Several letters, from Resuscitatio (London, 1671)

What it is

These are letters by Francis Bacon printed within the 1671 Resuscitatio collection, published in London. The catalogue record lists a part headed 'A confession of the faith. Written, by the Right Honourable Francis Bacon, baron of Verulam', found on pages 95 to 99. The image shows only the dark brown leather cover of the book, and no title or text is visible on it.

Why it matters

Because Bacon died in 1626, printed collections like this one carried his correspondence and writings to later readers. Letters show a person's own voice and concerns more directly than a biography does. A 1671 printing also shows that interest in Bacon's words lasted for decades after his death.

Look closer

• What does this book's cover tell you, and what does it not tell you, about the letters inside?
• Why might later editors have chosen to print a private letter in a published collection?
• How can you tell whether these letters were written to be read by the public?