"Essays of Bacon"

Author: (British) Bacon Cao Minglun
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2000-09-01
Features: Bacon's life was a life of pursuing knowledge, and also a life of pursuing power. As a philosopher, writer, judge, and politician, Bacon's thoughts were complex and ever-changing. From this thin collection of essays, we can read various flavors—whether you see it as a textbook for life and friendship, or as the dark arts of navigating official circles. From essays like "On Truth," "On Death," and "On Human Nature," we see a Bacon who loved philosophy. From essays like "On High Officials," "On Monarchy," and "On Ambition," we see a Bacon deeply immersed in politics and well-versed in the workings of officialdom. From essays like "On Love," "On Friendship," and "On Marriage and Celibacy," we see a Bacon with a rich appreciation for life. From essays like "On Adversity," "On Fortune," and "On Disability," we see a Bacon who never gave up on himself. From essays like "On Deceit and Concealment" and "On Conversation," we see a Bacon who was shrewd and worldly-wise.
Author Bio: Francis Bacon was an outstanding British philosopher and writer. Born on January 26, 1561, in London to an official family, he entered Trinity College, Cambridge, at the age of 12. At 15, he served in Paris as a member of the British embassy to France. In 1579, after his father's death, he resigned his post and returned to England, where he joined Gray's Inn to study law, earning a lawyer's qualification in 1582 and entering the vast sea of learning and a rough political career. Bacon faced repeated setbacks in his career during Elizabeth I's reign but began to rise after James I ascended the throne in 1603. In 1603, he was knighted, appointed royal legal advisor in 1604, served as an assistant attorney general in 1607, rose to attorney general in 1613, became Lord Chancellor in 1617, was raised to the peerage as Baron Verulam in 1618, and later as Viscount St. Alban in 1620. In 1621, as Lord Chancellor, Bacon was accused of corruption, pleaded guilty, and resigned from office, withdrawing from politics and devoting himself to writing. In 1626, during an experiment on refrigeration and preservation, he fell ill from the cold and died in April of the same year.