Primum mobile : osservazioni sul potere del sovrano negli Essayes di Francis Bacon

This paper focuses on the contribution of the Essayes of Francis Bacon to the history of the concept of sovereign power in 17th century England. The analysis of the different editions of the Essayes points out how Bacon's perspective on this concept changed between the Elizabethan and the Jacobean age, moving towards a more emphatic praise of the royal prerogative. Specifically, the paper focuses on the use of the aristotelian-ptolemaic image of primum mobile to define the role of the prince among the other political subjects. Beside the analysis of the full text of the essay entitled Of faction in its 1597 and 1625 version, it is also offered a brief survey of Bacon's public speeches touching this theme. [Publisher's text].