BACON'S "ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING."

(Vol. vii., p.493.)

I have to thank L. for his notice of my edition of the Advancement of Learning, as well as for the information which he has given me, of which I hope to have an early opportunity of availing myself. As he expresses a hope that it may be followed by similar editions of other of Bacon's works, I may state that the Essays, with the Colours of Good and Evil, are already printed, and will be issued very shortly. I am quite conscious that the references in the margin are by no means complete: indeed, as I had only horæ subsecivæ to give to the work, I did not attempt to make them so.

But I thought it might be useful to give a general indication of the sources from which the writer drew, and therefore put in all that I could find, without the expenditure of a great deal of time. Consequently I fear that those I have omitted will not be found to be the most obvious.

I shall be glad to make a few remarks on some of the passages noticed by L.

P. 25.—Of this piece of carelessness—for which I do not the less feel that I deserved a rebuke because L. has not administered it—I had already been made aware by the kindness of a friend. I confess I had never heard of Osorius, which is perhaps no great matter for wonder; but I looked for his name both in Bayle and the catalogue of the library of the British Museum, and by some oversight missed it. I have since found it in both. I cannot help, however, remarking that this is a good example of the advantage of noting every deviation from the received text. Had I tacitly transposed three letters of the word in question (a small liberty compared with some that my predecessors have taken), my corruption of the text might have passed unnoticed. I have not had much experience in these things; but if the works of English writers in general have been tampered with by editors as much as I have found the Advancement and Essays of Lord Bacon to be, I fear they must have suffered great mutilation. I rather incline to think it is the case, for I have had occasion lately to compare two editions of Paley's Horæ Paulinæ, and I find great differences in the text. All this looks suspicious.

P. 34.—I spent some time in searching for this passage in Aristotle, but I could not discover it. I did not look elsewhere.

P. 60.—In the forthcoming edition of the Essays I have referred to Plutarch, Gryll., 1., which I incline to think is the passage Bacon had in his mind. The passage quoted from Cicero I merely meant to point out for comparison.

P. 146.—The passage quoted is from Sen. ad Lucil., 52.

P. 147.—Ad Lucil., 53.

P. 159.—Ad Lucil., 71.

Two or three other passages from Seneca will be found without any reference. One of them, p. 13., "Quidam sunt tam umbratiles ut putent in turbido esse quicquid in luce est," I have taken some pains to hunt for, but hitherto without success. Another noticeable one, "Vita sine proposito languida et vaga est," is from Ep. ad Lucil., 95.

For the reference to Aristotle I am much obliged. I was anxious to trace all the quotations from Aristotle, but could not find this one.

P. 165.—I cannot answer this question. Is it possible that he was thinking of St. Augustine? In the Confessions, i. 25., we kind the expression vinum erroris.

P. 177.—No doubt Bacon had read the treatise of Sallust quoted, but my impression is that he thought the proverb had grown out of the line in Plautus.

P. 180.—I have searched again for "alimenta socordiæ," as it is quoted in the Colours of Good and Evil, but cannot fix upon any passage from which I can say it was taken, though there are many which might have suggested it. One at p. 19. of the Advancement, which I missed at first, I have since met with. It is from the Cherson., p. 106.

Thomas Markby.