The works of Francis Bacon, lord chancellor of England.

ADVICE TO SIR GEORGE VILLIERS. 377
discern the abilit es and faithfulness of your are inconsistent with the truth of religion profriends, and be able to give a judgment thereupon fessed and protested by the Church of England,
as an oracle. But by no means trustto your own whence we are called Protestants; and the Anajudgment alone; for no man is omniscient: nor baptists, and separatists, and sectaries on the
trust only to your servants, who may mislead you other hand, whose tenents are full of schism, and
or misinform you; by which they may perhaps inconsistent with monarchy: for the regulating
gain a few crowns, but the reproach will lie upon of either, there needs no other coercion than the
yourself, if it be not rightly carried. due execution of the laws already established by
For the facilitating of your despatches, my parliament.]
advice is farther, that you divide all the petitions, 3. For the discipline of the Church of England
and the matters therein contained, under several by bishops, &c., I will not positively say, as
heads: which, I conceive, may be fitly ranked some do, that it is i"jure divino;" but this I say
into these eight sorts. and think ", ex anirno," that it is the nearest to
I. Matters that concern religion, and the church apostolical truth; and confidently I shall say, it
and churchmen. is fittest for monarchy of all others. I will use
II. Matters concerning justice, and the laws, no other authority to you, than that excellent proand the professors thereof. clamation set out by the king himself in the first
III. Councillors, and the council table, and year of his reign, and annexed before the book of
the great offices and officers of the kingdom. Common Prayer, which I desire you to read; and
IV. Foreign negotiations and embassies. if at any time there shall be the least motion
V. Peace and war, both foreign and civil, and made for innovation, to put the king in mind to
in that the navy and forts, and what belongs to read it himself: it is most dangerous in a state,
them. to give ear to the least alteration in government.
VI. Trade at home and abroad. [If any attempt be made to alter the discipline
VII. Colonies, or foreign plantations. of our church, although it be not an essential part
VIII. The court and curiality. of our religion, yet, it is so necessary not to be
And whatsoever will not fall naturally under rashly altered, as the very substance of religion
one of these heads, believe me, sir, will not be will be interested in it: therefore, I desire you,
worthy of your thoughts, in this capacity, we now before any attempt be made of an innovation by
speak of. And of these sorts, I warrant you, you your means, or by any intercession to your maswill find enough to keep you in business. ter, that you will first read over, and his majesty
call to mind that wise and weighty prcclamation,
I begin with the first, which concerns religion. which himself penned, and caused to be published
1. In the first place, be you yourself rightly in the first year of his reign, and is prefixed in
persuaded and settled in the true Protestant reli- print before the book of Common Prayer, of that
gion, professed by the Church of England; which impression, in which you will find so prudent, so
doubtless is as sound and orthodox in the doctrine weighty reasons, not to hearken to innovations,
thereof, as any Christian church in the world. as will fully satisfy you, that it is dangerous to
[For religion, if any thing be offered to you give the least ear to such innovators; but it is
touching it, or touching the church, or church- desperate to be misled by them: and to settle
men, or church government, rely not only upon your judgment, mark but the admonition of the
yourself, but take the opinion of some grave and wisest of men, King Solomon, Prov. xxiv. 21.
eminent divines, especially such as are sad and ", My son, fear God and the king, and meddle not
discreet men, and exemplary for their lives.] with those who are given to change."]
2. In this you need not be a monitor to your 4. Take heed, I beseech you, that you be not
gracious master the king: the chiefest of his im- an instrument to countenance the Romish Cathcperial titles is, to be The Defender of the Faith, lies. I cannot flatter, the world believes that
and his learning is eminent, not only above other some near in blood to you are too much of that
princes, but above other men; be but his scholar, persuasion; you must use them with fit respects,
and you are safe in that. according to the bonds of nature; but you are of
[If any question be moved concerning the doe- kin, and so a friend to their persons, not to their
trine of the Church of England expressed in the errors.
thirty-nine articles, give not the least ear to the 5. The archbishops and bishops, next under
movers thereof: that is so soundly and so ortho- the king, have the government of the church and
doxly settled, as cannot be questioned without ecclesiastical affairs: be not you the mean to
extreme danger to the honour and stability of our prefer any to those places for any by-respects;
religion; which hath been sealed with the blood but only for their learning, gravity, ana worth'
of so many martyrs and confessors, as are famous their lives and doctrine ought to be exemplary.
through the Christian world. The enemies and 6. For deans, and canons or prebends of
underminers thereof are the Romish Catholic, so cathedral churches; in their first institution they
styling themselves, on the one hand, whose tenets were of great use in the church; they were not
VOL. II.-48 2 I 2