Bacon's writings, it may be added, equally with his letters, show no evidence of love or attraction to women; in his _Essays_ he is brief and judicial on the subject of Marriage, copious and eloquent on the subject of Friendship, while the essay on Beauty deals exclusively with masculine beauty.
During the first half of the eighteenth century we have clear evidence that homosexuality flourished in London with the features which it presents today in all large cities everywhere.

There was a generally known name, "Mollies," applied to homosexual persons, evidently having reference to their frequently feminine characteristics; there were houses of private resort for them ("Molly houses"), there were special public places of rendezvous whither they went in search of adventure, exactly as there are today.

A walk in Upper Moorfields was especially frequented by the homosexual about 1725.

A detective employed by the police about that date gave evidence as follows at the Old Bailey; "I takes a turn that way and leans over the wall.

In a little time the prisoner passes by, and looks hard at me, and at a small distance from me stands up against the wall as if he was going to make water.