,the ,mystery   of   ,francis ,bacon    
,,william ,t4 ,,smedley                 
,illustration3 ,,francis ,,bacon ,,at #i
 ,,years ,,of ,,age4   ,from the bust at
 ,gorhambury4      ,,the ,,mystery      
,,of   ,,francis ,,bacon     ,,by       
,,william ,t4 ,,smedley4     ,ad ,d4,b4 
,si bene qui latuit1 bene vixit1 tu bene
 vivis3   ,ingeniumque tuum grande      
latendo patet4                          
--,john ,owen's ,epigrammatum1 #afab4   
,,london3   ,,robert ,,banks  ,,son1    
,,racquet ,,court1 ,,fleet ,,street     
,e4,c4    #aiab4       ,but such is the 
infelicity and unhappy disposition   of 
the human mind in the course of         
invention that it   first distrusts and 
then despises itself3 first will   not  
believe that any such thing can be found
 out2 and   when it is found out1 cannot
 understand how the world   should have 
missed it so long4                      
--,,novum ,,organum1 ,chap4 ,,cx4       
,,contents4                             
,,page   ,preface                       

#e   ,,chapter       ,i4--,sources of   
,information                            
#i      ,,ii4--,the ,stock from which   
,bacon ,came                            
#ad     ,,iii4--,francis ,bacon1 #aefj  
to #aegb                                
#ai      ,,iv4--,at ,cambridge          
#be       ,v4--,early ,compositions     
#bi      ,,vi4--,bacon's ,temporis      
,partus ,maximus                        
#cf     ,,vii4--,bacon's ,first         
,allegorical ,romance                   
#dg    ,,viii4--,bacon in ,france1      
#aegf-aegi                              
#eb      ,,ix4--,bacon's ,suit on ,his  
,return to ,england1 #aehj              
#fb       ,x4--,the ,rare and           
,unaccustomed ,suit                     
#gf      ,,xi4--,bacon's ,second ,visit 
to the ,continent and ,after            
#hb     ,,xii4--,is it ,probable that   
,bacon left ,manuscripts ,hidden ,away8 
#id    ,,xiii4--,how the ,elizabethan   
,literature was ,produced               
#ih     ,,xiv4--,the ,clue to the       

,mystery of ,bacon's ,life              
#ajc      ,,xv4--,burghley and ,bacon   
#aad     ,,xvi4--,the #afbc ,folio      
,edition of ,shakespeare's ,plays       
#abc    ,,xvii4--,the ,authorised       
,version of the ,bible1 #afaa           
#abf   ,,xviii4--,how ,bacon ,marked    
,books with the ,publication of         
,which ,he ,was ,connected              
#acb     ,,xix4--,bacon and ,emblemata  
#adj      ,,xx4--,shakespeare's ,sonnets
                                        
#adh     ,,xxi4--,bacon's ,library      
#aef    ,,xxii4--,two ,german ,opinions 
on ,shakespeare and ,bacon              
#afa   ,,xxiii4--,the ,testimony of     
,bacon's ,contemporaries                
#agj    ,,xxiv4--,the ,missing ,fourth  
,part of ,the ,great ,instauration      
#agg     ,,xxv4--,the ,philosophy of    
,bacon                                  
#ahg           ,appendix                
#aic     ,,preface4   ,is there a       
mystery connected with the life of      
,francis ,bacon8 ,the average student of

 history or literature will             
unhesitatingly reply in the negative1   
perhaps qualifying his answer by        
adding3--,unless it be a mystery that a 
man with such magnificent intellectual  
attainments could have fallen so low as 
to prove a faithless friend to a        
generous benefactor in the hour of his  
trial1 and1 upon being raised to one of 
the highest positions of honour and     
influence in the ,state1 to become a    
corrupt public servant and a receiver of
 bribes to pervert justice4--,it is one 
of the most remarkable circumstances to 
be found in the history of any country  
that a man admittedly pre-eminent in his
 intellectual powers1 spoken of by his  
contemporaries in the highest terms for 
his virtues and his goodness1 should1 in
 subsequent ages1 be held up to obloquy 
and scorn and seldom be referred to     
except as an example of a corrupt judge1
 a standing warning to those who must   
take heed how they stand lest they fall4
 ,truly the treatment which ,francis    

,bacon has received confirms the truth  
of the aphorism1 ,the evil that men do  
lives after them2 the good is oft       
interred with their bones4  ,it is not  
the intention in the following brief    
survey of ,bacon's life to enter upon   
any attempt to vindicate his character4 
,since his works and life have come     
prominently before the reading public1  
he has never been without a defender4   
,montagu1 ,hepworth ,dixon1 and         
,spedding have1 one after the other1    
raised their voices against the         
injustice which has been done to the    
memory of this great ,englishman2 and   
although ,macaulay1 in his misleading   
and inaccurate essay1#a abounding in    
paradoxes and inconsistencies1 produced 
the most powerful1 though prejudiced1   
attack which has been made on ,bacon's  
fame1 he may almost be forgiven1 because
 it provided the occasion for ,james    
,spedding in ,evenings with a ,reviewer1
 to respond with a thorough and complete
 vindication of the man to whose memory 

he devoted his life4 ,there rests on    
every member of the ,anglo-,saxon race  
an obligation--imposed upon him by the  
benefits which he enjoys as the result  
of ,francis ,bacon's life-work--to read 
this vindication of his character4 ,nor 
should mention be omitted of the essay  
by ,mr4 ,j4 ,m4 ,robertson on ,francis  
,bacon in his excellent work ,pioneer   
,humanists4 ,all these defenders of     
,bacon treat their subject from what may
 be termed the orthodox point of view4  
,they follow in the beaten track4 ,they 
do not look for ,bacon outside his      
acknowledged works and letters4 ,since  
#aheg1 however1 there has been steadily 
growing a belief that ,bacon was        
associated with the literature of the   
,elizabethan and early ,jacobean        
periods1 and that he deliberately       
concealed his connection with it4 ,that 
this view is scouted by what are termed 
the men of letters is well-known4 ,they 
will have none of it4 ,they refuse its  
claim to a rational hearing4 ,but1 in   

spite of this1 as years go on1 the      
number of adherents to the new theory   
steadily increases4 ,the scornful       
epithets that are hurled at them only   
appear to whet their appetite1 and      
increase their determination4 ,men and  
women devote their lives with enthusiasm
 to the quest for further knowledge4    
,they dig and delve in the records of   
the period1 and in the byeways of       
literature4 ,theories which appear      
extravagant and untenable are           
propounded4 ,whether any of these       
theories will come to be accepted and   
established beyond cavil1 time alone can
 prove4 ,but1 at any rate1 it is certain
 that in this quest many forgotten facts
 are brought to light1 and the general  
stock of information as to the          
literature of the period is augmented4  
,in the following pages it is sought to 
establish what may be termed one of     
these extravagant theories4 ,how far    
this attempt is successful1 it is for   
the reader to judge4 ,notwithstanding   

all that may be said to the contrary1 by
 far the greater part of ,francis       
,bacon's life is unknown4 ,an attempt   
will be made by the aid of accredited   
documents and books to represent in a   
new light his youth and early manhood4  
,it is contended that he deliberately   
sought to conceal his movements and     
work1 although1 at the same time1 he    
left the landmarks by which a diligent  
student might follow them4 ,in his youth
 he conceived the idea that the man     
,francis ,bacon should be concealed1 and
 be revealed only by his works4 ,the    
motto1 ,mente videbor--by the mind ,i   
shall be seen--became the guiding       
principle of his life4   ,,footnotes3   
#a ,attention is drawn to one of the    
inaccuracies in ,an ,introduction to    
,mathematics1 by ,a4 ,w4 ,whithead1     
,sc4,d41 ,f4,r4,s41 published in the    
,home ,university ,library of ,modern   
,knowledge4 ,the author says3 ,macaulay 
in his essay on ,bacon contrasts the    
certainty of mathematics with the       

uncertainty of philosophy1 and by way of
 a rhetorical example he says1 ',there  
has been no re-action against ,taylor's 
theorem4' ,he could not have chosen a   
worse example4 ,for1 without having made
 an examination of ,english text-books  
on mathematics contemporary with the    
publication of this essay1 the          
assumption is a fairly safe one that    
,taylor's theorem was enunciated and    
proved wrongly in every one of them4    
,,the ,,mystery  ,,of  ,,francis        
,,bacon4     ,,chapter ,i4  ,,sources   
,,of ,,information4   ,the standard work
 is ,the ,life and ,letters of ,francis 
,bacon1 by ,james ,spedding1 which was  
published from #aheh-ahfi4 ,it comprises
 seven volumes1 with #c1jcc pages4 ,the 
first twenty years of ,bacon's life are 
disposed of in #h pages1 and the next   
ten years in #ie pages1 of which #dc    
pages are taken up with three tracts    
attributed to him4 ,there is practically
 no information given as to what should 
be the most important years of his life4

 ,the two first volumes carry the       
narrative to the end of ,elizabeth's    
reign1 when ,bacon had passed his       
fortieth year4 ,there is in them a      
considerable contribution to the history
 of the times1 but a critical perusal   
will establish the fact that they add   
very little to our knowledge of the man1
 and they fail to give any adequate idea
 of how he was occupied during those    
years4 ,in the seven volumes #eac       
letters of ,bacon's are printed1 and of 
these no less than #bch are addressed to
 ,james ,i4 and the ,duke of            
,buckingham1 and were written during the
 last years of his life4 ,the           
biographies by ,montagu and ,hepworth   
,dixon are less pretentious1 but contain
 little more information4  ,the first   
published ,life of ,bacon appears to    
have been unknown to all these writers4 
,in #afca was published in ,paris a     
translation of the ,sylva ,sylvarum1 as 
the ,histoire ,naturelle de ,mre4       
,francois ,bacon4 ,prefixed to it is a  

chapter entitled ,discours sur la vie de
 ,mre4 ,francois ,bacon1 ,chancelier    
,d',angleterre4 ,reference will be made 
to this important discourse hereafter4  
,it is sufficient for the present to say
 that it definitely states that during  
his youth ,bacon travelled in ,italy and
 ,spain1 which fact is to-day           
unrecognised by those who are accepted  
as authorities on his life4 ,in #afdg   
there was published at ,leyden a ,dutch 
translation of forty-six of ,bacon's    
,essays--the ,wisdom of the ,ancients   
and the ,religious ,meditations4 ,the   
translation is by ,peter ,boener1 an    
apothecary of ,nymegen1 ,holland1 who   
was in ,bacon's service for some years  
as domestic apothecary1 and occasional  
amanuensis1 and quitted his employment  
in #afbc4 ,boener added a ,life of      
,bacon which is a mere fragment1 but    
contains testimony by a personal        
attendant which is of value4 ,in #afeg  
,william ,rawley issued a volume of     
unpublished manuscripts under the title 

of ,resuscitatio1 and to these he added 
a ,life of the great ,philosopher4      
,rawley is only once mentioned by       
,bacon4 ,his will contains the sentence3
 ,i give to my chaplain1 ,dr4 ,rawleigh1
 one hundred pounds4 ,rawley was born in
 #aeij4 ,when he became associated with 
his master is not known1 but it could   
only have been towards the close of his 
life4 ,bacon appears to have reposed    
great confidence in him4 ,in #afbg1b the
 year following ,bacon's death1 he      
published the ,sylva ,sylvarum4 ,this   
must have been in the press before      
,bacon's death4 ,rawley subsequently    
published other works1 and was          
associated with ,isaac ,gruter during   
the seventeenth century in producing on 
the continent various editions of       
,bacon's works4  ,rawley's account of   
,bacon's life is meagre1 and1 having    
regard to the wealth of information     
which must have been at his disposal1 it
 is a very disappointing production4    
,still1 it contains information which is

 not to be found elsewhere4 ,how        
incomplete it is may be gathered from   
the fact that there is no reference in  
it to ,bacon's fall4  ,in #affe was     
published a volume1 ,the ,statesmen and 
,favourites of ,england since the       
,reformation4 ,it was compiled by ,david
 ,lloyd4 ,the biographies of the        
,elizabethan statesmen were written by  
someone who was closely associated with 
them1 and who appears to have had       
exceptional opportunities of obtaining  
information as to their opinions and    
characters4#c ,as to how these lives    
came into ,lloyd's possession nothing is
 known4 ,prefixed to the biographies are
 two pages containing ,the ,lord        
,bacon's judgment in a work of this     
nature4 ,the chapter on ,bacon is a most
 important contribution to the subject1 
but it also appears to have escaped the 
notice of ,spedding1 ,hepworth ,dixon1  
and ,montagu4 ,in #afeh ,francis        
,osborn1 in ,letters to his son1 gives a
 graphic description of the ,lord       

,chancellor4 ,perhaps one can better    
picture ,bacon as he was in the strength
 of his manhood from ,osborne's account 
of him than from any other source4      
,thomas ,bushell1 another of ,bacon's   
household dependents1 published in #afbh
 ,the ,first ,part of ,youth's ,errors4 
,in a letter therein addressed to ,mr4  
,john ,eliot1 he has left contributions 
to our stock of knowledge4 ,there are   
also some miscellaneous tracts written  
by him1 and published about the year    
#affj1 which contain references to      
,bacon4  ,fuller's ,worthies 7#affj7    
gives a short account of his life and   
character1 eulogistic but sparse4 ,in   
#afgi was published ,baconiana1 or      
,certain ,genuine ,remains of ,sir      
,francis ,bacon1 c41 by ,bishop         
,tennison1 but it contains no better    
account of his life4 ,winstanley's      
,worthies 7#afhd7 relies entirely on    
,rawley's ,life1 which is reproduced in 
it4 ,aubrey's brief ,lives were written 
about #afhj4 ,there are references to   

,bacon in ,arthur ,wilson's ,history of 
the ,reign of ,james ,i42 in ,the ,court
 of ,james ,i41 by ,sir ,w4 ,a42 in     
,simeon ,d',ewes' ,diary2 and1 lastly1  
in his ,discoveries1 ,ben ,jonson       
contributes a high eulogy on ,bacon's   
character and attainments4  ,in #agjb   
,robert ,stephens1 the ,court           
historiographer1 published a volume of  
,bacon's letters1 with an introduction  
giving some account of his life2 and    
there was a second edition in #agcf4 ,in
 #agdj ,david ,mallet published an      
edition of ,bacon's works1 and wrote a  
,life to accompany it4 ,this was        
subsequently printed as a separate      
volume4 ,as a biography it is without   
interest1 as it contains no new facts as
 to his life4  ,in #aged memoirs of the 
reign of ,queen ,elizabeth from the year
 #aeha to her death appeared1 edited by 
,dr4 ,thomas ,birch4 ,these memoirs are 
founded upon the letters of the various 
members of the ,bacon family4 ,in #agfc 
a volume of letters of ,francis ,bacon  

was issued under the same editor4  ,such
 are the sources of information which   
have come down to us in biographical    
notices4  ,in the ,british ,museum1 the 
,record ,office1 and elsewhere are the  
originals of the letters and the        
manuscripts of some of the tracts which 
,spedding has printed4  ,the ,british   
,museum also possesses two books of     
,memoranda used by ,bacon4 ,the         
,transportat is entirely1 and the       
,promus is partly1 in his handwriting4  
,beyond his published works1 that is all
 that so far has been available4        
,spedding remarks#d3 ,what became of his
 books which were left to ,sir ,john    
,constable and must have contained      
traces of his reading1 we do not know1  
but very few appear to have survived4   
,happily1 ,spedding was wrong4 ,during  
the past ten years nearly #b1jjj books  
which have passed through ,bacon's hands
 have been gathered together4 ,these are
 copiously annotated by him1 and from   
these annotations the wide range and the

 methodical character of his reading may
 be gathered4 ,manuscripts which were in
 his library1 and at least four         
common-place books in his handwriting1  
have also been recovered4 ,particulars  
of these have not yet been made public1 
but the advantage of access to them has 
been available in the preparation this  
volume4   ,,footnotes3  #b ,there are   
copies of this work bearing date #afbf1 
the year in which ,bacon died4  #c ,the 
concluding paragraph of the ,epistle to 
the ,reader is as follows3 ,it's easily 
imaginable how unconcerned ,i am as to  
the fate of this ,book either in the    
,history1 or the ,observations1 since ,i
 have been so faithful in the first1    
that it is not my own1 but the          
,historians2 and so careful in the      
second that they are not mine1 but the  
,histories4  #d ,life and ,letters1     
,vol4 ,,vii41 page #eeb4      ,,chapter 
,,ii4  ,,the ,,stock ,,from ,,which     
,,bacon ,,came4   ,a prodigy of parts he
 must be who was begot by wise ,sir     

,nicholas ,bacon1 born of the           
accomplished ,mrs4 ,ann ,cooke1 says an 
early biographer4  ,nicholas ,bacon is  
said to have been born at ,chislehurst1 
in ,kent1 in #aeji4 ,he was the second  
son of ,robert ,bacon1 of ,drinkstone1  
in ,suffolk1 ,esquire and ,sheep-reeve  
to the ,abbey of ,bury ,st4 ,edmunds4   
,it is believed that he was educated at 
the abbey school4 ,he speaks of his     
intimacy with ,edmund ,rougham1 a monk  
of that house1 who was noted for his    
wonderful proficiency in memory4 ,he was
 admitted to the ,college of ,corpus    
,christi1 ,cambridge1 and took the      
degree of ,b4,a4 in #aebf-g4 ,he went to
 ,paris soon afterwards1 and on his     
return studied law at ,gray's ,inn1     
being called to the ,bar in #aecc1 and  
admitted ancient in #aecf4 ,he was      
appointed1 in #aecg1 ,clerk to the      
,court of ,augmentations4 ,in #aedf he  
was made ,attorney of the ,court of     
,wards and ,liveries1 and continued as  
such under ,edward ,,vi4 ,upon the      

accession of ,mary he conformed to the  
change of religion and retained his     
office during her reign4 ,nicholas      
,bacon and ,william ,cecil1 each being a
 widower1 had married sisters4 ,when    
,elizabeth came to the throne ,cecil    
became her adviser4 ,he was well        
acquainted with ,nicholas ,bacon's      
sterling worth and great capacity for   
business1 and availed himself of his    
advice and assistance4 ,the ,queen      
delivered to ,bacon the great seal1 with
 the title of ,lord ,keeper1 on the     
#bbnd ,december1 #aeeh1 and he was sworn
 of the ,privy ,council and knighted4   
,by letters patent1 dated #adth ,april1 
#aeei1 the full powers of a ,chancellor 
were conferred upon him4 ,in #aefc he   
narrowly escaped the loss of his office 
for alleged complicity in the issue of a
 pamphlet espousing the cause of the    
,house of ,suffolk to the succession4   
,he was restored to favour1 and         
continued as ,lord ,keeper until his    
death in #aegi4 ,the ,queen visited him 

at ,gorhambury on several occasions4    
,sir ,nicholas ,bacon1 in addition to   
performing the important duties of his  
high office in the ,court of ,chancery  
and in the ,star ,chamber1 took an      
important part in all public affairs1   
both domestic and foreign1 from the     
accession of ,elizabeth until his death4
 ,he first married ,jane1 daughter of   
,william ,fernley1 of ,west ,creting1   
,suffolk1 by whom he had three sons and 
three daughters4 ,for his second wife he
 married ,anne1 daughter of ,sir        
,anthony ,cooke1 by whom he had two     
sons1 ,anthony and ,francis4 ,it is of  
more importance for the present purpose 
to know what type of man was the father 
of ,francis ,bacon4 ,the author of the  
,arte of ,english ,poesie 7#aehi7       
relates that he came upon ,sir ,nicholas
 sitting in his gallery with the works  
of ,quintillian before him1 and adds3   
,in deede he was a most eloquent man and
 of rare learning and wisdome as ever ,i
 knew ,england to breed1 and one that   

joyed as much in learned men and good   
witts4 ,this author1 speaking of ,sir   
,nicholas and ,burleigh1 remarks1 ,from 
whose lippes ,i have seen to proceede   
more grave and naturall eloquence then  
from all the oratours of ,oxford and    
,cambridge4  ,in his ,fragmenta ,regalia
 ,sir ,robert ,naunton describes him as 
an archpeece of wit and wisdom1 stating 
that he was abundantly facetious which  
took much with the ,queen when it was   
suited with the season as he was well   
able to judge of his times4 ,fuller     
describes him as a man of rare wit and  
deep experience1 and1 again1 as a good  
man1 a grave statesman1 and a father to 
his country4 ,bishop ,burnet speaks of  
him as not only one of the most learned 
and pious men1 but one of the wisest    
ministers this nation ever bred4 ,the   
observations of the author of ,the      
,statesmen and ,favourites of ,england  
in the ,reign of ,queen ,elizabeth are  
very illuminating4 ,sir ,nicholas       
,bacon1 he says1 was a man full of wit  

and wisdome1 a gentleman and a man of   
,law with great knowledge therein4 ,he  
proceeds3 ,this gentleman understood his
 ,mistress well and the times better3   
,he could raise factions to serve the   
one and allay them to suit the others4  
,he had the deepest reach into affairs  
of any man that was at the ,council     
table3 the knottiest ,head to pierce    
into difficulties3 the most             
comprehensive ,judgement to surround the
 merit of a cause3 the strongest memory 
to recollect all circumstances of a     
,business to one ,view3 the greatest    
patience to debate and consider2 7for it
 was he that first said1 let us stay a  
little and we will have done the        
sooner37 and the clearest reason to urge
 anything that came in his way in the   
,court of ,chancery4444 ,leicester      
seemed wiser than he was1 ,bacon was    
wiser than he seemed to be2 ,hunsden    
neither was nor seemed wise4444 ,great  
was this ,stateman's ,wit1 greater the  
,fame of it2 which as he would say1     

being nothing1 made all things4 ,for    
,report1 though but ,fancy1 begets      
,opinion2 and ,opinion begets           
substance4444 ,he neither affected nor  
attained to greatness3 ,mediocria firma1
 was his principle and his practice4    
,when ,queen ,elizabeth asked him1 ,why 
his house was so little8 he answered1   
,madam1 my house is not too little for  
me1 but you have made me too big for my 
,house4 ,give me1 said he1 a good       
,estate rather than a great one4 ,he had
 a very ,quaint saying and he used it   
often to good purpose1 ,that he loved   
the ,jest well but not the loss of his  
,friend4444 ,he was in a word1 a ,father
 of his country and of ,sir ,francis    
,bacon4  ,before speaking of ,lady ,ann 
,bacon1 it is necessary to give some    
account of her father1 ,sir ,anthony    
,cooke4 ,he was a great-grandson of ,sir
 ,thomas ,cooke1 ,lord ,mayor of        
,london1 and was born at ,giddy ,hall1  
in ,essex4 ,again the most valuable     
observations on his character are to be 

found in ,the ,lives of ,statesmen and  
,favourites before referred to4 ,the    
author states that ,sir ,anthony was one
 of the ,governors to ,king ,edward the 
sixth when ,prince1 and is charactered  
by ,mr4 ,camden ,vir antiqua serenitate4
 ,he observeth him also to be happy in  
his ,daughters1 learned above their ,sex
 in ,greek and ,latine3 namely1 ,mildred
 who married ,william ,cecil1 ,lord     
,treasurer of ,england2 ,anne who       
married ,nichlas ,bacon1 ,lord          
,chancellor of ,england2 ,katherine who 
married ,henry ,killigrew2 ,elizabeth   
who married ,thomas ,hobby1 and         
afterwards ,lord ,russell1 and ,margaret
 who married ,ralph ,rowlet4  ,gravity1 
says this author1 was the ,ballast of   
,sir ,anthony's ,soul and ,general      
,learning its leading4444 ,yet he was   
somebody in every ,art1 and eminent in  
all1 the whole circle of ,arts lodging  
in his ,soul4 ,his ,latine1 fluent and  
proper2 his ,greek1 critical and exact2 
his ,philology and ,observations upon   

each of these languages1 deep1 curious1 
various and pertinent3 ,his ,logic1     
rational2 his ,history and ,experience1 
general2 his ,rhetorick and ,poetry1    
copious and genuine2 his ,mathematiques1
 practicable and useful4 ,knowing that  
souls were equal1 and that ,women are as
 capable of ,learning as ,men1 he       
instilled that to his ,daughters at     
night1 which he had taught the ,prince  
in the day1 being resolved to have ,sons
 by education1 for fear he should have  
none by birth2 and lest he wanted an    
,heir of his body1 he made five of his  
minde1 for whom he had at once a        
,gavel-kind of affection and of ,estate4
  ,three things there are before whom   
7was ,sir ,anthony's saying7 ,i cannot  
do amis3 #a1 ,my ,prince2 #b1 my        
conscience2 #c1 my children4 ,seneca    
told his sister1 ,that though he could  
not leave her a good portion1 he would  
leave her a good pattern4 ,sir ,anthony 
would write to his ,daughter ,mildred1  
,my example is your inheritance and my  

life is your portion4444  ,he said      
first1 and his ,grandchilde my ,lord    
,bacon after him1 ,that the ,joys of    
,parents are ,secrets1 and so are their 
,griefs and ,fears4444 ,very providently
 did he secure his eternity1 by leaving 
the image of his nature in his children 
and of his mind in his ,pupil4444 ,the  
books he advised were not many but      
choice3 the business he pressed was not 
reading1 but digesting4444 ,sir ,john   
,checke talked merrily1 ,dr4 ,coxe      
solidly and ,sir ,anthony ,cooke        
weighingly3 ,a faculty that was derived 
with his blood to his ,grandchilde      
,bacon4  ,such then was the father of   
,lady ,anne ,bacon4 ,she and her sisters
 were famous as a family of accomplished
 classical scholars4 ,she had a thorough
 knowledge of ,greek and ,latin4 ,an    
,apologie 444 in defence of the ,churche
 of ,england by ,dr4 ,jewel1 ,bishop of 
,salisbury1 was translated by her from  
the ,latin and published in #aefd4 ,sir 
,anthony had been exiled during ,mary's 

reign1 for his adherence to the         
,protestant faith4 ,his daughter1 ,anne1
 inherited1 not only his classical      
accomplishments1 but his strong ,puritan
 faith and his hatred of ,popery4       
,francis ,bacon describes her as ,a     
,saint of ,god4 ,there is a portrait of 
her painted by ,nathaniel ,bacon1 her   
stepson1 in which she appears standing  
in her pantry habited as a cook4 ,in    
feature ,francis appears to have        
resembled his mother4 ,he had the same  
pouting lip1 the same round head1 the   
same straight nose and ,hebe chin4      
,,chapter ,,iii4  ,,francis ,,bacon1    
#aefj ,,to #aegb4   ,in the registry of 
,st4 ,martin's will be found this entry3
 ,mr4 ,franciscus ,bacon #aefj ,jan #be 
7filius ,d'm ,nicho ,bacon ,magni       
,angliae sigilli custodis74 ,rawley in  
his ,life of the ,honourable ,author    
says3 ,francis ,bacon1 the glory of his 
age and nation1 was born in ,york ,house
 or ,york ,place1 in the ,strand1 on the
 two and twentieth day of ,january in   

the year of our ,lord #aefj4 ,he relates
 that ,his first and childish years were
 not without some mark of eminency2 at  
which time he was endued with that      
pregnancy and towardness of wit1 as they
 were pressages of that deep and        
universal apprehension which was        
manifest in him afterward4 ,the ,queen  
then delighted much to confer with him1 
and to prove him with questions unto    
whom he delivered himself with that     
gravity and maturity above his years    
that ,her ,majesty would often term him 
',her young ,lord ,keeper4' ,being asked
 by the ,queen how old he was he        
answered with much discretion1 being    
then but a boy#e that he was two years  
younger than ,her ,majesty's happy      
reign1 with which answer the queen was  
much taken4 ,in the ,lives of the       
,statesmen and ,favourites of ,queen    
,elizabeth there is reference to the    
early development of his mental and     
intellectual faculties4 ,the author     
writes3--,he had a large mind from his  

,father and great abilities from his    
,mother2 ,his parts improved more than  
his years1 his great fixed and          
methodical memory1 his solide judgement1
 his quick fancy1 his ready expression1 
gave assurance of that profound and     
universal comprehension of things which 
then rendered him the observation of    
great and wise men2 and afterwards the  
wonder of all4 ,the historian           
continues3--,he never saw anything that 
was not noble and becoming1 at twelve   
his industry was above the capacity and 
his minde beyond the reache of his      
contemporaries4  ,this boy so           
marvellously endowed was brought up in  
surroundings which were ideal for his   
development4 ,his father1 a man of      
erudition1 a wit and orator1 occupying  
one of the highest positions in the     
country1 his mother a lady of great     
classical accomplishments1 who had      
enjoyed the benefits of an education and
 training by her father1 that eminent   
scholar1 ,sir ,anthony ,cooke1 and1     

lastly1 there was this man--his         
grandfather--living within riding       
distance from his home4 ,it seems       
inevitable that the natural powers of   
young ,francis must have excited a keen 
interest in the old tutor of ,edward    
,,vi41 who had devoted his evenings to  
imparting to his daughters what he had  
taught the ,prince during the day1 so   
that if he left behind him no heirs of  
his body1 he might leave heirs of his   
mind4 ,the boy ,francis was1 indeed1 a  
worthy heir of his mind1 and it is      
impossible to believe otherwise than    
that ,sir ,anthony ,cooke would throw   
himself heart and soul into the         
education of his grandchild1 but no     
statement or tradition has come down to 
this effect4 ,it may be1 however1 that a
 sentence which has already been quoted 
from ,the ,lives of ,statesmen and      
,favourites is intended to imply that   
,francis was the pupil of ,sir ,anthony3
 ,he said first and his ,grandchilde my 
,lord ,bacon after him1 ,that the ,joys 

of ,parents are ,secrets1 and so their  
,griefs and ,fears4444 ,very providently
 did he secure his ,eternity1 by leaving
 the image of his nature in his         
,children and of his mind in his ,pupil4
 ,the pupil referred to was not ,edward 
,,vi41 for he died twenty-three years   
before ,sir ,anthony1 and he could not1 
therefore1 have left the image of his   
mind in the young ,king4 ,following     
directly after the sentence ,he said    
first and his ,grandchilde ,lord ,bacon 
after him it is possible that the       
reference may be to the boy ,francis4   
,certainly ,sir ,anthony would secure   
his eternity if he left the image of his
 mind in his ,grandchilde4 ,in any case 
the prodigious natural powers of the boy
 were placed in an environment well     
suited for their full development4  ,the
 historian says that at twelve his      
industry was above the capacity and his 
mind beyond the reache of his           
,contemporaries4 ,who were the          
contemporaries alluded to8 ,those of his

 own age1 or those who were living at   
the time8 ,a boy of twelve1 he excelled 
others in his great industry and the    
wide range of his mind4 ,this industry  
appears to have accompanied him through 
life1 for ,rawley states that he would  
ever interlace a moderate relaxation of 
his mind with his studies1 as walking or
 taking the air abroad in his coach or  
some other befitting recreation2 and yet
 he would lose no time1 inasmuch as upon
 the first and immediate return he would
 fall to reading again1 and so suffer no
 movement of time to slip from him      
without some present improvement4 ,it is
 a remarkable fact on which too much    
stress cannot be laid that in the two   
,lives of ,bacon1 scanty as they are1 by
 contemporary writers1 his exceptional  
industry is pointed out4 ,there are     
certainly no visible fruits of this     
industry4  ,although there is no        
definite information as to what was the 
state of ,francis ,bacon's education at 
twelve1 there is testimony as to that of

 some of his contemporaries4 ,three     
instances will suffice4  ,philip        
,melancthon 7whose family name was      
,schwartzerd7 was born in #adig4 ,his   
education was at an early age directed  
by his maternal grandfather1 ,john      
,reuter4 ,after a short stay at a public
 school at ,bretten he was removed to   
the academy at ,pforzheim4 ,here1 under 
the tutorship of ,john ,reuchlin1 an    
elegant scholar and teacher of          
languages1 he acquired the taste for    
,greek literature in which he           
subsequently became so distinguished4   
,here his genius for composition        
asserted itself4 ,amongst other poetical
 essays in which he indulged when eleven
 years of age1 he wrote a humorous piece
 in the form of a comedy1 which he      
dedicated to his kind friend and        
instructor1 ,reuchlin1 in whose presence
 it was performed by the schoolfellows  
of the youthful author4 ,after a        
residence of two years at ,pforzheim1   
,philip matriculated at the ,university 

of ,heidelberg on the #acth ,october1   
#aeji1 being eleven years and nine      
months old4 ,young as he was1 he appears
 to have been employed to compose most  
of the harangues that were delivered in 
the ,university1 besides writing some   
pieces for the professors themselves4   
,here1 at this early age1 he composed   
his ,rudiments of the ,greek ,language1 
which were afterwards published4        
,agrippa d',aubigne was born in #aeej   
and died in #afcj4 ,at six years of age 
he read ,latin1 ,greek1 and ,hebrew4    
,when ten years he translated the       
,crito4 ,italian and ,spanish were at   
his command4  ,thomas ,bodley was born  
in #aedd and died in #afab4 ,in the     
short autobiography which he left he    
makes the following statement as to how 
far his education had advanced when his 
father decided to fix his abode in the  
city of ,geneva in #aeef3--       ,i was
 at that time of twelve yeares age but  
through my fathers      cost and care   
sufficiently instructed to become an    

auditour of      ,chevalerius in        
,hebrew1 of ,berealdus in ,greeke1 of   
,calvin and      ,beza in ,divinity and 
of some other ,professours in that      
,university1 7which was newly there     
erected7 besides my domesticall         
teachers1 in the house of ,philibertus  
,saracenus1 a famous ,physitian      in 
that ,city with whom ,i was boarded2    
when ,robertus ,constantinus      that  
made the ,greek ,lexicon read ,homer    
with me4  ,bodley was undoubtedly       
proficient in ,french1 for ,calvin and  
,beza lectured in ,french4 ,the         
,institution of the ,christian          
,religion1 ,calvin's greatest work1     
although published in ,latin in #aecf1  
was translated by him into ,french1 and 
issued in #aedj or #aeda4 ,this         
translation is one of the finest        
examples of ,french prose4 ,bodley's    
,english was probably very poor1 and for
 a very good reason--there was no       
,english language worthy of comparison  
with the languages of ,france1 ,italy1  

or ,spain4 ,it had yet to be created4   
,it is fair to assume that at twelve    
years of age ,francis ,bacon was as     
proficient in languages as were ,philip 
,melancthon1 ,agrippa d',aubigne1 or    
,thomas ,bodley at that age4 ,he1       
therefore1 had at least a good knowledge
 of ,latin1 ,greek1 ,hebrew1 ,french1   
and such ,english as there was4         
,another class of evidence is now       
available4 ,it has already been stated  
that a large number of ,bacon's books   
have been recovered1 copiously annotated
 by him4 ,some of these books bear the  
date when the annotations were made4    
,for the most part the marginal notes   
appear to be aids to memory1 but in many
 cases they are critical observations of
 the text4 ,these are1 however1 dealt   
with in a subsequent chapter4  ,gilbert 
,wats1 in dedicating to ,charles ,i4 his
 interpretation of ,the ,advancement of 
,proficiency of ,learning 7#afdj71 makes
 a statement which throws light on the  
course of ,bacon's studies1 and this    

strongly supports the present           
contention4 ,he says3--       ,he       
7,bacon7 after he had survaied all the  
,records of ,antiquity1      after the  
volume of men1 betook himselfe to the   
study of the volume      of the world2  
and having conquerd whatever books      
possest1 set upon      the ,kingdome of 
,nature and carried that victory very   
farre4  ,speaking of him as a boy his   
biographer#f describes his memory as    
fixed and methodical1 and in another    
place he says ,his judgment was solid   
yet his memory was a wonder4  ,the      
extent of his reading at this time had  
been very wide4 ,he had already taken   
all knowledge to be his province1 and   
was with that industry which was beyond 
the capacity of his contemporaries      
rapidly laying the foundations which    
subsequently justified this claim4      
,,footnotes3  #e ,lloyd states that this
 occurred when he was seven years of    
age4  #f ,the ,lives of ,statesmen and  
,favourites of ,elizabeth4     ,,chapter

 ,,iv4  ,,at ,,cambridge4   ,francis    
,bacon went to reside at ,trinity       
,college1 ,cambridge1 in ,april1 #aegc1 
being #ab years and #c months of age4   
,while the plague raged he was absent   
from the end of ,august1 #aegd1 until   
the beginning of ,march following4 ,he  
finally left the ,university at         
,christmas1 #aege1 about one month      
before his fifteenth birthday4  ,rawley 
says he was there educated and bred     
under the tuition of ,dr4 ,john         
,whitgift1#g then master of the         
,college1 afterwards the renowned       
,archbishop of ,canterbury1 a prelate of
 the first magnitude for sanctity1      
learning1 patience1 and humility2 under 
whom he was observed to have been more  
than an ordinary proficient in the      
several arts and sciences4  ,amboise1 in
 the ,discours sur la vie de ,m4 ,bacon1
 prefixed to the ,histoire ,naturelle1  
,paris1 #afca1 says3 ,le jugement et la 
memoire ne furent jamais en aucun home  
au degre qu'ils estoient en celuy-cy2 de

 sorte qu'en bien peu de temps il se    
rendit fort habile en toutes les        
sciences qui s'apprennent au ,college4  
,et quoi que deslors il fust juge       
capable des charges les plas            
importantes1 nean-moins pour ne tomber  
dedans la mesme faute que sont          
d'ordinaire les jeunes gens de son      
estoffe1 qui par une ambition trop      
precipitee portent souvent au maniement 
des grandes affaires un esprit encore   
tout rempli des crudites de l'escole1   
,monsieur ,bacon se voulut acquerir     
cette science1 qui rendit autres-fois   
,ulysse si recommandable et luy fit     
meriter le nom de sage1 par la          
connoissance des moeurs de tant de      
nations diverses4 ,that is all that can 
be said about his career at ,cambridge  
except that ,rawley adds3       ,whilst 
he was commorant in the ,university1    
about sixteen years of      age 7as his 
lordship hath been pleased to impart    
unto myself71 he      first fell into   
the dislike of the philosophy of        

,aristotle2 not for      the            
worthlessness of the author1 to whom he 
would ever ascribe all      high        
attributes1 but for the unfruitfulness  
of the way2 being a      philosophy 7as 
his lordship used to say7 only strong   
for      disputations and contentions1  
but barren of the production of works   
for the benefit of the life of man2 in  
which mind he continued to      his     
dying day4  ,as ,bacon left ,cambridge  
at ,christmas1 #aege1 before he was #ae 
years of age1 ,rawley's recollection    
must have been at fault when he mentions
 the age of #af as that when ,bacon     
formed this opinion4  ,there is another 
account of this incident in which it is 
stated that ,francis ,bacon left        
,cambridge without taking a degree as a 
protest against the manner in which     
philosophy was taught there4 ,in the    
preface to the ,great ,instauration     
,bacon repeats his protest3 ,and for its
 value and utility1 it must be plainly  
avowed that that wisdom which we have   

derived principally from the ,greeks is 
but like the boyhood of knowledge and   
has the characteristic property of boys3
 it can talk but it cannot generate3 for
 it is fruitful of controversies but    
barren of works4  ,this is merely a     
re-statement of the position he took up 
when at ,cambridge4 ,so this boy set up 
his opinion against that of the         
recognised professors of philosophy of  
his day1 against the whole authority of 
the staff of the ,university1 on a      
fundamental point on the most important 
question which could be raised as to the
 pursuit of knowledge4 ,it is not too   
much to say that he had at this time    
covered the whole field of knowledge in 
a manner more thorough than it had ever 
been covered before1 and with his mind1 
which was beyond the reach of his       
contemporaries1 he began to lay down    
those laws which revolutionised all     
thought and have become the accepted    
method by which the pursuit of knowledge
 is followed4  ,it is necessary again to

 seek for parallels to justify the      
position which will be claimed for      
,francis ,bacon at this period4  ,philip
 ,melancthon affords one and ,james     
,crichton another4 ,at ,heidelberg      
,melancthon remained three years4 ,he   
left when he was #ae1 the principal     
cause of his leaving being              
disappointment at being refused a higher
 degree in the ,university solely1 it is
 alleged1 on account of his youth4 ,in  
,september1 #aeab1 he was entered at the
 ,university of ,tubingen1 where1 in the
 following year1 before he was #ag years
 of age1 he was created ,doctor in      
,philosophy or ,master of ,arts4 ,he    
then commenced a course of public       
lectures1 embracing an extraordinary    
variety of subjects1 including the      
learned languages1 rhetoric1 logic1     
ethics1 mathematics1 and theology4 ,here
 in #aeaf he put forth his revision of  
the text of ,terence4 ,besides he       
entered into an undertaking with ,thomas
 ,anshelmus to revise all the books     

printed by him4 ,he bestowed great      
labour on a large work in folio by      
,nauclerus1 which he appears to have    
almost entirely re-written4  ,so much   
romance has been thrown around ,james   
,crichton that it is difficult to obtain
 the real facts of his life4 ,sir       
,thomas ,urquhart1 in ,discovery of a   
,most ,exquisite ,jewel1 published in   
#afeb1 gives a biography which is1      
without doubt1 mainly apocryphal4       
,certain facts1 however1 are well       
established4 ,he was born in the same   
year as was ,bacon 7#aefj74 ,at #aj     
years of age he entered ,st4 ,andrew's  
,university1 and in #aege 7the year     
,bacon left ,cambridge7 took his degree1
 coming out third in the first class4   
,in #aegf he went to ,france1 as did    
,bacon--to ,paris4 ,in the ,college of  
,navarre he issued a universal          
challenge4 ,this he subsequently        
repeated at ,venice with equal success2 
that is1 to all men1 upon all things1 in
 any of twelve languages named4 ,the    

challenge is broad and formal4 ,he      
pledged himself to review the schoolmen1
 allowed his opponents the privilege of 
selecting their topics--mathematics1 no 
less than scholastic lore--either from  
branches publicly or privately taught1  
and promised to return answers in       
logical figure or in numbers estimated  
according to their occult power1 or in  
any of a hundred sorts of verse4 ,he is 
said to have justified before many      
competent witnesses his magnificent     
pretensions4  ,what ,philip ,melancthon 
was at fifteen1 what ,james ,crichton   
was at sixteen1 ,francis ,bacon may have
 been4 ,all the testimony which his     
contemporaries afford1 especially having
 regard to his after life1 justify the  
assertion that in knowledge and         
acquirements he was at least their      
equal4  ,about eighteen months later his
 portrait was painted by ,hilliard1 the 
,court miniature painter1 who inscribed 
around it1 as ,james ,spedding says1 the
 significant words--the natural         

ejaculation1 we may presume1 of the     
artist's own emotion--,si tabula daretur
 digna animum mallem4 ,if one could only
 find materials worthy to paint his     
mind4   ,,footnotes3  #g ,dr4 ,whitgift 
was a man of strong moral rectitude1 yet
 in #aeic he became one of its sponsors 
on the publication of ,venus and        
,adonis4     ,,chapter ,v4  ,,early     
,,compositions4   ,it is at this stage  
that the mystery of ,francis ,bacon     
begins to develop4 ,every channel       
through which information might be      
expected appears to be blocked4 ,besides
 a few pamphlets1 in the production of  
which little time would be occupied1    
there came nothing from his pen until   
#aeig when1 at the age of #cg1 the first
 edition of the essays was              
published--only ten short essays        
containing less than #f1jjj words4 ,in  
#afje1 when #de1 he addressed to ,james 
,i4 the ,two ,books on the ,advancement 
of ,learning1 containing less than      
#fj1jjj words4 ,it would require no     

effort on ,bacon's part to write either 
of these volumes4 ,he could turn out the
 ,two ,books of the ,advancement of     
,learning with the same facility that a 
leader writer of the ,times would write 
his daily articles4 ,he was to all      
intents and purposes unoccupied4 ,until 
#aeid he had not held a brief1 and he   
never had any practice at the ,bar worth
 considering4 ,he was a member of       
,parliament1 but the ,house seldom sat1 
and never for long periods4 ,bacon's    
life is absolutely unaccounted for4 ,it 
is now proposed1 by the aid of the      
literature of the period from #aegf to  
#afbj1 and with the help of information 
derived from his own handwriting1 to    
trace1 step by step1 the results of his 
industry1 and to supply the reason for  
the concealment which he pursued4       
,there is an entry in the ,book of      
,orders of ,gray's ,inn under date #bast
 ,november1 #aegg1 that ,anthony and    
,francis ,bacon 7who had been admitted  
members #bgth ,june1 #aegf1 de societate

 magistrorum7 be admitted to the ,grand 
,company1 i4e41 to the ,degree of       
,ancients1 a privilege to which they    
were entitled as sons of a judge4 ,from 
a letter subsequently written by        
,burghley1 it is known that one ,barker 
was appointed as their tutor of ,law4   
,apparently it was intended that they   
should settle down to a course of legal 
training1 but this plan was abandoned1  
at any rate1 as far as ,francis was     
concerned4 ,sir ,amias ,paulet1 who was 
,chancellor of the ,garter1 a ,privy    
,counsellor1 and held in high esteem by 
the ,queen1#h was about to proceed to   
,paris to take the place of ,dr4 ,dale  
as ,ambassador at the ,court of ,france4
 ,there is a letter written from        
,calais1 dated #beth ,september1 #aegf1 
from ,sir ,amias to ,lord ,burghley1 in 
which this paragraph appears3 ,my       
ordinary train is no greater than of    
necessity1 being augmented by some young
 gentlemen1 whereof one is ,sir         
,nicholas ,throgmorton's son1 who was   

recommended to me by her ,majesty1 and1 
therefore1 ,i could not refuse him4 ,the
 others are so dear to me and the most  
part of them of such towardness1 as my  
good hope of their doing well1 and      
thereafter they will be able to serve   
their ,prince and country1 persuades me 
to make so much to excuse my folly as to
 entreat you to use your favour in my   
allowance for my transportations1 my    
charges being increased by these        
extraordinary occasions4  ,francis      
,bacon was one of this group of young   
gentlemen4 ,rawley states that after he 
had passed the circle of the liberal    
arts1 his father thought fit to frame   
and mould him for the arts of state2 and
 for that end sent him over into ,france
 with ,sir ,amyas ,paulet then employed 
,ambassador lieger into ,france4  ,there
 are grounds for believing that ,bacon's
 literary activity had commenced before 
he left ,england4 ,there is abundant    
evidence to prove that it was the custom
 at this period for authors who desired 

to conceal their authorship to          
substitute for their own names1 initials
 or the names of others on the          
title-pages4 ,two instances will        
suffice3 ,the ,arte of ,english ,poesie 
was published in #aehi1 but written     
several years previously4 ,the author   
says3--,i know very many notable        
,gentlemen in the ,court that have      
written commendably1 and suppressed it  
agayne1 or els suffred it to be publisht
 without their owne names to it as if it
 were a discredit for a ,gentleman to   
seeme learned1 and to shew himself      
amorous of any learned ,art4 ,there is a
 bare-faced avowal of how names were    
placed on title-pages in a letter which 
exists from ,henry ,cuffe to ,mr4       
,reynolds4 ,cuffe1 an ,oxford scholar of
 distinction1 was a close companion and 
confidant of ,essex4 ,after the capture 
and sacking of ,cadiz by ,essex and     
,howard1 the former deemed it important 
that his version of the affair should be
 the first to be published in ,england4 

,cuffe1 therefore1 started off post     
haste with the manuscript1 but was taken
 ill on his arrival at ,portsmouth1 and 
could not proceed4 ,he despatched the   
manuscript by a messenger with a letter 
to ,good ,mr4 ,reynoldes1 who was a     
private ,secretary of ,essex4 ,he was to
 cause a transcript to be made and have 
it delivered to some good printer1 in   
good characters and with diligence to   
publish it4 ,reynoldes was to confer    
with ,mr4 ,greville 7,fulke ,greville1  
afterwards ,lord ,brooke7 whether he can
 be contented to suffer the two first   
letters of his name to be used in the   
inscription4 ,if he be unwilling1 adds  
,cuffe1 you may put ,r4,b4 which some no
 doubt will interprete to be ,beale1 but
 it skills not4 ,that this was a common 
practice is admitted by those acquainted
 with ,elizabethan literature4 ,if any  
of ,bacon's writings were published     
prior to the trifle which appeared in   
#aeig as ,essaies1 his name was         
suppressed1 and it would be probable    

some other name would appear on the     
title-page4 ,there is a translation of a
 classical author1 bearing date #aegb1  
which is in the ,baconian style1 but    
which need not be claimed for him       
without further investigation4  ,the    
following suggestion is put forward with
 all diffidence1 but after long and     
careful investigation4 ,francis ,bacon  
was the author of two books which were  
published1 one before he left ,england1 
and the other shortly after4 ,the first 
is a philosophical discourse entitled   
,the ,anatomie of the ,minde4 ,newlie   
made and set forth by ,t4,r4 ,imprinted 
at ,london by ,i4,c4 for ,andrew        
,maunsell1 #aegf1 #abmo4 ,the dedication
 is addressed to ,master ,christopher   
,hatton1 and the name of ,tho4 ,rogers  
is attached to it4 ,there was a ,thomas 
,rogers who was ,chaplain to ,archbishop
 ,bancroft1 and the book has been       
attributed to him1 apparently only      
because no other of the same name was   
known4 ,there was published in #aegg a  

translation by ,rogers of a ,latin book 
,of the ,ende of the ,world1 etc4 and   
there are other translations by him     
published between then and #afbh4 ,there
 are several sermons1 also1 but the     
style of these1 the matter1 and the     
manner of treatment are quite distinct  
from those of the book under            
consideration4 ,there is nothing of his 
which would support the assignment to   
him of ,the ,anatomie of the ,mind4 ,it 
is foreign to his style4  ,having regard
 to the acknowledged custom of the times
 of putting names other than the        
author's on title-pages1 there is no    
need for any apology for expressing     
doubt as to whether the book has been   
correctly placed to the credit of the   
,bishop ,bancroft's chaplain4 ,in the   
address ,to the ,reader the author says3
 ,i dyd once for my profite in the      
,universitie1 draw into ,latin tables1  
which since for thy profite 7,christian 
,reader7 at the request of a gentleman  
of good credite and worship1 ,i have    

,englished and published in these two   
books4 ,there is in existence a copy of 
the book with the printer's and other   
errors corrected in ,bacon's own        
handwriting4  ,bearing date #aegg1      
imprinted at ,london for ,henri ,cockyn1
 is an octavo book styled1 ,beautiful   
,blossoms gathered by ,john ,byshop from
 the best trees of all kyndes1 ,divine1 
,philosophicall1 ,astronomicall1        
,cosmographical1 ,historical and ,humane
 that are growing in ,greece1 ,latium1  
and ,arabia1 and some also in vulgar    
orchards as wel fro these that in       
auncient time were grafted1 as also from
 them which with skilful head and hand  
beene of late yeare's1 yea1 and in our  
dayes planted3 to the unspeakable1 both 
pleasure and profite of all such as wil 
vouchsafe to use them4 ,on the          
title-page are the words1 ,the ,first   
,tome1 but no further volume was        
published4 ,as to who or what ,john     
,byshop was there is no information     
available4 ,his name appears on no other

 book4 ,the preface is a gem of musical 
sounding words4 ,it contains the        
sentence1 let them pass it over and read
 the rest which are all as plaine as    
,dunstable ,way4 ,bacon's home was      
within a few miles of ,dunstable ,way1  
which was the local term for the main   
road4  ,it is impracticable here to give
 at length the grounds upon which it is 
believed that ,francis ,bacon was the   
author of these two books4 ,each of them
 is an outpouring of classical lore1 and
 is evidently written by some young man 
who had recently assimilated the        
writings of nearly every classical      
author4 ,in this respect both correspond
 with the manner of ,the ,french        
,academie1 to which the attention of the
 reader will shortly be directed1 whilst
 in ,the ,anatomie of the ,minde the    
treatment of the subject is identical   
with that in the latter4 ,failing actual
 proof1 the circumstantial evidence that
 the two books are from the same pen is 
almost as strong as need be4  ,some time

 in ,october1 #aegf1 ,sir ,amyas ,paulet
 would reach ,paris1 accompanied by     
,bacon4 ,the only fragment of           
information which is given by his       
biographers of any occurrence during his
 stay there is obtained from ,rawley4   
,he states that ,sir ,amias ,paulet     
after a while held him fit to be        
entrusted with some message1 or         
advertisement to the ,queen1 which      
having performed with great approbation1
 he returned back into ,france again    
with intention to continue for some     
years there4 ,in his absence in ,france1
 his father1 the ,lord ,keeper1 died4   
,this was in ,february1 #aegh-i4 ,if he 
returned shortly after news of his      
father's death reached him1 his stay on 
the ,continent would cover about two and
 a-half years4 ,as to what he was doing 
nothing is known1 but ,pierre ,amboise  
states that ,france1 ,italy1 and ,spain 
as the most civilised nations of the    
whole world were those whither his      
desire for ,knowledge carried him4      

,,footnotes3  #h ,it was to ,sir ,amias 
that the custody of ,mary ,queen of     
,scots was committed4     ,,chapter     
,,vi4  ,,bacon',s ,,temporis ,,partus   
,,maximus4   ,francis ,bacon was at     
,blois with ,sir ,amias ,paulet in      
#aegg4 ,in the same year was published  
the first edition of the first part of  
,academie ,francoise par ,pierre de la  
,primaudaye ,esceuyer1 ,seignor dudict  
lieu et de la ,barree1 ,gentilhomme     
ordinaire de la chambre du ,roy4 ,the   
dedication1 dated ,february1 #aegg      
7i4e41 #aegh7 is addressed1 ,au         
,tres-chrestien ,roy de ,france et de   
,polongne ,henry ,,iii4 de ce nom4 ,the 
first ,english translation1 by ,t4 ,b41 
was published in #aehfi1 imprinted at   
,london by ,edmund ,bollifant for ,g4   
,bishop and ,ralph ,newbery4 ,other     
parts of ,the ,academy followed at      
intervals of years1 but the first and   
only complete edition in ,english bears 
date #afah1 and was printed for ,thomas 
,adams4 ,over the dedication is the     

well-known archer emblem4 ,it is a thick
 folio volume1 with #a1jch pages double 
columns4 ,it may be termed the first    
,encyclopaedia which appeared in any    
language1 and is1 perhaps1 one of the   
most remarkable productions of the      
,elizabethan era4 ,little is known of   
,pierre de la ,primaudaye4 ,the         
particulars for his biography in the    
,biographie ,nationale seem to have been
 taken from references made to the      
author in the ,french ,academie itself4 
,in the ,french ,edition1 #aehj1 there  
is a portrait of a man1 and under it the
 words ,anag4 de ,l'auth4 ,par la priere
 ,dieu m'ayde4 ,the following is an     
extract from the dedication3--          
,the dinner of that prince of famous    
memorie1 was a second table of          
,salomon1 vnto which resorted from      
euerie nation such as were best         
learned1 that they might reape profit   
and instruction4 ,yours1 ,sir1          
being compassed about with those1 who in
 your presence daily      discourse of1 

and heare discoursed many graue and     
goodly matters1      seemeth to be a    
schoole erected to teach men that are   
borne to      vertue4 ,and for myselfe1 
hauing so good hap during the assemblie 
of      your ,estates at ,blois1 as to  
be made partaker of the fruit gathered  
thereof1 it came in my mind to offer    
vnto your ,maiestie a dish of           
diuers fruits1 which ,i gathered in a   
,platonicall garden or orchard1         
otherwise called an ,,academie1 where ,i
 was not long since with      certaine  
yoong ,gentlemen of ,aniou my           
companions1 discoursing      togither of
 the institution in good maners1 and of 
the means how      all estates and      
conditions may liue well and happily4   
,and although      a thousand thoughts  
came then into my mind to hinder my     
purpose1 as      the small authoritie1  
which youth may or ought to haue in     
counsell      amongst ancient men3 the  
greatnes of the matter subject1         
propounded      to be handled by yeeres 

of so small experience2 the             
forgetfulness      of the best          
foundations of their discourses1 which  
for want of a      rich and happie      
memorie might be in me3 my iudgement not
 sound      ynough1 and my profession   
vnfit to set them downe in good order3  
briefly1 the consideration of your      
naturall disposition and rare           
vertue1 and of the learning which you   
receiuve both by reading good           
authors1 and by your familiar           
communication with learned and great    
personages that are neere about your    
,maiestie 7whereby ,i seemed to         
oppose the light of an obscure day1 full
 of clouds and darkness1 to      the    
bright beames of a very cleere shining  
sonne1 and to take in      hand1 as we  
say1 to teach ,minerua74 ,i say all     
these reasons being      but of too     
great weight to make me change my       
opinion1 yet calling      to mind manie 
goodlie and graue sentences taken out of
 sundry      ,greeke and ,latine        

,philosophers1 as also the woorthie     
examples of      the liues of ancient   
,sages and famous men1 wherewith these  
discourses were inriched1 which might in
 delighting your noble mind      renew  
your memorie with those notable sayings 
in the praise of      vertue and        
dispraise of vice1 which you alwaies    
loued to heare3 and      considering    
also that the bounty of ,artaxerxes that
 great ,monarke      of the ,persians   
was reuiued in you1 who receiued with a 
cheerfull      countenance a present of 
water of a poore laborer1 when he had no
      need of it1 thinking to be as     
great an act of magnanimitie to take    
in good part1 and to receiue cheerfully 
small presents offered with      a      
hartie and good affection1 as to giue   
great things liberally1 ,i      ouercame
 whatsoeuer would haue staied me in mine
 enterprise4  ,it appears1 therefore1   
that the author by good hap was a       
visitor at the ,court of ,henry ,,iii4  
when at ,blois2 that he was there       

studying with certain young gentlemen of
 ,anjou1 his companions2 that he was a  
youth1 and of years of small experience2
 that his memory might not be           
sufficiently rich and happy1 his        
judgment not enough1 and his profession 
unfit in recording the discourses of    
himself and his companions4  ,the       
,author to the ,reader is an essay on   
,philosophy1 every sentence in which    
seems to have the same familiar sound as
 essays which subsequently appeared     
under another name4 ,the contents of the
 several chapters are enumerated thus3  
,of ,man1 ,of the ,body and ,soule1 etc4
  ,the first chapter contains a         
description of how the ,academie came   
about4 ,an ancient wise gentleman of    
great calling having spent the greater  
part of his years in the service of two 
kings1 and of his country1 ,france1 for 
many and good causes had withdrawn      
himself to his house4 ,he thought that  
to content his mind1 which always       
delighted in honest and vertuous things1

 he could not bring greater profit to   
the ,monarchie of ,france1 than to lay  
open and preserve and keep youth from   
the corruption which resulted from the  
over great license and excessive liberty
 granted to them in the ,universities4  
,he took unto his house four young      
gentlemen1 with the consent of their    
parents who were distinguished noblemen4
 ,after he had shown these young men the
 first grounds of true wisdom1 and of   
all necessary things for their          
salvation1 he brought into his house a  
tutor of great learning and well        
reported of his good life and           
conversation1 to whom he committed their
 instruction4 ,after teaching them the  
,latin tongue and some smattering of    
,greek he propounded for their chief    
studies the moral philosophy of ancient 
sages and wise men1 together with the   
understanding and searching out of      
histories which are the light of life4  
,the four fathers1 desiring to see what 
progress their sons had made1 decided to

 visit them4 ,and because they had small
 skill in the ,latin tongue1 they       
determined to have their children       
discourse in their own natural tongue of
 all matters that might serve for the   
instruction and reformation of every    
estate and calling1 in such order and   
method as they and their master might   
think best4 ,it was arranged that they  
should meet in a walking place covered  
over with a goodly green arbour1 and    
daily1 except ,sundays1 for three weeks1
 devote two hours in the morning and two
 hours after dinner to these discourses1
 the fathers being in attendance to     
listen to their sons4 ,so interesting   
did these discussions become that the   
period was often extended to three or   
four hours1 and the young men were so   
intent upon preparation for them that   
they would not only bestow the rest of  
the days1 but oftentimes the whole      
night1 upon the well studying of that   
which they proposed to handle4 ,the     
author goes on to say3--,during which   

time it was my good hap to be one of the
 companie when they began their         
discourses1 at which ,i so greatly      
wondered that ,i thought them worthy to 
be published abroad4 ,from this it would
 appear that the author was a visitor1  
privileged1 with the four fathers and   
the master1 to listen to the discourses 
of these four young men4 ,but1 a little 
further on the position is changed2 one 
of the four young men is1 without any   
explanation1 ignored1 and his father    
disappointed6 ,for the author takes his 
place1 as will be seen from the         
following extract3--       ,and thus all
 fower of us followed the same order    
daily until      everie one in his      
course had intreated according to       
appointment1      both by the precepts  
of doctrine1 as also by the examples of 
the      lives of ancient ,sages and    
famous men1 of all things necessary for 
the institution of manners and happie   
life of all estates and      callings in
 this ,french ,monarchie4 ,but because  

,i knowe not whether1      in naming my 
companions by their proper names1       
supposing thereby to      honour them as
 indeede they deserve it1 ,i should     
displease them      7which thing ,i     
would not so much as thinke7 ,i have    
determined to do      as they that play 
on a ,theater1 who under borrowed maskes
 and      disguised apparell1 do        
represent the true personages of those  
whom      they have undertaken to bring 
on the stage4 ,i will therefore call    
them by names very agreeable to their   
skill and nature3 the first      ,,aser 
which signifieth ,felicity3 the second  
,,amana which is as much      to say as 
,truth3 the third ,,aram which noteth to
 us ,highness2      and to agree with   
them as well in name as in education and
      behaviour4 ,i will name myself    
,,achitob#aj which is all one with      
,brother of goodness4 ,further more ,i  
will call and honour the      proceeding
 and finishing of our sundry treatises  
and discourses      with this goodlie   

and excellent title of ,academie1 which 
was the      ancient and renowned school
 amongst the ,greek ,philosophers1 who  
were the first that were esteemed1 and  
that the place where ,plato1            
,xenophon1 ,poleman1 ,xenocrates1 and   
many other excellent personages1        
afterward called ,academicks1 did       
propound  discourse of all things       
meet for the instruction and teaching of
 wisdome3 wherein we      purposed to   
followe them to our power1 as the       
sequele of our      discourses shall    
make good proofe4  ,and then the        
discourses commence4  ,love's ,labour's 
,lost was published in #aeih1 and was   
the first quarto upon which the name of 
,shakespeare was printed4 ,the          
title-page states that it is newly      
corrected and augmented1 from which it  
may be inferred that there was a        
previous edition1 but no copy of such is
 known4 ,the commentators are in        
practical agreement that it was probably
 the first play written by the          

dramatist4  ,there are differences of   
opinion as to the probable date when it 
was written4 ,richard ,grant ,white     
believes this to be not later than      
#aehh1 ,knight gives #aehi1 but all this
 is conjecture4  ,the play opens with a 
speech by ,ferdinand3--    ,let ,fame   
that all hunt after in their lives1     
,live registred upon our brazen ,tombes1
   ,and then grace us1 in the disgrace  
of death3   ,when spight of cormorant   
devouring time1   ,th' endevour of this 
present breath may buy3   ,that honour  
which shall bate his sythes keene edge1 
,and make us heyres of all eternitie4   
,therefore brave ,conquerours1 for so   
you are1   ,that warre against your own 
affections1   ,and the huge ,armie of   
the worlds desires4   ,our late ,edict  
shall strongly stand in force1   ,navar 
shall be the wonder of the world4   ,our
 ,court shall be a little ,achademe1    
,still and contemplative in living ,art4
   ,you three1 ,berowne1 ,doumaine1 and 
,longavill1   ,have sworne for three    

yeeres terme1 to live with me1   ,my    
fellow ,schollers1 and to keepe those   
statutes   ,that are recorded in this   
schedule heere4   ,your oathes are past1
 and now subscribe your names2   ,that  
his owne hand may strike his honour     
downe1   ,that violates the smallest    
branch heerein3   ,if you are arm'd to  
doe1 as sworne to do1   ,subscribe to   
your deepe oathes1 and keepe it to4     
,four young men in the ,french ,academie
 associated together1 as in ,love's     
,labour ,lost1 to war against their own 
affections and the whole army of the    
world's desires4 ,dumaine1 in giving his
 acquiescence to ,ferdinand1 ends3--    
,to love1 to wealth1 to pompe1 ,i pine  
and die   ,with all these living in     
,philosophie4  ,philosophie was the     
subject of study of the four young men  
to the ,academie4  ,berowne was a       
visitor1 for he says3--    ,i only swore
 to study with your grace   ,and stay   
heere in your ,court for three yeeres'  
space4  ,upon his demurring to subscribe

 to the oath as drawn1 ,ferdinand       
retorts3--    ,well1 sit you out3 go    
home1 ,berowne3 adue4  ,to which        
,berowne replies3--    ,no1 my good     
lord2 ,i have sworn to stay with you4   
,achitob was a visitor at the ,academie 
in ,france4 ,there are other points of  
resemblance1 but sufficient has been    
said to warrant consideration of the    
suggestion that the ,french ,academie   
contains the serious studies of the four
 young men whose experiences form the   
subject of the play4  ,the parallels    
between passages in the ,shakespeare    
plays and the ,french ,academie are     
numerous1 but they form no part of the  
present contention4  ,one of these may1 
however1 be mentioned4 ,in the third    
,tome the following passage occurs#aa3--
       ,psal4 xix43 ,it is not without  
cause that the ,prophet said 7,the      
heavens declare the glory of ,god1 and  
the earth sheweth the workes      of his
 handes7 ,for thereby he evidently      
teacheth1 as with the      finger even  

to our eies1 the great and admirable    
providence of ,god      their ,creator2 
even as if the heavens should speake to 
anyone4 ,in      another place it is    
written 7,eccles4 xliii473 7,this high  
ornament1      this cleere firmament1   
the beauty of the heaven so glorious to 
behold1 tis a thing full of ,majesty74  
,on turning to the revised version of   
the ,bible it will be found that the    
first verse is thus translated3 ,the    
pride of the height1 the cleare         
firmament the beauty of heaven with his 
glorious shew4 ,the rendering of the    
text in ,the ,french ,academy is        
strongly suggestive of ,hamlet's famous 
soliloquy4 ,this most excellent canopy1 
this brave o'erhanging firmament1 this  
majestical roof fritted with golden     
fire1 why it appears to me no other than
 a foul and pestilent congregation of   
vapours4 ,the author has forsaken the   
common-place rendering of the           
,apocrypha1 and has adopted the same    
declamatory style which ,shakespeare    

uses4 ,it is strongly reminiscent of    
,hamlet's famous speech1 ,act ,,ii41    
scene ii4  ,only one of the ,shakespeare
 commentators makes any reference to the
 work4 ,the ,rev4 ,joseph ,hunter1      
writing in #ahdd1 points out that the   
dramatist in ,as ,you ,like ,it1        
describing the seven ages of man1       
follows the division made in the chapter
 on ,the ,ages of ,man in the           
,academie4#ab  ,the suggestion now made 
is that the ,french ,academie was       
written by ,bacon1 who is represented in
 the dialogues as ,achitob--the first   
part when he was about #ah years of age1
 that he continued it until1 in #afah1  
the complete work was published4 ,in the
 dedication the author describes himself
 as a youth of immature experience1 but 
the contents bear evidence of a wide    
knowledge of classical authors and their
 works1 a close acquaintance with the   
ancient philosophies1 and a store of    
general information which it would be   
impossible for any ordinary youth of    

such an age to possess4 ,but was not the
 boy who at #ae years of age left       
,cambridge disagreeing with the teaching
 there of ,aristotle's philosophy1 and  
whose mental qualities and acquirements 
provoked as the natural ejaculation of  
the artist's emotion the significant    
words1 ,si tabula daretur digna animum  
mallem1 altogether abnormal8  ,was the  
,french ,academie ,bacon's temporis     
partus maximus8 ,it is only in a letter 
written to ,father ,fulgentio about     
#afbe that this work is heard of4 ,bacon
 writes3 ,equidem memini me1 quadraginta
 abhinc annis1 juvenile opusculum circa 
has res confecisse1 quod magna prorsus  
fiducia et magnifico titulo ',temporis  
,partum ,maximum' inscripsi4#ac         
,spedding says3 ,this was probably the  
work of which ,henry ,cuffe 7the great  
,oxford scholar who was executed in     
#afja as one of the chief accomplices in
 the ,earl of ,essex's treason7 was     
speaking when he said that 'a fool could
 not have written it and a wise man     

would not4' ,bacon's intimacy with      
,essex had begun about thirty-five years
 before this letter was written4  ,forty
 years from #afbe would carry back to   
#aehe1 the year preceding the date of   
publication of the first edition in     
,english4 ,if ,cuffe's remark was       
intended to apply to the ,french        
,academy1 it is just such a criticism as
 the book might be expected to provoke4 
,the first edition of ,the ,french      
,academie in ,english appeared in #aehf1
 the second in #aehi1 the third 7two    
parts7 in #aeid1 the fourth 7three      
parts7 in #afjb1 the fifth in #afad 7all
 quartos71 then1 in #afah1 the large    
folio edition containing the fourth part
 never before published in ,english4 ,it
 appears to have been more popular in   
,england than it was in ,france4 ,brunet
 in his #ahch edition mentions neither  
the book nor the author1 ,primaudaye4   
,the question as to whether there was at
 this time a reading public in ,england 
sufficiently wide to absorb an edition  

in numbers large enough to make the     
publication of this and similar works   
possible at a profit will be dealt with 
hereafter4 ,in anticipation it may be   
said that the balance of probabilities  
justifies the conjecture that the issue 
of each of these editions involved      
someone in loss1 and the folio edition  
involved considerable loss4  ,a         
comparison between the ,french and      
,english publications points to both    
having been written by an author who was
 a master of each language rather than  
that the latter was a mere translation  
of the former4 ,the version is so       
natural in idiom and style that it      
appears to be an original rather than a 
translation4 ,in #aehf how many men were
 there who could write such ,english8   
,the marginal notes are in the exact    
style of ,bacon4 ,a similitude--,a      
notable comparison--occur frequently    
just as the writer finds them again and 
again in ,bacon's handwriting in volumes
 which he possesses4 ,the book abounds  

in statements1 phrases1 and quotations  
which are to be found in ,bacon's       
letters and works4  ,one significant    
fact must be mentioned4 ,the first      
letter of the text in the dedication in 
the first ,english translation is the   
letter ,s4 ,it is printed from a wood   
block 7,fig4 ,i474 ,thirty-nine years   
after 7in #afbe7 when the last edition  
of ,bacon's ,essays--and1 with the      
exception of the small pamphlet         
containing his versification of certain 
,psalms1 the last publication during his
 life--was printed1 that identical wood 
block 7,fig4 ,,ii47 was again used to   
print the first letter in the dedication
 of that book4 ,every defect and        
peculiarity in the one will be found in 
the other4 ,a search through many       
hundreds of books printed during these  
thirty-nine years--#aehf to #afbe--;has 
failed to find it used elsewhere1 except
 on one occasion1 either then1 before1  
or since4  ,did ,bacon mark his first   
work on philosophy and his last book by 

printing the first letter in each from  
the same block8#ad    ,illustration3    
,fig4 ,i4    ,the first letter in the   
text of the dedication of the #ast      
edition of   the ,english translation of
 the ,french ,academie1 #aehf4 ,printed 
at   ,london by ,g4 ,bollifant4 ,the    
block is also used in a similar manner  
in the #bnd edition1 #aehi4 ,londini    
,impensis1 ,john ,bishop4               
,illustration3 ,fig4 ,,ii4    ,the first
 letter in the text of the dedication of
 the #afbe edition   of ,bacon's        
,essays1 printed in ,london1 by ,john   
,haviland4    ,both letters were printed
 from the same block4   ,,footnotes3  #i
 ,in the ,gesta ,grayorum one of the    
articles which the ,knights of the      
,helmet were required to vow to keep1   
each kissing his helmet as he took his  
vow1 was ,item--every ,knight of this   
,order shall endeavour to add conference
 and experiment to reading2 and         
therefore shall not only read and peruse
 ',guizo1' ',the ,french ,academy1'     

',galiatto the ,courtier1' ',plutarch1' 
',the ,arcadia1' and the ,neoterical    
writers from time to time1 etc4 ,the    
,gesta ,grayorum1 which was written in  
#aeid1 was not published until #afhg4   
,the manuscript was probably incorrectly
 read as to the titles of the books4    
,galiatto1 apparently1 should be        
,galateo1 described in a letter of      
,gabriel ,harvey as ,the ,italian       
,archbishop brave ,galateo4 ,the        
,courtier is the ,italian work by       
,castiglione which was ,englished by    
,sir ,thomas ,hoby4 ,guizo should be    
,guazzo4 ,stefano ,guazzo's ,civil      
,conversation--four books--was          
,englished by ,g4 ,pettie and ,young4   
#aj ,hit is used by ,chaucer as the past
 participle of ,hide4 ,the name thus    
yields a suggestive anagram1 ,bacohit4  
#aa #afah ,edition1 page #gab4  #ab ,in 
addition to this and to the ,gesta      
,grayorum 7#afib7 ,i have only been able
 to find two references to ,the ,french 
,academy in the works of ,english       

writers4  ,j4 ,payne ,collier1 in his   
,poetical ,decameron1 ,vol4 ,,ii41 page 
#bga1 draws attention to the epistle to 
the ,christian reader prefixed to the   
second part1 and suggests that the      
initials ,t4,b4 which occur at the end  
of the dedicatory epistle stand for     
,thomas ,beard1 the author of ,theatre  
of ,god's ,judgments4 ,collier does not 
appear to have read ,the ,french        
,academy4 ,dibdin1 in ,notes on ,more's 
,utopia1 says1 ,but ,i entreat the      
reader to examine 7if he be fortunate   
enough to possess the book7 ,the ,french
 ,academy of ,primaudaye1 a work written
 in a style of peculiarly impressive    
eloquence1 and which1 not very          
improbably1 was the foundation of       
,derham's and ,paley's ,natural         
,theology4  #ac ,it being now forty     
years as ,i remember1 since ,i composed 
a juvenile work on this subject which   
with great confidence and a magnificent 
title ,i named ,the greatest birth of   
,time4  #ad ,the block was used on page 

#fbf of the #aeid quarto edition of     
,william ,camden's ,britannia1 published
 in ,london by ,george ,bishop1 who was 
the publisher of the #aehf1 #aehi1 and  
#aeid editions of ,the ,french ,academy4
 ,there is a marginal note at the foot  
of the imprint of the block commencing  
,r4 ,bacons4 ,francis ,bacon is known to
 have assisted ,camden in the           
preparation of this work4 ,the          
manuscript bears evidence of the fact in
 his handwriting4     ,,chapter ,,vii4  
,,bacon',s ,,first ,,allegorical        
,,romance4   ,there is another work     
which it is impossible not to associate 
with this period1 and that is ,john     
,barclay's ,argenis4 ,it is little      
better known than is ,the ,french       
,academy1 and yet ,cowper pronounced it 
the most amusing romance ever written4  
,cardinal ,richelieu is said to have    
been extremely fond of reading it1 and  
to have derived thence many of his      
political maxims4 ,it is an allegorical 
novel4 ,it is proposed now only to      

mention some evidence connected with the
 ,argenis which supports the contention 
that the #afbe ,english edition contains
 the original composition1 and that its 
author was young ,francis ,bacon4  ,the 
first edition of the ,argenis in ,latin 
was published in #afba4 ,the authority  
to the publisher1 ,nicholas ,buon1 to   
print and sell the ,argenis is dated the
 #bast ,july1 #afba1 and was signed by  
,barclay at ,rome4 ,the ,royal authority
 is dated on the #cast ,august          
following4  ,barclay's death took place 
between these dates1 on the #abth of    
,august1 at ,rome4 ,it is reported that 
the cause of death was stone1 but in an 
appreciation of him1 published by his   
friend1 ,ralph ,thorie1 his death is    
attributed to poison4  ,the work is an  
example of the highest type of          
,latinity4 ,so impressed was ,cowper    
with its style that he stated that it   
would not have dishonoured ,tacitus     
himself4 ,a translation in ,spanish was 
published in #afbd1 and in ,italian in  

#afbi4 ,the ,latin version was          
frequently reprinted during the         
seventeenth and eighteenth              
centuries--perhaps more frequently than 
any other book4  ,in a letter dated     
#aath ,may1 #afbb1 ,chamberlain1 writing
 to ,carleton1 says3 ,the ,king has     
ordered ,ben ,jonson to translate the   
',argenis1' but he will not be able to  
equal the original4 ,on the #bnd        
,october1 #afbc1 ,ben ,jonson entered a 
translation in ,stationers' ,hall1 but  
it was never published4 ,about that time
 there was a fire in ,jonson's house1 in
 which it is said some manuscripts were 
destroyed2 but it is a pure assumption  
that the ,argenis was one of these4  ,in
 #afbi an ,english translation appeared 
by ,sir ,robert ,le ,grys1 ,knight1 and 
the verses by ,thomas ,may1 ,esquire4   
,the title-page bears the statement3    
,the prose upon his ,majesty's command4 
,there is a ,clavis appended1 also      
stated to be published at his ,majesties
 command4 ,it was printed by ,felix     

,kyngston for ,richard ,mughten and     
,henry ,seile4 ,in the address to ,the  
understanding ,reader ,le ,grys says1   
,what then should ,i say8 ,except it    
were to entreate thee1 that where my    
,english phrase doth not please thee1   
thou wilt compare it with the originall 
,latin and mend it4 ,which ,i doe not   
speak as thinking it impossible1 but as 
willing to have it done1 for the saving 
me a labour1 who1 if his ,majesty had   
not so much hastened the publishing it1 
would have reformed some things in it1  
that did not give myselfe very full     
satisfaction4  ,in #afbb ,king ,james   
ordered a translation of the ,argenis4  
,in #afbiae ,charles ,i4 was so         
impatient to have a translation that he 
hastened the publication1 thus          
preventing the translator from revising 
his work4 ,three years previously1      
however1 in #afbe--;if the date may be  
relied on--there was published as       
printed by ,g4 ,p4 for ,henry ,seile a  
translation by ,kingesmill ,long4 ,james

 died on the #beth ,march1 #afbe4 ,the  
,argenis may not have been published in 
his lifetime2 but if the date be        
correct1 three or four years before     
,charles hastened the publication of ,le
 ,grys's translation1 this far superior 
one with ,kingesmill ,long's name       
attached to it could have been obtained 
from ,h4 ,seile4 ,surely the publisher  
would have satisfied the ,king's        
impatience by supplying him with a copy 
of the #afbe edition had it been on     
sale4 ,the publication of a translation 
of the ,argenis must have attracted     
attention4 ,is it possible that it could
 have been in existence and not brought 
to the notice of the ,king8 ,there is   
something here that requires            
explanation4 ,the ,epistle ,dedicatorie 
of the #afbe edition is written in the  
familiar style of another pen1 although 
it bears the name of ,kingesmill ,long4 
,the title-page states that it is       
faithfully translated out of ,latine    
into ,english1 but it is not directly in

 the ,epistle ,dedicatorie spoken of as 
a translation4 ,the following extract   
implies that the work had been lying for
 years waiting publication3--           
,this rude piece1 such as it is1 hath   
long lyen by me1 since it was           
finished2 ,i not thinking it worthy to  
see the light4 ,i had always a          
desire and hope to have it undertaken by
 a more able workman1 that      our     
,nation might not be deprived of the use
 of so excellent a      ,story3 ,but    
finding none in so long time to have    
done it2 and      knowing that it spake 
not ,english1 though it were a rich     
jewell      to the learned ,linguist1   
yet it was close lockt from all those1  
to      whom education had not given    
more languages1 than ,nature ,tongues3  
,i      have adventured to become the   
key to this piece of hidden ,treasure1  
and have suffered myselfe to be         
overruled by some of my worthy          
friends1 whose judgements ,i have       
alwayes esteemed1 sending it      abroad

 7though coursely done7 for the delight 
and use of others4  ,not a word about   
the author6 ,the translations1 said to  
be by ,thomas ,may1 of the ,latin verses
 in the #afbi are identical with those  
in the #afbe edition1 although          
,kingesmill ,long1 on the title-page1   
appears as the translator4 ,nothing can 
be learnt as to who or what ,long was4  
,over lines ,authori1 signed ,ovv3      
,fell3#af in the #afbe edition is one of
 the well-known light and dark ,a       
devices4 ,this work is written in       
flowing and majestic ,english2 the #afbi
 edition in the cramped style of        
translation4  ,the copy bearing date    
#afbh1 to which reference has been made1
 belonged to ,john ,henry ,shorthouse4  
,he has made this note on the front     
page3 ,jno4 ,barclay's description of   
himself under the person of ,nicopompus 
,argenis1 p4 #fj4 ,this is the          
description to which he alludes3--      
,him thus boldly talking1 ,nicopompus   
could no longer endure3 he was      a   

man who from his infancy loved          
,learning2 but who disdaining to be     
nothing but a booke-man had left the    
schooles very young1 that in      the   
courts of ,kings and ,princes1 he might 
serve his apprenticeship      in        
publicke affairs2 so he grew there with 
an equall abilitie1 both      in        
learning and imployment1 his descent and
 disposition fitting him      for that  
kind of life3 wel esteemed of many      
,princes1 and especially      of        
,meleander1 whose cause together with   
the rest of the ,princes1 he      had   
taken upon him to defend4  ,this        
description is inaccurate as applied to 
,john ,barclay1 but in every detail it  
describes ,francis ,bacon4  ,a          
comparison has been made between the    
editions of #afbe and #afbi with the    
#afba ,latin edition4 ,it leaves little 
room for doubting that the #afbe is the 
original work4 ,throughout the ,latin   
appears to follow it rather than to be  
the leader2 whilst the #afbi edition    

follows the ,latin closely4 ,in some    
cases the word used in the #afbe edition
 has been incorrectly translated into   
the #afba edition1 and the ,latin word  
re-translated literally and incorrectly 
in view of the sense in the #afbi       
edition4 ,but space forbids this        
comparison being further followed2      
suffice it to say that everything points
 to the #afbe edition being the original
 work4  ,as to the date of composition  
much may be said2 but the present       
contention is that ,the ,french         
,academie1 ,the ,argenis1 and ,love's   
,labour's ,lost are productions from the
 same pen1 and that they all represent  
the work of ,francis ,bacon probably    
between the years #aegg and #aehj4 ,at  
any rate1 the first-named was written   
whilst he was in ,france1 and the others
 were founded on the incidents and      
experience obtained during his sojourn  
there4   ,,footnotes3  #ae ,one copy of 
this edition bears the date #afbh4  #af 
,probably ,owen ,felltham1 author of    

,felltham's ,resolves4     ,,chapter    
,,viii4  ,,bacon ,,in ,,france1         
#aegf-aegi4   ,this brilliant young     
scholar landed with ,sir ,amias ,paulet 
at ,calais on the #beth of ,september1  
#aegf1 and with him went straight to the
 ,court of ,henry ,,iii4 of ,france4 ,it
 is remarkable that neither ,montagu1   
,spedding1 ,hepworth ,dixon1 nor any    
other biographer seems to have thought  
it worth while to consider under what   
influences he was brought when he       
arrived there at the most impressionable
 period of his life4 ,hepworth ,dixon1  
without stating his authority1 says that
 he quits the galleries of the ,louvre  
and ,st4 ,cloud with his morals pure1   
but nothing more4 ,and yet ,francis     
,bacon arrived in ,france at the most   
momentous epoch in the history of       
,french literature4 ,this boy1 with his 
marvellous intellect--the same intellect
 which nearly half a century later      
produced the ,novum ,organum--with a    
memory saturated with the records of    

antiquity and with the writings of the  
classical authors1 with an industry     
beyond the capacity and a mind beyond   
the reach of his contemporaries1 skilled
 in the teachings of the philosophers1  
with independence of thought and a      
courage which enabled him to condemn the
 methods of study followed at the       
,university where he had spent three    
years2 this boy who had a beam of       
knowledge derived from ,god upon him1   
who had not his knowledge from books1   
but from some grounds and notions from  
himself1 and above and beyond all who   
was conscious of his powers and had     
unbounded confidence in his capacity for
 using them2 this boy walked beside the 
,english ,ambassador elect into the     
highest circles of ,french ,society at  
the time when the most important factors
 of influence were ,ronsard and his     
confreres of the ,pleiade4 ,he had left 
behind him in his native country a      
language crude and almost barbaric1     
incapable of giving expression to the   

knowledge which he possessed and the    
thoughts which resulted therefrom4  ,at 
this time there were few books written  
in the ,english tongue which could make 
any pretence to be considered           
literature3 ,sir ,thomas ,eliot's ,the  
,governor1 ,robert ,ascham's ,the       
,schoolmaster1 and ,thomas ,wright's    
,arts of ,rhetoric1 almost exhaust the  
list4 ,thynne's edition1 #aecb1 and     
,lidgate's edition1 #aefa1 of ,chaucer's
 works are not intelligible4 ,only in   
the #aeih edition can the great poet be 
read with any understanding4 ,the work  
of re-casting the poems for this edition
 was ,bacon's1 and he is the man        
referred to in the following lines1     
which are prefixed to it3--   ,the      
,reader to ,geffrey ,chaucer4           
,rea4--,where hast thou dwelt1 good     
,geffrey al this while1                 
,unknown to us save only by thy bookes8 
,chau4--,in haulks1 and hernes1 ,god    
wot1 and in exile1             ,where   
none vouchsaft to yeeld me words or     

lookes3               ,till one which   
saw me there1 and knew my friends1      
,did bring me forth3 such grace         
sometimes ,god sends4      ,rea4--,but  
who is he that hath thy books repar'd1  
,and added moe1 whereby thou are more   
graced8     ,chau4--,the selfe same man 
who hath no labor spar'd1               
,to helpe what time and writers had     
defaced3               ,and made old    
words1 which were unknoun of many1      
,so plaine1 that now they may be knoun  
of any4      ,rea4--,well fare his      
heart3 ,i love him for thy sake1        
,who for thy sake hath taken all this   
pains4     ,chau4--,would ,god ,i knew  
some means amends to make1              
,that for his toile he might receive    
some gains4               ,but wot ye   
what8 ,i know his kindnesse such1       
,that for my good he thinks no pains too
 much3               ,and more than     
that2 if he had knoune in time1         
,he would have left no fault in prose   
nor rime4  ,there is a catalogue of the 

library of ,sir ,thomas ,smith#ag on    
,august #a1 #aeff1 in his gallery at    
,hillhall4 ,it was said to contain      
nearly a thousand books4 ,of these only 
five were written in the ,english       
language4 ,under ,theologici1 ,k4 ,henry
 ,,viii4 book2 under ,juris ,civilis1   
,littleton's ,tenures1 an old           
abridgement of ,statutes2 under         
,historiographi1 ,hall's ,chronicles1   
and ,fabian's ,chronicles and ,the      
,decades of ,p4 ,martyr2 under          
,mathematica1 ,the ,art of ,navigation4 
,the remainder are in ,greek1 ,latin1   
,french1 and ,italian4 ,burghley's      
biographer states that ,burghley never  
read any books or praiers but in ,latin1
 ,french1 or ,italian1 very seldom in   
,englishe4  ,at this time ,francis      
,bacon thought in ,latin1 for his mother
 tongue was wholly insufficient4 ,there 
is abundant proof of this in his own    
handwriting4 ,under existing conditions 
there could be no ,english literature   
worthy of the name4 ,if a ,gentleman of 

the ,court wrote he either suppressed   
his writings or suffered them to be     
published without his name to them1 as  
it was a discredit for a gentleman to   
seem learned and to show himself amorous
 of any good art4 ,here is where        
,spedding missed his way and never      
recovered himself4 ,deep as is the debt 
of gratitude due to him for his devoted 
labours in the preparation of ,bacon's  
,life and ,letters and in the edition of
 his works1 it must be asserted that he 
accomplished this work without seeing   
,francis ,bacon4 ,there was a vista     
before young ,bacon's eyes from which   
the practice of the law and civil       
dignities were absent4 ,he arrived at   
the ,french ,court at the psychological 
moment when an object-lesson met his    
eyes which had a more far-reaching      
effect on the language and literature of
 the ,anglo-,saxon race than any or all 
other influences that have conspired to 
raise them to the proud position which  
to-day they occupy4 ,it is necessary    

briefly to explain the position of the  
,french language and literature at this 
juncture4  ,the ,french ,renaissance of 
literature had its beginning in the     
early years of the sixteenth century4   
,it had been preceded by that of ,italy1
 which opened in the fourteenth century1
 and reached its limit with ,ariosto and
 ,tasso1 ,macchiavelli and ,guicciardini
 during the sixteenth century4 ,towards 
the end of the fifteenth century modern 
,french poetry may be said to have had  
its origin in ,villon and ,french prose 
in ,comines4 ,the style of the former   
was artificial and his poems abounded in
 recurrent rhymes and refrains4 ,the    
latter had peculiarities of diction     
which were only compensated for by      
weight of thought and simplicity of     
expression4 ,clement ,marot1 who        
followed1 stands out as one of the first
 landmarks in the ,french ,renaissance4 
,his graceful style1 free from stiffness
 and monotony1 earned for him a         
popularity which even the brilliancy of 

the ,pleiade did not extinguish1 for he 
continued to be read with genuine       
admiration for nearly two centuries4 ,he
 was the founder of a school of which   
,mellia de ,st4 ,gelais1 the introducer 
of the sonnet into ,france1 was the most
 important member4 ,rabelais and his    
followers concurrently effected a       
complete revolution in fiction4         
,marguerite of ,navarre1 who is         
principally known as the author of ,the 
,heptameron1 maintained a literary      
,court in which the most celebrated men 
of the time held high place4 ,it was not
 until the middle of the sixteenth      
century that the great movement took    
place in ,french literature which1 if   
that which occurred in the same country 
three hundred years subsequently be     
excepted1 is without parallel in        
literary history4  ,the ,pleiade        
consisted of a group of seven men and   
boys who1 animated by a sincere and     
intelligent love of their native        
language1 banded themselves together to 

remodel it and its literary forms on the
 methods of the two great classical     
tongues1 and to reinforce it with new   
words from them4 ,they were not actuated
 by any desire for gain4 ,in #aedi ,jean
 ,daurat1 then #di years of age1 was    
professor of ,greek at le ,college de   
,coqueret in ,paris4 ,amongst those who 
attended his classes were five          
enthusiastic1 ambitious youths whose    
ages varied from seventeen to           
twenty-four4 ,they were ,pierre de      
,ronsard1 ,joachim du ,bellay1 ,remy    
,belleau1 ,antoine de ,baif1 and        
,etienne ,jodelle4 ,they and their      
,professor associated themselves        
together and received as a colleague    
,pontus de ,tyard1 who was twenty-eight4
 ,they formed a band of seven           
renovators1 to whom their countrymen    
applied the cognomen of the ,pleiade1 by
 which they will ever be known4         
,realising the defects and possibilities
 of their language1 they recognised that
 by appropriations from the ,greek and  

,latin languages1 and from the melodious
 forms of the ,italian poetry1 they     
might reform its defects and develop its
 possibilities so completely that they  
could place at the service of great     
writers a vehicle for expression which  
would be the peer if not the superior of
 any language1 classical or modern4 ,it 
was a bold project for young men1 some  
of whom were not out of their teens1 to 
venture on4 ,that they met with great   
success is beyond question2 the extent  
of that success it is not necessary to  
discuss here4 ,the main point to be     
emphasised is that it was a deliberate  
scheme1 originated1 directed1 and       
matured by a group of little more than  
boys4 ,the ,french ,renaissance was not 
the result of a spontaneous bursting out
 on all sides of genius4 ,it was wrought
 out with sheer hard work1 entailing the
 mastering of foreign languages1 and    
accompanied by devotion and without hope
 of pecuniary gain4 ,the manifesto of   
the young band was written by ,joachim  

de ,bellay in #aedi1 and was entitled1  
,la ,defense et ,illustration de la     
langue ,francaise4 ,in the following    
year appeared ,ronsard's ,ode--the first
 example of the new method4 ,pierre de  
,ronsard entered ,court life when ten   
years old4 ,in attendance on ,french    
,ambassadors he visited ,scotland and   
,england1 where he remained for some    
time4 ,a severe illness resulted in     
permanent deafness and compelled him to 
abandon his profession1 when he turned  
to literature4 ,although ,du ,bellay was
 the originator of the scheme1 ,ronsard 
became the director and the acknowledged
 leader of the band4 ,his               
accomplishments place him in the first  
rank of the poets of the world4         
,reference would be out of place here to
 the movement which was after his death 
directed by ,malherbe against ,ronsard's
 reputation and fame as a poet and his  
eventual restoration by the disciples of
 ,sainte ,beuve and the followers of    
,hugo4 ,it is desirable1 however1 to    

allude to other great ,frenchmen whose  
labours contributed in other directions 
to promote the growth of ,french        
literature4 ,jean ,calvin1 a native of  
,noyon1 in ,picardy1 had published in   
,latin1 in #aecf1 when only twenty-seven
 years of age1 his greatest work1 both  
from a literary and theological point of
 view1 ,the ,institution of the         
,christian ,religion1 which would be    
accepted as the product of full maturity
 of intellect rather than the           
firstfruits of the career of a youth4   
,what the ,pleiade had done to create a 
,french language adequate for the       
highest expression of poetry ,calvin did
 to enable facility in argument and     
discussion4 ,a ,latin scholar of the    
highest order1 avoiding in his          
compositions a tendency to declamation1 
he developed a stateliness of phrase    
which was marked by clearness and       
simplicity4 ,theodore ,beza1 historian1 
translator1 and dramatist1 was another  
contributor to the literature of this   

period4 ,jacques ,amyot had commenced   
his translations from ,ethiopica1       
treating of the royal and chaste loves  
of ,theagenes and ,chariclea three years
 before ,du ,bellay's manifesto         
appeared4 ,montaigne1 referring to his  
translation of ,plutarch1 accorded to   
him the palm over all ,french writers1  
not only for the simplicity and purity  
of his vocabulary1 in which he surpassed
 all others1 but for his industry and   
depth of learning4 ,in another field    
,michel ,eyquem ,sieur de ,montaigne had
 arisen4 ,his moral essays found a      
counterpart in the biographical essays  
of the ,abbe de ,brantome4 ,agrippa     
,d',aubigne1 prose writer1 historian1   
and poet2 ,guillaume de ,saluste du     
,bartas1 the ,protestant ,ronsard whose 
works were more largely translated into 
,english than those of any other ,french
 writer2 ,philippes ,desportes and      
others might be mentioned as forming    
part of that brilliant circle of writers
 who had during a comparatively short   

period helped to achieve such a high    
position for the language and literature
 of ,france4         99       99        
99       99       99  ,in #aegf1 when   
,francis ,bacon arrived in ,france1 the 
fame of the ,pleiade was at its zenith4 
,du ,bellay and ,jodelle were dead1 but 
the fruit of their labours and of those 
of their colleagues was evoking the     
admiration of their countrymen4 ,the    
popularity of ,ronsard1 the prince of   
poets and the poet of princes1 was      
without precedent4 ,it is said that the 
,king had placed beside his throne a    
state chair for ,ronsard to occupy4     
,poets and men of letters were held in  
high esteem by their countrymen4 ,in    
,england1 for a gentleman to be amorous 
of any learned art was held to be       
discreditable1 and any proclivities in  
this direction had to be hidden under   
assumed names or the names of others4   
,in ,france it was held to be           
discreditable for a gentleman not to be 
amorous of the learned arts4 ,the young 

men of the ,pleiade were all of good    
family1 and all came from cultured      
homes4 ,marguerite of ,navarre had set  
the example of attracting poets and     
writers to her ,court and according     
honours to them on account of their     
achievements4 ,the kings of ,france had 
adopted a similar attitude4 ,during the 
same period in ,england ,henry ,,viii41 
,mary1 and ,elizabeth had been following
 other courses4 ,they had given no      
encouragement to the pursuit of         
literature4 ,notwithstanding the        
repetition by historians of the         
assertion that the good ,queen ,bess was
 a munificent patron of men of letters1 
literature flourished in her reign in   
spite of her action and not by its aid4 
,bacon implies this in the opening      
sentences of the second book of the     
,advancement of ,learning4 ,he speaks of
 ,queen ,elizabeth as being a sojourner 
in the world in respect of her unmarried
 life1 rather than an inhabitant4 ,she  
hath indeed adorned her own time and    

many waies enricht it2 but in truth to  
,your ,majesty1 whom ,god hath blest    
with so much ,royall issue worthy to    
perpetuate you for ever2 whose youthfull
 and fruitfull ,bed1 doth yet promise   
more children2 it is very proper1 not   
only to iradiate as you doe your own    
times1 but also to extend your ,cares to
 those ,acts which succeeding ,ages may 
cherish1 and ,eternity itself behold3   
,amongst which1 if my affection to      
learning doe not transport me1 there is 
none more worthy1 or more noble1 than   
the endowment of the world with sound   
and fruitfull ,advancement of ,learning3
 ,for why should we erect unto ourselves
 some few authors1 to stand like        
,hercules ,columnes beyond which there  
should be no discovery of knowledge1    
seeing we have your ,majesty as a bright
 and benigne starre to conduct and      
prosper us in this ,navigation4 ,as     
,elizabeth had been unfruitful in her   
body1 and ,james fruitful1 so had she   
been unfruitful in encouraging the      

,advancement of ,learning1 but the      
appeal is made to ,james that he1 being 
blessed with a considerable issue1      
should also have an issue by the        
endowment of ,learning4  ,what must have
 been the effect on the mind of this    
brilliant young ,englishman1 ,francis   
,bacon1 when he entered into this       
literary atmosphere so different from   
that of the ,court which he had left    
behind him8 ,there was hardly a         
classical writer whose works he had not 
read and re-read4 ,he was familiar with 
the teachings of the schoolmen2 imbued  
with a deep religious spirit1 he had    
mastered the principles of their faiths 
and the subtleties of their             
disputations4 ,the intricacies of the   
known systems of philosophies had been  
laid bare before his penetrating        
intellect4 ,with the mysteries of       
mathematics and numbers he was familiar4
 ,what had been discovered in astronomy1
 alchemy and astrology he had absorbed2 
however technical might be a subject1 he

 had mastered its details4 ,in          
architecture the works of ,vitruvius had
 been not merely read but criticised    
with the skill of an expert4 ,medicine1 
surgery--every subject--he had made     
himself master of4 ,in fact1 when he    
asserted that he had taken all knowledge
 to be his province he spoke advisedly  
and with a basis of truth which has     
never until now been recognised4 ,the   
youth of #ag who possessed the          
intellect1 the brain and the memory     
which jointly produced the ,novum       
,organum1 whose mind was so abnormal    
that the artist painting his portrait   
was impelled to place round it the      
significant words1 si tabula daretur    
digna1 animum mallem1 who had taken all 
knowledge to be his province1 was       
capable of any achievement of the       
,admirable ,crichton4 ,and this youth it
 was who in #aegf passed from a country 
of literary and intellectual torpor into
 the brilliancy of the companionship of 
,pierre de ,ronsard and his associates4 

,it is one of the most stupendous       
factors in his life4 ,something happened
 to him before his return to ,england   
which affected the whole of his future  
life4 ,it may be considered a wild      
assertion to make1 but the time will    
come when its truth will be proved1 that
 ,the ,anatomie of the ,minde1          
,beautiful ,blossoms1 and ,the ,french  
,academy1 are the product of one mind1  
and that same mind produced the ,arte of
 ,english ,poesie1 ,an ,apology for     
,poetrie1 by ,sir ,john ,harrington1 and
 ,the ,defense of ,poetry1 by ,sir      
,philip ,sydney4 ,the former three were 
written before #aegh and place the      
philosopher before the poet2 the latter 
three were written after #aehj and place
 the poet--the creator--before the      
philosopher4 ,francis ,bacon had        
recognised that the highest achievement 
was the act of creation4 ,henceforth he 
lived to create4  ,sir ,nicholas ,bacon 
died on or about the #agth of ,february1
 #aegh-i4 ,how or where this news       

reached ,francis is not recorded1 but on
 the #bjth of the following ,march he   
left ,paris for ,england1 after a stay  
of two and a-half years on the          
,continent4 ,he brought with him to the 
,queen a despatch from ,sir ,amias      
,paulet1 in which he was spoken of as   
being of great hope1 endued with many   
and singular parts1 and one who1 if ,god
 gave him life1 would prove a very able 
and sufficient subject to do her        
,highness good and acceptable           
service4#ah   ,,footnotes3  #ag ,sir    
,thomas ,smith 7#aeab-aegg7 was         
,secretary of ,state under ,edward ,,vi4
 and ,elizabeth--a good scholar and     
philosopher4 ,he1 when ,greek lecturer  
and orator at ,cambridge1 with ,john    
,cheke1 introduced1 in spite of strong  
opposition1 the correct way of speaking 
,greek1 restoring the pronunciation of  
the ancients4  #ah ,state ,paper        
,office2 ,french ,correspondence4       
,,chapter ,,ix4  ,,bacon',s ,,suit ,,on 
,,his ,,return ,,to ,,england1 #aehj4   

,spedding states that the earliest      
composition of ,bacon which he had been 
able to discover is a letter written in 
his #bjth year from ,grays ,inn4 ,from  
that time forward1 he continues1        
compositions succeed each other without 
any considerable interval1 and in       
following them we shall accompany him   
step by step through his life4 ,what are
 the compositions which ,spedding places
 as being written but not published up  
to the year #aeig1 when the first small 
volume of #aj essays containing less    
than #f1jjj words was issued from the   
press8 ,these are they3--       ,notes  
on the ,state of ,christendom#ai 7date  
#aehj to #aehd74       ,letter of       
,advice to the ,queen 7#aehd-aehf74     
,an ,advertisement touching the         
,controversies of the ,church of        
,england 7#aehf-aehi74       ,speeches  
written for some ,court device1 namely1 
,mr4 ,bacon in praise      of           
,knowledge1 and ,mr4 ,bacon's discourse 
in praise of his ,sovereign             

7#aeij-aeib74       ,certain            
observations made upon a libel published
 this present year1      #aeib4       ,a
 true report of the ,detestable ,treason
 intended by ,dr4 ,roderigo      ,lopez1
 #aeid4       ,gesta ,grayorum1 #aeid1  
parts of which are printed by ,spedding 
in      type denoting doubtful          
authorship4       ,bacon's device1      
#aeid-aeih4       ,three letters to the 
,earl of ,rutland on his travels1       
#aeie-aeif4  ,that is all6 ,these are   
the compositions which follow each other
 without considerable interval1 and by  
which we are to accompany him step by   
step through those seventeen years which
 should be the most important years in a
 man's life6 ,he could have turned them 
out in ten days or a fortnight with     
ease4 ,we expect from ,mr4 ,spedding    
bread1 and he gives us a stone6  ,this  
brilliant young man1 who1 when #ae years
 of age1 left ,cambridge1 having        
possessed himself of all the knowledge  
it could afford to a student1 who had   

travelled in ,france1 ,spain and ,italy 
to polish his mind and mould his opinion
 by intercourse with all kinds of       
foreigners1 how was he occupying himself
 during what should be the most fruitful
 years of his life8 ,following his      
profession at the ,bar8 ,his affections 
did not that way tend4 ,spedding        
expresses the opinion that he had a     
distaste for his profession1 and1       
writing of the circumstances with which 
he was surrounded in #aeib1 says3 ,i do 
not find that he was getting into       
practice4 ,his main object still was to 
find ways and means for prosecuting his 
great philosophical enterprise4 ,what   
was this enterprise8 ,i confess that ,i 
have as vast contemplative ends as ,i   
have moderate means1 he says1 writing to
 ,burghley1 for ,i have taken all       
knowledge to be my province4 ,this means
 more than mere academic philosophy4    
,in #aeic1 when ,bacon was put forward  
and upheld for a year as a candidate for
 the post of ,attorney-,general1        

,spedding writes of him2 ,he had had    
little or no practice in the ,courts2   
what proof he had given of professional 
proficiency was confined to his readings
 and exercises in ,grays ,inn4444 ,law1 
far from being his only1 was not even   
his favourite study2 444 his head was   
full of ideas so new and large that to  
most about him they must have seemed    
visionary4  ,writing of him in #aeid    
,spedding says3 ,the strongest point    
against ,bacon's pretensions for the    
,attorneyship was his want of practice4 
,his opponents said that 'he had never  
entered the place of battle4'#bj        
,whether this was because he could not  
find clients or did not seek them ,i    
cannot say4 ,in order to meet the       
objection1 ,bacon on the #beth ,january1
 #aeic-d1 made his first pleading1 and  
,burghley sent his secretary to         
congratulate unto him the first fruits  
of his public practice4  ,there is one  
other misconception to be corrected4 ,it
 is urged that ,bacon was1 during this  

period1 engrossed in ,parliamentary     
life4 ,from #aehd to #aeig five         
,parliaments were summoned4 ,bacon sat  
in each4 ,in his twenty-fifth year he   
was elected member for ,melcombe1 in    
,dorsetshire4 ,in the ,parliament of    
#aehf he sat for ,taunton1 in that of   
#aehh for ,liverpool1 in that of #aeib-c
 for ,middlesex1 and in #aeig for       
,ipswich4  ,but the sittings of these   
,parliaments were not of long duration1 
and the speeches which he delivered and 
the meetings of committees upon which he
 was appointed would absorb but a small 
portion of his time4 ,it must be patent1
 therefore1 that ,spedding does not     
account for his occupations from his    
return to ,england in #aegh until #aeig1
 when the first small volume of his     
,essays was published4  ,during the     
whole of this period ,bacon was in      
monetary difficulties1 and yet there is 
no evidence that he was living a life of
 dissipation or even of extravagance4   
,on the contrary1 all testimony would   

point to the conclusion that he was     
following the path of a strictly moral  
and studious young man4 ,on his return  
to ,england he took lodgings in ,coney  
,court1 ,grays ,inn4 ,there ,anthony    
found him when he returned from abroad4 
,there are no data upon which to form   
any reliable opinion as to the amount of
 his income at this time4 ,rawley states
 that ,sir ,nicholas ,bacon had         
collected a considerable sum of money   
which he had separated with intention to
 have made a competent purchase of land 
for the livelihood of his youngest son1 
but the purchase being unaccomplished at
 his death1 ,francis received only a    
fifth portion of the money dividable1 by
 which means he lived in some straits   
and necessities in his younger years4   
,it is not clear whether the money      
dividable was only that separated by    
,sir ,nicholas1 or whether he left other
 sums which went to augment the fund    
divisible amongst the brothers4 ,his    
other children were well provided for4  

,francis was not1 however1 without      
income4 ,sir ,nicholas had left certain 
manors1 etc41 in ,herts to his sons     
,anthony and ,francis in tail male1     
remainder to himself and his heirs4     
,lady ,ann ,bacon had vested an estate  
called ,markes1 in ,essex1 in ,francis1 
and there is a letter1 dated #afth      
,april1 #aeic1 from ,anthony to his     
mother urging her to concur in its sale1
 so that the proceeds might be applied  
to the relief of his brother's financial
 position4#ba  ,lady ,bacon lived at    
,gorhambury4 ,she was not extravagant1  
and yet in #aehi she was so impoverished
 that ,captain ,allen1 in writing to    
,anthony1 speaking of his mother1 ,lady 
,bacon1 says she also saith her jewels  
be spent for you1 and that she borrowed 
the last money of seven several persons4
 ,whatever her resources were1 they had 
by then been exhausted for her sons4    
,anthony was apparently a man of        
considerable means4 ,he was master of   
the manor and priory of ,redburn1 of the

 manor of ,abbotsbury1 ,minchinbury and 
,hores1 in the parish of ,barley1 in the
 county of ,hertford2 of the            
,brightfirth wood1 ,merydan-meads1 and  
,pinner-,stoke farms1 in the county of  
,middlesex4#bb  ,but within a few years 
after his return to ,england ,anthony   
was borrowing money wherever he could4  
,mother and brother appear to have      
exhausted their resources and their     
borrowing capabilities4 ,there is an    
account showing that in eighteen months1
 about #aeic1 ,anthony lent ,francis    
,l#cgc1 equivalent to nearly ,l#c1jjj at
 to-day's value4 ,in #aeig ,francis was 
arrested by the sheriff for a debt of   
,l#cjj1 for which a money-lender had    
obtained judgment against him1 and he   
was cast into the ,tower4 ,where had all
 the money gone8 ,there is no adequate  
explanation4         99       99        
99       99       99  ,the first letter 
of ,francis ,bacon's which ,spedding met
 with1 to which reference has already   
been made1 is dated #aath ,july1 #aehj1 

to ,mr4 ,doylie1 and is of little       
importance4 ,the six letters which      
follow--all there are between #aehj and 
#aeijbc--relate to one subject1 and are 
of great significance4 ,the first is    
dated from ,grays ,inn1 #afth           
,september1 #aehj1 to ,lady ,burghley4  
,in it young ,francis1 now #ai years of 
age1 makes this request3 ,that it would 
please your ,ladyship in your letters   
wherewith you visit my good ,lord to    
vouchsafe the mention and recommendation
 of my suit2 wherein your ,ladyship     
shall bind me more unto you than ,i can 
look ever to be able to sufficiently    
acknowledge4  ,the next letter--written 
on the same day--is addressed to ,lord  
,burghley4 ,its object is thus set      
forth3--       ,my letter hath no       
further errand but to commend unto your 
,lordship      the remembrance of my    
suit which then ,i moved unto you1      
whereof it      also pleased your       
,lordship to give me good hearing so far
 forth as      to promise to tender it  

unto her ,majesty1 and withal to add in 
the      behalf of it that which ,i may 
better deliver by letter than by        
speech1 which is1 that although it must 
be confessed that the      request is   
rare and unaccustomed1 yet if it be     
observed how few      there be which    
fall in with the study of the common    
laws either      being well left or     
friended1 or at their own free election1
 or      forsaking likely success in    
other studies of more delight and no    
less preferment1 or setting hand        
thereunto early without waste of        
years upon such survey made1 it may be  
my case may not seem      ordinary1 no  
more than my suit1 and so more beseeming
 unto it4 ,as ,i      force myself to   
say this in excuse of my motion1 lest it
 should      appear unto your ,lordship 
altogether undiscreet and unadvised1 so 
my hope to obtain it resteth only upon  
your ,lordship's good      affection    
towards me and grace with her ,majesty1 
who methinks      needeth never to call 

for the experience of the thing1 where  
she      hath so great and so good of   
the person which recommendeth it4  ,what
 was this suit8 ,spedding cannot suggest
 any explanation4 ,he says3 ,what the   
particular employment was for which he  
hoped ,i cannot say2 something probably 
connected with the service of the       
,crown1 to which the memory of his      
father1 an old and valued servant       
prematurely lost1 his near relationship 
to the ,lord ,treasurer1 and the        
personal notice which he had himself    
received from the ,queen1 would         
naturally lead him to look4444 ,the     
proposition1 whatever it was1 having    
been explained to ,burghley in          
conversation1 is only alluded to in     
these letters4 ,it seems to have been so
 far out of the common way as to require
 an apology1 and the terms of the       
apology imply that it was for some      
employment as a lawyer4 ,and this is all
 the light ,i can throw upon it4        
,subsequently ,spedding says the motion 

was one#bd which would in some way have 
made it unnecessary for him to follow 'a
 course of practice1' meaning1 ,i       
presume1 ordinary practice at the ,bar4 
,another expression in the letter makes 
it clear that the object of the suit was
 an experiment4 ,the ,queen could not   
have experience of the thing1 and ,bacon
 solicited ,burghley's recommendation1  
because she would not need the          
experience if he1 so great and so good1 
vouched for it4  ,burghley appears to   
have tendered the suit to the ,queen1   
for there is a letter dated #ahth       
,october1 #aehj1 addressed to him by    
,bacon1 commencing3       ,your         
,lordship's comfortable relation to her 
,majesty's gracious      opinion and    
meaning towards me1 though at that time 
your leisure      gave me not leave to  
show how ,i was affected therewith1 yet 
upon      every representation thereof  
it entereth and striketh so much more   
deeply into me1 as both my nature and   
duty presseth me to return      some    

speech of thankfulness4  ,spedding      
remarks thereon3 ,it seems that he had  
spoken to ,burghley on the subject and  
made some overture1 which ,burghley     
undertook to recommend to the ,queen2   
and that the ,queen1 who though slow to 
bestow favours was careful always to    
encourage hopes1 entertained the motion 
graciously and returned a favourable    
answer4 ,the proposition1 whatever it   
was1 having been explained to ,burghley 
in conversation1 is only alluded to in  
these letters4  ,spedding dismisses     
these three letters in #bb lines of     
comment1 which contain the extracts     
before set out4 ,he regards the matter  
as of slight consequence1 and admits    
that he can throw no light upon it4 ,but
 he points out that it was so far out of
 the common way as to require an        
apology4 ,surely he has not well weighed
 the terms of the apology when he says  
they imply that it was for some         
employment as a lawyer4  ,there had been
 a conversation between ,bacon and      

,burghley during which ,bacon had       
submitted a project to the              
accomplishment of which he was prepared 
to devote his life in the ,queen's      
service4 ,it necessitated his abandoning
 the profession of the law4 ,apparently 
,burghley had remonstrated with him1 in 
the manner of experienced men of the    
world1 against forsaking a certain road 
and avenue to preferment in favour of   
any course rare and unaccustomed4       
,referring in his letter to this1       
,bacon's parenthetical clause beginning 
either being well left or friended1     
etc41 is confession and avoidance4 ,in  
effect he says3--,few study the common  
laws who have influence2 few at their   
own free election2 few desert studies of
 more delight and no less preferment2   
and few devote themselves to that study 
from their earliest years4 ,since there 
are few who1 having my opportunities1   
devote themselves to the study of the   
common laws1 my position in so doing    
would not be an ordinary one1 no more   

than is my suit4 ,therefore1 why should 
,i1 having your ,burleigh's influence to
 help me1 sacrifice my great            
intellectual capabilities fitting me to 
accomplish my great contemplative ends8 
,why should ,i sacrifice them to a study
 of the common laws8  ,the sentence may 
be otherwise construed1 but in any case 
it involves an apology for the          
abandonment of the profession which had 
been chosen for him4  ,the next letter  
is addressed to the ,right ,honourable  
,sir ,francis ,walsingham1 principal    
secretary to her ,majesty1 and is dated 
from ,grays ,inn1 #beth of ,august1     
#aehe4 ,spedding's comment on it is as  
follows3--       ,for all this time1 it 
seems1 the suit 7whatever it was7 which 
he      had made to her through         
,burghley in #aehj remained in suspense1
      neither granted nor denied1 and   
the uncertainty prevented him from      
settling his course of life4 ,from the  
following letter to      ,walsingham we 
may gather two things more concerning   

it3 it was      something which had been
 objected to as unfit for so young a    
man2      and which would in some way   
have made it unnecessary for him to     
follow 'a course of practice'--meaning1 
,i presume1 ordinary      practice at   
the ,bar4  ,this is the letter3--       
,it may please your ,honour to give me  
leave amidst your great and      diverse
 business to put you in remembrance of  
my poor suit1 leaving      the time unto
 your ,honour's best opportunity and    
commodity4 ,i think      the objection  
of my years will wear away with the     
length of my      suit4 ,the very stay  
doth in this respect concern me1 because
 ,i am      thereby hindered to take a  
course of practice which1 by the leave  
of ,god1 if her ,majesty like not my    
suit1 ,i must and will follow3      not 
for any necessity of estate1 but for my 
credit sake1 which ,i      know by      
living out of action will wear4 ,i spake
 when the ,court was      at ,theball's 
to ,mr4 ,vice-,chamberlain1#be who      

promised me his      furderance2 which  
,i did lest he mought be made for some  
other4 ,if      it may please your      
,honour1 who as ,i hear hath great      
interest in      him1 to speak with him 
in it1 ,i think he will be fast mine4   
,spedding remarks3 ,this is the last we 
hear of this suit1 the nature and fate  
of which must both be left to           
conjecture4 ,with regard to its fate1 my
 own conjecture is that he presently    
gave up all hope of success in it1 and  
tried instead to obtain through his     
interest at ,court some furtherance in  
the direct line of his profession4  ,he 
adds3 ,the solid grounds on which       
,bacon's pretensions rested had not yet 
been made manifest to the apprehension  
of ,bench and ,bar2 his mind was full of
 matters with which they could have no  
sympathy1 and the shy and studious      
habits which we have seen so offend ,mr4
 ,faunt would naturally be misconstrued 
in the same way by many others4#bf      
,this passage refers to a letter to     

,burghley dated the #fth of the         
following ,may1 i4e41 #aehf1 from which 
it will be seen that the last had not   
been heard of the motion4 ,burghley had 
been remonstrating with ,bacon as to    
reports which had come to him of his    
nephew's proceedings4 ,bacon writes3--  
,i take it as an undoubted sign of your 
,lordship's favour unto me      that    
being hardly informed of me you took    
occasion rather of good      advice than
 of evil opinion thereby4 ,and if your  
,lordship had      grounded only upon   
the said information of theirs1 ,i      
mought and      would truly have        
upholden that few of the matters were   
justly      objected2 as the very       
circumstances do induce in that they    
were      delivered by men that did     
misaffect me and besides were to give   
colour to their own doings4 ,but because
 your ,lordship did mingle              
therewith both a late motion of mine own
 and somewhat which you had             
otherwise heard1 ,i know it to be my    

duty 7and so do ,i stand      affected7 
rather to prove your ,lordship's        
admonition effectual in      my doings  
hereafter than causeless by excusing    
what is past4 ,and      yet 7with your  
,lordship's pardon humbly asked7 it may 
please you to      remember that ,i did 
endeavour to set forth that said motion 
in such      sort as it mought breed no 
harder effect than a denial1 and ,i     
protest simply before ,god that ,i      
sought therein an ease in coming        
within ,bars1 and not any extraordinary 
and singular note of      favour4  ,may 
not the interpretation of the phrase ,i 
sought therein an ease in coming within 
,bars be ,i sought in that motion a     
freedom from the burden 7or necessity7  
of coming within ,bars4 ,the phrase an  
ease in is very unusual1 and unless it  
was a term used in connection with the  
,inns it is difficult to see its precise
 meaning4 ,in other words1 he sought an 
alternative method to provide means for 
carrying out his great philosophical    

enterprise4  ,there is an interval of   
five years before the next and last     
letter of the six was written4 ,it is   
undated1 but an observation in it shows 
that it was written when he was about   
#ca years of age1 thus fixing the date  
at #aeia4  ,from an entry in ,burghley's
 note book1#bg dated #bi ,october1      
#aehi1 it appears that in the meantime a
 grant had been made to ,bacon of the   
reversion of the office of ,clerk to the
 ,counsel in the ,star ,chamber4 ,this  
was worth about ,l#a1fjj per annum and  
executed by deputy1 but the reversion   
did not fall in for twenty years1 so it 
did not affect the immediate difficulty 
in ways and means4  ,there are          
occasional references to ,francis in    
,anthony's correspondence which show    
that the brothers were residing at      
,grays ,inn1 but nothing is stated as to
 the occupation of the younger brother4 
,at this time1 according to             
,spedding1#bh who1 however1 does not    
give his authority1 ,francis had a lodge

 at ,twickenham4 ,many of his letters   
are subsequently addressed from it1 and 
three years later he was keeping a staff
 of scriveners there4  ,the last letter 
is addressed to ,lord ,burghley1 who is 
in it described by ,bacon as the second 
founder of my poor estate1 and contains 
the following3--       ,i cannot accuse 
myself that ,i am either prodigal or    
slothful1 yet      my health is not to  
spend nor my course to get4 ,lastly1 ,i 
confess      that ,i have as vast       
contemplative ends as ,i have moderate  
civil      ends3 for ,i have taken all  
knowledge to be my province4 ,this      
whether it be curiosity or vain glory1  
or 7if one takes it      favourably7    
philanthropia1 is so fixed in my mind as
 it cannot be      removed4 ,and ,i do  
easily see1 that place of any reasonable
      countenance doth bring commandment
 of more wits than of a man's      own1 
which is the thing ,i greatly affect4   
,and for your ,lordship1      perhaps   
you shall not find more strength and    

less encounter in any      other4 ,and  
if your ,lordship shall find now1 or at 
any time1 that ,i      do seek or affect
 any place1 whereunto any that is nearer
 to your      ,lordship shall be        
concurrent1 say then that ,i am a most  
dishonest      man4 ,and if your        
,lordship will not carry me on1 ,i will 
not do as      ,anaxagoras did1 who     
reduced himself with contemplation unto 
voluntary poverty2 but this ,i will do1 
,i will sell the inheritance      that  
,i have1 and purchase some lease of     
quick revenue1 or some      office of   
gain that shall be executed by deputy1  
and so give over      all care of       
service and become some sorry bookmaker1
 or a true      pioneer in that mine of 
truth1 which he said lay so deep4 ,this 
which ,i have writ to your ,lordship is 
rather thoughts than words1      being  
set down without all art1 disguising or 
reservation4  ,the suit has been of no  
avail4 ,once more ,bacon appeals 7and   
this is to be his final appeal7 to his  

uncle4 ,he is writing thoughts rather   
than words1 set down without art1       
disguising or reservation4 ,but if his  
,lordship will not carry him along he   
has definitely decided on his course of 
action4 ,the law is not now even        
referred to4 ,if the object of the suit 
was not stated in #aehj1 there cannot be
 much doubt now but that it had to do   
with the making of books and pioneer    
work in the mine of truth4 ,for ten     
years ,francis ,bacon had waited1 buoyed
 up by encouragements and false hopes4  
,now he decides to take his fortune into
 his own hands and rely no more on      
assistance either from the ,queen or    
,burghley4  ,one sentence in the letter 
should be noted3 ,if your ,lordship     
shall find now1 or at any time1 that ,i 
do seek or affect any place whereunto   
any that is nearer unto your ,lordship  
shall be concurrent1 say then that ,i am
 a most dishonest man4 ,surely this was 
an assurance on ,bacon's part that he   
did not seek or affect to stand in the  

way of the one--the only one1 ,robert   
,cecil--who stood nearer to ,burghley in
 kinship4  ,it therefore appears evident
 from the foregoing facts3--  7#a7 ,that
 ,francis ,bacon at #ag years of age was
 an accomplished scholar2 that his      
knowledge was abnormally great1 and that
 his wit1 memory1 and mental qualities  
were of the highest order--probably     
without parallel4  7#b7 ,that in the    
year #aehj1 when #ai years old1 he      
sought the assistance of ,burghley to   
induce the ,queen to supply him with    
means and the opportunity to carry out  
some great work upon the achievement of 
which he had set his heart4 ,the work   
was without precedent1 and in carrying  
it out he was prepared to dedicate to   
her ,majesty the use and spending of his
 life4  7#c7 ,that for ten years he     
waited and hoped for the granting of his
 suit1 which was rare and unaccustomed1 
until eventually he was compelled to    
relinquish it and rely upon his own     
resources to effect his object4  7#d7   

,but he desired to command other wits   
than his own1 and that could be more    
easily achieved by one holding place of 
any reasonable countenance4 ,he         
therefore sought through ,burleigh place
 accompanied by income1 so that he might
 be enabled to achieve the vast         
contemplative ends he had in view4  7#e7
 ,that during the years #aehj to #aeig1 
in which he claims that he was not      
slothful1 there is no evidence of his   
being occupied in his profession or in  
,state affairs to any appreciable       
extent1 and yet there do not exist any  
acknowledged works as the result of his 
labours4 ,rawley states that ,bacon     
would suffer no moment of time to slip  
from him without some present           
improvement4  7#f7 ,he received         
pecuniary assistance from his uncle1    
,lord ,burghley4 ,he strained the       
monetary resources of his mother and    
brother1 which were not inconsiderable1 
to the utmost1 exhausted his own1 and   
heavily encumbered himself with debts1  

and yet he was not prodigal or          
extravagant4  7#g7 ,money and time he   
must have to carry out his scheme1      
which1 if one takes it favourably1 might
 be termed philanthropia1 and he        
therefore decided that1 failing         
obtaining some sinecure office1 he would
 sell the inheritance he had1 purchase  
some lease of quick revenue or office of
 gain that could be executed by a       
deputy1 give over all care of serving   
the ,state1 and become some sorry       
bookmaker or a true pioneer in the mine 
of truth4  7#h7 ,spedding says1 ,he     
could at once imagine like a poet and   
execute like a clerk of the works2 but  
whatever his contemplative ends were    
there is nothing known to his           
biographers which reveals the result of 
his labours as clerk of the works4  7#i7
 ,if he carried out the course of action
 which he contemplated it is clear that 
he decided to do so without himself     
appearing as its author and director4   
,from #aehj to #aeij something more was 

on his mind than the works he published 
after he had arrived at sixty years of  
age4 ,i am no vain promiser1 he said4   
,where can the fulfilment of his promise
 be found8 ,can his course be followed  
by tracing through the period the trail 
which was left by some great and        
powerful mind directing the progress of 
the ,english ,renaissance8              
,,footnotes3  #ai ,spedding prints this 
in small type1 being doubtful as to the 
authorship4  #bj ,that is1 never held a 
brief4  #ba ,i am indebted to ,mr4      
,harold ,hardy for this interesting     
information4 ,there is an entry in the  
,state ,papers1 #afjh1 ,jan4 #ca3 ,grant
 at the suit of ,sir ,francis ,bacon to 
,sir ,william ,cooke1 ,sir ,john        
,constable1 and three others1 of the    
,king's reversion of the estates in     
,herts above referred to4 ,sir          
,nicholas1 to whom it had descended from
 the ,lord ,keeper1 conveyed the        
remainder to ,queen ,elizabeth her heirs
 and successors with the condition that 

if he paid ,l#ajj the grant should be   
void1 which was apparently done to      
prevent the said ,sir ,francis to       
dispose of the same land which otherwise
 by law he might have done4 ,when ,lady 
,anne conveyed the ,markes estate to    
,francis it was subject to a similar    
condition1 namely1 that the grant was to
 be null and void on ,lady ,ann paying  
ten shillings to ,francis4 ,this        
condition made it impossible for        
,francis to dispose of his interest in  
the estate1 hence ,anthony's request in 
the letter above referred to4 ,it is    
obvious that his relatives considered   
that ,francis was not to be trusted with
 property which he could turn into      
money4 ,there was evidently some heavy  
strain on his resources which caused him
 to convert everything he could into    
cash4  #bb ,story of ,lord ,bacon's     
,life4 ,hepworth ,dixon1 p4 #bh4  #bc   
,the two letters of #afth ,september1   
#aehj1 and that of #aeth ,october1      
#aehj1 are taken from copies in the     

,lansdowne collection4 ,that of the #fth
 ,may1 #aehf1 is in the same collection1
 and is an original in ,bacon's         
handwriting4 ,the letter of #beth       
,august1 #aehe1 is also in his          
handwriting1 and is in the ,state       
,papers1 ,domestic4 ,the letter without 
date1 written to ,burghley presumably in
 #aeia1 is from the supplement to the   
,resuscitatio1 #afeg4  #bd ,life and    
,letters1 ,vol4 ,i4 p4 #eg4  #be ,this  
was ,sir ,christopher ,hatton4  #bf     
,life and ,letters1 ,vol ,i4 p4 #ei4    
#bg ,cott4 ,,mss4 ,tit4 ,,cx4 #ic4  #bh 
,life and ,letters1 ,vol4 ,i41 p4 #aaj4 
,,chapter ,x4  ,,the ,,rare ,,and       
,,unaccustomed ,,suit4   ,what was this 
rare and unaccustomed suit of which the 
,queen could have had no experience and 
which1 according to ,spedding1 would    
make it unnecessary for ,bacon to follow
 ordinary practice at the bar8          
,historians and biographers have founded
 on this suit the allegation that from  
his earliest years ,bacon was a place   

hunter1 entirely ignoring the fact1     
which is made clear from the letter to  
,walsingham written four years after the
 application was first made1 that he had
 resolved on a course of action which1  
if her ,majesty liked not his suit1 by  
the leave of ,god he must and would     
follow1 not for any necessity of estate1
 but for his credit sake4 ,here was a   
young man of twenty years of age1       
earnestly urging the adoption of a      
scheme which he had conceived1 and which
 he feared ,burghley might consider     
indiscreet and unadvised4 ,failing in   
obtaining his object1 as will be proved 
by definite evidence1 undertaking at the
 cost of ,thomas ,bodley and other      
friends a course of travel to better fit
 him for the task he had mapped out as  
his life's work--returning to ,england  
and1 four years after his first request 
had been made1 renewing his suit--grimly
 in earnest and determined to carry the 
scheme through at all costs1 with or    
without the ,queen's aid4 ,this is not  

the conduct of a mere place hunter4 ,if 
these letters be read aright and the    
reasonable theory which will be advanced
 of the nature of the suit be           
accepted--all efforts to suggest any    
explanation having hitherto1 as         
,spedding admits1 proved futile--a fresh
 light will be thrown upon the character
 of ,francis ,bacon1 and the heavy      
obligation under which he has placed his
 countrymen for all ages will for the   
first time be recognised4  ,in the seven
 volumes of ,bacon's ,life and ,letters 
there is nothing to justify the eulogy  
on his character to which ,spedding gave
 utterance in the following words3--,but
 in him the gift of seeing in prophetic 
vision what might be and ought to be was
 united with the practical talent of    
devising means and handling minute      
details4 ,he could at once imagine like 
a poet and execute like a clerk of the  
works4 ,upon the conviction ,this must  
be done followed at once ,how may it be 
done8 ,upon that question answered      

followed the resolution to try and do   
it4 ,but although ,spedding fails to    
produce any evidence to justify his     
statement1 it is nevertheless correct4  
,more than that1 the actual achievement 
followed with unerring certainty1 but   
,spedding restricts ,bacon's life's work
 to the establishment of a system of    
inductive philosophy1 and records the   
failure of the system4  ,william ,cecil 
was a man of considerable classical     
attainments1 although these were        
probably not superior to those of       
,mildred ,cooke1 the lady who became his
 second wife4 ,he was initiated into the
 methods of statesmanship at an early   
age by his father1 ,richard ,cecil1     
,master of the ,robes to ,henry ,,viii4 
,having found favour with ,somerset1 the
 ,protector of ,edward ,,vi41 he was1   
when #bg years of age1 made ,master of  
,requests4 ,when ,somerset fell from    
power in #aedi young ,cecil1 with other 
adherents of the ,protector1 was        
committed to the ,tower4 ,but he was    

soon released and was rapidly advanced  
by ,northumberland4 ,he became          
,secretary of ,state1 was knighted and  
made a member of the ,privy ,council4   
,mary would have continued his          
employment in office had he not refused 
her offers on account of his adhesion to
 the ,protestant faith4 ,he mingled     
during her reign with men of all parties
 and his moderation and cautious conduct
 carried him through that period without
 mishap4 ,on ,elizabeth's accession he  
was the first member sworn upon the     
,privy ,council1 and he continued during
 the remainder of his life her principal
 ,minister of ,state4 ,sagacious1       
deliberate in thought and character1    
tolerant1 a man of peace and compromise1
 he became the mainstay of the ,queen's 
government and the most influential man 
in ,state affairs4 ,whilst he maintained
 a princely magnificence in his affairs1
 his private life was pure1 gentle and  
generous4 ,this was the man to whom the 
brilliant young nephew of his wife and  

the son of his old friend1 ,sir         
,nicholas ,bacon1 disclosed1 some time  
during the summer of #aehj1 his scheme1 
of which there had been no experience1  
and entrusted his suit1 which was rare  
and unaccustomed4 ,the arguments in its 
favour at this interview may have       
followed the following outline3--  ,i   
need not remind you of my devotion to   
learning4 ,you know that from my        
earliest boyhood ,i have followed a     
course of study which has embraced all  
subjects4 ,i have made myself acquainted
 with all knowledge which the world     
possesses4 ,to enable me to do this ,i  
mastered all languages in which books   
are written4 ,during my recent visit to 
foreign lands1 ,i have recognized how   
far my country falls behind others in   
language1 and consequently in           
literature4 ,i would draw your special  
attention to the remarkable advance     
which has been made in these matters in 
,france during your lordship's lifetime4
 ,when ,i arrived there in #aegf ,i made

 myself acquainted with the principles  
of the movement which had been carried  
through by ,du ,bellay1 ,ronsard1 and   
their confreres4 ,they recognized that  
their native language was crude and     
lacking in gravity and art4 ,first by   
obtaining a complete mastery of the     
,greek and ,latin languages1 as also of 
those of ,italy and ,spain1 they        
prepared themselves for a study of the  
literatures of which those languages1   
with their idioms and peculiarities1    
form the basis4 ,having obtained this   
mastery they reconstructed their native 
language and gave their country a medium
 by which her writers might express     
their thoughts and emotions4 ,they have 
made it possible for their countrymen to
 rival the poets of ancient ,greece and 
,rome4 ,they and others of their        
countrymen have translated the literary 
treasures of those ancient nations into 
their own tongue1 and thereby enabled   
those speaking their language1 who are  
not skilled in classical languages1 to  

enjoy and profit by the works of        
antiquity4 ,your lordship knows well the
 deficiencies of the language of our    
,england1 the absence of any literature 
worthy of the name4 ,in these respects  
the condition of affairs is far behind  
that which prevailed in ,france even    
before the great movement which ,ronsard
 and ,du ,bellay initiated4 ,i do not   
speak of ,italy1 which possesses a      
language melodious1 facile1 and rich1   
and a literature which can never die4   
,i know my own powers4 ,i possess every 
qualification which will enable me to do
 for my native tongue what the ,pleiade 
have done for theirs4 ,i ask to be      
permitted to give to my country this    
great heritage4 ,others may serve her in
 the law1 others may serve her in       
affairs of state1 but your ,lordship    
knows full well that there are none who 
could serve her in this respect as could
 ,i4 ,you are not unmindful of the      
poorness of my estate4 ,this work will  
not only entail a large outlay of money 

but it necessitates command of the      
ablest wits of the nation4 ,this is my  
suit3 that her ,majesty will graciously 
confer on me some office which will     
enable me to control such literary      
resources and the services of such men  
as may be necessary for the             
accomplishment of this work2 further1   
that she may be pleased from time to    
time to make grants from the civil list 
to cover the cost of the work4 ,i need  
not remind your ,lordship what fame will
 ever attach to her ,majesty and how    
glorious will be the memory of her reign
 if this great project be effected in   
it4 ,your ,lordship must realise this   
because you and her ,ladyship1 my aunt1 
are by your attainments qualified to    
appreciate its full value4 ,my youth may
 be urged as an objection to my fitness 
for such a task1 but your ,lordship     
knows full well--none better--that my   
powers are not to be measured by my     
years4 ,this ,i will say1 ,i am no vain 
promiser1 but ,i am assured that ,i can 

accomplish all that ,i contemplate4 ,the
 ,queen hath such confidence in the     
soundness of your judgment that she will
 listen to your advice4 ,my prayer to   
you therefore is that it may please your
 ,lordship both herein and elsewhere to 
be my patron and urge my suit1 which1   
although rare and unaccustomed1 may be  
granted if it receives your powerful    
support4  ,the suit was submitted to the
 ,queen1 but without result4 ,probably  
it was not urged with a determination to
 obtain its acceptance in spite of any  
objections which might be raised by the 
,queen4 ,five years after1 ,bacon1 still
 a suppliant1 wrote to ,walsingham3 ,i  
think the objection to my years will    
wear away with the length of my suit4   
,cautious ,lord ,burghley would give    
full weight to the force of this        
objection if it were advanced by the    
,queen4 ,he loved this boy1 with his    
extraordinary abilities1 but he had such
 novel and far-reaching ideas4 ,he      
appeared to have no adequate reverence  

for his inferior superiors4 ,on leaving 
,cambridge he had arrogantly condemned  
its cherished methods of imparting      
knowledge4 ,before power was placed in  
his hands the use he might make of it   
must be well weighed and considered4    
,what effect might the advancement of   
,francis ,bacon have on ,robert ,cecil's
 career8 ,granted that the contentions  
of the former were sound1 and the object
 desirable1 should not this work be     
carried out by the ,universities8 ,never
 leap until you know where you are going
 to alight was a proverb the soundness  
of which had been proved in ,lord       
,burghley's experience4 ,what might be  
the outcome if this rare and            
unaccustomed suit were granted8 ,better 
for the ,queen1 who1 though slow to     
bestow favours1 was always ready to     
encourage hopes1 to follow her usual    
course4 ,she might entertain the motion 
graciously and return a favourable      
answer and let it rest there4 ,and so it
 did4  ,then there was a happening which

 has remained unknown until now4        
,,chapter ,,xi4  ,,bacon',s ,,second    
,,visit ,,to ,,the ,,continent ,,and    
,,after4   ,in the ,reliquiae           
,bodleianae1 published in #agjc1 is a   
letter written without date by ,thomas  
,bodley to ,francis ,bacon4 ,this letter
 does not appear to have been known to  
,mallett1 ,montague1 ,dixon1 ,spedding1 
or any of ,bacon's biographers4 ,it had 
been lost sight of until the writer     
noticed it and reproduced it in         
,baconiana4 ,this is the letter3--      
,,my ,,dear ,,cousin1--,according to    
your request in your letter 7dated      
the #aith ,october at ,orleans1 ,i      
received here the #ahth of ,december71  
,i have sent you by your merchant ,l#cj 
7the thirty is written thus      #cj l7 
sterling for your present supply1 and   
had sent you a greater      sum1 but    
that my extraordinary charge this year  
hath utterly      unfurnished me4 ,and  
now1 cousin1 though ,i will be no severe
      exactor of the account1 either of 

your money or time1 yet for the         
love ,i bear you1 ,i am very desirous1  
both to satisfy myself1 and      your   
friends how you prosper in your travels1
 and how you find      yourself bettered
 thereby1 either in knowledge of ,god1  
or of the      world2 the rather1       
because the ,days you have already spent
 abroad1      are now both sufficient to
 give you ,light1 how to fix yourself   
and      end with counsel1 and          
accordingly to shape your course        
constantly      unto it4 ,besides1 it is
 a vulgar scandal unto the travellers1  
that      few return more religious     
7narrow1 editor7 than they went forth2  
wherein both my hope and ,request is to 
you1 that your principal      care be to
 hold your ,foundation1 and to make no  
other use of      informing your self in
 the corruptions and superstitions of   
other      nations1 than only thereby to
 engage your own heart more firmly to   
the ,truth4 ,you live indeed in a       
country of two several professions1     

and you shall return a ,novice1 if you  
be not able to give an      account of  
the ,ordinances1 strength1 and progress 
of each1 in      ,reputation1 and       
,party1 and how both are supported1     
ballanced and      managed by the state1
 as being the contrary humours1 in the  
,temper      of ,predominancy whereof1  
the ,health or ,disease of that ,body   
doth      consist4 ,these things you    
will observe1 not only as an            
,english-man1 whom it may concern1 to   
what interest his country      may      
expect in the consciences of their      
,neighbours2 but also1 as a             
,christian1 to consider both the        
beauties and blemishes1 the hopes       
and dangers of the church in all places4
 ,now for the world1 ,i      know it too
 well1 to persuade you to dive into the 
practices      thereof2 rather stand    
upon your own guard1 against all that   
attempt      you there unto1 or may     
practise upon you in your ,conscience1  
,reputation1 or your ,purse4 ,resolve1  

no ,man is wise or safe1 but he         
that is honest3 ,and let this           
,persuasion turn your studies and       
observations from the ,complement and   
,impostures of the debased age1      to 
more real grounds of wisdom1 gathered   
out of the story of ,times      past1   
and out of the government of the present
 state4 ,your guide to      this1 is the
 knowledge of the country and the people
 among whom ye      live2 ,for the      
country though you cannot see all       
places1 yet if1 as      you pass along1 
you enquire carefully1 and further help 
yourself      with ,books that are      
written of the cosmography of those     
parts1 you      shall sufficiently      
gather the strength1 ,riches1 ,traffick1
 ,havens1      ,shipping1 commodities1  
vent1 and the wants and disadvantages of
      places4 ,wherein also1 for your   
good hereafter1 and for your            
friends1 it will befit to note their    
buildings1 ,furnitures1                 
,entertainments2 all their ,husbandry1  

and ingenious inventions1 in            
whatsoever concerneth either ,pleasure  
or ,profit4       ,for the people1 your 
traffick among them1 while you learn    
their      language1 will sufficiently  
instruct you in their ,habilities1      
,dispositions1 and ,humours1 if you a   
little enlarge the ,privacy of      your
 own ,nature1 to seek acquaintance with 
the best sort of      strangers1 and    
restrain your ,affections and           
,participation1 for      your own       
countrymen of whatsoever condition4     
,in the story of ,france1 you have a    
large and pleasant ,field in      three 
lines of their ,kings1 to observe their 
alliances and      successions1 their   
,conquests1 their wars1 especially with 
us2      their ,councils1 their         
treaties2 and all ,rules and examples of
      experiences and ,wisdom1 which may
 be ,lights and ,remembrances to you    
hereafter1 to ,judge of all occurants   
both at home and abroad4       ,lastly1 
for the ,government1 your end must not  

be like an      ,intelligencer1 to spend
 all your time in fishing after the     
present      ,news1 ,humours1 ,graces1  
or ,disgraces of ,court1 which happily  
may      change before you come home2   
but your better and more constant       
ground will be1 to know the             
,consanguinities1 ,alliances1 and       
,estates      of their ,princes2        
,proportion between the ,nobility and   
,magistracy2      the ,constitutions of 
their ,courts of ,justice2 the state of 
the      ,laws1 as well for the making  
as the execution thereof2 ,how the      
,sovereignty of the ,king infuseth      
itself into all ,acts and               
,ordinances2 how many ways they lay     
,impositions and ,taxations1 and        
gather ,revenues to the ,crown4         
,what be the ,liberties and ,servitudes 
of all degrees2 what      ,discipline   
and ,preparations for wars2 what        
,invention for increase      of         
,traffick at home1 for multiplying their
 commodities1 encouraging      ,arts and

 ,manufactures1 or of worth in any kind4
 ,also what      establishment1 to      
prevent the ,necessities and            
,discontentment of      ,people1 ,to cut
 off suits at ,law1 and ,duels1 to      
suppress thieves      and all           
,disorders4       ,to be short1 because 
my purpose is not to bring all your     
,observations to ,heads1 but only by    
these few to let you know what          
manner of ,return your ,friends expect  
from you2 let me1 for all      these and
 all the rest1 give you this one ,note1 
which ,i desire you      to observe as  
the ,counsels of a ,friend1 ,not to     
spend your      ,spirits1 and the       
precious time of your ,travel1 in a     
,captious      ,prejudice and censuring 
of all things1 nor in an ,infectious    
,collection of base ,vices and ,fashions
 of ,men and ,women1 or general         
corruption of these times1 which will be
 of use only ,among      ,humorists1 for
 ,jests and ,table-,talk3 but rather    
strain your ,wits      and ,industry    

soundly to instruct your-self in all    
things between      ,heaven and ,earth  
which may tend to ,virtue1 ,wisdom1 and 
,honour1      and which may make your   
life more profitable to your country1   
and      yourself more comfortable to   
your friends1 and acceptable to ,god4   
,and to conclude1 let all these ,riches 
be treasured up1 not only in      your  
memory1 where time may lessen your      
stock2 but rather in good      writings1
 and ,books of ,account1 which will     
keept them safe for      your use       
hereafter4       ,and if in this time of
 your liberal ,traffick1 you will give  
me any      advertizement of your       
commodities in these kinds1 ,i will make
 you      as liberal a ,return from my  
self and your ,friends here1 as ,i shall
      be able4       ,and so commending 
all your good ,endeavours1 to him that  
must either      wither or prosper them1
 ,i very kindly bid you farewel4        
,your's to be commanded1                
,,thomas ,,bodley4  ,spedding prints    

this letter 7,vol4 ,,ii4 p4 #af7        
commencing with the words1 ,yet for the 
love ,i bear1 to the end1 with the      
exception of the last sentence1 as a    
letter written probably by ,bacon for   
,essex to send to the ,earl of ,rutland4
 ,he identifies it as the letter which  
the compiler of ,stephens' ,catalogue   
took for a letter addressed by ,bacon to
 ,buckingham1 which he says it could not
 be4 ,the original is at ,lambeth       
7,,mss4 #icf1 fo4 #bah74 ,the seal      
remains1 but the part of the last sheet 
which contained the signature on one    
side1 and the superscription on the     
other1 has been torn off4 ,the letter   
commences1 ,my good ,lord1 and ends1    
,your ,lordship's in all duty to serve  
you4 ,it would appear1 therefore1 that  
someone had access to ,bodley's letter  
to ,bacon1 and1 approving its contents1 
used its contents a second time4  ,there
 are two palpable deductions to be drawn
 from this letter3 7#a7 ,that ,bacon was
 on a journey through several countries 

to obtain knowledge of their customs1   
laws1 religion1 military strength1      
shipping1 and whatsoever concerneth     
pleasure or profit4 ,there is a striking
 correspondence between ,bodley's advice
 and the description of ,bacon's travels
 found in the ,life prefixed to         
,l',histoire ,naturelle4 7#b7 ,that     
,bacon was being supported by ,bodley   
and other of his friends1 who desired   
him to keep a record of all that he     
observed and learnt1 and to report from 
time to time as he progressed1 and in   
return1 said ,bodley1 ,i will make you  
as liberal a return from myself and your
 friends here as ,i shall be able4 ,this
 letter was written from ,england1 and  
there is a paragraph in ,bodley's ,life1
 written by himself1 which makes it     
possible to fix the year3--       ,my   
resolution fully taken ,i departed out  
of ,england anno #aegf and              
continued very neare foure yeares       
abroad1 and that in sundry parts      of
 ,italy1 ,france1 and ,germany4 ,a good 

while after my return to wit1      in   
the yeare #aehe ,i was employed by the  
,queen1 etc4  ,if this letter was       
written between #aegf and #aegi it would
 appear strange that ,bodley and others 
should be providing ,bacon with money   
for his travels1 and requiring reports  
from him1 whilst his father1 ,sir       
,nicholas ,bacon1 was alive and         
prosperous4 ,no such difficulty1        
however1 arises1 for the letter1 being  
sent from ,england1 could not have been 
written between the date of ,bacon's    
first departure for ,france in #aegf and
 his return on his father's death in    
#aegi1 for during the whole of that time
 ,bodley was abroad4 ,it is stated in it
 that ,bacon wrote from ,orleans a      
letter dated #aith ,october1 the year   
not being given4 ,this could not be in  
#aehj1 for ,bacon wrote to ,lord        
,burghley from ,gray's ,inn on the #ahth
 ,october1 #aehj4 ,spedding commences   
the paragraph immediately following this
 letter by saying1 ,from this time we   

have no further news of ,francis ,bacon 
till the #eth of ,april1 #aehb1 and     
although he does not reproduce the      
letter1 he relies on a letter from      
,faunt to ,anthony ,bacon1 to which that
 date is attributed in ,birch's         
,memorials1 ,vol4 ,i4 page #bb4 ,in it  
,faunt refers to having seen ,anthony's 
mother and his brother ,francis4 ,faunt 
left ,paris for ,england on the #bbnd   
,march1 #aehb4 ,this letter was written 
on the #aeth of the following month1 so 
no trace has been found of ,francis     
being in ,england between #ahth         
,october1 #aehj1 and #eth of ,april1    
#aehb4 ,bodley's letter1 must1          
therefore1 have been written in         
,december1 #aeha1 when ,bacon was abroad
 making a journey through several       
countries4 ,from the foregoing facts it 
is impossible to form any other         
conclusion4 ,now for the first time this
 journey has been made known4 ,there is 
a letter amongst the ,state papers in   
the ,record ,office1 dated ,february1   

#aeha1 written by ,anthony ,bacon to    
,lord ,burghley1 enclosing a note of    
advice and instructions for his brother 
,francis4 ,anthony was an experienced   
traveller1 and was then abroad4 ,it     
reads as though he was sending advice   
and instructions to his younger brother1
 who was about to start on travels      
through countries with which ,anthony   
was familiar4 ,if so1 ,francis would    
leave ,england early in ,march1         
#aeha--that is1 if he had not left      
before this letter was received by      
,burghley4  ,having established beyond  
reasonable doubt the fact of this       
journey1 a new and remarkable suggestion
 presents itself4 ,spedding1 when       
dealing with the year #aehb1 prints     
,notes on the ,state of ,christendom1#bi
 with the following remarks3--       ,if
 that paper of notes concerning ',the   
,state of ,europe' which was            
printed as ,bacon's in the supplement to
 ,stephens' second collection      in   
#agcd1 reprinted by ,mallet in #agfj1   

and has been placed at the              
beginning of his political writings in  
all editions since #aefc1 be      really
 of his composition1 this is the period 
of his life to which      it belongs4 ,i
 must confess1 however1 that ,i am not  
satisfied with      the evidence or     
authority upon which it appears to have 
been      ascribed to him4  ,robert     
,stephens1 who was ,historiographer     
,royal in the reign of ,william and     
,mary1 states that the ,earl of ,oxford 
placed in his hands some neglected      
manuscripts and loose papers to see     
whether any of the ,lord ,bacon's       
compositions lay concealed there and    
were fit for publication4 ,he found some
 of them written1 and others amended1   
with his lordship's own hand4 ,he found 
certain of the treatises had been       
published by him1 and that others1      
certainly genuine1 which had not1 were  
fit to be transcribed if not divulged4  
,spedding states that he has little     
doubt that this paper on the state of   

,europe was among these manuscripts and 
loose papers1 for the editor states that
 the supplementary pieces 7of which this
 was one7 were added from originals     
found among ,stephens' papers4 ,the     
original is now among the ,harleian     
,,mss4 in the ,british ,museum4         
,spedding thus describes it3--          
,the ,harleian ,,ms4 is a copy in an old
 hand1 probably contemporary1      but  
not ,francis ,bacon's4 ,a few sentences 
have been inserted      afterwards by   
the same hand1 and two by another which 
is very like      ,anthony ,bacon's2    
none in ,francis's4 ,the blanks have all
 been filled      up1 but no words have 
been corrected1 though it is obvious    
that in      some places they stand in  
need of correction4       ,certain      
allusions to events then passing 7which 
will be pointed      out in their place7
 prove that the original paper was      
written1 or      at least completed1 in 
the summer of #aehb1 at which time      
,francis      ,bacon was studying law in

 ,gray's ,inn1 while ,anthony was       
travelling      in ,france in search of 
political intelligence and was in close 
correspondence with ,nicholas ,faunt1 a 
secretary of ,sir ,francis              
,walsingham's1 who had spent the        
previous year in ,france1 ,germany1     
,switzerland1 and the north of ,italy1  
on the same errand2 and was      now    
living about the ,english ,court1       
studying affairs at home1 and           
collecting and arranging the            
observations which he had made abroad1  
'having already recovered all his       
writings and books which he had         
left behind him in ,italy and in        
,frankfort' 7see ,birch's ',memoirs1'   
,i4 #bd71 and it is remembered that if  
this paper belonged to ,anthony         
,bacon1 it would naturally descend at   
his death to ,francis and so      remain
 among his manuscripts1 where it is     
supposed to have been      found4       
,thus it appears that the external      
evidence justifies no inference      as 

to the authorship1 and the only question
 is whether the style      can be       
considered conclusive4 ,to me it        
certainly is not4 ,but as      this is a
 point upon which the reader should be  
allowed to judge      for himself1 and  
as the paper is interesting in itself   
and      historically valuable and has  
always passed for ,bacon's1 it is here  
printed from the original though 7to    
distinguish it from his      undoubted  
compositions7 in a smaller type4        
,spedding's difficulty in accepting this
 paper as from ,bacon's pen really lay  
in the fact that from the internal      
evidence it is obvious that it was      
written by one who had himself travelled
 through1 at any rate1 some of the      
countries described4 ,the results of    
personal observation are again and again
 apparent4 ,according to ,spedding1     
,bacon was in #aeha-aehb studying law at
 ,gray's ,inn2 according to ,bodley he  
was on the ,continent making            
observations for his future guidance4   

,the reader can judge of the value of   
the external evidence4 ,it is not       
conclusive1 but the draft being found   
amongst papers which were unquestionably
 ,bacon's writings and being adopted as 
,bacon's and published as such by those 
who found it1 the balance of            
probabilities is distinctly in favour of
 its being his4 ,as to the internal     
evidence much may be said4 ,it          
corresponds as closely as it is possible
 with ,bodley's requirements as set     
forth in his letter of ,december4 ,it is
 exactly the manner of return ,bodley   
wrote to ,francis your friends expect   
from you4 ,and1 he added1 if in this    
time of your liberal ,traffick1 you will
 give me any advertisement of your      
commodities in these kinds1 ,i will make
 you as liberal a return from myself and
 your friends here as ,i shall be able4 
,the date agrees with that of ,bacon's  
second visit to the ,continent4 ,in     
,spedding's ,life and ,letters it       
occupies twelve and a-half pages1 of    

which five are occupied by descriptions 
of ,italy1 one of ,austria1 two of      
,germany 7chiefly a recital of names and
 places71 two of ,france1 three-quarters
 of ,spain1 one and three-quarters of   
,portugal1 ,poland1 ,denmark1 and       
,sweden4 ,this may have been ,bacon's   
itinerary in #aeha-b4  ,italy is treated
 with considerable detail and was       
undoubtedly described from personal     
observation1 as were ,france and ,spain4
 ,in a less degree the description of   
,austria1 ,poland and ,denmark produces 
this impression2 in a still smaller     
degree ,portugal and ,sweden1 and it is 
quite absent from the description of    
,germany4 ,florence1 ,venice1 ,mantua1  
,genoa1 ,savoy1 are dealt with in most  
detail4 ,rawley states that it was      
,bacon's intention to have stayed abroad
 some years longer when he was called   
home by the death of his father1 to find
 himself left in straightened           
circumstances4 ,then followed his       
ineffectual suit1 which he still        

persisted in4 ,bodley evidently was1 if 
not the instigator1 at any rate the     
paymaster for this second journey4      
,anthony's letter of ,february1 #aeha1  
points to ,burghley as a participator in
 the project4 ,he would assist not only 
out of kindly feeling1 but the journey  
would at any rate get this ambitious1   
determined young man out of the way for 
a time1 and possibly the journey might  
get this unaccustomed suit out of his   
mind4 ,thus it came about4  ,from       
,faunt's letters1 ,spedding says we     
derive what little information we have  
with regard to ,francis's proceedings   
from #aehc to #aehd4 ,from them we      
gather little more than that he remained
 studying at ,gray's ,inn1 occasionally 
visiting his mother at ,gorhambury1 or  
going with her to hear ,travers at the  
,temple and occasionally appearing at   
the ,court4  ,but the suit was not      
abandoned1 for there is the letter of   
#beth ,august1 #aehe1 to ,walsingham1   
when ,bacon writes3 ,i think the        

objection of my years will wear away    
with the length of my suit4 ,the very   
stay doth in this respect concern me1   
because ,i am thereby hindered to take a
 course of practice which by the leave  
of ,god1 if her ,majesty like not of my 
suit1 ,i must and will follow3 not for  
any necessity of estate1 but for my     
credit sake1 which ,i know by living out
 of action will wear4  ,again1 the old1 
rare and unaccustomed suit of which the 
,queen could have had no experience6    
,either the persuasive powers of        
,burghley had failed or he had not      
exerted them4 ,probably the latter1     
because the troublesome1 determined     
young man is now worrying ,walsingham   
and ,hatton to urge its acceptance with 
the ,queen4 ,the purport of the         
foregoing extract effectually precludes 
the possibility of this suit referring  
to his advancement at the bar4 ,for five
 years it has been proceeding--he has   
been indulging in hopes which have been 
unfulfilled4 ,now he will wait no       

longer1 but he will adopt a course      
which1 if her ,majesty like not his     
suit1 by the leave of ,god he must and  
will follow1 not for any necessity of   
making money but because he feels       
impelled to it by a sense of            
responsibility which he must fulfil4    
,walsingham and ,hatton do not appear to
 have helped the matter forward4 ,there 
was little probability of them          
succeeding in influencing the ,queen    
where ,burghley had failed4 ,there was  
still less probability of them          
attempting to influence her if ,burghley
 objected4 ,had this suit referred to   
advancement in the law it would have    
been granted with the aid of ,burghley's
 influence years before4 ,had it        
referred to some ordinary office of     
,state1 friends so powerful as          
,burghley1 ,walsingham and ,hatton could
 and would have obtained anything within
 reason for this brilliant young son of 
,sir ,nicholas ,bacon1 for there was no 
complication with ,essex until after    

#aeia4 ,but this rare and unaccustomed  
suit of which there had been no         
experience was another matter4  ,six    
more years pass1 and although there is  
now no suit to the ,queen there is the  
same idea prevailing in the letter to   
,burghley--a seeking for help to achieve
 some great scheme upon which ,bacon's  
mind was so fixed as it cannot be       
removed1 whether it be curiosity1       
vainglory or nature1 or 7if one take it 
favourably7 philanthropia4 ,still he    
required the command of more wits than  
of a man's own1 which is the thing he   
did greatly affect4 ,still his course   
was not to get4 ,still the determination
 to achieve the object without help1 if 
help could not be obtained--to achieve  
it by becoming some sorry bookmaker or a
 pioneer in that mine of truth which    
,anaxagoras said lay so deep4 ,this is  
emphasised4 ,these are thoughts rather  
than words1 being set down without all  
art1 disguising or reservation4  ,there 
are two significant sentences in this   

letter written to ,burghley when ,bacon 
was #ca years of age4 ,he describes     
,burghley as the second founder of my   
poor estate1 and1 further1 he uses the  
expression ,and if your ,lordship will  
not carry me on4 ,what can these        
allusions mean but that ,burghley had   
been rendering financial assistance to  
his nephew8 ,if the theory here put     
forward as to the nature of the suit be 
correct1 the object was one which would 
have ,burghley's cordial support4 ,that 
he had expressed approval of it must be 
deduced from the letter of the #afth of 
,september1 #aehj4 ,the object was one  
which1 without doubt1 would find still  
warmer support from ,lady ,mildred4 ,but
 the suit was so unprecedented that it  
is not to be wondered at that ,burghley 
did not try to force it through4 ,the   
work was going forward all the          
time--slowly for lack of means and      
official recognition4 ,burghley1        
generous in his nature1 lavish in       
private life1 might1 however1 be        

expected to help a work which he would  
be glad to see carried to a successful  
conclusion4  ,had he been less cautious 
and let young ,francis have his head1   
what might not have happened6 ,but there
 was always the fear of letting this    
huge intellectual power forge ahead     
without restraint4 ,it was1 however1    
working out unseen its scheme and that1 
too1 with ,burghley's help and that of  
others4 ,the period from #aegf to       
#afbc--only #dg years--sees the ,english
 language developed from a state of     
almost barbaric crudeness to the highest
 pitch which any language1 classical or 
modern1 has reached4 ,there was but one 
workman living at that period who could 
have constructed that wonderful         
instrument and used it to produce such  
magnificent examples of its             
possibilities4 ,it is as reasonable to  
take up a watch keeping perfect time and
 aver that the parts came together by   
accident1 as to contend that the        
,english language of the ,authorised    

,version of the ,bible and the works of 
,shakespeare were the result of a       
general up-springing of literary taste  
which was diffused amongst a few writers
 of very mediocre ability4 ,the ,english
 ,renaissance was conceived in ,france  
and born in ,england in #aegi4 ,it ran  
its course and in #afbc attained its    
maturity2 but when ,francis ,bacon was  
no more--he who had performed that in   
our tongue which may be preferred either
 to insolent ,greece or haughty         
,rome--things daily fall1 wits grow     
downward1 and eloquence grows backward3 
so that he may be named and stand as the
 mark and ,greek3 achme of our language4
   ,,footnotes3  #bi ,life and ,letters1
 ,vol4 ,i41 page #af4     ,,chapter     
,,xii4  ,,is ,,it ,,probable ,,that     
,,bacon ,,left ,,manuscripts ,,hidden   
,,away8   ,it is difficult to leave this
 subject without some reference to the  
articles which have appeared in the     
press and magazines referring to the    
suggestion that there were left         

concealed literary remains of ,bacon    
hitherto undiscovered4  ,in an article  
which recently appeared in a            
,shakespearean journal1 a writer who    
evidently knows little about the        
,elizabethan period said3 ,but why      
should ,bacon want to bury manuscripts1 
anyhow8 ,who does bury manuscripts8     
,besides1 they had been printed and     
were1 therefore1 rubbish and waste paper
 merely4 ,the manuscript of ,john       
,harrington's translation of ,ariosto's 
,orlando ,furioso may be seen in the    
,british ,museum4 ,it is beautifully    
written on quarto paper4 ,it was1       
apparently1 the fair copy sent to the   
printer from which the type was to be   
set up4 ,be this as it may1 it was      
undoubtedly a copy upon which ,bacon    
marked off the verses which are to go on
 each page and set out the folio of each
 page and the printer's signature which 
was to appear at the bottom4 ,it also   
contains instructions to the printer as 
to the type to be used4 ,this manuscript

 was not considered rubbish and waste   
paper merely4  ,francis ,bacon has again
 and again insisted upon the value of   
history4 ,in the ,advancement of        
,learning he points out to the ,king the
 indignity and unworthiness of the      
history of ,england as it now is1 in the
 main continuation thereof4 ,no man     
appreciated as did ,bacon the importance
 in the history of ,england of the epoch
 in which he lived4 ,that a truthful    
relation of the events of those times   
would be invaluable to posterity he knew
 full well4 ,he of all men living at    
that time was best qualified to write   
such a history4 ,he recognised that     
there were objections to a history being
 written1 or1 at any rate1 published1   
wherein the actions of persons living   
were described1 for he said it must be  
confessed that such kind of relations1  
specially if they be published about the
 times of things done1 seeing very often
 that they are written with passion or  
partiality1 of all other narrations1 are

 most suspected4 ,it is hardly          
conceivable that ,bacon should have     
failed to provide a faithful history of 
his own times for the benefit of        
posterity1 or1 at any rate1 that he     
should have failed to preserve the      
materials for such a history4 ,neither  
the history nor such materials are known
 to be in existence4 ,supposing ,bacon  
had prepared either the one or the      
other1 what could he do with it8 ,hand  
it to ,rawley with instructions for it  
to be printed8 ,with a strong           
probability1 if it were a faithful      
history1 that it would never be         
published1 but that it would be         
destroyed1 he would never take such a   
risk4 ,there would only be one course   
open to him4 ,to conceal it in some     
place where it would not be likely to be
 disturbed1 in which it might remain in 
safety1 possibly for hundreds of years4 
,and then leave a clue either in cypher 
or otherwise by which it might be       
recovered4  ,it is by no means outside  

the range of possibility that ,bacon as 
early as #aehh had opened a receptacle  
for books and manuscripts which he      
desired should go down to posterity1 and
 fearing their loss from any cause1 he  
carefully concealed them1 adding to the 
store from time to time4 ,if he did so  
he left a problem to be solved1 and     
arranged the place of concealment so    
that it could only be found by a        
solution of the problem4  ,the emblems  
on two title-pages of two books of the  
period are very significant4 ,truth     
brought to ,light and discovered by     
,time is a narrative history of the     
first fourteen years of ,king ,james'   
reign4 ,one portion of the engraved     
title-page represents a spreading tree  
growing up out of a coffin1 full fraught
 with various fruits 7manuscripts and   
books7 most fresh and fair to make      
succeeding times most rich and rare4 ,in
 the ,emblem 7,fig4 ,,iii47 now         
reproduced1 which is found on the       
title-page of the first edition of ,new 

,atlantis1 #afbg1cj ,truth personified  
by a naked woman is being revealed by   
,father ,time1 and the inscription round
 the device is ,tempore patet occulta   
veritas--in time the hidden truth shall 
be revealed4  ,then1 in further         
confirmation of this view1 there is the 
statement of ,rawley in his introduction
 to the ,manes ,verulamiani4 ,speaking  
of the fame of his illustrious master he
 says1 ,be this moreover enough1 to have
 laid1 as it were1 the foundations1 in  
the name of the present age4 ,every age 
will1 methinks1 adorn and amplify this  
structure1 but to what age it may be    
vouchsafed to set the finishing         
hand--this is known only to ,god and the
 ,fates4    ,illustration3 ,fig4 ,,iii4 
,from the ,title ,page of ,new          
,atlantis1 #afbg4    ,illustration3     
,fig4 ,,iv4    ,from the ,title ,page of
 ,peacham's ,minerva ,britannia1 #afab4 
,,footnotes3  #cj ,there is a copy      
bearing date #afbf4     ,,chapter       
,,xiii4  ,,how  ,,the ,,elizabethan     

,,literature ,,was ,,produced4   ,the   
half century from #aegf to #afbe stands 
by itself in the history of the         
literature of this country4 ,during that
 period not only was the ,english       
language made1 not only were there      
produced the finest examples of its     
capacities1 which to-day exist1 but the 
knowledge and wisdom possessed by the   
classical writers1 the histories of the 
principal nations of the world1         
practically everything that was worth   
knowing in the literature which existed 
in other countries were1 for the first  
time1 made available in the ,english    
tongue4 ,and what is still more         
remarkable1 these translations were     
printed and published4 ,these works     
embraced every art and subject which can
 be imagined4 ,further1 during this     
period there were issued a large number 
of books crowded with information upon  
general subjects4 ,the names on the     
title-pages of many of these works are  
unknown4 ,it is astonishing how many men

 as to whom nothing can be learnt1      
appear about this time to have written  
one book and one book only4  ,these     
translations were published at a        
considerable cost4 ,for such works1     
being printed in the ,english language1 
purchasers were practically confined to 
this country1 and their number was very 
limited4 ,the quantity of copies        
constituting an edition must have been  
small4 ,it is impossible to believe that
 the sale of these books could realise  
the amount of their cost4  ,definite    
information on this point is difficult  
to obtain1 for little is known as to the
 prices at which these books were sold4 
,it appears from the ,transcripts of the
 ,stationers' ,registers that the       
maximum number of copies that went to   
make up an edition was in the interest  
of the workman fixed at #a1bej copies1  
so that if a larger number were required
 the type had to be re-set for each     
additional #a1bej copies4 ,double       
impressions of #b1ejj were allowed of   

primers1 catechisms1 proclamations1     
statutes and almanacs4 ,but the solid   
literature which came into the language 
at this period would not be required in 
such quantities4 ,the printer was not   
usually the vendor of the books4 ,the   
publisher and bookseller or stationer   
carried on in most cases a distinct     
business4  ,pamphlets1 sermons1 plays1  
books of poems1 formed the staple ware  
of the stationer4 ,the style of the book
 out of which the stationer made his    
money may be gathered from the following
 extract from ,the ,return from         
,parnassus1 ,act ,i1 scene #c3--        
,ingenioso4--,danter thou art deceived1 
wit is dearer than thou                 
takest it to bee4 ,i tell thee this     
libel of ,cambridge                 has 
much salt and pepper in the nose3 it    
will                 sell sheerely      
underhand when all those bookes of      
exhortations and catechisms lie moulding
 on thy                 shopboard4      
,danter4--,it's true1 but good fayth1   

,m4 ,ingenioso1 ,i lost by your         
last booke2 and you know there is many a
 one that pays                 me       
largely for the printing of their       
inventions1 but                 for all 
this you shall have #dj shillings and an
 odde                 pottle of wine4   
,ingenioso4--#dj shillings8 a fit reward
 for one of your reumatick              
poets1 that beslavers all the paper he  
comes by1 and                 furnishes 
the ,chaundlers with wast papers to wrap
                 candles in3 444 it's   
the gallantest ,child my invention      
was ever delivered off4 ,the title is1 a
 ,chronicle of                          
,cambridge ,cuckolds2 here a man may    
see1 what day of                 the    
moneth such a man's commons were        
inclosed1 and when                      
throwne open1 and when any entayled some
 odde crownes                 upon the  
heires of their bodies unlawfully       
begotten2                 speake        
quickly1 ells ,i am gone4               

,danter4--,oh this will sell gallantly4 
,ile have it whatsoever it              
cost1 will you walk on1 ,m4 ,ingenioso1 
weele sit over a                 cup of 
wine and agree on it4  ,the publication 
of such works as ,hollingshed's         
,chronicles1 ,north's ,plutarch's       
,lives1 ,grimston's ,history of ,france1
 and ,the ,french ,academy1 could not   
have been produced with profit as the   
object4 ,a large body of evidence may be
 brought forward to support this view1  
but space will only permit two examples 
to be here set forth4  ,in the          
dedication to ,sir ,william ,cecil1 of  
,hollingshed's ,chronicles1 #aehg1 the  
writer says3       ,yet when the volume 
grew so great as they that were to      
defraie the      charges for the        
impression were not willing to go       
through with the      whole1 they       
resolved first to publish the histories 
of ,england1      ,scotland1 and        
,ireland with their descriptions4  ,john
 ,dee spent most of the year #aegf in   

writing a series of volumes to be       
entitled ,general and ,rare ,memorials  
pertayning to the perfect ,art of       
,navigation4 ,in #aegg the first volume 
was ready for the press4 ,in ,june he   
had to borrow ,l#dj from one friend1    
,l#bj from another1 and ,l#bg upon the  
chayn of gold4 ,in the following ,august
 ,john ,day commenced printing it at his
 press in ,aldersgate4 ,the title was   
,the ,british ,monarchy or ,hexameron   
,brytannicum1 and the edition consisted 
of #ajj copies4  ,the second volume1    
,the ,british ,complement1 was ready in 
the following ,december4 ,it was never  
published4 ,dee states in his ,diary    
that the printing would cost many       
hundreds of pounds1 as it contained     
tables and figures1 and he must first   
have a comfortable and sufficient       
opportunity or supply thereto4 ,this he 
was unable to procure1 so the book      
remained in manuscript4#ca  ,books of   
this class were never produced with the 
object of making profit4 ,the proceeds  

of sale would not cover the cost of     
printing and publishing1 without any    
provision for the remuneration of the   
translator or author4 ,why were they    
published1 and how was the cost         
provided8  ,there was1 however1 another 
source of revenue open to the author of 
a book4 ,henry ,peacham1 in ,the ,truth 
of our ,time1 says3--       ,but then   
you may say1 the ,dedication will bee   
worth a great      matter1 either in    
present reward of money1 or preferment  
by your      ,patrones ,letter1 or other
 means4 ,and for this purpose you       
prefixe a      learned and as           
,panegyricall ,epistle as can1 etc4  ,it
 is beyond question that an author      
usually obtained a considerable         
contribution towards the cost of the    
production of a book from the person to 
whom the dedication was addressed4 ,a   
number of books published during the    
period from #aegf to #aeih are dedicated
 to the ,queen1 to the ,earl of         
,leicester1 and to ,lord ,burghley4 ,one

 can only offer a suggestion on this    
point which may or may not be correct4  
,if ,francis ,bacon was concerned in the
 issue of these translations and other  
works1 and ,burghley was assisting him  
financially1 it is probable that        
,burghley would procure grants from the 
,queen in respect of books which were   
dedicated to her1 and would provide     
funds towards the cost of such books as 
were dedicated to himself4 ,the ,arte of
 ,english ,poesie was written with the  
intention that it should be dedicated to
 the ,queen1 but there was a change in  
the plans1 and ,burghley's name was     
substituted4 ,when ,bacon1 in #aeia1 is 
threatening to become a sorry bookmaker1
 he describes ,burghley as the second   
founder of his poor estate1 and uses the
 expression1 ,if your ,lordship will not
 carry me on1 which can only mean that  
as to the matter which is the subject of
 the letter1 ,burghley had not merely   
been assisting but carrying him4 ,the   
evidence which exists is strong enough  

to warrant putting forward this theory  
as to the frequency of the names of the 
,queen and ,burghley on the dedications4
  ,the ,earl of ,leicester desired to   
have the reputation of being a patron of
 the arts1 and was willing to pay for   
advertisement4 ,he was the ,chancellor  
of ,oxford ,university1 and evidently   
recognised the value of printing1 for in
 #aehe he erected1 at his own expense1 a
 new printing press for the use of the  
,university4 ,if he paid at all for     
dedications he would pay liberally4     
,but1 of course1 the ,queen1 ,burghley1 
and ,leicester were accessible to others
 besides ,bacon1 and the argument goes  
no further than that towards the        
production of certain books upon which  
their names appear the patrons provided 
part of the cost4 ,the recognition of   
this fact1 however1 does not detract    
from the importance of the expressions  
used by ,bacon in his letter to         
,burghley4  ,there is abundant testimony
 to the fact that it was the custom1    

during the ,elizabethan age1 for an     
author to suppress his own name1 and on 
the title-page#cb substitute either the 
initials or name of some other person4  
,the title-pages of this period are as  
unreliable as are the names or initials 
affixed to the dedications and epistles 
,to the ,reader4  ,in #afbd was         
published ,the ,historie of the ,life   
and ,death of ,mary ,stuart ,queene of  
,scotland4 ,the dedication is signed    
,wil ,stranguage4 ,in #afcf it was      
reprinted1 the same dedication being    
signed ,w4 ,vdall4 ,there are numerous  
similar instances4   ,,footnotes3  #ca  
,john ,dee1 by ,charlotte ,fell ,smith1 
#aiji4 ,constable and ,co41 ,ltd4  #cb  
,see page #ca4     ,,chapter ,,xiv4     
,,the ,,clue ,,to ,,the ,,mystery ,,of  
,,bacon',s ,,life4   ,the theory now put
 forward is based upon the assumption   
that ,francis ,bacon at a very early age
 adopted the conception that he would   
devote his life to the construction of  
an adequate language and literature for 

his country and that he would do this   
remaining invisible4 ,if he was the     
author of ,the ,anatomie of the ,mind1  
#aegf1 and of ,beautiful ,blossoms1     
#aegg1 he must have adopted this plan of
 obscurity as early as his sixteenth    
year4 ,it is possible1 however1 that it 
may be shown that at a date still       
earlier he had decided upon this course4
 ,this1 however1 is beyond doubt--that  
if ,francis ,bacon was associated in any
 way with the literature of ,england    
from #aegj to #afje1 with the exception 
of the small volume of essays published 
in #aeig1 he most carefully concealed   
his connection with it4  ,therefore1 set
 it down1 he says in the essay ,of      
,simulation and ,dissimulation1 that a  
habit of secrecy is both politic and    
moral1 and in ,examples of the          
,antitheta1#cc ,dissimulation is a      
compendious wisdome4 ,here again is the 
same idea3 ,beside in all wise humane   
,government1 they that sit at the helme1
 doe more happily bring their purposes  

about1 and insinuate more easily things 
fit for the people by pretexts1 and     
oblique courses2 than by 444 downright  
dealing4 ,nay 7which perchance may seem 
very strange7 in things meerely         
naturall1 you may sooner deceive nature 
than force her2 so improper and         
selfeimpeaching are open direct         
proceedings2 whereas on the other side1 
an oblique and an insinuating way1      
gently glides along1 and compasseth the 
intended effect4#cd  ,it is noteworthy  
that ,bacon had a quaint conceit of the 
,divine ,being which he was never tired 
of repeating4 ,in the preface to the    
,advancement of ,learning 7#afdj71 the  
following passage occurs3--       ,for  
of the knowledges which contemplate the 
works of ,nature1 the      holy         
,philosopher hath said expressly2 that  
the glory of ,god is to      conceal a  
thing1 but the glory of the ,king is to 
find it out3 as      if the ,divine     
,nature1 according to the innocent and  
sweet play of      children1 which hide 

themselves to the end they may be found2
 took      delight to hide his works1 to
 the end they might be found out2 and   
of his indulgence and goodness to       
mankind1 had chosen the ,soule of       
man to be his ,play-fellow in this game4
  ,again on page #de of the work itself 
he says3--       ,for so he 7,king      
,solomon7 saith expressly1 ,the ,glory  
of ,god is to      conceale a thing1 but
 the ,glory of a ,king is to find it    
out4 ,as if      according to that      
innocent and affectionate play of       
children1 the      ,divine ,majesty took
 delight to hide his works1 to the end  
to have      them found out1 and as if  
,kings could not obtain a greater       
,honour1 then to be ,god's play-fellowes
 in that game1 especially               
considering the great command they have 
of wits and means1 whereby      the     
investigation of all things may be      
perfected4  ,another phase of the same  
idea is to be found on page #acf4  ,in  
the author's preface to the ,novum      

,organum the following passage occurs3--
       ,whereas of the sciences which   
regard nature the ,holy ,philosopher    
declares that 'it is the glory of ,god  
to conceal a thing1 but it is      the  
glory of the ,king to find it out4'     
,even as though the ,divine      ,nature
 took pleasure in the innocent and      
kindly sport of children      playing at
 hide and seek1 and vouched-safe of his 
kindness and      goodness to admit the 
human spirit for his play fellow in that
      game4  ,in almost identical words 
,bacon suggests the same conception in  
,in ,valerius ,terminus and in ,filum   
,labyrinthi4  ,in the ,epistle          
,dedicatorie of ,the ,french ,academie  
and elsewhere the author is insisting on
 the same idea that ,he 7,god7 cannot be
 seene of any mortal creature but is    
notwithstanding known by his works4     
,the close connection of ,francis ,bacon
 with the works 7now seldom studied7 of 
the ,emblem writers is vouched for by   
,j4 ,baudoin4  ,oliver ,lector in       

,letters from the ,dead to the ,dead has
 given examples of his association with 
the ,dutch and ,french emblem writers4  
,three ,englishmen appear to have       
indulged in this fascinating            
pursuit--,george ,whitney 7#aehi71      
,henry ,peacham 7#afab71 and ,george    
,withers 7#afcd74 ,from the ,baconian   
point of view ,peacham's ,minerva       
,britannia is by far the most           
interesting4 ,the ,emblem on page #cd is
 addressed ,to the most judicious and   
learned1 ,,sir ,,francis ,,bacon        
,knight4 ,on the opposite leaf1 paged   
thus1 4#cc1ce the design represents a   
hand holding a spear as in the act of   
shaking it4 ,but it is the frontispiece 
which bears specially on the present    
contention4 ,the design is now          
reproduced 7,fig4 ,,iv74 ,a curtain is  
drawn to hide a figure1 the hand only of
 which is protruding4 ,it has just      
written the words ,,mente ,,videbor--,by
 the mind ,i shall be seen4 ,around the 
scroll are the words ,vivitur ingenio   

cetera mortis erunt--one lives in one's 
genius1 other things shall be 7or pass  
away7 in death4  ,that emblem represents
 the secret of ,francis ,bacon's life4  
,at a very early age1 probably before he
 was twelve1 he had conceived the idea  
that he would imitate ,god1 that he     
would hide his works in order that they 
might be found out--that he would be    
seen only by his mind and that his image
 should be concealed4 ,there was no     
haphazard work about it4 ,it was not    
simply that having written poems or     
plays1 and desiring not to be known as  
the author on publishing them1 he put   
someone else's name on the title-page4  
,there was first the conception of the  
idea1 and then the carefully-elaborated 
scheme for carrying it out4  ,there are 
numerous allusions in ,elizabethan and  
early ,jacobean literature to someone   
who was active in literary matters but  
preferred to remain unrecognised4       
,amongst these there are some which     
directly refer to ,francis ,bacon1      

others which occur in books or under    
circumstances which suggest association 
with him4 ,it is not contended that they
 amount to direct testimony1 but the    
cumulative force of this evidence must  
not be ignored4 ,in some of the emblem  
books of the period these allusions are 
frequent4  ,then there is ,john ,owen's 
epigram appearing in his ,epigrammatum1 
published in #afab4  ,,ad4 ,d4,b4       
,si bene qui latuit1 bene vixit1 tu bene
 vivis3         ,ingeniumque tuum grande
 latendo patet4    ,thou livest well if 
one well hid well lives1   ,and thy     
great genius in being concealed is      
revealed4  ,d4 is elsewhere used by     
,owen as the initial of ,dominus4 ,the  
suggestion that ,ad4 ,d4,b4 represents  
,ad ,dominum ,baconum is therefore      
reasonable4  ,thomas ,powell published  
in #afcj the ,attourney's ,academy4 ,the
 book is dedicated ,to ,true ,nobility  
and ,tryde learning beholden ,to no     
,mountaine for ,eminence1 nor           
supportment for ,height1 ,francis1 ,lord

 ,verulam and ,viscount ,st4 ,albanes4  
,then follow these lines3--    ,o ,give 
me leave to pull the ,curtaine by       
,that clouds thy ,worth in such         
obscurity4   ,good ,seneca1 stay but a  
while thy bleeding1   ,t' accept what ,i
 received at thy ,reading3   ,here ,i   
present it in a solemne strayne1   ,and 
thus ,i pluckt the ,curtayne backe      
again4  ,in the ,mirrour of ,state and  
,eloquence1 published in #afef1 the     
frontispiece is a very bad copy of      
,marshall's portrait of ,bacon prefixed 
to the #afdj ,gilbert ,wat's            
,advancement of ,learning4 ,under it are
 these lines3--    ,grace1 ,honour1     
virtue1 ,learning1 witt1   ,are all     
within this ,porture knitt   ,and left  
to time that it may tell1   ,what worth 
within this ,peere did dwell4  ,the     
frontispiece previously referred to of  
,truth brought to ,light and discovered 
by ,time1 or a discourse and            
,historicall narration of the first     
,,xiiii4 yeares of ,king ,james ,reign1 

published in #afea1 is full of cryptic  
meaning and in one section of it there  
is a representation of a coffin out of  
which is growing                        
,a spreading ,tree   ,full fraught with 
various ,fruits most fresh and fair     
,to make succeeding ,times most rich and
 rare4  ,the fruits are books and       
manuscripts4 ,the volume contains       
speeches of ,bacon and copies of        
official documents signed by him4  ,the 
books of the emblem writers are still   
more remarkable4 ,jacobi ,bornitii      
,emblemata ,ethico ,politica1 #afei1    
contains at least a dozen plates in     
which ,bacon is represented4 ,a         
suggestive emblem is ,no4 #a of         
,cornelii ,giselberti ,plempii          
,amsterodarnum ,monogrammon1 bearing    
date #afaf1 the year of ,shakespeare's  
death4 ,it is now reproduced 7,fig4     
,v474 ,it will be observed that the     
initial letters of each word in the     
sentence--,obscaenumque nimis crepuit   
,fortuna ,batavis appellanda--yield ,f4 

,bacon4 ,there are in other designs     
figures which are evidently intended to 
represent ,bacon4 ,emblem ,,xxxvi4 shows
 the inside of a printer's shop and two 
men at work in the foreground blacking  
and fixing the type4 ,behind is a       
workman setting type1 and standing      
beside him1 apparently directing1 or at 
any rate observing him1 is a man with   
the well-known ,bacon hat on4  ,the     
contention may be stated thus3--,francis
 ,bacon possessed1 to quote ,macaulay1  
the most exquisitely constructed        
intellect that has ever been bestowed on
 any of the children of men4 ,hallam    
described him as the wisest1 greatest of
 mankind1 and affirmed that he might be 
compared to ,aristotle1 ,thucydides1    
,tacitus1 ,philippe de ,comines1        
,machiavelli1 ,davila1 ,hume1 all of    
these together1 and confirming this view
 ,addison said that he possessed at once
 all those extraordinary talents which  
were divided amongst the greatest       
authors of antiquity4 ,at twelve years  

of age in industry he surpassed the     
capacity1 and1 in his mind1 the range of
 his contemporaries1 and had acquired a 
thorough command of the classical and   
modern languages4 ,he1 after he had     
survaied all the ,records of ,antiquity1
 after the volumes of men1 betook       
himself to the volume of the world and  
conquered whatever books possest4       
,having1 whilst still a youth1 taken all
 knowledge to be his province1 he had   
read1 marked1 and absorbed the contents 
of nearly every book that had been      
printed4 ,how that boy read6 ,points of 
importance he underlined and noted in   
the margin4 ,every subject he           
mastered--mathematics1 geometry1 music1 
poetry1 painting1 astronomy1 astrology1 
classical drama and poetry1 philosophy1 
history1 theology1 architecture4        
,then--or perhaps before--came this     
marvellous conception1 ,like ,god ,i    
will be seen by my works1 although my   
image shall never be visible--,mente    
videbor4 ,by the mind ,i shall be seen4 

,so equipped1 and with such a scheme1 he
 commenced and successfully carried     
through that colossal enterprise in     
which he sought the good of all men1    
though in a despised weed4 ,this1 he    
said1 whether it be curiosity or        
vainglory1 or 7if one takes it          
favourably7 philanthropia1 is so fixed  
in my mind as it cannot be removed4     
,translations of the classics1 of       
histories1 and other works were made4   
,in those he no doubt had assistance by 
the commandment of more wits than his   
own1 which is a thing he greatly        
affected4 ,books came from his          
pen--poetry and prose--at a rate which1 
when the truth is revealed1 will        
literally stagger humanity4 ,books were 
written by others under his direction4  
,he saw them through the press1 and he  
did more4 ,he had his own wood blocks of
 devices1 some1 at any rate1 of which   
were his own design1 and every book     
produced under his direction1 whether   
written by him or not1 was marked by the

 use of one or more of these wood       
blocks4 ,the favourite device was the   
light ,a and the dark ,a4 ,probably the 
first book published in ,england which  
was marked with this device was ,de     
,rep4 ,anglorum ,instauranda libri      
decem1 ,authore ,thoma ,chalonero       
,equite1 ,anglo4 ,this was printed by   
,thomas ,vautrollerius1#cf and bears    
date #aegi4  ,vautrollier1 and          
afterwards ,richard ,field1 printed many
 of the books in the issue of which     
,bacon was concerned from #aegi onwards4
 ,henry ,bynneman1 and afterwards his   
assignees ,ralph ,newbery and ,henry    
,denham and ,george ,bishop1 who was    
associated with ,denham1 were also      
printing books issued under his         
auspices1 and later ,adam ,islip1       
,george ,eld and ,james ,haviland came  
in for a liberal share of his patronage4
  ,the cost of printing and publishing  
must have been very great4 ,if the facts
 ever come to light it will probably be 
found that ,burghley was ,bacon's       

mainstay for financial support4 ,it will
 also be found that ,lady ,anne ,bacon  
and ,anthony ,bacon were liberal        
contributors to the funds1 and that the 
cause of ,francis ,bacon's monetary     
difficulties and consequent debts was   
the heavy obligation which he personally
 undertook in connection with the       
production of the ,elizabethan          
literature4  ,in the ,dedications1      
,prefaces1 and ,epistles ,to the ,reader
 also ,francis ,bacon's mind may be     
recognised4 ,when ,addison wrote of     
,bacon1 ,one does not know which to     
admire most in his writings1 the        
strength of reason1 force of style1 or  
brightness of imagination1 his words    
might have been inspired by these       
prefixes to the literature of this      
period4 ,when once the student has made 
himself thoroughly acquainted with      
,bacon's style of writing prefaces he   
can never fail to recognise it1         
especially if he reads the passages     
aloud4 ,the ,epistle ,dedicatorie to the

 #afbe edition of ,barclay's ,argenis1  
signed ,kingesmill ,long1 is one of the 
finest examples of ,baconian ,english   
extant4 ,who but the writer of the      
,shakespeare plays could have written   
that specimen of musical language8 ,to  
hear it read aloud gives all the        
enjoyment of listening to a fine        
composition of music4 ,it is the same   
with the ,shakespeare plays2 only when  
they are read aloud can the richness and
 charm of the language they contain be  
appreciated4  ,bacon's work can never be
 understood by anyone who has not       
realised the marvellous character of the
 mind of the boy1 his phenomenal        
industry1 and the fact that he could    
imagine like a poet and execute like a  
clerk of the works4 ,it has been        
suggested that he had a secret ,society1
 by the agency of which he carried      
through his works1 but it is difficult  
to find any evidence that such a        
,society existed4 ,it may be that he had
 helpers without there having been      

anything of the nature of a ,society4   
,from #aege to #afje 7thirty years7 with
 the exception of the trifles published 
as ,essays in #aeig1 there are no       
acknowledged fruits of his work to which
 his name is attached4 ,even the two    
books of the ,advancement of ,learning1 
published in #afje1 would have made     
little demands on his time4 ,edmund     
,burke said3 ,who is there that hearing 
the name of ,bacon does not instantly   
recognise everything of genius the most 
profound1 of literature the most        
extensive1 of discovery the most        
penetrating1 of observation of human    
life the most distinguished and refined4
 ,for such a man to write ,the two books
 would be no hard or lengthy task4  ,the
 wonder is that ,francis ,bacon should  
have attached his name to the #aeig     
edition of the essays4 ,he had written  
and published under other names tomes of
 essays of at least equal merit4 ,in    
,aphorism #abh of the ,novum ,organum   
,bacon says1 ,but how sincere ,i am in  

my profession of affection and goodwill 
towards the received sciences my        
published writings1 especially the books
 on the ,advancement of ,learning1      
sufficiently shew4 ,what are the        
published writings referred to8 ,the    
only works which bore his name were the 
incomplete volume of the ,essays and the
 ,wisdom of the ,ancients1 to neither of
 which the words quoted are applicable4 
,anthony ,bacon1 writing to ,lady ,anne 
in ,april1 #aeic1 referring to her      
motherly offer to help ,francis out of  
debt by being content to bestow the     
whole interest in an estate in ,essex1  
called ,markes1 said beseeching you to  
believe that being so near and dear unto
 me as he is1 it cannot but be a grief  
unto me to see a mind that hath given so
 sufficient proof of itself in having   
brought forth many good thoughts for the
 general to be overburdened and cumbered
 with a care of clearing his particular 
estate4  ,in #aeic nothing had been     
published under ,bacon's name1 and there

 is not any production of his known     
which would justify ,anthony's remark4  
,what was his motive in selecting this  
insignificant little volume of essays   
whereby to proclaim himself a writer8   
,one can understand his object in       
addressing ,james in ,the ,two ,books of
 the ,advancement of ,learning4 ,he     
obtained in #afjf1 as ,peacham has it1  
preferment by his ,patrone's letter by  
being appointed ,solicitor-,general4    
,during all this period--#aege to       
#afje--the most exquisitely constructed 
mind that has ever been bestowed on any 
of the children of men appears to have  
been dormant4 ,take the first three     
volumes of ,spedding's ,life and        
,letters1 and carefully note all that is
 recorded as the product of that mind   
during the years when it must have been 
at the zenith of its power and activity4
 ,all the letters and tracts accredited 
to ,bacon in them which have come down  
to us would not account for six         
months--not for three months--of its    

occupation4  ,the explanation that he   
was building up his great system of     
inductive philosophy is quite           
inadequate4 ,rawley speaks of the ,novum
 ,organum as having been in hand for    
twelve years4 ,this would give #afjh as 
the year when it was commenced4 ,the    
,cogitata et ,visa1 of which it was an  
amplification1 was probably written in  
#afjf or #afjg1 for on the #agth        
,february1 #afjg-h1 ,bodley writes      
acknowledging the receipt of it and     
commenting on it4  ,rawley says that it 
was during the last five years of       
,bacon's life that he composed the      
greatest part of his books and writings 
both in ,english and ,latin1 and        
supplies a list which comprises all his 
acknowledged published works except the 
,novum ,organum and the ,essays4  ,in   
,the ,statesmen and ,favourites of      
,england since the ,reformation1 it is  
stated that the universal knowledge and 
comprehension of things rendered        
,francis ,bacon the observation of great

 and wise men1 and afterward the wonder 
of all4 ,yet it is remarkable how few   
are the references to him amongst his   
contemporaries4 ,practically the only   
one that would enable a reader to gain  
any knowledge of his personality is     
,francis ,osborn1 who1 in letters to his
 son1 published in #afeh1 describes him 
as he was in the last few years of his  
life4 ,no one has left data which       
enables a clear impression to be formed 
of ,francis ,bacon as he was up to his  
fortieth year4 ,the omission may be     
described as a conspiracy of silence4   
,how exactly the circumstances appear to
 fit in with the first line of ,john    
,owen's epigram to ,dominus ,b41        
published in #afab6--,thou livest well  
if one well hid well lives2 and if the  
suggestion now put forward be correct   
that ,bacon deliberately resolved that  
his image and personality should never  
be seen1 but only the fruits of his     
mind--the issues of his brain1 to use   
,rawley's expression--how apt is the    

second line of the epigram3 ,and thy    
great genius in being concealed1 is     
revealed4   ,,footnotes3  #cc ,of the   
,advancement of ,learning1 #afdj1 page  
#cab4  #cd ,of the ,advancement of      
,learning1 #afdj1 pages #aae1 #aaf4  #ce
 #cc is the numerical value of the name 
,bacon4 ,the stop preceding it denotes  
cypher4  #cf ,vautrollier was a scholar 
and printer who came to ,england from   
,paris or ,roan about the beginning of  
,elizabeth's reign1 and first commenced 
business in ,blackfriars4 ,in #aehd he  
printed ,jordanus ,brunus1 for which he 
was compelled to fly4 ,in the next year 
he was in ,edinburgh1 where1 by his     
help1 ,scottish printing was greatly    
improved4 ,eventually his pardon was    
procured by powerful friends1 amongst   
whom was ,thomas ,randolph4 ,in #aehh   
,richard ,field1 who was apprenticed to 
,vautrollier1 married ,jakin1 his       
daughter1 and on his death in #aehi     
succeeded to the business4     ,,chapter
 ,,xv4  ,,burghley ,,and ,,bacon4       

,there was published in #agcb ,the ,life
 of the ,great ,statesman ,william      
,cecil1 ,lord ,burghley4 ,the preface   
signed by ,arthur ,collins states3--    
,the work ,i have for several years     
engaged in1 of treating of those        
families that have been ,barons of this 
,kingdom1 necessarily induced      me to
 apply to our ,nobility for such helps1 
as might illustrate the      memory of  
their ancestors4 ,and several ,noblemen 
having favour'd me      with the perusal
 of their family evidences1 and being   
recommended      to the ,right          
,honourable the present ,earl of        
,exeter1 his ,lordship      out of just 
regard to the memory of his great       
,ancestor1 was pleased      to order the
 manuscript ,life of the ,lord ,burghley
 to be      communicated to me4         
,which being very old and decayed and   
only legible to such who are      versed
 in ancient writings it was with great  
satisfaction that ,i      copied it     
literatim4 ,and that it may not be lost 

to the world1 ,i      now offer it to   
the view of the publick4 ,it fully      
appears to be      wrote in the reign of
 ,queen ,elizabeth soon after his       
,lordship's      death1 by one who was  
intimate with him1 and an eye witness of
 his      actions for the last          
twenty-five years4 ,it needs no comment 
to set      it off2 that truth and      
sincerity which shines through the      
whole1      will1 ,i don't doubt have   
the same weight with the ,readers as it 
had      with me and that they will be  
of opinion it's too valuable to be      
buried in oblivion4  ,this ,life of     
,lord ,burghley is referred to by ,nares
 and other of his biographers as having 
been written by a domestic4 ,it contains
 about #af1jjj words and is the most    
authentic account extant of the great   
statesman's life4 ,the narrative is     
full1 but the observations on the       
character and habits of ,burghley are by
 far the most important feature4 ,the   
method of treatment of the subject is   

after ,bacon's style2 the ,life abounds 
with phrases and with tricks of diction1
 which enable it to be identified as    
his4 ,the concluding sentences could    
only have been written with ,bacon's    
pen3--       ,and so leaving his soule  
with ,god1 his fame to the world1 and   
the      truth to all charitable mynds1 
,i leave the sensure to all judicious   
,christians1 who truly practising what  
they professe1 will better      approve1
 and more indifferentlie interpret it1  
than envie or malice      can disprove  
it4 ,the best sort will ever doe right1 
the worst can      but imagine mischief 
and doe wrong2 yet this is a comfort1   
the more      his virtues are troden    
downe1 the more will theire brightnes   
appeare4 ,virtus vulnerata virescit4    
,in #aeib the ,responsio ad edictum     
,reginae ,angliae of the ,jesuit        
,parsons had appeared1 attacking the    
,queen and her advisers 7especially     
,burghley71 to whom were attributed all 
the evils of ,england and the           

disturbances of ,christendom4 ,the reply
 to this was entrusted to ,francis      
,bacon1 who responded with a pamphlet   
entitled ,certain observations upon a   
libel published this present year1      
#aeib4 ,it was first printed by ,dr4    
,rawley in the ,resuscitatio in #afeg4  
,at the time it was written it was      
circulated largely in manuscript1 for at
 least eight copies1 somewhat varying   
from each other1 have been preserved4#cg
 ,it is quite possible that it was      
printed at the time1 but that no copy   
has survived4 ,throughout the whole work
 there are continual references to      
,burghley4 ,chapter ,,vi4 is entirely   
devoted to his defence and is headed    
,certain true general notes upon the    
actions of the ,lord ,burghley4 ,either 
,the ,life and the ,observations on a   
,libel are by the same writer or the    
author of the former borrowed the latter
 very freely4  ,it is to be regretted   
that the original manuscript of the     
,life cannot now be found4 ,in #agcb it 

was at ,burghley ,house4 ,application   
has been made to the present ,marquis of
 ,exeter for permission to inspect it1  
but his ,lordship's librarian has no    
knowledge of its existence4 ,if it could
 be examined it is probable that if the 
text was not in ,bacon's handwriting    
some notes or alterations might be      
recognised as his4 ,the writer says he  
was an eye witness of ,burghley's life  
and actions twenty-five years           
together--that would be from #aegc to   
#aeih1 which would well accord with the 
present contention4 ,if ,bacon was the  
author it throws considerable light on  
his relations with ,burghley and        
establishes the fact that they were of  
the most cordial and affectionate       
character4 ,it is reported that ,bacon  
said that in the time of the            
,burghleys--father and son--clever or   
able men were repressed1 and mainly upon
 this has been based the impression that
 ,burghley opposed ,francis ,bacon's    
progress4  ,burghley's biographer refers

 to this report4 ,he writes3 ,he was    
careful and desirous to furder and      
advaunce men of quality and desart to be
 ,councellors and officers to her       
,majesty wherein he placed manie and    
laboured to bring in more 444 yet would 
envy with her slaunders report he       
hindered men from rising2 but howe true 
it is wise men maie judge1 for it was   
the ,queene to take whom she pleased and
 not in a subject to preferree whom he  
listed4  ,it will eventually be proved  
that such a report conveys an incorrect 
view4 ,in the letter of #aeia1ch        
addressed to ,burghley1 ,bacon          
says3--,besides ,i do not find in myself
 so much self-love1 but that the greater
 parts of my thoughts are to deserve    
well 7if ,i were able7 of my friends and
 namely of your ,lordship2 who being the
 ,atlas of this ,commonwealth1 the      
honour of my house1 and the second      
founder of my poor estate1 ,i am tied by
 all duties1 both of a good patriot1 and
 of an unworthy kinsman1 and of an      

obliged servant1 to employ whatsoever ,i
 am to do your service1 and later in the
 letter he employs the phrase1 ,and if  
your ,lordship will not carry me on1 and
 then threatens to sell the inheritance 
that he has1 purchase some quick revenue
 that may be executed by another1 and   
become some sorry bookmaker or a pioneer
 in that mine of truth which ,anaxagoras
 said lay so deep4  ,again1 in a letter 
to ,burghley1 dated #cast ,march1 #aeid1
 he says3--,lastly1 that howsoever this 
matter may go1 yet ,i may enjoy your    
lordship's good favour and help as ,i   
have done in regard to my private       
estate1 which as ,i have not altogether 
neglected so ,i have but negligently    
attended and which hath been bettered   
only by yourself 7the ,queen except7 and
 not by any other in matter of          
importance4 ,further on he says3 ,thus  
again desiring the continuance of your  
,lordship's goodness as ,i have hitherto
 found it on my part sought also to     
deserve1 ,i commend1 etc4  ,it is very  

easy1 with little information as to     
,bacon's actions and little knowledge of
 the period1 to form a definite opinion 
as to the relations of ,bacon and       
,burghley4 ,the more information as to  
the one and knowledge of the other one  
gets1 the more difficult does it become 
to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion4 
,here was the son of ,elizabeth's great 
,lord ,keeper1 the nephew of her trusted
 minister1 himself from his boyhood a   
persona grata with the ,queen1 of       
brilliant parts and great wisdom--if he 
had been a mere place-hunter his desires
 could have been satisfied over and over
 again4 ,there was some condition of    
circumstance1 of which nothing has      
hitherto been known1 which prevented him
 from obtaining the object of his       
desires4 ,that he had a definite object1
 and had mapped out a course by which he
 hoped to achieve it1 is evident from   
his letters#ci already quoted4 ,it is   
equally clear that the course he sought 
to pursue entailed his abandoning the   

law as a profession4 ,either he would   
only have such place as he desired1 and 
on his own terms1 or he was known to be 
following some course which1 although   
not distasteful to his close friends1   
caused him to be held in suspicion1 if  
not distrust1 by the courtiers with whom
 ,elizabeth was surrounded4 ,every      
additional fact that comes to light     
seems to point to the truth being that  
through his life ,burghley was ,francis 
,bacon's staunch friend and supporter4  
,upon ,sir ,nicholas ,bacon's death     
,burghley appears with ,bodley to have  
been maintaining ,bacon in his travels  
abroad4 ,upon his return to ,england    
,burghley gave him financial support in 
his great project4 ,in #aeia there was a
 crisis--someone had been spending money
 for the past twelve years freely in    
making ,english literature4 ,that cannot
 be gainsaid4 ,burghley appears to have 
pulled up and remonstrated2 hence       
,bacon's letter containing the threat   
before referred to4 ,it is significant  

that it was immediately after this      
letter was written that ,bacon's        
association with ,essex commenced4      
,bacon would take him and ,southampton  
into his confidence and seek their help4
 ,essex was just the man to respond with
 enthusiasm4 ,francis introduced        
,anthony to him4 ,the services of the   
brothers were placed at his disposal1   
and he undertook to manage the ,queen4  
,the office of ,attorney-,general for   
,francis would meet the case4 ,it was   
dangerous in a factious age to have my  
,lord ,essex his favour1 says the       
biographer before quoted4#dj  ,that     
,burghley was favourable to his         
appointment as ,attorney-,general two   
letters written by ,francis to ,lord    
,keeper ,puckering in #aeid testify4 ,in
 the first ,bacon writes3 ,i pray your  
,lordship to call to remembrance my     
,lord ,treasurer's kind course1 who     
affirmed directly all the rest to be    
unfit4 ,and because vis unita fortior ,i
 beg your ,lordship to take a time with 

the ,queen when my ,lord ,treasurer is  
present4  ,in a second letter he writes3
 ,i thought good to remember your good  
,lordship and to request you as ,i      
touched in my last that if my ,lord     
,treasurer be absent your ,lordship     
would forbear to fall into my business  
with her ,majesty lest it mought receive
 some foil before the time when it      
should be resolutely dealt in4  ,only   
,burghley was found to support ,essex's 
advocacy1 and on the whole this was not 
to be wondered at4 ,such an appointment1
 to say the least1 would have been an   
experiment4 ,possibly ,essex was the    
stumbling-block1 but it may be that the 
real objection on the part of the ,queen
 and her advisers was that ,bacon was   
known to be so amorous of certain       
learned arts1 so much given over to     
invention1 that the consensus of opinion
 was that he was thereby unfitted to    
hold an important office of the ,state4 
,or it may be that he was discredited by
 his suspected or known association with

 certain printers4 ,there was some      
reason of which no explanation can now  
be traced4  ,it has been suggested that 
in #aeia there was a crisis in ,bacon's 
life4 ,that is evident from the letter  
to ,burghley written in that year4 ,john
 ,harrington's translation of ,orlando  
,furioso was published about this time4 
,the manuscript1 which is in a perfect  
condition1 is in the ,british ,museum1  
and has been marked in ,bacon's         
handwriting throughout4 ,the pagination 
and the printer's signature are placed  
at the commencement of the stanzas to be
 printed on each page1 and there are    
instructions to the printer at the end  
which are not in his hand4  ,there are  
good grounds for attributing the notes  
at the end of each chapter to ,bacon4   
,it is very improbable that ,sir ,john  
,harrington had the classical knowledge 
which the writer of these notes must    
have possessed4 ,there is a letter      
written by him to ,sir ,amias ,pawlett1 
dated ,january1 #afjf-g4 ,he is relating

 an interview with ,king ,james1 and    
says3 ,then he 7the king7 enquyrede     
muche of lernynge and showede me his    
owne in such sorte as made me remember  
my examiner at ,cambridge aforetyme4 ,he
 soughte muche to knowe my advances in  
philosophie and utterede profounde      
sentences of ,aristotle and such lyke   
wryters1 whiche ,i had never reade and  
which some are bolde enoughe to saye    
others do not understand4 ,it would be  
difficult to mention any classical      
author with whose works the writer of   
these notes was not familiar1 or to     
believe that ,epigrams both ,pleasant   
and ,serious 7#afae7 came from the pen  
of that writer4  ,at the end of the     
thirty-seventh chapter the following    
note occurs3 ,it was because she        
7,porcia7 wrote some verses in manner of
 an ,epitaph upon her husband after his 
decease3 ,in which kind1 that honourable
 ,ladie 7widow of the late ,lord ,john  
,russell7 deserveth no lesse            
commendation1 having done as much for   

two husbands4 ,and whereas my author    
maketh so great bost only of one learned
 woman in ,italie1 ,i may compare       
7besides one above all comparison that  
,i have noted in the twentith booke7    
three or foure in ,england out of one   
family1 and namely the sisters of that  
learned ,ladie1 as witness that verse   
written by the meanest of the foure to  
the ,ladie ,burlie which ,i doubt if    
,cambridge or ,oxford can mend4    ,the 
four         ,si mihi quem cupio cures  
,mildreda   ,she wrote to   daughters of
          remitti                       
,lady ,burlie   ,sir ,anthonie      ,tu 
bona1 tu melior1 tu mihi sola    to send
 a   ,cooke--               soror2      
kinsman of     ,ladie ,burlie1   ,sin   
mali cessando retines1  trans  hers into
     ,ladie ,russell1      mare mittis1 
,cornwall1     ,lady ,bacon1     ,tu    
mala1 tu peior1 tu mihi nulla    where  
she     ,mistress            soror4     
dwelt1 and to       ,killygrew4    ,is  
si ,cornubiam1 tibi pax sit      stop   

his going                         omnia 
laeta1                     beyond sea4  
,sin mare ,ceciliae nuncio bella4       
,vale4#da  ,the writer of the ,latin    
verse was not ,ladie ,russell1 and it   
was written to ,ladie ,burlie1 so she   
must either be ,ladie ,bacon or         
,mistress ,killigrew4 ,it is not an     
improbable theory that ,ladie ,bacon was
 writing to her sister ,mildred1 who    
had1 through her husband1 power either  
to send ,francis to ,cornwall or permit 
him to be sent away over the seas4      
,there is a copy of ,machiavelli's      
,history of ,florence1 #aeie1 with      
,bacon's notes in the margins4#db  ,at  
the end is a memorandum giving the dates
 when the book was read in ,cornwall at1
 and then follow two words1 the second  
of which is ,lake1 but the first is     
undecipherable4  ,is it possible that   
,lady ,anne ,bacon had a house in       
,cornwall which ,francis ,bacon1        
inheriting after her death1 was in the  
habit of visiting for retirement8 ,but  

this is conjecture4  ,the following     
point is of interest4 ,in the ,life of  
,burghley 7#aeih7 it is said that3      
,bookes weare so pleasing to him1 as    
when he gott libertie to goe unto his   
house to take ayre1 if he found a book  
worth the openinge1 he wold rather loose
 his ridinge than his readinge2 and yet 
ryding in his garden walks upon his     
litle moile was his greatest ,disport3  
,but so soone as he came in he fell to  
his readinge againe or els to           
dispatchinge busines4  ,rawley1 in his  
,life of ,bacon 7#afeg71 attributes an  
exactly similar habit to the            
philosopher1 and almost in identical    
phrase3 ,for he would ever interlace a  
moderate relaxation of his mind with his
 studies as walking1 or taking the air  
abroad in his coach or some other       
befitting recreation2 and yet he would  
lose no time1 inasmuch as upon his first
 and immediate return he would fall to  
reading again1 and so suffer no moment  
of time to slip from him without some   

present improvement4  ,it is difficult  
to approach any phase of the life of    
,bacon without being confronted with    
what appears to be evidence of careful  
preparation to obscure the facts4 ,this 
observation does not result from        
imagination or prejudice2 ,bacon's      
movements are always enshrouded in      
mystery4 ,investigation and research    
will1 however1 eventually establish as a
 fact that there was a closer connection
 between ,burghley and ,bacon than      
historians have recognised1 and that    
they had a strong attachment for each   
other4   ,,footnotes3  #cg ,harl4       
,,mss41 #ecg1 pp4 #bf and #ga2          
additional ,,mss41 #d1bfc1 p4 #add2     
,harl4 ,,mss41 #f1dja2 ,harl4 ,,mss41   
#f1hed1 p4 #bjc2 ,cambridge ,univ4      
,lib41 ,mm4 ,v4 #e2 ,cotton ,,mss41     
,tit41 ,chap4 ,,vii41 p4 #ej b2 ,harl4  
,,mss41 #hei1 p4 #dj2 ,cotton ,,mss41   
,jul41 ,f4 ,,vi41 p4 #aeh4  #ch ,see    
page #gb4  #ci ,see pages #gj1 #gb4  #dj
 ,see ,appendix4  #da  ,if you1 ,o      

,mildred1 will take care to send back to
 me him whom         ,i desire1         
,you will be my good1 my more than good1
 my only sister2       ,but if1         
unfortunately1 by doing nothing you keep
 him back and         send him across   
the sea1       ,you will be bad1 more   
than bad1 nay no sister at all of mine4 
,if he comes to ,cornwall1 peace and all
 joys be with you1       ,but if he goes
 by sea to ,sicily ,i declare war4      
,farewell4  #db ,one note on this book  
contains an interesting historical fact 
hitherto unknown4 ,on page #bgi the text
 states3 ,among the ,conspirators was   
,nicholo ,fedini whom they employed as  
,chauncellor1 he persuaded with a hope  
more certaine1 revealed to ,piero1 all  
the practice argreed by his enemies1 and
 delivered him a note of all their      
names4 ,bacon has made the following    
note in the margin3 ,ex 7i4e41 ,essex7  
did the like in ,england which he burnt 
at ,shirfr ,smiths house in fenchurch   
,street4     ,,chapter ,,xvi4  ,,the    

#afbc ,,folio ,,edition ,,of            
,,shakespeare',s ,,plays4   ,sir ,sydney
 ,lee has written#dc3--;,as a specimen  
of typography1 the ,first ,folio is not 
to be commended4 ,there are a great many
 contemporary folios of larger bulk far 
more neatly and correctly printed4 ,it  
looks as though ,jaggard's printing     
office was undermanned4 ,the misprints  
are numerous1 and are especially        
conspicuous in the pagination4 ,in the  
same year was published ,the ,theater of
 ,honour and ,knighthood1 translated    
from the ,french of ,andreu ,favine4    
,william ,jaggard was the printer4 ,it  
is a large folio volume containing about
 #a1bjj pages1 and is referred to as    
being issued by ,jaggard as an example  
of the printer's art to maintain his    
reputation1 which had suffered from the 
apparently careless manner in which the 
,shakespeare ,folio was turned out4     
,both books contain the same emblematic 
head-pieces and tail-pieces4 ,there are1
 however1 some considerable             

mispaginations in ,the ,theater of      
,honour4 ,mispaginations were not       
infrequent in ,elizabethan and ,jacobean
 literature1 but it is quite possible   
that they were not unintentional4 ,the  
most glaring instance is to be found in 
the first ,edition of ,the ,two ,bookes 
of ,francis ,bacon--,of the ,proficience
 and ,advancement in ,learning1 ,divine 
and ,humane1 published by ,henrie ,tomes
 7#afje74 ,each leaf 7not page7 is      
numbered4 ,the #de leaves of the first  
book are correctly numbered4 ,in the    
second book there is no number on leaf  
#f4 ,leaf #i is numbered #f1 the right  
figure being printed upside down2 #cj is
 numbered #cc2 from #ca to #gj the      
numbering is correct1 and then the      
leaves are numbered as follows3--#gj1   
#gj1 #ga1 #gj1 #gb1 #gd1 #gc1 #gd1 #ge1 
#fi1 #gg1 #gh1 #gi1 #hj1 #gg1 #gd1 #gd1 
#fi1 #fi1 #hb1 #hg1 #gi1 #hi1 #ia1 #ib1 
#ic1 #id1 #ie1 #ii1 #ig1 #ii1 #id1 #ajj1
 #ii1 #ajb1 #ajc1 #ajc1 #ic1 #ajf1 and  
on correctly until the last page1 #aah1 

except that #aae is numbered #aje4  ,it 
is impossible to attribute this         
mispagination to the printer's          
carelessness4 ,this was the first work  
published bearing ,bacon's name1        
excepting the trifle of essays published
 in #aeig4 ,there does not appear to    
have been any hurry in its production4  
,it is quite a small volume1 and yet the
 foregoing remarkable mispaginations    
occur4 ,there must be some purpose in   
this which has yet to be found out4     
,the #afbc ,shakespeare ,folio will be  
found to be one of the most perfect     
examples of the printer's art extant1   
because no work has been produced under 
such difficult conditions for the       
printer4 ,there are few mistakes in     
pagination or spelling which are not    
intentional4 ,the work is a masterpiece 
of enigma and cryptic design4 ,the lines
 ,to the ,reader opposite to the        
title-page are a table or code of       
numbers4 ,the same lines and the        
lettering on the title-page form another

 table4 ,the ingenuity displayed in this
 manipulation of words and numbers to   
create analogies is almost beyond the   
comprehension of the human mind4 ,the   
mispaginations are all intentional and  
have cryptic meanings4 ,the acme of wit 
is the substitution of #iic for #cii on 
the last page of the tragedies2 a       
hundred has been omitted in ,hamlet1    
#beg following #aef1 and other errors   
made in order to obtain this result on  
the last page4 ,the manner in which the 
printer's signatures have been arranged 
with the pages is equally wonderful4    
,the name ,william ,shakespeare must    
have been created without reference to  
him of ,stratford1 who possibly bore or 
had assigned to him a somewhat similar  
name4 ,a great superstructure is built  
up on the exact spelling of the words   
,william ,shakespeare4 ,the year #afbc  
was specially selected for the issue of 
the complete volume of the plays1       
because of the marvellous relations     
which the numbers composing it bear to  

the names ,william ,shakespeare and     
,francis ,bacon1 to the year #aefj1 in  
which the birth of ,bacon is registered1
 and to #aefd and #afaf1 the reputed    
dates of the birth and death of the     
,stratford man4 ,nor do the wonders end 
here4 ,the use of numerical analogies   
has been carried into the construction  
of the ,english language4 ,all this1 and
 much more1 will be made manifest when  
the work of ,mr4 ,e4 ,v4 ,tanner comes  
to be investigated and appreciated4 ,he 
has made the greatest literary discovery
 of all time4 ,the wonder is how it has 
been possible for anyone to pierce the  
veil and reveal the secrets of the      
volume4 ,the value of the ,shakespeare  
,folio #afbc will be enhanced4 ,it will 
stand alone as the greatest monument of 
the achievements of the human intellect4
  ,to any literary critic who should    
honour this book by noticing it1 it is  
probable the foregoing statements may   
seem extravagant and untrustworthy4 ,to 
such the request is now made that before

 making any comment he will inspect the 
proof of the foregoing statements which 
are in the writer's possession4 ,the    
dramas of ,shakespeare are1 by universal
 consent1 placed at the head of all     
literature4 ,the invitation is now put  
forth in explicit terms1 and facilities 
are offered for the investigation of the
 truth1 or otherwise1 of every statement
 made in the foregoing paragraph4       
,,footnotes3  #dc ,a ,life of           
,shakespeare1 #aehi1 #bnd ,edition1 p4  
#cjh4     ,,chapter ,,xvii4  ,,the      
,,authorized ,,version ,,of ,,the       
,,bible1 #afaa4   ,is it not strange    
that there is no mention of any         
connection of ,francis ,bacon with this 
work8 ,there was a conference held at   
,hampton ,court ,palace before ,king    
,james on ,january1 #afjc1 between the  
,episcopalians and ,puritans4 ,john     
,rainoldes urged the necessity of       
providing for his people a uniform      
translation of the ,bible4 ,rainoldes   
was the leader of the ,puritans1 a      

person of prodigious reading and        
doctrine1 and the very treasury of      
erudition4 ,dr4 ,hall1 ,bishop of       
,norwich1 reports that he alone was a   
well furnished library1 full of all     
faculties1 of all studies1 of all       
learning--the memory and reading of that
 man were near a miracle4 ,the ,king    
approved the suggestion and commissioned
 for that purpose fifty-four of the most
 learned men in the universities and    
other places4 ,there was a careful      
selection of revisers made by some      
unknown but very competent authority4   
,the translators were divided into six  
bands of nine each1 and the work of     
translation was apportioned out to them4
 ,a set of rules was drawn up for their 
guidance1 which has happily come down to
 modern times--almost the only record   
that remains of this great undertaking4 
,these concise rules have a homogeneity1
 breadth and vigour which point to      
,bacon as their author4 ,each reviser   
was to translate the whole of the       

original allocated to his company2 then 
they were to compare their translations 
together1 and1 as soon as a company had 
completed its part1 it was to           
communicate the result to the other     
companies1 that nothing might pass      
without the general consent4 ,if any    
company1 upon the review of the         
translation so sent1 differed on any    
point1 they were to note their objection
 and state their reasons for            
disagreement4 ,if the differences could 
not be adjusted1 there was a committee  
of arbitration which met weekly1        
consisting of a representative from each
 company1 to whom the matter in dispute 
was referred4 ,if any point was found to
 be very obscure1 letters were to be    
addressed1 by authority1 to learned     
persons throughout the land inviting    
their judgment4 ,the work was commenced 
in #afjd4 ,rainoldes belonged to the    
company to whom ,isaiah and the prophets
 were assigned4 ,he died in #afjg1      
before the work was completed4 ,during  

his illness his colleagues met in his   
bedroom so that they might retain the   
benefit of his learning4 ,only          
forty-seven out of the fifty-four names 
are known4 ,when the companies had      
completed their work1 one complete copy 
was made at ,oxford1 one at ,cambridge1 
and one at ,westminster4 ,those were    
sent to ,london4 ,then two members were 
selected from each company to form a    
committee to review and polish the      
whole4 ,the members met daily at        
,stationers' ,hall and occupied nine    
months in their task4 ,then a final     
revision was entrusted to ,dr4 ,thomas  
,bilson and ,dr4 ,miles ,smith1 and in  
#afji their labours were completed and  
the result was handed to the ,king4     
,many of the translators have left      
specimens of their writing in           
theological treatises1 sermons1 and     
other works4 ,a careful perusal of all  
these available justifies the assertion 
that amongst the whole body there was   
not one man who was so great a literary 

stylist as to be able to write certain  
portions of the ,authorised ,version1   
which stamp it as one of the two        
greatest examples of the ,english       
language4 ,naturally the interest       
centres on ,dr4 ,thomas ,bilson and ,dr4
 ,miles ,smith1 to whom the final       
revision was entrusted4 ,there are some 
nine or ten theological works by the    
former and two sermons by the latter4   
,unless the theory of a special divine  
inspiration for the occasion be         
admitted1 it is clear that neither      
,bilson nor ,miles ,smith could have    
given the final touches to the ,bible4  
,and now a curious statement has come   
down to us4 ,in #afji the translators   
handed their work to the ,king1 and in  
#afaj he returned it to them completed4 
,james was incapable of writing anything
 to which the term beautiful could be   
applied4 ,what had happened to the      
translators' work whilst it was left in 
his hands8  ,james had an officer of    
state at that time of whom a            

contemporary biographer wrote that he   
had the contrivance of all ,king ,james 
his ,designs1 until the match with      
,spain4 ,it will eventually be proved   
that the whole scheme of the ,authorised
 ,version of the ,bible was ,francis    
,bacon's4 ,he was an ardent student not 
only of the ,bible1 but of the early    
manuscripts4 ,st4 ,augustine1 ,st4      
,jerome1 and writers of theological     
works1 were studied by him with         
industry4 ,he has left his annotations  
in many copies of the ,bible and in     
scores of theological works4 ,the       
translation must have been a work in    
which he took the deepest interest and  
which he would follow from stage to     
stage4 ,when the last stage came there  
was only one writer of the period who   
was capable of turning the phrases with 
that matchless style which is the great 
charm of the ,shakespeare plays4        
,whoever that stylist was1 it was to him
 that ,james handed over the manuscripts
 which he received from the translators4

 ,that man then made havoc of much of   
the translation1 but he produced a      
result which1 on its literary merits1 is
 without an equal4  ,thirty years ago   
another revision took place1 but1       
notwithstanding the advantages which the
 revisers of #ahhj had over their       
predecessors of #afaa1 their version has
 failed to displace the older version1  
which is too precious to the hearts of  
the people for them to abandon it4      
,although not one of the translators has
 left any literary work which would     
justify the belief that he was capable  
of writing the more beautiful portions  
of the ,bible1 fortunately ,bacon has   
left an example which would rather add  
lustre to than decrease the high        
standard of the ,bible if it were       
incorporated in it4 ,as to the truth of 
this statement the reader must judge    
from the following prayer1 which was    
written after his fall1 and which was   
described by ,addison as resembling the 
devotion of an angel rather than a      

man3--       ,remember1 ,o ,lord1 how   
,thy servant hath walked before ,thee2  
remember what ,i have first sought1 and 
what been principal in mine             
intentions4 ,i have loved ,thy          
assemblies2 ,i have mourned for the     
divisions of ,thy ,church2 ,i have      
delighted in the brightness of ,thy     
sanctuary4       ,this vine1 which ,thy 
right hand hath planted in this nation1 
,i      have ever prayed unto ,thee that
 it might have the first and the        
latter rain1 and that it might stretch  
her branches to the seas and      to the
 floods4       ,the state and bread of  
the poor and oppressed have been        
precious      in mine eyes4 ,i have     
hated all cruelty and hardness of heart4
 ,i      have1 though in a despised     
weed1 procured the good of all men4     
,if any have been mine enemies1 ,i      
thought not of them1 neither hath       
the sun almost set upon my displeasure2 
but ,i have been as a dove1      free   
from superfluity of maliciousness4      

,thy creatures have been my books1 but  
,thy scriptures much more4 ,i      have 
sought ,thee in the courts1 fields1 and 
gardens1 but ,i have      found ,thee in
 ,thy temples4       ,thousand have been
 my sins and ten thousand my            
transgressions1 but      ,thy           
sanctifications have remained with me1  
and my heart1 through      ,thy grace1  
hath been an unquenched coal upon ,thine
 altar4       ,o ,lord1 my strength1 ,i 
have since my youth met with ,thee in   
all my      ways1 by ,thy fatherly      
compassions1 by ,thy comfortable        
chastisements1 and by ,thy most visible 
providence4 ,as ,thy favours      have  
increased upon me1 so have ,thy         
corrections1 so that ,thou hast         
been ever near me1 ,o ,lord2 and ever1  
as ,thy worldly blessings were          
exalted1 so secret darts from ,thee have
 pierced me1 and when ,i have           
ascended before men1 ,i have descended  
in humiliation before ,thee4       ,and 
now1 when ,i thought most of peace and  

honour1 ,thy hand is      heavy upon me1
 and hath humbled me according to ,thy  
former      lovingkindness1 keeping me  
still in ,thy fatherly school1 not as a 
bastard but as a child4 ,just are ,thy  
judgments upon me for my sins1          
which are more in number than the sands 
of the sea1 but have no      proportion 
to ,thy mercies2 for what are the sands 
of the sea to the      sea8 ,earth1     
heavens1 and all these are nothing to   
,thy mercies4       ,besides my         
innumerable sins1 ,i confess before     
,thee that ,i am      debtor to ,thee   
for the gracious talent of ,thy gifts   
and graces1      which ,i have neither  
put into a napkin1 nor put it 7as ,i    
ought7 to      exchangers1 where it     
might have made most profit1 but        
misspent it      in things for which ,i 
was least fit so that ,i may truly say  
my soul      hath been a stranger in the
 course of my pilgrimage4       ,be     
merciful unto me1 ,o ,lord1 for my      
,saviour's sake1 and receive me         

into ,thy bosom or guide me in ,thy     
ways4  ,there is another feature about  
the first editions of the ,authorised   
,version which arrests attention4 ,in   
#afaa the first folio edition was       
published4 ,the design with archers1    
dogs and rabbits which is to be found   
over the address ,to the ,christian     
,reader which introduces the genealogies
 is also to be found in the folio       
edition of ,shakespeare over the        
dedication to the most noble and        
,incomparable paire of ,brethren1 over  
the ,catalogue and elsewhere4 ,except   
that the mark of query which is on the  
head of the right hand pillar in the    
design in the ,bible is missing in the  
,shakespeare folio1 and the arrow which 
the archer on the right hand side is    
shooting contains a message in the      
design used in the ,bible and is without
 one in the ,shakespeare folio4  ,in the
 #afab quarto edition of the ,authorised
 ,version on the title-page of the      
,genealogies are two designs2 that at   

the head of the page is printed from the
 identical block which was used on the  
title-page of the first edition of      
,venus and ,adonis1 #aeic1 and the first
 edition of ,lucrece1 #aeid4 ,at the    
bottom is the design with the light ,a  
and dark ,a1 which is over the          
dedication to ,sir ,william ,cecil in   
the ,arte of ,english ,poesie1 #aehi4   
,an octavo edition1 which is now very   
rare1 was also published in #afab4 ,on  
the title-page of the ,genealogies will 
be found the design with the light ,a   
and dark ,a which is used on several of 
the ,shakespeare quartos and elsewhere4 
7,figure ,,xxi47  ,the selection of     
these designs was not made by chance4   
,they were deliberately chosen to create
 similitudes between certain books1 and 
mark their connection with each other4  
,the revised translation of the ,bible  
was undertaken as a national work4 ,it  
was carried out under the personal      
supervision of the ,king1 but every     
record of the proceedings has           

disappeared4 ,the ,british ,museum does 
not contain a manuscript connected with 
the proceedings of the translators4 ,in 
the ,record ,office have been preserved 
the original documents referring to     
important proceedings of that period4   
,the parliamentary1 judicial1 and       
municipal records are1 on the whole1 in 
a complete condition1 but ask for any   
records connected with the ,authorised  
,version of the ,bible and the reply is3
 ,we have none4 ,and yet it is          
reasonable to suppose that manuscripts  
and documents of such importance would  
be preserved4 ,where are they to be     
found8     ,,chapter ,,xviii4  ,,how    
,,bacon ,,marked ,,books ,,with ,,the   
,,publication ,,of ,,which ,,he ,,was   
,,connected4   ,at a very early period  
in the history of printing1 the custom  
was introduced of placing on            
title-pages1 at the heads and ends of   
the chapters1 emblematical designs4 ,in 
,english printed books these are seldom 
to be found until the latter half of the

 #afth century4  ,an investigation of   
the books of the period reveals the fact
 that the same blocks were used by      
different printers4 ,articles have been 
written on the migration of printer's   
blocks1 but1 so far1 no explanation has 
been offered as to any object other than
 decoration for which these blocks were 
used4  ,among other designs in use      
between #aegf and #afdj are a number of 
variants of a device in which a light ,a
 and a dark ,a form the most conspicuous
 points4 ,camden1 in his ,remaines      
,concerning ,britaine1 #afad1 commences 
a chapter on ,impresses1 at the head of 
which the device is found1 thus3--,an   
,imprese 7as the ,italians call it7 is a
 device in picture with his ,motto1 or  
,word1 borne by noble and learned       
personages1 to notifie some particular  
conceit of their owne3 as ,emblemes     
7that we may omitte other differences7  
doe propound some general instructions  
to all4 ,then follow a number of        
examples1 and amongst them this3--      

,variete and vicissitude of humane      
things he seemed to shew which    parted
 his shield1 ,per ,pale1 ,argent        
,sables and counter-changeably    writte
 in the ,argent1 ,ater and in the       
,sables ,albus4     ,but even if the    
light ,a and dark ,a are used in the    
design of the    head-piece to represent
 ,albus and ,ater it does not afford any
    satisfactory explanation as to why  
they are so used4  ,in ,,mdcxvi4 was    
published ,les ,emblemes ,moraulx et    
,militaires du ,sieur ,jacob ,de ,bruck 
,angermundt ,nouvellement mis en        
,lumiere ,a ,strasbourg1 ,par ,jacob de 
,heyden ,graveur4  ,in ,emblem ,no4 #ah1
 now reproduced1 the light ,a and the   
dark ,a will be found in the branch of  
the tree which the man is about to cut  
off4 7,figure ,,vi47#dd  ,another       
,emblem does not contain the light ,a   
and dark ,a1 but the bark of the trunk  
and branches of the tree on the design  
exhibit a strong contrast between the   
dark and light1 which feature is        

represented in most of the title-pages  
of books in which the device is found4  
7,figure ,,vii47  ,mr4 ,charles ,t4     
,jacob1 ,chiswick ,press1 ,london1 who  
is the author of ,books and ,printing   
7,london1 #aijb71 and several works on  
typography1 referring to an article on  
the migration of woodblocks1 said3--    
,it is a well-known fact to             
,bibliographers that the same blocks    
were      sometimes used by different   
printers in two places quite far apart1 
and at various intervals during the     
seventeenth and eighteenth              
centuries4 ,that the same blocks were   
employed is apparent from a             
comparison of technical defects of      
impressions taken at different          
places1 and at two periods4 ,there was  
no method of duplication in             
existence until stereotyping was first  
invented in #agbe2 even then      the   
details were somewhat crude1 and the    
process being new1 it met      with much
 opposition and was practically not     

adopted until the      early part of the
 nineteenth century4 ,electrotyping1    
which is the      ideal method of       
reproducing woodblocks1 was not         
introduced until      #ahcf or          
thereabouts4 ,of course1 it was quite   
possible to re-engrave      the same    
design1 but absolute fidelity could not 
be relied on by      these means1 even  
if executed by the same hand4  ,the     
earliest date which appears on a book in
 which the head-piece1 containing the   
device of the light ,a and dark ,a is   
found1 is #aefc4 ,the book is ,de       
,furtivis ,literarum ,notis ,vulgo4 ,de 
,ziferis1 ,ioan4 ,baptista ,porta       
,neapolitano ,authore4 ,cum ,privilegio 
,neapoli1 apud ,ioa4 ,mariam ,scotum4   
,,mdlxiii4 7,figure ,,viii47  ,it is    
only used once--over the dedication     
,ioanni ,soto ,philippi ,regis4 ,there  
is no other head-piece in the book4     
,john ,baptist ,porta was1 with the     
exception of ,trithemius1 whom he       
quotes1 the first writer on cyphers4 ,at

 the time at which he wrote             
cypher-writing was studied in every     
,court in ,europe4 ,it is significant   
that this emblematic device is used in  
the earliest period in which head-pieces
 were adopted1 in a book which is       
descriptive and is in fact a text-book  
of the art of concealment4 ,this has1   
however1 now been proved to be a falsely
 dated book4  ,the first edition of this
 work was published in ,naples in #aefc 
by ,ioa4 ,marius ,scotus1 but this does 
not contain the ,a ,a design4 ,in #aeia 
the book was published in ,london by    
,john ,wolfe2 this reprint was dedicated
 to ,henry ,percy1 ,earl of             
,northumberland4 ,after the edition had 
been printed off1 the title-page was    
altered to correspond with the #aefc    
,naples publication4 ,the dedication was
 taken out1 and a reprint of the        
original dedication was substituted1 and
 over this was placed the ,a ,a         
head-piece2 then an edition was struck  
off1 and1 until to-day1 it has been sold

 and re-sold as the first edition of    
,baptista ,porta's work4 ,it is         
difficult to offer any explanation as to
 why this fraud was committed4  ,the    
first occasion upon which this device   
was used appears to be in a book so rare
 that no copy of it can be found1 either
 in the ,british ,museum or the         
,bodleian ,library4 ,unfortunately1 in  
the copy belonging to the writer1 the   
title-page and the two first pages are  
missing4 ,the work is called ,hebraicum 
,alphabethum ,jo4 ,bovlaese4 ,it is a   
,hebrew ,grammar1 with proof-sheets     
added4 ,it is interleaved with sheets of
 ,english-made paper1 containing        
,bacon's handwriting4 ,bound up with it 
is another ,hebrew ,grammar1 similarly  
interleaved1 called ,sive compendium1   
quintacunque ,ratione fieri potuit      
amplessimum1 ,totius linguae1 published 
in ,paris in #aeff4 ,the book ends with 
the sentence3 ,ex collegio              
,montis--,acuti #bj ,decembris #aegf2   
then follow two pages in ,hebrew1 with  

the ,latin translation over it1 headed  
,decem ,praecepta decalogi ,exod4 ,over 
this is the design containing the light 
,a and the dark ,a1 and the squirrel and
 rabbits4 7,figure ,,ix47 ,one thing is 
certain1 that the copy now referred to  
was in the possession of ,bacon1 and    
that the interleaved sheets of paper    
contain his handwriting1 in which have  
been added page by page the equivalents 
of the ,hebrew in ,greek1 ,chaldaeic1   
,syriac and ,arabic4  ,in #aegg         
,christophor ,plantin published an      
edition of ,andrea ,alciat's ,emblemata4
 ,on page #ajd is ,emblem ,no4 #de1 ,in 
dies meliora4 ,this has been re-designed
 for the #aegg edition4 ,it contains at 
the back the pillars of ,hercules1 with 
a scroll around bearing the motto3 ,plus
 oltre4 ,these pillars stand on some    
arches1 immediately in front of which is
 a mound or pyramid1 two sides of which 
are seen4 ,on one is to be found the    
light ,a and on the other the dark ,a4  
,the design was appropriated by         

,whitney1 and appears on page #ec in the
 #aehf edition of his ,emblems4 ,from   
this time forth1 ,a ,a devices are to be
 found in numbers of books published in 
,england1 and on some published on the  
,continent4 ,amongst the former are the 
first editions of ,venus and ,adonis1   
,lucrece1 the ,sonnets1 the quarto      
editions of ,shakespeare's plays1 the   
folio edition 7#afbc7 of his works1 and 
the first quarto and octavo editions    
7#afab7 of the ,authorised ,version of  
the ,bible4  ,there are fourteen        
distinct designs1 in all of which1      
varying widely in other respects1 the   
light ,a and the dark ,a constitute the 
outstanding figure4 ,the use of the two 
letters so shaded must have had a       
special significance4 ,in nearly every  
case it will be observed that the letter
 ,a is so drawn as to make the letter ,c
 on the inside4 ,was its significance of
 general knowledge amongst printers and 
readers1 or was it an earmarking device 
used by one person1 or by a ,society8   

,a possible interpretation of the use of
 the light and dark shading1 is that the
 book in which it is used contains more 
than is revealed2 that is to say1 the   
overt and the concealed4  ,a copy of    
,a,esopiphrygis vita et fabellae cum    
latina interpretatione exists1 date     
#aeag4 ,the book is annotated by ,bacon4
 ,on one side is the ,greek text and on 
the opposite page the ,latin            
translation4 ,on pages #ajb and #ajc are
 two initial letters printed from blocks
 of the letter ,a4 ,these are coloured  
so that the one on the left hand side is
 a light ,a1 and that on the opposite   
page a dark ,a4  ,there are other       
designs which are used apparently as    
part of a scheme4 ,the identical block  
7,figure ,x47 which was used at the top 
of the title page of ,venus and ,adonis 
7#aeic7 and ,lucrece 7#aeid7 did service
 on the title page of the ,genealogies  
in the quarto edition of the ,authorised
 ,version of the ,bible1 #afab4 ,this   
design was1 so far as can be traced1    

only used twice in the intervening      
nineteen years--on ,an ,apologie of the 
,earl of ,essex to ,master ,anthony     
,bacon1 penned by himself in #aeih1 and 
printed by ,richard ,bradocke in #afjc1 
and in #afjg1 on the ,world of ,wonders1
 printed by ,richard ,field4 ,it was of 
this book that ,caldecott1 the          
bibliophile and ,shakespearean scholar1 
wrote3 ,the phraseology of ,shakespeare 
is better illustrated in this work than 
in any other book existing4 ,the design 
which is found on the title page of the 
,sonnets of ,shakespeare1 #afji1 is     
found also in the first edition of      
,napier's ,mirifici ,logarithmorum1     
#afaa1 but printed from a different     
block4 ,the design with archers shooting
 at the base of the central figure is to
 be found in a large number of the folio
 editions of the period4 ,amongst these 
are the ,authorised ,version of the     
,bible1 #afaa1 the ,novum ,organum1     
#afbj1 and the #afbc edition of         
,shakespeare's works4  ,there are other 

designs which are usually found         
accompanying the light ,a and dark ,a   
and the other devices before referred   
to4  ,these designs were first brought  
into use from #aegf and practically     
cease to appear about #afbf4 ,afterwards
 they are seldom seen except in books   
bearing ,bacon's name1 and eventually   
they lapse4 ,the last use of an ,a ,a   
device is over the life of the author in
 the second volume of an edition of     
,bacon's ,essays edited by ,dr4 ,william
 ,willymott1 published by ,henry ,parson
 in #agbj4 ,after an interval of about  
#fj years a new design is made1 which is
 not one of those employed by ,bacon4   
,by means of these devices a certain    
number of books may be identified as    
forming a class by themselves4  ,there  
is another feature connected with them  
which is of special interest4 ,one man  
appears to have contributed to all the  
books thus marked--either the           
dedication1 the preface1#de or the lines
 ,to the ,reader2 in some cases all     

three4 ,it may be urged in opposition to
 this view that in those days there was 
a form in which dedications and prefaces
 were written1 and that this was more or
 less followed by many writers1 but this
 contention will not stand              
investigation4 ,there are tricks of     
phrasing and other peculiarities which  
enable certain literary productions to  
be identified as the work of one man4   
,some of the finest ,elizabethan        
literature is to be found in the        
prefaces and dedications in these books4
  ,the theory now put forth is that     
,francis ,bacon was directing the       
production of a great quantity of the   
,elizabethan literature1 and in every   
book in the production of which he was  
interested1 he caused to be inserted one
 of these devices4 ,he kept the blocks  
in his own custody2 he sent them out to 
a printer when a book was approved by   
him for printing4 ,on the completion of 
the work1 the printer returned the      
blocks to ,bacon so that they could be  

sent elsewhere by him as occasion       
required4  ,the most elaborate of the   
,,aa designs is ,figure ,,xii41 and the 
writer has only found it in one volume4 
,it is ,le ,historie della ,citta ,di   
,fiorenza1 by ,m4 ,jacopo1 published in 
,lyons by ,theobald ,ancelin in #aehb4  
,exact was his correspondence abroad and
 at home1 constant his ,letters1        
frequent his ,visits1 great his         
obligations1 states the contemporary    
biographer1 speaking of ,francis ,bacon4
 ,it is difficult to arrive at the exact
 meaning of these words4 ,there is      
little correspondence with those abroad 
remaining1 no record of visits1 no      
particulars of the great obligations    
into which he entered4 ,in the          
dedication of the #afca edition of the  
,histoire ,naturelle to ,monseigneur de 
,chasteauneuf1 the author speaking of   
,bacon writes3--,le ,chancelier1 qu'on a
 fait venir tant de fois en ,france1 n'a
 point encore quitte l',angleterre avec 
tant de passion de nous decouvrir ses   

merveilles que depuis qu'il a sceu le   
rang dont on avoit reconnu vos vertus4  
,these frequent visits to ,france are   
unrecorded elsewhere1 but here is       
definite testimony that they were made4 
,there are good grounds for believing   
that ,bacon was throughout his life1    
until their deaths1 in constant         
communication with ,christophor ,plantin
 7#aead-aehi71 ,aldus ,manutius1 ,henry 
,stephen 7#aebh-aeih71 and also with    
,robert ,stephens the third             
7#aefc-afdj74 ,all these men were not   
only printers1 but brilliant scholars   
and writers4 ,if search be made1 it is  
quite possible that correspondence or   
other evidence of their friendship may  
come to light4 ,be that as it may1 there
 were undoubtedly a number of books     
published on the continent between #aegf
 and #afcj which in the sparta upon them
 bear testimony to ,bacon's association 
with their publication4  ,the following 
are instances of where the several      
designs which are reproduced may be     

found4 ,they however occur in many other
 volumes4    ,figure   ,,ix4--,the ,arte
 of ,english ,poesie1 #aehi4            
,,xiii4--,orlando ,furioso1 #afjg4      
,,xiv4--,spencer's ,fairie ,queen4      
,,xv4--,florentine ,history translation1
 #aeie1 and #afcf edition               
of ,barclay's ,argenis4                 
,,xi4--,sonnets4          ,,xvi4--,simon
 ,pateriche's translation of ,discourse 
against                     ,machiavel4 
,,xvii4--,lodge's translation of        
,seneca1 #afad4                         
,,xviii4--,shakespeare ,folio1 #afbc4   
,,xix4--,daemonologie1 #afjc4           
,,xx4--,alciat's ,emblems1 published in 
,paris1 #aehd4   ,,footnotes3  #dd      
,plates ,nos4 ,,vi4 to ,,xxi4 will be   
found after the ,appendix4  #de ,in the 
,advancement of ,learning ,bacon says   
that ,demosthenes went so far in regard 
to the great force that the entrance and
 access into a cause had to make a good 
impression that he kept in readiness a  
stock of prefaces4     ,,chapter ,,xix4 

,,bacon ,,and ,,emblemata4   ,in        
,shakespeare and the ,emblem ,writers   
the ,rev4 ,henry ,green endeavours to   
show the similarities of thought and    
expression between the great poet and   
the authors of ,emblemata1 but the line 
of enquiry which he there opened does   
not appear to have been followed by     
subsequent writers4 ,to-day the         
,emblemata literature is a terra        
incognita except to a very few students1
 and yet it is full of interest1        
romance1 and mystery4 ,emblem literature
 may be said to have had its origin with
 ,andrea ,alciat1 the celebrated        
,italian jurisconsult1 who was famous   
for his great knowledge and power of    
mind4 ,in #aebb he published at ,milan  
an ,emblematum ,libellus1 or ,little    
,book of ,emblems4 ,green says3 ,it     
established1 if it did not introduce1 a 
new style of emblem literature1 the     
classical in the place of the simply    
grotesque and humorous1 or of the       
heraldic and mythic4 ,the first edition 

now known to exist was published at     
,augsburg in #aeca1 a small octavo      
containing eighty-eight pages with      
ninety-seven emblems1 and as many       
woodcuts4 ,it was from time to time     
augmented1 and passed through many      
editions4 ,for some years the ,emblemata
 appears to have been produced chiefly  
by ,italians1 with a few ,frenchmen4    
,until the last half of the sixteenth   
century the output of books of this     
character was not large4 ,thenceforth   
for the next hundred years the creation 
of emblems became a popular form of     
literary exercise4 ,the ,italians       
continued to be prolific1 but ,dutch1   
,french1 and ,german scholars were but  
little behind them4 ,there were a few   
,englishmen and ,spaniards who also     
practised the art4  ,in #aije was       
published a book called ,letters from   
the ,dead to the ,dead1 by ,oliver      
,lector4 ,in it attention is drawn to   
the remarkable features of some of the  
books on emblems printed during ,bacon's

 life1 and to the evidence that he was  
in some manner connected with the       
publication of many of these volumes4   
,the author claims this to be especially
 the case with the ,emblemata ,moralia  
et ,bellica1 #afae1 of ,jacob de ,bruck1
 of ,angermundt1 and the ,emblemata     
,ethic ,politica of ,j4 ,bornitius4     
,the emblem pictures for the most part  
appear to be picture puzzles4 ,in the   
,critique upon the ,mythology of the    
,ancients ,bacon says3--       ,it may  
pass for a farther indication of a      
concealed and secret      meaning1 that 
some of these fables are so absurd and  
idle in their      narration as to      
proclaim and shew an allegory afar off4 
,a fable      that carries probability  
with it may be supposed invented for    
pleasure1 or in imitation of history2   
but1 those that would never      be     
conceived or related in this way1 must  
surely have a different      use4  ,if  
this line of reasoning be applied to the
 illustrations in the emblem books1 it  

is clear that they conceal some hidden  
meaning1 for they are apparently        
unintelligible1 and the accompanying    
letterpress does not afford any         
illumination4  ,jean ,baudoin was the   
translator of ,bacon's ,essaies into the
 ,french language 7#afbf74 ,baudoin     
published in #afch-i ,recueil           
,d',emblemes divers avec des ,discours  
,moraux1 ,philos4 et ,polit4 ,in the    
preface he says3 ,le grand chancelier   
,bacon m'ayant fait naitre l'envie de   
travailler a ces emblemes 444 m'en a    
fourni les principaux que j'ai tires de 
l'explication ingenieuse qu'il a donnee 
de quelques fables et de ses autres     
ouvrages4 ,here is definite evidence of 
,bacon's association with a book of     
emblems4  ,the first volume of          
,emblemata in which traces of ,bacon's  
hand are to be found is the #aegg       
edition of ,alciat's ,emblems1 published
 by the ,plantin ,press1 with notes by  
,claude ,mignault4 ,it is in this       
edition1 in ,emblem ,no4 #de1 ,in dies  

meliora1 that for the first time the    
light ,a and the dark ,a is to be found4
 ,in previous editions this device is   
absent4 ,for this volume a new design   
has been engraved in which it appears4  
,in the emblem books written in ,italian
 ,bacon does not appear to have been    
concerned1 unless an exception be made  
of ,ripa's ,iconologia1 a copy of which 
contains his handwriting and initials4  
,in some way he had control of a large  
number of those written in ,latin1 and  
bearing names of ,dutch1 ,french1 and   
some ,italian authors1 and also of      
several written in ,dutch and of the    
,english writers4 ,the field is a very  
wide one1 and only a few of the         
principal examples can be mentioned4    
,the most important work is the         
,emblemata ,moralia et ,bellica of      
,jacob a ,bruck1 of ,angermundt1 #afae4 
,argentorati per ,jacobum ab ,heyden4   
,with many of the designs in this volume
 ,oliver ,lector has dealt fully in     
,letters from the ,dead to the ,dead1#df

 before referred to4 ,there is another  
volume bearing the name of ,jacob a     
,bruck1 published in #aeih4 ,only one   
copy of this book is known to be in     
existence1 and that is in the ,royal    
,library of ,st4 ,petersburg4  ,the     
,emblemata ,ethico ,politica of ,jacobus
 ,bornitius1 #afei1 ,moguntiae1 is      
remarkable because many of the          
engravings contain portraits of ,bacon1 
namely1 in ,sylloge ,prima1 ,plates     
,nos4 vii41 xxiii41 xliv41 xlv41 xlvix42
 and in ,sylloge ,,ii41 ,plates ix4 and 
xxxvi4 ,oliver ,lector says3 ,i have not
 met with an earlier edition of         
,bornitius than #afei4 ,my conjecture1  
however1 is that the manuscript came    
into the hands of ,gruter with other of 
,bacon's published by him in the year   
#afec4  ,there are two productions of   
,janus ,jacobus ,boissardus in which    
,bacon's hand may be                    
recognised--,emblemes ,latines avec     
l',interpretation ,francoise du ,i4     
,pierre ,ioly ,messin4 ,metis1 #aehh1   

and ,emblematum liber4 ,ipsa ,emblemata 
ab ,auctore delineata3 a ,theodoro de   
,bry sculpta et nunc recens in lucem    
edita1 #aeic1 ,frankfort4 ,two editions 
of the latter were printed in the same  
year4 ,the title-pages are identical1   
and the same plates have been used      
throughout1 but the letterpress is in   
,latin in the one1 and in ,french in the
 other4 ,in both1 the dedications are   
addressed in ,french to ,madame de      
,clervent1 ,baronne de ,coppet1 etc4    
,the dedication of the former bears the 
name ,jan ,jacques ,boissard at the     
head1 and addresses the lady as que come
 estes addonnee a la speculation des    
choses qui appartiennent a l'instruction
 de l'ame4 ,the dedication of the latter
 is signed ,ioly1 who explains that he  
has translated the verses into ,french1 
so that they may be of more service to  
the dedicatee4  ,otho ,van ,veen enjoys 
the distinction of having had ,rubens   
for a disciple4 ,a considerable number  
of emblem books emanated from him4 ,in  

#afjh were published at ,antwerp two    
editions of his ,amorum ,emblemata4 ,in 
one copy the verses are in ,latin1      
,german1 and ,french1 and in the other  
in ,latin1 ,english1 and ,italian4      
,there are commendatory verses in the   
latter1 two of which are by ,daniel     
,heinsius and ,r4 ,v41 who was ,robert  
,verstegen1 the author of ,a            
,restitution of ,decayed ,intelligence  
in ,antiquities4 ,the dedication is ,to 
the most honourable and worthie brothers
 ,william ,earle of ,pembroke1 and      
,phillip ,earle of ,montgomerie1 patrons
 of learning and chevalrie1 who are the 
most noble and incomparable paire of    
brethren to whom the #afbc ,shakespeare 
,folio was dedicated4 ,in this volume   
,bacon has left his marks4  ,emblemata  
door ,zacharias ,heyns1 published in    
,rotterdam in #afbe1 comprises four     
books bound together4 ,the inscriptions 
over the plates are in ,latin4 ,the     
letterpress1 which is in ,dutch and     
,french1 apparently bears very little   

reference to the illustrations4         
,johannis de ,brunes ,i4,c4 ,emblemata  
of ,sinne-,werck1 ,amsterdam1 #afbd1 is 
written in ,dutch4 ,emblem ,,viii4      
contains an indication that the number  
#afbc is a key4  ,the ,silenus          
,alcibiades sive ,proteus was published 
at ,middleburgh in #afah4 ,there is no  
author's name on the title-page1 but the
 ,voor-reden1 written in ,dutch1 is     
signed ,j4 ,cats4 ,attached to two of   
the preliminary complimentary verses are
 the names of ,daniel ,heyns and ,josuah
 ,sylvester1 the translator of ,du      
,bartas4 ,the verses are in ,latin1     
,dutch1 and ,french4 ,immediately       
following the title-page is a preface in
 ,latin1 signed by ,majores de ,baptis4 
,over this is the familiar emblem       
containing the archers1 rabbits1 and    
dogs1 with the note of query on the     
right-hand side1 and the message on the 
arrow4 ,this volume is one of the most  
remarkable of the emblem books4 ,the    
,latin preface is autobiographical4 ,if 

the writer can be identified as the     
author of ,venus and ,adonis1 it becomes
 one of the most important contributions
 to his biography4  ,in #afaf1 the year 
of ,shakespeare's death1 was published  
at ,amsterdam a book bearing on its     
title-page the inscription3 ,cornelii   
,giselberti ,plempii ,amsterodamum      
,monogrammon4 ,it contains fifty        
illustrations1 with ,latin verses       
attached4 ,emblem ,i4 is reproduced     
7,fig4 ,v47 ,on reference to it1 it will
 be seen that ,fortune stands on a      
globe1 and with one hand is pushing off 
from the pinnacle of fame a man dressed 
as a player with a feather in his hat2  
with the other hand she is raising up a 
man who is wearing the ,bacon hat1 but  
whose face is hidden4 ,the prophecy     
expressed by the emblem is now being    
fulfilled4 ,it will be seen that the    
initial letters of each word in the     
sentence of the                         
letterpress--,obscaenumque nimis        
crepuit1 ,fortuna ,batavis              

appellanda--yield ,f4 ,bacon4 ,bacon's  
portrait is found in several of the     
illustrations in this book4 ,other      
emblem writers whose works bear traces  
of ,bacon's co-operation are ,g4        
,rollenhagen1 ,j4 ,camerius1 ,j4        
,typotius1 ,d4 ,hensius4                
,illustration3 ,fig4 ,v4      ,en       
,fortuna3 manu quos rupem ducit in      
altam1       ,praecipites abigit3       
carnificina ,dea est4     ,firma globo  
imponi voluerunt fata caducam1          
,ipsa quoque ut posset risus1  esse     
iocus4     ,olim unctos ,saly qui       
praesiliere per utres1       ,ridebant  
caderet si qua puella male4     ,o quam 
saepe sales1 plausumque merente ruina1  
,erubuit vitium fors inhonest a suum6   
,obscaenumque nimis crepuit1 ,fortuna   
,batavis       ,appellanda2 sono1 quo   
sua curta vocant4     ,quoque sono      
veteres olim sua furta ,latini3         
,vt nec1 ,homere1 mali nomen odoris     
ames4    ,c4 ,,plempii4   ,,emblemata   
,,embl4 ,i4  ,there yet remain to be    

mentioned two ,english emblem writers4  
,a ,choice of ,emblems by ,geffrey      
,whitney was published in #aehf by      
,francis ,raphelengius in the house of  
,christopher ,plantin at ,leyden4 ,the  
dedication is to ,robert ,earle of      
,leicester4 ,there are only from fifteen
 to twenty original designs out of #aff 
illustrations4 ,the remainder are taken 
from other emblem writers1 chiefly from 
,alciat1 ,sambucus1 ,paradin1 and       
,hadrian ,junius4 ,on page #ec is the   
design headed ,in dies meliora found in 
the #aegg edition of ,alciat1 but the   
letterpress1 which is in ,english1 is   
quite different from the ,latin verse   
attached to it in the ,alciat4  ,the    
,minerva ,britanna of ,henry ,peacham   
was published in #afab4 ,the emblem on  
the title-page#dg represents the great  
secret of ,francis ,bacon's life1 and on
 page 4#cc is an emblem in which the    
name ,shakespeare is represented4 ,the  
volume is full of devices which will    
amply repay a careful study4  ,apart    

from any connection which ,bacon may    
have had with this remarkable class of  
books1 they are of great interest to the
 student of the ,elizabethan and        
,jacobean periods4 ,they contain        
pictorial representations full of       
information as to the habits and customs
 of the people4 ,with the exception of  
,whitney's ,choice of ,emblems1 a       
facsimile reprint of which was published
 in #ahff1 edited by the ,rev4 ,henry   
,green1 no reprint of any of these      
curious books has been issued4 ,as the  
original editions of many of them are   
very rare1 and of none of them          
plentiful1 their study is a matter of   
difficulty1 and few students find their 
way to this fascinating field of        
research4 ,how close ,bacon's connection
 was with the writers of these books1 or
 with their publishers1 it is difficult 
to say1 but there is considerable       
evidence that in some way he was able to
 introduce into every one of the books  
here enumerated1 and many others1 some  

plates illustrative of his inductive    
philosophy4   ,,footnotes3  #df ,bernard
 ,quaritch1 #aije4  #dg ,see page #aje4 
,,chapter ,,xx4  ,,shakespeare',s       
,,sonnets4   ,shakespeare's ,sonnets    
never before ,imprinted1 have afforded  
commentators material for many volumes  
filled with theories which to the       
ordinary critical mind appear to have no
 foundation in fact4 ,chapters have been
 written to prove that ,mr4 ,w4 ,h41 the
 only begetter of the ,sonnets1 was     
,henry ,wriothesley1 ,earl of           
,southampton1 and chapters have been    
written to prove that he was no such    
person1 but that ,william ,herbert1     
,earl of ,pembroke1 was the man intended
 to be designated4 ,theories have been  
elaborated to identify the individuals  
represented by the ,rival ,poet and the 
dark ,lady4 ,not one of these theories  
is supported by the vestige of a shred  
of testimony that would stand           
investigation4 ,there has not come down 
any evidence that ,shakspur1 of         

,stratford1 knew either the ,earl of    
,southampton1 the ,earl of ,pembroke or 
,marie ,fitton4 ,the truth is that ,mr4 
,w4 ,h4 was ,shakespeare1 who was the   
only begetter of the ,sonnets1 and the  
proof of this statement will in due time
 be forthcoming4 ,it may be well to try 
and read some of the ,sonnets as they   
stand and endeavour to realise what is  
the obvious meaning of the printed      
words4  ,the key to the ,sonnets will be
 found in ,no4 #fb4 ,the language in    
which it is written is explicit and     
capable of being understood by any      
ordinary intellect4    ,sinne of        
selfe-love possesseth al mine eie   ,and
 all my soule1 and al my every part2    
,and for this sinne there is no remedie1
   ,it is so grounded inward in my      
heart4   ,me thinkes no face so gratious
 is as mine1   ,no shape so true1 no    
truth of such account1   ,and for my    
selfe mine owne worth do define1   ,as  
,i all other in all worth's surmount    
,but when my glasse shewes me my selfe  

indeed   ,beated and chopt with tand    
antiquitie1   ,mine own selfe love quite
 contrary ,i read   ,selfe1 so selfe    
loving were iniquity4       ,tis thee   
7my-selfe7 that for myself ,i praise    
,painting my age with beauty of thy     
daies4  ,the writer here states         
definitely that he is dominated by the  
sin of self-love2 it possesseth his eye1
 his soul1 and every part of him4 ,there
 can be found no remedy for it2 it is so
 grounded in his heart4 ,no face is so  
gracious as is his1 no shape so true1 no
 truth of such account4 ,he defines his 
worth as surmounting that of all others4
 ,this is the frank expression of a man 
who not only believed that he was1 but  
knew that he was superior to all his    
contemporaries1 not only in intellectual
 power1 but in personal appearance4     
,then comes an arrest in the thought1   
and he realises that time has been at   
work4 ,he has been picturing himself as 
he was when a young man4 ,he turns to   
his glass and sees himself beated and   

chopt with tanned antiquity2 forty      
summers have passed over his brow4#dh   
,francis ,bacon at forty years of age1  
or thereabouts1 unmarried1 childless1   
sits down to his table1 ,hilliard's     
portrait before him1 with pen in hand1  
full of self-love1 full of admiration   
for that beautiful youth on whose       
counterfeit presentment he is gazing4   
,his intellectual triumphs pass in      
review before him1 most of them known   
only to himself and that youth--his     
companion through life4 ,that was the   
,francis ,bacon who controlled him in   
all his comings and goings--his ideal   
whom he worshipped4 ,if he could have a 
son like that boy6 ,his pen begins to   
move on the paper--    ,from fairest    
creatures we desire increase   ,that    
thereby beauty's rose might never die1  
,but as the riper should by time        
decrease   ,his tender heire might bear 
his memory4  ,the pen stops and the     
writer's eye wanders to the miniature3--
    ,but thou#di contracted to thine own

 bright eyes4  ,and so the ,sonnets flow
 on1 without effort1 without the need of
 reference to authorities1 for the      
great1 fixed and methodical memory needs
 none4  ,how natural are the allusions--
    ,thou art thy mother's glasse and   
she in thee   ,calls backe the lovely   
,aprill of her prime4         99        
99       99       99       99    ,be as 
thy presence is1 gracious and kind1     
,or to thyselfe at least kind hearted   
prove4   ,make thee another self1 for   
love of me   ,that beauty may still live
 in thine or thee4         99       99  
99       99       99    ,let those whom 
nature hath not made for store1         
,harsh1 featureless and rude1 barrenly  
perish2   ,look1 whom she best indow'd  
she gave the more2   ,which bountious   
guift thou shouldst in bounty cherrish2 
,she carv'd thee for her seale1 and ment
 therby       ,thou shouldst print more1
 not let that coppy die4         99     
99       99       99       99    ,o that
 you were yourselfe1 but love you are   

,no longer yours1 then you yourselfe    
here live1   ,against this cunning end  
you should prepare1   ,and your sweet   
semblance to some other give           4
        4        4        4   ,who lets 
so faire a house fall to decay          
4        4        4        4       ,o   
none but unthrifts1 deare my love you   
know       ,you had a ,father1 let your 
,son say so4         99       99        
99       99       99    ,but wherefore  
do not you a mightier waie   ,make warre
 uppon this bloodie tirant ,time8   ,and
 fortifie your selfe in your decay      
,with meanes more blessed1 then my      
barren rime8   ,now stand you on the top
 of happie houres   ,and many maiden    
gardens1 yet onset1   ,with virtuous    
wish would beare you living flowers     
,much liker than your painted           
counterfeit3         99       99        
99       99       99    ,who will       
beleeve my verses in time to come   ,if 
it were fil'd with your most high       
deserts8   ,though yet heaven knows1 it 

is but as a tombe   ,which hides your   
life1 and shewes not halfe your parts3  
,if ,i could write the beauty of your   
eyes   ,and in fresh numbers number all 
your graces1   ,the age to come would   
say this ,poet lies1   ,such heavenly   
touches nere toucht earthly faces4   ,so
 should my papers 7yellowed with their  
age7   ,be scorn'd1 like old men of     
lesse truth than tongue1   ,and your    
true rights be termd a ,poets rage      
,and stretched miter of an ,antique     
song4       ,but were some childe of    
yours alive that time1       ,you should
 live twise1 in it and in my rime4      
99       99       99       99       99  
,yet doe thy worst1 ould ,time1 dispight
 thy wrong   ,my love shall in my verse 
ever live young4  ,he realises that he  
no longer answers ,ophelia's            
description3    ,the courtier's1        
soldier's1 scholar's eye1 tongue1 sword3
   ,the expectancy and rose of the fair 
state   ,the glass of fashion and the   
mould of form1   ,the observed of all   

observers4444   ,that unmatch'd form and
 feature of blown youth4  ,but he cannot
 forget what he has been1 he cannot     
realise that he is no longer the        
brilliant youth whose miniature he has  
before him1 with the words inscribed    
around1 ,si tabula daretur digna animum 
mallem--,if materials could be found    
worthy to paint his mind 7,o could he   
but have drawn his wit7 and then with a 
burst of poetic enthusiasm he           
exclaims3--    ,tis thee 7myselfe7 that 
for myselfe ,i praise1   ,painting my   
age with beauty of thy daies4  ,this is 
the common experience of a man as he    
advances in life4 ,so long as he does   
not see his reflection in a glass1 if he
 tries to visualize himself1 he sees the
 youth or young man4 ,only in his most  
pessimistic moments does he realise his 
age4  ,there is no longer any difficulty
 in understanding ,shakespeare's        
,sonnets4 ,they were addressed by       
,shakespeare1 the poet1 to the          
marvellous youth who was known under the

 name of ,francis ,bacon1 and they were 
written1 with ,hilliard's portrait      
placed on his table before him4  ,in    
that age 7please ,god it may be the     
present age71 which is known only to    
,god and to the fates when the finishing
 touch shall be given to ,bacon's       
fame1#ej it will be found that the      
period of his life from twelve to       
thirty-five years of age surpassed all  
others1 not only in brilliant           
intellectual achievements1 but for the  
enduring wealth with which he endowed   
his countrymen4 ,and yet it was part of 
his scheme of life that his connection  
with the great renaissance in ,english  
literature should lie hidden until      
posterity should recognise that work as 
the fruit of his brain3--,mente         
,videbor--by the mind ,i shall be seen4 
,how lacking all his modern biographers 
have been in perception6  ,every        
difficulty in those which are termed the
 procreation ,sonnets disappears with   
the application of this key4 ,only by it

 can ,sonnet #bb be made intelligible3--
    ,my glass shall not persuade me ,i  
am old1   ,as long as youth and thou are
 of one date2   ,but when in thee time's
 furrow ,i behold1   ,then look1 ,i     
death my days would expirate   ,for all 
that beauty that doth cover thee   ,is  
but the steady raiment of my heart4     
,which in my breast doth live1 as thine 
in me4   ,how can ,i then be older than 
thou art8   ,o1 therefore1 love1 be of  
thyself so wary   ,as ,i1 not for       
myself1 but for thee will2   ,bearing   
thy heart1 which ,i will keep so chary  
,as tender nurse her babe from faring   
ill4     ,presume not on thy heart when 
mine is slain2     ,thou gavest me      
thine1 not to give back again4  ,but    
nearly every ,sonnet might be quoted in 
support of this view4 ,especially is it 
of value in bringing an intelligent and 
allowable explanation to ,sonnets #dj1  
#da1 and #db1 which now no longer have  
an unsavoury flavour4  ,sonnet ,no4 #ei 
is most noteworthy1 because it implies a

 belief in re-incarnation4 ,shakespeare 
expresses his longing to know what the  
ancients would have said of his         
marvellous intellect4 ,if he could find 
his picture in some antique book over   
#ejj years old1 see an image of himself 
as he then was1 and learn what men      
thought of him6    ,if their bee nothing
 new1 but that which is   ,hath beene   
before1 how are our braines begulld1    
,which laboring for invention1 beare    
amisse   ,the second burthen of a former
 child8   ,oh that record could with a  
back-ward looke1   ,even of five        
hundredth courses of the ,sunne1   ,show
 me your image in some antique booke1   
,since minde at first in carrecter was  
done1   ,that ,i might see what the old 
world could say   ,to this composed     
wonder of your frame2   ,whether we are 
mended1 or where better they1   ,or     
whether revolution be the same4     ,oh 
sure ,i am1 the wits of former daies1   
,to subjects worse have given admiring  
praise4  ,there is the same idea in     

,sonnet #ga1 which suggests that in some
 future re-incarnation ,bacon might read
 ,shakespeare's praises of him4         
,conjectures as to who was the rival    
poet may be dispensed with4 ,the        
following rendering of ,sonnet ,no4 #hj 
makes this perfectly clear3--    ,o how 
,i 7the poet7 faint when ,i of you      
7,f4,b47 do write1   ,knowing a better  
spirit 7that of the philosopher7 doth   
use your name   ,and in the praise      
thereof spends all his might   ,to make 
me tongue tied1 speaking of your fame6  
7,shakespeare never refers to ,bacon or 
vice-versa7   ,but since your 7,f4,b4's7
 worth wide as the ocean is1   ,the     
humble as the proudest sail doth bear1  
,my saucy bark 7that of the poet7       
inferior far to his 7that of the        
philosopher71   ,on your broad main doth
 wilfully appear4   ,your shallowest    
help will hold me 7the poet7 up afloat  
,whilst he 7the philosopher7 upon your  
soundless deep doth ride4  ,it is       
impossible to do justice to this subject

 in the space here available4 ,by the   
aid of this key every line becomes      
intelligible4 ,the charm and beauty of  
the ,sonnets are increased tenfold4     
,every unpleasant association of them is
 removed4 ,no longer need ,browning say1
 ,if so the less ,shakespeare he4       
,these are not ,shakespeare's sug'rd#ea 
,sonnets amongst his private friends to 
which ,meres makes reference4 ,they are 
to be found elsewhere4  ,if there had   
been an intelligent study of            
,elizabethan literature from original   
sources the authorship of the ,sonnets  
would have been revealed long ago4 ,it  
was a habit of ,bacon to speak of       
himself as some one apart from the      
speaker4 ,the opening sentence of ,filum
 ,labyrinthi1 ,sivo ,forma              
,inquisitiones is an example4 ,ad       
,filios--,francis ,bacon thought in this
 manner4 ,prefixed to the preface to    
,gilbert ,wats' interpretation of the   
,advancement of ,learning is a chapter  
commencing1 ,francis ,lo ,verulam       

consulted thus3 and thus concluded with 
himselfe4 ,the publication whereof he   
conceived did concern the present and   
future age4  ,nothing that has been     
written is more perfectly ,baconian in  
style and temperament than are the      
,sonnets4 ,they breathe out his hopes1  
his aspirations1 his ideals1 his fears1 
in every line4 ,he knew he was not for  
his time4 ,he knew future generations   
only would render him the fame to which 
his incomparable powers entitled him4   
,he knew how far he towered above his   
contemporaries1 aye1 and his            
predecessors1 in intellectual power4    
,his hopes were fixed on that day in the
 distant future--to-day--when for the   
first time the meshes which he wove1    
behind which his life's work is         
obscured1 are beginning to be           
unravelled4  ,the most sanguine         
,baconian1 in his most enthusiastic     
moments1 must fail adequately to        
appreciate the achievements of ,francis 
,bacon and the obligations under which  

he has placed posterity4 ,but ,bacon    
knew--and he alone knew--their full     
value4 ,it was fitting that the greatest
 poet which the world had produced      
should in matchless verse do honour to  
the world's greatest intellect4 ,it was 
a pretty conceit4 ,only a master mind   
would dare to make the attempt4 ,the    
result has afforded another example of  
how his great wit1 in being concealed1  
was revealed4   ,,footnotes3  #dh       
,sonnet ,no4 #b4  #di ',tis thee        
myselfe1 ,sonnet #fb4  #ej ,see         
,rawley's ,introduction to ,manes       
,verulamiana4  #ea ,the expression      
sugr'd ,sonnets refers to verses which  
were written with coloured ink to which 
sugar had been added4 ,when dry the     
writing shone brightly4     ,,chapter   
,,xxi4  ,,bacon',s ,,library4   ,in the 
,advancement of ,learning ,bacon refers 
to the annotations of books as being    
deficient4 ,there was living at the end 
of the sixteenth and beginning of the   
seventeenth century a scholar through   

whose hands at least several thousand   
books passed4 ,he appears to have made a
 practice of annotating in the margins  
every book he read4 ,the chief purpose1 
however1 of the notes1 apparently1 was  
to aid the memory1 for in some books    
nearly every name occurring in the text 
is carried into the margin without      
comment4 ,the notes are also accompanied
 by scrolls1 marks1 and brackets1 which 
support the contention that they are the
 work of one man4 ,the annotation of    
books was not a common practice then1   
nor has it been since4 ,if a reader     
takes up a hundred books in a           
second-hand book shop he will probably  
not find more than one containing       
manuscript notes1 and not one in five   
hundred in which the annotations have   
been systematically carried through4    
,there does not appear to have been any 
other scholar living at that time1 with 
the exception of this one1 who was      
persistently making marginal notes on   
the books he read4  ,spedding writes3   

,what became of his 7,bacon's7 books1   
which were left to ,sir ,john ,constable
 and must have contained traces of his  
reading1 we do not know2 but very few   
appear to have survived4  ,mrs4 ,pott1  
in ,francis ,bacon and his ,secret      
,society1 draws attention to the mystery
 as to the disappearance of ,bacon's    
library4 ,which is a mystery1 she adds1 
although the world has been content to  
take it very apathetically4 ,where is   
,bacon's library8 ,undoubtedly the books
 exist and are traceable4 ,we should    
expect them to be recognisable by       
marginal notes2 yet those notes1 whether
 in pencil or in ink1 may have been     
effaced4 ,if annotated1 ,bacon and his  
friends would not wish his books to     
attract public attention4 ,and further  
on3 ,it is probable that the latter     
7i4e41 the books7 will seldom or never  
be found to bear his name or signature4 
,and again3 ,yet it may reasonably be   
anticipated that some at least are      
'noted in the margin1' or that some will

 be found with traces of marks which    
were guides to the transcriber or       
amanuensis as to the portions which were
 to be copied for future use in ,bacon's
 collections or book of commonplaces4   
,mrs4 ,pott's words were written in a   
spirit of true prophecy4  ,the          
collecting together of these books      
originated with that distinguished      
,baconian scholar1 ,mr4 ,w4 ,m4         
,safford4 ,for years past he has been   
steadily engaged in reconstituting      
,bacon's ,library4 ,the writer has had  
the privilege of being associated with  
him in this work during the past three  
years4 ,a collection of nearly two      
thousand volumes has been gathered      
together4 ,the annotations on the       
margins of these books are              
unquestionably the work of one man1 and 
that man1 or rather boy and man1 was    
undoubtedly ,francis ,bacon4 ,the books 
bear date from #adgj to #afbj4 ,it is   
impossible to enumerate them all here1  
but they include the works of ,seneca1  

,aristotle1 ,plato1 ,horace1 ,alciat1   
,lucanus1 ,dionysius1 ,catullus1        
,lactinius1 ,plutarch1 ,pliny1          
,aristophanes1 ,plautus1 ,cornelius     
,agrippa1 ,cicero1 ,vitruvius1 ,euclid1 
,virgil1 ,ovid1 ,lucretius1 ,apuleius1  
,salust1 ,tibullus1 ,isocrates1 and     
hundreds of other classical writers2    
,st4 ,augustine1 ,st4 ,jerome1 ,calvin1 
,beza1 ,beda1 ,erasmus1 ,martin ,luther1
 ,j4 ,cammerarius1 ,sir ,thomas ,moore1 
,machiavelli1 and other more modern     
writers4  ,the handwriting varies1#eb   
but there is a particular hand which is 
found accompanied by a boy's sketches4  
,there are drawings of full-length      
figures1 heads of men and women1        
animals1 birds1 reptiles1 ships1        
castles1 cathedrals1 cities1 battles1   
storms1 etc4 ,the writing is a strong1  
clerkly student's hand4 ,there is a     
passage in ,hamlet1 ,act ,v41 scene ii41
 which is noteworthy4 ,hamlet1 speaking 
to ,horatio1 says3--                    
,i sat me down   ,devised a new         

commission2 wrote it fair2   ,i once did
 hold it1 as our statists do1   ,a      
baseness to write fair1 and labour'd    
much   ,how to forget that learning2    
but1 ,sir1 now   ,it did me yeomans     
service4  ,the nature of this statement 
is so personal that it could only have  
been written as the result of           
experience4 ,hamlet had been taught1    
when young1 to write a hand so fair that
 he was capable of producing a fresh    
commission which would pass muster as   
the work of a ,court copyist4 ,the      
annotation of these books possessed the 
same qualification4 ,in the margins of  
these books are abundant references in  
handwriting to the whole range of       
classical authors4  ,a copy of the      
,grammatice ,compendium of ,lactus      
,pomponius1 a very rare book printed by 
,de ,fortis in ,venice in #adhd1        
contains on the margins the boy's       
scribble and drawings1 besides a number 
of manuscript notes4 ,it bears traces of
 his reading probably at eight years of 

age4 ,a large folio volume entitled ,t4 
,livii ,palvini ,latinae ,historiae     
,principis ,decades ,tres1 published by 
,frobenius in #aece1 is a treasure4 ,it 
is most copiously annotated and         
embellished with sketches4 ,the notes   
are usually in ,latin1 but interspersed 
with ,greek and sometimes with ,english4
 ,obviously the writer thought in       
,latin1 and the character of the        
drawings justifies the assumption that1 
at the time1 his age would be from ten  
to fourteen years4  ,the most remarkable
 reference to these annotations is to be
 found in the ,rape of ,lucrece4 ,the   
fifteenth stanza is as follows3--       
,but she that never cop't with straunger
 eies1   ,could picke no meaning from   
their parling lookes1   ,nor read the   
subtle shining secrecies   ,writ in the 
glassie margents of such bookes1   ,shee
 toucht no unknown baits1 nor feared no 
hooks1       ,nor could shee moralize   
his wanton sight       ,more than his   
eies were opend to the light4  ,it would

 be difficult to conceive a more        
inappropriate simile for the lustful    
looks in ,tarquin's eyes than the subtle
 shining secrecies1 writ in the glassie 
margents of such books4 ,that this is   
lugged in for a purpose outside the     
object of the poem is manifest4 ,how    
many readers of ,lucrece would know of  
such a practice8 ,nay4 ,if it did exist1
 was not its use very rare8  ,but the   
margin of the verse itself yields a     
subtle shining secret6 ,the initial     
letters of the lines are ,b1 ,c1 ,n1 ,w1
 ,sh1 ,n1 ,m4 ,it is only necessary to  
supply the vowels--,b,a,co,n1 ,w4 ,sh41 
,na,me4 ,sh is on line #ajc1 which is   
the numerical value of the word         
,shakespeare4 ,the numerical value of   
,bacon is #cc4 ,in view of this the line
 #cc is significant3--,why is ,colatine 
the publisher8 ,the use of the word     
publisher here is quite inappropriate4  
,it is introduced for some reason       
outside the purpose of the text4  ,the  
,rape of ,lucrece commences with        

,bacon's monogram and1 as the late ,rev4
 ,walter ,begley pointed out1 ends with 
his signature4  ,the theory now advanced
 is that when ,bacon read a book he made
 marginal notes in it--the object being 
mainly to assist his memory1 but the    
critical notes are numerous4 ,it does   
not follow that all these books         
constituted his library4 ,he would read 
a book and it having served his purpose 
he would dispose of it4 ,some books no  
doubt he would retain and these would   
form his library4  ,the annotations are 
chiefly in ,latin1 but some are in      
,greek1 some in ,hebrew1 ,french and    
,spanish4 ,when these have been examined
 and translated the meaning of the      
phrase that he had taken all knowledge  
to be his province will be better       
understood4 ,rawley says3 ,he read much 
and that with great judgment and        
rejection of impertinences incident to  
many authors4  ,the writer having       
examined annotations1 many and varied1  
of books in his library1 and having     

enjoyed the privilege of free access to 
those collected by ,mr4 ,safford1       
ventures to assert that much of the ripe
 learning of the ,shakespeare plays can 
be traced therein to its proper origin4 
,amongst the former is a copy of        
,alciat's ,emblems1 #aegg1 in the early 
part profusely annotated4 ,ben ,jonson  
in his ,discoveries has incorporated the
 translation of a portion of one of the 
,emblems and has also incorporated a    
portion of the annotations from this    
very book4   ,,footnotes3  #eb ,edwin   
,a4 ,abbot1 in his work1 ,francis       
,bacon1 p4 #ddg1 writes1 ,bacon's style 
7as a writer7 varied almost as much as  
his handwriting4     ,,chapter ,,xxii4  
,,two ,,german ,,opinions ,,on          
,,shakespeare ,,and ,,bacon4   ,dr4 ,g4 
,g4 ,gervinus1 the eminent ,german      
,historian and ,professor ,extraordinary
 at ,heidelberg1 published in #ahdi his 
work1 ,shakespeare ,commentaries4 ,this 
was years before any suggestion had been
 made that ,bacon was in any way        

connected with the authorship of the    
,shakespearean dramas4  ,in the         
,prospectus of ,the ,new ,shakespeare   
,society1 written in #ahgc1 ,dr4 ,f4 ,j4
 ,furnivall says3--       ,the profound 
and generous ',commentaries' of         
,gervinus--an honour to      a ,german  
to have written1 a pleasure to an       
,englishman to read--is      still the  
only book known to me that comes near   
the true treatment      and the dignity 
of its subject1 or can be put into the  
hands of the      student who wants to  
know the mind of ,shakespeare4  ,the    
book abounds with references to ,bacon4 
,from the ,preface to the last chapter  
,gervinus appears to have ,bacon        
continually suggested to him by the     
thoughts and words of ,shakespeare4  ,in
 the ,preface1 after speaking of the    
value accruing to ,german literature by 
naturalizing ,shakespeare even at the   
risk of casting our own poets still     
further in the shade1 he says3--        
,a similar benefit would it be to our   

intellectual life if his      famed     
contemporary1 ,bacon1 were revived in a 
suitable manner1 in      order to       
counterbalance the idealistic philosophy
 of ,germany4 ,for      both these1 the 
poet as well as the philosopher1 having 
looked      deeply into the history and 
politics of their people1 stand upon    
the level ground of reality1            
notwithstanding the high art of the     
one and the speculative notions of the  
other4 ,by the healthfulness      of    
their own mind they influence the       
healthfulness of others1 while      in  
their most ideal and most abstract      
representations they aim at a           
preparation for life as it is--for that 
life which forms the      exclusive     
subject of all political action4  ,in   
the chapter on ,his ,age1 written prior 
to #ahdi1 the ,professor pours out the  
results of a profound study of the      
writings attributed to both men in the  
following remarkable sentences3--       
,judge then how natural it was that     

,england1 if not the birthplace      of 
the drama1 should be that of dramatic   
legislature4 ,yet even this             
instance of favourable concentration is 
not the last4 ,both in      philosophy  
and poetry everything conspired1 as it  
were1 throughout      this prosperous   
period1 in favour of two great minds1   
,shakespeare      and ,bacon2 all       
competitors vanished from their side1   
and they could      give forth laws for 
art and science which it is incumbent   
even upon      present ages to fulfil4  
,as the revived philosophy1 which in the
      former century in ,germany was    
divided among many1 but in ,england at  
that time was the possession of a single
 man1 so poetry also found      one     
exclusive heir1 compared with whom those
 later born could claim      but little4
       ,that ,shakespeare's appearance  
upon a soil so admirably prepared       
was neither marvellous nor accidental is
 evidenced even by the                  
corresponding appearance of such a      

contemporary as ,bacon4 ,scarcely       
can anything be said of ,shakespeare's  
position generally with      regard to  
mediaeval poetry which does not also    
bear upon the      position of the      
renovator ,bacon with regard to         
mediaeval philosophy4      ,neither knew
 nor mentioned the other1 although      
,bacon was almost      called upon to   
have done so in his remarks upon the    
theatre of his      day4 ,it may be     
presumed that ,shakespeare liked ,bacon 
but little1 if      he knew his writings
 and life2 that he liked not his        
ostentation1      which1 without on the 
whole interfering with his modesty1     
recurred      too often in many         
instances2 that he liked not the        
fault-finding      which his ill-health 
might have caused1 nor the              
narrow-mindedness      with which he    
pronounced the histrionic art to be     
infamous1      although he allowed that 
the ancients regarded the drama as a    
school for virtue2 nor the theoretic    

precepts of worldly wisdom      which he
 gave forth2 nor1 lastly1 the practical 
career which he      lived4 ,before his 
mind1 however1 if he had fathomed it1 he
 must      have bent in reverence4 ,for 
just as ,shakespeare was an interpreter 
of the secrets of history and of human  
nature1 ,bacon was an      interpreter  
of lifeless nature4 ,just as            
,shakespeare went from      instance to 
instance in his judgment of moral       
actions1 and never      founded a law on
 single experience1 so did ,bacon in    
natural science      avoid leaping from 
one experience of the senses to general 
principles2 he spoke of this with blame 
as anticipating nature2 and             
,shakespeare1 in the same way1 would    
have called the      conventionalities  
in the poetry of the ,southern races an 
anticipation of human nature4 ,in the   
scholastic science of the      middle   
ages1 as in the chivalric poetry of the 
romantic period1      approbation and   
not truth was sought for1 and with one  

accord      ,shakespeare's poetry and   
,bacon's science were equally opposed to
      this4 ,as ,shakespeare balanced   
the one-sided errors of the             
imagination by reason1 reality1 and     
nature1 so ,bacon led philosophy        
away from the one-sided errors of reason
 to experience2 both with      one      
stroke1 renovated the two branches of   
science and poetry by      this renewed 
bond with nature2 both1 disregarding all
 by-ways1      staked everything upon   
this 'victory in the race between art   
and      nature4' ,just as ,bacon with  
his new philosophy is linked with the   
natural science of ,greece and ,rome1   
and then with the latter period      of 
philosophy in western ,europe1 so       
,shakespeare's drama stands in          
relation to the comedies of ,plautus and
 to the stage of his own      day2      
between the two there lay a vast        
wilderness of time1 as      unfruitful  
for the drama as for philosophy4 ,but   
while they thus led      back to nature1

 ,bacon was yet as little of an empiric1
 in the      common sense1 as           
,shakespeare was a poet of nature4      
,bacon prophesied      that if hereafter
 his commendation of experience should  
prevail1      great danger to science   
would arise from the other extreme1 and 
,shakespeare even in his own day could  
perceive the same with      respect to  
his poetry2 ,bacon1 therefore1 insisted 
on the closest      union between       
experience and reason1 just as          
,shakespeare effected      that between 
reality and imagination4 ,while they    
thus bid adieu to      the formalities  
of ancient art and science1 ,shakespeare
 to conceits      and taffeta-phrases1  
,bacon to logic and syllogisms1 yet at  
times it      occurred that the one fell
 back into the subtleties of the old    
school1 and the other into the          
constrained wit of the ,italian         
style4 ,bacon felt himself quite an     
original in that which was his          
peculiar merit1 and so was ,shakespeare2

 the one in the method of      science  
he had laid down1 and in his suggestions
 for its execution1      the other in   
the poetical works he had executed1 and 
in the      suggestions of their new    
law4 ,bacon1 looking back to the        
waymarks      he had left for others1   
said with pride that his words required 
a      century for their demonstration  
and several for their execution2        
and so too it has demanded two centuries
 to understand ,shakespeare1      but   
very little has ever been executed in   
his sense4 ,and at the      same time we
 have mentioned what deep modesty was   
interwoven in      both with their      
self-reliance1 so that the words which  
,bacon liked      to quote hold good for
 the two works3--',the kingdom of ,god  
cometh      not with observation4' ,both
 reached this height from the one       
starting point1 that ,shakespeare       
despised the million1 and ,bacon        
feared with ,phocion the applause of the
 multitude4 ,both are alike      in the 

rare impartiality with which they       
avoided everything      one-sided2 in   
,bacon we find1 indeed1 youthful        
exercises in which he      endeavoured  
in severe contrasts to contemplate a    
series of things      from two points of
 view4 ,both1 therefore1 have an equal  
hatred of      sects and parties2 ,bacon
 of sophists and dogmatic philosophers1 
,shakespeare of ,puritans and zealots4  
,both1 therefore1 are equally      free 
from prejudices1 and from astrological  
superstition in dreams      and omens4  
,bacon says of the alchemists and       
magicians in natural      science that  
they stand in similar relation to true  
knowledge as      the deeds of ,amadis  
to those of ,caesar1 and so does        
,shakespeare's      true poetry stand in
 relation to the fantastic romance of   
,amadis4      ,just as ,bacon banished  
religion from science1 so did           
,shakespeare      from ,art2 and when   
the former complained that the teachers 
of      religion were against natural   

philosophy1 they were equally against   
the stage4 ,from ,bacon's example it    
seems clear that ,shakespeare      left 
religious matters unnoticed on the same 
grounds as himself1      and took the   
path of morality in worldly things2 in  
both this has      been equally         
misconstrued1 and ,le ,maistre has      
proved ,bacon's lack      of            
,christianity1 as ,birch has done that  
of ,shakespeare4 ,shakespeare           
would1 perhaps1 have looked down just as
 contemptuously on the      ancients and
 their arts as ,bacon did on their      
philosophy and      natural science1 and
 both on the same grounds2 they boasted 
of the      greater age of the world1 of
 more enlarged knowledge of heaven1     
earth1 and mankind4 ,neither stooped    
before authorities1 and an              
injustice similar to that which ,bacon  
committed against ,aristotle1           
,shakespeare perhaps has done to ,homer4
 ,in both a similar      combination of 
different mental powers was at work2 and

 as      ,shakespeare was often         
involuntarily philosophical in his      
profoundness1 ,bacon was not seldom     
surprised into the imagination      of  
the poet4 ,just as ,bacon1 although he  
declared knowledge in      itself to be 
much more valuable than the use of      
invention1 insisted      throughout     
generally and dispassionately upon the  
practical use of      philosophy1 so    
,shakespeare's poetry1 independent as   
was his sense      of art1 aimed        
throughout at bearing upon the moral    
life4 ,bacon      himself was of the    
same opinion2 he was not far from       
declaring      history to be the best   
teacher of politics1 and poetry the best
      instructor in morals4 ,both were  
alike deeply moved by the picture       
of a ruling ,nemesis1 whom they saw1    
grand and powerful1 striding            
through history and life1 dragging the  
mightiest and most      prosperous as a 
sacrifice to her altar1 as the victims  
of their own      inward nature and     

destiny4 ,in ,bacon's works we find a   
multitude of      moral sayings and     
maxims of experience1 from which the    
most      striking mottoes might be     
drawn for every ,shakespearian play1    
aye1      for every one of his principal
 characters 7we have already brought    
forward not a few proofs of this71      
testifying to a remarkable      harmony 
in their mutual comprehension of human  
nature4 ,both1 in      their systems of 
morality rendering homage to ,aristotle1
 whose      ethics ,shakespeare1 from a 
passage in ,troilus1 may have read1     
arrived at the same end as he did--that 
virtue lies in a just      medium       
between two extremes4 ,shakespeare would
 also have agreed      with him in this1
 that ,bacon declared excess to be 'the 
fault of      youth1 as defect is of    
age2' he accounted 'defect the worst1   
because excess contains some sparks of  
magnanimity1 and1 like a      bird1     
claims kindred of the heavens1 while    
defect1 only like a base      worm1     

crawls upon the earth4' ,in these maxims
 lie at once1 as it      were1 the whole
 theory of ,shakespeare's dramatic forms
 and of his      moral philosophy4      
,,dr4 ,,kuno ,,fischer1 the             
distinguished ,german critic and        
historian of philosophy1 in a volume on 
,bacon1 published in #ahef1 writes3--   
,the same affinity for the ,roman mind1 
and the same want of sympathy with the  
,greek1 we again find in ,bacon's       
greatest contemporary1 whose imagination
 took as broad and comprehensive a view 
as ,bacon's intellect4 ,indeed1 how     
could a ,bacon attain that position with
 respect to ,greek poetry that was      
unattainable by the mighty imagination  
of a ,shakspeare8 ,for in ,shakspeare1  
at any rate1 the imagination of the     
,greek antiquity could be met by a      
homogeneous power of the same rank as   
itself2 and1 as the old adage says1 like
 comes to like4 ,but the age1 the spirit
 of the nation--in a word1 all those    
forces of which the genius of an        

individual man is composed1 and which1  
moreover1 genius is least able to       
resist--had here placed an obstacle1    
impenetrable both to the poet and the   
philosopher4 ,shakspeare was no more    
able to exhibit ,greek characters than  
,bacon to expound ,greek poetry4 ,like  
,bacon1 ,shakspeare had in his turn of  
mind something that was ,roman1 and not 
at all akin to the ,greek4 ,he could    
appropriate to himself a ,coriolanus and
 a ,brutus1 a ,caesar and an ,antony2 he
 could succeed with the ,roman heroes of
 ,plutarch1 but not with the ,greek     
heroes of ,homer4 ,the latter he could  
only parody1 but his parody was as      
infelicitous as ,bacon's explanation of 
the ,wisdom of the ,ancients4 ,those    
must be dazzled critics indeed who can  
persuade themselves that the heroes of  
the ,iliad are excelled by the          
caricatures in ,troilus and ,cressida4  
,the success of such a parody was       
poetically impossible2 indeed1 he that  
attempts to parody ,homer shows thereby 

that he has not understood him4 ,for the
 simple and the naive do not admit of a 
parody1 and these have found in ,homer  
their eternal and inimitable expression4
 ,just as well might caricatures be made
 of the statues of ,phidias4 ,where the 
creative imagination never ceases to be 
simple and naive1 where it never        
distorts itself by the affected or the  
unnatural1 there is the consecrated land
 of poetry1 in which there is no place  
for the parodist4 ,on the other hand1   
where there is a palpable want of       
simplicity and nature1 parody is        
perfectly conceivable2 nay1 may even be 
felt as a poetical necessity4 ,thus     
,euripides1 who1 often enough1 was      
neither simple nor naive1 could be      
parodied1 and ,aristophanes has shown us
 with what felicity4 ,even ,a,eschylus1 
who was not always as simple as he was  
grand1 does not completely escape the   
parodising test4 ,but ,homer is safe4   
,to parody ,homer is to mistake him1 and
 to stand so far beyond his scope that  

the truth and magic of his poetry can no
 longer be felt2 and this is the        
position of ,shakespeare and ,bacon4    
,the imagination of ,homer1 and all that
 could be contemplated and felt by that 
imagination1 namely1 the classical      
antiquity of the ,greeks1 are to them   
utterly foreign4 ,we cannot understand  
,aristotle without ,plato2 nay1 ,i      
maintain that we cannot contemplate with
 a sympathetic mind the ,platonic world 
of ideas1 if we have not previously     
sympathised with the world of the       
,homeric gods4 ,be it understood1 ,i    
speak of the form of the ,platonic mind1
 not of its logical matter2 in point of 
doctrine1 the ,homeric faith was no more
 that of ,plato than of ,phidias4 ,but  
these doctrinal or logical differences  
are far less than the formal and        
aesthetical affinity4 ,the conceptions  
of ,plato are of ,homeric origin4  ,this
 want of ability to take an historical  
survey of the world is to be found alike
 in ,bacon and ,shakspeare1 together    

with many excellencies likewise common  
to them both4 ,to the parallel between  
them--which ,gervinus1 with his peculiar
 talent for combination1 has drawn in   
the concluding remarks to his           
,shakespeare1 and has illustrated by a  
series of appropriate instances--belongs
 the similar relation of both to        
antiquity1 their affinity to the ,roman 
mind1 and their diversity from the      
,greek4 ,both possessed to an eminent   
degree that faculty for a knowledge of  
human nature that at once pre-supposes  
and calls forth an interest in practical
 life and historical reality4 ,to this  
interest corresponds the stage1 on which
 the ,roman characters moved2 and here  
,bacon and ,shakspeare met1 brought     
together by a common interest in these  
objects1 and the attempt to depict and  
copy them4 ,this point of agreement1    
more than any other argument1 explains  
their affinity4 ,at the same time there 
is no evidence that one ever came into  
actual contact with the other4 ,bacon   

does not even mention ,shakspeare when  
he discourses of dramatic poetry1 but   
passes over this department of poetry   
with a general and superficial remark   
that relates less to the subject itself 
than to the stage and its uses4 ,as far 
as his own age is concerned1 he sets    
down the moral value of the stage as    
exceedingly trifling4 ,but the affinity 
of ,bacon to ,shakspeare is to be sought
 in his moral and psychological1 not in 
his aesthetical views1 which are too    
much regulated by material interests and
 utilitarian prepossessions to be       
applicable to art itself1 considered    
with reference to its own independent   
value4 ,however1 even in these there is 
nothing to prevent ,bacon's manner of   
judging mankind1 and apprehending       
characters from agreeing perfectly with 
that of ,shakspeare2 so that human life1
 the subject-matter of all dramatic art1
 appeared to him much as it appeared to 
the great artist himself1 who1 in giving
 form to this matter1 excelled all      

others4 ,is not the inexhaustible theme 
of ,shakspeare's poetry the history and 
course of human passion8 ,in the        
treatment of this especial theme is not 
,shakspeare the greatest of all         
poets--nay1 is he not unique among them 
all8 ,and it is this very theme that is 
proposed by ,bacon as the chief problem 
of moral philosophy4 ,he blames         
,aristotle for treating of the passions 
in his rhetoric rather than his ethics2 
for regarding the artificial means of   
exciting them rather than their natural 
history4 ,it is to the natural history  
of the human passions that ,bacon       
directs the attention of philosophy4 ,he
 does not find any knowledge of them    
among the sciences of his time4 ,the    
poets and writers of histories1 he says1
 are the best doctors of this knowledge2
 where we may find painted forth with   
great life how passions are kindled and 
incited2 and how pacified and refrained2
 and how again contained from act and   
further degree2 how they disclose       

themselves2 how they work2 how they     
vary2 how they gather and fortify2 how  
they are inwrapped one within another2  
and how they do fight and encounter one 
with another2 and other the like        
particularities4#ec ,such a lively      
description is required by ,bacon from  
moral philosophy4 ,that is to say1 he   
desired nothing less than a natural     
history of the passions--the very thing 
that ,shakspeare has produced4 ,indeed1 
what poet could have excelled           
,shakspeare in this respect8 ,who1 to   
use a ,baconian expression1 could have  
depicted man and all his passions more  
ad vivum8 ,according to ,bacon1 the     
poets and historians give us copies of  
characters2 and the outlines of these   
images--the simple strokes that         
determine characters--are the proper    
objects of ethical science4 ,just as    
physical science requires a dissection  
of bodies1 that their hidden qualities  
and parts may be discovered1 so should  
ethics penetrate the various minds of   

men1 in order to find out the eternal   
basis of them all4 ,and not only this   
foundation1 but likewise those external 
conditions which give a stamp to human  
character--all those peculiarities that 
are imposed upon the mind by the sex1 by
 the age1 by the region1 by health and  
sickness1 by beauty and deformity1 and  
the like1 which are inherent and not    
external2 and1 again1 those which are   
caused by external fortune#ed--should   
come within the scope of ethical        
philosophy4 ,in a word1 ,bacon would    
have man studied in his individuality as
 a product of nature and history1 in    
every respect determined by natural and 
historical influences1 by internal and  
external conditions4 ,and exactly in the
 same spirit has ,shakespeare understood
 man and his destiny2 regarding         
character as the result of a certain    
natural temperament and a certain       
historical position1 and destiny as a   
result of character4   ,,footnotes3  #ec
 ,advancement of ,learning1 ,,ii4 ,de   

,augment4 ,scient41 ,,vii4 #c4  #ed     
,advancement of ,learning1 ,,ii4 ,for   
the whole passage compare ,de ,augment4 
,scient41 ,,vii4 #c4     ,,chapter      
,,xxiii4  ,,the ,,testimony ,,of        
,,bacon',s ,,contemporaries4   ,a       
distinguished member of the ,bench in a 
recent post-prandial address referred to
 ,bacon as a shady lawyer4              
,irresponsible newspaper correspondents1
 when attacking the ,baconian theory1   
indulge in epithets of this kind1 but it
 is amazing that any man occupying a    
position so responsible as that of an   
,english judge should1 either through   
ignorance or with a desire to be        
considered a wit1 make use of such a    
term4  ,whatever may have been ,francis 
,bacon's faults1 one fact must stand    
unchallenged--that amongst those of his 
contemporaries who knew him there was a 
consensus of opinion that his virtues   
overshadowed any failings to which he   
might be subject4  ,the following       
testimonies establish this fact3--  ,let

 ,,ben ,,jonson speak first3    ,yet    
there happened in my time one noble     
speaker1 who was full of   gravity in   
his speaking4 ,his language 7where he   
could spare or pass   a jest7 was nobly 
censorious4 ,no man ever spake more     
neatly1 more   pressly1 more weightily1 
or suffered less emptiness1 less        
idleness1   in what he uttered4 ,no     
member of his speech1 but consisted of  
his   own graces4 ,his hearers could not
 cough1 or look aside from him1         
without loss4 ,he commanded where he    
spoke2 and had his judges angry   and   
pleased at his devotion4 ,no man had    
their affections more in his   power4   
,the fear of every man that heard him   
was1 lest he should make   an end1 and1 
after referring to ,lord ,ellesmere1    
,jonson   continues3--    ,but his      
learned and able 7though unfortunate7   
successor1 7i4e41   ,bacon7 is he who   
hath filled up all numbers1 and         
performed that in   our tongue1 which   
may be compared or preferred either to  

insolent   ,greece1 or haughty ,rome4   
,in short1 within his view1 and about   
his   times1 were all the wits born1    
that could honour a language1 or help   
study4 ,now things daily fall1 wits grow
 downward1 and eloquence   grows        
backward3 so that he may be named1 and  
stand as the mark and   ,greek3 akoe of 
our language4    ,my conceit of his     
person was never increased toward him by
 his   place1 or honours3 but ,i have   
and do reverence him1 for the           
greatness that was only proper to       
himself1 in that he seemed to me   ever1
 by his work1 one of the greatest men1  
and most worthy of   admiration1 that   
had been in many ages4 ,in his adversity
 ,i ever   prayed ,god would give him   
strength2 for greatness he could not    
want4   ,neither could ,i condole in a  
word or syllable for him1 as knowing no 
accident could do harm to virtue1 but   
rather help to make it   manifest4      
,,sir ,,toby ,,matthew describes        
,francis ,bacon as    ,a friend         

unalterable to his friends2   ,a man    
most sweet in his conversation and ways2
  and adds3    ,it is not his greatness 
that ,i admire1 but his virtue4         
,,thomas ,,bushel1 his servant1 in a    
letter to ,mr4 ,john ,eliot1 printed in 
#afbh1 in a volume called ,the ,first   
,part of ,youth's ,errors1 says3    ,yet
 lest the calumnious tongues of men     
might extenuate the good   opinion you  
had of his worth and merit1 ,i must     
ingenuously confess   that my selfe and 
others of his servants were the occasion
 of   exhaling his vertues into a darke 
exlipse2 which ,god knowes would   have 
long endured both for the honour of his 
,king and the good of   the             
,commonaltie2 had not we whom his       
bountie nursed1 laid on his   guiltlesse
 shoulders our base and execrable deeds 
to be scand and   censured by the whole 
senate of a state1 where no sooner      
sentence   was given1 but most of us    
forsoke him1 which makes us bear the    
badge   of ,jewes to this day4 ,yet ,i  

am confident there were some ,godly     
,daniels amongst us4444 ,as for myselfe1
 with shame ,i must acquit the   title1 
and pleade guilty2 which grieves my very
 soule1 that so   matchlesse a ,peer    
should be lost by such insinuating      
caterpillars1   who in his owne nature  
scorn'd the least thought of any base1  
unworthy1 or ignoble act1 though subject
 to infirmites as ordained   to the     
wisest4  ,in ,,fuller',s ,worthies it is
 written3    ,he was a rich ,cabinet    
filled with ,judgment1 ,wit1 ,fancy and 
,memory1   and had the golden ,key1     
,elocution1 to open it4 ,he was singular
 in   singulis1 in every ,science and   
,art1 and being ,in-at-all came off     
with ,credit4 ,he was too ,bountifull to
 his ,servants1 and either too          
confident of their ,honesty1 or too     
conniving at their ,falsehood4   ',tis  
said he had #b ,servants1 one in all    
,causes ,patron to the   ,plaintiff1 the
 other to the ,defendant1 but taking    
bribes of both1   with this ,condition1 

to restore the ,mony received1 if the   
,cause went   against them4 ,such       
practices1 tho' unknown to their        
,master1 cost him   the loss of his     
,office4  ,in ,the ,lives of ,statesmen 
and ,favourites of ,elizabeth's ,reign  
it is said3--    ,his religion was      
rational and sober1 his spirit publick1 
his love   to relations tender1 to      
,friends faithful1 to the hopeful       
liberal1 to   men universal1 to his very
 ,enemies civil4 ,he left the best      
pattern   of ,government in his actions 
under one king and the best principles  
of it in the ,life of the other4  ,the  
following is a translation from the     
discourse on the life of ,mr4 ,francis  
,bacon which is prefixed to the         
,histoire ,naturelle1 by ,,piere        
,,amboise1 published in ,paris in #afca3
    ,among so many virtues that made    
this great man commendable1   prudence1 
as the first of all the moral virtues1  
and that most   necessary to those of   
his profession1 was that which shone in 

him   the most brightly4 ,his profound  
wisdom can be most readily seen in   his
 books1 and his matchless fidelity in   
the signal services that he             
continuously rendered to his ,prince4   
,never was there man who so   loved     
equity1 or so enthusiastically worked   
for the public good as   he2 so that ,i 
may aver that he would have been much   
better suited to   a ,republic than to a
 ,monarchy1 where frequently the        
convenience of   the ,prince is more    
thought of than that of his people4 ,and
 ,i do not   doubt that had he lived in 
a ,republic he would have acquired as   
much   glory from the citizens as       
formerly did ,aristides and ,cato1 the  
one   in ,athens1 the other in ,rome4   
,innocence oppressed found always in    
his protection a sure refuge1 and the   
position of the great gave   them no    
vantage ground before the ,chancellor   
when suing for justice4    ,vanity1     
avarice1 and ambition1 vices that too   
often attach   themselves to great      

honours1 were to him quite unknown1 and 
if he   did a good action it was not    
from the desire of fame1 but simply     
because he could not do otherwise4 ,his 
good qualities were entirely   pure1    
without being clouded by the admixture  
of any imperfections1   and the passions
 that form usually the defects in great 
men in him   only served to bring out   
his virtues2 if he felt hatred and rage 
it   was only against evil-doers1 to    
shew his detestation of their   crimes1 
and success or failure in the affairs of
 his country brought   to him the       
greater part of his joys or his sorrows4
 ,he was as truly   a good man as he was
 an upright judge1 and by the example of
 his   life corrected vice and bad      
living as much as by pains and          
penalties4 ,and1 in a word1 it seemed   
that ,nature had exempted from   the    
ordinary frailities of men him whom she 
had marked out to deal   with their     
crimes4 ,all these good qualities made  
him the darling of   the people and     

prized by the great ones of the ,state4 
,but when it   seemed that nothing could
 destroy his position1 ,fortune made    
clear   that she did not yet wish to    
abandon her character for instability1  
and that ,bacon had too much worth to   
remain so long prosperous4 ,it   thus   
came about that amongst the great number
 of officials such as a   man of his    
position must have in his house1 there  
was one who was   accused before        
,parliament of exaction1 and of having  
sold the   influence that he might have 
with his master4 ,and though the probity
   of ,mr4 ,bacon was entirely exempt   
from censure1 nevertheless he was       
declared guilty of the crime of his     
servant and was deprived of the   power 
that he had so long exercised with so   
much honour and glory4   ,in this ,i see
 the working of monstrous ingratitude   
and unparalleled   cruelty--to say that 
a man who could mark the years of his   
life   rather by the signal services    
that he had rendered to the ,state than 

by times or seasons1 should have        
received such hard usage for the        
punishment of a crime which he never    
committed2 ,england1 indeed1   teaches  
us by this that the sea that surrounds  
her shores imparts to   her inhabitants 
somewhat of its restless inconstancy4   
,this storm did   not at all surprise   
him1 and he received the news of his    
disgrace   with a countenance so        
undisturbed that it was easy to see that
 he   thought but little of the sweets  
of life since the loss of them   caused 
him discomfort so slight4 ,thus ended   
this great man whom   ,england could    
place alone as the equal of the best of 
all the   previous centuries4  ,,peter  
,,boener1 who was private apothecary to 
,bacon for a time1 wrote in #afdg a     
,life1 of portions of which the         
following are translations3--    ,but   
how runneth man's future4 ,he who seemed
 to occupy the highest   rank is alas6  
by envious tongues near ,king and       
,parliament deposed   from all his      

offices and chancellorship1 little      
considering what   treasure was being   
cast in the mire1 as afterwards the     
issue and   result thereof have shown in
 that country4 ,but he always comforted 
himself with the words of               
,scripture--nihil est novi2 that means  
'there is nothing new4' ,because so is  
,cicero by ,octavianus2   ,calisthenes  
by ,alexander2 ,seneca 7all his former  
teachers7 by ,nero2   yea1 ,ovid1       
,lucanus1 ,statius 7together with many  
others71 for a small   cause very       
unthankfully the one banished1 the other
 killed1 the   third thrown to the      
lions4 ,but even as for such men        
banishment is   freedom--death their    
life1 so is for this author his         
deposition a   memory to greater honour 
and fame1 and to such a sage no harm can
   come4         99       99       99   
99       99    ,whilst his fortunes were
 so changed1 ,i never saw him--either in
   mien1 word or acts--changed or       
disturbed towards whomsoever2 ira   enim

 hominis non implet justitiam ,dei1 he  
was ever one and the   same1 both in    
sorrow and in joy1 as becometh a        
philosopher2 always   with a benevolent 
allocution--manus nostrae sunt oculatae1
 credunt   quod vident4444 ,a noteworthy
 example and pattern for everyone of    
all virtue1 gentleness1 peacefulness1   
and patience4  ,,francis ,,osborn1 in   
his ,advice to a ,son1 writes3--    ,and
 my memory neither doth nor 7,i believe 
possible ever7 can direct   me towards  
an example more splendid in this kind1  
than the ,lord   ,bacon ,earl of ,st4   
,albans1 who in all companies did appear
 a good   ,proficient1 if not a ,master 
in those ,arts entertained for the      
,subject of every ones discourse4 ,so as
 ,i dare maintain1 without the   least  
affectation of ,flattery or ,hyperbole1 
,that his most casual   talk deserveth  
to be written1 ,as ,i have been told his
 first or   foulest ,copys required no  
great ,labour to render them competent  
for   the nicest judgments4 ,a high     

perfection1 attainable only by use1 and 
treating with every man in his          
respective profession1 and what he   was
 most vers'd in4 ,so as ,i have heard   
him entertain a ,country ,lord   in the 
proper terms relating to ,hawks and     
,dogs4 ,and at another time   out-,cant 
a ,london ,chirurgeon4 ,thus he did not 
only learn himself1   but gratifie such 
as taught him2 who looked upon their    
,callings as   honoured through his     
,notice2 ,nor did an easie falling into 
,arguments   7not unjustly taken for a  
blemish in the most7 appear less than an
   ornament in ,him3 ,the ears of the   
hearers receiving more   gratification1 
than trouble2 ,and 7so7 no less sorry   
when he came to   conclude1 than        
displeased with any did interrupt him4  
,now this   general ,knowledge he had in
 all things1 husbanded by his wit1 and  
dignifi'd by so ,majestical a carriage  
he was known to own1 strook   such an   
awful reverence in those he question'd1 
that they durst not   conceal the most  

intrinsick part of their ,mysteries from
 him1 for   fear of appearing ,ignorant1
 or ,saucy4 ,all which rendered him no  
less   ,necessary1 than admirable at the
 ,council ,table1 where in reference    
to ,impositions1 ,monopolies1 c4 the    
meanest ,manufacturers were an   usual  
,argument3 ,and1 as ,i have heard1 did  
in this ,baffle1 the ,earl   of         
,middlesex1 that was born and bred a    
,citizen c4 ,yet without any   great 7if
 at all7 interrupting his other         
,studies1 as is not hard to   be        
,imagined of a quick ,apprehension1 in  
which he was ,admirable4     ,,chapter  
,,xxiv4  ,,the ,,missing ,,fourth ,,part
 ,,of ,,the ,,great ,,instauration4     
,it has been urged by critics that      
,bacon1 whilst professing to take all   
knowledge for his province1 ignored     
one-half of it--that half which was a   
knowledge of himself2 that to him the   
external world was everything1 the      
internal nothing4 ,all that ,nature     
revealed was external2 nothing that was 

internal was of much importance4  ,it   
must be remembered that all that we have
 of ,bacon's was written as he was      
passing into the vale of life4 ,of his  
early productions nothing has come down 
to the present times under his own name4
 ,the following extracts from his       
acknowledged works establish two        
facts3--7#a7 ,that the foregoing        
criticism is unfounded1 for he placed   
the study of man's mind and character   
above all other enquiries4 7#b7 ,that he
 had prepared examples1 being actual    
types and models1 by which the entire   
process of the mind and the whole fabric
 and order of invention from the        
beginning to the end in certain subjects
 and those various and remarkable should
 be set1 as it were1 before the eyes4   
,where are these works to be found8     
,bacon never tires of quoting from the  
,roman poet the line--    ,omne tulit   
punctum qui miscuit utile dulci1  which1
 in an ,elizabethan handwriting1 may be 
seen in a contemporary volume thus      

rendered--    ,he of all others fittest 
is to write   ,which with some profit   
allso ioynes delight4  ,he repeats in   
different forms1 until the reiteration  
becomes almost tedious1 the following   
incident3--    ,and as ,alexander       
,borgia was wont to say1 of the         
expedition of the   ,french for ,naples1
 that they came with chalk in their     
hands to   marke up their lodgings not  
with weapons to fight2 so we like       
better1 that entry of truth1 which comes
 peaceably where the ,mindes   of men1  
capable to lodge so great a guest1 are  
signed1 as it were1   with chalke2 than 
that which comes with ,pugnacity1 and   
forceth   itselfe a way by contentions  
and controversies4  ,the same idea is   
embodied in the following example of the
 antitheta3--    ,a witty conceit is    
oftentimes a convoy of a ,truth which   
otherwise   could not so handsomely have
 been ferried over4  ,in the            
,advancement of ,learning1 ,lib4 ,,ii41 
again the same view is insisted on3--   

,besides in all wise humane ,government1
 they that sit at the helme1   doe more 
happily bring their purposes about1 and 
insinuate more   easily things fit for  
the people1 by pretexts1 and oblique    
courses2   than by downe-right dealing4 
,nay 7which perchance may seem very     
strange7 in things meerely naturall1 you
 may sooner deceive nature1   than force
 her2 so improper1 and selfe impeaching 
are open direct   proceedings2 whereas  
on the other side1 an oblique and an    
insinuing   way1 gently glides along and
 compasseth the intended effect4  ,one  
other fact must be realised before the  
full import of the quotations about to  
be made can be appreciated4 ,in the     
,distributio ,operis prefixed to the    
,novum ,organum the following           
significant passage occurs#ee3--    ,for
 as often as ,i have occasion to report 
anything as deficient1   the nature of  
which is at all obscure1 so that men may
 not perhaps   easily understand what ,i
 mean or what the work is which ,i have 

in   my head1 ,i shall always 7provided 
it be a matter of any worth7 take   care
 to subjoin either directions for the   
execution of such work1   or else a     
portion of the work itself executed by  
myself as a sample   of the whole3 thus 
giving assistance in every case either  
by work   or by counsel4  ,in the       
,advancement of ,learning1 ,book ,,ii41 
chap4 i41 it is written3    ,that is the
 truest ,partition of humane ,learning1 
which hath   reference to the three     
,faculties of ,man's soule1 which is the
 feat   of ,learning4 ,history is       
referred to ,memory1 ,poesy to the      
,imagination1 ,philosophy to ,reason4   
,by ,poesy1 in this place1 we           
understand nothing else1 but feigned    
,history1 or ,fables4 ,as for   ,verse1 
that is only a style of expression1 and 
pertaines to the ,art   of ,elocution1  
of which in due place4    ,poesy1 in    
that sense we have expounded it1 is     
likewise of   ,individuals1 fancied to  
the similitude of those things which in 

true ,history are recorded1 yet so as   
often it exceeds measure2 and   those   
things which in ,nature would never     
meet1 nor come to passe1   ,poesy       
composeth and introduceth at pleasure1  
even as ,painting doth3   which indeed  
is the work of the ,imagination4  ,and  
in the same book1 ,chapter ,,xiii43--   
,drammaticall1 or ,representative       
,poesy1 which brings the ,world upon    
the stage1 is of excellent use1 if it   
were not abused4 ,for the               
,instructions1 and ,corruptions1 of the 
,stage1 may be great2 but the           
corruptions in this kind abound1 the    
,discipline is altogether   neglected in
 our times4 ,for although in moderne    
,commonwealths1   ,stage-plaies be but  
estimed a sport or pastime1 unlesse it  
draw   from the ,satyre1 and be mordant2
 yet the care of the ,ancients was1     
that it should instruct the minds of men
 unto virtue4 ,nay1 wise   men and great
 ,philosophers1 have accounted it1 as   
the ,archet1 or   musicall ,bow of the  

,mind4 ,and certainly it is most true1  
and as it   were1 a secret of nature1   
that the minds of men are more patent to
   affections1 and impressions1         
,congregate1 than solitary4  ,the third 
chapter of ,book ,,vii4 of the ,de      
,augmentis is devoted to emphasising the
 importance of a knowledge of the       
internal working of the mind and of the 
disposition and character of men4 ,the  
following extracts are of special       
moment3--    ,some are naturally formed 
for contemplation1 others for business1 
others for war1 others for advancement  
of fortune1 others for love1   others   
for the arts1 others for a varied kind  
of life2 so among the   poets 7heroic1  
satiric1 tragic1 comic7 are everywhere  
interspersed1   representations of      
characters1 though generally exaggerated
 and   surpassing the truth4 ,and this  
argument touching the different         
characters of dispositions is one of    
those subjects in which the   common    
discourse of men 7as sometimes1 though  

very rarely1 happens7   is wiser than   
books4  ,the drama as the only vehicle  
through which this can be accomplished  
at once suggests itself to the reader4  
,but in order to emphasize this point he
 proceeds--    ,but far the best        
provision and material for this treatise
 is to   be gained from the wiser sort  
of historians1 not only from the        
commemorations which they commonly add  
on recording the deaths of   illustrious
 persons1 but much more from the entire 
body of history   as often as such a    
person enters upon the stage4  ,bacon   
becomes still more explicit4 ,he        
continues3--    ,wherefore out of these 
materials 7which are surely rich and    
abundant7 let a full and careful        
treatise be constructed4 ,not1          
however1 that ,i would have their       
characters presented in ethics 7as   we 
find them in history1 or poetry1 or even
 in common discourse7 in   the shape of 
complete individual portraits1 but      
rather the several   features and simple

 lineaments of which they are composed1 
and by   the various combinations and   
arrangements of which all characters    
whatever are made up1 showing how many1 
and of what nature these   are1 and how 
connected and subordinated one to       
another2 that so we   may have a        
scientific and accurate dissection of   
minds and   characters1 and the secret  
dispositions of particular men may be   
revealed2 and that from a knowledge     
thereof better rules may be   framed for
 the treatment of the mind4 ,and not    
only should the   characters of         
dispositions which are impressed by     
nature be   received into this treatise1
 but those also which are imposed upon  
the mind by sex1 by age1 by region1 by  
health and sickness1 by   beauty and    
deformity and the like2 and again1 those
 which are   caused by fortune1 as      
sovereignty1 nobility1 obscure birth1   
riches1   want1 magistracy1 privateness1
 prosperity1 adversity and the like4    
,shortly after follows this remarkable  

pronouncement4    ,but to speak the     
truth the poets and writers of history  
are the   best doctors of this          
knowledge1#ef where we may find painted 
forth   with great life and dissected1  
how affections are kindled and          
excited1 and how pacified and           
restrained1 and how again contained     
from act and further degree2 how they   
disclose themselves1 though   repressed 
and concealed2 how they work2 how they  
vary2 how they are   enwrapped one      
within another2 how they fight and      
encounter one with   another2 and many  
more particulars of this kind2 amongst  
which this   last is of special use in  
moral and civil matters2 how1 ,i say1 to
   set affection against affection1 and 
to use the aid of one to   master       
another2 like hunters and fowlers who   
use to hunt beast with   beast1 and     
catch bird with bird1 which otherwise   
perhaps without   their aid man of      
himself could not so easily contrive2   
upon which   foundation is erected that 

excellent and general use in civil      
government of reward and punishment1    
whereon commonwealths lean2   seeing    
these predominant affections of fear and
 hope suppress and   bridle all the     
rest4 ,for as in the government of      
,states it is   sometimes necessary to  
bridle one faction with another1 so is  
it in   the internal government of the  
mind4  ,in his ,distributio ,operis     
,bacon thus describes the missing fourth
 part of his ,instauratio ,magna3--     
,of these the first is to set forth     
examples of inquiry and   invention#eg  
according to my method exhibited by     
anticipation in   some particular       
subjects2 choosing such subjects as are 
at once the   most noble in themselves  
among those under enquiry1 and most     
different one from another1 that there  
may be an example in every   kind4 ,i do
 not speak of these precepts and rules  
by way of   illustration 7for of these  
,i have given plenty in the second part 
of the work72 but ,i mean actual types  

and models1 by which the   entire       
process of the mind and the whole fabric
 and order of   invention from the      
beginning to the end in certain         
subjects1 and   those various and       
remarkable1 should be set as it were    
before the   eyes4 ,for ,i remember that
 in the mathematics it is easy to follow
   the demonstration when you have a    
machine beside you1 whereas1   without  
that help1 all appears involved and more
 subtle than it   really is4 ,to        
examples of this kind--being1 in fact1  
nothing more   than an application of   
the second part in detail and at        
large--the   fourth part of the work is 
devoted4  ,the late ,mr4 ,edwin ,reed   
has1 in his ,francis ,bacon our         
,shakespeare1 page #abf1 drawn attention
 to a remarkable circumstance4 ,in #afjg
 ,bacon had written his ,cogitata et    
,visa1 which was the forerunner of his  
,novum ,organum4 ,it was not published  
until twenty-seven years after his      
death1 namely1 in #afec1 by ,isaac      

,gruter1 at ,leyden4 ,in #aheg ,mr4     
,spedding found a manuscript copy of the
 ,cogitata in the library of ,queen's   
,college at ,oxford4 ,this manuscript   
had been corrected in ,bacon's own      
handwriting4 ,it contained passages     
which were omitted from ,gruter's print4
 ,spedding did not realise the          
importance of the omitted passages1 but 
,mr4 ,edwin ,reed has made this         
manifest4 ,the following extract is     
specially noteworthy1 the portion       
printed in italics having been omitted  
by ,gruter3--    444 ,so he thought     
best1 after long considering the subject
 and   weighing it carefully1 first of  
all to prepare ,tabulae ,inveniendi   or
 regular forms of inquiry2 in other     
words1 a mass of particulars   arranged 
for the understanding1 and to serve1 as 
it were1 for an   example and almost    
visible representation of the matter4   
,for   nothing else can be devised that 
would place in a clearer light   what is
 true and what is false1 or show more   

plainly that what is   presented is more
 than words1 and must be avoided by     
anyone who   either has no confidence in
 his own scheme or may wish to have his 
scheme taken for more than it is worth4 
,but when these ,tabulae ,inveniendi    
have been put forth and seen1 he   does 
not doubt that the more timid wits will 
shrink almost in   despair from         
imitating them with similar productions 
with other   materials or on other      
subjects2 and they will take so much    
delight   in the specimen given that    
they will miss the precepts in it4      
,still1 many persons will be led to     
inquire into the real meaning   and     
highest use of these writings1 and to   
find the key to their   interpretation1 
and thus more ardently desire1 in some  
degree at   least1 to acquire the new   
aspect of nature which such a key will  
reveal4 ,but he intends1 yielding       
neither to his own personal             
aspirations nor to the wishes of others1
 but keeping steadily in   view the     

success of his undertaking1 having      
shared these writings   with some1 to   
withhold the rest until the treatise    
intended for the   people shall be      
published4  ,now what conclusions may be
 drawn from the foregoing extracts8     
,bacon attached the greatest importance 
to the consideration of the internal    
life of man4 ,he affirms that           
dramaticall or representative poesy1    
which brings the world upon the stage1  
is of excellent use if it be not abused4
 ,the discipline of the stage was       
neglected in his time1 but the care of  
the ancients was that it should instruct
 the minds of men unto virtue1 and wise 
men and great philosophers accounted it 
as the musical bow of the mind4 ,he has 
devoted the fourth part of his          
,instauratio ,magna to setting forth    
examples of inquiry and invention1      
choosing such subjects as are at once   
the most noble in themselves and the    
most different one from another1 that   
there may be an example in every kind4  

,he is not speaking of precepts and     
rules by way of interpretation1 but     
actual types and models by which the    
entire process of the mind1 and the     
whole fabric and order of invention1    
should be set1 as it were1 before the   
eyes4  ,not only should the characters  
of dispositions which are impressed by  
nature be received into this treatise1  
but those also which are imposed upon   
the mind by sex1 by age1 by region1 by  
health and sickness1 by beauty and      
deformity1 and the like2 and1 again1    
those that are caused by fortune1 as    
sovereignty1 nobility1 obscure birth1   
riches1 want1 magistracy1 privateness1  
prosperity1 adversity1 and the like4    
,the fourth part of ,bacon's ,great     
,instauration is missing4 ,the above    
requirements are met in the ,shakespeare
 plays4 ,could the dramas be more       
accurately described than in the        
foregoing extracts8  ,from a study of   
the plays let a list be made out of the 
qualifications which the author must    

have possessed4 ,it will be found that  
the only person in whom every           
qualification will be found who has     
lived in any age of any country was     
,francis ,bacon4 ,any investigator who  
will devote the time and trouble        
requisite for an exhaustive examination 
of the subject can come to no other     
conclusion4  ,one cannot without feeling
 deep regret recognise that we have to  
turn to a foreigner to give reasons for 
the faith which we ,english have in     
,shakespeare4 ,it was a ,german1        
,schlegel1 who discovered the great     
dramatist1 and to-day we must turn to   
his ,lectures on the ,drama for the most
 penetrating description of his plays4  
,the following is a translation of a    
passage which in describing the plays   
almost adopts the words ,bacon uses in  
the foregoing passages as to the scope  
and object of the fourth part of his    
,great ,instauration4  ,never1 perhaps1 
was there so comprehensive a talent for 
the delineation of character as         

,shakespeare's4 ,it not only grasps the 
diversities of rank1 sex1 and age1 down 
to the dawnings of infancy2 not only do 
the king and the beggar1 the hero and   
the pickpocket1 the sage and the idiot  
speak and act with equal truth2 not only
 does he transport himself to distant   
ages and foreign nations1 and portray in
 the most accurate manner1 with only a  
few apparent violations of costume1 the 
spirit of the ancient ,romans1 of the   
,french in their wars with the ,english1
 of the ,english themselves during a    
great part of their history1 of the     
,southern ,europeans 7in the serious    
part of many comedies71 the cultivated  
society of that time1 and the former    
rude and barbarous state of the ,north2 
his human characters have not only such 
depth and precision that they cannot be 
arranged under classes1 and are         
inexhaustible1 even in conception2 no1  
this ,prometheus not merely forms men1  
he opens the gates of the magical world 
of spirits1 calls up the midnight ghost1

 exhibits before us his witches amidst  
their unhallowed mysteries1 peoples the 
air with sportive fairies and sylphs2   
and these beings1 existing only in      
imagination1 possess such truth and     
consistency that even when deformed     
monsters like ,caliban1 he extorts the  
conviction that if there should be such 
beings they would so conduct themselves4
 ,in a word1 as he carries with him the 
most fruitful and daring fancy into the 
kingdom of nature2 on the other hand1 he
 carries nature into the regions of     
fancy1 lying beyond the confines of     
reality4 ,we are lost in astonishment at
 seeing the extraordinary1 the          
wonderful1 and the unheard of in such   
intimate nearness4  ,if ,shakespeare    
deserves our admiration for his         
characters he is equally deserving of it
 for his exhibition of passion1 taking  
this word in its widest signification1  
as including every mental condition1    
every tone from indifference or familiar
 mirth to the wildest rage and despair4 

,he gives us the history of minds1 he   
lays open to us in a single word a whole
 series of preceding conditions4 ,his   
passions do not at first stand displayed
 to us in all their height1 as is the   
case with so many tragic poets who1 in  
the language of ,lessing1 are thorough  
masters of the legal style of love4 ,he 
paints1 in a most inimitable manner1 the
 gradual progress from the first origin4
 ',he gives1' as ,lessing says1 'a      
living picture of all the most minute   
and secret artifices by which a feeling 
steals into our souls2 of all the       
imperceptible advantages which it there 
gains1 of all the stratagems by which   
every other passion is made subservient 
to it1 till it becomes the sole tyrant  
of our desires and our aversions4' ,of  
all poets1 perhaps1 he alone has        
portrayed the mental                    
diseases--melancholy1 delirium1         
lunacy--with such inexpressible1 and in 
every respect definite truth1 that the  
physician may enrich his observations   

from them in the same manner as from    
real cases4   ,,footnotes3  #ee ,a      
,translation by ,spedding1 ,works1 ,vol4
 ,,iv41 p4 #bc4  #ef ,the knowledge     
touching the affections and             
perturbations which are the diseases of 
the mind4  #eg ,tabulae inveniendi4     
,,chapter ,,xxv4  ,,the ,,philosophy    
,,of ,,bacon4   ,to attempt anything of 
the nature of a review of ,bacon's      
acknowledged works is a task far too    
great for the scope of the present      
volume4 ,to attempt a survey of the     
whole of his works would require years  
of diligent study1 and would necessitate
 a perusal of nearly every book         
published in ,england between #aegf and 
#afcj4 ,not that it is suggested that   
all the literature of this period was   
the product of his pen or was produced  
under his supervision1 but each book    
published should be read and considered 
with attention to arrive at a selection4
  ,there has been no abler judgment of  
the acknowledged works than that which  

will be found in ,william ,hazlitt's    
,lectures on the ,literature of the ,age
 of ,elizabeth4 ,lecture ,,vii4         
commences with an account of the        
,character of ,bacon's ,works4  ,it may 
not1 however1 be out of place here to   
try and make plain in what sense ,bacon 
was a philosopher4  ,in ,chapter ,,cxvi4
 of the ,novum ,organum he makes his    
position clear in the following words3--
       ,first then ,i must request men  
not to suppose that after the           
fashion of ancient ,greeks1 and of      
certain moderns1 as ,telesius1          
,patricius1 ,severinus1 ,i wish to found
 a new sect in philosophy4 ,for         
this is not what ,i am about2 nor do ,i 
think that it matters much to      the  
fortunes of men what abstract notions   
one may entertain      concerning nature
 and the principles of things2 and no   
doubt many      old theories of this    
kind can be revived1 and many new ones  
introduced2 just as many theories of the
 heavens may be supposed      which     

agree well enough with the phenomena and
 yet differ with      each other4       
,for my part1 ,i do not trouble myself  
with any such speculative and           
withal unprofitable matters4 ,my purpose
 on the contrary1 is to try      whether
 ,i cannot in very fact lay more firmly 
the foundations and      extend more    
widely the limits of the power and      
greatness of man 444      ,i have no    
entire or universal theory to propound4 
,so the idea that there was what is     
termed a system of philosophy           
constructed by ,bacon must be abandoned4
 ,what justification is there for       
calling him the father of the ,inductive
 ,philosophy8  ,it is difficult to      
answer this question4 ,spedding admits  
that ,bacon was not the first to break  
down the dominion of ,aristotle4 ,that  
followed the awakening throughout the   
intellectual world which was brought    
about by the ,reformation and the       
revival of learning4 ,sir ,john         
,herschel justifies the application to  

,bacon of the term ,the great ,reformer 
of ,philosophy not on the ground that he
 introduced inductive reasoning1 but    
because of his keen perception and his  
broad and spirit-stirring1 almost       
enthusiastic announcement of its        
paramount importance1 as the ,alpha and 
,omega of science1 as the grand and only
 chain for linking together of physical 
truths and the eventual key to every    
discovery and application4  ,bacon was  
#fj years of age when his ,novum        
,organum was published4 ,it was founded 
on a tract he had written in #afjg1     
which he called ,cogitata et ,visa1 not 
printed until long after his death4 ,he 
had previously published a portion of   
his ,essays1 the two books on ,the      
,advancement of ,learning and ,the      
,wisdom of the ,ancients4 ,just at the  
end of his life he gave to the world the
 ,novum ,organum1 accompanied by ,the   
,parasceve4 ,certainly it was not       
understood in his time4 ,coke described 
it as only fit to freight the ,ship of  

,fools1 and the ,king likened it to the 
peace of ,god which passeth all         
understanding4 ,it is admittedly        
incomplete1 and ,bacon made no attempt  
in subsequent years to complete it4 ,it 
is a book that if read and re-read      
becomes fascinating4 ,taine describes it
 as a string of aphorisms1 a collection 
as it were of scientific decrees as of  
an oracle who foresees the future and   
reveals the truth4 ,it is intuition not 
reasoning1 he adds4 ,the wisdom         
contained in its pages is profound4 ,an 
understanding of the interpretation of  
the ,idols and the ,instances has so far
 evaded all commentators4 ,who can      
explain the ,latent ,process8 ,but the  
book contains no scheme of arrangement4 
,therein is found a series of desultory 
discourses--full of wisdom1 rich in     
analogies1 abundant in observation and  
profound in comprehension4 ,from here   
and there in it with the help of the    
,parasceve one can grasp the intention  
of the great philosopher4  ,in ,chapter 

,,lxi4 he says3--,but the course ,i     
propose for the discovery of sciences is
 such as leaves but little to the       
acuteness and strength of wits1 but     
places all wits and understandings on a 
level4 ,how was this to be accomplished8
 ,by the systemization of labour        
expended on scientific research4 ,a     
catalogue of the particulars of         
histories which were to be prepared is  
appended to the ,parasceve4 ,it embraces
 every subject conceivable4 ,in ,chapter
 ,,cxi4 he says1 ,i plainly confess that
 a collection of history1 natural and   
experimental1 such as ,i conceive it1   
and as it ought to be1 is a great1 ,i   
may say a royal work1 and of much labour
 and expense4  ,in the ,parasceve he    
says3--,if all the wits of all the ages 
had met or shall hereafter meet         
together2 if the whole human race had   
applied or shall hereafter apply        
themselves to philosophy1 and the whole 
earth had been or shall be nothing but  
academies and colleges and schools of   

learned men2 still without a natural and
 experimental history such as ,i am     
going to prescribe1 no progress worthy  
of the human race could have been made  
or can be made in philosophy and the    
sciences4 ,whereas on the other hand let
 such a history be once provided and    
well set forth and let there be added to
 it such auxiliary and light-giving     
experiments as in the very course of    
interpretation will present themselves  
or will have to be found out2 and the   
investigation of nature and of all      
sciences will be the work of a few      
years4 ,this therefore must be done or  
the business given up4  ,to carry out   
this work an army of workers was        
required4 ,in the preparation of each   
history some were to make a rough and   
general collection of facts4 ,their work
 was to be handed over to others who    
would arrange the facts in order for    
reference4 ,this accomplished1 others   
would examine to get rid of             
superfluities4 ,then would be brought in

 those who would re-arrange that which  
was left and the history would be       
completed4  ,from ,chapter ,,ciii4 it is
 clear that ,bacon contemplated that    
eventually all the experiments of all   
the arts1 collected and digested1 should
 be brought within one man's knowledge  
and judgment4 ,this man1 having a       
supreme view of the whole range of      
subjects1 would transfer experiments of 
one art to another and so lead to the   
discovery of many new things of service 
to the life and state of man4  ,nearly  
three hundred years have passed since   
,bacon propounded his scheme4 ,the arts 
and sciences have been greatly advanced4
 ,they might have proceeded more rapidly
 had the histories been prepared1 but   
since his time there has arisen no man  
who has taken all knowledge to be his   
province--no man who could occupy the   
position ,bacon contemplated4  ,the     
method by which the induction was to be 
followed is described in ,chapter ,,cv4 
,there must be an analysis of nature by 

proper rejections and exclusions1 and   
then1 after a sufficient number of      
negatives1 a conclusion should be       
arrived at from the affirmative         
instances4 ,it is in this induction1    
,bacon adds1 that our chief hope lies4  
,bacon's new organ has never been       
constructed1 and all wits and           
understandings have not yet been placed 
on a level4  ,we come back to the       
mystery of ,francis ,bacon1 the         
possessor of the most exquisite         
intellect that was ever bestowed on any 
of the children of men4 ,as an          
historian1 he gives us a taste of his   
quality in ,henry ,,vii4 ,in the ,essays
 and the ,novum ,organum1 sayings which 
have the effect of axioms are at once   
striking and self-evident4 ,but he is   
always desultory4 ,in perceiving        
analogies between things which have     
nothing in common he never had an equal1
 and this characteristic1 to quote      
,macaulay1 occasionally obtained the    
mastery over all his other faculties and

 led him into absurdities into which no 
dull man could have fallen4 ,his memory 
was so stored with materials1 and these 
so diverse1 that in similitude or with  
comparison he passed from subject to    
subject4 ,in the ,advancement of        
,learning are enumerated the            
deficiencies which ,bacon observed1     
nearly the whole of which were supplied 
during his lifetime4  ,the ,sylva       
,sylvarum is the most extraordinary     
jumble of facts and observations that   
has ever been brought together4 ,it is a
 literary curiosity4 ,the ,new ,atlantis
 and other short works in quantity      
amount to very little4 ,bacon's life has
 hitherto remained unaccounted for4 ,in 
the foregoing pages an attempt has been 
made to offer an intelligible           
explanation of the work to which he     
devoted his life1 namely1 to supply the 
deficiencies which he had himself       
pointed out and which retarded the      
advancement of learning4  ,hallam has   
said of ,bacon3 ,if we compare what may 

be found in the sixth1 seventh1 and     
eighth books of the ',de ,augmentis1'   
and the various short treatises         
contained in his works on moral and     
political wisdom and on human nature1   
with the rhetoric1 ethics1 and politics 
of ,aristotle1 or with the historians   
most celebrated for their deep insight  
into civil society and human            
character--with ,thucydides1 ,tacitus1  
,phillipe de ,comines1 ,machiavel1      
,david ,hume--we shall1 ,i think1 find  
that one man may almost be compared with
 all of these together4  ,pope wrote3   
,lord ,bacon was the greatest genius    
that ,england1 or perhaps any other     
country1 ever produced4 ,if an          
examination1 more thorough than has     
hitherto been made1 of the records and  
literature of his age establishes beyond
 doubt the truth of the suggestions     
which have now been put forward1 what   
more can be said8 ,this at any rate1    
that to him shall be given that title to
 which he aspired and for which he was  

willing to renounce his own name4 ,he   
shall be called ,the ,benefactor of     
,mankind4     ,,appendix4   ,sir ,thomas
 ,bodley left behind him a short history
 of his life which is of a fragmentary  
description4 ,one-fourth of it is       
devoted to a record of how much he      
suffered in permitting ,essex to urge   
his advancement in the ,state4 ,the     
following is the passage3--       ,now  
here ,i can not choose but in making    
report of the principall      accidents 
that have fallen unto me in the course  
of my life1 but      record among the   
rest1 that from the very first day ,i   
had no man      more to friend among the
 ,lords of the ,councell1 than was the  
,lord      ,treasurer ,burleigh3 for    
when occasion had beene offered of      
declaring his conceit as touching my    
service1 he would alwaies tell      the 
,queen 7which ,i received from her selfe
 and some other      ear-witnesses7 that
 there was not any man in ,england so   
meet as      myselfe to undergoe the    

office of the ,secretary4 ,and sithence 
his      sonne1 the present ,lord       
,treasurer1 hath signified unto me in   
private conference1 that when his father
 first intended to advance      him to  
that place1 his purpose was withall to  
make me his      ,colleague4 ,but the   
case stood thus in my behalf3 before    
such time      as ,i returned from the  
,provinces united1 which was in the     
yeare      #aeig1 and likewise after my 
returne1 the then ,earle of ,essex did  
use me so kindly both by letters and    
messages1 and other great      tokens of
 his inward favours to me1 that although
 ,i had no meaning1      but to settle  
in my mind my chiefest desire and       
dependance upon the      ,lord          
,burleigh1 as one that ,i reputed to be 
both the best able1      and            
therewithall the most willing to worke  
my advancement with the      ,queene1   
yet ,i know not how1 the ,earle1 who    
fought by all devices to      divert her
 love and liking both from the ,father  

and the ,son 7but      from the ,sonne  
in speciall7 to withdraw my affection   
from the one      and the other1 and to 
winne mee altogether to depend upon     
himselfe1      did so often take        
occasion to entertaine the ,queene with 
some      prodigall speeches of my      
sufficiency for a ,secretary1 which were
      ever accompanied with words of    
disgrace against the present ,lord      
,treasurer1 as neither she her selfe1 of
 whose favour before ,i was             
thoroughly assured1 took any great      
pleasure to preferre me the      sooner1
 7for she hated his ambition1 and would 
give little      countenance to any of  
his followers7 and both the ,lord       
,burleigh      and his ,sonne waxed     
jealous of my courses1 as if under hand 
,i had      beene induced by the cunning
 and kindnesse of the ,earle of ,essex1 
to oppose my selfe against their        
dealings4 ,and though in very truth     
they had no solid ground at all of the  
least alteration in my      disposition 

towards either of them both1 7for ,i did
 greatly respect      their persons and 
places1 with a settled resolution to doe
 them any      service1 as also in my   
heart ,i detested to be held of any     
faction      whatsoever7 yet the now    
,lord ,treasurer1 upon occasion of some 
talke1 that ,i have since had with him1 
of the ,earle and his      actions1 hath
 freely confessed of his owne accord    
unto me1 that his      daily            
provocations were so bitter and sharpe  
against him1 and his      comparisons so
 odious1 when he put us in a ballance1  
as he thought      thereupon he had very
 great reason to use his best meanes1 to
 put      any man out of hope of raising
 his fortune1 whom the ,earle with      
such violence1 to his extreame          
prejudice1 had endeavoured to           
dignifie4 ,and this1 as he affirmed1 was
 all the motive he had to      set      
himselfe against me1 in whatsoever might
 redound to the      bettering of my    
estate1 or increasing of my credit and  

countenance      with the ,queene4 ,when
 ,i hae thoroughly now bethought me1    
first in      the ,earle1 of the slender
 hold-fast that he had in the favour of 
the ,queene1 of an endlesse opposition  
of the cheifest of our      ,statesmen  
like still to waite upon him1 of his    
perillous1 and      feeble1 and         
uncertain advice1 as well in his owne1  
as in all the      causes of his        
friends3 and when moreover for my selfe 
,i had fully      considered how very   
untowardly these two ,counsellours were 
affected      unto me1 7upon whom before
 in cogitation ,i had framed all the    
fabrique of my future prosperity7 how   
ill it did concurre with my             
naturall disposition1 to become1 or to  
be counted either a stickler      or    
partaker in any publique faction1 how   
well ,i was able1 by ,god's      good   
blessing1 to live of my selfe1 if ,i    
could be content with a      competent  
livelyhood2 how short time of further   
life ,i was then to      expect by the  

common course of nature3 when ,i had1 ,i
 say1 in this      manner represented to
 my thoughts my particular estate1      
together      with the ,earles1 ,i      
resolved thereupon to possesse my soule 
in peace      all the residue of my     
daies1 to take my full farewell of      
,state      imployments1 to satisfie my 
mind with that mediocrity of worldly    
living that ,i had of my owne1 and so to
 retire me from the ,court1      which  
was the epilogue and end of all my      
actions and endeavours of      any      
important note1 till ,i came to the age 
of fifty-three4  ,the experience of     
,bodley and ,bacon appears to have been 
identical4 ,it certainly materially     
strengthens the case of those who       
contend that ,bacon's conduct to ,essex 
was not deserving of censure on the     
ground of ingratitude for favours       
received from him4  ,the words which    
,robert ,cecil addressed to ,bodley1    
namely1 that he had very great reason to
 use his best meanes1 to put any man out

 of hope of raising his fortune whom the
 ,earle with such violence1 to his      
extreame prejudice had endeavoured to   
dignifie1 would with equal force have   
been applied to ,bacon's case4 ,the     
drift of ,bodley's account of the matter
 points to his feeling that ,essex's    
conduct had not been of a disinterested 
character1 and suggests that he felt the
 ,earle had been making a tool of him4  
,the effect of this was that ,bodley    
adopted the course which ,bacon         
threatened to adopt when refused the    
office of ,attorney-,general1 solicited 
for him by ,essex--he took a farewell of
 ,state employments and retired from the
 ,court to devote himself to the service
 of his ,reverend ,mother1 the          
,university of ,oxford1 and to the      
advancement of her good4 ,to this end he
 became a collector of books1 whereas   
,bacon would have become some sorry     
book-maker or a true pioner in that mine
 of truth which ,anaxagoras said lay so 
deep4   ,,robert ,,banks ,,and ,,son1   

,,racquet ,,court1 ,,fleet ,,street4    
,illustration3 ,figure ,,vi4            
,illustration3 ,figure ,,vii4           
,illustration3 ,figure ,,viii4          
,illustration3 ,figure ,,ix4            
,illustration3 ,figure ,,xx4            
,illustration3 ,,the ,,xxxviii4 ,,booke4
    ,,the ,,argvment       ,marfisa doth
 present herselfe before      ,king     
,charles1 and in his presence is        
baptized3      ,astolfo doth ,senapos   
sight restore1      ,by whom such hardie
 feats are enterprised1      ,that      
,agramant therewith molested sore       
,is by ,sobrino finally aduised1        
,to make a challenge on ,rogeros hed1   
,to end the troubles that the warre had 
bred4    ,figure ,,xiii4    ,figure     
,,xiv4    ,illustration3 ,figure ,x4    
,illustration3 ,figure ,,xv4            
,illustration3 ,figure ,,xi4            
,illustration3 ,figure ,,xii4           
,illustration3 ,figure ,,xxi4    ,,the  
,,genealogies ,,recorded ,,in ,,the     
,,sacred ,,scriptvres1   ,a,ccording to 

euery ,,family and ,,tribe4    ,,with   
,the ,line of our ,sauiour ,,iesvs      
,,christ obserued from ,adam   to the   
blessed ,,virgin ,,mary4    ,by   ,i4   
,s4    ,,cvm ,,privilegio4              
,illustration3 ,figure ,,xvi4           
,illustration3 ,figure ,,xvii4          
,illustration3 ,figure ,,xviii4         
,illustration3 ,figure ,,xix4           
99       99       99       99       99  
,,transcriber',s ,,notes   #a4 ,passages
 in italics are surrounded by           
underscores4  #b4 ,passages in bold are 
indicated by bold4  #c4 ,long s has been
 modernized4  #d4 ,images have been     
moved from the middle of a paragraph to 
the closest paragraph break4  #e4       
,footnotes have been renumbered and     
moved to the end of the chapters in     
which they are referenced4  #f4 ,the    
original text includes ,greek           
characters4 ,for this text version these
 letters have been replaced with        
transliterations4  #g4 ,certain words   
use oe ligature in the original4  #h4   

,the following misprints have been      
corrected3     obain corrected to obtain
 7page #bg7     ,shakespere corrected to
 ,shakespeare 7page #ci7     ,bodly     
corrected to ,bodley 7page #he7         
,shakepeare's corrected to              
,shakespeare's 7page #ajg7              
commenceed corrected to commenced 7page 
#ajh7     ,proecepta corrected to       
,praecepta 7page #ace7     deficiences  
corrected to deficiencies 7page #aia7   
numercial corrected to numerical        
7footnote #ce7  #i4 ,other than the     
corrections listed above1 printer's     
inconsistencies in spelling1            
hyphenation1 and ligature usage have    
been retained4