Autobiography Simon D'Ewes. 03 May 1621. Never had any man in those great places of gain he had gone through, having been Attorney Greneral before he was Lord Chancellor, so ill-husbanded the time, or provided for himself. His vast prodigality had eaten up all his gains; for it was agreed by all men, that he owed at this present at least £20,000 more than he was worth. Had he followed the just and virtuous steps of Sir Nicholas Bacon, Knt., his father, that continued Lord Keeper of the Great Seal some eighteen years under Queen Elizabeth, of ever blessed memory, his life might have been as glorious as by his many vices it proved infamous. For though he were an eminent scholar imd a reasonable good lawyer, both which he much adorned with his eloquent expression of himself and his graced delivery, yet his vices were so stupendous and great, as they utterly obscured and out-poised his virtues. He was immoderately ambitious and excessively proud, to maintain which he was necessitated to injustice and bribery, taking sometimes most basely of both sides. To this latter wickedness the favour he had with the beloved Marquis of Buckingham (age 28) emboldened him, as I learned in discourse from a gentleman of his bedchamber, who told me he was sure his lord should never fall as long as the said Marquis continued in favour. His most abominable and darling sin, I should rather bury in silence than mention it, were it not a most admirable instance how men are inflamed by wickedness, and held captive by the devil¹. He lived, many years after his fall, in his lodgings in Gray's Inn, in Holborn, in great want and penury.

Note 1. D'Ewes here specifically charges Bacon with on abominable offence, in language too gross for publication. He states that it was supposed by some, that he would have been tried at the bar of justice for it; and says, that his guilt was so notorious while he was at York House [Map], in the Strand, and at his lodgings in Gray's Inn, Holborn, that the following verses were cast into his rooms:

Note 2. Within this sty a hog³ doth lie. That must be hang'd for villany." It is but right to add, that D'Ewes is the only authority for this imputation.

Note 3. Alluding, of course, to his surname of Bacon.

Pepy's Diary. 30 Sep 1661. This morning up by moon-shine, at 5 o'clock, to White Hall, to meet Mr. Moore at the Privy Seal, but he not being come as appointed, I went into King Street to the Red Lyon' to drink my morning draft, and there I heard of a fray between the two Embassadors of Spain and France; and that, this day, being the day of the entrance of an Embassador from Sweden, they intended to fight for the precedence! Our King, I heard, ordered that no Englishman should meddle in the business¹, but let them do what they would. And to that end all the soldiers in the town were in arms all the day long, and some of the train-bands in the City; and a great bustle through the City all the day. Then I to the Privy Seal, and there Mr. Moore and a gentleman being come with him, we took coach (which was the business I come for) to Chelsy, to my Lord Privy Seal, and there got him to seal the business. Here I saw by day-light two very fine pictures in the gallery, that a little while ago I saw by night; and did also go all over the house, and found it to be the prettiest contrived house that ever I saw in my life. So to coach back again; and at White Hall light, and saw the soldiers and people running up and down the streets. So I went to the Spanish Embassador's and the French, and there saw great preparations on both sides; but the French made the most noise and vaunted most, the other made no stir almost at all; so that I was afraid the other would have had too great a conquest over them. Then to the Wardrobe, and dined there, end then abroad and in Cheapside hear that the Spanish hath got the best of it, and killed three of the French coach-horses and several men, and is gone through the City next to our King's coach; at which, it is strange to see how all the City did rejoice. And indeed we do naturally all love the Spanish, and hate the French. But I, as I am in all things curious, presently got to the water-side, and there took oars to Westminster Palace, thinking to have seen them come in thither with all the coaches, but they being come and returned, I ran after them with my boy after me through all the dirt and the streets full of people; till at last, at the Mewes, I saw the Spanish coach go, with fifty drawn swords at least to guard it, and our soldiers shouting for joy. And so I followed the coach, and then met it at York House [Map], where the embassador lies; and there it went in with great state. So then I went to the French house, where I observe still, that there is no men in the world of a more insolent spirit where they do well, nor before they begin a matter, and more abject if they do miscarry, than these people are; for they all look like dead men, and not a word among them, but shake their heads. The truth is, the Spaniards were not only observed to fight most desperately, but also they did outwitt them; first in lining their own harness with chains of iron that they could not be cut, then in setting their coach in the most advantageous place, and to appoint men to guard every one of their horses, and others for to guard the coach, and others the coachmen. And, above all, in setting upon the French horses and killing them, for by that means the French were not able to stir. There were several men slain of the French, and one or two of the Spaniards, and one Englishman by a bullet. Which is very observable, the French were at least four to one in number, and had near 100 case of pistols among them, and the Spaniards had not one gun among them; which is for their honour for ever, and the others' disgrace. So, having been very much daubed with dirt, I got a coach, and home where I vexed my wife in telling of her this story, and pleading for the Spaniards against the French. So ends this month; myself and family in good condition of health, but my head full of my Lord's and my own and the office business; where we are now very busy about the business of sending forces to Tangier², and the fleet to my Lord of Sandwich, who is now at Lisbon to bring over the Queen, who do now keep a Court as Queen of England. The business of Argier hath of late troubled me, because my Lord hath not done what he went for, though he did as much as any man in the world could have done. The want of money puts all things, and above all things the Nary, out of order; and yet I do not see that the King takes care to bring in any money, but thinks of new designs to lay out money.

Note 1. The Comte de Brienne insinuates, in his "Memoirs", that Charles purposely abstained from interfering, in the belief that it was for his interest to let France and Spain quarrel, in order to further his own designs in the match with Portugal. Louis certainly held that opinion; and he afterwards instructed D'Estrades to solicit from the English court the punishment of those Londoners who had insulted his ambassador, and to demand the dismissal of De Batteville. Either no Londoner had interfered, or Louis's demand had not in England the same force as in Spain; for no one was punished. The latter part of his request it was clearly not for Charles to entertain, much less enforce. B.

Note 2. This place so often mentioned, was first given up to the English fleet under Lord Sandwich (age 36), by the Portuguese, January 30th, 1662; and Lord Peterborough left governor, with a garrison. The greatest pains were afterwards taken to preserve the fortress, and a fine mole was constructed at a vast expense, to improve the harbour. At length, after immense sums of money had been wasted there, the House of Commons expressed a dislike to the management of the garrison, which they suspected to be a nursery for a popish army, and seemed disinclined to maintain it any longer. The king consequently, in 1683, sent Lord Dartmouth to bring home the troops, and destroy the works; which he performed so effectually, that it would puzzle all our engineers to restore the harbour. It were idle to speculate on the benefits which might have accrued to England, by its preservation and retention; Tangier fell into the hands of the Moors, its importance having ceased, with the demolition of the mole. Many curious views of Tangier were taken by Hollar, during its occupation by the English; and his drawings are preserved in the British Museum. Some have been engraved by himself; but the impressions are of considerable rarity. B.

Autobiography Simon D'Ewes. 31 Dec 1690. The four lords that came for it were Henry Viscount Mandeville, Lord Treasurer, Lodowick Stewart, Duke of Lennox, Lord Steward of the King's house-hold, William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke, Lord Chamberlain of the same household, and Thomas Earl of Arundel, Earl Marshal of England (whom I should have placed before Pembroke); they, coming to York House [Map] to him, where he lay, told him they were sorry to visit him upon such an occasion, and wished it had been better. "No, my lords," replied he, "the occasion is good;" and then delivering them the great seal, he added, "It was the King's favour that gave me this, and it is my fault that hath taken it away: Rex dedit, culpa abstulit" - or words to that effect. So leaving him, the said four lords carried the gage they had received to Whitehall, to the King, who was overheard by some near him to say upon their delivery of it to him, "Now, by my soul, I am pained at the heart where to bestow this; for as to my lawyers, I think they be all knaves." Which it seemeth his Majesty spake at that time to prepare a way to bestow it on a clergyman, as the Marquis of Buckingham had intended; for otherwise there were at this present divers able wise lawyers, very honest and religious men, fit for the place, in whom there might easily have been found as much integrity, and less fawning and flattery than in the clergy; and, accordingly, Doctor Williams, now Dean of Westminster, and before that time made Bishop of Lincoln, was sworn Lord Keeper, and had the great seal delivered to him. On October the 9th, next ensuing, being the first day of Michaelmas Term, one Lloyd, or Floud, a Papist, being of the Inner Temple, having spoken these buse and opprobrious words following of the distressed Prince Elector Palatine and his royal lady, to wit, - "What is now become of your goodman Palsgrave, and your goodwife Palsgrave?¹ - they had, I think, as much right to the kingdom of Bohemia as I have to the principality of Wales," was censured by the House of Commons, to pay a fine to the King, to be imprisoned during the King's pleasure, to ride disgracefully two several days in the open street upon a horse, with his face to the tail of it, and each day to stand in the pillory. The execution was long deferred, his fine and imprisonment remitted, and himself and his fellow Romanists began to boast that nothing should be inflicted. But at last, tho two Houses of Parliament appearing stoutly in the cause, he underwent the first day's punishment on May the 30th, being Wednesday, and the second on Friday the 1st day of June, on which Midsummer Term began. These days' actions I have added a little before the due time, that I might at once finish the relation of this business; in which the faithful zealous affection of the whole state and kingdom, in their body representative, consisting of the two Houses of Parliament, was fully expressed to that royal Princess, our King's only daughter, amidst the many scorns and oppressions of her irreconcilable and bloody enemies.

Note 1. This exclamation is given somewhat differently by Meade in the Harl. MSS. He says, "On Tuesday, Floyd, a counsellor, steward and receiver in Shropshire to the old Lord Chancellor Ellesmere and the Earl of Suffolk, a papist, and prisoner in the Fleet, was censured to ride thrice with papers, and stand in the pillory, and first at Westminster, for saying, Goodman Palsgrave. and Goody Palsgrave may or must go pack their children at their backs and beg. On Wednesday should have been the first time, but his Majesty stayed it. Yesterday the King and House met; his Majesty thanked them for the care they had of his son-in-law, daughter, and grandchildren's honour; if it were in them to censure this prisoner, the censure should be executed, otherwise there should be a punishment equivalent to that they had set down; which gave good content."