This is an essay in letter form, written in 1901. The fictitious writer is Philip, Lord Chandos, and the addressee is Francis Bacon. The letter is dated 22 August 1603. Lord Chandos writes in response to an enquiry by Bacon about his two years of silence after five intense years of creative writing which he began at the age of 19. Now 26, Lord Chandos explains how he has come to distrust verbal splendour which fascinates for its own sake, and has made the relationship between language and existence his principal concern. The essay explains the conundrum of writing.