The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-12-09

in the history of England dischargng al his duties
mated By high purposes for 1.-THE glory of the Creator
and the relief of mans estate" and yet from GER
in the bre OF his nature rather than
from moral obliquity with anything like con-
scous depravity yielding to the evils of the time SO
tor to receive grauitios from the suitors in his
court. The anomaly becomes conceivable and not
unnatural in the analysis of Mir. SPEEDING, and while
nothing in acons is here set down in malice,
as nothing is extenuated. able to construe 10
ourselves tho consistent pattern OF
man who fell below the decencies OF his place ana
tbs high level of his moral and intellectual ma
ture, not because he thoroughly base but be-
cause he lacked that chastity OF honor which feels
stain like wound" 1t is a curious fact. serving
in part to explain the obscurity which has brooded
ever of the dark points in Bacon's evil destiny.
that il not until within the last eight years that we
have been In position to read the minds Of the men
who sat in judgment on the Chancellor when ar
raigned before the House of Peers by the Commons.
Tho publication by the Camden Society. in the year
1870 of Elsing's Notes of the Debates had during
part of the session. gives us some new insight into
this stage of the proceedings aud II we do not learn
from il to think any more highly OF Bacon we may at
least learn from il to think little less highly OF the
judges by whom he condemned That Lord Bacon
was justly condemned on the charges upon which he
impeached do not dispute To dispute the fact
would be to dispute the frank confession OF Bacon
himself. For 1t should he remembered that
he was not convicted and after the trial.
but his confession and humble
submission" in pleading guilty. se,iatim. to "a
great deal of corruption and neglect" as evil
denced by the twenty specifications which
adduced against him. To the committee of twelve
son IN will fbe M .full
and ingenious confession" and to ask him whether
he admitted the genuinencss of his signature attached
to it, aud whether he would stand to it not lie
turned for answer. MY Lords it is my act my hand,
my heart. bsseech your Lordships, be merciful to
broken reed Writing to the Earl of Bucking-
ham few days after his conviction, ne said:-"I ac-
knowledge the sentence just and. for reformations
sake. t." while adding that he conceived himself to
be 1.-THE ustest Chancellor that had been in the Ave
changes since Sir Nicolas Bacon's time To his
friend and biographer Rawley, he said, II was the
justest judge that England these fifty years;
but it the jnstest in Parliament that was
these two hundred years"
In turning from the conduct of Bacon as man. to
consider his rank philosopher in the intellectual
world, we need say but little. BY the consenting
voice OF that world he holds foremost place among
the choice and master spirits of humanity--among
of Nazareth (dvinest of men, because more than
mani. and Augustine, and Justinian and Greg
DRY the Great, and Charlemagne, and Luz
ther--men who have organized the advanced
and progressive thought of the human
race in religion, philosophy. law and polity'
not only during their days but in all the COM
ing generations of humanity. The two elements
which most distinctvely color and dfferentiate the
civilization of modern times conrrasted with the
civilization of antiquity illustrated in Greece and
Rome the Christian religion and modern science,
and it is irreverence to say that the Teacher Of
Galilee not decidedly the founder Of the
former than the expositor of the inductive phlos-
ophy the harbinger of the latter. 1t is quite
true that Bacon not the first expositor Of the in
ductive processof reasoning. That process is very
clearly unfolded in the posteror analytics Of Aris
totle; but about the process considered fruitful
method of research into the mysteries Of nature the
Greek philosopher has not word to say. 1t is for
want Of discriminating between the inductivs pro-
cess common to all menl and the inductiye method
las first formulated by Bacon that Macaulay in his
brilliant essay has been tempted to disparage the
historical and philosophical value Of the 'Novum
Organum."
There 10 something sublime in the early vision which
Bacon had of the great work he was caedto perform
for the world by initiating new method of research
The vision dawned upon him while yet student,
fifteen years old in the University Of Cambridge, and
from that day to the day Of his death the vision
forsook him. Nurtured by his pious mother in rig
Puritanism. and bred by his father in the at
mosphere of Queen Elizabeth's Court he could not
fail cherish lively interest in the cause of the
formed religion and in the welfare of England that
crisis in British history but ever blended with these
two objects was this third grand idealthat the for
;rbt 10 Al
from the barren logomachies Of the Aristoelian phi
losophy and placed in the way of never ending inn
provement by an amended theory of knowledge and .
wiser application of human industry. We can dis.
tinctly in the pages of Mr.. SPEEDING how the
Great Instauration" grew beneath the hand Of its
author how its plan definitely settled in the year
1906; how. four years later, the 'Redarguto Phoso
phiarum, the most perfect piece. perhaps. for form
and execution that Bacon lett behind him. had re-
ceived its finishing touches how all that ever was
done of the .Novum Organum" appeared ON the 18th
of October 1920 and how last he surprised by
death with the great work still on his hands
In the thirty year of his age lie wrote Lord
Treasurer Burghey that he had taken all knowledge
to be his province Twelve years later committing
his thoughts TO sheet Of paper by way of 'med
tation" he wrote that he believed himself born for
the service Of mankind. and setting himself to con-
..found none so great the discovery of arts
endownents and commodities for the lettering of
mans life" Was 1t any wonder that man,
tanned by such unfalterng trust in the high dcs
tiny to which he had been appointed by Providence
should have pierced through tile clouds in which his
sun was doomed 10 sot and should have sought by
anticipation the auroral dawn OF the fame which
awaiting him And hence 1t was ia clear presage of
his philosophical renown that when he TO write
his last will and Testament. after bequeathng his soul
to God and his body TO ''oDscure burial. he be-
qucathed his Ito the next ages and to foreign
nations"
There many other points in these volumes
upon which we had proposed to comment but
have already greatly exceeded our limits. We
not. however. forbear 10 advert TO the traces Of
suphuism everywhere visible in the letters OF Bacon
Professor Henry Morley has well said Of that 1T
erary arcctation. which 50 fashionable with the
wits Of Bacons day, that it 'gayc strength TO the