Author: Benjamin Tooke
Francis Bacon, whose letters are published in this book,
was an English politician, scientist and philosopher. Francis
Bacon, son of a renowned jurist, was born in London in 1561.
He studied at the University of Cambridge and Gray's Inn.
In 1576 he interrupted his studies to travel abroad with the
English ambassador in Paris. The sudden death of his father
in February 1579 necessitated Bacon's return to England. Starting
in 1584 he took his seat in parliament and in 1596 he became
a Queen's Counsel. King James I knighted him in 1603. In 1613,
Bacon was finally able to become Attorney General. His public
career ended in disgrace in 1621. After falling into debt,
a Parliamentary Committee of the administration of the law
charged him with corruption. The viscount was sentenced to
a fine of £40,000, which was remitted by the king. He
was also committed to the Tower of London for the duration
of the king's pleasure. In the end, his imprisonment lasted
only a few days and he narrowly escaped being deprived of
his titles. It has been argued that Bacon was in fact innocent
of the bribery charges; Bacon himself said that he was forced
to plead guilty so as to save King James from a political
scandal. He said: 'I was the fairest judge there was in England
these last fifty years. When the book of all hearts is opened,
I trust I shall not be found to have the troubled fountain
of a corrupt heart. I know I have clean hands and a clean
heart. I am as innocent of bribes as any born on St Innocents
Day.' Sir Francis Bacon died in 1626.
Sir Francis Bacon
1561 - 1626
