answer
was. "Ifyou do 50 shall deny It upon oath"
Another accusation was that he hnd given an
opinion In favor OF some claim OF the Mas
ters In Chanoery. for which he received Il 1900.
and with which he pretended that oil tho
Judges agreed. an assertion which all the
Judges denied. But even were tho plea we'll
founded that his decisions werc never per-
verted by the brides which he received. his
condemnation would be just for countenancnG
and conniving Ut q method Of administering
justice that was rank with temptation. and sub
jected tho bench to distrust and odium.
Admitting tho truth Of his own declaration
that while the oensure was the justest censure
passed In 200 years. vet he himself had been
tho justest Judge seen in England for fifty
years. wo can see no ground for extenusting or
condoning his offence. For. in his place Of
eminence. It was his business to SGT right OK.
ample and reform . pernicious system Of
procedure. No man. indeed. knew this better
than Bacon himself. Is Is shown BY tho edify-
ing precepts inculcated In his famous essay
upon Justice" and which itself embodied the
substance OF an address that the corrupt Lord
Chancellor had delivered with much JUNCTION
on installing subordinate member Of the judi
ciary.
II the remarkable admissions OF Ellis and
SPEEDING are rudely carried to their legitimate
outcome. We should infer that what was true In
| 49, "a la MI NlA Ill tAtIo