Abstract

This edition of Francis Bacon's The Essayes or Counsels, Civill and Morall, a re-issue of the first critical edition since the nineteenth century, uses modern editorial standards to establish an authoritative, unmodernized text. The textual apparatus includes a comprehensive, chronological record of the substantive readings of all these manuscripts and editions, so that for the first time the evolution of Bacon's texts may be studied conveniently in detail. An introduction places the essays in their original context, examines their evolution over Bacon's lifetime, and elucidates their form and prose style; a commentary examines his sources and relates essays to his other writings; a glossary and index are also included.