Life of Francis Bacon

Some of my readers may not know who Sir Francis Bacon was but I will soon enlighten them. Francis Bacon was the son of Sir Nicholas Bacon, knight and Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England. His mother was Anne Cook, a woman skilled in Greek and Latin. Francis was given a very good education and knew Greek and Latin. He was sent to Trinity College in Cambridge at an age younger than most people and was tutored by the afterwards renowned Archbishop of Canterbury, Doctor John White-gift. He fell into dislike of Aristotle' philosophy at sixteen, not for worthlessness but for unfruitfulness. He ascribed to Aristotle's teaching high attributes but he said it was barren for the advancement of the life of man. He was sent with the ambassador lieger into France to learn the arts of state after his education at Trinity. On his return he took up the study of law and became a judge later on in his life. the largest blot on Francis Bacon's character would be his decision to speak against his great friend the Earl of Essex when that unfortunate man stood in court for minor treason. Bacon's actions were not the main reason Essex died, but he had betrayed a trust which he should have kept more carefully. Bacon came to his greatest fame not under Elizabeth but under James I under whom his fortune escalated and he held the titles of Counsel Learned Extraordinary to His Majesty, King's Solicitor General, His Majesty's Attorney General, Counselor of Estate, Lord Chancellor and keeper of the Great Seal of England. He married Alice but they had no children. Bacon's name was more famous in foreign countries than in England and was considered a very learned man in Italy and France. Bacon died of a fever at sixty-six after pursuing an experiment in freezing meat to preserve it. To him may be attributed our modern way of refrigeration. He died in Earl Arundel's house on April 9, 1626.
I have read several of Bacon's essays and some of his quotes I really like. I'll post some of his quotes in my next post. 

"Lastly, I would address one general admonition to all; that they consider what are the true ends of knowledge, and that they seek it not either for pleasure of the mind, or for contention, or for superiority to others, or for profit, or fame, or power, or any of these inferior things; but for the benefit and use of Life; and that they perfect and govern it in charity."   --General Preface to the Great Instauration by Bacon 

A.J