“(Signed) FRANCES COKE in the Presence
“of my deare Mother
“ELIZA HATTON.

["July 10, 1617.”]

Lady Elizabeth, however, failed to effect the match.  Possibly the letter just quoted may have been too strong meat for Oxford.  Even her skill in the gentle art of forgery proved unavailing.  Whether Oxford had no fancy for the girl, or the girl had no fancy for Oxford, does not appear, and perhaps other causes may have prevented the marriage; but, although he did not marry Frances, he married her first cousin, Lady Diana, daughter of the second Earl of Exeter, a niece of Lady Elizabeth, and, like Frances, both a great heiress and a beautiful woman.  Lord Oxford was killed, a few years afterwards, at the siege of Breda in the Netherlands.

Bacon, now thoroughly frightened, both by the King and by Buckingham, began to trim, and before long he turned completely round and used his influence with Lady Elizabeth to induce her to agree to the Sir John Villiers-match.  He wrote a letter on the 21st of August to Buckingham, saying that he was doing all he could to further the marriage of Sir John Villiers with Frances Coke.  Among other things he said:—­

“I did also send to my Lady Hatton, Coke’s wife and some other special friends to acquaint them that I would declare, if anything, for the match so that they may no longer account on [my] assistance.  I sent also to Sir John Butler, and after by letter to my Lady [Compton] your mother, to tender my performance of any good office toward the match.”

To this letter Buckingham sent a very chilling reply, whereupon Bacon, in his anxiety, sent Yelverton in person to try to conciliate Buckingham and the King, enjoining him to lie so hard and so unblushingly as to declare that Bacon had never hindered, but had in “many ways furthered the marriage;” that all he had done had been to check Coke’s “impertinent carriage” in the matter, which he wished had “more nearly resembled the Earl of Buckingham’s sweet disposition.”

Yet after faithfully fulfilling this nefarious errand, Yelverton failed to conciliate Buckingham, for he wrote the following very unsatisfactory report to Bacon:—­

“The Earl [of Buckingham] professeth openly against you;” whereas, “Sir Edward Coke, as if he were already on his wings, triumphs exceedingly; hath much private conference with his Majesty, and in public doth offer himself, and thrust upon the King with as great boldness of speech as heretofore.”

Things were beginning to look desperate for Bacon!  Indeed it seemed as if affliction were about to “level the mole-hills,” not now of Coke’s, but of Bacon’s pride; “to plough” Bacon’s heart and “make it fit for Wisdom to sow her seed, and for Grace to bring forth her increase,” blessings which Bacon had so kindly & so liberally promised to Coke in a letter already quoted.