94-505: Francis Bacon , 1st Viscount St Alban, 1st Lord Verulam , PC ( / ˈ b eɪ k ən / ; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626) was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England under King James I . Bacon argued the importance of natural philosophy , guided by scientific method , and his works remained influential throughout the Scientific Revolution . Bacon has been called
188-537: A Roman Catholic plot against her. Bacon's opposition to a bill that would levy triple subsidies in half the usual time offended the Queen: opponents accused him of seeking popularity, and for a time the Court excluded him from favour. When the office of Attorney General fell vacant in 1594, Lord Essex's influence was not enough to secure the position for Bacon and it was given to Sir Edward Coke . Likewise, Bacon failed to secure
282-653: A fringe theory which was first proposed in the mid-19th century, contends that Bacon wrote at least some and possibly all of the plays conventionally attributed to William Shakespeare . Bacon was educated at Trinity College at the University of Cambridge , where he rigorously followed the medieval curriculum, which was presented largely in Latin . He was the first recipient of the Queen's counsel designation, conferred in 1597 when Elizabeth I reserved him as her legal advisor. After
376-529: A beneficiary. Several authors believe that, despite his marriage, Bacon was primarily attracted to men. Forker, for example, has explored the "historically documentable sexual preferences" of both Francis Bacon and King James I and concluded they were both oriented to "masculine love", a contemporary term that "seems to have been used exclusively to refer to the sexual preference of men for members of their own gender." Bacon's sexuality has been disputed by others, who point to lack of consistent evidence and consider
470-605: A book in 1813), the antiquary John Aubrey wrote that Bacon was a pederast "whose Ganimeds and Favourites tooke Bribes". While pederast strictly denoted "boy-lover" in earlier times, Cady wrote that Aubrey deployed the term discreetly in the original Greek to signify "male homosexual". The figure of Ganymede , he continued, was another of many common ways of referring obliquely to homosexuality. In New Atlantis , Bacon described his utopian island as being "the chastest nation under heaven", with "no touch" of "masculine love". Cady argued that Bacon's reference to male homosexuality in
564-532: A bribe or reward in my eye or thought when pronouncing judgment or order... I am ready to make an oblation of myself to the King He also wrote the following to George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham : My mind is calm, for my fortune is not my felicity. I know I have clean hands and a clean heart, and I hope a clean house for friends or servants; but Job himself, or whoever was the justest judge, by such hunting for matters against him as hath been used against me, may for
658-435: A close relationship with Andrew Perne , sometime vice-chancellor. Perne went on to live with Whitgift in his old age. Puritan satirists would later mock Whitgift as "Perne's boy" who was willing to carry his cloak-bag – thus suggesting that the two had enjoyed a homosexual relationship. Whitgift taught Francis Bacon and his older brother Anthony Bacon at Cambridge University in the 1570s. As their tutor, Whitgift bought
752-502: A dominant worldview, as indicated with his quote that "The causes of atheism are: divisions in religion, if they be many; for any one main division, addeth zeal to both sides; but many divisions introduce atheism. Another is, scandal of priests; when it is come to that which St. Bernard saith "One cannot now say the priest is as the people, for the truth is that the people are not so bad as the priest". A third is, custom of profane scoffing in holy matters; which doth by little and little deface
846-512: A felony, and he had Barrow and Greenwood executed the following morning. In the controversy between Walter Travers and Richard Hooker , he prohibited the former from preaching, and he presented the latter with the rectory of Boscombe in Wiltshire , to help him complete his Ecclesiastical Polity , a work that in the end did not represent Whitgift's theological or ecclesiastical standpoints. In 1587, he had Welsh preacher John Penry brought before
940-412: A few days and the fine was remitted by the king. More seriously, parliament declared Bacon incapable of holding future office or sitting in parliament. He narrowly escaped undergoing degradation , which would have stripped him of his titles of nobility. Subsequently, the disgraced viscount devoted himself to study and writing. There seems little doubt that Bacon had accepted gifts from litigants, but this
1034-469: A graduate of Oxford with a strong leaning toward Puritanism . He attended Trinity College at the University of Cambridge on 5 April 1573 at the age of 12, living there for three years along with his older brother Anthony Bacon (1558–1601) under the personal tutelage of John Whitgift , future Archbishop of Canterbury . Bacon's education was conducted largely in Latin and followed the medieval curriculum. It
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#17328447227581128-544: A grant from his mother Lady Anne of the manor of Marks near Romford in Essex, which generated a rent of £46. Bacon stated that he had three goals: to uncover truth, to serve his country, and to serve his church. He sought to achieve these goals by seeking a prestigious post. In 1580, through his uncle, Lord Burghley , he applied for a post at court that might enable him to pursue a life of learning, but his application failed. For two years he worked quietly at Gray's Inn , until he
1222-593: A grave countenance and brown complexion, black hair and eyes, his beard neither long nor thick." He left several unpublished works, included in the Manuscripts Angliae . Many of his letters, articles and injunctions are calendared in the published volumes of the State Papers series of the reign of Elizabeth. His Collected Works , edited for the Parker Society by John Ayre (3 vols., Cambridge, 1851–1853), include
1316-538: A major theme of politics was the composition of the king's council. Barons frequently complained that they were inadequately represented, and efforts were made to change the council's membership. At the Oxford Parliament of 1258 , reformers forced a reluctant Henry to accept the Provisions of Oxford , which vested royal power in an elected council of fifteen barons. However, these reforms were ultimately overturned with
1410-501: A patent, giving him precedence at the Bar. Despite his designations, he was unable to gain the status and notoriety of others. In a plan to revive his position he unsuccessfully courted the wealthy young widow Lady Elizabeth Hatton . His courtship failed after she broke off their relationship upon accepting marriage to Sir Edward Coke, a further spark of enmity between the men. In 1598 Bacon was arrested for debt. Afterward, however, his standing in
1504-632: A position that he thought would lead him to success. He showed signs of sympathy to Puritanism, attending the sermons of the Puritan chaplain of Gray's Inn and accompanying his mother to the Temple Church to hear Walter Travers . This led to the publication of his earliest surviving tract, which criticized the English church's suppression of the Puritan clergy. In the Parliament of 1586, he openly urged execution for
1598-518: A pulpit controversy with Thomas Cartwright regarding the constitutions and customs of the Church of England, his oratorical effectiveness proved inferior, but he was able to exercise arbitrary authority: together with other heads of the university, he deprived Cartwright of his professorship, and in September 1571 Whitgift exercised his prerogative as master of Trinity to strip him of his fellowship. In June of
1692-472: A saint into her house, she now perceived he was a devil". Thomas Macaulay 's description of Whitgift as "a narrow, mean, tyrannical priest, who gained power by servility and adulation..." is, according to the author of his 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica entry, "tinged with rhetorical exaggeration; but undoubtedly Whitgift's extreme High Church notions led him to treat the Puritans with exceptional intolerance". In
1786-482: A time seem foul, especially in a time when greatness is the mark and accusation is the game. As the conduct of accepting gifts was ubiquitous and common practice, and the Commons was zealously inquiring into judicial corruption and malfeasance, it has been suggested that Bacon served as a scapegoat to divert attention from Buckingham's own ill practice and alleged corruption. The true reason for his acknowledgement of guilt
1880-425: A way of glorifying God and fulfilling scripture. Bacon was a patron of libraries and developed a system for cataloguing books under three categories – history , poetry , and philosophy – which could further be divided into specific subjects and subheadings. About books he wrote: "Some books are to be tasted; others swallowed; and some few to be chewed and digested." The Shakespearean authorship thesis ,
1974-424: A wealthier man, Bacon's rival, Sir Edward Coke . Years later, Bacon still wrote of his regret that the marriage to Hatton had not taken place. At the age of 45, Bacon married Alice Barnham , the 13-year-old daughter of a well-connected London alderman and MP. Bacon wrote two sonnets proclaiming his love for Alice. The first was written during his courtship and the second on his wedding day, 10 May 1606. When Bacon
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#17328447227582068-529: A younger one (from his "inmost heart") to "give yourself to me so that I may restore you to yourself" and "secure [you] an increase beyond all hopes and prayers of ordinary marriages". On 9 April 1626, Bacon died of pneumonia at Highgate outside London, specifically at Arundel House, a country residence of his friend the Earl of Arundel , though Arundel was then imprisoned in the Tower of London . An influential account of
2162-634: Is named after him. Whitgift Close in Laceby in Lincolnshire , where he was Rector of St Margaret's church from 1572 to 1577, is also named for him. A comprehensive school in his home town of Grimsby, John Whitgift Academy , is named after him. The Whitgift Centre , a major shopping centre in Croydon, is named after him. It is built on land still owned by the Whitgift Foundation . Season 7, Episode 6 of
2256-655: Is the subject of debate, but some authors speculate that it may have been prompted by his sickness, or by a view that through his fame and the greatness of his office he would be spared harsh punishment. He may even have been blackmailed, with a threat to charge him with sodomy , into confession. The British jurist Basil Montagu wrote in Bacon's defense, concerning the episode of his public disgrace: Bacon has been accused of servility, of dissimulation, of various base motives, and their filthy brood of base actions, all unworthy of his high birth, and incompatible with his great wisdom, and
2350-509: Is thought to have originated in the relatively close Yorkshire village of Whitgift , adjoining the River Ouse . Whitgift's early education was entrusted to his uncle, Robert Whitgift, abbot of the neighbouring Wellow Abbey , on whose advice he was sent to St Anthony's School, London. In 1549 he matriculated at Queens' College, Cambridge , and in May 1550 he moved to Pembroke Hall, Cambridge , where
2444-758: The Act of Union 1800 the Kingdom of Ireland retained the Privy Council of Ireland , which came to an end only in 1922, when Southern Ireland separated from the United Kingdom, to be succeeded by the Privy Council of Northern Ireland . The sovereign, when acting on the council's advice, was known as the " King-in-Council " or "Queen-in-Council". The members of the council were collectively known as "The Lords of His [or Her] Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council", or sometimes "The Lords and others of ..."). The chief officer of
2538-569: The English Commonwealth , was established. The remaining house of Parliament, the House of Commons , instituted a Council of State to execute laws and to direct administrative policy. The forty-one members of the council were elected by the Commons; the body was headed by Oliver Cromwell , the de facto military dictator of the nation. In 1653, however, Cromwell became Lord Protector , and the Council
2632-486: The New Atlantis deliberately gave the appearance of coming from "outside the phenomenon" due to prevalent opposition. It contrasted deliberately with "veiled" praise of the topic elsewhere in Bacon's work, he asserted. Cady offered several examples, including that Bacon discussed only male beauty in his short essay "Of Beauty". He also noted that Bacon ended his monologue The Masculine Birth of Time with an older man asking
2726-663: The Union of the Crowns of England and Scotland; however, the two kingdoms continued to have separate privy councils. The Privy Council of Scotland continued in existence along with the Privy Council of England for more than a hundred years after the Union of the Crowns. By the end of the English Civil War , the monarchy, House of Lords and Privy Council had been abolished. A new government,
2820-670: The 2nd Earl of Essex , Queen Elizabeth's favourite. By 1591 he acted as the earl's confidential adviser. In 1592, he was commissioned to write a tract in response to the Jesuit Robert Parson 's anti-government polemic, which he titled Certain Observations Made upon a Libel , identifying England with the ideals of democratic Athens against the belligerence of Spain. Bacon took his third parliamentary seat for Middlesex when in February 1593 Elizabeth summoned Parliament to investigate
2914-655: The Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots . About this time, he again approached his powerful uncle for help; this move was followed by his rapid progress at the bar. He became a bencher in 1586 and was elected a Reader in 1587, delivering his first set of lectures in Lent the following year. In 1589, he received the valuable appointment of reversion to the Clerkship of the Star Chamber , although he did not formally take office until 1608;
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3008-453: The Clerkship of the Star Chamber . Despite a generous income, old debts still could not be paid. He sought further promotion and wealth by supporting King James and his arbitrary policies. In 1610 the fourth session of James's first Parliament met. Despite Bacon's advice to him, James and the Commons found themselves at odds over royal prerogatives and the King's embarrassing extravagance. The House
3102-463: The Earle of Arundel's house at Highgate, where they put him into ... a damp bed that had not been layn-in ... which gave him such a cold that in 2 or 3 days as I remember Mr Hobbes told me, he died of Suffocation. Aubrey has been criticized for his evident credulousness in this and other works; on the other hand, he knew Thomas Hobbes , Bacon's fellow-philosopher and friend. Being unwittingly on his deathbed,
3196-619: The English ambassador at Paris, while Anthony continued his studies at home. The state of government and society in France under Henry III afforded him valuable political instruction. For the next three years he visited Blois , Poitiers , Tours , Italy, and Spain. There is no evidence that he studied at the University of Poitiers . During his travels, Bacon studied language, statecraft, and civil law while performing routine diplomatic tasks. On at least one occasion he delivered diplomatic letters to England for Walsingham , Burghley, Leicester , and for
3290-458: The Great Seal ) by his second wife, Anne (Cooke) Bacon , the daughter of the noted Renaissance humanist Anthony Cooke . His mother's sister was married to William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley , making Burghley Bacon's uncle. Biographers believe that Bacon was educated at home in his early years owing to poor health, which would plague him throughout his life. He received tuition from John Walsall,
3384-522: The High Commission, and at the Privy Council. When Burghley asked Barrow his opinion of the Archbishop, he responded: "He is a monster, a miserable compound, I know not what to make him. He is neither ecclesiastical nor civil, even that second beast spoken of in revelation." Whitgift was the prime mover behind the Act against Seditious Sectaries which was passed in 1593 , making Separatist Puritanism
3478-694: The High Commission, and imprisoned; Whitgift signed Penry's death warrant six years later. In 1595, in conjunction with the Bishop of London and other prelates, he drew up the Calvinist instrument known as the Lambeth Articles . Although the articles were signed and agreed by several bishops they were recalled by order of Elizabeth, claiming that the bishops had acted without her explicit consent. Whitgift maintained that she had given her approval. Whitgift attended Elizabeth on her deathbed, and crowned James I . He
3572-526: The House of Lords in its usurpation of the Money Bills. He advocated for the union of England and Scotland, which made him a significant influence toward the consolidation of the United Kingdom; and he later would advocate for the integration of Ireland into the Union. Closer constitutional ties, he believed, would bring greater peace and strength to these countries. Bacon soon became acquainted with Robert Devereux,
3666-556: The King had evidently inspired resentment or apprehension in many of his peers. Bacon, however, continued to receive the King's favour, which led to his appointment in March 1617 as temporary Regent of England (for a period of a month), and in 1618 as Lord Chancellor . On 12 July 1618 the King created Bacon Baron Verulam of Verulam in the Peerage of England ; he then became known as Francis, Lord Verulam. Bacon continued to use his influence with
3760-425: The King to mediate between the throne and Parliament, and in this capacity he was further elevated in the same peerage as Viscount St Alban on 27 January 1621. Bacon's public career ended in disgrace in 1621. After he fell into debt, a parliamentary committee on the administration of the law charged him with 23 separate counts of corruption. His lifelong enemy, Sir Edward Coke , who had instigated these accusations,
3854-462: The Privy Council of England was abolished and replaced by the Privy Council of Great Britain . According to the Oxford dictionary the definition of the word "privy" in Privy Council is an obsolete one meaning "Of or pertaining exclusively to a particular person or persons; one's own", insofar as the council is personal to the sovereign. During the reign of Elizabeth I , the council is recorded under
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3948-671: The Protector's Council was abolished. Charles II restored the royal Privy Council, but he, like previous Stuart monarchs, chose to rely on a small committee of advisers. In 1708, one year after the Treaty and Acts of Union of 1707 created the Kingdom of Great Britain , the English privy council was abolished by the Parliament of Great Britain and thereafter there was one Privy Council of Great Britain sitting in London. Nevertheless, long after
4042-527: The Puritans and in his vigorous enforcement of the subscription test he thoroughly carried out her policy of religious uniformity. He drew up articles aimed at nonconforming ministers, and obtained increased powers for the Court of High Commission . In 1586, he became a privy councillor. His actions gave rise to the Martin Marprelate tracts, in which the bishops and clergy were strongly opposed. By his vigilance
4136-447: The Queen's eyes improved. Gradually, Bacon earned the standing of one of the learned counsels. His relationship with the Queen further improved when he severed ties with Essex—a shrewd move, as Essex would be executed for treason in 1601. With others, Bacon was appointed to investigate the charges against Essex. A number of Essex's followers confessed that Essex had planned a rebellion against
4230-575: The Queen. Bacon was subsequently a part of the legal team headed by the Attorney General Sir Edward Coke at Essex's treason trial. After the execution, the Queen ordered Bacon to write the official government account of the trial, which was later published as A DECLARATION of the Practices and Treasons attempted and committed by Robert late Earle of Essex and his Complices, against her Majestie and her Kingdoms ... after Bacon's first draft
4324-482: The accession of James I in 1603, Bacon was knighted , then created Baron Verulam in 1618 and Viscount St Alban in 1621. He had no heirs, and so both titles became extinct on his death of pneumonia in 1626 at the age of 65. He is buried at St Michael's Church, St Albans , Hertfordshire. Francis Bacon was born on 22 January 1561 at York House near Strand in London , the son of Sir Nicholas Bacon ( Lord Keeper of
4418-493: The authorities that on 5 July 1566 they considerably augmented his stipend. The following year he was appointed Regius Professor of Divinity , and became master first of Pembroke Hall (1567) and then of Trinity in 1570. He had a principal share in compiling the statutes of the university, which passed the great seal on 25 September 1570, and in the November following he was chosen as vice-chancellor . While at Cambridge he formed
4512-533: The better of him for it. For indeed your Lordship's House was happy to me, and I kiss your noble hands for the welcome which I am sure you give me to it. I know how unfit it is for me to write with any other hand than mine own, but by my troth my fingers are so disjointed with sickness that I cannot steadily hold a pen. Privy Council of England The Privy Council of England , also known as His (or Her ) Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council ( Latin : concilium familiare, concilium privatum et assiduum ),
4606-528: The body was the Lord President of the Council , one of the Great Officers of State . Another important official was the clerk, whose signature was appended to all orders made. Membership was generally for life, although the death of a monarch brought an immediate dissolution of the council, as all Crown appointments automatically lapsed. John Whitgift John Whitgift (c. 1530 – 29 February 1604)
4700-567: The brothers their early classical text books, including works by Plato , Cicero and others. Whitgift's authoritarian beliefs and conservative religious teachings had a profound impact on Bacon, as did his teaching on natural philosophy and metaphysics. Bacon would later disavow Whitgift, writing to Elizabeth I to warn her against Whitgift's attempts to root out the "careful and diligent preachers in each parish". Whitgift's theological views were controversial. An aunt with whom he once lodged wrote that "though she thought at first she had received
4794-408: The circumstances of his death was given by John Aubrey's Brief Lives . Aubrey's vivid account, which portrays Bacon as a martyr to experimental scientific method, has him journeying to High-gate through the snow with the King's physician when he is suddenly inspired by the possibility of using the snow to preserve meat: They were resolved they would try the experiment presently. They alighted out of
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#17328447227584888-469: The coach and went into a poor woman's house at the bottom of Highgate hill, and bought a fowl, and made the woman exenterate it. After stuffing the fowl with snow, Bacon contracted a fatal case of pneumonia. Some people, including Aubrey, consider these two contiguous, possibly coincidental events as related and causative of his death: The Snow so chilled him that he immediately fell so extremely ill, that he could not return to his Lodging ... but went to
4982-546: The controversial tracts mentioned above, two sermons published during his lifetime, a selection from his letters to Cecil and others, and some portions of his previously unpublished manuscripts. In his later years he concerned himself with various administrative reforms, including fostering learning among the clergy, abolishing non-resident clergy, and reforming the ecclesiastical courts. Whitgift set up charitable foundations (almshouses), now The Whitgift Foundation , in Croydon ,
5076-490: The date of Bacon's censure by Parliament, D'Ewes describes Bacon's love for his Welsh serving-men, in particular his servant Mr. Henry Godrick or Goodrick, a "very effeminate-faced youth" whom he calls "his catamite and bedfellow". Bacon's own mother complained to Anthony on Bacon's affection for another servant of his, named Percy, whom she wrote Bacon kept as "a coach companion and bed companion." In his Brief Lives sketches (likely composed during 1665–1690 and published as
5170-421: The estimation in which he was held by the noblest spirits of the age. It is true that there were men in his own time, and will be men in all times, who are better pleased to count spots in the sun than to rejoice in its glorious brightness. Such men have openly libelled him, like Dewes and Weldon, whose falsehoods were detected as soon as uttered, or have fastened upon certain ceremonious compliments and dedications,
5264-585: The existence of God. Information about God's attributes (such as nature, action, and purposes) can only come from special revelation . Bacon also held that knowledge was cumulative, that study encompassed more than a simple preservation of the past. "Knowledge is the rich storehouse for the glory of the Creator and the relief of man's estate," he wrote. In his Essays, he affirms that "a little philosophy inclineth man's mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men's minds about to religion." Bacon's idea of idols of
5358-560: The fashion of his day, as a sample of his servility, passing over his noble letters to the Queen, his lofty contempt for the Lord Keeper Puckering, his open dealing with Sir Robert Cecil, and with others, who, powerful when he was nothing, might have blighted his opening fortunes for ever, forgetting his advocacy of the rights of the people in the face of the court, and the true and honest counsels, always given by him, in times of great difficulty, both to Elizabeth and her successor. When
5452-482: The father of empiricism . He argued for the possibility of scientific knowledge based only upon inductive reasoning and careful observation of events in nature . He believed that science could be achieved by the use of a sceptical and methodical approach whereby scientists aim to avoid misleading themselves. Although his most specific proposals about such a method, the Baconian method , did not have long-lasting influence,
5546-426: The general idea of the importance and possibility of a sceptical methodology makes Bacon one of the later founders of the scientific method. His portion of the method based in scepticism was a new rhetorical and theoretical framework for science, whose practical details are still central to debates on science and methodology . He is famous for his role in the scientific revolution, promoting scientific experimentation as
5640-440: The judicial functions of the curia regis were delegated to two courts sitting at Westminster Hall : the Court of King's Bench and the Court of Common Pleas . By 1237, the curia regis had formally split into two separate councils–the king's council and Parliament ; though, they had long been separate in practice. The king's council was "permanent, advisory, and executive". It managed day to day government and included
5734-416: The king's ministers and closest advisers. Its members always included a few barons , the great officers of state and royal household , and clerks, secretaries and other special counsellors (often friars and literate knights ). It was capable of drafting legislative acta —administrative orders issued as letters patent or letters close . During the reign of Henry III ( r. 1216–1272 ),
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#17328447227585828-647: The king's victory in the Second Barons War . The council of Edward I ( r. 1272–1307 ) played a major role in drafting and proposing legislation to Parliament for ratification. Powerful sovereigns often used the body to circumvent the courts and Parliament. For example, a committee of the council – which later became the Court of the Star Chamber – was during the fifteenth century permitted to inflict any punishment except death, without being bound by normal court procedure. During Henry VIII's reign,
5922-408: The lesser office of Solicitor General in 1595, the Queen pointedly snubbing him by appointing Sir Thomas Fleming instead. To console him for these disappointments, Essex presented him with a property at Twickenham , which Bacon subsequently sold for £1,800. In 1597 Bacon became the first Queen's Counsel designate, when Queen Elizabeth reserved him as her legal counsel. In 1597, he was also given
6016-657: The marriage, with speculation that this may have been due to Alice's making do with less money than she had once been accustomed to. It was said that she was strongly interested in fame and fortune, and when household finances dwindled, she complained bitterly. Bunten wrote in her Life of Alice Barnham that, upon their descent into debt, she went on trips to ask for financial favours and assistance from their circle of friends. Bacon disinherited her upon discovering her secret romantic relationship with Sir John Underhill , rewriting his will (which had generously planned to leave her lands, goods, and income) and revoking her entirely as
6110-429: The martyr John Bradford was his tutor. In May 1555 he was elected a fellow of Peterhouse . Having taken holy orders in 1560, he became chaplain to Richard Cox , Bishop of Ely , who collated (that is, appointed) him to the rectory of Teversham , just to the east of Cambridge . In 1563 he was appointed Lady Margaret's Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge , and his lectures gave such satisfaction to
6204-473: The mind may have self-consciously represented an attempt to Christianize science at the same time as developing a new, reliable scientific method; Bacon gave worship of Neptune as an example of the idola tribus fallacy, hinting at the religious dimensions of his critique of the idols. Bacon was against the splintering within Christianity, believing that it would ultimately lead to the creation of atheism as
6298-492: The philosopher dictated his last letter to the Earl: My very good Lord,—I was likely to have had the fortune of Caius Plinius the elder , who lost his life by trying an experiment about the burning of Mount Vesuvius ; for I was also desirous to try an experiment or two touching the conservation and in-duration of bodies. As for the experiment itself, it succeeded excellently well; but in the journey between London and High-gate, I
6392-429: The post was worth £1,600 a year. In 1588 he became MP for Liverpool and then for Middlesex in 1593. He later sat three times for Ipswich (1597, 1601, 1604) and once for Cambridge University (1614). He became known as a liberal-minded reformer, eager to amend and simplify the law. Though a friend of the crown, he opposed feudal privileges and dictatorial powers. He spoke against religious persecution. He struck at
6486-662: The printers of the tracts were discovered and punished, though the main writer Job Throkmorton evaded him. Whitgift had nine leading presbyterians including Thomas Cartwright arrested in 1589–90, and though their trial in the Star Chamber for sedition did not result in convictions they did agree to abandon their movement in return for freedom. Whitgift took a strong line against the Brownist movement and their Underground Church in London led by Henry Barrow and John Greenwood . Their services were repeatedly raided and members held in prison. Whitgift repeatedly interrogated them through
6580-429: The queen. The sudden death of his father in February 1579 prompted Bacon to return to England. Sir Nicholas had laid up a considerable sum of money to purchase an estate for his youngest son, but he died before doing so, and Francis was left with only a fifth of that money. Having borrowed money, Bacon got into debt. To support himself, he took up his residence in law at Gray's Inn in 1579, his income being supplemented by
6674-525: The reverence of religion. And lastly, learned times, specially with peace and prosperity; for troubles and adversities do more bow men's minds to religion." Bacon built Verulam House in St Albans to his own designs. It has been suggested that this building was derivative of Sir Rowland Hill 's building at Soulton Hall . When he was 36, Bacon courted Elizabeth Hatton , a young widow of 20. Reportedly, she broke off their relationship upon accepting marriage to
6768-651: The same year Whitgift was nominated Dean of Lincoln. In the following year he published An Answere to a Certain Libel entitled an Admonition to the Parliament , which led to further controversy between the two churchmen. From 1572 to 1577 he was Rector of St Margaret's church in Laceby in Lincolnshire. On 24 March 1577, Whitgift was appointed Bishop of Worcester , and during the absence of Sir Henry Sidney in Ireland in 1577 he acted as vice-president of Wales . In August 1583 he
6862-426: The site of a palace, a summer retreat of Archbishops of Canterbury. It supports homes for the elderly and infirm, and runs three independent schools – Whitgift School , founded in 1596, Trinity School of John Whitgift and, more recently, Old Palace School for girls, which is housed in the former Croydon Palace . Whitgift Street near Lambeth Palace (the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury)
6956-444: The sources to be more open to interpretation. The Jacobean antiquary and Bacon's fellow parliament member Sir Simonds D'Ewes implied there had been a question of bringing Bacon to trial for buggery, with which his brother Anthony Bacon had also been charged. (Bacon's brother "apparently also was homosexual", according to literature and sexuality scholar Joseph Cady.) In his Autobiography and Correspondence diary entry for 3 May 1621,
7050-402: The sovereign relied on a smaller committee, which later evolved into the modern Cabinet . The council developed significantly during the reign of Elizabeth I , gaining political experience, so that there were real differences between the Privy Council of the 1560s and that of the 1600s. Elizabeth I was succeeded by James I , who was already King James VI of Scotland. James' accession marked
7144-410: The sovereign, on the advice of the council, was allowed to enact laws by mere proclamation. The legislative pre-eminence of Parliament was not restored until after Henry VIII's death. Though the royal council retained legislative and judicial responsibilities, it became a primarily administrative body. By the end of the six year reign of Edward VI in 1553, the council consisted of forty members. but
7238-506: The title "The Queens Majesties Most Honourable Privy-Council". During the reign of the House of Normandy , the English monarch was advised by a curia regis ( Latin for "royal court"), which consisted of magnates , clergy and officers of the Crown . This body originally concerned itself with advising the sovereign on legislation, administration and justice. At certain times, the curia
7332-515: The wedding of Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset and his wife, Frances Howard, Countess of Somerset , and he successfully prosecuted them for murder in 1616. The so-called Prince's Parliament of April 1614 objected to Bacon's presence in the seat for Cambridge and to the various royal plans that Bacon had supported. Although he was allowed to stay, Parliament passed a law that forbade the Attorney General to sit in Parliament. His influence over
7426-404: Was knighted in 1603. In another shrewd move, Bacon wrote his Apologies in defence of his proceedings in the case of Essex, as Essex had favoured James to succeed to the throne. The following year, during the course of the uneventful first parliamentary session, Bacon married Alice Barnham . In June 1607, he was at last rewarded with the office of Solicitor General and in 1608 he began working as
7520-410: Was a "base sycophant" loved and honoured by piety such as that of Herbert, Tennison, and Rawley, by noble spirits like Hobbes, Ben Jonson, and Selden, or followed to the grave, and beyond it, with devoted affection such as that of Sir Thomas Meautys. Bacon was a devout Anglican . He believed that philosophy and the natural world must be studied inductively, but argued that we can only study arguments for
7614-499: Was a body of advisers to the sovereign of the Kingdom of England . Its members were often senior members of the House of Lords and the House of Commons , together with leading churchmen, judges, diplomats and military leaders. The Privy Council of England was a powerful institution, advising the sovereign on the exercise of the royal prerogative and on the granting of royal charters . It issued executive orders known as Orders in Council and also had judicial functions. In 1708,
7708-490: Was admitted as an outer barrister in 1582. His parliamentary career began when he was elected MP for Bossiney, Cornwall , in a by-election in 1581. In 1584 he took his seat in Parliament for Melcombe in Dorset, and in 1586 for Taunton . At this time, he began to write on the condition of parties in the church, as well as on the topic of philosophical reform in the lost tract Temporis Partus Maximus . Yet he failed to gain
7802-524: Was an accepted custom of the time and not necessarily evidence of deeply corrupt behaviour. While acknowledging that his conduct had been lax, he countered that he had never allowed gifts to influence his judgement and, indeed, he had on occasion given a verdict against those who had paid him. He even had an interview with King James in which he assured: The law of nature teaches me to speak in my own defence: With respect to this charge of bribery I am as innocent as any man born on St. Innocents Day. I never had
7896-512: Was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury to replace Edmund Grindal , who had been placed under house arrest after his disagreement with Queen Elizabeth over "prophesyings" and died in office. Whitgift placed his stamp on the church of the Reformation, and shared Elizabeth's hatred of Puritans . Although he wrote to Elizabeth remonstrating against the alienation of church property, Whitgift always retained her special confidence. In his policy against
7990-485: Was appointed lord chancellor, "by special Warrant of the King", Lady Bacon was given precedence over all other Court ladies. Bacon's personal secretary and chaplain, William Rawley, wrote in his biography of Bacon that his marriage was one of "much conjugal love and respect", mentioning a robe of honour that he gave to Alice and which "she wore unto her dying day, being twenty years and more after his death". However, an increasing number of reports circulated about friction in
8084-590: Was at Cambridge that Bacon first met Queen Elizabeth , who was impressed by his precocious intellect, and was accustomed to calling him "The young lord keeper". His studies brought him to the belief that the methods and results of science as then practised were erroneous. His reverence for Aristotle conflicted with his rejection of Aristotelian philosophy , which seemed to him barren, argumentative and wrong in its objectives. On 27 June 1576, he and Anthony entered de societate magistrorum at Gray's Inn . A few months later, Francis went abroad with Sir Amias Paulet ,
8178-483: Was enlarged by a general summons of magnates (the "great council" or magnum concilium in Latin), but as a smaller council the curia was in constant session and in direct contact with the king. Originally, important legal cases were heard coram rege (Latin for "in the presence of the king himself"). But the growth of the royal justice system under Henry II ( r. 1154–1189 ) required specialization, and
8272-536: Was finally dissolved in February 1611. Throughout this period Bacon managed to stay in favour with the King while retaining the confidence of the Commons. In 1613 Bacon was finally appointed Attorney General , after advising the King to shuffle judicial appointments. As Attorney General, Bacon, by his zealous efforts—which included torture—to obtain the conviction of Edmund Peacham for treason, raised legal controversies of high constitutional importance. Bacon and Gray's Inn produced The Masque of Flowers to celebrate
8366-440: Was heavily edited by the Queen and her ministers. According to his personal secretary and chaplain, William Rawley , as a judge Bacon was always tender-hearted, "looking upon the examples with the eye of severity, but upon the person with the eye of pity and compassion". And also that "he was free from malice", "no revenger of injuries", and "no defamer of any man". The succession of James I brought Bacon into greater favour. He
8460-405: Was one of those appointed to prepare the charges against the chancellor. To the lords, who sent a committee to enquire whether a confession was really his, he replied, "My lords, it is my act, my hand, and my heart; I beseech your lordships to be merciful to a broken reed." He was sentenced to a fine of £40,000 and committed to the Tower of London at the king's pleasure; the imprisonment lasted only
8554-640: Was present at the Hampton Court Conference in January 1604, at which he represented eight bishops. He died at Lambeth at the end of the following month. He was buried in Croydon at the Parish Church of St John Baptist (now Croydon Minster ): his monument there with his recumbent effigy was practically destroyed when the church burnt down in 1867. Whitgift is described by his biographer, Sir George Paule, as of "middle stature, strong and well shaped, of
8648-465: Was reduced to between thirteen and twenty-one members, all elected by the Commons. In 1657, the Commons granted Cromwell even greater powers, some of which were reminiscent of those enjoyed by monarchs. The council became known as the Protector's Privy Council; its members were appointed by the Lord Protector, subject to Parliament's approval. In 1659, shortly before the restoration of the monarchy ,
8742-453: Was taken with such a fit of casting as I know not whether it were the Stone, or some surfeit or cold, or indeed a touch of them all three. But when I came to your Lordship's House, I was not able to go back, and therefore was forced to take up my lodging here, where your housekeeper is very careful and diligent about me, which I assure myself your Lordship will not only pardon towards him, but think
8836-481: Was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1583 to his death. Noted for his hospitality, he was somewhat ostentatious in his habits, sometimes visiting Canterbury and other towns attended by a retinue of 800 horses. Whitgift's theological views were often controversial. He was the eldest son of Henry Whitgift, a merchant, of Great Grimsby , Lincolnshire, where he was born, probably between 1530 and 1533. The Whitgift family
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