place or palace of the Mind, which we are to approach and view with more reverence and attention, he proceeds to the investigation of every species of Philosophy, divine, natural, and human, of which, from his analysis of human Philosophy, or the Science of Man, fome conception may be formed of the extent and perfection of the different parts of the work. These different fubjects, exhibited with this perspicuity, are adorned with beautiful illustration and imagery: as, when explaining the doctrine of the will, divided into the image of good or the exhibition of truth, and the culture or Georgics of the mind, which is its husbandry or tillage, fo as to love the Truth which it fees, he fays, The neglecting thefe Georgics feemeth to me no better than to exhibit a fair image or statue, beautiful to behold, but without life or motion. Having thus made a small globe of the intellectual world, he, looking at the work he had made, and hoping that it was good, thus concludes: And being now at fome paufe, looking back into that I have passed through, this writing feemeth to me, fi nunquam fallit imago, (as far as a man can judge of his own work) not much better than the noise or found which Musicians make while they are tuning their Inftruments, which is nothing pleasant to hear, but yet is a cause why the Music is sweeter afterwards: fo have I been content to tune the Inftruments of the Muses, that they may play that have better hands. And furely, when I set before me the condition of these times, in which Learning hath made her third vifitation or circuit in all the qualities thereof: as the excellency and vivacity of the Wits of this age; the noble helps and lights which we have by the travails of Ancient Writers; the art of Printing which communicateth books to men of all fortunes; the openness of the world by navigation, which hath difclofed multitudes of Experiments, and a mass of Natural History; the leisure wherewith these times abound, not employing men fo generally in civil business as the states of Græcia did, in respect of their popularity, and the state of Rome, in respect of the greatness of their Monarchy; the prefent difpofition of these times at this inftant to peace; the confumption of all that ever can be faid in controverfies of Religion, which have fo much diverted men from other Sciences; and the infeparable property of time, which is ever more and more to difclofe Truth,-I cannot but be raised to this perfuafion, that this third period of time will far surpass that of the Grecian and Roman Learning; only if men will know their own strength, and their own weakness both; and take, one from the other, light of invention, and not fire of contradiction; and esteem of the inquifition of Truth, as of any enterprize, and not as of a quality or ornament; and employ Wit and magnificence to things of worth and excellency, and not to things vulgar and of popular eftimation. The Advancement of Learning was published in the year 1605. Lord Bacon afterwards greatly enlarged it; and having divided it into nine books, and fubdivided each book into chapters, he caused it to be tranflated into Latin, by Mr. George Herbert and fome other friends, under the title of De Dignitate et Augmentis Scientiarum; and was published in folio in 1623. The enlarged work was afterwards re-tranflated into English by Dr. Gilbert Watts, and publifhed at Oxford in 1640; but, according to Dr. Tenison, the tranflation is too much defective. See the Life of Lord Bacon, P. 409. |