FRANCIS BACON 



FRANCIS BACON, one of the greatest names in English 

 history, was born in London, January 22, 1561. He was&quot; 

 the youngest son of Sir Nicholas Bacon, who for twenty 

 years had held the seals as Lord Keeper. His mother was 

 a daughter of Sir Anthony Cooke, and one of her sisters 

 was married to the famous Lord Treasurer, Burghley, 

 ancestor of the present Marquis of Salisbury. In 1573 he 

 entered Trinity College, Cambridge, and resided there three 

 years, after which he travelled for the same length of time 

 upon the Continent. On the death of his father in 1579 he 

 returned to England and began his life in comparative 

 poverty. In 1582 he was admitted to the bar, and two 

 years later secured a seat in Parliament. His advancement 

 was slow, but he ultimately became King r s Counsel, and 

 in 1607 was made Solicitor- General. Six years later he 

 became Attorney- General and in 1617 obtained the Great 

 Seal with the title of Lord Keeper. In the following year 

 he received the higher title of Lord Chancellor, and was 

 made Baron Yerulam ; in 1621 he was created Viscount St. 

 Albans. It is well known that in the last-named year, he 

 was tried for bribery and corruption, and was sentenced 

 to fine and imprisonment. We are not here directly con 

 cerned with Bacon s career as a lawyer, politician, courtier 

 and man of letters, and consequently pass at once to his 

 place in science and philosophy. Of his many scientific 



(5) 



