In a letter, written in the year 1622, to the Bishop of Winchester, and prefixed, in the nature of a dedication, to his dialogue touching a holy war, he says, " having in the work of my Instaura"tion' had in contemplation the general good of "men in their very being, and the dowries of na"ture; and in my work of laws, the general good "of men likewise in society, and the dowries of government; I thought in duty I owed somewhat unto my own country, which I ever loved; inso"much as although my place hath been far above 66 my desert, yet my thoughts and cares concerning "the good thereof were beyond, and over, and "above my place: so now being, as I am, no more "able to do my country service, it remained unto "me to do it honour: which I have endeavoured to "do in my work of the reign of King Henry the "Seventh." Soon after the publication, he expresses his anxiety that the history should be translated into Latin. In a letter to Mr. Tobie Matthew, he says, "It is true, my labours are now most set to have "those works, which I had formerly published, as "that of Advancement of Learning, that of Henry "the Seventh, that of the Essays, being retractate, " and made more perfect, well translated into Latin by the help of some good pens, which forsake me "not. For these modern languages will, at one "time or other, play the bankrupts with books: and "since I have lost much time with this age, I would 66 "be glad, as God shall give me leave, to recover it " with posterity." In the year 1627, this history was published in French.* In 1629, there was a new edition in English. In 1638, an edition in Latin was published by Dr. Rawley; and the press has since abounded with editions.† Such was the progress of the history of Henry the Seventh. In the composition, Lord Bacon seems to have laboured with some anxiety. Aubrey, in his Anecdotes, says, " about his time, "and within his view, were borne all the wits that "could honour a nation or help study. He came "often to St. John Danvers at Chelsey. Sir John "told me that when his lordship had wrote the 66 history of Henry the Seventh, he sent the manu script copy to him to desire his opinion of it "before 'twas printed. Qd Sir John, your lordship "knows that I am no scholar. 'Tis no matter, said 66 my lord, I know what a scholar can say; I would "know what you can say. Sir John read it, and gave his opinion what he misliked (which I am * 8vo. Paris, Par Holman, of which there is a copy in the British Museum. † In 1641, and in 1647, and in 1662; and in the British Museum there is a MS. (Sloan's collection, 84,) entitled Notes, taken out of his history of the reign of Henry Seventh and another MS. Harleian, vol. 2, of Catalogue 300, entitled Notes of Henry Seventh's reign, set down in MS. by the Lord Chancellor Bacon. 66 6 sorry I have forgot) which my lord acknowledged "to be true, and mended it. Why,' said he, a "scholar would never have told me this."" And it appears by a letter from his faithful friend, Sir Thomas Meautys, that the king did correct the manuscript. The letter is dated January 7, 162, and directed "To the Lord Viscount St. Alban." It contains the following passage. "Mr. Murray tells me, the king hath given your "book to my Lord Brooke, and injoined him to read ❝it, recommending it much to him: and then my "Lord Brooke is to return it to your lordship; and "so it may go to the press, when your lordship pleases, with such amendments, as the king hath 66 66 made, which I have seen, and are very few, and "those rather words, as epidemic, and mild instead "of debonnaire, &c. Only that of persons attainted, "enabled to serve in parliament by a bare reversal "of their attainder, the king by all means will have "left out. I met with my Lord Brooke, and told " him that Mr. Murray had directed me to wait upon "him for the book, when he had done with it. He "desired to be spared this week, as being to him a "week of much business; and the next week I "should have it: and he ended in a compliment, "that care should be taken, by all means, for good ❝ink and paper to print it in; for that the book de"serveth it. I beg leave to kiss your lordship's "hands." But notwithstanding this labour and anxiety, the work is perhaps an illustration of Archbishop Tenison's observation upon Dr. Playfer's attempt to translate the "Advancement of Learning." "Men generally come short of themselves when "they strive to outdo themselves. They put a "force upon their natural genius, and, by straining "of it, crack and disable it." 66 If however in the history of Henry the Seventh, it is vain to look for the vigour or beauty with which the Advancement of Learning abounds: if there is not such nervous language as "the honest "and just bounds of observation by one person upon another, extend no farther but to under"stand him sufficiently whereby not to give him offence, or whereby to be able to give him faithful "counsel, or whereby to stand upon reasonable guard and caution in respect of a man's self: but "to be speculative into another man, to the end to "know how to work him, or wind him, or govern him, proceedeth from a heart that is double and cloven, and not entire and ingenuous." 66 66 66 If there is not such beauty as " men have entered "into a desire of learning and knowledge, some"times upon a natural curiosity, and inquisitive 66 appetite; sometimes to entertain their minds with variety and delight; sometimes for ornament and reputation; and sometimes enable them to victory of wit and contradiction; and most times "for lucre and profession; and seldom sincerely to 66 give a true account of their gift of reason, to the "benefit and use of men: as if there were sought "in knowledge a couch, whereupon to rest a search 66 ing and restless spirit; or a tarrasse for a wandering and variable mind to walk up and "down with a fair prospect; or a tower of state, for "a proud mind to raise itself upon; or a fort or commanding ground, for strife and contention; or a shop, for profit or sale; and not a rich storehouse, " for the glory of the Creator, and the relief of man's "estate." If the intricacies of a court are neither discovered nor illustrated with the same happiness as the intricacies of philosophy, "because the distribu tions and partitions of knowledge are not like "several lines that meet in one angle, and so touch "but in a point; but are like branches of a tree, that meet in a stem, which hath a dimension and 66 quantity of entireness and continuance, before it "come to discontinue and break itself into arms. "and boughs; therefore it is good, before we enter "into the former distribution, to erect and consti"tute one universal science, by the name of Philosophia Prima,' primitive or summary philosophy, as the main and common way, before we come "where the ways part and divide themselves.” 66 66 "That it be a receptacle for all such profita"ble observations and axioms a fall not within the compass of any of the special parts of philosophy "or sciences, but are more common and of a higher stage.' Is not the precept of a musician, to fall from "a discord or harsh accord upon a concord or sweet accord, alike true in affection! Is not the Is not the trope of 66 |