Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626) was the Plato of his age – perhaps of the modern world. But he was a Christianized version of Plato. He was the closest thing to Plato’s “Philosopher King” that we have seen in the Western world. All knowledge was his province. And it was he who said that “knowledge is power”. This has now become a cliche (but not less true).

There are all kinds of myths about him. Much cannot be verified. But he was a towering figure in his time and influenced the greatest minds of his generation. Legend has it that he was Queen Elizabeth’s love child out of wedlock. Since she couldn’t acknowledge him, she gave the newborn to Ann Bacon to raise as her own. At 12 years old he entered Cambridge University. Imagine that!

In the spirit of the Philosopher King, he was not shut up in an Ivory Tower but used his intelligence in the service of the state. He rose high in the government. But, eventually was brought down.

It is said (again this is mostly legend) that he was the actual author of Shakespeare’s plays. It is also said that he was the true head of the Freemasons and the Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross (the Rosicrucians). If you read “The New Atlantis” you definitely get a feeling of freemasonry from the book. He meets up with a civilization based on the principles of Solomon’s Temple – pure freemasonry.

“The New Atlantis” is really an updated (and Christianized) version of Plato’s “Republic”. It is a description of an ideal society.

The official record states that he died in 1626 from pneumonia that he caught while doing a scientific experiment on the effect of snow on meat. But legend has it that his corpse was never found and that the casket that was buried was empty! Legend has it that he traveled to Europe after his so-called death and became the Comte De Saint Germain – the wonder man of Europe. Saint Germain had many adventures in Europe and was said to play a pivotal role in the founding of the USA. In that lifetime he made his ascension and became the Ascended Master Saint Germain.