Mr. Ben: Johnson was one of his friends and acquaintance, as doeth appeare by his excellent verses on his lordship's birth-day in his second volume, and in his Underwoods, where he gives him a character and concludes that 'about his time, and within his view were borne all the witts that could honour a nation or help studie.'
[281]Lord Bacon's birth-day: Underwoods, p. 222.
Haile, happy genius of this ancient pile,
How comes it all things so about thee smile?
The fire, the wine, the men! and in the midst
Thou stand'st as if some mysterie thou didst!
Pardon, I read it in thy face, the day,
For whose returnes, and many, all these pray:
And so doe I. This is the sixtieth yeare
Since Bacon, and my lord, was borne, and here,
Sonne to the grave wise Keeper of the Seale,
Fame and foundation of the English weale.
What then his father was, that since is he,
Now with a title more to the degree,
England's High Chancellour, the destin'd heir
In his soft cradle of his father's chaire,
Whose even thred the Fates spinne round and full
Out of their choysest and their whitest wooll.
'Tis a brave cause of joy; let it be knowne,
For 'twere a narrow gladnesse, kept thine owne.
Give me a deep-crown'd bowle, that I may sing
In raysing him the wisdome of my king.
Discoveries, p. 101.
Yet there happened in my time one noble speaker[XII.] who was full of gravity in his speaking. His language (where he could spare or passe-by a jest) was nobly censorious. No man ever[282] spake more neatly, more pres<ent>ly, more weightily, or suffered lesse emptinesse, lesse idlenesse, in what he utter'd. No member of his speech but consisted of the owne graces: his hearers could not cough, or looke aside from him, without losse. He commanded where he spoke; and had his judges angry, and pleased, at his devotion. No man had their affections more in his power. The feare of every man that heard him was lest he should make an end.
[XII.] Dominus Verulanus.
Cicero is sayd to be the only wit that the people of Rome had, equall'd to their empire, ingenium par imperio. We had many, and in their severall ages (to take in but the former seculum) Sir Thomas Moore, the elder Wiat, Henry, earle of Surrey, Chaloner, Smith, Eliot, bishop Gardiner, were for their times admirable; Sir Nicholas Bacon was singular and almost alone in the beginning of queen Elizabeth's times; Sir Philip Sydney and Mr. Hooker (in different matter) grew great masters of wit and language and in whom all vigour of invention and strength of judgment met; the earle of Essex, noble and high; and Sir Walter Rawleigh, not to be contemn'd either for judgement or stile; Sir Henry Savile, grave and truly letter'd; Sir Edwin Sandys, excellent in both; lord Egerton, the Chancellour, a grave and great orator, and best when he was provoked; but his learned and able (though unfortunate) successor is he who hath fill'd up all numbers, and performed that in our tongue which may be compar'd or preferr'd either to insolent Greece or haughty Rome. In short, within his view, and about his times, were all the wits borne that could honour a language or helpe study. Now things dayly fall, wits grow downeward and eloquence growes backward, so that he may be nam'd and stand as the marke and ἀκμή of our language.
I have ever observ'd it to have been the office of a wise patriot among the greatest affaires of the state to take care of the commonwealth of learning[283], for schooles they are the seminaries of state and nothing is worthier the study of a statesman then that part of the republick which wee call the advancement of letters. Witnesse the care of Julius Caesar, who in the heate of the civill warre writ his bookes of analogie and dedicated them to Tully. This made the lord St. Albans entitle his worke Novum Organum, which though by the most of superficiall men who cannot gett beyond the title of nominalls, it is not penetrated nor understood, it really openeth all defects of learning whatsoever, and is a booke
Qui longum noto scriptori porriget aevum[284].
My conceit of his person was never increased towards him by his place or honour, but I have and doe reverence him for the greatnesse that was only proper to himselfe in that he seem'd to me ever by his worke one of the greatest men and most worthy of admiration that have been in many ages. In his adversity I ever prayed that God would give him strength; for greatnes he could not want. Neither could I condole in a word or syllable for him, as knowing no accident could doe harme to vertue but rather helpe to make it manifest.