BaconMacmillan, 1896 - 227 pages |
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abuses accusation Aristotle Bacon Buckingham Burghley called Cecil Chancery charge claims Coke Coke's Committees confession corruption Council counsel course Court Crown dangerous defend disgrace doubt duty Earl Earl of Buckingham English essay Essex favour favourite Francis Bacon give Gorhambury Government Gray's Inn hands hath heart honour hope House of Commons House of Lords idea Instauratio interest James James's judge judgment justice King King's knew knowledge language Latin lawyers letter Lord Burghley Lord Chancellor Lordship Majesty Majesty's matter ment method mind nature never Novum Organum opinion Parliament person philosophy prerogative Queen question reason referees reform Salisbury seems sentence servant Sir Edward Coke Sir Richard Young Spedding speech spirit Star Chamber strange suitors thee things thought tion Toby Matthews took trial truth unto wanted words writes wrote
Popular passages
Page 81 - I do confess, since I was of any understanding, my mind hath in effect been absent from that I have done ; and in absence are many errors, which I do willingly acknowledge ; and, amongst the rest, this great one that led the rest ; that knowing myself by inward calling to be. fitter to hold a book, than to play a part, I have led my life in civil causes ; for which I was not very fit by nature, and more unfit by the pre-occupation of my mind.
Page 142 - And now, when I thought most of peace and honour, thy hand is heavy upon me. and hath humbled me according to thy former loving-kindness, keeping me still in thy fatherly school, not as a bastard, but as a child. Just are thy judgments upon me for my sins, which are more in number than the sands of the sea, but have no proportion to thy mercies; for what are the sands of the sea? Earth, heavens, and all these, are nothing to thy mercies.
Page 122 - The next, that after this example, it is like that Judges will fly from anything that is in the likeness of corruption (though it were at a great distance) as from a serpent; which tendeth to the purging of the Courts of Justice and the reducing them to their true honour and splendour.
Page 179 - His hearers could not cough or look aside from him without loss. He commanded where he spoke, and had his judges angry and pleased at his devotion. No man had their affections more in his power. The fear of every man that heard him was lest he should make an end.
Page 133 - But because he that hath taken bribes is apt to give bribes, I will go farther, and present your Majesty with a bribe. For if your Majesty give me peace and leisure, and God give me life, I will present your Majesty with a good history of England, and a better digest of your laws.
Page 190 - Neither is this second fruit of friendship, in opening the understanding, restrained only to such friends as are able to give a man counsel, (they indeed are best,) but even without that a man learneth of himself, and bringeth his own thoughts to light, and whetteth his wits as against a stone, which itself cuts not. In a word, a man were better relate himself to a statue or picture, than to suffer his thoughts to pass in smother.
Page 190 - ... certain it is that whosoever hath his mind fraught with many thoughts, his wits and understanding do clarify and break up in the communicating and discoursing with another...
Page 111 - THIS day I have made even with the business of the kingdom for common justice ; not one cause unheard; the lawyers drawn dry of all the motions they were to make; not one petition unanswered. And this, I think, could not be said in our age before.
Page 75 - I found that I was fitted for nothing so well as for the study of Truth ; as having a mind nimble and versatile enough to catch the resemblances of things (which is the chief point), and at the same time steady enough to fix and distinguish their subtler differences; as being gifted by nature with desire to seek, patience to doubt, fondness to meditate, slowness to assert, readiness to consider, carefulness to dispose and set in order...
Page 142 - ... Besides my innumerable sins, I confess before thee, that I am debtor to thee for the gracious talent of thy gifts and graces, which I have neither put into a napkin, nor put it, as I ought, to exchangers, where it might have made best profit, but misspent it in things for which I was least fit : so I may truly say, my soul hath been a stranger in the course of my pilgrimage. Be merciful unto me, O Lord, for my Saviour's sake, and receive me into thy bosom, or guide me in thy ways.