“A fortune of Paper walls”: The Letters of Francis Bacon and the Earl of Essex

Abstract

AbstractThe art of letter writing in the early modern period comprised more than textual composition alone. This article studies the letters of Francis Bacon and the Earl of Essex in the period of the latter's fall from favour. The letters of both men were used both at the time and subsequently to put forward representations of their service and their duty. Through careful study of the extant manuscripts and the circulations of variant texts, the strategies used to fashion and refashion the reputations of both men are revealed.