be George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham.

The first leisure that Bacon had after he was appointed Solicitor he
used in a characteristic way. He sat down to make a minute stock-taking
of his position and its circumstances. In the summer of 1608 he devoted
a week of July to this survey of his life, its objects and its
appliances; and he jotted down, day by day, through the week, from his
present reflections, or he transcribed from former note-books, a series
of notes in loose order, mostly very rough and not always intelligible,
about everything that could now concern him. This curious and intimate
record, which he called _Commentarius Solutus_, was discovered by Mr.
Spedding, who not unnaturally had some misgivings about publishing so
secret and so ambiguous a record of a man's most private confidences
with himself. But there it was, and, as it was known, he no doubt
decided wisely in publishing it as it stands; he has done his best to
make it intelligible, and he has also done his best to remove any
unfavourable impressions that might arise from it. It is singularly
interesting as an evidence of Bacon's way of working, of his
watchfulness, his industry, his care in preparing himself long
beforehand for possible occasions, his readiness to take any amount of
trouble about his present duties, his self-reliant desire for more
important and difficult ones. It exhibits his habit of self-observation
and self-correction, his care to mend his natural defects of voice,
manner, and delivery; it is even more curious in showing him watching
his own physical constitution and health, in the most minute details of
symptoms and remedies, equally with a scientific and a practical object.
It contains his estimate of his income, his expenditure, his debts,
schedules of lands and jewels, his rules for the economy of his estate,
his plans for his new gardens and terraces and ponds and buildings at
Gorhambury. He was now a rich man, valuing his property at L24,155 and
his income at L4975, burdened with a considerable debt, but not more
than he might easily look to wipe out. But, besides all these points,
there appear the two large interests of his life--the reform of
philosophy, and his ideal of a great national policy. The "greatness of
Britain" was one of his favourite subjects of meditation. He puts down
in his notes the outline of what should be aimed at to secure and
increase it; it is to make the various forces of the great and growing