A Cyclopaedia of Female Biography/Bacon, Anne
BACON, ANNE,
A Lady distinguished by her piety, virtue, and learning, was the second daughter of Sir Anthony Cook, preceptor to king Edward the Sixth, and was born about the year 1528. She bad a very liberal education, and became eminent for her skill in the Greek, Latin, and Italian languages. She was married to Sir Nicholas Bacon, by whom she had two sons, Anthony and Francis, whose distinguished abilities were greatly improved by the tender care of so accomplished a mother. Her task was, however, rendered very easy, because her daughter. Lady Bacon, displayed, at an early age, her capacity, application, and industry, by translating from the Italian of Bernardine Octine, twenty-five sermons, on the abstruse doctrines of predestination and election. This performance was published about the year 1550. A circumstance took place soon after her marriage, which again called forth her talents and zeal. The Catholics of that period, alarmed at the progress of the formation, exerted, in attacking it, and throwing an odium upon the Reformers, all their learning and activity. The Council of Trent was called by pope Pius the Fourth, to which queen Elizabeth was invited. The princes of Christendom pressed her, by their letters, to receive and entertain the nuncio, urging her, at the same time, to submit to the Council. Bishop Jewel was employed, on this occasion, to give an account of the measures taken in the preceding parliament, and to retort upon the Romanists, in "An Apology for the Church of England," the charges brought against the Reformers. The work of the bishop obtained great reputation, but, being written in Latin, was confined to the learned. A translation was loudly called for by the common people, who justly considered their own rights and interests in the controversy. Lady Bacon undertook to translate the bishop's "Apology," a task which she accomplished with fidelity and elegance. She sent a copy of her work to the primate, whom she considered as most interested in the safety of the church; a second copy she presented to the author, lest, inadvertently, she had in any respect done injustice to his sentiments. Her copy was accompanied by an epistle in Greek, to which the bishop replied in the same language. The translation was carefully examined, both by the primate and author, who found it so chastely and correctly given, as to stand in no need of the slightest emendation. The translator received, on this occasion, a letter from the primate, full of high and just compliments to her talents and erudition.
Lady Bacon survived her husband, and died about the beginning of the reign of James the First, at Gerhamburg, near St. Albans, in Hertfordshire.