The works of Francis Bacon, lord chancellor of England.

OBSERVATIONS ON A LIBEL. 243
the world in all languages against her majesty against her majesty do best satisfy the malice of
and her government; sometimes pretending the the foreigner, so the slander and calumniation of
gravity and authority of church stories to move her principal counsellors agreed best with the
belief; sometimes formed into remonstrances humours of some malcontents within the realm;
and advertisements of estate to move regard; imagining also, that it was like they should be
sometimes presented as it were in tragedies of more scattered here, and freelier dispersed; and
the persecutions of Catholics to move pity; some- also should be less odious to those foreigners
times contrived into pleasant pasquils and satires which were not merely partial and passionate,
to move sport: so as there is no shape whereinto who have for the most part in detestation the
these fellows have not transformed themselves; traitorous libellings of subjects directly against
nor no humour nor affection in the mind of man their natural prince.
to which they have not applied themselves; Amongst the rest in this kind, there hath been
thereby to insinuate their untruths and abuses to published this present year of 1592, a libel that
the world. And, indeed, let a man look into giveth place to none of the rest in malice and
them, and he shall find them the only triumphant untruths; though inferior to most of them in
lies that ever were confuted by circumstances penning and style; the author having chosen the
of time and place; confuted by contrariety in vein of a Lucianist, and yet being a counterfeit
themselves, confuted by the witness of infinite even in that kind. This libel is entitled, 1"A
persons that live yet, and have had particular declaration of the true causes of the great trouknowledge of the matters; but yet avouched bles presupposed to be intended against the realm
with such asseveration, as if either they were of England;" and hath a semblance as if it were
fallen into that strange disease of the mind, bent against the doings of her majesty's ancient
which a wise writer describeth in these words, and worthy counsellor, the Lord Burleigh; whose
",fingunt simul creduntque;" or as if they had carefulness and pains her majesty hath used in
received it as a principal precept and ordinance her counsels and actions of this realm for these
of their seminaries, ",audacter calumniari, semper thirty-four years' space, in all dangerous times,
aliquid hueret;" or as if they were of the race and amidst many and mighty practices; and
which in old time were wont to help themselves with such success as our enemies are put still to
with miraculous lies. But when the cause of this their paper-shot of such libels as these; the
is entered into, namely, that there passeth over memory of whom will remain in this land, when
out of this realm, a number of eager and unquiet all these libels shall be extinct and forgotten;
scholars, whom their own turbulent and humour- according to the Scripture 6, "Memoria justi cuam
ous nature presseth out to seek their adventures laudibus, at impiorum nomen putrescet." But it
abroad; and that, on the other side, they are is more than evident, by the parts of the same
nourished rather in listening after news and book, that the author's malice was to her majesty
intelligences, and in whisperings, than in any and her government, as may especially appear in
commendable learning; and after a time, when this, that he charged not his lordship with any
either their necessitous estate, or their ambitious particular actions of his private life, such power
appetites importune them, they fall on devising had truth, whereas the libels made against other
how to do some acceptable service to that side counsellors have principally insisted upon that
which maintaineth them; so as ever when their part: but hath only wrested and detorted such
credit waxeth cold with foreign princes, or that actions of state, as in times of his service have
their pensions are ill paid, or some preferment is been managed; and, depraving them, hath ascribed
in sight at which they level, straightways out and imputed to him the effects that have followed;
cometh a libel, pretending thereby to keep in life indeed, to the good of the realm, and the honour
the party, which within the realm is contrary to of her majesty, though sometimes to the provoking
the state, wherein they are as wise as he that of the malice, but abridging of the power and
thinketh to kindle a fire by blowing the dead means of desperate and incorrigible subjects.
ashes; when, I say, a man looketh into the cause All which slanders, as his lordship might
and ground of this plentiful yield of libels, he justly despise, both for their manifest untruths,
will cease to marvel, considering the concurrence and for the baseness and obscurity of the author;
which is, as well in the nature of the seed, as in so, nevertheless, according to the moderation
tihe travel of tilling and dressing; yea, and in the which his lordship useth in all things, never
fitness of the season for the bringing up of those claiming the privilege of his authority, when it is
infectious weeds. question of satisfying the world, he hath been
But to verify the saying of our Saviour, "6 non content that they be not passed over altogether in
est discipulus super rnagistrum;" as they have silence; whereupon I have, in particular duty to
sought to deprave her lmajesty's government in his lordship, amongst others that do honour and
herself, so have they not forgotten to do the same love his lordship, and thathave diligently observed
in her principal servants and counsellors; think- his actions, and in zeal of truth, collected, upon
lng, belike, that as the immediate invectives the reading of the said libel, certain observations