BACON, Francis, English statesman, phi losopher and essayist: b. London, 22 Jan. 1561; d. Highgate, London, 9 April 1626. Bacon was commonly called Lord Bacon in accordance rvith long literary tradition, though his exact titles in the peerage were Baron Verulara and Vis count Saint Alban. He was the youngest of eight children of Sir Nicholas Bacon, the Lord Keeper, six of whom were by a former mar riage. His mother was Arm, daughter of Sir Anthony Cooke, and her sister married Sir William Cecil (Lord Burghley). The family thus stood in a position of exceptional influence at the court of Elizabeth, but Bacon profited little by the fact in his official career. He entered Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1573 and was admitted to Gray's Inn in 1575. In 1576 he went to France as a member of the embassy of Sir Amias Paulet, and remained there until the death of his father in 1579. It then became necessary for him to return to England and take up his legal studies with a view to pro fessional practice. In 1582 he was admitted to the bar. Already before this time he had entertained hopes of a political career and had made unsuccessful appeals to Lord Burghley for support; and in 1584, being elected to Par liament from Melcombe Regis, he began a long and conspicuous service in the House of Com mons. He produced at once a political docu ment, entitled (A Letter of Advice to Queen Elizabeth,' in which the religious situation, and particularly the Catholic question, was discussed. with wisdom and moderation. In 1589 he wrote a second paper, (An Advertisement Concerning the Controversies of the Church of England,' reiterating his policy of moderation with more especial reference to Puritanism. Bacon's nat ural instinct, in both religious and political controversies, was conciliatory, and he exerted himself in favor of moderate measures through out Elizabeth's reign and after the accession of James. He manifested also, at the beginning of his career, some power of acting with disinter ested independence,—a capacity which was less evidently displayed in his later life. In 1593 he led the opposition of the Commons to the proposal of the Lords for a joint settlement of a .question involving subsidies and thus falling within the prerogatives of the lower House. In.his prolonged resistance to the subsidy legis lation he earned the disfavor of both Burghley and the Crown. His opposition, which was ap
parently conscientious, may have been the cause of his failure to obtain the vacant attorney generalship in 1594 and the solicitor-generalship in 1595, though in the former instance his claim was urged by Essex and in the latter by both Essex and Burghley The attorney-generalship was given to Sir Edward Coke, who was re peatedly a rival and enemy of Bacon's in later years.
Bacon's association with Essex, which con stituted one of the most important of his per sonal, relations, began in 1591.. He attached himself to the rising young nobleman in the hope of obtaining political advancement. But it is not necessary to deny him all sentiment of personal attachment or all real belief in the availability of Essex for the public service. He received from Essex earnest patronage, as has been already shown, and when recommendations failed, Essex gave his follower a valuable estate by way of consolation. In 1597 Essex tried to arrange a marriage between Bacon and Lady Hatton, but Coke again proved a successful rival. Bacon, on his side, undertook to advise Essex and to manage his career at court. In 1598 he appears to have urged him (though he afterward denied it) to attempt the suppression of Tyrone's Irish rebellion,—an undertaking which led to the dismissal of Essex from office in disgrace. Bacon's conduct in the investiga tion is hard to trace, but he may perhaps be granted to have acted in the interests of Essex, though he was formally one of his prosecutors. Later, however, in 1601, when Essex rebelled openly against the throne, Bacon helped to secure his conviction, and after his execution prepared the official declaration of his treasons. For this active, and apparently unnecessary, participation in the prosecution of his friend Bacon has probably received more blame than for any other act of his life. It may be urged in extenuation that Essex was actually a dan gerous person to the state, and that Bacon steadily warned him that he would not prefer the claims of friendship to the public good. It is true, too, that Bacon's position was difficult as between such a reckless friend and the jealous and imperious queen whose favor he desired both for his friend's interest and his own. Yet in the last analysis there is little defense to be made for Bacon's willingness to profit by the ruin of Essex.