His pen had been used under the government of the Queen, and he had offered a draft of a proclamation to the King’s advisers.  But though he obtained an interview with the King, James’s arrival in England brought no immediate prospect of improvement in Bacon’s fortunes.  Indeed, his name was at first inadvertently passed over in the list of Queen’s servants who were to retain their places.  The first thing we hear of is his arrest a second time for debt; and his letters of thanks to Cecil, who had rendered him assistance, are written in deep depression.

“For my purpose or course I desire to meddle as little as I can in the King’s causes, his Majesty now abounding in counsel, and to follow my private thrift and practice, and to marry with some convenient advancement.  For as for any ambition, I do assure your Honour, mine is quenched.  In the Queen’s, my excellent Mistress’s, time the quorum was small:  her service was a kind of freehold, and it was a more solemn time.  All those points agreed with my nature and judgment.  My ambition now I shall only put upon my pen, whereby I shall be able to maintain memory and merit of the times succeeding.

“Lastly, for this divulged and almost prostituted title of knighthood, I could without charge, by your Honour’s mean, be content to have it, both because of this late disgrace and because I have three new knights in my mess in Gray’s Inn’s commons; and because I have found out an alderman’s daughter, an handsome maiden, to my liking.”

Cecil, however, seems to have required that the money should be repaid by the day; and Bacon only makes a humble request, which, it might be supposed, could have been easily granted.

“IT MAY PLEASE YOUR GOOD LORDSHIP,—­In answer of your last letter, your money shall be ready before your day:  principal, interest, and costs of suit.  So the sheriff promised, when I released errors; and a Jew takes no more.  The rest cannot be forgotten, for I cannot forget your Lordship’s dum memor ipse mei; and if there have been aliquid nimis, it shall be amended.  And, to be plain with your Lordship, that will quicken me now which slackened me before.  Then I thought you might have had more use of me than now I suppose you are like to have.  Not but I think the impediment will be rather in my mind than in the matter or times.  But to do you service I will come out of my religion at any time.

“For my knighthood, I wish the manner might be such as might grace me, since the matter will not; I mean, that I might not be merely gregarious in a troop.  The coronation is at hand.  It may please your Lordship to let me hear from you speedily.  So I continue your Lordship’s ever much bounden,

     “FR. BACON. 
     “From Gorhambury, this 16th of July, 1603.”

But it was not done.  He “obtained his title, but not in a manner to distinguish him.  He was knighted at Whitehall two days before the coronation, but had to share the honour with 300 others.”