Francis Bacon (1561–1626) was acknowledged in his lifetime, and has been known ever since, as one of the foremost authors of his age. His publications encompassed the fields of the moral essay and political thought; the fable; history; and especially philosophy, above all natural philosophy. He also had a prominent career in law and politics, culminating in his appointment to the highest legal office in England, that of lord chancellor, in 1618. Although fascinated by practical ways of prolonging human life, Bacon was also determined that future ages should remember him for his books. The good number of these books printed in his lifetime are matched at least in quantity by writings that he never published, or indeed never finished. The unusually large amount of seventeenth‐century manuscript material relating to Bacon testifies to an unusual level of interest in his writings both during his lifetime and in the years following his death.