Oxford Francis Bacon III:
Earlier Jacobean Writings, 1603-1612
Edited by R. W. Serjeantson and Angus Vine
Volume III will contain the full range of Bacon’s non-philosophical writings between 1603 to 1613. It begins with the accession of King James VI of Scotland to the crowns of England and Ireland in March 1603, and it concludes with Bacon’s appointment as Attorney-General in October 1613. The Jacobean project for the Union of the Crowns shaped much of Bacon’s professional life during this period, and a good number of the works in the volume relate to this, including the Brief Discourse Touching the Happy Union of the Kingdoms of England and Scotland (1603); his opening speech on behalf of the crown in Calvin’s Case (1608); his political treatise on Of the True Greatness of Britain (by 1608); and the Certain Considerations Touching the Plantation in Ireland (1609). More generally, the volume documents Bacon’s involvement in the various Parliaments of the period, his work as Solicitor-General (1607–1613), and the enlargement of his Essays for the enlarged second edition that appeared in 1612. Volume III also includes the Commentarius solutus (1608), Bacon’s audit of his affairs following his appointment as clerk of Star Chamber, and his biography of Queen Elizabeth I, In felicem memoriam Elizabethae (1608/9).
Contents
| 1 | [On the King’s prerogative] (from 1603) | [OKP] |
| 2 | A proclamation drawn for his Majesty’s first coming in (Apr./May 1603) | PrC |
| 3 | A brief discourse touching the happy union of the kingdoms (May/June 1603) | DUK |
| 4 | Certain considerations touching … the Church of England (Aug.–Oct. 1603) | CBP |
| 5 | Apology in certain imputations concerning the late earl of Essex (late 1603) | ACI |
| 6 | Obiections against the change of the name of England (25 Apr. 1604) | OCN1 |
| 7 | Of the title of Great Britain (1604?) | OTGB |
| 8 | Objections against the change of name or style of England and Scotland (27 Apr. 1604) | OCN2 |
| 9 | Speech touching purveyors (27 Apr. 1604) | SpP |
| 10 | An acte for the better grounding of a further union (?May 1604) | AFU |
| 11 | Certain articles touching the union (Summer 1604) | CAU |
| 12 | A draught of a proclamation touching his Majesties style (by Oct. 1604) | PrS |
| 13 | A kallender of the lawes … of hostillitie (Nov. 1604) | KLH |
| 14 | The certificate or return of the Commissioners (by Dec. 1604) | CRC |
| 15 | The examination of John Drake (6 Nov. 1605) | ExD |
| 16 | Arguments against the bill of sheets (1606) | ArBS |
| 17 | Speech concerning the article of naturalization (17 Feb. 1607) | SpN |
| 18 | Speech concerning the union of laws (28 Mar. 1607) | SpL |
| 19 | A preparation for the union of lawes (by 1608) | PUL |
| 20 | A report … att a conference concerning the peticion of the marchantes (17 June 1607) | RPM |
| 21 | A proclamation for jurors (by 5 Oct. 1607) | PrJ |
| 22 | A proclamation touching the Marches (between 1607–8) | PrM |
| 23 | Argument in maintaining the jurisdiction of the Council of the Marches (Apr. or Nov. 1608) | ArCM |
| 24 | Reply to the arguments of the serjeants (1607?) | RAS |
| 25 | Argument in the case of the post-nati (1608) | ArPN |
| 26 | Letter to the King upon presenting papers concerning the post-nati (28 Nov. 1608) | LKPN |
| 27 | Cases of the King’s prerogative (c.1608?) | CKP |
| 28 | An answer to the questions … touching the office of constable (1608) | OC |
| 29 | The certificate to his majesty touching the projects of Sir Stephen Proctor (summer 1608?) | CPP |
| 30 | Of the true greatness of Britain (between 1603–8) | TGB |
| 31 | Imago civilis Julii Cæsaris (by c.1608) | IJC |
| 32 | Imago civilis Augustæ Cæsaris (by c.1608) | IAC |
| 33 | Answers to the questions sent from Ireland (c.1608) | AQI |
| 34 | Dispute between the King’s Bench and the Court of Wales (1606) | DCW |
| 35 | Report on a speech in Parliament (25 Nov. 1606) | RSp06 |
| 36 | A view of the differences in question betwixt the king’s bench and the Council in the Marches (by June 1606) | VDQ |
| 37 | Report of the conference with the Lords (2 Mar. 1607) | RCL |
| 38 | Report of the first dayes conference (28 Feb. 1607) | RFC |
| 39 | Collections out of the bookes receaved from the earle of Salisbury (by 1612) | CBES |
| 40 | Inter Banc. Reg. et Cur. March. Wall. (c.1606–8?) | IBR |
| 41 | Commentarius solutus sive pandecta, sive ancilla memoriæ (July 1608) | CS |
| 42 | A proclamation for buildings (25 July 1608) | PrB |
| 43 | In felicem memoriam Elizabethæ (by 1609) | FME |
| 44 | A letter to the king, upon presenting the discourse, touching Ireland (Jan. 1609) | LKI |
| 45 | Certaine considerations touching the plantation in Ireland (Jan. 1609) | CPI |
| 46 | Laws concerninge the transportation of gold and silver (c.1609?) | TGS |
| 47 | A speech unto the Lords for wards and tenures (8 Mar. 1610) | SpWT |
| 48 | Speech on receiving the King’s messages (1610) | SpKM |
| 49 | Argument proving the King’s right of impositions (June/July 1610) | ArRI |
| 50 | Speech to the King presenting the Commons’ grievances (3 July 1610) | SpCG |
| 51 | Speech persuading supply (23 Nov. 1610) | SpPS |
| 52 | Letter to the King upon sending him a beginning of a history of his time (c.1610/11) | LKH |
| 53 | History of Great Britain (c.1610) | HGB |
| 54 | Advice to the King touching Sutton’s estate (c. Jan. 1612) | AdKS |
| 55 | A certificate touching the scarcity of silver at the Mint (Feb. 1612) | CSS |
| 56 | Charge upon the commission of oyer and determiner for the verge (1611/12) | ChV |
| 57 | A frame of declaration for the Master of the Wards (June 1612) | FMW |
| 58 | Speech at the arraignment of Lord Sanquer (27 June 1612) | SpA |
| 59 | My Ladie Shrewsburies cause touching Arbella Stuart (1612) | ChS |
| 60 | Letter to the King regarding the commissions concerning aid (Aug. 1612) | LKC |
| 61 | Instructions to the commissions concerning aid (Aug. 1612) | ICA |
| 62 | Reasons to remove Coke to be Chief Justice (1613) | RRC |
| 63 | Account of the committees for repair of the King’s estate (Aug. 1612) | ACRE |
| 64 | Proposition concerning the augmentation of the King’s revenue (Aug. 1612) | PAR |
| 65 | The Lord Chancellor and Lord Privy Seal to the King (21 Oct. 1612) | LCK |
| 66 | About the oath of allegiance (12 Oct. 1613) | AOA |
| 67 | Letter Dedicatory to Prince Henry (Oct. 1612) | E12(ded) |
| 68 | Letter to Prince Henry (1612) | LPH |
| 69 | Letter to Prince Henry (1612) | LPH |
| 70 | Essayes (Harleian MS) (1612) | EsH |
| 71 | Essaies (1612) (c. Oct. 1612) | EsH |
| 72 | Of seditions and troubles (by c. 1614) | Sed |
| 73 | An essay of fame | EsF(MS) |
| 74 | Of the true greatnes of kingdomes and states (between 1612–25) | TGKS |
| 75 | [On the Sutton Hospital Case] (1612) | [SHC] |
| 76 | In Henricem principem Walliæ elogium (1613) | HPWE |
| 77 | Act in Council concerning Whitelocke and Mansel (12 June 1613) | ACWM |
| 78 | The charge of Mr Whitlocke (June 1613) | ChW |
| 79 | [Proclamation on Gold and Silver] (1612) | PrGS |
| 80 | [Proclamation on Farthings] (1613) | PrFa |
| 81 | [Proclamation on John Cotton] (1613) | PrJC |
| 82 | [Proclamation on Felts] (1613) | PrFe |
| 83 | [Proclamation on Cloth] (1613) | PrCI |
| 84 | Two prayers | TP |
| 85 | Breviate of Irish business (2 July 1613) | BIB |
The Oxford Francis Bacon I: Early Writings 1584-1596, ed. by Alan Stewart with Harriet Knight (Oxford University Press, 2012), pp. 1,136. ISBN: 978-0-19-818313-6.