The Phantom Chicken of Highgate: How the Death of Francis Bacon Unleashed a Demonic Chicken on a London Suburb in 1626
As the horse-drawn carriage rumbles over the rutted road in the London suburb of Highgate, renowned Enlightenment scientist and philosopher Francis Bacon is insistent. “It is most definitely possible,” Bacon turns and asserts to his carriage companion. Dr. Winterbourne, Royal Physician to King James I, is nonplussed. He shakes his head and mutters, “Anything is possible.” Bacon, who is considered one of the most intelligent and learned men on the planet at the time, isn’t used to having any of his ideas questioned and he is rarely ever proven wrong. “Definitely possible,” Bacon repeats as he motions for the coachman to stop the carriage at the side of the road. He then hastily jumps out of the coach and tells Winterbourne, “And now I’m going to prove it to you!” It is early April 1626 and a surprise springtime snow is falling. It is bitterly, unexpectedly, cold for that time of year. What Francis Bacon and Dr. Winterbourne are arguing over is t...