Roger Bacon, also known by the scholastic accolade Doctor Mirabilis, was a medieval English philosopher and Franciscan friar who placed considerable emphasis on the study of nature through empiricism. He was however, with certainty, also a great initiate, an occultist and a practitioner of the Alchemical Art and several sources indicate him as a member of various secret societies.
Born in Ilchester in Somerset, England, in the early 13th century, Bacon studied and became a Master at Oxford. In 1237 he accepted an invitation to teach at the University of Paris, where he lectured on Latin grammar, Aristotelian logic, Arithmetic, Geometry, and the mathematical aspects of Astronomy and Music. During his life he wrote many important scientific and philosophical works, also dealing with Optics, Astronomy, Astrology, Natural Philosophy, Theology, Hermetic Tradition and Alchemy, and many other works are commonly attributed to him.
The Mirror of Alchemy, an interesting alchemical treatise, has been ascribed to Roger Bacon and was issued in a book published in London in 1597.