Bacon, Francis. The History of the Reign of Henry the Seventh. Edited, with a new introduction, annotation, and interpretative essay, by Jerry Weinberger. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1996.

First Paragraph: “According to no less a judge than David Hume, Franis Bacon was a man of many impressive talents: public speaker and master of practical affairs, wit and courtier, author and philosopher, and the glory of English literature in the time of James I.  This extraordinary man was born into a respected and well-connected family in 1561.  His father was Queen Elizabeth’s Lord Keeper of the Seal; his mother was the daughter of Edward VI’s tutor and the sister of Lady Burghley, the wife of Elizabeth’s chief minister and adviser, william Cecil.  Yet despite those connections, Bacon’s rise to political prominence was rather slow.  His father’s death in 1579 left him bereft of resources and dependent on Cecil who, favoring his son Robert, did not promote Bacon’s interests.”

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