David Colclough

‘The Materialls for the Building’: Reuniting Francis Bacon’s Sylva Sylvarum and New Atlantis

Bacon’s Sylva Sylvarum and his New Atlantis both appeared soon after his death, edited by his chaplain, Rawley. The works are, on the face of it, dissimilar, and have been treated as unrelated, on the assumption that Rawley was merely attempting to rush out (in the wake of his employer’s death) two works that had occupied his last years. In order to establish just what their relation is, we need to establish, first, whether New Atlantis was simply a last‐minute addition to the Sylva volume; second, what Rawley says about their association and how he effects it; and third, whether the two works have other concerns in common that would have led Bacon himself to consider them as companion pieces. Such an examination shows that there were intrinsically connected pieces, and can be used to throw light on the aims of both works.

Freedom of Speech, Libel and the Law in Early Stuart England

1621 was a busy year for newsletter-writers. As soon as parliament assembled, investigations began into the abuse of patents and monopolies and other fiscal misdemeanours, and by the end of March the list of offenders included Francis Bacon, the Lord Chancellor himself. Around the country people wanted to be kept informed, and to share opinion as well as information: scurrilous verses attacking and satirizing Bacon and his fellow subjects of scandal were eagerly disseminated within and beyond London. Yet the circulation of such outspoken material could be dangerous both to its authors and its recipients. Samuel Albyn, writing on 28 March (probably to John Rawson), had a strong sense of his vulnerability: recounting King James’s speech to the assembled Houses of Parliament he observed that [the king] seemed very grasius to the Lord Chanselor and I was in a place whear a very wise gentleman offered 20 Angles to 10 that he would continue his place. He shewed Reasons which yf you ware at shope or at an alle house I should perhaps tell you but for my eares not wright you at this tyme.1