servant of the king, and stood or fell
according to his pleasure. He was not singular in his opinions and he was
undoubtedly sincere; and it is only [v.03 p.0139] by keeping them
constantly in mind that we can understand his after relations with the
king.

In the second parliament there was not so much scope for the exercise of
his powers. The Gunpowder Plot had aroused in the Commons warmer feelings
towards the king; they passed severe laws against recusants, and granted a
triple subsidy. At the same time they continued the collection of the
grievances concerning which they were to move. In the course of this
session Bacon married Alice Barnham "the alderman's daughter, an handsome
maiden, to my liking," of whom he had written some years before to his
cousin Cecil. Little or nothing is known of their married life.

The third parliament was chiefly occupied with the commercial and legal
questions rising out of the proposed Union, in particular, with the dispute
as to the naturalization of the _Post Nati_. Bacon argued ably in favour of
this measure, but the general feeling was against it. The House would only
pass a bill abolishing hostile laws between the kingdoms; but the case of
the _Post Nati_, being brought before the law courts, was settled as the
king wished. Bacon's services were rewarded in June 1607 by the office of
solicitor.[8] Several years passed before he gained another step. Meantime,
though circumstances had thrown him too much into active life, he had not
forgotten his cherished project of reorganizing natural science. A survey
of the ground had been made in the _Advancement_, and some short pieces not
published at the time were probably written in the subsequent two or three
years. Towards the close of 1607 he sent to his friends a small tract,
entitled _Cogitata et Visa_, probably the first draft of what we have under
that title. In 1609 he wrote the noble panegyric, _In felicem memoriam
Elizabethae_, and the curiously learned and ingenious work, _De Sapientia
Veterum_; and completed what seems to have been the _Redargutio
Philosophiarum_, or treatise on the "idols of the theatre."

In 1610 the famous fourth parliament of James met. Prerogative, despite
Bacon's advice and efforts, clashed more than once with liberty;
Salisbury's bold schemes for relieving the embarrassment caused by the
reckless extravagance of the king proved abortive, and the House was
dissolved in February 1611. Bacon took a cons