desire to be of service to the queen, gave deep and
well-nigh ineradicable offence. He was accused [v.03 p.0137] of seeking
popularity, and was for a time excluded from the court. His letter to
Burghley,[3] who had told him of the queen's displeasure with his speech,
offers no apology for what he had said, but expresses regret that his
motives should have been misunderstood. He soon felt that the queen's anger
was not to be appeased by such a justification. The attorney-generalship
had fallen vacant and Bacon became a candidate for the office, his most
formidable rival being his life-long antagonist, Edward Coke, who was then
solicitor. Essex warmly espoused Bacon's cause and earnestly pressed his
claims upon the queen; but his impetuous, pettish pleading tended to retard
the cause. Burghley, on the other hand, in no way promoted his nephew's
interest; he would recommend him for the solicitorship, but not for the
attorney-generalship; and it is not improbable that Sir Robert Cecil
secretly used his influence against his cousin. The queen delayed the
appointment, and Bacon's fortunes, as they then stood, could ill brook
delay. He was harassed with debt and at times so disheartened that he
contemplated retirement from public life. In March 1594 it was at last
understood that Coke was to be attorney-general. Essex, though bitterly
mortified, at once threw all his energies into the endeavour to procure for
Bacon the solicitorship; but in this case also, his method of dealing,
which was wholly opposed to Bacon's advice,[4] seemed to irritate the
queen. The old offence was not yet forgiven, and after a tedious delay, the
office was given, in October 1595, to Serjeant Thomas Fleming. Burghley and
Sir John Puckering seem to have assisted Bacon honestly, if not
over-warmly, in this second application; but the conduct of Cecil had
roused suspicions which were not perhaps without foundation. Essex, to
compensate in some degree for Bacon's disappointment, insisted on
presenting him with a piece of land, worth about L1800, and situated
probably near Twickenham Park. Nor did his kindness cease there; before
sailing on the expedition to Cadiz, in the beginning of 1596, he addressed
letters to Buckhurst, Fortescue and Egerton, earnestly requesting them to
use their influence towards procuring for Bacon the vacant office of master
of the rolls. Before anything came of this application, the Cadiz
expedition had resulted in a brilliant succe