BACON’S ESSAYS

The Essays is the first published work by philosopher and statesman Francis Bacon showcasing a diverse range of styles from plain to epigrammatic. Covering various aspects of public and private life Bacon systematically examines topics weighing arguments from multiple angles. Though he viewed the essays as mere recreation contemporaries praised them highly with 19th-century historian Henry Hallam declaring them deeper and more discriminating than almost any other work in English. Bacon’s masterful use of language is evident in notable phrases like If the Hill will not come to Mahomet Mahomet will go to the hill and hostages to fortune.