Prose

Like their predecessors the men of letters in Britain in the seventeenth century continued to express their
ideas in prose in English as well as Latin languages. These prose writers produced religious and secular
works. John Donne and Sir Lancelot Andrews (1555-1626) were clergymen who delivered their sermons
in English language. While Sir Thomas Browne (1605-82) a physician, Robert Burton (1577-1649) an
Oxford don and Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626) a statesman, philosopher, and scientist each produced
unique prose works in English dealing with various issues and encompassing different branches of
knowledge. Thus prose works produced in English language during the seventeenth century were both
religious and secular in nature.
The writers of the Restoration period also contributed to the evolution of English prose in the latter half
of the seventeenth century. John Dryden’s Essay on Dramatic Poetry (1688) added to the body of
literary criticism written in English. Similarly John Bunyan (1628-88) wrote an allegorical narrative
titled The Pilgrim’s Progress (1678) which can be called a forerunner of English novel which evolved in
eighteenth century. So English prose continued to develop and new literary forms were produced to
cater for the needs of a changing society.
Francis Bacon was the son Sir Nicholas Bacon a significant government officer the Keeper of the Great
Seal of England during the reign of Elizabeth I. He studied at Cambridge and at the age of sixteen went
for three years to different countries of Europe where he learnt about statecraft and diplomacy. Back in
England Bacon studied and practiced law and also became a parliamentarian in 1586. He however,
could not manage to get any important position in the government of Elizabeth I but her successor James
I favored him. In 1603 Bacon was knighted and given the title of ‘Sir’. In 1613 he was made the
Attorney General and finally the Lord Chancellor in 1618. But the charges of corruption were proved
against him in 1621 and he was heavily fined and lost his position. He died in 1626 due to pneumonia
which he caught while conducting a scientific experiment outdoors.
Despite his controversial political career Bacon was a leading intellectual of seventeenth century. As a
young man he learnt Latin and ancient philosophies but his exposure of different centers of learning in
contemporary Europe led him to disagree with Aristotle and he became a strong proponent of inductive
approach of learning. He insisted on performing experiments and searching for proofs. He was
acknowledged and praised for his knowledge after his death. In 1660 the Royal Academy a centre for
research and scientific studies was established in Britain and Bacon was considered the guiding star for
this new development since he introduced this idea in one of his works. More than a century after his
death Bacon was admired by the French philosopher Voltaire as the ‘father of scientific method’.
Francis Bacon’s works whether written in English or Latin are purely secular. His first major English
work The Advancement of Learning (1605) includes two books. In this work Bacon states his arguments
against learning and also supplies counter arguments. He classifies different types of knowledge and
identifies the deficiencies of each type. He concludes by proving the significance of learning. This work
of Bacon reflects his use of witty definitions and lively phrases the characteristics of his prose style
which he fully develops in his Essays.
Another less significant and incomplete English work produced by Bacon in prose form is his fictional
narrative titled The New Atlantis (1627). It presents a group of Englishmen shipwrecked in the South
Sea but saved because they manage to reach an island where they are welcomed. The island besides
being an ideal state is characterized by the presence of a research institute called the Salmon House.
Thus Bacon in this work presents his ideal of carrying out research by means of inductive method. The
History of Henry VII (1622) was another prose work Bacon wrote in English probably to please the
King James I whose favor he lost in 1621. It was a record of the events occurring during the reign of
Henry VII the ancestor of James I.
The most significant of all Bacon’s English works is his collection of essays first published in 1597, then
in 1612 and the final version consisting of 58 essays came out in 1625. These essays deal with the
practical aspects of human life including both private and public spheres. They reflect Bacon’s
knowledge of human nature as well as his practical wisdom. For example in his essay On Friendship he
asserts the fact that man cannot live alone and needs friends because “Whatsoever is delighted in
solitude, is either a wild beast or a god.” He often refers to history to prove his arguments. In the essay
On Simulation and Dissimulation he refers to the first century Roman historian Tacitus when discussing
the tactful approach of the Queen Livia.
In fact Bacon learnt the art of writing essays from the sixteenth century French philosopher Michel de
Montaigne and became a pioneer of a new literary form in English. However, unlike Montaigne whose
essays express his personal views and refer to his own experiences of life Bacon’s essays are impersonal
and don’t reflect any information about his personal life. His style is argumentative and he often refers
to opposing arguments in his essays. In the beginning of the essay Of Marriage and Single Life he calls
‘wife and children” of a married man “impediment to great enterprises” but he also shows the other side
of the coin and in the latter part of the essay states that “wife and children are a kind of discipline of
humanity”. He thus brings out the advantages as well as the disadvantages of marriage and single life.
His essays are known for their clarity, brevity and preciseness. He often begins his essays in an
interesting way either by defining something or using an analogy to explain an idea. His essay On
Revenge begins with the definition of the notion of revenge: “Revenge is a kind of wild justice.”
Similarly he presents the idea of death in the opening sentence of his essay On Death by means of an
interesting comparison: “Men fear death, as children fear to go in the dark.” His short but witty
sentences are extremely meaningful and often used s maxims and quoted frequently. He also uses a
threefold sentence to convey different aspects of an idea. For example his essay On Studies begins with
one such sentence: “Studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability.” Thus Bacon with his wide
range of subjects and different techniques to express his ideas set the trend of writing essays in English
language.