BACON, FRANCIS, Lord VEnunAm,Viscount ST. ALBANS, b. in London, Jan. 22, 1561, was the son of Sir Nicholas Bacon (q.v.). His mother was the learned Anne Cooke. In early childhood, he manifested superior powers, and an ardent love of knowledge; his intelligence was so precocious, and his sedateness so remarkable, that the queen took pleasure in calling him her "young lord keeper." At the age of 13, he was sent to the university of Cambridge, which be quitted, after a residence of three years, with a low opinion of the course of study pursued there, and, as well, of the Aristotelian philoso phy. On leaving the university, he went to Paris, in the suite of Sir Amias Paulet, the English ambassador, and there occupied himself chiefly with statistics and diplomacy, the result of his studies and observation being a work, afterwards published, Of the .stale of Europe. The sudden death of his father, about the end of 1579, recalled him in 1580 to England, where, after failing to procure from the government a provision which would enable him to devote himself to science and literature, he betook himself for several years to the study of law. His professional progress, was at first very slow, and, con trary to what might have been expected, it was long before he could obtain promotion in the public service. This want of success was chiefly owing to the hostility of his uncle, the queen's first minister, lord Burleigh (see CECIL), who regarded him as a dan gerous rival to his own son. To lord Burleigh and his son, B., in the hope of advance ment, had paid court till it was clear no favor was to be expected from them, he betook himself to their rival, the earl of Essex, whose friendship he speedily won. But the earl's influence could not counteract the continued opposition of the Cecils, through whom he was defeated, in 1594, in an attempt to obtain for B. the then vacant office of attorney-general. What he could do for his friend, however, he did; for shortly after this disappointment he presented him with an estate at Twickenham worth £2000a year.
It is painful to relate that B. repaid the generous friendship of his patron with flagrant ingratitude. When Essex was subsequently brought to trial for a conspiracy against the queen, B. came forward as his accuser with tougtte and pen; he Unnecessarily appeared as counsel against the friend who had so largely obliged and confided iu him, and used all his great talents and ingenuity as a pleader to magnify his crimes and secure their punishment. B. was straitened at the time in his circumstances, through his extravagant mode of life, and, moreover, was anxious to conciliate the court, whose anger he had provoked by having espoused the popular cause on his first entering parliament as mein ber for Middlesex in 1595. But whatever the temptation was, it cannot affect our opin ion of conduct so mean and immoral. It remains to be stated, that, after the earl's exe cution, he wrote, at the request of the queen, A Declaration of the Practices and Trea sons Attempted and Committed by Robert Earl of Essex, which was printed by authority.
In 1590, B. obtained the post of counsel extraordinary to the queen, and a few years afterwards he entered parliament as member for Middlesex. It was not, however. till the reign of James L that he made rapid progress. He was knighted in 1603. and in the following year was appointed salaried counsel to the crown; by 1613, he had advanced to the office of attorney-general, in which he unconditionally subserved the purposes of the court. His conduct as attorney, in attempting to extort by the rack a confession of treason from an old clergyman of the name of Peacham, has met with universal and deserved conderimation. He did not, however, cringe to the the royal favor ite, Villiers, except to good purpose. In 1617, he was appointe1 keeper of the great seal, and in 1619 attained the dignity of the lord chancelbtship, with the title of lord Verulam. In the year following, he was created viscount St. Albans.