One of the major political figures of his time, Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626) served in the court of Elizabeth I and ultimately became Lord Chancellor under James I in 1617. A scholar, wit, lawyer and statesman, he wrote widely on politics, philosophy and science – declaring early in his career that ‘I have taken all knowledge as my province’. In this, his most famous work, he considers a diverse range of subjects, such as death and marriage, ambition and atheism, in prose that is vibrant and rich in Renaissance learning.

Bacon believed that rhetoric – the force of eloquence and persuasion – could lead the mind to the pure light of reason, and his own rhetorical genius is nowhere better expressed than in these vivid essays.

Format: Paperback
Published: UK, 1986
Publisher: Penguin Books
Pages: 288
Language: English
ISBN 13: 9780140432169
ISBN 10: 0140432167