Bacon's most intimate friends, and correspondents seem to have been all either Rosicrucians, Freemasons or Illuminati, as, in Italy and parts of Germany, they were some times called. Their names continually appear in connection with the works produced under the auspices of these societies; their portraits often include the recognised marks of distinction; their very graves comply with the rules of the section of the society to which they belonged. It is not concluded, from the evidence which has been collected, that Bacon originated secret societies, or that there were no religious...