The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1879-09-12
Roger Bacon.

But the great light in science during all
those ages, both for England and the rest
of the world, was Roger Bacon, who, born
in 1914, was in his cradle in Somerset
shire when the barons obtained from
King John his signature to Magma Charta.
He belonged to a rich family, sought
knowledge from childhood, and avoided
and Paris, and the death of his father
may have placed his share of the pater-
nal estate in his hands. He spared no
cost for instructors and transcribers,
books and experiments; mastered not
only Latin thoroughly, but also Hebrew
and Greek, which not more than five men
in England then enunderstood, od,grammatically
although there were more who could
loosely read and speak those tongues. He
was made doctor in paris, and had the
degree confirmed in his own University
of Oxford. Then he withdrew entirely
from the civil strife that was arising, and
Joined the house of the Franciscans in
Oxford, having spent all his time in the
world and $4,000 of money in the search
of knowledge. Roger Bacon's family COM
mitted itself to the Kings side in the
civil war of Henry ILLS greed, his cor
ruption of Justice, and violation of the
defined rights of his subjects brought up
on him. The success of the barons ruined
Bacon's family, and sent his mother,
brothers and whole kindred into exile.
Meanwhile the philosopher, as one of the
Oxford Franciscans, had joined an order
which prided itself in the checks put by
it on the vanity of learning. But in spite
of their self-denials, the Franciscans at
Oxford and elsewhere, included many
learned men, who by the daily habit of
their minds, were impelled to give to
scholarship some practical direction.
They were already beginning to supply
the men who raised the character of
teaching at the University of Oxford till
it rivalled that of Paris. Friar Bacon was
among the earliest of these teachers so
was Friar Bungay, who lives with him in
popular tradition. Roger Bacon saw how
the clergy were entangled in barren
natural laws out of which it sprang. He
believed that the use of all his knowledge,
if he could but make free use of it, would
be to show how strength and peace were
to be given to the Church. And then the
Pope, who had been told of his rare ac-
quirements and his philosophic mind,
bade Roger Bacon, disregarding any
rule of his order to the contrary. write
for him what was in his mind. Within
his mind were first principles ola true
and faithful philosophy. But to commit
w pol CAhlOAb tllnb uC lldu UOCI pllllAS
to say would cost him EGO in materials
transcribers, necessary references and ex-
periments. He was Franciscan, vowed
to poverty, and the Pope had sent NO
money with the command to write.
Bacon's mother and exiled brothers had
spent all they were worth upon their
ransoms. Poor friends furnished the
necessary money, some of them pawning
goods, upon the understanding that theil
loans would be made known to His Holi-
ness. There was a difficulty between
the philosopher and his immediate supe-
riors, because the Pope's demand was
private. and only relief to. Bacon's pri.
vate conscience. His immediate rulers
had received no orders to relax the dis.
cipline which deprived the Franciscans
of the luxury of pen and ink. But OBJ
stacles We're overcome; and then Roger
Bacon produced within year and hal
1858, his Opus Majus Greater Work")
which now forms large, closely y-printee
folio; his Opus Minus (''Lesser Work")
which was sent after the Opus Majus te
Pope Clement to recapitulate its arguments
and strengthen some of its parts.-Henr.
/ Morley's Manual Of English Literature.