Note 97 — Chapter VII

James Spedding, b. 1803; d. 1881. His chief work was the Bacon life; and there is something pathetic in the thought of a man of Spedding’s attainments, honesty of purpose, and unflagging industry, devoting thirty of the best years of his life to a vindication of Bacon’s character. His aggressive attitude in respect to Macaulay is particularly shown in his Evenings with a Reviewer (2 vols., 8vo), in which he certainly makes chaff of a good deal of Macaulay’s arraignment.