The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-10
IN vINDICATION OF LORD BACON
Mr.. w. II. Burr Presents Some Facts
= of Importance.

| Deer
proved to be without foundation of fact
| by his recent biogrsphers. notably by
James SPEEDING and William Hepwortt
Dixon. Bacon made "a quasi-confession
but it cannot be fairly construed as one
of guilt The fact was that neither he
| nor Lord Coke. Chief Justice OF the Com
mon Pleas. received from the Government;
anything like an adequate salary, and
the custom was to make it up by fees OF
presents from suitors Lord Coke with
a large family, lived like a prince on a
salary of only e260. Yet he was one OF
the chief movers in the Indictment Of Ba-
con by the House OF Commons The case
went before the House of Lords for trial.
Bacon was PROSTATE with sickness He
declared his innocence. but was persuaded
to avoid trial by some kind of confession
IN the hope Of escaping a severe penalty.
so he wrote out a specific answer in the
nature of confession. He acknowledged
that in some specified cases he did receive
from suttors presents of money and wall
uabies. but he never conceded that they
corrupted his judgments. In the first two
terms of his CHARACTERISTIC he had de-
cided several thousand cases, some of
twenty years standing. and had cleared
the calendar. Nor was ever single de-
cision reversed by appeal to the House of
Lords
And now comes to light a most powerful
confederation of his innocence Thomas
Bushel, a youth of fifteen years, entered
the service of the Chancellor as seal
bearer. In 1868 Bushel. called by NieoIaI
the 'Superlative Prodigal," published a
book, which is now in the British Mu-
scum. marked rare" female student,
signing herself Alicia Amy Leith has ex-
tracted from shat book a letter written
to Mr.. John Eliot esq. and it is printed
in the last quarterly "Baconiana"
herewith copy the same for The Times. 1t
is from what Bushel entities the First
Part of Youthful Errors"
The ample testing of your true affec-
ton towards my Lord Verulam. ViscoInt
st. Adams. hath obliged me your servant.
Yet, lest the calamitous tongues of men
might extenuate the good opinion you had
of his worth and merit, l must Ingenious
ly confess myself and others of his SER
wants were the occasion Of exhaling his
virtues into a dark eclipse. which Lv.r-
tuesl God knows could have long endured
both for the honour of his King, and
good of commonaltie, had not we whom
his bounty nursed. laid on his guiltIess
shoulders our base and execrable deeds
TO be scand and censurde by the whole
Senate of a State where no sooner SEN
tence was given, but most of us forsook
him, which makes us beare the badge OF
Jews to this day. Yet l am confident,
there were some Cody Daniels amongst
rs, howsOver. l will not mention any for
fear of attributing more than their due,
md offending others, but leave the quel
to their own consciences who can best
Judge of innocence. AS for myself with
shame | must acquit the title, and pIeade
guilty which greives my very soule. that
so matchless a Peers should be lost by
such insinuating catterpillers, who in his
OWN nature scornd the least thought OF
any base, unworthy, or ignoble act,
.hough subject to infirmities as ordain'd
o the wisest, for so much | must assure
'Ou was his hatred to bribery and corrup-
ion. or symonie. that hearing / had re-
eived the profits of first-fruits for a
3enefice which his piOus charitie freely
ave, presently, sent for me and being
sked of his Lordship. l sodianly con-
essed, whereupon he fell into SO great
'assion, that he replied, | was cursed in
ny conception and nursed with Tiger.
or deceiving the Church. threatening I
hould no longer be his servant, for that
ne scab'de sheepe might infect the whole
ock. Yet notwithstanding. upon my sub
mission the nobleness of mis- disposition,
orgave me the fact, received me into
avOur. but never could obtain spiritual
wing afterwards which makes me GER
ainiy believe they that minister'd those
ellish pills of bribery gided them over,
OF only at first with a show of gratuity.
r in love of courtesie, but waited the op-
ortunity Cf his necessitie. otherwise it
ad been impossible to have wrought an
IMPRESSION. So that by each Isuch?l
tratagem the wisest of men may prove
-eakest among all officers, for those
hose consciences are innocent of miti-
n eit bribery
favour or courtesIr, iss him
asst at the first stone and be canonised
DR. Saint upon earth. But the report
oeth that il is the policy of other
tates, when once the subject groans
nder oppression, to select some man
-orthy for allaying clamours of the vul-
ar, and congratulate the giddy multi
lde, which II his misfortune were such
e is not the first, nor am | confident,
ill be the last So that in time 1t may
effect some comfort to you and others
nat honoured him in their hearts, but
OF on their lips.
In another book, entitled THE Memoirs
Thomas BuShel," we are told that
hen his great master was convicted OF
-ibery, which he was never really
Iilty of. but his men. and amongst the
st this Mr.. Bushel," the latter got away
disguise and went into the Isle of
light. where he turned d poor fisherman
here he made friends with lame beg
lr. But he was suspected and arrested
a spy. On disclosing his real name
= was put at liberty. AT this time he
rote to Bacon. beginning with My only
ord and saying: Il am resolved to
come your 1ordship's beadsman in some
litary cell and make myself worthy Of
'ur honors company in the other
ord.''
Bushel left this solitary place in 162S
I'd betook himself to one of his own
fuses in Oxfordshire, where hard by
as a great natural cave out of which
wed a curious spring. In years time
Il he. f.la In
3 Charles | visited 1t with his royal
lite and they were entertained with ar
icial thunder and lightnings, rain, hail.
9 Ii the same year Bushel made verses
r a "Masque of the Rock, which was
aged before Queen Henrietta Maria.
fe of Charles !.
When King James persuaded Bacon to
andon his defence and trust his honor
the Crown. Bacon left the palace say
:: Il am the first sacrifice; / wish L
ly be the last" and he wrote to the
,ad guilty to the twenty-five counts
ether true or false. Many of them
re ridiculous or frivolous. In four years
had decided or pronounced upon $500
,es. And yet only twelve suitors came
ward to charge him with receiving
ney Three counts We're for borrowed
ney and two Of these debts We're after
rd set up against his estate Five or
were for arbitration fees outside the
les of Chancellor. Twelve of the
rges either expressly said that the
ney was received after the decree or
tilted to specify the time But In re-
d to himself and the sentence by the
Is Bacon said:
was the justest Chancellor that was
England these fifty years: but It VS.
iustest cenSure in Parliament that
there TWO hundred years"
was condemnation cf the zee system
he high courts and not of Chancellor
'on. The cloud of obloquy that for
years has lowered about the head of
d Bacon. caused by misunderstood
and misrepresentation of the facts, is
last dispelled. and he stands forth as
W nf fvJ