Note 9 — General Introduction.
Reading edition
Sir Francis Bacon was the second Attorney-General who sat in the House of Commons; but, to prevent its being drawn into a precedent, the House would not admit him, till they had made an order, that no Attorney-General should for the future be allowed to sit and vote in that House.—In conformity to this order, whenever afterwards a member was appointed Attorney-General, his place was vacated, and a new writ issued. This continued to be the practice till the year 1670, when Sir Heneage Finch (afterwards Earl of Nottingham) being appointed Attorney-General, he was allowed by connivance to preserve his seat, which connivance has been continued ever since.—I give these facts not from any enquiry or knowledge of my own, but from the authority of a friend, who is perhaps better informed than any person in the kingdom on every subject of this kind.