a degree. After a year's study of law at Gray's Inn, London, he spent three years in Paris as an attaché of the English embassy, from which employment he was recalled by his father's death. He began the practice of law, and became a member of parliament; but believing from the first that influence was necessary to advancement, he sought the favor of his kinsman, Lord Burghley.

When Essex replaced Burghley in the Queen's good graces, Bacon promptly attached himself to Essex's following. The

puffed.

the bu Prompt an

Genera Exper; i the per

eived h

at St. Sudden was dis

fice as ju

FACSIMILE OF BACON'S SIGNATURE. (British Museum.)

patron was unable to advance the young lawyer's political
fortunes, but presented him with a handsome estate.
1597 appeared in print the first edition of Bacon's Essays, ten
in all. The first blot on the page of the author's life came
four years later, when, as special attorney, he aided in
prosecuting Essex for treason, and was the chief instrument
in sending him to the block.

Rapid Rise to Fame. The time was at hand when
Bacon's powers were to be recognized and his ambitions

Works of Minor Interest. Besides the essays Bacon wrote The Wisdom of the Ancients, an interpretation of mythology; The History of Henry VII; The New Atlantis, a picture of an ideal state; and The Advancement of Learning,

labors, they would give

relati

Bacon a small place in

Faction.

literature in compari-
son with the place the
Essays give him. The

FACSIMILE TITLE-PAGE OF AN EARLY COM-
PLETE EDITION OF BACON'S ESSAYS.
(Swarthmore College Library.)
sense of the word essays used by Bacon he states in his dedi-
cation" dispersed meditations;" and later "certain
brief notes set down rather significantly than curiously "-
that is, more for meaning than for style. With these char-
acterizations in mind a reader is not surprised to find that
the essays are not always coherent that the sentences, as

THE DRAMA

The glory of the Elizabethan period, and therefore of all English literature, is the drama. Before treating the leading writers of drama in this period we shall trace the development of this form of literature somewhat in detail.

Origin of Drama-in the Church. The drama in England began soon after the Norman Conquest, with a composition called the Play of St. Katharine. The connection between religion and the drama suggested by this title is very vital. Whoever has attended high mass in a Roman Catholic church to-day must on reflection realize the dramatic elements in the service. The procession of priests and acolytes, the bowing before the altar, the elevation of the host, the chanted responses, the changing of the priest's costume, all these involve action making a definite appeal to the eye, which is the distinguishing element in all drama. At Christmas and Easter there are in many churches additions to the setting and the service, such as the placing of a babe in an improvised manger in the chancel, and the unveiling of crucifixes hidden from sight for three days.

"Miracle" Plays. In the olden time such additions were many, and resulted (as the clergy hoped they would) in increased attendance on the church services. Similar extended services were held on saints' days. Before long crowds became too large for the church buildings, and services were then held outside the church porch serving as stage. Once outside the building the productions, called now Miracle or Mystery Plays, were rapidly secularized, — that is, elements were added by no means chiefly religious, and others than priests and altar-boys performed.