He became a barrister in 1582 and entered Parliament two years later. In the 1590s he prospered as a member of the Essex faction at court, and published his first edition of witty, aphoristic Essays (1597). Under James I Bacon rose to be Lord Chancellor (1618). In 1621 he was impeached by Parliament for accepting bribes and his political career was ruined. In retirement he devoted himself to literary and philosophical work and contributed significantly to the European Scientific Revolution and to the Enlightenment.