A Biographical Dictionary of the Celebrated Women of Every Age and Country/Bacon, (Lady Anne)
BACON, (Lady ANNE) second Daughter of Anthony Coke, was born probably at Giddy-hall, in Essex, about 1528; Wife of the Lord-keeper, Sir Nicholas Bacon, and Mother of the illustrious Francis Bacon.
She had a liberal education; and, having added much acquired knowledge to great natural endowments, made an eminent figure among the literati of that period, and hence acquired so extraordinary a reputation, that it has been said she was constituted governess to Edward VI. If this be a fact, it is a very surprising one; since she could not be much more than twenty-five years of age at the death of that young monarch, and only nineteen when he began to reign. However that may be, it is certain that she early became distinguished for piety, virtue, and learning, and that she was skilled in the Greek, Latin, and Italian languages. Before she married Sir Nicholas Bacon, she heid given to the world a specimen of her literary industry, in translating, out of Italian into English, twenty-five sermons, written by Bernardine Ochine, a celebrated divine of that age, concerning the predestination and election of God, published about 1550. Not long after her marriage, she again exerted herself, much to her own honour, and to the advantage of her country. The masterly pen of Bishop Jewel had been employed in drawing up in the Latin tongue, an Apology for the Church of England, As the book made a great noise in the world, and excited no small degree of alarm among the advocates of the Popish communion, the common people of England were earnestly desirous of becoming acquainted with its contents. And lady Bacon determined to gratify the curiosity, and promote the edification of her countrymen, by translating the work; which she is said to have done, not only in a faithful, but in an elegant manner, considering the time. When finished, she sent the copy to archbishop Parker, for his perusal, as a person to whom the care of the church of England and of its doctrines chiefly belonged. Another copy was sent by her to bishop Jewel, to be overlooked by him, lest she should, in any point, have mistaken his meaning. The translation was accompanied by an epistle in Greek, which he answered in the same language. Both the bishop and the archbishop, after reading over the version, found it to be so correct as not to require the alteration of a single word, and returned it to her in print, to prevent the delay which her modesty might occasion in the publication, which took place in 1564, 4to. and again in 1600, 12mo. A letter written to her by the archbishop on the occasion, and which is preserved by Ballard, is highly to her honour. That her literary reputation extended beyond her own country, is evident, from the famous Theodore Beza's dedication of his Meditations to her.
In Birch's Memoirs of the reign of queen Elizabeth, lady Bacon's name frequently occurs; and we there meet with some of her letters at full length, and with extracts from others, which fully justify the following character given of her by the historian now mentioned. "She frequently introduces Greek as well as Latin into her letters, sometimes with a view of secresy, but, more commonly, from the custom of that age, wherein such an intermixture of languages had less the air of pedantry and affectation than it would have in the present. She was very strict in the duties of piety, and inclined to the principles of the puritans, to whom her husband had not been thought unfavourable: but her temper seems to have been severe and peevish, especially in the latter years of her life, when it was probably affected by her ill health. Her advice and remonstrances to her elder son Anthony, were generally delivered in a style of authority, and in terms of reproach, which rendered them less acceptable and effectual than otherwise they might have been."
She survived her husband, and was living in 1591. It is probable she died about the beginning of the reign of king James I. at Gorhambury, near St. Alban's, in Hertfordshire, and lies buried in St. Michael's church there, but without any monument or inscription to her memory.