Bacon, Francis cultural definition

An English politician, scientist, and author of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries; one of the leaders of the Renaissance in England. (See also under “Literature in English.”)

An English author of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Bacon is known in philosophy for his defense of the scientific method (see Baconian method). In literature, he is known for his essays; they contain such memorable thoughts as “Reading maketh a full man, conference a ready man, and writing an exact man.”

• Bacon has sometimes been mentioned as a possible author of the plays commonly attributed to William Shakespeare.